Month 4

Dear Desi,

Happy four months today! And what a bright and happy start to the day. You only woke up to nurse three times last night! A far cry from the usual seven hundred. Thank you, Desi, you've given Mommy a (mostly) good night's sleep.



The last month has been quite exciting. Since you turned three months, I've allowed you to go out more, and have taken you to several new places. You've been to Serendra, twice, to two birthday parties, and to Rustan's. I don't like leaving you at home, but I don't want to expose you to too many people either. Especially with the rainy weather, you might get sick! But it's so easy to bring you around because you are so well behaved. You rarely cry or even complain, even at the noisy yelling in the birthday parties, even when you're already so sleepy you want to just rest, you even stopped crying when the car is halted by traffic. You used to hate traffic. Now, you just sit there quietly and look at everything around you. If you keep this up, I just might let you come with me more often. And to think I never really took your ate shopping much until she was 6 months old.

Speaking of mobility, you've also decided to take the matter of moving around in your own hands. If last month, you managed to flip from your tummy to your back. Now you're able to flip from your back to your tummy. So soon! It makes us feel proud, but at the same time, uh oh! We can't leave take our eyes off you even for a second anymore! Especially when you're feeling restless and you rock yourself from side to side to gain momentum until you've successfully turned on to your belly. You haven't perfected your technique yet, and more often than not you, just end up on your side, or your arm gets in the way so you just keep springing back to your back. And you yell and shriek in frustration, but it's too fun to to watch you try. But if you start to really cry, then I turn you on your belly for you and you reward me with a smile that just melts my heart every time.



You also like people because you would allow yourself to be held by anyone. When we're in Katipunan, your Lolo Dan and Lola Vinchu adore playing with you and talking to you, especially because you like to talk back. And in St. Ignatius, if you're not being held by on of your lolos, lolas, titos or titas, you have a secure spot on Nana's bed. You're very calm, the noise and flurry of people all around you doesn't bother you at all. You can even sleep through the ruckus! But mostly you like to be up and watching and observing everything around you. I like to imagine you thinking to yourself, "Someday, I'll walk and talk and run like everyone else then I can join in the fun! I'm going to start practicing as soon as I can! In the meantime, Mommy! Carry me!"

There is a rather peculiar thing you've started to do, or more accurately not do recently. A few weeks ago, I realized one day you hadn't pooped the day before. And waiting for you to poop had taken three days. I wondered if you were constipated, but I was pretty sure babies who only consume breast milk can't get constipated. Anyway, I texted Dr. Tito Jojo and he said it's not a bad thing for you not to poop. In fact, in the record time for a baby to not poop is a month! And that we could encourage you to break the record. Wow! What a goal to set! And what a convenience, to not have to deal with dirty stinky poopy diapers!



You've pooped since then. Only little spots of poop every two or three days, and then a big whopper of a giant poop roughly once a week. And the funny thing about your giant pooping is you always time it so that Daddy is around to change you for it. If you pooped last Saturday or Friday, Yaya would have had to deal with that because Mommy and Daddy were out. But last night, you waited until we were all home from Nana's house, slowly settling into our night time routine as a family, when you let out the massive stinky mess you've been saving all week. Exactly when Mommy had to go to the bathroom and Daddy had no choice but to deal with you. It's how Daddy knows you love him.

And, he won't admit it, but he's very proud of how stinky your farts are. Because although there's very little pooping, there is certainly a lot of awful stinky farts. They are so stinky, Lola Vinchu was convinced you must have pooped when she smelled it. But nope, it was just a fart! And you with a look on your face that's wide eyed and "What did I do?" innocence. Just like your Daddy. He loves it cause he can pass on his own stinky farts to poor defenseless you.



The last four months have passed in a virtual blur because spending time at home with you has been so much fun. I feel that as I play with you, nurse you, change your diapers, sleep beside you and bathe you everyday, you grow prettier and lovelier and there is more and more of Desi emerging. And the whole process of getting to know you is one of my greatest joys.

I will admit to you now that when I was pregnant with you I was hoping for a boy. But now there isn't a single part of me that wishes you are other than who you are. And that is fully because you are such a wonderful, precious baby girl that I love that you're a girl and I am looking forward to the coming years of getting to know the fabulous woman that you will be.




I love you forever,
Mommy