You're One Year Old!

Dear Lila,

Happy birthday, sweetheart! I honestly can't believe that an entire year has gone by since you came into this world. I feel like it's only been a few months since we first met but you are already 1 year old, crawling and cruising everywhere, babbling constantly and doing big-girl things like initiating games of peekaboo with me, poring through books, showing off your fine motor skills by picking up toy coins and putting them in your piggy bank and helping me clean your high chair tray by wiping it with a napkin after you eat. It has been amazing to witness all of your firsts this past year and I can't wait to see what else you have in store. 

I always wanted to have a little girl and you are everything I wished for and then some! I love how you always greet me with your beautiful smile when I go into your room in the morning, how you shriek with delight when I chase you across the living room floor and how you smile and excitedly throw your hands up in the air when you realize that it's time for you to eat. I love that you are so interested in books (for reading and not just using as chew toys) and that you bounce up and down and dance whenever you hear a good song. It's so cute that you now wave whenever someone says "bye," that you can (kind of) blow kisses and that ripping up tissues and napkins can provide so much entertainment for you. I love your sweet little giggles when I tickle you, the way you always crawl into my lap when I sit down on the floor near you and how you lay your head on my shoulder and pat my back when you hug me. I am so happy and blessed because every day, I get to wake up and be your mama. I love you so very much.

By the way, we spent your first birthday at an indoor water park, which, as birthday festivities go, is a pretty awesome way to celebrate the big day!

Love,

Mom

First Christmas

Dear Lila,

Merry Christmas, Lila! I hope you enjoyed your first Christmas--and didn't mind too much that your brother kept playing with your new presents instead of his own!

Love,
Mom

Baby Squat

Dear Lila,

Today, you stood on your own and then squatted down to a sitting position for the very first time. Whoa!

Love,
Mom

Birthday Party!

Dear Lila,

Your first birthday is still 12 days away but because it's so close to Christmas and people may be away for the holiday, we had your birthday party today at Gymboree (I don't think you minded celebrating early). Since you are my little Lilabear, we had a bear theme for the party, complete with bear-adorned signs, banners, confetti and cupcakes and even a bear-shaped birthday cake!

(I made the bear cake and cupcakes for you but I ordered the cookies and all of the decorations from Etsy because I had to sleep at some point!)

You looked adorable in your pretty party dress and you had so much fun crawling around the gym and playing with the toys. And when it came time to choose your future career, you went with a very noble one!

Happy early birthday, Dr. Lila!

Love,
Mom

The Layered Look

Dear Lila,

I had to take you and your brother out today and the three of us left the house in a combined total of 12 layers of clothing. I hate winter.

Love,

Mom

11 Months!

Dear Lila,

What? You turned 11 months old today? I can't believe you are almost one year old! You are the happiest, sweetest and cutest little girl. Here are some things about you at 11 months:

-You love it when I hoist you up into the air high above my head and when I dip you down toward the floor, probably because it tickles your stomach. I see you becoming a future roller coaster fan!

-You blow raspberries a lot. It's not very ladylike but it always makes you--and me!--laugh.

-You are wearing size 24 months/2T clothing now.

-You've stood on your own for a few seconds several times.

-I bought you a push walker and you can walk so fast with it! And whenever you use it, you look so happy and proud of yourself, as if you know exactly what a big accomplishment it is.

-You are like Daddy and love to eat! Whenever you see me getting your food ready, you get so excited. Your eyes widen, you sit straight up in your high chair and start saying, "unh unh unh" until I get that first spoonful into your mouth.Currently, you are eating peas, zucchini, green beans, avocados, carrots, butternut squash, yams, bananas, apples, pears, yogurt and lentils.

-When you are not eating food, you are chewing on books. Am I not feeding you enough? You know the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar? It has holes in it from the caterpillar who "chewed" through the food. Well, you chewed your own holes into it. And into Spot Loves His Mommy. And into Hippos Go Berserk!. And into so many more! Yeesh.

-You have a very mischievous smile when I catch you doing something you're not supposed to be doing. Like eating your books.

-Your fourth tooth started coming in this past weekend. So now you'll be even better at eating the books you're not supposed to be eating.

-You smile the biggest smile when you see me coming into the room and that always makes me feel like the most awesome person ever.

Love,
Mom

Mind the Gap

Dear Lila,

Oh my god, I cannot handle all of the cuteness that is the Baby Gap girls' section. Too. Many. Adorable. Outfits!

