Gretchen Ruth.
She has all our hearts.
She has all our hearts.
I've been saying since her first days with us that she was our easiest baby. Well, I recently decided this is not true! She definitely has her quirks and demands and we manage to meet every one without getting too ruffled ourselves. I am sure that because she is our fourth we just roll with the punches easier than before...and I think she is also getting quite spoiled...by every single one of us.
She is my only baby who will not take a bottle. She did take a bottle of pumped breastmilk for the first two months of her life, and did so on a fairly regular basis from multiple people. But something changed and she has not looked back, so it is me or nothing! She also went through a phase where she would not nurse without the boppy pillow! We have kind of worked through that now, but she does not nurse great without it. Because of this I have been hauling the boppy to children's museums, BYU, and to friend's houses. I feel like a real capable mom doing that, let me tell you! She can also be tricky to get to nap and get to sleep at the beginning of the night. She just HATES being alone, so I think this is where the difficulty stems from. She also doesn't take a binky, which up until this week I have not minded, and it will make life easier down the road. However, this week she has woken up more than I would like during the night and I think if I could just pop a binky in her mouth she would fall back asleep. Oh well! This girl is particular!
Despite all of this though, she is sweet and happy and warms our souls on a daily basis! Her big cheeks, fluffy hair, and instant grin melt my heart about 100 times a day. She has a wonderful laugh and gives them freely, to all of us. The kids are delighted when she laughs at something they do and it is so fun to watch. Gretchen has rolled over once, back to tummy, on January 25th. She smiled initially, and then cried, as she hates being on her stomach, and has yet to do it again! When her socks and pants are off she loves to grab her feet. She also loves to suck on things, so I have no idea why she won't take a bottle or a binky! She can usually be found sucking her thumb, fingers, fist, forearm, and as of late, her shirt. She has gotten great at grabbing toys, or any other thing the kids put within her reach, including their hair. :) Even though she has only rolled once, she has a strong little torso and can sit up for minutes at a time on my bed with just a pillow behind her, One thing that Gretchen loves, and I love that she loves it, is she loves little kisses on her cheek and forehead. I love to pull her close to me and just give her little kisses on her cheek. After I pull away, she will lean her head back into mine, and smile when I kiss her again and again. We repeat this multiple times and she just loves it! Even my mom has noticed this about her. Little Gretchen clearly loves a good nuzzle.
With each new baby I have, I treasure the still and quiet moments just a bit more. Many a time Gretchen and I have conked out for a nap after nursing, and I just forget about everything I still need to get done. I just enjoy her head resting on my shoulder and listening to her little baby breaths. Gretchen delights me and gives me bright spots in my day that can sometimes be riddled with complaints and fights of older children. I am so glad she's here.
Despite all of this though, she is sweet and happy and warms our souls on a daily basis! Her big cheeks, fluffy hair, and instant grin melt my heart about 100 times a day. She has a wonderful laugh and gives them freely, to all of us. The kids are delighted when she laughs at something they do and it is so fun to watch. Gretchen has rolled over once, back to tummy, on January 25th. She smiled initially, and then cried, as she hates being on her stomach, and has yet to do it again! When her socks and pants are off she loves to grab her feet. She also loves to suck on things, so I have no idea why she won't take a bottle or a binky! She can usually be found sucking her thumb, fingers, fist, forearm, and as of late, her shirt. She has gotten great at grabbing toys, or any other thing the kids put within her reach, including their hair. :) Even though she has only rolled once, she has a strong little torso and can sit up for minutes at a time on my bed with just a pillow behind her, One thing that Gretchen loves, and I love that she loves it, is she loves little kisses on her cheek and forehead. I love to pull her close to me and just give her little kisses on her cheek. After I pull away, she will lean her head back into mine, and smile when I kiss her again and again. We repeat this multiple times and she just loves it! Even my mom has noticed this about her. Little Gretchen clearly loves a good nuzzle.
With each new baby I have, I treasure the still and quiet moments just a bit more. Many a time Gretchen and I have conked out for a nap after nursing, and I just forget about everything I still need to get done. I just enjoy her head resting on my shoulder and listening to her little baby breaths. Gretchen delights me and gives me bright spots in my day that can sometimes be riddled with complaints and fights of older children. I am so glad she's here.
No comments:
Post a Comment