One at a time

Lately, Eleanor has been trying to suck her thumb. While nursing. It doesn't work out in her favor, though, because while she's nursing it's difficult to get her thumb in her mouth and what little she is able to get her thumb in, it just breaks the suction seal she has around my nipple, making it so she doesn't get anything when she sucks except for air. So, being an attentive mother, I pull her hand out of the way and reposition her latch. She's resilient, though. She gets that thumb right back up to her mouth ready to stick it in. A few times, I've allowed her to have her thumb instead, but then she gets upset with me for taking away her lunch. But she never gets upset when I take away her thumb, so I assume she wants to eat more than she wants just to suck. Also, she only brings up her left arm to do this; she never does it when she's nursing on the other side. Kelly and I are wondering if this could mean she's left-handed. I know all the literature says we have another two years to see for sure which hand she'll be dominant in, but it still makes us wonder. We each have a left-handed brother, so it is possible. I guess we'll just have to wait and see for sure!

Rolling!

Eleanor rolled over tonight! She went from her tummy to her back over her left shoulder. I think it was an accident, though, because she hasn't done it again, and because she looked surprised when it happened. She has been twisting around a lot lately when I lay her down, looking like she's trying to roll over, but this was the first time anything actually came of it. As soon as she did it, I started clapping and smiling and telling her what a good job she did, but she just laid there looking back like she was trying to figure out why I was so excited.

It's amazing how big such little things can be!

Do you want me to put my fingers in your mouth?

People seem to have some irrepressible urge that I don't understand to put their hands all over babies' faces - even strangers. Personally, I really dislike having my face touched at any point by anyone, so perhaps this is the stem of some of my frustration on the issue, but I can't even express clearly how disturbing, how disgusting, it is to me when I see dirty or just potentially dirty hands aiming for Eleanor's face when she has plenty of cute chub to tickle on her arms, legs and tummy. Even I wash my hands before picking her up or playing with her and she's my kid. I will say that it bothers me less when people I know do this, but there is still the part of me that cringes, thinking about how little I would like it if their fingers were all over my face instead. But I don't freak out. If it's a real problem, I ask the person to stop or I move away from them. And in the end, *sigh*, she is perfectly washable.

One more gross factor, even worse: peoples' fingers in my baby's mouth. Do you want me to put my fingers in your mouth? Maybe touching El's face won't ensure passage of germs. Maybe that is me instituting a level of personal quirks on my baby. Maybe. But it is never OK in any other circumstance to put your fingers in anyone else's mouth so I don't think someone else's baby should somehow not apply to that rule.

To be honest, the only place on her body I don't cringe at when people touch - and we're talking strangers here, people who I don't know or don't know their personal hygiene habits - is her legs. And of all the people I've introduced her to in the last three months, the only people who have been so cognizant of the germiness of touch have been my teacher friends and one teacher friend's boyfriend - a nurse.

This is one mom's plea to the rest of the world: please be aware that you're messing with biology and instincts, bred into mothers over the last few eons, to keep our babies safe and clean. Yes, babies are cute. Yes, they're fun to play with. But if I doubt for a second that you're clean, I'm not worrying about a little bit of dirt beneath your fingernails, I'm suddenly worried about everything else - scarlet fever, Ebola. You might think it's silly, and perhaps it is a little. No, I don't think I can protect her from everything, but it's one small gesture on your part to show your goodwill in our silent deal: I let you share in the joy of my baby if you come at her clean. Us moms work really hard for a long time to grow healthy and beautiful babies.

Reach out and touch someone

Eleanor started reaching for things about two weeks ago - just familiar toys, really, and the edges of her clothing - and pulling it toward her face. And her precision with holding on to me or my shirt while she's nursing has improved, too. However, the newest big step in that development is her ability to reach out for faces, mostly mine and Kelly's. It's great fun to see her interacting with us like that!

Mom, what is his problem?

I had an appointment at the birthing center today that, because she's rarely far from me, I took Eleanor to. Afterwards, I was sitting on the couch in their living room area making El's page in their scrapbook with her sitting on the sofa behind me. There was another couple there with their seven-week-old son, who was unhappy with life ths morning, it seemed. While his mom was getting checked out, his dad was walking around the place with him and stopped to talk to me and Eleanor. When this dad stopped next to the couch to chat, Eleanor, who had been sitting contentedly, playing with her hands and talking animatedly to me, stopped and stared at this crying baby. I looked at her to gauge her reaction to the crying. She looked at me soberly, raised her eyebrows, and turned bck to the baby, eyebrows still in the air until te father-son pair walked on, to which she responded with returning to her hands and chatter. I could almost hear her thinking, though, Oh my goodness, Mom, what is his problem? Doesn't he know how loud he is? What a bother! It totally cracked me up!