month five


Oh, Chicken. I know I say this every month, but come on…FIVE MONTHS?! Even though this past month has been particularly challenging, it has flown by. I was thinking the other day that you haven’t had any huge milestones or “firsts” this month and that’s true. But a few days ago you suddenly just seemed so much bigger and more grown-up. I’m already that reminiscing parent who sees a newborn and thinks, “I remember when you were that small!”


So no doctor visit for Month 5. I weighed you on the Wii about a week ago and you were around 15 pounds. Not a big gain since last month and I think that’s because I was starving you. No, seriously. I think my production is down but I didn’t realize that’s what was going on. So for most of the last month you’ve been a cranky baby during the evenings. And you’ve woken up much more often at night. Not. Fun. (We even tried to put you to sleep in your bed downstairs because Daddy was thinking that maybe you didn't like the temperature swings upstairs...we never left you downstairs the entire night, though.) I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out that’s what was going on. I mean, the only times you’ve been really mad in the past were due to hunger. Duh. Oh, well. We’ve been giving you more formula along with me feeding you and you’re back to your chipper self and have even slept through the night twice this week. You don’t really seem worse for the wear so that’s good. We have another month before we start you on solids, and I’m oddly looking forward to that. We’ll fatten you up in no time.

You went swimming for the first time this month. Your daddy took you out into the water in our neighborhood. You didn’t even have a swimsuit. You were nakey baby. Then your granddad (and later your grandmother joined you) took you to the pool. I bought you a swimsuit by then. He thinks it’s very cute, as did the other kids and grandmas at the pool. You are such a water baby like your dad. I hope you continue to enjoy it and are comfortable swimming. I’m not even though I like the water. It’s on my Life List, though, so I guess I’ll have to get comfortable with swimming before you and your (hopefully) future little brother or sister get too big.


We also celebrated Father’s Day this month. It was the first time it had applied to my life since 1984. Wow, that was a long time ago. We took Daddy and Granddad to the St. Arnold’s Brewery that Saturday. They enjoyed the beer while I had root beer and you had formula. It was very crowded so we didn’t do a tour. But, hey, your first brewery. On Sunday, we went to your grandparents’ and had lunch with them and your aunt. It was a good weekend.

I had my first out-of-town travel for work this month. Luckily, I was able to work it out so that I could drive. That made it much easier regarding pumping. I wasn't looking forward to the trip; I didn't want to leave you overnight. I did ok until I saw lots of other kids on vacation with their families. I missed you some but a margarita helped. When I got in bed that night, however, I was a bit sad and lonely. I really missed our typically full bedroom--you, Daddy, Maggie. I love that you are all part of my life now. I have my first flying trip on Monday/Tuesday and I'm again not looking forward to it.

I continue to be battling some health stuff—this time some lingering post-delivery issues. Chicken, I swear I had a good pregnancy. It was a relatively easy pregnancy. And while childbirth wasn’t without its challenges, it went pretty smoothly, too. It’s this darn recovery that has been so difficult. Hopefully things are being taken care of and at least there’s a plan to fix the last bit of it. Regardless, you were worth it. I’ll just be excited to be in good health again. Don’t ever take that for granted. People say, “Well, at least you have your health” like it’s some sort of consolation prize when it really is everything.

This week, we had rain. Now why would I be mentioning that in a monthly letter to you? Because the last time we had a significant amount of rain was on January 24th. Your birthday. While I was in labor with you. At the time, I thought that I’d forever be transported back to laboring whenever there was a rainy night. I think that’s even more true now since we haven’t had a rainy anything in so long. I had been telling people you were a harbinger of drought so when it started raining I was half-wondering if that meant something bad had happened to you. Like it could never rain during your ENTIRE LIFE. I guess it just couldn’t rain for nearly the first 5 months of your life. Seems like an interesting thing to note.


Like I said before, you haven’t had too many new developments this month. It just seems like you’re getting better at what you know. You’re an old pro at holding your head and smiling. You still love standing up (assisted) as well as kicking. You still hate tummy time but you have rolled over both ways now—only a few times. You laugh some but don’t have giggle fits. It’s more like “huh huh.” You love looking at yourself in the mirror. You smile at that other baby and then sometimes get shy and hide your face in my neck. Oh! One new thing is that you blow raspberries. Daddy really likes that about you. You like dogs and smile at Maggie, Daisy, and Tessa. You don’t mind it when Daisy licks you—she loves to lick ‘em. We’re borrowing an exersaucer that you’ve really enjoyed. Sometimes when you’re talking, I can’t tell what your mood is based solely on your voice. A few weeks ago you were talking and I thought you were upset. I went to check on you and you were fine. You were just giving this little bear on the exersaucer a stern talking to. I’m not sure what that bear did to you but I imagine he deserved his little lecture…

You've also met a lot of new people this month. You went to a Memorial Day party at your aunt and uncles. You had your first "school" party. You went to your second Astros' game with a group of Daddy's Georgia Tech alumni. You met my oldest friend and her daughter. You joined us at a neighborhood pot luck. You met a lot of my co-workers today. The constant here is that everyone loves you, Chicken. It's not just me. Looking forward to the next month (you know, like always).




Comments

nora said…
Little Chicken is beautiful, enjoyed very much reading this. She is goignt to grow up to be such happy child. She is so loved by so many. She is a blessed little girl.
klm said…
I loved seeing her. And you ;) she is precious precious precious. I can't believe I cried. Okay, yes I can. I am so very excited for you and so wish I could have seen her sooner.
Katie Lady said…
I love these letters, and love that you are sharing them here. :) She is a cutie patootie and I look forward to meeting her very soon!

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