Three Months of Mabel

Writing these blogs is getting harder and harder.

I just reread Jenna's last post recalling two months of Mabel and it seriously seems like yesterday. I've been thinking about this post and how much she has changed and grown and "matured". So much that I didn't know what I would write until I looked back at last month and had a little inspiration from some pictures Aunt Danielle sent over and Jenna made into a pic-stitch

(I think that's what it is called, I'm not good with that sort of thing... the second Snap Chat I received was a video of a grown man shaking his butt (quite professionally I might add, great butt Rob), so maybe I should just leave my tech savvy-ness to the blogs and my new found love of Twitter).

Back to the important stuff. When you last read Jenna told you about how well Mabel was growing, how she had just started sleeping through the night and how lucky we felt, as parents, to have such a calm, agreeable and pleasant little baby. Thankfully all of that is still true, but after seeing the pictures Danielle sent I realize how much the last month has amplified everything.

Pictured: Itty Bitty Beans first moments with the world.

She was so tiny.
She needed us for everything.

In the last month she has become so independent and (I know this sounds ridiculous) smart and strong and funny.

I'm teetering on "Stop Dad, shut the hell up, it's just a baby" territory, so let me explain:

Independence

In the photographs above you see a very small child. That small child needed constant care. In the first month particularly and even up to the last blog post. At that point sleeping a combined total of ten hours between the two of us was a miracle.

Nowadays there are very obvious times when Mabel has opinions. Daddy tickling her or laughing at her makes her grumpy, but mommy doing the same thing makes her giggle. If she doesn't like how she's positioned on the couch, god dammit you're going to know about it! We are able to set her down in one of her play areas and she just goes to it! She doesn't need us to have all the fun in the world. This is actually sorta sad to think about too deeply, which is why my policy is never to think about anything, ever. This brings me to,

Smart

The girl is brilliant. In the last two weeks she has really started to love her play mat. Before that it was her vibrating chair with the dangly things. She just liked being in them and staring at the owl or the turtle or the lamb or the doggy. In what seemed like a blink of they eye she went from staring with potential random arm swaying to purposeful grabbing, holding, shaking, rocking and giggling.

She isn't only cooing adorably anymore, she goes back and forth with you when you make noises with her. It's the baby way of talking, but she's still talking. She'll look right into your eyes as you match her grunt for grunt or hum for hum. The other day Jenna was blowing bubbles with her gum and Mabel started blowing bubbles with her spit. The other day I was ignoring her and watching tv. I looked over, she was ignoring me and watching tv. What?! Seriously! Brilliant!

She has always been happy and smiley, but she seems to be understanding situations now as well. We have stuck with our bedtime routine, always slightly altering it as we go (Jenna still reads so much and is constantly looking for ways to make Mabel's life easier and better... it's astounding). We're learning not to worry and to embrace flexibility. Give each other time and space as we need it and include Mabel in those plans. She gets it. Bedtimes are easier, mornings and baths with daddy are easier, she is still an amazing eater, but she even knows now to slow down and give her momma a break.

These things might seem like be complete coincidences and, even if the majority of them are, they are the sign of an ever expanding cognization of the world around her. Her growth isn't just in her belly or cheeks or clothes size (she's rockin' out in 3-6 month attire). It's mental, it's physical, she's always been cute and adorable, of course, but as she looks less like me and more like her mom you can see how beautiful she is. It's in her bright eyes, her warm and happy smile, her long and flowing eyelashes, the way her cheeks and mouth react to what's going on around her. She's growing up and getting so...

Strong

Mabel's movements are more purposeful. I feel like a lot people say "she's so solid," which she is (in more ways than one - we know she's a chunk and we love it!). Last month I would have said, yeah, she has great neck control when I hold her up. Apparently science tells us this is very important because we do a little something called Tummy Time. Tummy Time is a magical time when you lay your baby on their stomach, preferably on a soft surface, and watch as they struggle to hold their head up and hone their neck control, back strength, and potential for push ups.

Four weeks ago, Mabel hated her some Tummy Time. She hated Tummy time as much as she loved Nakey Time, which is a significant amount (still). It would take seconds until she burrowed her smooshed up little face into the mat and miserably squirmed and fussed. Now, our girl's gots some grit! She holds her head up like a champ for tens of seconds and when she's tired she sorta just lays down like a big girl and eats her hand. Her hand must be delicious, because she eats the hell out of that thing.

Pictured: Tummy Time during, after, and complex math on her back

Funny

The last category I mentioned is definitely true, but a little bit of a misnomer. Maybe not a misnomer, but it definitely has some layers.

It is funny in the most terrifying way how much she has grown so quickly. Look at the first picture posted in her first hours and days. Then look at the picture above. That's only THREE months. She has changed so much in three months it's funny to even try to remember what it used to be like to be her parent; what she used to be like before right now. It's funny how it all blends together and how I feel like it was only yesterday, but I can't even imagine Mabel being anything other than what she is right now. It's funny that in four weeks I will re-read this post and most likely type the exact same things, but comment on how "four weeks ago I thought she had changed from the four weeks prior to that, boy was I wrong."

Then it's funny to think that is how it will be for the rest of her life. She'll always be this tiny thing that needs us more than anything. This tiny thing that looks into her momma's eyes and coos and smiles and makes her so happy. This tiny thing that will start rolling over, then crawling, then walking, then talking, then watching zombie movies, then going to kindergarten, then she will be driving and the President of the United States and then maybe dating.

And all along the way she's going to look to us for guidance. She's going to expect us to be there when she has questions or discovers new things. We get to go through this journey again through the completely innocent eyes of someone who doesn't even know what funny means. Her Bill Murray onesie is just comfortable, she has no idea how great it is. She knows she likes it when we make funny sounds, startle her, make noises with her and laugh at her, but she doesn't really know what it means. (OR DOES SHE!?!?!) Everything changes every day. She picks up on something new, learns a little bit more, does a little bit more and at least now she knows that we have a dog, her name is Daisy and she is hilarious.