Love,
Mom

Tough Girl

Dear Lila,

Your pediatrician needs to check your lead level so you had to have blood drawn today. It was the first time you'd ever had blood drawn and your veins are still so teeny tiny that the nurse had a lot of trouble finding a big enough vein and poked you with the needle several times before she finally found one. That alone must have hurt like crazy and then you had to sit still for a couple minutes while she took your blood. But you were so brave! You whimpered when the nurse first stuck the needle into your arm but then you took it like a champ and didn't even cry. My tough girl!

Love,
Mom

Third Tooth

Dear Lila,

Your third tooth is starting to come in! And I know you are just trying out your new chompers but could you please stop biting me while I am breastfeeding you? Ow.

Love,
Mom

Big Laugh

Dear Lila,

I love your big, hearty laugh and the way you giggle and flap your arms like a bird whenever you're happy :)

Love,
Mom

Lil' Cruiser

Dear Lila,

You just missed the Super September cut-off, but you started cruising today! You really are going to start walking soon, aren't you?

Love,
Mom

Super September

Dear Lila,

Wow, I don't know what it is about the month of September but you hit a ton of milestones this month:

September 4: You cut your first tooth (and weren't the slightest bit fussy or cranky about it--amazing!).

(you can see the very top of your first tooth in the above photo)

September 6: You started crawling!

September 8: You began crawling really fast. It's as if you went from zero to 50 in two days!

September 10: You learned how to clap.

September 13: You pulled yourself up to standing. Whoa!

September 16: You waved for the first time.

September 22: You cut your second tooth (still no fussiness--doesn't it hurt or are you really just the world's chillest baby?).

There's one more week left in September--you're not going to start walking, are you?

Love,

Mom

Lip Gloss

Dear Lila,

While we were out today, I let you play with a tube of my lip gloss but when I eventually took it away from you, you were angry and burst into tears. I should have known better than to get in between a girl and her makeup!

Love,
Mom

Month 8

Dear Lila,

On the 27th of every month, I take a photo of you to document how much you've grown from month to month but as you get older, these photos are getting harder and harder to take! When you weren't yet mobile, you'd just lie there, look at the camera with your pretty eyes and let me snap photo after photo, no problem. Today's photo session, however, took almost half an hour because you wouldn't sit still and kept trying to eat the "8 Months" sticker on your shirt. I eventually did manage to get this great shot by waving a tissue above the camera:

(notice the drool on your shirt and the slightly chewed-up sticker)

Here are some things about you at 8 months:

-You are one active baby! You squirm around a lot when you're in my lap and are no longer content just lolling around on your back, so you're constantly rolling onto your belly and pushing yourself up to sitting.

-You kick and pump your legs really hard when you get excited, which is very cute.

-You are currently eating and enjoying green foods: peas, zucchini and green beans.

-You love to suck on washcloths that I've dipped in cold water.

-You also enjoy sucking on tissues, napkins, board books and pieces of cardboard. Your brother did, too, when he was a baby. What is that about?

-You like playing with toy cars, probably because you have access to dozens of them from your brother's collection.

-You have started reaching for me when you want me to pick you up, which makes me melt every time.

Love,
Mom

Extra Hands

Dear Lila,

Seriously, I don't understand why mothers haven't yet evolved to have more hands!

Love,
Mom

Sibling Laughs

Dear Lila,

I'm pretty sure there is nothing better in this world than watching you and your brother make each other smile and laugh.

Love,
Mom

Have A Seat

Dear Lila,

Hey big girl, you pushed yourself up into a sitting position today! Now you can experience the world from a whole new perspective.

Love,
Mom

Goblin Baby

Dear Lila,

Okay, you have switched from growling like a little baby tiger to growling like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. Freaky.

Love,
Mom

Tiger Baby

Dear Lila,

You coo. You giggle. You squeal. And now, for some reason, you have just started to growl like a little baby tiger. So random and so funny!

Love,
Mom

Froggie Style

Dear Lila,

I think you are on the verge of crawling! You're not quite there yet, though. You roll over onto your tummy, push yourself up on all fours and then rock your whole body back and forth. It's a pretty funny sight actually. You look like you're a frog who's stuck in the mud and trying so hard to jump out--and also a little bit like you're humping the air. Haha!

Love,

Mom

Do Me A Solid

Dear Lila,

Today was a big day for you! After six straight months of ingesting nothing but breast milk, you got to try something totally different: rice cereal . . . mixed with a lot of breast milk (okay, so not that different). You seemed pretty excited to sample your first solid food. In fact, I initially couldn't even get the first spoonful into your mouth because you kept trying to grab the spoon out of my hand. Once I did get some rice cereal in your mouth, you made a face as if it you didn't like it. But as I fed you more cereal, you gradually changed your mind and then couldn't get enough of it! 

