1 month already!

Dear Henry -

The saying is so true - you are already growing up quickly! We just had your 1 month check-up and you inspired me to start writing down all the amazing things about you. As expected, the majority of your first month has been spent eating, sleeping & pooping. Despite the limited activities - you have kept us on our toes as we get to know each other & do our best to figure out what you want. No doubt about it, you are in charge right now :-)

You came home with jaundice so we had to have you sleep on a "bili blanket" every night - which was a huge pain. It was a long plastic strip, attached to a vacuum cord & plugged into a machine which makes the plastic light up. You didn't like it & we didn't either. We went to see Dr Dennis a lot to check on your jaundice - and eating was the big focus - Dr. Dennis wanted you to gain 1+ ounce/day to help reduce the bilirubin in your blood. I was a bit stressed to make sure you were eating enough...feeding took adjusting for both of us, but we figured it out. From a Wed appt to Friday - you gained 4 oz! That was enough for Dr Dennis to say we "graduated" and no more checkups, I was very proud!

That weekend at age 2 weeks - you went with us on your first vacation. Your dad is great at surprises that I love & he found an awesome house for us for Valentines weekend in Mendocino right on the coast. Both of your grandmas thought we were crazy to go away - but we promised them we would keep you extra bundled. After we unloaded 4 bags, the pack'n'play, the bouncy seat, extra blankets, coolers....we got settled in & had a great time. No cell phone coverage, no work emails for dad - we just hung out by the fire, cooked some great food for ourselves and ooohed & aahed over you - just what we needed.

You are a lucky little guy gettng lots of love from your brother & sister - you get a kiss as soon as they get home from school & every morning before they leave. They are both eager to hold you, push your stroller, give you the bottle - just want nothing to do with your diapers. They have however been very impressed with your farts, which has been cause for a lot of good laughs for all of us. It is pretty amazing that such an explosion can come from a little guy. They have agreed that you are the best farter of the family, lol. You will appreciate later that this is intended to be a compliment!

You have a lot of nicknames already - Dad started calling you "Bigs" and that has stuck & we have all been calling you variations - Biggie, Biggo, Big Guy. You should know Jack is the original Bigs - so you have big footsteps to follow in :-) Lainey likes "Hen" for short - but usually calls you "Dude". This is often when she is an inch from your face & checking you out "Dude, look at your ears. Dude, you have long fingers. Dude, Dude Dude!" A few people have taken to Hank & I will admit I call you "Midget" - although given the size of your hands & feet - I don't think you will be small for long.

You are very expressive with your hands & arms all over the place, if possible you like to have your hands near your face & are already really close to figuring out how to suck on your fingers. Aunt Malisa thinks you may be a dancer & Lainey suggests a Karate star b/c of all your cool arm moves. When you are really pissed you clench both fists & shake both hands as if you are mixing a cocktail - I know you are unhappy but I think its really funny. Combine that with your "i'm really upset cry" that sounds like a billy goat - its really cute & pathetic at the same time. I promise I try to make you happy as fast as I can!

Your favorite place to sleep is on someones chest & you have a nack for nuzzling your way down to have your head above the heart of your "pillow". I think if you could pick a favorite it is dad, but Granfeather & Nana are close ties & they have the advantage of being perfectly willing to sit on the couch for 2+ hours while you sleep on them.

I can't believe all the little ways you are changing already:
- your eyelashes are a lot darker
- your favorite passtime from your first week was sucking on your bottom lip & you already seem to have stopped that
- you've developed a sucking blister which has fallen off & returned a few times
- you are really strong with your neck & head movement

So the results of your 1 month check up - you have grown from 20" to 22" already, and weigh 10 pounds 15 ounces. The accountant in me had to calculate the average - nearly 1.5 ounces a day! No wonder it feels like I am feeding you all the time.

Well, that was a long note (it took me multiple nap sessions to get this in) and I'm going to end here b/c I think you are ready to eat again...

We love you Bigs!