Nugget,
The first few days at the beginning of your second month were spent honoring your Great Great Grandmother “Gabba†at her passing. Going to the funeral with you being only a month old was certainly a challenge; it was the first time we left the house with you for any length of time. It was unreal the amount of stuff we had to pack and remember to take with us when we left. Doctor’s orders were to keep you out of the public for the first six weeks till you could build the most rudimentary immune system, so we were just going to have to minimize your contact with everyone except the most immediate family members. Your daddy and I put you in the Baby Bjorn which kept people from trying to hold and pass you around at the viewing. This had the added bonus of just letting you sleep. You slept so well, in fact, that you didn’t want to nurse which was fun for mommy. Afterwards when it was just the family back at cousin’s house we took you out (it was insisted) and you got cranky from all the stimulation. However there were an infinite number of family members (your daddy’s family is HUGE) who were willing to hold and rock you back to sleep. They made you cranky so they had to soothe you, I say. This is where you first met your future best friend the Aquarium Bouncer.
The next day you gave your daddy his new daddy hazing/initiation when getting out of the car at the grave site you peeshat on his suit. He had to deliver his part of the eulogy with the peeshat stain on the front of his shirt, pants, and jacket. Said eulogy was given in front of every family member and the most famous preacher in our state — a close, personal friend of your g-g-grandmother. You have no idea, yet, how much our family loves stories of humiliation and this doozy will undoubtedly be retold for generations. After I changed your diaper and outfit, you got to stay in the car and breastfeed and I assure you your daddy would have changed places with you in a heartbeat.
When the matriarch of the family passed away it affected everyone deeply. So much happened at the funeral, viewing, and family gatherings over the weekend other than what I’ve written but to keep the rest brief, you can’t get that many members of the family together without there being plenty of people who prefer not to be in the same room with one another . . . and for good reasons. It made us want to come home and curl up with our nuclear unit. Also, taking that time off from work put a lot more stress on your daddy. After three days of funeral engagements you went through another growth spurt and I was feeding you every two hours.
It’s amazing how fast you grow. When I wake up in the morning and go into see you, it’s the biggest high! It’s such a shock to see you bigger in your crib. I want to squeeze you and keep you tiny just a little bit longer because EVERYONE and EVERY STRANGER tells me “they grow up too quickly!†I’m advised to “hold you as much as possible†which I’m always happy to oblige.
You have a very active and talkative personality. At your one month checkup the pediatrician declared you “a handful†because you’re always moving and always cooing. You’re not very snugly, just very go go go! I’m starting to take you out more now; it’s definitely a new challenge. My goal is get us out of the house to do one thing each day.
You’ve learned how to “child activate†your aquarium bouncer so now it’s the best baby pacifier in the world. It will distract you long enough for me to shower every day. You make this great razzing sound and can lift your head at a 45 degree angle when on your tummy. You can bear some weight on your legs while standing. We first noticed when we switched to the over-the-shoulder burping position and you made effort to stand in our laps. Your baby coos have become more complex with you combining sounds; we just live for your nightly performance. You can even laugh out loud. In the beginning it was a smiley almost silent laugh but now it’s developed into a both a squeal of delight and a big bubbly laugh.
I bought you the Bumbo because you do a really good job of holding up your own head. Sometimes you rest your head to the side but I try not to keep you in there for longer than 15 minutes and you seem to do great during that time. The first time I put you in you got so excited when you realized you were sitting up all by yourself! Woo hoo! You don’t need mommy and daddy anymore! Sitting in the Bumbo really inspires the cooing in you. We had a long photo session while you twisted and turned and looked at everything all the while making the most amazing sounds and facial expressions. I didn’t know babies could be this fun this early.
Love,
Momma