If you're anything like your parents, you are going to *love* eating!

Love,

Mom

Six Months!

Dear Lila,

Somehow, half a year has already passed by and the tiny, nearly 7-pound newborn that Daddy and I brought home from the hospital back in December has grown into a big, healthy, almost 19-pound 6-month-old!

Here are a few things about you at 6 months:

-You are such a happy baby (see evidence in above photo) and love to smile and giggle. One of the best things in the world is seeing your beautiful face when it lights up!

-The most random things make you laugh. They include: me nibbling on your fingers, me saying the word "doof," when you knock over a toy and I exclaim, "Ai yah!", when someone coughs, when someone sneezes and when your brother laughs.

-You drool. A lot. On everything.

-You really enjoy sucking on your fingers. You also love to stick your toes in your mouth and suck on them. You are quite flexible.

-Sometimes when you're babbling, you sound like a loud, squawking pterodactyl. (By the way, I totally didn't know how to spell "pterodactyl.")

-You're at the stage where you try to grab everything and shove it in your mouth. You especially like to try to grab my food if you are on my lap while I'm eating. I guess you're ready to start solids!

-Your brother is incredibly active and you seem to be following in his footsteps. You are constantly waving your arms, grabbing at things, kicking your feet or wiggling your entire body. You love rolling over onto your tummy and when I leave you in your crib or playpen, you are never in the same spot when I come back to get you!

-I thought you were going to be Daddy's little girl--and you may be when you get older--but right now, you are a total mama's girl. Your face absolutely beams when you see me and there are many times when you want me and only me. This happens especially at night when Daddy is holding you. You scream and cry and sob if I leave you in a room with Daddy but instantly start smiling and cooing as soon as I come back and hold you. This makes me feel good, but Daddy--not so much.

-You are already wearing size 18 months clothing. Everyone keeps asking me the same question: What the heck is in my breast milk? Steroids, apparently.

Happy 6 months to you!

Love,

Mom

Face Plant

Dear Lila,

It's great that you are so good at rolling over now. It's not so great that you often roll over in your sleep and end up face down on your mattress. I can't even tell you how many times I've woken up in the middle of the night, sleepily checked your video monitor, saw your face plant and then bolted out of bed to run to your room, flip you back over onto your back (sometimes a little too hard) and make sure you're still breathing. Oh my god.

Love,
Mom

Morning Cuddles

Dear Lila,

I am not a morning person. I am not the type who bounces out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off. I am more of the hit-the-snooze-button-multiple-times-and-bury-my-face-in-my-pillow type. But I love our early morning cuddles. I usually nurse you around 5am and then we snuggle in my bed until 7am (at which point your brother gets up, runs into the room and hurls himself onto the bed next to us, oof). I love laying next to you with your face just inches away from mine, watching you smile at me, listening to you coo and feeling your fingers graze my nose and cheeks as you gently bat my face. I can't think of a better way to start the day.

Love,

Mom

Glittery Girl

Dear Lila,

You know you're the mom of a little girl when your dryer's lint trap is always full of glitter after you dry a load of laundry.

Love,
Mom

Baby Masseuse

Dear Lila,

You love kicking your little feet in the air. I love getting back massages. This morning, I laid you in my bed so that your feet could kick right against my back. Brilliant!

Love,
Mom

Big Girl

Dear Lila,

You just turned 5 months old yesterday yet you are already getting too big for size 9 months clothing and are currently wearing the same size diaper (4) as your 33-month-old big brother. Um, what?

Love,

Mom

Sitting Pretty

Dear Lila,

Look who learned how to sit up on her own tonight!

Love,
Mom

On A Roll

Dear Lila,

A few weeks ago, you learned how to roll over from your tummy to your back. Today, you rolled over from your back to your tummy for the first time! It took you several tries and when you finally did it, you smiled and looked so proud of yourself. And then you promptly spit up all over your hands and arms. Magical!

Love,
Mom

Heavy Load

Dear Lila,

One 17-pound baby + one 32-pound toddler + one 35-pound double stroller = one serious workout every time I take you and your brother out for a walk!

Love,
Mom

Four-Month Update

Dear Lila,

When I call you my big girl, I'm not just saying that--you had your 4-month check-up today and you are in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. Wow! At this rate, you are going to be bigger than your big brother!

