Dearest Sprout,
Holy hannah, I cannot believe that it's already been one month since we welcomed you into the world! I'm going to do my best to write you monthly letters for the first year, just like I did for your big sister, but let me apologize in advance if I don't make it every month. I had no idea how EASY it was with only one kid until I had two.
I must say that, overall, your birth was a lot more relaxing than your sister's. Sure, you came two days early, but you timed it for when our doctor was on call and Daddy was already off work, so we can't really complain. My, but you were (are) a big baby, though! Almost three whole pounds bigger than your sister was. Way to raise the level of competition from the get go. It took the medical team quite some time to get you out, even with the C-section, and there was an audible reaction to your size as soon as everyone laid eyes on you. "Oh, that one's at LEAST 5 pounds," joked the nurse anaesthetist, and then everyone started laying odds on how big you really were. (The OR nurse called exactly at 10 pounds, 5 ounces.) You dwarfed the other babies in the nursery, and wowed all your visitors with vivid impressions of a grumpy sumo wrestler.
So: one month seems to be treating you pretty well, though as I recall it's the second month that started getting rough last time, so don't think you're off the hook or anything! So far you're an amazingly mellow and sweet little babysquab, happy to sleep and eat and stare around, only crying when you're hungry or gassy or way past needing a new diaper. To say that your place of residence is a little more chaotic than when your sister was a month old would be a vast understatement, but happily you've taken it all in stride, snoozing away while the Hatchling shrieks or dances or pitches fits in the background.
On the one hand, I feel bad that you'll never get the exclusive, undivided attention that your sister got when she was your age. On the other hand, I'm much more relaxed about my ability to parent you, so the attention you are getting is probably less likely to send you into therapy in later years. It all comes out in the wash, right?
Already this month, you've tackled learning how to nurse (still working on that one), getting a bath (hated the first one, loved the second one), getting your nights and days mixed up (you could stop that now, if you wanted), and, oh yes, shooting poop into your mama's face. You've been busy! As for the rest of us, we've been pretty busy, too, adjusting to this new addition to the household. I can say pretty confidently that all four of us are pretty tired and overwhelmed, working on getting more sleep and settling into a more normal routine. But the most important thing, as your father observed the day we brought you home from the hospital, is that "our family feels complete now." Thanks for completing us, baby girl. Now quit pooping in my face.
love,
Mama
