Tuesday, November 20, 2012
To My Cutie Pie Sofia
I still can't believe that you turn 6 months today. Was it really 6 months ago that I was getting so impatient with you, since you chose to spend all of 40 weeks inside me? Was it really 6 months ago that when you finally decided to make your grand arrival, you came out so fast, our OB-GYN almost missed out? As cliche as it may sound, time does fly when having fun, and we really had an amazing time getting to know each other these past 6 months!
Let's start from the beginning, shall we?
You were a tiny little girl at birth, weighing just below 6lbs, just like your Ate Ally. So it was a surprise to me that you were already in our room when they wheeled me in. Our pedia did not allow Ally to be roomed in with us before, you see. And apparently, St Luke's has now made it mandatory for all babies to be roomed in. So having you in the room was a pleasant surprise that I was totally not prepared for. And because you were so tiny, the nurses recommended that we carry you as much as possible so as to regulate your body temperature. I spent the better part of those two days in the hospital cradling you in my arms because for some reason, you didn't like being carried by Daddy. You were such a cute little bundle that I didn't mind the extra carrying time all that much.
It took me a while to adjust to being a mom of two because you and Ate Ally practically competed for my attention the first couple of weeks. One of you would demand my attention just as I was beginning to entertain the other. It happened so often that I was sure it was not a coincidence. As thrilled as I was that you both want me by your side, I was thankful when your "territorial war" was over, or at least didn't happen as often as before. I love you both and I will do what I can to make you both feel secure in my love for you.
Aside from your "territorial war" with Ate Ally, we also had a few problems come nighttime. You didn't like sleeping inside our room the first month. I guess you found the room too cold. We tried sleeping with just the fan on, but Ate Ally and Daddy couldn't sleep well. So you and I slept in the living room your first month at home. Then as you were gained weight, it was easier for you to stay in a cool room. Now, with all your insulation (aka taba), it is harder for you to sleep in a warm room. Oh, and you started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks. By this I mean you slept for more than 8 hours straight. Well done you! And I thank you so much for this big achievement. No more sleepless nights for Mommy! Yay!
One thing I love most about you is that you always smile when you wake up in the morning. Its the first thing I see each morning and I love, love, love it! Despite this, you do have a more serious disposition compared to your Ate Ally. I think it is because you take after me and that you tend to observe and absorb your surroundings more. But when you smile, it is always a full-on 100% smile. I still believe you are a happy baby, and nothing pleases me more than to see your smile, except your giggle, which always makes me laugh.
There are times though that I call you Deely, which is short for De Leon. Why? Because you, my dear, have inherited most of the infamous De Leon traits - strong-willed, assertive, independent and brave. A true lion! And boy do you roar! You make sure that you get what you want. And during the rare times that you don't, you don't cry. You scream! Your screams get so loud that wherever we are, all (and I do mean all) people within earshot look at you and immediately give me either a pitying look or an is-she-abusing-her-kid worried look. It is hilarious in retrospect but oh so embarrassing at that moment. And as young as you are, you have already mastered the De Leon "death stare", as popularized by your great-grandma Mamang. There are times when I worry that you are already showing too strong of a personality (read as hindi nagpapatalo) but another way of looking at it (and one that I choose to do) is that I know for sure you will not be a pushover when you grow up and that you will not be bullied ever.
Another thing fascinating about you is how you persevere in mastering a skill. Before you learned to roll over, I watched you try and try and try for a couple of days until you finally were able to do it! You didn't give up and you hardly got frustrated. You simply took little breaks in between each try. Well done, little girl! You will achieve so much with this trait of yours!
You fell off the bed the morning after you first learned to roll over. Yikes! Thankfully, we just sleep on a mattress on the floor so the fall wasn't quite scary. But being the amazing girl that you are, you gave Daddy and me a huge smile as soon as you saw us looking all worried and scared. Thank you for that dearest Sofia! To date, you have fallen off the bed a total of 3 times. Sorry! But aside from your love of rolling over and over, you are just too malikot when you sleep! More often than not, you never wake up in the same location you were in when you slept. This has given me quite a number of scares already since you weren't were you were supposed to be when I checked on you in the middle of the night! I sleep in between you and Ate Ally on a queen mattress, and I tell you as early as now, you two are so malikot, I barely have room to move and sleep peacefully! But, just like your Ate Ally, you stop wiggling the moment I hug you, as if you finally found the perfect position. It warms my heart that you regard sleeping in my embrace the perfect sleeping position. So sweet!
You have already started babbling and talking the past few weeks leading up to your 6-month birthday. Your first word (and I dare anyone to tell me otherwise) was Mommy at 5 months. You are also a very talkative baby and I already enjoy your delightful ramblings. I know the day will soon come when you would talk to me non-stop about your daily adventures. I am sure I will enjoy those just as much.
You don't have teeth yet, but you're in the stage where you put everything in your mouth, from all your fingers to your toes to your toys and Mommy's shirt and necklace (don't worry, I stopped using metal ones and bought a couple of cloth necklaces which you can drool on as much as you can. It can be washed and be ready for more of your seemingly endless drooling). Even the tv remote and our room curtains do not escape your notice and have ended up in your mouth more often than I would have liked. And when I remove these from your mouth, you give me such a naughty little smile, which of course makes me smile too, and then you put them back again. I think you are already trying to ascertain the boundaries to which your cuteness can exempt you from liability. As early as now I already know without a doubt that your cuteness will bring you very, very far!
Now that you are a bit bigger, you love playing with and alongside Ate Ally, and she absolutely dotes on you! You enjoy each other's company so much that I need to put you in separate rooms just to get either one of you to sleep. I don't mind this slight inconvenience because one of my dreams is for you two to grow up to be the best of friends, and I can already see you forming sisterly bonds.
In 6 short months you have blossomed from a tiny sleeping/crying baby to a talkative crawling chubby sweet little girl. You grew up so fast, I am now scared to even blink and miss out on so much. I want to be beside you to cheer you on and celebrate your each milestone and each achievement. Mommy loves you so much Sofia, and I am already looking forward to getting to know you more and more!
Love,
Mommy
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment