Dear Gabriel,
It’s hard to believe you are already more than a month old.
This was the fastest month of my life! (And probably a sign that I finally
understand what “old people” say when they talk about how fast the time flies!)
The first month of parenting has been a rollercoaster of new
emotions for me and your dad, for sure! (Mostly I’m the one who
rollercoasters!) Here’s some of the things that have happened since your
birthday:
Physically:
You were born 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 19.5 inches long. You
left the hospital 6 pounds, 4 ounces.
At your first doctor’s visit, you hadn't really gained any
weight, which worried the doctor a lot. She thought you had jaundice and caused
me a lot of unnecessary worry by telling me all the long-term damage it could
cause if it got serious. (It wasn't serious!) You were just fine (like your mom
and dad who were also both jaundice babies), and now you weigh 8.75 pounds! It’s
no surprise, little man…you are a very good and eager eater!
You are also 20.5
inches long now and looking more like a big baby every day!
You are also getting stronger everyday. You are getting
better at lifting your head, though you can’t quite control it yet. You head
butt your dad and me a lot when we hold you close to us…or maybe you are doing
that head butting thing on purpose? Hmm…
Your eyes are still blue. You still have a full head of hair
but are losing some of it off the top. Your fingernails are destroying me! Your
cheeks and belly are plumping up perfectly!
And, probably my favorite thing is how expressive you are
getting. You make some killer faces, but your dad and I are pretty partial to
your Blue Steel face from Zoolander (hopefully you’ll like this reference one
day). We call it Poop Steel!
Things going on this month:
Much of our time has been us all getting to know
each other, and that gets easier for our little family every day. You spend
most of your days eating…it’s definitely your favorite activity! (Which was
pretty hard for mom to get used to but now we've both gotten better at
breastfeeding, so it’s easy breezy for us).
You are pretty alert for a newborn, and while you do drift
off to sleep at random times throughout the day (particularly in the car), you
sometimes are awake almost for an entire day. So I try to engage you in my
daily routine, read you books, sing you songs and let you practice moving
around. You also have a fun mobile dad made you that you enjoy looking at.
The first two weeks dad stayed home with us, which was
great. I was really nervous about being able to take care of you all day, but
sure enough we made it through and really had fun together. Dad comes home during his lunch breaks to visit
us, so that breaks up the day nicely.
We've also gone on lots of outings…the doctor, the park, church, dad’s work, mom’s work, Midtown Coffee, the grocery store, the health department to get your birth certificate and couch shopping. Mostly you sleep through these adventures.
You've had a ton of visitors! Co-workers, grandparents, mom
and dad’s friends from around town, and these two Tyler’s came all the way from
Florida just to meet you.
Your dog Charley is really fond of you. Every time you cry,
he comes running in the room where you are to see if you are alright!
Things you hate:
Hiccups (and you get them a lot!) That is your hiccup face!, diaper changes, changing clothes and baths!
Things you love:
Besides eating…it’s really just being close to mom and dad!
In fact, you aren't really a fan of being in slings or rockers or bouncy seats…mostly
just in our arms.
You do like your monkey rocker from Aunt Cherie and Aunt
Lynn, though, and you get some good sleep in there!
You ALSO like, you discovered, hanging out in your parent’s
bed. I can’t really blame you...it is comfy!
What your parents are feeling:
Something that a lot of people have told us is that we
wouldn't understand love or happiness until we had a child. This isn't true. In fact, your
dad and I believe that keeping our marriage strong is the most important thing
we could ever do for our family. So yes, we were happy before you came in the
world AND we are happy now that you are here with us! You add more love to our
life and make me fall in love with your dad in a new way every day.
You've made our hearts mushy! I cry over things I never
thought I’d cry about and worry about things I never knew I’d worry about (and
the same goes for your dad…except the crying part). We over-read and research
everything for fear of breaking you and doing this parenting thing all wrong,
but as time goes on, I am getting more comfortable and confident in my
instincts. I definitely find myself loving you more and more everyday
(something your Grandma Lori says!)
Thanks for putting up with us first-timers for a whole
month! Can’t wait to keep growing together!
Love, Mom
P.S. "Uncle" Nick Noble got you the COOLEST present. We hope you appreciate the reference one day :)
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