Squinchy

You know that feeling when you're so filled with happiness and joy and gratitude that you feel like you might burst inside? And how when that feeling is a result of someone (rather than something), you just want to hug them so hard?

Well, I feel it for this one.


One day I was holding and looking at her and I just wanted to squish squeeze touch pinch every inch of her soft baby skin so much that I said, "I want to squinch you!"


She's been my Squinchy ever since. Jason laughs at me and thinks I'm crazy, but COME ON. That little belly? Those cheeks? The thigh rolls? These chubby baby feet?


Don't tell me that you don't just want to squinch them! They're positively squinchable! The very definition of squinchalisciousness! The word never existed until she came along because it belongs to her.


And don't get me started on her eyes. Oh, my heart. Perhaps not squinchable, but sooo dreamy, right?


I love you, Squinchy-Lu, Squincharoo, Squinchapotamus, Squinchy-Mae, Little Miss Squinchy.

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My mom crocheted the hat and sweater when she was pregnant with me (before she knew I was a girl!). I hadn't taken any photos of Nora in them yet so I squeezed her into them one last time to take photos. Thanks for saving them all these years, Mom.

Happy 3 Month Birthday, Nora!

I came back here to my blog after so long away to type up a quick post (which is forthcoming) and found this unfinished in my drafts folder from January. I liked rereading it and seeing how much has changed already so I thought, what the heck, I'll go ahead and publish it as is. I just added the last line.

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Nora,

We've made it through a quarter of a year together! Which also means that we've been together for a year, inside and outside. Wild.

Since I'm with you all day every day it's harder for me to notice the changes in you, until I look back at photos or we visit or video chat with someone and they're shocked at how big you are, how much you've grown, how much more you hold your head up, etc.

One thing I know is that lately I've had so many moments where I've been so thankful for you, that I get to be your mamma, that it brings me to tears. About once a day I'm caught up in a rush of gratitude, where I stop thinking about my To Do list or what I should make for dinner or anything else besides, "How did I get so lucky to be your mamma, beautiful girl?" You overwhelm me in all the very best ways.

Your daddy and I were talking the other day and he said that it's amazing how the past, present, and future is all tangled up in you in one tiny little package; how we can simultaneously miss the newborn you and love exactly who you are at this moment and can't wait to meet the you you're going to become tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. It's so true.

You're such a super amazing baby that sometimes I wonder if you'll have a little brother or sister. You're so wonderful that how could another baby compete? Well, we'll just have to wait and see about that, but the point is that you're a true joy.

You still sleep with us at night, although we're trying to introduce you to sleeping in your crib for naps. Right now you're cat-napping for short little bursts, ten minutes to a half hour or so, with a longer nap of an hour or an hour and a half if we're lucky (and if we wear you in the sling or the Ergo). You're so interested in the world around you that you fight sleep and I have to pay close attention to see when you're getting tired so I can get you napping before you're overtired and get upset. You're doing more typical tired signs now, which is so cute! You rubbing your little eyes with your little hands is adorable. I can also tell you're tired if your eyes are rimmed in pink. The past couple nights have made it clear that we need to be more diligent about getting you in bed at a more consistent time. When you were younger you pretty much just slept wherever and we could keep you up with us if we wanted to stay up later on the weekends, but now that you're so interested in the world you like to stay up, too, when we do. Then you get overtired and cry, cry, cry and I have to sway and bounce with you to get you to calm down and go to sleep. We're figuring it all out together as you grow and change.

You're smiling a lot and I think that you'll have my smile. You've made a couple of short almost-laugh sounds, but we haven't gotten you to laugh quite yet. I can't wait! Your daddy makes me laugh all the time and I have a suspicion that his antics will be what make you laugh first.



I love you, baby girl. Happy 3 Month Birthday!