Dear Scarlett,
I have been hesitant to write this, for fear of being smacked down by the karmic gods of baby sleep, but here goes: You are sleeping through the night. It's been more than 10 nights of you sleeping 11-12 hours. In a row. Amazing! We are loving it. One of these days, I'll also try to sleep through the night, but for now, I keep waking up to listen for you or look at you on the baby monitor. Please, karmic gods of sleep, do not reverse this progress. I'll slaughter a white noise machine in your honor. But not our white noise machine--that thing is money.
Scarlett, you will be 6 months next week, and I can barely believe it. You are sitting up, trying so hard to crawl, screaming like a banshee, and drooling everywhere. You have started rubbing your cheek and your ear, so I really think a tooth is in our near future. How exciting! You seem to want to spend all of your time on your tummy, and we're compliant. If I hold you for too long, you begin arching your back and trying to escape. You need to move, I know. Life is a party, and apparently that party is happening on the floor.
It's September, which means my return to work is getting closer. I'm not thinking too much about it--still concentrating on enjoying our time together. At our moms' group the other day, the facilitator said that sometimes moms confuse the end of maternity leave with the end of motherhood. I can understand that. It's hard to think about our amazing weekdays together coming to an end. It has been such a special time. But I'm lucky that I get to work at home, and can peek in on you and squeeze you as often as I want (well, maybe not that often.)
You are going to need a nanny to watch you when I'm working, obviously, since Smokey turned down my job offer (something about you not respecting his authority.) I interviewed several candidates, by phone and at the house, and they were all nice women, but Dad and I decided to wait a while before hiring anyone. I mentioned to Aunt Lizzie that she would be the perfect nanny for you, if only she didn't already have a job. And she thought about that for a few weeks, and decided to quit her job and become your full-time nanny! When she told us, I cried. You cried, too, I think because the sudden outburst of emotion in the room scared you. No news could have been better. Aunt Lizzie's company was upset that she'll be leaving, but also very supportive of her decision. And I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I am so happy that my sister, who I love and trust implicitly, will be the person taking care of you when Dad and I can't.
Things are good, my girl. And I am feeling grateful. Do you hear that, sleep gods?
Love,
Mom
