Malena Therese Marchetti » February 2005 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Thu, Feb 17, 2005 6:59 PM
Malena has her FIRST TOOTH! I discovered it in the bathtub. No, it wasn't floating around! I felt her lower gums and, sure enough, the lower left front tooth has decided to finally break free! Photos to come.

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Fri, Feb 11, 2005 11:00 AM
This morning I spent a little time cleaning up the bookmarks on my browser. I deleted all the sites that I'd bookmarked about how to take care of a baby: breastfeeding, diapering, bathing, etc. I'm amazed how much of an expert I am now! ;-) I'd saved all those sites last year in May...when I was just entering my last trimester of pregnancy. I guess I was getting nervous because the baby would be coming soon. What's funny is that I don't remember ever visiting those sites after that!

The magic of the *first* newborn baby is something that now only exists in my memory. It is a time I'll never be able to experience again. Sure, it will be wonderful with the next baby (or two!), but I don't think it will be quite the same. The anticipation between T.J. and I as we eagerly awaited our first child. The almost dreamy state we lived in for nine months as we pondered baby names, paint colors, and the life that was to come. Neither one of us could have ever imagined the love that would envelop us at the first sight of little Malena. And now, here she is with us, as if she always has been. Laughing and playing and becoming a little person. Permanently and forever a part of our entire being. Sometimes I feel as though the three of us are really just ONE.

And even though I've deleted those seemingly silly bookmarks, I just can't muster up the nerve to empty the recycle bin.

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Wed, Feb 9, 2005 9:14 AM
WOW! Mimi is 6 months old today!!! I can hardly believe it. She is growing into a big, happy girl. She has been smiling and laughing so much these past few days. She gives us big wet kisses and plays the "Boing!" game with her daddy. She squats down and, with his help, jumps way up in the air like a spring. It's so cute the way she wants to jump over and over. She is also starting to throw objects on the ground to watch me pick them up repeatedly. You'd think it would be really annoying, but it's neat to watch her learn.

Sleeping through the night is her new specialty. What a wonderful thing! She still wakes up a little before 7 a.m., so we're trying to train her to stay in the crib longer. 7:30 would be ideal!

Malena has moved on from rice cereal and is now enjoying oatmeal cereal with bananas for lunch and carrots for dinner. She seems to enjoy tasting all these new delicious foods. I'll probably try sweet potatoes or peas next.

I have her just about weaned at this point, which makes me sad. I still nurse one or two times per day, but there's not much milk left. We use the time to calm down and bond. She loves twirling the ends of my hair in her fingers while she stares up at me smiling and laughing. It is quite precious the way she is so mesmerized by me. Always staring at me, wanting me to look at her and give her some sort of approval. I'm trying to cherish this constant attention-giving, because I know someday soon she'll want nothing to do with me!

I don't know when her first tooth is finally going to erupt, but I hope to God it's soon. Seems like she's been teething for 3 months!!! I can feel it just beneath her gums. It's giving her a helluva time.

We had a big Super Bowl party on Sunday with dozens of guests, including 2 babies younger than Mimi. She seemed to enjoy all the people for a while but then definitely reached a point of feeling overwhelmed. It was nice to have so many people holding her to give me a break! It will be so much fun when she can run around with other kids one day. Maybe in another (very quick) six months.

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Thu, Feb 3, 2005 1:32 PM
I've been struggling a little bit with Malena's eye problem. After looking through all her photos, it is clear that the tumor has been there since birth, although it was much smaller. T.J. also noticed that her left eye is becoming crossed. If you look at her pictures, you can see it turning in towards her nose. It's crazy that I didn't notice this until T.J. found it in the photos. I look at this child all day long. I've always thought that her eyes were different from each other, but just never realized why.

Part of my struggle is that I'm worried that other kids will make fun of her one day. Of course they will. That is what children do. I know this. And, yes, it will make her a stronger person, and we will raise her to handle it with grace, but it still breaks my heart a little.

There is no such thing as a perfect child, I'm fully aware. And I've never been one of those mommies who thinks she has the world's most beautiful, perfect baby, but she is my only sweet baby and I have tried to do everything to take care of her and make the world a wonderful place for her. There are just some things that you can't control. This is one of them.

I read that 1 in 33 children is born with a birth defect. I suppose this is a birth defect, albeit a mild one. Just makes you realize how lucky you are. Mimi could have a LOT worse problems. We are just really fortunate and blessed to have this wonderful, imperfect little girl in our lives, and I thank God every single day.

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