Again, we have combined letters this week as we were out of town celebrating your first Thanksgiving during the first week and during the second week your mommy was just plain exhausted. Apparently you can easily survive on fragmented sleep, but for the rest of us, it's taking its toll. However, you're changing so rapidly these days that three weeks is really too long period of time in documenting your new milestones that are occurring daily. Your daddy and I often say to each other "Who is this big baby?" as every time we turn around you're growing and doing something new that charms the both of us.
So, with that, I apologize in advance for the extreme length of this letter....
Week 17
This year for Thanksgiving we went to Panama City, the family reunion in Alabama and Tallahassee in what daddy called the "Turkey Tour 2010." I have to admit I was a bit concerned that your mom and dad were crazy for planning such a full trip with a 17 week old, but you were such a travel pro. You entertained everyone you met with your big smiles, coos and expressions. At daddy's family reunion you met 70-plus distant relatives, and they couldn't get enough of you.
On your first Thanksgiving, you loved watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, slept through dinner and enjoyed morning walks with mommy and daddy.
The last leg of our Turkey Tour 2010 was a stop in Tallahassee for the Florida State/Florida game. While you don't understand this yet, it's the biggest game of the year and one that your mommy and daddy were so excited about attending. We began your Florida State brainwashing early in life as we took you tailgating with us in the morning before the game and you loved being outside. It was a chilly morning and you were bundled up in your Seminole gear. I wore you in the Baby Bjorn for quite a while and I think you were mesmerized by the all of the colors and images. (That or you were trying to figure out the rules to the flip cup and beer pong games that were being played around you.)
Mommy's friend Amy and her family watched you during the game, and they came and picked you up from tailgating. This was your first babysitting experience outside of school and you were such a good baby for them. Or at least that's what they told us. :)
You again were amazing on the flight home from Florida on Sunday, which is a behavior I hope continues on future flights.
You still haven't rolled over yet, but we keep thinking you will every day. You'll get up on your side, flip your legs over your body, and just lay there on one side. You don't know quite what to do with that arm that's underneath you, so eventually you just plop back over. If I were a betting mom, I would have lost some dollars as every day I've thought today was going to be "The Day" where you were going to actually do it and roll over. The funny thing is as excited as I am for you to roll over, I know it is the first in a long string of mobility milestones and the end of you staying where we put you.
Week 18
We marked week 18 with your 4 month doctor's appointment. It seemed like just yesterday we were there for your 2 month appointment, and it made me again realize how far you've come. At the two month appointment you were fussy and we did a lot of bouncing you as we waited for the pediatrician to make her visit. This time while we waited, you simply looked around, taking in your surroundings and learning from it all.
You continue to be our long, skinny boy, although you wouldn't know it with the cute rolls on your thighs. You weighed in at 14 lbs, 3 oz (34 percentile) and 25 1/2 inches long (71 percentile). The doctor was pleased with your growth and the fact that you're reaching your developmental milestones. He wasn't nearly as concerned as mommy is that you're not rolling over yet. You again did amazingly well with your shots. You didn't even cry after the first one, you just looked around with an expression that said, "What in the world was that???" You did cry after the second one, but you calmed so quickly afterward.
During our appointment I may or may not have told the doctor that your sleep patterns were "a hot mess," a phrase in which your dad may or may not have teased me about. There's no better way to really describe it though; we'll have one great night followed by three not so great nights. The one good thing that we've done is gotten your feedings down to one a night, but that doesn't mean your wakings are also once a night.
While at our appointment the doctor gave us the green light to begin putting you on rice cereal. We made a first attempt over the weekend, and you were not. a. fan. At all. We've continued to try each night, and you still aren't really liking it.
Also during the week we bought your first Christmas tree. Let me tell you a little bit about our annual Christmas tree buying experience: your dad is the world's most picky tree buyer...ever. We went to three stores this year, which, believe it or not, is less than our typical average, but we spent more than an hour at our final location selecting the perfect tree. Did you know that after an hour of looking at Christmas trees they all begin to look exactly the same? That's the case for everyone but your daddy, who can somehow still distinguish between a little gap here or a not so perfect angle there. You were a trooper during this process and even slept through part of it. After looking at 1,241 trees, we selected the "perfect" one and brought it home. You love looking at the tree's lights and we love beginning the traditions for what will be the first of many Christmases with you.
Even though selecting and decorating your first Christmas tree was a highlight, there was a bigger memory for us that day: your first belly laugh. While you've been squealing and letting out an occasional giggle for awhile, this is the first time that you truly let out a long belly laugh, which we couldn't get enough of. We've spent much of our free time since trying to replicate that sweet sound, and you reward us about every other day with a hearty laugh.
Week 19
You can't keep your fingers out of your mouth. This, combined with the inordinate amount of drool that's commonplace on your chin, has led me to wonder if you're teething early, but nothing can be felt on your gums yet. Because of this, we got out a present that my friend Melody sent to you when I was pregnant: Sophie the giraffe teether. You love Sophie and the fact that she squeaks when you squeeze her...you're always figuring out a new way to chew on her limbs.
You have also been learning how to hold your bottle at school, and you are doing a great job holding the little bottle, while the larger size is a bit of a challenge. You are grasping everything these days, from your toys to mommy's hair. You continue to be interested in new toys, including the exersaucer at school, and you love being read to...mommy normally reads you three or four books every night after school.
Even though you don't understand Christmas yet, this holiday season has taken on such a new meaning with you in our lives. Your daddy and I are constantly awed by the blessings you bestow upon us each day, even if it is with little sleep. Your smiles...your sweet noises...the curious way in which you explore everything around you, has led us to also look at life in a whole new way. We, quite simply, are smitten with you.
Love,
Mommy
No comments:
Post a Comment