Dear Nora,
You are the best baby ever. Like ever in the history of babies. I can't tell you how completely and totally awesome every minute of every day is. Every night when I pray I thank God for another day with my beautiful daughter. I can't think of any more adjectives besides awesome and beautiful, although I'm sure He doesn't mind if it's the same old prayer each night. I never could've imagined how being a parent would make me feel. I love every minute of being your Mommy...even the minutes in the middle of the night when you have the world's stinkiest diaper!
Easter Sunday
This has been a pretty big month for you! You rolled over on Easter Sunday, and once you started you just didn't stop. Now when you're plopped on your back you are rolling to your belly right away. Rolling from your belly to your back hasn't happened yet, but not for lack of trying on your part. Sometimes I try to get you to roll back over by talking to you and enticing you to want to look at me. Know what you do?! You scoot around in a circle on your belly so you can see me without having to roll back over. Lazy ass.
you and Gramma on the swing
This month we found out some details about the strange blood test result from your newborn screening. You'll probably grow to learn more about genetics than you want to. After having the test redone to make sure it wasn't incorrect, your doctor sent us to a genetic specialist. I can tell you, there was nothing scarier to me than when the office called to tell us that he needed to see us to go over your blood test result. I knew that something wasn't right...they don't call to have you come in to the office to get good news. I mean, seriously if the doctor will leave an answering machine message to tell me my pap test was clear, surely they could tell me that your blood test came back fine.
your sneaky little half grin
Long story short, the genetic doctor examined you and had your blood drawn to determine exactly what we were dealing with. It turns out that you are a carrier for galactosemia. I know...galacto-what?! Galactosemia is a disease where the person cannot tolerate galactose...which is mostly present in milk and dairy products but does occur naturally in foods. The problems that children with galactosemia can have include mental retardation and brain damage. Talk about some scary shit. Good old Doctor Ted, (trust me, it's hard to pronounce and even harder to spell his last name), called me to go over the results from your genetic blood testing. He explained that you were a carrier for the disease, and that he doesn't think it's likely that you'll have any complications or any need to be on a special diet. Just gravy, huh?
you never lay in one spot while you sleep anymore
Doctor Ted wants to see you every so often to keep monitoring the enzyme levels in your blood. He tells me that carrier babies usually even out to normal levels by the time they're two or so. Each visit to him means having your blood drawn. I'm pretty positive that this is worse for me than you. The worst thing is that while the nurse is drawing your blood, you look and me and cry with the biggest tear filled eyes. Hopefully the visits to Doctor Ted will grow farther apart as you age.
another picture in your new stroller
Because of elevated enzyme levels the last time you saw the Good Doctor, we've had to change up your feeding situation. We're hoping to find a balance where you're getting the most breastmilk possible without it being dangerous to you. For the past week we've replaced two of your six breastfeedings with soy formula. You were already getting one bottle a day while I was at work...so now you get three and a half bottles of formula and three and a half breastfeeding sessions. I'm hoping to death that this balance will keep you at a safe enzyme level so that we don't have to cut back your nursing even more.
you almost always wake up smiling
The first day of reduced nursing I felt like I hadn't seen you all day...which was ridiculous...of course I had seen you...I just didn't get to bond with you every 2 1/2 hours like normal. I'm having Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Kyle give you your bottles because I don't want you to be mad that I'm giving you a bottle. It was hard the first few days...but I know that it's what we have to do for now. I've come to cherish the times I am able to nurse you even more than before. It's our time. It's the thing we do together that no one else on the planet can do with you, and it's one of my favorite things. If you would've told me in the first few weeks of nursing you that one day I'd be sad that I had to nurse you less, I'd have thought you were crazy. Positively insane. But now I almost feel like you're growing up too quickly because I've had to wean you to only a few nursings a day.
behold the cutest dimples and most capturing eyes ever
One of the most fantastical things you're starting to do is laugh. Oh my GOSH is it freaking adorable! I could spend hours giving you smoochies and listening to you squeal and giggle and laugh. I can't believe all the different noises you're making these days, either. When you squeal, I make the same noise back at you and you laugh and make some other kind of gurgle. I think you must be so excited...thinking that I can understand and speak your language. Of course, for all I know you're saying something about my stinky feet and I'm agreeing with you. Honestly, though, our animated conversations make my day! It's so unbelievable to see how you're changing and growing all the time. I'm pretty sure once you start forming words you'll never shut up...but you'll quickly learn that that is what makes you my daughter! We are both vaccinated with a phonograph needle, and while I realize that you have no idea what a phonograph needle is, there is no one I'd rather chat with than you, Baby Girl!
Love,
Mommy
