Dear Mr. Baby,
Holy cow, people aren’t kidding when they say children grow up fast! You are like an entirely different person than you were four short months ago. Your most notable achievement as of late has been rolling over. I was sad that I missed the first time (you did it at daycare), but then I realized that I never would have seen it at home because I rarely put you down. Lesson learned. I try to give you space to do your thing now.
You love daycare, which makes it much easier to drop you off in the mornings. I hate being away from you, but it helps to know that you’re having a blast with the other babies and saving all of your blowouts for your teachers.
Because our time together is so limited during the week, I enjoy the heck out of every second we get to spend with each other. It’s been an exhausting few weeks since I’ve started taking you to school in the morning since your dad is working late shift. But I would absolutely rather sacrifice sleep than our playtime.
You’ve discovered the joy of my hair and have taken to holding onto it like you’re riding the subway when I carry you around. You don’t pull – you just sort of hang on for stability. I love the facial expression you make when I lean over you and sweep my hair across your face. It’s almost a cross between a smile and a sigh.
You’ve started laughing a little bit, and it is singularly the best sound on the planet. I love rain and thunder, but the giggle that comes out when you get overwhelmed with excitement totally takes the cake. You’re starting to figure out the peekaboo thing, and it cracks you up. I don’t even care how ridiculous I sound. So worth it to hear that laugh!
I’ve kept close watch on your face as the soft infant curves have given way to little boy features. The change first started in your forehead and moved down to your eyes as you became more alert and awake. Your cheeks, while still delightfully round, have grown more defined. I know you’ll only be this little for a short time, so I’m adoring the squishy parts of your face as often as I can. In exchange for the loss of your infant facial features, though, you’ve developed fantastic chubby little arms and legs. So it all balances out.
We’ve gotten a pretty good routine going these days. I pick you up from school, we come home and play, sometimes take a walk, and then it’s bathtime. Despite the fact that I’m a college graduate and successful career woman, I recently realized that I’ve been using your bathtub incorrectly for the last 4 months. You’re able to sit up with some balance help now, and since you’re getting too long for your tub, I thought I’d attach the support railing that came with it. After much frustrated wondering why I couldn’t attach the thing, I realized that it wasn’t a railing after all… it’s a frame for the bathmat so you don’t have to lay flat on your back. Genius. I’d been wishing for something like that since day 1.
You seem to enjoy bathtime much more now, though your days in the baby tub are numbered because you’re a whopping 25.5 inches long now! You had your 4 month checkup last week, and it’s amazing how much you’ve grown. You’re nearly 15 pounds…twice the size you were at birth. You’re growing up, my baby, and I’m so thrilled to be along for the ride.
Love,
Mama
