Ellie is 13 weeks and 3 days old today. I feel, more and more, that she is "with us." She has developed a fondness for music, particularly a few familiar songs, including the Wheels on the Bus, which we sing with unique verses (the Zoe on the bus says woof, woof, woof, the Emma on the bus says you're my friend, etc.). In general, I have been entertaining myself with alternative lyrics since Ellie's arrival -- day-o, Day-o-o-o, you work all day for the ripe bananas...as well as a verse of mockingbird that goes, hush little baby twinkletoes, I love you more than anybody knows. Ellie loves live renditions of music best, although she also enjoys the canned Raffi and the tinkling of the mobile that we play for her.
She has become increasingly independent, mesmerized by her mobile, cheerful for stretches of time in her jumparoo or Bumbo chair. She continues to love her Fisher Price swing, and she likes to kick her legs while she watches me elliptical from her perch in the chair. She continues to prefer night sleeping to day napping, and day naps are a challenge unless she is sleeping in someone's arms.
Our first three months with Ellie have flown by and I marvel at how much she has changed. She has nearly doubled her birth weight, for example, and she is a careful observer of surrounding events. Her eyes are still in transition. They are not quite brown, the color we expected; Nitin listed her eyes as hazel on her passport application. Her hair is also lighter than expected, wispy strands of medium brown with a soft, fuzzy texture. As it grows out, we can detect a bit of a wave to it.
She gives us signs that the wheels are turning in her head. She is far from understanding or forming words, of course, but she enjoys chatting, sometimes in an insistent tone (who could she be imitating?). She still loves to stare at plants and ceiling fans, but she enjoys looking into our faces more now, also.
We agreed this week that it seemed like she had been with us far longer than three months. And we talked a little bit about the future, just around the edges -- whether she should learn a second language and take music classes, when she would learn to swim. It feels like it will be here before we know it, and I am so curious to learn more about who she will be...
Ellie is grabbing and batting the toys on her playmat more intentionally recently -- though she likes best the toys that move and play music who by themselves!
Ellie is smiling as she swings in her favorite seat -- her Fisher Price swing.
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