Lincoln: One Month

December 2014

Little One,

Today you are one month old. Technically you are only four weeks old, but I would say it counts. And the funny thing is, today was your due date.

The doctors said you were supposed to arrive on December 2nd. And then, because of Hannah, they said if you didn't come by November 25th, they'd give you a nudge out. But you and God had other plans and so today, we celebrate one month old you an entire month 'early.'

You are growing so very fast. The thin little legs with all the extra skin are filling in quickly. The newborn footie pajama that you've lived in over the past month are getting just a bit too short. Just the other day, I went to put on the outfit you wore home from the hospital and it was too small. You now weigh nine pounds and I can't believe it. My little one, you are growing.

Your crying has turned to smiles although your smile is more of a coincidence than really smiling at anything. I love your smiles, although I do miss what we called your 'singing cry.' When you were first born and most sad your cries sounded like a lady singing opera and I never did take the time to capture it on video. Probably because when you cried like that, it broke my heart and all I wanted to do was hold you.

You like it when you and I play with our 'piggie' finger puppets and sing The Little Piggies by Joe Scruggs. The song is different from the one most people grew up singing, but this is the one I grew up singng and I'm glad that you like it too. You love tummy time as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror, but most of all you love 'your birdies.' Your bouncer has little birdies hanging on it and you stare at those like you love them most in the world. Sometimes the blue one and sometimes the pink one, just depends on the day.

Right now we feed you every two and a half hours. The other mothers ask why you are on a schedule and then I tell them about your newborn screening. I tell them about how we have to wake you up in the night and feed you. As least until we get more test results. Maybe us waking you is why you love a schedule so very much, but it's like clockwork when you are hungry. Exactly two and a half hours, down to the exact minutes, we know you'll be hungry. It almost makes me look like a wizard or something when I can point to you right before you start crying.

 

It's incredible how I can look at you now, outside my tummy and see the things you were doing while inside. You get the hiccups almost constantly and I remember feeling those hiccups as I walked around with you in my belly. You love to tilt your head back and you get quite fussy when someone 'makes you' pick it up when you sleep. I remember that, my pelvis will forever remember that, I'm not sure it will ever be the same.

You are quite happy, but also quite gassy. You, sir, know how to smell up a room. And yes, that makes you appear to be a 'fussy' baby sometimes, but we know better. We help you as much as we can and when all else fails we snuggle you close and make sure everyone knows it was you. Yes babies can make those sounds, and your daddy and I love to lay you on our chest and let you sleep off your little, loud tummy..

Most of all I want you to know how much we love you. I could tell you the stories of how much sleep we've lost. I could tell you how setting an alarm to wake in the middle of the night is making us oh so very tired. But you're worth it. I love you sweet boy. I love to press my cheek next to yours and I love when you nuzzle your face right into the curve of my neck and let out a sigh like you've been working all your life to get to that very moment.

I breathe you in. I love you every minute. And at night when I sing you to sleep with the songs of the musicals and movies I love dearly, we end with 'Mommy loves you, Daddy loves you, and Jesus loves you most of all.'

Happy One Month, buddy. You have no idea how much you have brought into this home and this heart with your little life.

Love you always,
Mom