Premier Moisniversaire

Mon petit amour,

Your Mamie has a coined a new French word: moisniversaire (I'm guessing on the spelling). A moisniversaire is the monthly celebration of a birth and your first moisniversaire was a week and a half ago. I hope to follow in the footsteps of Squirmantha's parents and write to you every month about what that month has been like for all of us (my monthly letter is very late -- and you'll be 6 weeks old tomorrow!). I should add that it is a little strange for me to write to you in English since I only speak French to you, but we want to share these letters. This way you'll know that your maman does indeed speak English too ;-) .

It's hard to decide where to begin. Last time I wrote to you, you were 3 weeks old and now, at nearly six weeks, you are changing faster and faster. Last night, for example, you almost slept through the night! "Sleeping through the night" means sleeping 6 hours straight in baby world talk and I think you would have slept 6 hours if I hadn't helped you wake up because I figured you were very very hungry in your deep deep sleep. Of course, when I woke up at 6:30 this morning and figured out that I hadn't heard a peep from you in 5½ hours, my heart stopped and I rushed into your room. And there you were, fast asleep, in the same position your papa had left you in the night before. At 1 a.m. Because last night you had no desire to fall asleep... This doesn't happen too often, but when you don't want to sleep, you just don't sleep.

You are also getting very strong. You kick us a lot. You also headbutt us (practicing a Zidane move?) while you work your little neck. This morning you lifted your head almost immediately when I put you down for tummy time and you were more interested in looking at what was in front of you than turning your head from side to side (which is what you usually do ). At one moment you looked poised to crawl. Of course, you have turned over 2 times during tummy time -- almost three, but the third time you just lay wailing on your side.

You are also looking at us more. This makes us happy. I keep reading in parenting articles that newborns love to look at their parents' faces. You, however, love to look at whatever is behind us, which sort of freaks us out and we have wondered if there is something wrong with your eyes. You are beginning to track objects -- this morning it was a mirror you were admiring yourself in -- so I think your eyes are ok (hope you don't have the Charron astigmatism...).

Last week you had your 1 month doctor's visit. Your head has grown an inch in circumference and you have grown an inch in length (we thought you had grown more than that, but perhaps you just seem longer because your default position is no longer the fetal position). You weighed 9 lbs and 10 oz. a week ago, which means you may weigh 10 lbs now. In fact, I think you may weigh more because over the last couple of days you seem more solid and heavier when I pick you up. We found out that your length right now and at birth has you in the 75th percentile and that your weight now has you in the 50th -- and we were surprised to find out that your birth weight had you in the 25th (seemed like it should have been closer to 50th because you were nearly 8 lbs which I thought was an average size). In any case, you are eating well, though I was a little worried because you eat fast -- it takes you about 10 minutes, give or take a few minutes -- and I wasn't sure you were getting to the hind milk. Apparently some babies can empty a breast in 4 to 5 minutes.

Although during the last few weeks we have witnessed some amazing changes in you (including more and more proto-smiles), you've also had some problems. You had a terrible case of acne a couple of weeks ago. It then became a rash, but now seems to have faded almost completely away. We minded more than you did. What you do mind, however, is the reflux and the medicine you have to take for it. Three times a day you take Zantac, which is formulated to be minty fresh for adults and thus horrifyingly refreshing for a baby. I've asked the pharmacy to put grape flavoring in it (I should add that I have always hated grape flavoring -- reminds me of medicine I took as a child, but it was the only one available for your medicine) which seems to help a little, but you still usually scream your head off when we give it to you or have several convulsed looks of shock when you swallow it (eyes wide open, head jerking back) that I find even more upsetting than your cries. We think the med is helping, though you sometimes start crying towards the end of your feeds. We also now have "vertical time" after each feed, meaning that you are either held or propped up on a boppy or in your bouncy seat or swing to get gravity to help you digest.

Speaking of swings and bouncy seats, you are a very fortunate little boy because you inherited some great ones. Squirmantha's bouncy seat has been a life saver (perhaps literally) in the middle of the night when you need to be vertical, but I'm so sleepy that I'm afraid I'll drop you. Your swings, given to you by George, sooth you and give you a place to hang out while maman eats her breakfast or papa works (he has George's small and portable Ocean Wonder's swing on his desk now).

In fact, we are moved by how generous family and friends have been -- even people we don't know. You have received so many wonderful clothes, blankets, things that play music, books, etc., that your maman is way way behind in writing thank you notes. You've also had more visits from out-of-state. Uncle Evan and Uncle Rich came down from New York to meet you.

Uncle Evan gave you two books that are important to him: Charlotte's Web and Where the Wild Things Are. I love these books too and look forward to hearing your papa read them to you (I can only read to you in French -- fortunately Squirmantha's Auntie Skip, Grandma's friend Barbara, and maman's friend Cat have jump-started your French library).

Well, my sweet boy, I know I'll have even more to say next month, so I am going to stop writing now and sneak into your room and see how your nap is going. And to admire you.

Gros bisous, mon bébé,
ta maman