Four months after your debut into this world, you are as chill as ever. You still don't cry very much (except when your brother suddenly screams out of excitement/hyperactivity/anger/boredom and scares you) and continue to be a champion sleeper (you slept so soundly at Daddy's birthday party earlier this month, even though there were people chatting and kids shouting all around you).

As for the ways you've changed, you are becoming quite the chatterbox, cooing and babbling all of the time. You are also a lot more active, whether you are trying to sit up on your own or kicking your feet excitedly in the air. You love wind chimes, sitting in your swing, staring up at the ceiling fan in the dining room, staring at your reflection in the mirror (I don't blame you, since I can look at your adorable face for hours, too!), sucking on your fingers (you suck your fingers so fervently that you actually make really loud slurping noises) and, most of all, smiling and laughing.

Love,
Mom

Roll With It

Dear Lila,

You were doing tummy time in your crib today and rolled onto your back for the first time. Way to go!

Love,
Mom

Peanut Butter

Dear Lila,

Among the greatest pleasures in life is eating crunchy peanut butter straight out of the jar. Yum.

Love,
Mom

Sweet Smile

Dear Lila,

One of the best parts about being your mom? Seeing your sweet smile and the way your entire face lights up when I walk into the room and you see me.

Love,
Mom

First Laugh

Dear Lila,

Novelist James M. Barrie (he of Peter Pan fame) once said, "When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies." It's a nice quote, and a fitting one. After I nursed you earlier this morning, you fell asleep and had what must have been a really funny dream because you laughed your very first laugh. It was such a cute little chuckle and I must say, pretty magical.

Love,

Mom

Girl Talk

Dear Lila,

In five years, you and I will be talking about what you are learning in kindergarten. In 13 years, you might be telling me about a boy in your class who is so cute and so smart and you like him a lot and maybe he likes you back because he smiled at you during study hall and you want to text him (will people still be texting each other in the future, or will we have discovered a way to transmit messages directly into each other's brains?) but aren't sure if you should because maybe you should wait and not send him the text but just talk to him the next time you see him in the hallway (god, I hope text messaging, Google Talk and such haven't completely taken over in the future and that people still speak to each other face-to-face).

In 16 years, you'll get your driver's license and we'll be discussing how you need to be extremely careful out on the roads because New York drivers are seriously cray-cray. In 20 years, you'll call me to tell me about how your college exams are going and to ask me to mail you a batch of my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies because you have a 20-page paper due and you're going to need my cookies to get through it. And in 30 years, maybe we'll be talking about your own little baby girl.

Of course, I don't know if we'll actually have all or none of these conversations. But I do know that I love the conversations that we have been having recently, now that you are starting to coo and vocalize more. Your parts of our conversations are mostly just "unhs" and "ah-goos" but I find them pretty riveting all the same!

Love,
Mom

Baby Hugs

Dear Lila,

I loved your newborn stage, when everything about you was sooooo teeny tiny. You were so small that I could cradle you with one arm. But now, you are a size that is so perfectly huggable, and that is pretty awesome, too!

Love,
Mom

My Apologies

Dear Lila,

You have been a part of our family for two months now and it has been an incredible two months. But I know that you're probably still getting adjusted to me, Daddy and your brother and our craziness and there are a few things I'd like to apologize for:

-I'm sorry your brother is so noisy. He is and always has been a super active and energetic boy and he likes to shout. And run around. And bang his toys against the walls. And shout some more. You will enjoy these things about him once you are big enough to shout, run around and bang toys against the walls with him but for now, I know he makes it really hard for you to sleep during the day. I'm working on trying to get him to use his quiet voice more, if not just for your sake but also for mine!

-I'm sorry I accidentally cut your finger and made you bleed while I was trimming your nails the other day. You only cried for a few seconds so I don't think it hurt you that much, but it definitely hurt me. As a mom, it's awful when your kid gets hurt but it's even more awful when you're the cause of it.

-I am sorry that I'm still a bit clumsy when it comes to dressing you and thank you for your patience when I try for several sweaty minutes to stuff your floppy arms into tight sleeves. I'll get better!

-I'm sorry there aren't as many photos or videos of you as there are of your brother when he was your age. Since your brother was my only child when he was born, I only had to focus on him and thus had the time to snap dozens and dozens of photos of him every day from every conceivable angle. Now that I have two kids, every day is a constant juggling act to make sure you and your brother are both fed/bathed/tended to when you each need to be fed/bathed/tended to. So please know that when you're older and see several photo albums devoted to your brother and only half the amount devoted to you, it's because I didn't have as much time to take photos of you, not because I didn't think you were as photogenic (which you totally are, as evidenced below!)

