little bitty girl

Dearest Lola,

It's been two whole months since you vacated my body and I look at you in amazement. How did you even fit in there? I wonder whether I will be asking this question all the time. Papa says "Yes!"

Right after you hit your first month, you also got hit by a nasty little bout of eczema. At first, we simply thought you had heat rash since you are such a hot little baby. You're like a mini furnace, something you inherited from your Papa. But you also inherited my inability to be comfortable in anything other than temperate weather. A sad combination of genetics for you, I am afraid....you will be perpetually uncomfortable in the summertime. Anyway, back to your eczema. We waited a few days before going to the doctor since we were going for your monthly check up.

When we went the doctor said you had eczema and to keep you moisturized all the time. However, your eczema took a turn for the worse over the following days and you were so uncomfortable. Your eczema had gotten hard and weepy. I barely slept those few days (and neither did you) and I knew then, that I would want to keep you from ever feeling any sort of pain or hurt. I know that learning those things is part and parcel of living but I get it now. For a parent, every hurt you feel, we will feel it too.

You've also changed so much in appearance since you've been born. You have filled out so much and gotten so tall. I think you must be trying to catch up with all your big boy cousins so that you can keep up with them. Thank goodness, you're also turning out to be such a strong little girl. You can hold the upward dog position for longer than can be expected for a 2 month old and Papa has unfortunately had to bear many a brunt of your left hook and random kicking.

When you were born, you had very tiny lashes. Papa always said it was the one thing I was lacking in, so he has been quite studiously watching your lash growth since day one. That man is obsessed with you! To his absolute delight, you have sprouted the most insanely long lashes this past month. No fakes needed for you.

Papa takes personal pride in those puppies because it's the one physical trait (for now) that he can claim as exclusively his. He is the owner of very long lashes, you can feel them if you put your cheek next to his. I don't think you'll beat his champion lashes (don't worry, it's a boy thing, something to do with nature needing to make boys better looking so that us girls will be somewhat attracted to them and will overlook their terrible smell) but you'll come pretty close. You inherited my cheeks though and we spend many a day, dancing cheek to cheek.

You started laughing, cooing and gurgling this month also. And it's such a delight when you do it. You're still such a serious girl but when you break out into your smile and let out a string of giggles, our hearts just melt. It doesn't matter that you woke us up an hour earlier than you usually do. All of a sudden, we're both wide awake and all we want to do is to sit there and soak up the sunshine which is you.

I am just obsessed with your sweet smell. All I want to do is smell you and kiss you all day. Sometimes, I will just be sniffing your breath like one of those glue sniffing addicts. Papa always has to tell me to leave you alone. I call you my lovely little baked good and it takes everything in me not to want to eat you up. I have to remind myself I have to do other "motherly" things like read to you or sing to you....

Nom Nom Nom!

Love, Mama