The Rootin' Tootin' Baby Girl

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, it has been nearly a week since my last post. Sorry about that for all of you dedicated readers who have been on the site every day looking for something new. I've slacked off a bit but I'll try to do better this week.

Some of the things that have really struck me about my new baby are those natural impulses and reactions that humans are born with, like how she knew both of her parents' voices right out of the womb and how her tiny fingers could grasp things (including my glasses) from the beginning. But maybe the most amazing thing of all was her instant ability to suckle. Obviously a nursing instinct (called "rooting"), but at first, and I mean during the first few hours after birth, she had her tongue in and out of her mouth just licking and sucking at the air as though she were expecting something. Soon she began to recognize her mother's chest and before long she was accustomed to finding the source of her feeding every time she was laid on her side. However instincts, particularly strong instincts, have a downside . . .

In recent days there have been several close calls.

Now I don't think I've shared this on the blog yet, but Greta has been going through a growth spurt (or at least she's eating like it) and she seems to have an insatiable appetite. The problem is that her immense hunger seems to cloud her perceptions about appropriate feeding sources. I won't go into too much detail, but let's just say that next time she's crying in the middle of the night because she's hungry, I'll go into the nursery wearing a shirt - and I'll be keeping her at least a few inches from my chest.

Today was a particularly dangerous day to get near Greta's mouth. First she tried to use those piranha-like gums to take a bite of my shirt and then tonight she was on her play mat and tried to suck some milk out of the unsuspecting stuffed monkey's foot (see picture above).

So, she may be a little confused right now, but her mother and I still think she's brilliant - Eleanor's just glad she doesn't have teeth yet. Ouch!