Four Months

Dear Baby Catherine,

This month started off with a big change—I had to go back to work.  After three wonderful months of spending every moment of every day with you, on February 17, I had to leave you and go back to teaching the kindergarten students.  Since it was a Friday, you got to spend the day with Daddy.  The day went well for both of us and that night we went to the Paris house to celebrate Erik’s birthday.  There, you got to meet Grandmother Heid.

We then spent one more day hanging out with Grandma Colby before she had to go back to Wisconsin. Your Blue Bug shirt came from Aunties Crystal and Ellen.

  

This month, you often hung out in our bed and talked with both of us while Daddy and I were getting ready for school.  You loved that we would come in and out of the room and stop to talk with you while we got dressed and made breakfast.  Sometimes you would snooze, and sometimes you would beg to get up and join us for breakfast.

We think you look pretty cute in your sweater.

Your weekdays are now spent at Kristen’s house and you have lots of fun with her and the kids.  You hardly ever take a nap because you don’t want to miss anything.  The girls and Andy love on you non-stop.  Along with playing at Kristen’s house each day, you go to the park, grocery shopping, and to Andy’s homeschool co-op.  By the end of the day you are tired!

Our evenings and weekends are spent hanging out and enjoying time together.  Every moment is a blessing.

You are up to about 10 pounds now, and are getting stronger each day.  You enjoy tummy time more because you’ve learned to keep your head up long enough to look around.  The kitties still don’t like to spend too much time around you, but they are becoming more interested in your actions because you are always moving!

Catherine, you are the light of my life.  I enjoy waking up with you in the middle of the night, kissing you goodbye each morning when I leave for work, and gathering you in my arms when I pick you up after school.  The smile on your face when I walk in the door at Kristen’s melts my heart every time.  You know I’m your mommy and you are so happy I’ve come to get you and spend the evening with you.

Love,

Three Months

Dear Baby Catherine,

Here you are—three months old already.  It’s been a busy month.

We started your third month thinking things would be quieter and we’d stay home and enjoy the last few weeks before I go back to work.  We were only partially right.  While we did enjoy many days at home, just you and me, we also took a surprise trip up north to visit Grandma and Grandpa Colby, Crystal, Ellen, and other aunts and cousins, and Grandma Colby came down here to visit.  How lucky we both are that we get to see her so much these days. 

We stopped in Osseo to visit Grandma Elaine.

We also visited Auntie Ellen in her classroom in St. Paul.  The kids loved that you visited.  They had all made me cards on the day you were born.

When we got back to Louisville, we also went to visit my class.  Each student shook your foot to say hello.  No one wanted to spread germs by shaking your hands.  You had so much fun in both classrooms with all the attention you got.

 

Catherine, I can’t tell you how much we love you.  Every day is a joy.  I love waking up with you snuggling with me. I love spending the days with you and watching you grow.  Your personality is really starting to show and you are such a happy baby.  I am looking forward to the next month and the month after that and the month after that….keep growing and loving your life!

Two Months

Dear Baby Catherine,

Time is going by so fast and you are growing in so many ways.  Today you are two months old.  In the last month you have begun to smile real smiles. You smile all the time!  You know how great life is, and you are enjoying it.  You love to watch people and stare at lights.  I don’t know if we will ever take down the Christmas lights on our banister.  Between you looking at them and Joey playing with them, they are the star of the house some days.

In the last month we have celebrated Christmas, the new year, and more family birthdays.  You traveled by plane, train, and automobile when you had your first cross-country trip.  We drove to visit Eckels and Colby families in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and then flew to Boston to visit the Tiedtkes and Uncle Paul.  While there, we “took the T” as we went from Hanover into downtown Boston for a day.  You are a wonderful traveler.  You slept most of the time and laughed the rest of the time.

You also went to your first movie (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), made a snow angel, and visited the New England aquarium.  You finally met Great Grandma Colby and Grandma Cathy, along with many other friends and family members throughout the month.

The cats are getting more comfortable being around you.  Joey will stay in the room while you nap, and watch you for hours.  He is still most interested in the little toy hanging from your car seat handle, though.

You are beginning to make sounds as we talk with you.  One day, soon, those sounds will become words.  We know you will have a lot to say as you are always watching what is going on around you.  You are interested in everything.