-I'm sorry I write so many posts about your poop. I understand that you (and many readers of this blog) may not want to read about your baby bowel movements so often but you pretty much only eat, sleep, pee and poop at this age so many times, poop stories are all I've got!

Love,
Mom

Yet Another Poop Post

Dear Lila,

Seriously, please please please stop pooping in the tub every time I give you a bath. Mommy no like!

Love,
Mom

Poopy Bath

Dear Lila,

This is how your bath went last night:

-I undressed you and put you in your baby bathtub.

-You immediately pooped a major poop in the tub.

-I gagged.

-I screamed for Daddy to come to the bathroom.

-I scooped your poop-covered body up, wrapped you in a towel (there goes my good towel) and held you while Daddy washed out your poop-filled tub.

-I gagged some more.

-The towel you were wrapped in suddenly got very wet. You had peed so now I was holding a pee- and poop-covered baby. 

-Daddy finished washing your tub and refilled it with water.

-I started to unwrap you from your towel when--BOOM!--you released another big poop into the towel. 

Least fun bath ever.

Love,

Mom

Sugar Overload

Dear Lila,

During the 13 years that Daddy and I have been together, we've never really celebrated Valentine's Day. We do sweet things for each other all of the time (just the other day, Daddy helped me carry the heavy basket of clean laundry up from the basement without me even having to ask him to--and yes, after so many years together, that is the kind of thing that gets my heart going!), so we don't do the fancy restaurant reservations, the dozen roses, the schmaltzy cards. We do, however, indulge in V-Day chocolates and desserts because if there's an excuse to eat massive amounts of sugar, you take it!

This year, though, Daddy went a bit overboard. He went to this great bakery near our house and brought home slices of red velvet cake, chocolate mousse cake, Oreo cheesecake AND carrot cake cheesecake AND a cup of banana pudding. Because this year, Daddy apparently wanted to turn Valentine's Day into Make Mommy Diabetic Day. Oof.

Love,
Mom

First Smile!

Dear Lila,

Today is Chinese New Year and so far, the Year of the Snake is off to a great start--this morning, I walked over to you in your bassinet and said, "Hi, cutie pie!" and you smiled at me for the first time! And not an "I have gas" smile, but an actual smile! Yay!

Happy new year!

Love,
Mom

More Poopy Hands

Dear Lila,

After PoiPoi undressed you for your bath tonight, she picked you up to bring you into the bathroom and you simultaneously sneezed and pooped right into her hand! Then while I was bathing you, I was washing your coochie area when you again sneezed and shot a big spray of poop into my hand. Ickity ick ick. Daddy was afraid to change your diaper the rest of the night for fear that he would be your third sneezy-poop victim!

Love,
Mom

Happy 1 Month!

Dear Lila,

You are one month old today! And you and I have only known each other for a short time, but I already love being your mom. I love staring into your big round eyes, nuzzling my nose against yours, feeling your teeny tiny fingers grasp my finger, squeezing your chubby chub thighs and kissing your adorable little feet. I love how you hold your head up high and look around the room with the aforementioned big round eyes (your neck muscles are already so strong!), how you crane your neck and follow me with your eyes whenever I put you in your crib and leave the room (you don't have to worry, I will always come back for you!) and how you seem as if you're already trying to talk (Daddy was changing your diaper the other night and you loudly chirped what sounded exactly like, "Hi!"). 

You are an amazing little baby. And you are still my super chill Sleeping Beauty. You don't cry very often (you're still not a huge fan of diaper changes or baths but they don't make you cry as much as they used to) and you sleep really well, especially at night (Daddy and I thank you for that!). I hope you have enjoyed this past month as much as I have. I love you so, so much.

Love,

Mom

Poopy Hand

Dear Lila,

During your diaper change tonight, you projectile pooped right into my hand. Thanks for that!

Love,
Mom

Diapering Disasters

Dear Lila,

Last night, I asked Daddy to put your brother in an overnight diaper before he went to bed. I also asked Daddy to change your diaper after I nursed you earlier this morning. And later this morning, you both woke up with pee-soaked pajamas. Your diaper was halfway down your butt and your brother's was actually crumpled into the leg of his pajama. Double Daddy fail! 

