My 2nd, (and last) child

My dearest Bun.

I look into my photo files and lament. There are too few photos of her. Too few.

It is my fault really. I have no choice but to comfort myself - I have lived more alongside her, than behind a camera.

She is approaching a ripe old age of 6 months all too quickly. My heart aches, knowing that she is to be my last baby.

With her, my 2nd child, I have been more confident as a parent. More relaxed. More willing to let her be, and let her go. Perhaps this is the nurture bit of the nature-nurture discourse that she is an open, friendly, easy-going and cheerful baby. As long as she has been fed, and has had her nap, she almost cannot help but smile or chuckle in response to anyone trying to make friends.

She's part energizer bunny.

At 5.5 months, she has started "crawling" - dragging her tummy along to reach for things that interest her. Her doctor calls her 'satay' because of her penchant for flipping over and over. She's wriggly, and needs to satisfy her curiosity first by touch, then taste, of anything that comes her way.

She gives appreciative sounds when you do things her way, and grumbles when you take her home earlier than she expects from her daily walks. When carried, she leans her body towards the direction she wants to go, requesting that you take her there. She has two little teeth.

She's also part sweet dolly.

She has these eyes that are filled with such curious wonder. Her being is full of sweetness, and of contentment. A bundle of delicious-smelling baby chubs. Pass her to a stranger, and she will spend some time studying his/her face, deciding if it was a friendly one. Smiles will be dished out if so.

Her cries, unless because of pain, are very gentle. The kind that make you want to hold her close and comfort her.

 See how she sleeps sitting up on Daddy's arm - charming everyone who saw her.

 

For both my children, I look forward to seeing them reach their developmental milestones. With Bun however, there is also a sense of loss - a keen awareness that time is slipping by, and soon, too soon, my baby will grow up and be baby no more. I think it is this awareness that has made me more patient with her - through all the night wakings and too-short naps. Looking at Bubbles, I now truly understand just how fast kids can grow, and why grown-ups used to say that of my own growth as a child. 

Enjoy your babyhood my little Bun. Your mama is soaking it up as much as she can, bottling up all your sweet babyness in her emotional memory bank. She knows it will run out quicker than she is willing to let it go.