She who trusts

There is no clock in Alice’s world, only the difference in light between night and day.
She feeds when she’s hungry.
She sleeps when she needs to.
And spends her wakeful time drinking in every sight, sound and texture.
The only taste to cross her lips is that of her mother’s milk from the breast.

She delights her sisters with coos and chuckles.
She has a way of making everyone feel like a top class comedian.
The sounds of music and singing make her eyes light up with wonder.

She is the third born and follows no set routines.
Happy to go along with everyone else, to observe and learn.
No pile of parenting books in sight; they have long gathered dust on the shelves since the first born.
Her parents are relaxed and practiced in following their instincts.
It took them time to trust and believe.

It is she who really trusts.
She with a pure heart and quick smile.
Arms of love surround her in sleep and when awake.
Her cries are met with caring compassion.

Her parents know this time will not last.
She will, in time, push them away with an independent thirst.
At times she will bounce back to those arms, but she’ll need their embrace less and less.
For now they are her whole world,
And she shows them how to see again through new eyes.

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Alice turned 4 months today and is thriving. A glorious day greeted us and we bounded out the door. Dan rode off to work on his bike, cycling round the bays. Charlotte headed off to school with a bounce in her step. Sophie stayed off Kindi with a cold, but still full of energy. Alice had an appointment with the district health nurse (Plunket) at 9.30 am and was ready for her first nap of the day at 8.30 am. I strapped her to my chest in the front pack, grabbed the buggy out the garage for Sophie, and set off for a beautiful walk along past Houghton Bay to Island Bay.

We made the appointment right on time and, as we expected, Alice performed in her true charming style. She woke just before we arrived and greeted the nurse with coos.

She’s really thriving and it was lovely to hear the Plunket nurse say that they are all for and supporting attachment parenting now. So she didn’t blink an eye when I said I had Alice in bed with me – on a futon. And I can’t say how many feeds she as, since I don’t keep count and pretty much sleep through most of them. We sure have one very happy lass and I’m proud to say she’s tres content on her Mamma’s milk… here she is at her Plunket ‘weigh in’…