Could He Get Any Sweeter?

There are few of the sweetest things that Elliot has been doing lately that no photograph can capture.  So you'll have to put up with this pictureless post, because I just have to share.

Anyone who was with me during the first few months of Elliot's life knows that nursing was hard for me.  It wasn't what I was expecting.  Mechanically it was fine.  Elliot always had a great latch and my supply has always been fine.  It wasn't that.  It had much more to do with the emotional/psychological/physical halt that I had to come to each time I had to nurse.  That dramatic STOP in my life was not easy, and one that I wasn't completely prepared for.  Not to mention that, in the beginning, I joked that I would have to tatoo a message for him on my bicep because that's the only part of me that got any eye contact or attention from him when he nursed.  You can imagine how elated I was when he finally began looking up at me--his blue eyes looking right into my blue eyes.  And the first time he reached up and grabbed my nose the tears spilled out of me onto his sweet little face.  Getting that exchange felt so gratifying.  All I needed was a little bit in return.  And now, nursign is just nursing.  It's no big deal.  He does it all the time, anywhere (one could even say everywhere), and it's just no prob for me anymore.  And he's so interactive.  He smiles at me and grabs and my nose and will sometimes use his one, pudgy pointer finger to try to pick a freckle off my chest.  Aned lately he's started doing the all-time sweetest, most endearing thing that he's ever done.  Using that same pudgy, baby pointer finger, with my breast still in his mouth, he'll reach up and gently stroke my eye lashes.  If I blink really fast while he's doing it a smile creeps onto his face and a twinkle lights in his eyes.  And if I lean over and give him a butterfly kiss on his face with my lashes he arches back and squeals with absolute delight.  It is just the sweetest thing.


A second thing Elliot started doing a while ago was saying Mum-Mum.  At first it was really clear that he was saying it when he wanted to nurse.  Now it seems like he says it anytime he wants any sort of comfort at all.  It's both sweet and heartbreaking.  Sweet when I'm right there and can nurse him in response.  Heartbreaking when I've heard that he's been calling out Mum-Mum all day while I was at work or when he calls out from his crib in the middle of the night with a sad, weak voice... "Mummmm-Mummmm."  We've never settled on our mom names.  Andrea is most often Mama and I end up being Mama, too, because that's just what we say.  But I have always wished that we had different mom names so that when Elliot is verbal he can distinguish between the two of us.  Now that Elliot has started saying Mum-Mum for his nursing mom I think it seems just perfect for us to call me Mum, Mummy, or Mumma.  Finally, my mom name!


And lastly, the silly little sweetie has started doing that thing where you run your finger over your lips, up and down really quick, while you make a "ahhhhh" sound and it makes your voice sound all silly, bubbly, underwater-like.  Do you know what I mean?  It's a hard thing to describe.  "Bluh-bluh-bluh-bluh."  You know?!?!  Well he learned how to do it all by himself.  We never taught him but he now does it to himself for the fun of it or will do it if we run our finger over his lips.  So stinkin' silly and sweet.  This little baby.  I can't get over how cute he is.