Dear Lila Jae (and, yes, you should get used to hearing both names - it's a verbal tick none of us can help),
I need at least three more of these updates to fully describe all that has happened in the past four months, but we'll just have to manage with this. METAMORPHOSIS! You are a little butterfly, my beautiful girl, compared with the cute little caterpillar you were just back in May. Then you were just learning to roll over. Now? You roll anywhichway, sit up, crawl, pull up, feed yourself, and run a little sports-book in the back of the house.
You're still an epically good sleeper, but you don't do it nearly as often. For the first six months you pretty much slept all the time with very short breaks to wake up, look around, be cute, and fall back into your natural state of slumber. Then all of a sudden you WOKE UP. You still manage to sleep through the night, and given the right conditions you still nap easily, but you decided that 10 naps a day was for wussies, you only needed 2 or 3. At first we were so confused that our little angel baby was turning into such a fuss bucket - and then we just stopped forcing you into your crib and you stopped screaming at us. Funny that.
It wasn't just that you stopped needing sleep, you really started engaging in the world. You wanted to be
in it - play with your brother, tackle the cats, show mama how clever you are. You decided about 2 months ago that you wanted to crawl, and you just worked and worked and worked until you could do it. You still entertain yourself most of the time (you go from toy to toy, investigate the kitchen or under the dining table - perfectly content), but you have to be moving. In fact, your need to move is so strong that anything that slows you down gets the Lila Scream Treatment. Diaper changes, dressing after bath, trimming your nails - all ridiculous tasks you want nothing to do with. And when I carry you, you are all business:
what can I see? what can I reach? where are we going? There are no sweet snuggles into mommy's shoulder; I have to carry you face forward - arm across your chest and hand between your legs - so you have the view you want.
In fact, you have such a minimal need for affection that you weened yourself at 8 months. By that point we were really only nursing a few times a day and you were so disinterested in the task, I stopped forcing it on you. It definitely hurt my heart to think you weren't devastated by the loss of connection, but as Nanu recently pointed out, River probably nursed enough for both of you. So, my body is my own again (for the first time in 4 years!) and you are thrilled to hold your own bottles.
I never imagined you would be so fiercely independent. You are so easy going in so many ways, but when you set your sights on a goal you are relentless. We struggled for months trying to feed you that icky glop of first foods (oatmeal and jarred fruit). You wouldn't touch it. You were obviously hungry, but you pushed the spoon away like a little rage-filled gremlim. Finally out of desperation - even though I didn't think you were ready - I started trying more solid foods: chopped bananas, avocados, cooked carrots. You LOVED them. But you had to feed yourself. You would reject any offer of help, and even if it took 12 pieces of cheerio falling into the cracks of your seat before one piece hit your mouth, you were determined to do it yourself. We've since managed a kind of compromise; you get plenty of Lila-friendly bites and in return you grudgingly let me slip a spoonful or two of yogurt or pears in your mouth before you take the spoon and fling the contents around the room. It works.
You have the sweetest krinkle-nose smile - made even cuter by the six teeth occupying your mouth. You love to make people laugh and will do silly tricks or little pop-pops with your mouth to elicit a smile. You love to blow raspberries and you say mum-mum-mum and dah-dah-dah.
As for your brother, River is still the center of your world and when he's gone (as he will be much more often now that he's starting preschool), you get bored and fussy.
Where's my brother? Where's the fun guy? Thankfully he's dealing with your mobility well. We try to distract you enough for him to finish any building projects (which he's usually making for you - his demolition crew), and he is great about finding things for you to play with or trading toys when you've got something he wants. I love seeing you together. I love knowing you will have a relationship that no one can touch. I love that he protects you and I love that you look up to him so much.
It's been a busy summer full of travel and lots of firsts (ice cream! eating sand!), and through it all you just keep growing and asserting that amazing personality of yours. You are still the zen master of the house, but under that calm exterior is a fierce little fireball lying in wait.
I love you my perfect little girl,
Mama
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