Newsletter: Month Two

Dear Ian, Today you turn two months old and you seem like a totally different baby than just a few weeks ago. In addition to the developmental milestones you've accomplished, we're starting to see the beginnings of your personality take shape.

You are a night owl! Last night you went to bed around 1am and slept until 8:30, only nursing once in that time and not even waking up for it. You're still in the bed with us and I couldn't be happier about it. The cribs (one upstairs and one downstairs) tend to hold more laundry these days than infants. Your father is still worried that we may crush you in your sleep, but I have confidence in your resilience. That and I never ever move at night so you just sleep on my side with me.

At about the five week mark we started putting you in cloth diapers. It's going really well so far and you seem happy with them. The only downside is the size small diapers that are supposed to last until you're six months old are already too small for you. So we've stocked up on medium diapers and haven't looked back.

Speaking of your size, you are a giant! As of last Thursday when we stopped by the pediatrician to get your belly button looked at, you were 13 lb 9 oz. We had several of the parents from our birth class over this past weekend and all their babies are pint-sized compared to you. I'm sure that I'm biased, but you are also the sweetest, cutest and most easy-going baby ever. You really are spoiling us.

I started going back to work "part time" as of two weeks ago and you've been coming with me to the office. You have been a model employee and I only shut my office door to nurse or if I think you're giggling too loudly and might disturb others. The last few weeks have been hard on your mother, trying to juggle work responsibilities when all I want to do is just curl up with you in bed. If someone would pay me to smooch you all day, we'd be millionaires, but alas work continues on. You start day care on January 4th and I'm going to miss you terribly during the day. I only went out for a quick shopping trip this afternoon while you stayed home with Daddy and I kept feeling like I was missing something everywhere I went. Thankfully your day care is across the street so I can hopefully come visit you a bit to help keep my heart from breaking.

It's almost Christmas and I admit we haven't bought you a single gift yet. Santa will surely bring you a few things since you've been so incredibly good and I'm sure your Nana has a few treats in mind for you. At the moment your greatest joy is following the ceiling fan, so we'll have to see if one of those will fit in Santa's sleigh. Dorcas and her husband David came over today and brought you a hand sewn quilt as well as a beautiful pottery bowl. It's overwhelming to us all of the people who love you so much and they've barely had a chance to know you. You will never lack for family and friends in your life if you continue to be as charming as you are.

I have erred on the side of assuming that others are not as enamored with you as I am, mostly because I am positively over the moon for you. I don't hand you off to others to hold much and I admit a little of that is because I enjoy keeping all those snuggles for myself. As you get bigger, though, I should learn to share you with the rest of the world. You are too fantastic of a person to keep under wraps.

Love, Mama

Newsletter: Month One

Dear Ian, Today you turn one month old and it's been a wonderful 31 days so far. Today is actually one of many anniversaries you have. Two days ago was the anniversary of when I went into labor with you. And two days from now will be the anniversary of when we picked your name. This will all factor into what will become your Birthday Month in the coming years which I'm sure you will milk for all it's worth. Yes, I agree, we should all go out for ice cream in celebration of your Naming Day.

Despite what the baby books suggest, we've rarely spent a day at home since we finally got to take you out of the hospital. As our friend told us, you're at the "luggage" age where we can take you anywhere we need to in your little car seat bucket and not worry about you going anywhere. As I continue to heal from birthing you, though, we have tried to slow down a bit and stick to just one outing a day.

Everywhere we go, strangers talk about how beautiful you are and what a good baby you are. They also caution us to cherish every one of these days because they go by so fast. It's already amazing how much different you are today than the first day we met you. You open your eyes for much longer and can focus better on whoever is holding you. You smile more now and I can't wait until you actually smile and laugh in reaction to us. We'll do anything to make you smile.

You've had two big growth spurts this month and it's really the only time you've been fussy. But given how much your poor little arms and legs were stiffening from growing, I'd be fussy too if I were you. You've never fussed without reason though (IV in your ankle, your mother bonking your head on the bassinet, etc.).

These early days are unlike any other time of your life (or your mother's for that matter). You and I literally have no schedule and I've found life is pretty sweet that way. If I'm not in a hurry for you to finish nursing, then neither of us need to get frustrated and we just eat lunch at 1:30 instead of 1. You still only sleep for about three hours at a time and usually it's more like two at at time. But since we don't have anywhere to be it's not such an issue.

You and I did a great job of learning how to nurse, particularly given that we had to learn in a rolling office chair of the special care nursery on little to no sleep. All the nurses were very helpful with suggestions but the biggest thing we both had going for us was patience. I pumped my first two and a half ounces of milk for you today and it wasn't that bad. But nothing compares to nursing you, watching your long little fingers grab onto my shirt, hearing you grunt like you're working hard to feed yourself and asking if you're done only to have you look up at me and rally for a few more minutes of milk. I'm convinced "are you done?" are the first English words you understand.

Really your father and I feel like we're getting away with something and we don't want to jinx it. You've been just so happy and agreeable and sweet. All those well meaning strangers were right that nothing would prepare us for what this would be like, but thankfully we just weren't prepared for how completely awesome it is. If it gets better than this I just may pop.

Love, Mama