Dear Leaf Baby,
Today you are two months old, and totally unaware of the small disasters that happen all around you. You are blissful and content, sleeping cozy in my 'Baby Pocket' (that your superstar daddy bought for me in Israel) while rain falls on me and makes me wet. You have no idea what a blown gasket is, what $2000 means, or what six-hours-away-from-home-and-stranded entails. If I told you that our new car is a lemon you would probably just smile at me. If I told you that we just bought it two and a half months ago you would say 'goo'. I'm so glad for you. All it takes for me to be in another, more pleasant world is to look down and see you.
You really do say 'goo'. I think you are the first of our kids to say it. Kid A was a 'dah' kid, and YaYa was a 'ba' baby, but you, mi jiho, are a genuine 'goo goo' baby.
Your smile now takes over your whole face. You've come to the time in your short life when most of your awake time is spent smiling and cooing. It's amazing. Something overtakes you when you look at our large faces and you seem possessed with an intense desire to communicate. You listen like we're telling you amazing secrets and you talk back to us in reverent tones, with such earnestness that we are compelled to pretend we understand you. We nod and smile and you seem so pleased to be part of the gang, part of the human race. When you grow tired you make polite and frustrated noises which you continue until you think we don't hear you, and then you'll finally resort to crying. At this point you start resisting sleep quite actively and it becomes a little more difficult to calm you down without getting a little fist in the face.
Your growth is stunning and I trip myself out thinking that all the weight you've put on has come from milk that I've produced with my own body. Once again it seems so easy to be out with you, a newborn, since I don't even have to think about food. I am the food. Your head seems especially larger and more solid. I love your head and I can't stop kissing you, all day long I kiss you and it never grows old.
You love me, your daddy and your grandma especially. You love your brother and sister but also seem a bit wary of them, for good reason. I'm wary of them too. Their elbows and knees fly a little too often. I've turned my back for a second and found your sister with both hands over your face. She seems to think you are some kind of cool live doll. I've tried to explain to her that one day you will be old enough to roll her down a hill if she bothers you but she just gives me her cute face. So for now I just stave them off and try to help them learn the meaning of the word "gentle". Your brother is a little better, though. He seems to understand that you are not a toy and he talks to you all the time. He still does have crazy urges to stick his finger in your ear or in your mouth, but I feel that he'll grow out of this by the time that you're old enough to roll him down a hill.
Your grandma has romanced you. I find her singing and ballroom dancing with you any chance she gets. You look back at her adoringly and soak up her attention shamelessly. You are very loved.
We all love you. We're so glad you're here. Happy two month birthday, Leaf.