Smell

If you are reading this you are one of my friends or family I sent the blog address to. Who knows how long I will continue to post, but this way I will not be bombarding you with every ounce gained and movement learned unless you want me to. So feel free to check in often! I plan on writing and posting pictures every few days to a week.

For the last two weeks, Sonia and I have been learning to breastfeed. We are still at it. Sonia is actually quite good, but since she mostly received bottles the first month, she gets a little frustrated. Even with the slower flowing nipple we got on the bottle, nursing still requires more concentration and energy. Another factor is that she is big baby (9 lbs 11 oz a few days ago) and needs a lot of milk. The trouble comes when she is really hungry. Then, she yells. Then nurses for ten seconds. Then yells. Then nurses. She really sounds pathetic. I am currently trying to nurse her for two feeds then give a bottle so she does not get to hungry. This is better than a few weeks ago so hopefully I'll be writing about our success in another few weeks. Or not, because sometimes this frantic crying baby just needs to be fed.

But isn't she a doll baby?

Lately we have had lots of fun giving Sonia different things to smell. I read that babies have very sensitive noses, smell being one of the most primitive senses, so we started doing olfactory tours of the yard or the dinner table. We hold spices, potatoes, flowers, nuoc cham, cherries, whatever, under her nose and watch her reaction. She looks so deep in thought while her nostrils are flaring. Then we watch to see if she will lean forward (yum!) or frown and pull back (blech!). Basil, cherries, and the purple flowers in the front are winners but she really does not understand lavender. We really hope that she is an adventurous eater, so maybe this will help.

But, maybe we can do nothing to influence her eating style. Alan said this morning that there is always something to worry about. Is she eating enough? Is she eating too much? Is she reacting to something in the milk? So much worry and she is such a simple being right now! In any case, it is going to be a lot of fun to introduce her to food in a few months.

For now, we will just keep holding and hugging her.