One Month

Dear Baby Catherine,

One month ago, you entered our world.  We’d eagerly anticipated your arrival for more than 9 months.  Those last 42 hours were some of the most exciting and nerve-wracking of the whole wait, but they were so worth it.  What a joy to finally see your face and hold you in our arms!

We spent those first few days in the hospital introducing you to family and friends and loving on you.  How great it was to spend all that time together.  I loved every moment of it, but I think I loved the overnight hours the best.  At those times, it was just you and me.  We spent hours, when we should have been sleeping, just staring at each other and wondering what our lives would be like now that we’d finally met each other.

We brought you home on a chilly Saturday afternoon.  Grandma Colby was there and took lots of pictures and made a yummy dinner for us.  She stayed with us for the first week that you were home to help us adjust to our new routines.  She always offered to get up in the middle of the night to help take care of you, but I always let her sleep—that was our time to eat, talk, and be together, just Mommy and Baby.

Catherine, you eat so well.  You also eat so often!  Every time I feed you, I tell you how happy I am that we can spend that time together, just the two of us.  You hold on to one of my fingers as you watch me and I rub your feet and your back and continue telling you stories.  Tonight Grandma Hawley weighed you for us and you are up to 8 pounds, 7 ounces.  That was with your clothes and diaper on, so we have to say you weigh a bit less, but you are growing!  Your aunts say you are starting to fill out, especially in your cheeks.  We all can see how you are changing each day.

You also sleep very well.  It is very difficult to get you to sleep in your bassinette or the swing or your chair, but when you are in our arms or on our chest or stomach if we are lying down, you can sleep for hours.  I like this time, and I know Daddy does too. 

You are anxious to hold your head up and be a part of everything that’s happening around you.  From the first time I held you, you’ve done your best to hold your head up on your own.  One day soon, you’ll have it!  You are also so alert.  When you are awake, you want to see everything that is going on around you.  You track our movements if we go slow enough and you can sit for hours and take in the sights.  You especially love looking at lights or out the window.  Tonight, you enjoyed time in front of a Christmas tree.  I could see you thinking, “Look at all those lights!” as you sat in front of it.

I am so thankful that I’ve been able to spend every day with you.  I know sometimes Daddy will come home and wonder what I’ve been up to all day.  Some days I can only say that I spent the day staring at you.  You are so beautiful and you are growing so much.  I don’t want to miss a moment. 

I can hardly believe you’ve been here for a month already.  It seems like just yesterday that we brought you home, and it also seems that you’ve been here forever.  You fit into our lives so perfectly.

At one month, you:

* love to be held as much as possible
* sleep about 4 hours at a time and only wake up once during the night
* like to be swaddled in your ‘monkey suit’ when you sleep
* are very alert and love to watch movement
* can hold your head up a little longer each day
* like to hang your head back whenever you can
* have the hiccups multiple times every day
* enjoy classical music, especially in the car
* love to be jiggled by your Daddy
* can smile!

 

 

 

 

 

What would we do without you?  Happy one-month day, Baby.