Dear Hank:
Every day I say a silent thank you to the Universe for allowing me the honor of being your mother. You are the most happy-go-lucky, laid back little guy, and your happiness is infectious.
It's been a busy month for you.
You started sleeping in our bed after we couldn't get you to stay asleep anywhere else. We tried everything! But I think you just wanted to be close to Mommy and Daddy, so we listened. A few weeks later, we started putting you to sleep in your swing again and you started sleeping through the night finally — from 10 PM til 6 AM. Now, your bedtime routine goes like this:
- You have bath-time with Daddy.
- Daddy puts you into your PJs and brings you to Mommy.
- We read a book or two (or three).
- Mommy nurses you.
- Daddy swaddles you, puts you in your swing, sets it to high speed, and then turns on your white noise machine.
Usually within a few minutes you are fast asleep with no fussing. I love watching your eyelids as you drift off to sleep. You look so peaceful and serene that I think you must have some inkling how much you are loved. Every night I reflect on how much your little eyes have seen, and how you are processing and storing all of that new information.
You also started grabbing objects and rolling over, both in the same day! You must have eaten your Superman breakfast that morning. You can grab toys and shake them, and can roll from front to back. You have had freakishly good neck and upper body strength since the day you were born, so we weren't surprised that you started rolling early. You also have found your hands and feet. It's fun to watch you look at them and marvel when they touch and move things. Last night during bath-time, I watched you use your foot to move the washcloth around in the water. I could almost see the gears turning in your head as you realized you were making that happen. :)
You smile and coo all the time, and you also do some pretty funny grunting and yelling. I don't know what you are saying yet, but you make me and your Daddy laugh a lot with your dinosaur noises. You also get upset and fussy sometimes. Calming you down usually involves a pacifier and bouncing or jiggling with you. You also like when I sing to you. Our favorites are: You Are My Sunshine, Forever Young (by Bob Dylan), and Hush Little Baby.
At your well-visit with the doctor, we found out you are in the 6th percentile for weight, the 33rd percentile for height, and the 77th percentile for head size. So you're a little dude, kinda tall, with a big head! We love your big head and have read that it is likely to make you photogenic. Maybe the next George Clooney?
These are a few of my favorite things that you do:
- grab your ears when you're eating because you are so excited
- kick your legs and splash in the bath tub
- get really quiet and still when I brush your hair
- stretch your arms out like Superman
- nuzzle my neck after you're done eating
- smile at me while I'm changing your diaper and dressing you
When I think you are growing up too fast, I remember the time when you were so little that you had trouble eating and had to go to the hospital. It reminds me to be thankful that you are growing as fast as you are. I want to savor every moment I have with you, but my biggest priority in life is making sure you grow up big — physically and mentally.
I am so glad that we stuck through our issues with breastfeeding. We had a lot of trouble there in the beginning, but now feeding you is easy. In the beginning neither of us knew what we were doing. But now we're both old pros at it. I used to get nervous feeding you around other people or out in public, but eventually I decided that there was nothing more natural in the world than a Mama feeding her baby, and we just do what we need to do when we need to do it. You, my tiny boy, have taught me to feel less ashamed of my body. If my body gave me you, then it's worthy of my love and admiration.
So many firsts this month, and so many more to come.
I love you, my baby boy, Mama