Little Molly Woggle

Here are a few of my thoughts about Molly right now:

*Nicknames: Molly-Lou-Mellon, Molly Robin, Molly Wolly Doodle-all-the-Day, Molly Woggle, Little Miss Moose Mouse, Miss Watermelon, Molly Bolly

*She LOVES me, and I mean like LOVES LOVES me! I have rarely ever seen a baby so attached to her mama, and I have to admit that I love it!! When I come in the room, she just about jumps out of her skin she gets so excited. She will let other people hold her, but if I walk near, she starts bouncing around excitedly and leans towards me, reaching to be picked up. And if she is tired or needing reassurance in any way, she just nuzzles her little, tiny, baby head into my neck and is immediately so contented and calm. If I lay on the bed or floor next to her, she will use all her effort to swing herself around to be touching me or next to me. It is so precious, and one of the most amazing experiences of my life to have this little girl with me!!

*She has really become aware of the world around her lately. She is just 5 mos old, and every day I can see more and more comprehension of the world around her growing in her eyes. She is super aware of Ben now, and loves to watch him. When he starts coming her way, she gets really excited now and tolerates his (occasionally rough) hugs, kisses, and snuggles very well.

*She is rolling over by choice very independently now. It's so cute to see her decide to roll over and just go for it, knowing that she can do it. Watching a baby master a new skill, and then show that new skill off is such a treasure to watch!!

*She is such a calm and happy baby. Other than night-time sleeping (which I don't know if I even have the energy to get into on this blog), she is the least fussy, and easiest baby that I could have imagined. When Ben was this age, I had to spend a lot of time and energy thinking through all of our outings each day so that I could be prepared to meet his needs. With Molly, all I have to do is make sure there is a spare diaper around and a pacifier if she wants to sleep, and she's good. I know part of it is that I am an experienced mother now, but it is still largely just her personality...so sweet, observant, fascinated with the world.

*She has gotten so good with her hands! She can grab just about anything that she wants to. It's getting quite difficult to hold her during a meal these days...she is FASCINATED with food. And it used to be that we could offer her any toy or object to keep her busy during a meal, but now she will just look at whatever we are offering, and if it is not food-related, she will just move her hand away, as if to brush us off! We have started to give her things to "eat" like a whole carrot or piece of celery during meals, and this seems to keep her happy.

*She is still my darling, sweet, wide-eyed, loving little one. She is still such a precious little thing. She is still my "babe-in-arms". She has hardly ever even been in a stroller. Ben and I go on a walk every day, but I always carry her or wear her in a wrap or sling, and it is such a joy! I can't believe that I didn't know to do this with Ben. It's awesome!