and she reads

Oh, my 7 month old. Today you are 7 months old. I missed a lot of writing about you.

You would not take naps longer than 45 minutes from when you were 2 months old to about 6 months old. It drove me crazy in ways that are hard to remember because it is hard to understand how naps could make a person that crazy. A two month old still needs attention almost all of the time when she is awake. And you were far from sleeping through the night. Until you were about 13 or 14 weeks old and I went back to work and you went to daycare it was you and me all day. I was probably getting 6 or less hours of sleep every night and there was no napping for me during the day because almost exactly the time I could finally settle and close my eyes you would wake up from your nap. This was worse than just not trying to nap (which didn't stop me from hoping and trying anyway). When you were awake you were generally fine, just needy in the way that I assume most babies are needy when they are so young. Needy in a way that is hard to understand now that you happily sit and play with toys without too much parental assistance. I struggled for awhile with trying to get you to nap longer. I don't think I accepted it so much as was forced to give up.

In some ways it was easier when I went back to work but daycare was very rough for you the first month or so. You got RSV and bronchiolitis (both of which you handled quite well but it was still rough). You got hand foot and mouth disease. You had a phlegmy cough for what seemed to be a month straight. There was a week where you would barely eat and wouldn't sleep entire days at daycare. All of this hurt me so much. I felt like I was causing you to have to go through this (I still feel that way a little bit). I cried at work multiple times - sometimes on my own, sometimes in front of coworkers. It felt like my fault for going back to work. I am not against daycare but leaving such a tiny confusing baby with a bunch of strangers felt like such a stupid horrible thing to have to do.

(I needed/need to work. I love my job and my coworkers are amazing. I am so happy where I am and for good or bad being able to work I think makes me a better mom to you. I have loved you since you were born but once I was back at work I got to really feel it because I was not so overwhelmed and bogged down in the day to day, hour to hour of caring for you. I missed you. And I enjoy you so much on weekends or evenings now.)

Your daycare teachers were kind and I'm sure they did their best with you but they (or we?) were not great at communicating. Your teachers would fill out a report card about you every day and there were 4 moods that could be circled: Crying, Fussy, Alright or Happy. Almost every day, crying, fussy or nothing were circled. I swear you were there a month before you got an alright and 2 months before a happy. It is so much better now. We started to see slow differences about a month or a month and a half after you started. One teacher said you were her favorite and that if you were fussing all she had to do was talk to you and you would be fine again. And now you seem so entirely happy when I feed you at lunch or pick you up after work. You are almost always being held or playing contentedly with toys.

You've moved up to a new room now (a week ago) and they all love to comment on your legs and feet. When you are excited, happy, upset, your legs kick and move whether you are lying down, sitting up or being held. And especially when you are happy, your feet twirl in little circles. It is one of the best moments of my day to pick you up at daycare and have you smile big at me and start kicking your feet.

You have big beautiful toothless smiles. And when you are very happy, your whole body smiles.

You were and are such a happy baby. So observant and focused. It has been amazing watching your motor skills catch up to your attention. You easily pick things up and manipulate them now. You love "talking" whenever you have things in your mouth - your hands or toys. You will babble a little but often just make loud yelling noises.

You like to play peekaboo. It is one of the few things that makes you laugh (you are happy but you make us work pretty hard for a giggle). I put a blanket over your face and you pull it off and seem so incredibly happy to see me. And then we do it again and again.

Your dad has been doing bedtime with you almost every night for months now. He was the one who got you to fall asleep on your own. Your bedtime is 7 and almost every night after bottle, pjs, and story, he sets you down in your crib with a pacifier and lovey and you grumble for 10 minutes (almost exactly) and then fall asleep. It is amazing. I feel surprised by it almost every time it happens.

You are wonderful and I am doing my best to enjoy all of my minutes with you.