Leah and Lemmy

Making friends
Originally uploaded by epmdesigner.

I've been getting a lot of questions lately. How is our cat Lemmy with Leah? Does Leah notice Lemmy yet? Finally on Friday evening, I was able to snap a picture of my two girls interacting for the first time.

Lemmy couldn't help but notice Leah ever since we got home from the hospital. During those first few weeks she surprised me by being VERY protective of the baby. Wherever I went with Leah, Lemmy would be RIGHT THERE. A little irritating, but I new Lemmy meant well, and she was just getting used to having a new being in her world. It was tough during the really fussy weeks, as Lem's motherly instinct seemed to kick in every time Leah cried (which was frequently). My usually sweet and overly docile girl would hiss or nip at the elbow of anyone holding a very fussy Leah. It was as if she was trying to say "Please, quiet that baby down!" Thankfully she outgrew this fast and has since only been mildly interested in Ms. LeLe. Lately, Lemmy just "stands guard." If Leah plays on her activity mat, Lemmy sits nearby watching her. When Pete changes Leah, she sits at the base of the changing table while he finishes the job. At night she lays in the hallway right across from Leah's door. It's very sweet.

In this shot, Lemmy, being the attention-seeking lovey that she is, is actually trying to rub her face on Pete's hand. But she also managed to get Leah's attention for the first time. Sure, she's seen Lem around the house, but this time it was different. Leah's eyes got really wide and she made a few excited sounding noises before Lemmy scurried off to do whatever it is that she does (Lay around, eat, sleep?). I would like to do baby-signs with Leah, and even though babies can't really start to process that info until they're 6 months old, I've been trying to get myself in the habit by practicing. The one word I can remember to sign for Leah throughout our busy day is "cat." So I was glad to see Leah notice Lem. I made the sign, and who knows...maybe someday there will be a connection.

I coould go on and on about my two girls, but I'll stop here. Leah's new thing is making her "workout noises" from the bouncy chair. She's been trying to grab on to its teether and pull herself up so she could get it in her mouth. It would be quite the physical feat if she could do it. Anyone who's seen the bouncy chair would know what I mean. But like the guys at the gym, she just keeps pumping along, letting out grunts and screams while she does it. It's really cute actually. But she sounds like she's bordering on exhaustion now...so I better go. Happy Monday!