Month Four

Dearest little B,

What a month this has been...  

We flew to Denver to see your grandmother and great aunt and uncle, and to introduce you to other friends and family.  You were great on the plane and could not get enough of the people watching (if you were 20 years older you would get arrested for stalking people with your stare!!) You had a very busy social schedule in Denver (and Boulder) and you were such a little champ--you had a smile for everyone and wide eyes taking it all in.  You are such a little sweetheart that everyone threatens to try to keep you!!  It warms my heart every time, because I know that that is the highest form of flattery--they like you, they really like you!  Not every baby makes it so easy to be liked, loved-yes, but not always liked.  

We took you up to White Sulphur Springs for the annual summer picnic for the Hoffman Institute, and you continue to be a great little traveller in the car as well.  Your occasional tears in the car, when we cannot always calm you or comfort you to quiet, almost always lead you to fall asleep.  This happened a few times in a row and it lead us to two conclusions--one, you were not getting enough sleep, and two, it was okay for us to let you cry.  We transferred this to our home sleeping situation and last week we started putting you down for bed and for naps while you were still awake (drowsy)...  You have fussed or cried a few times, but about 85% of the time you just look at me, close your eyes and go to sleep.  You are now sleeping 5-8 hours at night and are taking 3 naps during the day--DUHHH!!  Why didn't we do this sooner!!??  You are a much happier and more even-keeled little boy.

This last weekend your Uncle Adam married Marianne, and it was a pretty busy few days.  Nonna stayed with us for the first part of the week and baked the wedding cake while she was here.  We had a chance to do some fun stuff too.  Two days of wedding and rehearsals in the East Bay turned your (new!!) nap schedule upside down and it was such a reminder of how far we have come in just a few short weeks.  

Our friend Kristina came out to visit from Atlanta, and we spent some time with her at our house for dinner and at the Ferry Building for the Farmer's Market--she is planning to move back to San Fran and we couldn't be happier!!

Your Uncle Jacob has been in San Francisco for most of the summer, and has actually been working in the grocery store on the ground floor of our building doing some special projects for them.  More days than not he popped up during his lunch or after his shift--it was really nice for both of us, and I think your uncle enjoyed you very much.  We took him to the airport earlier this week to send him off to grad school in Chicago.  Jacob hasn't spent much time around babies, and the last time I spent so much time with a baby was when he was a little guy!  Very full circle...

You had your 4 month appointment today--you are 24.5 inches long (+3 since birth) and weigh 15 pounds 1 ounce (+6 pounds 12 ounces).  Dr. Julia commented that your verbalizing was ahead of most babies your age--heh, not so surprising.  You constantly have your hand in your mouth, and as your dad says "rabid dogs slobber less" than you do right now.  :-)  I am enjoying you so much these days, and every day seems to be a little bit more normal.  Your new sleeping schedule allows me to plan our days a little more, and I look forward to having some structure (so unlike me before you came into my life).  This structure allows us to have some chunks of time to go places and do things.  Before your napping started I really felt like I was constantly playing defense--wondering when the moment might be right to do something, and how long that moment might last.  I so wanted you to always be happy and I fiercely protected those moments.  This is much better.  There is an ease that has set in.

We have a bedtime routine now--bath, read some books, eat, snuggle and then to bed--like a real kid!  You are becoming more of a person to me each day, and I love and cherish your little being.  I also appreciate so much the person who I am becoming because of your presence in my life.  

I love you, Little One.