It truly seems like yesterday that iris came into the world, but at the same time it feels like we were never without her! She has changed so much from the tiny, calm baby who arrived on the scene exactly one month ago.
Here are some observations at the one-month mark:
Dislikes:
When Iris was born, the only thing that truly made her cry was being cold -- especially having cold wipes on her bottom during diaper changes! On the way home from the hospital, our first stop was Babies 'R' Us to get a wipes warmer! She doesn't mind the cold wipes as much now, but she does throw her arms out and grimace when she has a cold wipe touch her during changes on-the-go. She also startles and fusses when people touch her with cold hands.
Iris also liked baths when she was a new-newborn. The people at the hospital said she would cry when they gave her her first bath, but she didn't! She also loved her first at-home bath, and we got some great shots of her smiling in the warm water. Now, however, she cries for most of the experience... hmm, maybe the water is too cold?
Likes:
Iris' absolute favourite thing is her "trees:" Granny Abe got us a set of woodland-themed wall decals, and we put all the trees from the set on the wall behind the change pad. When she's being changed, Iris loves to stare at the gingham and polka-dot patterned trees! She gazes and smiles, and now flails her limbs happily. She also has a giraffe music box-type thing that plays "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" that she now watches as it turns! She's a curious little explorer.
She also likes going for walks in the stroller, for the most part, and riding in the car calms her as well. We recently got her a "My Little Snugabunny" bouncer, and it puts her right to sleep! A lifesaver for us during mealtimes, haha.
Personality:
Iris is a very content little honey-baby! I feed her on demand and we pick her up whenever she starts to cry. She's very good with people as well. In general, when someone other than Steve or I holds her, she just looks at them and doesn't fuss or anything! I even handed her to a complete stranger at the La Leche League meeting I attended while I tried on a baby carrier. She is a very friendly baby!
On the other hand, when she's upset, she lets us know it! She's pretty gassy, and cries really intensely when she's experiencing any sort of discomfort! She also cries when she notices that her diaper is full. We had a crazy night last night, she was up from 2:30 to 7 a.m. crying on and off during a seemingly endless cycle of eat-burp-pee!
She is also a trickster. When I'm getting her ready to go out, I've noticed that when she cries at being in her carseat, her eyes don't "screw up" the way they do when she's truly upset! She just closes them and makes all the noises she can, haha. Silly girl!
Faces:
Iris is very expressive. She has two distinct faces that we've nicknamed:
"Turtle" face: When she's asleep and she stirs, she'll raise her eyebrows and sort of grimace, and stick her chin waaay out like a little turtle! This is my absolute favourite face, and I'm rewarded with it a lot when she sleeps on my chest.
"Mugwump" face: This is a grump-face! We've noticed that she makes this face right before she poops (and sometimes when she's gassy and sometimes when she's just plain uncomfortable). She furrows her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth turn way down, and she makes direct eye contact. Today at the doctor, we were waiting for the doctor to come in after the receptionist weighed and measured Iris (10 lbs 1 oz!). Iris was naked and I was holding her, and I saw her make mugwump face. Steve said I should hold her over the sink because it seemed like she was going to poop, but I figured I'd just put a clean diaper under her...as soon as she was over the travel change pad we'd brought, she let loose! If I had held her over the sink when Steve suggested it, I totally would have "caught" the poop! Woohoo Iris, good elimination communication!
There are so many other sweet faces, like when she purses her little lips and looks at us inquisitively, her "rooting" faces with the little tongue sticking out, the hilarious faces she makes during burping that remind me of the white ghosty things from Princess Mononoke... I could go on all night!
Looks:
When she was born, Iris was the spitting image of me as a baby. She had thick black hair (which she hasn't lost any of, despite many people's predictions), and the little chin was all me too! She also has my tiny feet and curly toes. It also struck me when she was born that she looked a lot like my mom, especially in the eyes. However, as she grows, we're starting to see Steve more and more: the eyes are distinctly "him," and her cute little nose looks like it could be like Steve's mom's. However, as my sister pointed out, every day she just looks more and more like herself!
Iris is also starting to be able to "follow" things with her eyes, and when she's awake she's much more alert. She's becoming more and more mobile, in terms of waving her arms and kicking her legs. She has an incredibly strong grip (my poor nipples...) and extremely sharp fingernails! We need to cut those soon... She also has a very strong neck, and when we hold her upright she locks her little knees, making it hard to sit her down again! She still folds her legs up in the "womb" position, but I have a feeling that won't last for much longer. She's such a wonder!
I can't wait to continue watching her grow :)
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