We have a cat, I may have mentioned him in the past, he is a beautiful orange tabby farm cat, and his name is Lucky. Honestly, if you know the story behind him, I’d say his name is quite fitting actually, especially as each day passes by! This cat’s personality reminds me of a teenager.
He will love you with his whole being one second, and at the same moment suddenly act like he wants to eat you. Oh, and when he’s hungry, the whole house is filled with a whiney cat cry... Sounds like a teenager right? I personally call him the grumpy old man cat. But something happened in the last few months...
When I was pregnant especially as our due date approached, this cat would climb into my lap and curl his body around my belly. I thought it was cute, but didn’t think much more of it, little did I know he was falling in love with our baby girl. Mckenzie is four months old now and almost every time I sit down to nurse or snuggle this cute baby girl, Lucky suddenly appears out of nowhere and snuggles in right next to her. He LOVES to be close to her, every now and then I catch him grooming the back of her head and purring like there is no tomorrow. Usually, he’s more temperamental- like any pet, when someone pulls on their fur, or whiskers especially, they whine or let out some kind of warning cry, and normally Lucky would as well. Not with Kenzie. She’s been figuring out how to grip things, including his fur, and yes, even his whiskers. He just closes his eyes, and patiently sits there! I’ve been stunned. The running joke around here is the cat must be Kenzie’s Alebrije (“Spirit guide” like on Disney’s Coco).
I always say ‘this month is my favorite’ when it comes to babies. But I have truly loved this past month. Kenzie has been giggling- OH HOW MY HEART MELTS! There have been a few times where I have gently pinched her chubby cheeks and she just starts giggling! I LOVE IT! Of course, you can’t help but fill with joy when a baby smiles! I love how her smile and giggles reach her eyes. I find myself constantly commenting on how sparkly her eyes are. Can you tell we are in love with her!? The month she has been starting to ‘kiss’ us. She loves to grab our faces and just suck on our cheeks- meanwhile, she sits there cooing... Sure it’s a slobbery kiss, but just the fact that she’s trying is so dang cute! When her daddy goes to kiss her, she immediately opens her mouth for him! I can’t help but laugh! What is it about a daddy/daughter relationship that is so tender and sweet!?
I was thinking about some of my favorite moments and/or stories from this past month. Each day is so filled with joy and love I couldn’t think of anything out of the ordinary. BUT one thing that always brings a smile to my face is when it’s ‘feeding time.’ While she’s nursing, she will suddenly stop, look up at me and give me the biggest grin! After I smile back, she quickly & bashfully goes back to nursing. This happens sometimes 3-4 times during a feeding. It really does crack me up. She’s one of a kind.
When I had Mercedes I knew Breastfeeding was the right thing to do, but it took some time for me to feel ‘comfortable’ instead of ‘weird.’ I know now there was no reason for it to feel anything BUT natural, but for some reason it just took time. I’m SO grateful I have had this opportunity to nurse my babies. It forces me to sit down and just snuggle them, even if there’s a list of things needing to be done, it’s OUR time, and I savor those moments. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes in those early morning hours- usually around 4 or 5 am I may be extremely groggy and grumble at being woken up, but when it comes down to it, I wouldn’t change a thing.
I do have one story for the books...One groggy morning I couldn’t figure out why she wouldn’t take her binky! This was quite unusual because she was just stirring, not really awake and crying. Likewise, I wasn’t fully awake- not even my eyes were open, I was just feeling around in the dark. After trying for a minute to get her to take it, I turned on my phone flashlight and low and behold, there was a good reason she wasn’t taking it... I was trying to stick it in her ear... luckily the binky wasn’t small enough to go INTO the ear. Poor girl, but I have to give her credit, she does have A LOT of patience with this mama of hers!
I know I’ve said it before, but this girl has been a perfect addition to our family. I’m so grateful she chose to be with us!
Kisses for mommy- yes they look a lot like, “I’m gonna eat your face mom...” but I love them!