Love,

Mom

Getting Bigger

Dear Lila,

You turned three weeks old today and have already outgrown your newborn-sized clothing and diapers. You are already growing up way too fast for me!

Love,

Mom

Milky Nose

Dear Lila,

Sometimes when you spit up, milk comes streaming out of your nose. Your pediatrician says it's normal but yikes, it kind of freaks me out. I hope it doesn't hurt you!

Love,
Mom

Things I Forgot

Dear Lila,

It's been almost two and a half years since I took care of a newborn baby, so there were a few things that I forgot. Among them:

-Babies have to be burped after they're fed. During our first day together in the hospital, I nursed you several times and didn't burp you until you started making a lot of spit bubbles. I asked a nurse why you were doing that and she asked me if I'd burped you. Um, no, oops! I'm so sorry, Lila!

-Newborns really hate baths, or at least mine do. Your brother screamed and howled during his baths when he was a newborn and you are no different, except that I think you scream and howl much, much louder than he did. You act as if I'm pouring acid on you, not warm water!

-Newborns tend to pee and poop as soon as you open their diaper. Fun! At least with you, I haven't gotten hit with your bodily excretions (yet). With your brother, his penis pointed up so pee would go spraying every which way. Super fun!

-Newborns' nails are friggin' sharp. It's like you have teeny, tiny razor blades on the ends of your fingers. And they're so teeny, tiny that I can't even cut or file them. The worst is when I have to take off your mittens during baths and you scratch yourself. It hurts a lot when you scratch me, so I can't imagine how painful it must be on your delicate skin.

-Every noise a newborn makes is so cute! Your sweet coos, gurgles, hiccups, sneezes, grunts and sighs--even your funny little farts--are all so awww-worthy :)

Love,
Mom

First Impressions

Dear Lila,

You turned 1 week old today! How did that happen? How is time already going by so fast? The past seven days have been a blur of round-the-clock feedings, diaper changes (man, do you hate getting your diaper changed), nervous outfit changes (I'm nervous, not you, because your hands, your arms, your legs--they're all so small and fragile! I have been so used to wrestling with your big, beefy, 31-pound brother and forgot how delicate a newborn is) and constant checks to make sure you're still breathing (you are so still when you're sleeping!). The past seven days have also been filled with round-the-clock kisses on your teeny nose, nuzzles with your soft, chubby cheeks and pauses to breathe in your intoxicating new-baby scent.

So far, you have been a very chill baby. You didn't cry when you were born and you only whimpered for a few minutes during our first night in the hospital. You did cry for four straight hours during our second night in the hospital but I think it was because you were hungry and my milk hadn't come in yet (wow, that was a rough night). Now, you barely cry except during the aforementioned diaper changes--and yikes, do you cry. You shriek and wail and turn red and sometimes cry so hard that your cries go silent. Um, dramatic much? You also cry when I change your clothes; I guess you're not a fan of the nakedness. 

When you're not eating or resisting diaper and outfit changes, you sleep and sleep and sleep some more. I call you Sleeping Beauty because you're such a good sleeper and I almost always have to wake you up to feed you. During our first night at home, I set my alarm clock so that I would wake up every three hours to feed you, but Daddy shut my alarm off so I didn't wake up when I was supposed to and you slept for a full five hours! The second night, Daddy shut off my alarm again and you slept for six hours! And I still had to wake you up after those long sleep stretches. (I have also since moved the alarm clock out of Daddy's reach!)

Here are some other things about you:

-You have super cute chubby cheeks. See Exhibit A:

And Exhibit B:

-You snore just like Daddy.

-You like to sleep with your fists balled up under your chin, as if you're ready to fight--or defend yourself against your big brother!

-You are nocturnal like me. You sleep during most of the day and are usually awake and alert after 9pm. Your name, Lila, means "night" so I guess it's fitting.

-You like to stick out your tongue. 

-When you were just 1 day old, I was feeding you at 3:30 in the morning when you opened both of your eyes for the first time. And they are such beautiful eyes! Their small, slit-like shape remind me of little tadpoles:

-You've been opening both eyes together more and more but you often open just your right eye and scan your surroundings, as if you're checking things out and wondering, "What's going on? What's this place about?"

-You seem to open your eyes especially wide when you hear your brother talking. He is quite the chatterbox so you probably heard his voice a lot when you were in my belly.

-You are the prettiest little girl! (But we've been dressing you like a boy in lots of blue outfits with cars and dinosaurs on them because they are hand-me-downs from your brother. Sorry!)

Love,

Mom