One Month Old

Dear Carter,

Today you turn one month old and I’m happy to report that we’ve all survived the first few weeks of your life! We have so enjoyed having you here and love getting to know you and watch you grow. We’ve learned a lot and occasionally you’ve been patient with us, though I think sometimes you wonder about our parenting skills (usually while screaming).

Speaking of screaming, one of the many things we’ve learned about you is that you are both very vocal and have a good set of lungs on you. When we brought you home from the hospital you had screamed yourself hoarse by the second day home. In case you’re wondering, it didn’t slow you down from screaming more. I have a few nicknames for you- Fussbucket, Squirmy McSquawkerson, Angry Dictator, etc. In fact, I’m trying to type this while you squirm and fuss in my arms. Stella is very protective and aware of you, but even she needs a break sometimes. After one particularly rough night of much screaming she would not come back inside after we let her out in the morning. I think she was telling us “no, really guys… I’m good out here in the sunroom. You can keep that loud thing in there, I’ll just be out here for a while.”

Luckily you are very cute and this has proved to be part of your survival tactic. That was one of the first things your dad told me when you were born, first that you were here (and let me tell you, that was shocking to all of us as I don’t think anyone really expected you to fit!) and second that you were really cute. Even the nurses at the hospital continued to tell us you were a very cute baby, and they see a lot of babies. When the doctors handed you to me, I was completely overwhelmed to see your beautiful eyes looking up at me and feel you nuzzle in to my chest. From that moment we knew our lives and our hearts and their capacity to love would never be the same. On a funny note, you immediately kicked the nurse and then peed on her only seconds after being born. You are a very active baby, which doesn’t surprise me one bit based on the kung fu you constantly practice while I was pregnant.

You are just the snuggliest baby and I absolutely love that. I sometimes feel like there’s nowhere in the world you’d rather be then cuddled up on my chest. There were many nights in the very beginning of your life that the only way any of us could get any sleep was to lay you on our chests and cuddle you in our arms. The very second we set you in your crib, no matter how asleep you were, you would immediately start crying. There were times when your father rescued me from the really rough nights to let me get some sleep and I would wake up to find him on the loveseat, with his legs dangling over the edge and his arms curled around your tiny body while you snoozed on his chest. Usually the dog was laying right below both of you. That completely melted my heart.

We’ve had quite a crazy month full of family and festivities since you arrived. The first two weeks it felt like we had a revolving door of visitors who want to meet you. That’s probably why you wouldn’t sleep in your crib- you were growing quite accustomed to being held every second of the day. Your dad celebrated his first Father’s Day by sleeping in until 11 and then hanging out with family. It was such a special day, and I can’t even describe how much I love to see you and your daddy together. Chandra and Ian’s wedding brought many Jobins out west. We dressed you up in a little suit for the wedding and I have to say it was the cutest thing ever. I even found a tie to match your dad’s tux (he was a groomsman and I was a bridesmaid). Then the Hopkins came out and the Wyckoff gatherings began in full force, including your first trip to the zoo. To be honest, I’m not sure you cared one bit about the zoo. It was just a different setting for a diaper blowout. You've slept through most of your milestones so far, but we have some awfully cute pictures!

We’re pretty sure your favorite game is to go through as many diapers as possible. This exasperates your father like you wouldn’t believe. The time he went through 4 diapers just for one changing I thought his head might explode. Your father is big on logic and reason, and you have yet to embrace those concepts. He is very proud of how advanced you are, though. When you were less than a week old you rolled over on your side and you’ve turned yourself 90 degrees in your crib. You rolled over yesterday, but we’re still debating whether that counts because you had a pillow under your head. You were picking your head up before we even left the hospital and now you’ll pick your head up while I’m holding you and look straight at me for several seconds. Then you flop over and flail- you haven’t quite mastered that skill just yet. You are just beginning to smile and coo a little. You definitely recognize your mom and dad and know who we are. And you’re ticklish! Which I enjoy exploiting. That’s just one way you’re like me. Your dad also thinks we make some of the same faces.

Carter, I hope someday you understand how much you are loved. Your grandparents, great-grandparents, aunt and uncles, all of your family and friends and especially your father and I just cannot get enough of you! Our hard drives are all rapidly filling up with the gazillions of pictures we’ve taken of you. You are such a precious gift to all of us, and I hope you feel loved for all of the days of your life.

We love you, little one.

Love,
Mama

p.s. If you want to go ahead and sleep through the night or maybe just more than two and a half hours, we're okay with that.