Special memories from my month getting to know Baby Nathan:

• Seeing how much your parents love you and the dedication they are putting into caring for, and building relationships with you
• Making up special names like Monk and Monkey, Dalai Lama, Buddha and Little Emperor; I recall that when he was little we called your father Mountain Climber and Podocarp, and Jimma which he still gets.
• Showing you the “dancing pig” and then imitating its crazy antics which makes you laugh, even when you are weary
• Having you finally go to sleep on me - or your Pops – lying down and know that you trust us to keep you safe
• Seeing your delight at any kind of smiley face – a plastic flower, in a baby book, or just drawn on the whiteboard
• Catching sight of your look of surprise when you first realised you could roll over from back to front as well as the other way; this was in Hawaii when you weren’t encumbered with so much clothing
• Being in on the moment you discovered the feel of holding your own hands (and more recently trying to get them both in your mouth at once!)
• Enjoying giving you baths, and the kicks and chuckles you use to get me to let you stay there longer and longer!
• Showing your folks the best kind of pacifier for a breastfed baby, and seeing you learn to shove it in your mouth, sometimes at the same time as your fingers!
  
• Seeing how much you like to stand and push on your feet, and encouraging your parents to set up that “exersaucer” you were given; Pops put it together and now you have a daily play in it even if you aren’t four months like the pack says!
• Feeling a quiet pride when I discovered several new strategies for getting you to sleep: the age-old “nappy over the pram” trick which works just as well for darkening a capsule on a long car journey, and the “dancing with Nana” ploy – mostly in conjunction with the stove fan – you enjoy cha cha, samba and rumba, but waltz is by far the best, especially if I sing “Tammy”.
• Being able to play you songs and nursery rhymes on the keyboard, which also keeps you amused for a good while
• Spotting you do a “double take’ when we were shopping in Macys and your dad walked past; definite recognition at five paces!
• Catching glimpses of family members in your facial expressions: your father, your mother and your cousins Adam (2) and Annabelle (3 months)
• Hearing your changing “voices” over the month I’ve been with you – new ones include that snort of indignation when your hat falls over your eyes, the squeals you give in interesting shops (- the scrapbook one of course) and lately the “conversations” you have with people
• Meeting your new nanny and seeing how pretty and clever she is; she’ll teach you to speak Mandarin, maybe even better than your mommy!
• Feeling the sadness of having to leave you, and knowing I won’t see you for another year. Thank you Nathan James and Alice for letting me share your life this month. Love from your Kiwi Nana.