Dear Freya,
It's hard to believe that we've had four full weeks of you already. I say 'of you' because you are what Daddy and I do now! Everything else that once seemed so important has been pushed aside to make room for all the hours we need to spend holding you, gazing at you, listening to you make ungodly noises with several parts of your body, and watching you sleep.
Speaking of the noises, my goodness what you are capable of! Who ever would have thought that such a tiny body could have such a repertoire of sound effects? There isn't enough time to cover them all, but a few of my favorites are the sputtering engine, which you tend to make when uncomfortable or feeling neglected; the overly loud single 'uhhhh' that is typically used to cover up the fact that there is something being manufactured in your pants; and the piglet snort that inadvertently comes out while you are either crying hysterically or digging around for truffles when I'm holding you. Oh yes, and the desperate, hungry hand sucking that sounds like two middle school kids in a closet at a make-out party.
We've had some issues with you gaining weight these first few weeks, and if either of your parents were members of Mensa, we would have figured out that your restlessness after meals meant that you were still hungry and not that you were a slam-dance prodigy. We apologize for not being too quick on the draw concerning your diet, but now that things are under control our house has settled down quite a bit and the nightly sleep stretches have drawn out to almost two hours. TWO WHOLE HOURS AT A TIME! The wonder of it all.
What is amazing is how, at six pounds of nothing, you have the strength to fling yourself around on any surface you are set upon. Who knew we'd have to threaten you with the changing table straps so early? Changing your diaper is a two-person job about 50% of the time because your limbs are as uncontrollable and elusive as an octopus's tentacles. Along with that is the angry head-banging and arm-swinging. We have to swaddle your arms for a large portion of the day because if the cranky mood strikes, you will open-hand slap either us or yourself until you get whatever you were wanting so badly. I sustained a slight fat lip today while trying to dodge those arms and your head just happened to draw back and knock into my mouth. If this is any indication of things to come, we are going to have a great time with you in your teenage years!
My favorite newest thing is how you are tracking things much more with your eyes. You seem to recognize our voices more every day and that is thrilling to no end. In fact, just the other day when I came home from work after a call from Daddy that you were hungry, I walked around the back of the couch and when I said "Where's my baby?" you turned your head slightly and popped yourbinky out as if to say "Thank God my personal chef is home. Bring on the steak!" You know I relish the job of being at your beck and call; it's lovely to be so needed.
I can't wait until you are old enough to understand how long we've waited for you and how loved you are. If the amount of pictures we take of you on a daily basis don't clue you in, all of the hugs and kisses surely will.
We can't wait for you to figure out how dorky your parents really are.
Love,
Your Mama
