A Mallory Moment...

In looking over my prior posts, I notice I write a lot about our happenings but not a lot about who Mallory is. She's showing her personality more and more as the weeks quickly pass and I wanted to share with you all what she's like. I left Charlotte when she was just beginning to interact more with her surroundings and some of you haven't even met her. So, I wanted to spend a moment describing a little bit about what she's like.

Mallory is a morning person. She's always bright and cheering in the morning. When I go into her room to get her, she's usually on her tummy playing with a crib toy. She always has a big grin on her face when she sees me or Patrick come in to get her. She'll snuggle a bit before she eats, which is a sweet time for me. She always has a big grin for Cayman, too, as she comes in Mallory's room in the morning and licks her nose. Mallory loves to play with her toys and listen to music after her first meal of the day. She's starting to sit on her own and is figuring out how different toys work. She's been playing with the same toys for the past 3 weeks and seems to be content with all of them. She discovers something new about each one regularly, which seems to keep her happy without needing to get different ones all the time. She loves to stand with assistance and gets so excited when she's up and looking around. Her playmate (whether it's mommy, daddy, or a stranger) usually gets amused watching her coo and squeal as she stands and rocks back and forth, shifting weight from one foot to the other. I sometimes think she'll skip sitting all together and go right to standing!

Mallory takes at least 3 naps during the day and sleeps about 11-12 hours a night. She likes to sleep! And she likes to sleep in her crib, which is nice. I sometimes wish for the days, though, when she snuggled deep in the crook of my arm and slept. Those times were so precious, yet fleeting, since she now likes to be alone when she slumbers. She likes to sleep in her swing, too, which I only allow maybe once a day. I have "control" over her sleep schedule at that point because when I put her in the swing, she usually goes to sleep and when I turn off the swing, she usually wakes up!

Mallory is a good eater, too. She likes new tastes when they are mixed with Oatmeal. I tried giving her straight baby food at first, which didn't work very well. BUT, anything mixed with Oatmeal is pretty good to her! She'll meal down when it's time to eat. I sometimes have to fight her to eat, but the majority of the time she's pretty willing to eat what I put in her mouth. She hasn't taken to Cheerios very well, but it's only a matter of time!

Mallory likes to look at strangers and always has a big smile for the clerk at the grocery store who tickles her foot and tells her how pretty she is. She doesn't mind playing with others, as long as mommy is around. I've tried to be inconspicuous at certain times so she'll get used to me not being there. Sometimes she won't fuss, but oftentimes she does. I can't figure out yet why she cries sometimes and will be good at others. I know that she needs to be eased into a crowd, though. If she's bombarded too much, she'll get overwhelmed very easily and have a melt down. But, if she gradually sees new faces while in mommy or daddy's arms, she's a much happier baby.

I thank God everyday for this blessing He's given me. I still have a lot to learn about Mallory and I'm still figuring out how to respect her personality and what activities are best for her. As soon as we're on one schedule, it gets mixed up somehow; either by Mallory or by Patrick's or my activities. She's a trooper, though, and just rolls with the flow. I don't deserve such a good girl. I've been blessed beyond measure and I pray that I can somehow give God sweet pleasure by my efforts in raising her, though I'm definitely inadequate to do so.

For those of you who read my blog and have children, I would like to know about your kids. A lot of you live far from me and I miss seeing your children and who they've grown to be. What are they like? What do they like? What are your challenges? What are your joys? For those of you who don't have children, I'd like to know about a spouse or friend that is close to you. Please blog or comment about them.

Blessings to you!