ALEXIS IN REVIEW

Alexis (and a certain other Lightwood Lady) are 9 weeks today! Two months yesterday if that's how you're counting. As I said last week, this week is about our girl, Lexi. Which is not to say that we've been ignoring the accomplishments of Tilly, au contraire. But everybody deserves a bit of the limelight, and when you're a Twin, you probably need it more than most.
So if I had to describe Alexis in terms of who she is it might be hard at this point. She is, after all, a baby. True, her personality is developing, and no doubt she is her own little person. She is also a person in perpetual transition, and so Ivan and I have avoided putting labels on the girls. For example, we don't say Lexi is the good sleeper, or Mathilde is the good eater. Because this this changes daily anyway and it's unfair to peg them so early. We might end up fostering the traits of those labels when they might have otherwise turned out differently. So that said, here is a glimpse of Lexi in her ninth week.
Lexi sleeps fairly well. She usually eats her final evening meal around 11 pm, and then sleeps for 5 hours. She wakes then to feed (around 4 am) and then goes back to sleep for 3 or 4 more hours. I can't complain about that! I don't even wake Ivan any more because there is no reason to. Everyone is pretty happy.
Lexi eats very well from both the breast and the bottle. We still supplement every once in a while in the evenings when my milk production slows down. Nature is funny that way. We need the big feed right before bed to tide her over and encourage longer sleep periods, but that is when the production is the lowest. That said, apparently the milk is very high in fat at this point, but it's hard for a mom to trust that. Quantity is more convincing, especially when your baby gives you the "stink-eye" once your milk has run out. And you can't really tell her when she's eye balling your other breast that you're saving it for her sister!
Lexi still does not acknowledge her sister but has been acknowledged herself! And talked to. But that's for next week.
She is quiet when others are not. As a result, Lexi more often finds herself in one of our parent helping chairs or swings. She needs less. She is not fickle with her smiles, when you get one, she means it and it's wonderful. She is less vocal about her problems (wet diapers, hunger etc) and as a result she doesn't get held as much as a we would like. Having said that, she gets held a lot! But only because we make a point to do so. Lexi is observant. She is often content to watch and inspect things.
Lexi is pretty and slight. She looks like herself and her sister.
In summery, our Alexis might be described as an introspective, content and lovely baby. That seems ridiculous to me though. Because sometimes she is very loud, very angry and not very pretty. It's fun to imagine the person that she will become and it's easy to think about her as a writer or even a scientist. But she could just as easily become a police officer or a figure skater. All we can do is nurture that potential and encourage her to become herself. Which is what I should be doing right now, incidentally. So we're off to the rain forest for 20 minutes of play, tummy time and rolling over. Maybe there will be an airplane ride or two, and maybe she'll finally look at her sister and really see her. Or maybe she'll scream, and throw up on the giraffe. Anything is possible!
Have a terrific weekend everyone!