You are getting so big!  You weigh just over 9 pounds, and are growing taller each day.  Last week I asked Aunt Heather to get the next set of baby clothes ready for us.  You are getting too long for some of the 0-3 month clothes already.  When I picked you up from your nap on Saturday, you had one foot hanging out between buttons of your sleeper because that was more comfortable than being squished inside it.  Speaking of your nap—Saturday was the first time you slept in your crib.  We’ve tried on other occasions, but you would always wake up within a few minutes and not go back to sleep.  Saturday, however, you slept soundly for almost three hours.

As you are getting bigger, your periods of sleep are getting longer.  Last night, you slept for 6-1/2 hours in one stretch.  That is by far the longest you’ve ever slept.  You woke up hungry, but very happy.  Daddy and I were pretty happy with that length of sleep also.

You can hold your head up very well when we are holding you in our arms.  You dislike tummy time, but your neck muscles are getting so strong.  You can lift your head quite a bit while lying on your tummy, and you find that’s a great place to be to watch the cats, who are, of course, watching you right back.  You’ve also started sitting in the high chair during meals.  No, you are not eating solid food yet—you are not growing that fast!  We’ve always had you sit in your bouncy seat near us while we eat, but you love to be a part of our conversations and it’s just not that easy when you are in the bouncy seat.  Your high chair sits right between Daddy and me, and you smile and coo throughout the meals. 

Munchkin, we love you.  I hope you continue to be this happy forever.

 

One Month

Dear Baby Catherine,

One month ago, you entered our world.  We’d eagerly anticipated your arrival for more than 9 months.  Those last 42 hours were some of the most exciting and nerve-wracking of the whole wait, but they were so worth it.  What a joy to finally see your face and hold you in our arms!

We spent those first few days in the hospital introducing you to family and friends and loving on you.  How great it was to spend all that time together.  I loved every moment of it, but I think I loved the overnight hours the best.  At those times, it was just you and me.  We spent hours, when we should have been sleeping, just staring at each other and wondering what our lives would be like now that we’d finally met each other.

We brought you home on a chilly Saturday afternoon.  Grandma Colby was there and took lots of pictures and made a yummy dinner for us.  She stayed with us for the first week that you were home to help us adjust to our new routines.  She always offered to get up in the middle of the night to help take care of you, but I always let her sleep—that was our time to eat, talk, and be together, just Mommy and Baby.

Catherine, you eat so well.  You also eat so often!  Every time I feed you, I tell you how happy I am that we can spend that time together, just the two of us.  You hold on to one of my fingers as you watch me and I rub your feet and your back and continue telling you stories.  Tonight Grandma Hawley weighed you for us and you are up to 8 pounds, 7 ounces.  That was with your clothes and diaper on, so we have to say you weigh a bit less, but you are growing!  Your aunts say you are starting to fill out, especially in your cheeks.  We all can see how you are changing each day.

You also sleep very well.  It is very difficult to get you to sleep in your bassinette or the swing or your chair, but when you are in our arms or on our chest or stomach if we are lying down, you can sleep for hours.  I like this time, and I know Daddy does too. 

You are anxious to hold your head up and be a part of everything that’s happening around you.  From the first time I held you, you’ve done your best to hold your head up on your own.  One day soon, you’ll have it!  You are also so alert.  When you are awake, you want to see everything that is going on around you.  You track our movements if we go slow enough and you can sit for hours and take in the sights.  You especially love looking at lights or out the window.  Tonight, you enjoyed time in front of a Christmas tree.  I could see you thinking, “Look at all those lights!” as you sat in front of it.

I am so thankful that I’ve been able to spend every day with you.  I know sometimes Daddy will come home and wonder what I’ve been up to all day.  Some days I can only say that I spent the day staring at you.  You are so beautiful and you are growing so much.  I don’t want to miss a moment. 

I can hardly believe you’ve been here for a month already.  It seems like just yesterday that we brought you home, and it also seems that you’ve been here forever.  You fit into our lives so perfectly.

At one month, you:

* love to be held as much as possible
* sleep about 4 hours at a time and only wake up once during the night
* like to be swaddled in your ‘monkey suit’ when you sleep
* are very alert and love to watch movement
* can hold your head up a little longer each day
* like to hang your head back whenever you can
* have the hiccups multiple times every day
* enjoy classical music, especially in the car
* love to be jiggled by your Daddy
* can smile!

 

 

 

 

 

What would we do without you?  Happy one-month day, Baby.