Nathaniel: One Month

Dear Nathaniel,

You are 5 weeks and two days old today. You turned one month old last Thursday. Yes, this post is a tad bit late. Maybe it is because you are the second child and therefore will suffer the injustices of fewer pictures (your Grammy and Aunt Sarah are already complaining about that!), hand-me-down clothes and the many other things children after the first complain about. Or, maybe it is because we've gotten approximately 50 inches of snow in the past few weeks. (Indeed, though you won't remember it, this winter will go down in history for our region and in my mind I will always link your birth with one of the craziest winters I've ever experienced.) Or, maybe, my darling, it is because you're not yet a very good sleeper (yet! I have hope!) and tend to be on the fussy side (you are fussing this moment in fact as I type one-handed!). Or, maybe, it is because you want to be held all the time.

Really, can we blame you for that last one? No. We can blame your grandmothers. Specifically, your Moo (Dada's mom). Between those two women who love you to pieces, I don't think your back touched a firm surface for more than a few hours for the first 18 days of your life. (Except, of course, in your bassinet at night, when I was in charge!)

After having visitors with us for the first 18 days of your life, I was incredibly ready and excited to be home alone with just the four members of our little family as of January 30. The snow started soon after that so we have definitely spent a lot of time all together!

Nathaniel, your big brother Lucas just adores you! He is sure to alert your Dada or me the moment you start to whimper or make any noises. He very softly sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to you to settle you down and gets so excited when it works. For the first week or two that you were home, he checked on you first thing every morning. We gave him two jobs when you and I got home from the hospital: to introduce you to people and to ask people to wash their hands. He took these responsibilities very seriously. It always made me smile to hear him say, "And this is my new baby brother, Na-fan-iel. You have to wash your hands before you touch him."

(If you end up with a nickname like Fanny or Faniel, you can blame it on Lucas and his adorably incorrect pronunciation of your name!)

As for you, my son, I am truly grateful for the hours I spent holding you in the hospital. Life has gotten more busy at home and I've simply had to put you down or let you cry for a few minutes while I attended to your brother or other pressing needs. (Your Dada, however, can barely stand to put you down, don't worry, you're still being held a ton!) We adore your cheeks and eat them daily. For a few days I held out strong hope that you'd have blue eyes but I think that was unrealistic. Like your brother, very few of my physical characteristics have made it through your Dada's strong genes. (Once again, however, I can claim unattached ear lobes!)

When you are contented and just about to fall asleep you do a little stutter breath--three quick intakes followed by a long sigh. That's one of my favorite sounds ever, Nathaniel.

We can hardly remember life before you joined us, big boy, and are so glad you are here.

Love,
Mama



Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!