Paulamontage

Ramona recently declared that she wished Paula would stay little forever. While I often share this sentiment, I also find great satisfaction in watching my little ones grow, gradually transforming into the people they were meant to become.

Paula, like most babies, has changed so much in her first first three months. I believe all of the veteran parents who tell me: "She'll be a teenager before you know it." The past few weeks have gone by so quickly that when people stop to ask me the frequently-asked-question: "How old is your baby?"--I realize that quite often I am not even sure. I had to sit down with a calendar to figure out exactly how old Paula was when each of these photos was taken.

Two weeks old:

3 weeks old:

Here she is trying out one of her first voluntary smiles:

4 weeks old:

5 weeks old:

6 weeks old:

 7 weeks old:

8 weeks old:

9 weeks old:

10 weeks old:

(At some point in here she rolled over for the first time, belly to back.)

11 weeks old:

 12 weeks old:

13 weeks old:

 

I know she won't always be a doll-sized bundle, but she will probably still keep her nickname "Paula Doll," no matter how big she gets. And we will likely continue to sing this little song to her, too (whether she appreciates it or not):

Baby Paula's song, sung to the tune of "This Old Man:"

Paula Doll, Paula Doll
She is not quite two feet tall
With a fuzzy head and a tiny little nose
She is pretty as a rose.

I like it best when Ramona and Mika sing it to her. We love you, Paula Doll!