Norah at One Month

Dear Norah,

You are one month old today and as Jonah would say "I can hardly believe it!" You were my tag along to the doctor a couple days ago and I remember sitting in the same office about a year ago talking with the doctor about what the next step would be in the journey to making you possible. I was trying hard to be optimistic but it wasn't easy. So sitting there holding you in my arms this time made me want to cry.

Wearing your "because mommy was pretty sure you were gonna be a girl" outfit. 

I may have to blame hormones but I also had to hold back tears when Lucy came up to me a few days ago, rubbed your head and said "Remember before Norah was even in your uterus how I prayed and prayed for her to come. Aren't you glad I prayed?" Yes! I am very glad your sister prayed for you and she wasn't the only one. We just all knew you were missing from our family.

And now that you are here, we all just adore you. Jonah and Lucy love to show you your black and white animal cards and now, as they have recently informed me, they know to wait for a time when your eyes are open all the way and not opening and closing a lot because you like it better that way. Jonah will hold them up over his face and make the right animal sound. It cracks me up and you really do seem to enjoy it too.

 They also love to help me out by talking to you if I have to put you down or by bring me wipes or telling me if you cry when I'm taking a shower. But they both love you so much. And they even have songs they like to sing you.

Jonah's is his own unique version of Skidamarink which goes something like:

Skidamarink a-dink, a a dink, a dink, a-dink, Skaramink a-doo. I wuff you!
I wuff you in the morning and after nap
I wuff you in the morning and underneath the moon!

Lucy's song is one I made up the first verse too and then she expanded:

Norah Jane, Norah Jane
We love you in the sunshine, we love you in the rain

Norah Jane, Norah Jane,
We love you in the car and we love you on a train

Norah Jane, Norah Jane,
We love you in St. Louis and they love you in Maine 
(I tried to suggest Missouri instead of St Louis but that was soundly rejected)

Norah Jane, Norah Jane
They love you in France and they love you in Spain.

They also "fight" over whose name is closet to yours. Jonah's shares three letters and his name and your middle name both start with J. But Lucy's middle name is almost the same as your first. They both think they win.

But how could they not love you, you are so sweet. And mellow. You just go with the flow. Kids screaming and running around doesn't faze you a bit. I'll cringe when you are sleeping and Jonah and Lucy decide to do something like, bang wooden blocks on various items around the house in what Lucy declared to be a "sound experiment," but you just keep sleeping. You've started to wake up a lot more these past few days and like to lay next to them while they play but you still seem to love sleep more than I'm used a baby (hope that sticks around!) and you've starting to get into a rhythm.

Sadly, this last week it seems like you have started to prefer napping in the swing or one your own, either laying in bed or on your sheepskin in the middle of the chaos in the living room. I'm not really used to this solo sleeping thing. And you love to eat and are a great nurser but unlike your siblings, you don't really seem to care much for comfort nursing, at least for now. So when you do fall asleep on me, like this morning, of course I have to let you so I can soak up my numbered tusb (trapped under a sleeping baby) days. I'm wondering if that will change with time or if you will always be miss independent. You do like to snuggle in the evenings though which makes me happy. And at night sometimes you'll start to stir next to me but I just hold out a finger for you to grab and you settle back down. So you're not quite ready for college yet, I guess. Which is good, you have to stay teeny-tiny forever.

I love seeing how you compare to your brother and sister. Most of the time I think you look more like Lucy but every once in a while, you'll make a more Jonah expression. But you also have this funny pouty expression that is unique to you. It's gonna be fun seeing how you change as you get bigger.

Looking a bit like Jonah

You've only had one bath but you really liked it (so perhaps I should do it again :-). You also like tummy time and just lying down in the quiet of naptime and looking around. But you don't like being swaddled unless you are totally overstimulated, but even then, I had better take it off you once you fall asleep because if you wake up swaddled, you let me know you aren't happy about it. It's one of the few times you cry.

Exactly what are you planning on doing here, mom?

Fresh and clean. That wasn't so bad. 

You are really loud, even for a newborn. I overheard Lucy and Jonah playing baby dolls a few days ago and Lucy (as the baby) was making all these grunting noises Jonah asked her if her baby was okay and she told him "Yes, but sometimes babies make loud noises even when they are sleeping"...I think she learned that from you! She's also asked me if it is a rule that you have to kiss a baby when you pick them up. Well, if it isn't, it should be.

And Jonah now wears green baby in his sling quite a bit and if he "starts to cry" he'll start patting him on the bottom. I love how much Lucy and Jonah are learning from you. In fact, even being number #3, I'm still learning stuff by being your mom. And loving it all.