Rhett: One Month

May 5, 2012

Dear Rhett,

You are one month old!  First of all, can we just talk about how HUGE your monkey is?  It is a testimony to my second child Mommy Guilt, my personal second child syndrome, and my desire to keep you looking like a baby forever.  Actually, I just really wanted you to have your very own big stuffed animal for monthly photos, and when I found this one online they listed the measurements from rump to head, not including the legs.  I was shocked when I picked it up at the store, but as soon as your big brother saw it there was no sending him back!

Rhett, you are a little dreamboat and in just four weeks you have all of us smitten with you.  For the first few weeks of your life, we could hardly believe our luck.  Your daddy thought he was on vacation because he slept so well and was out of school!  You rarely cried and you had to be woken up to eat.  After a few weeks you perked up a bit, but you are still just a textbook baby: you cry when you're hungry and have a few little fussy periods during the day and evening when you're tired but trying to figure out how to fall asleep.  Your only other tears have come during diaper changes, as we battled an absolutely vicious case of diaper rash during your second and third week.  It was miserable for all of us, but you were such a trooper and really only complained during the actual diaper changes.  If you ever doubt my love for you, just know that I have taken the time to blow dry your bottom with my hair dryer at every single diaper change around the clock for weeks.  That's love, baby!  ;)

Your only other "issue" was your sub-conjunctival hemorrhaging that occurred as a result of your super fast delivery.  The whites of your eyes were completely red with blood, and it took the entire month for that blood to be absorbed into your system.  It was a little crazy looking for awhile, but luckily your Daddy was able to reassure me that it was no big deal!  It has now totally cleared up, and those baby blues are just gorgeous!  

As for sleep, as far as newborns go you are a rock star!  You go down just after your brother, around 8:00 or so, and then wake up between 12 and 2 a.m. to eat before waking up again at 6.  You tend to have some gassy fussiness in the early morning hours (basically grunting, fussing, and tooting while you're still asleep...your brother did the exact same thing!), and you find your best relief by laying on your tummy on mommy's chest, so we typically finish the night of sleep like that.  I know how quickly these snuggly early days go by, so I am soaking up our early morning snuggles!  Napping has been a bit harder to come by, largely due to the presence of a certain rowdy toddler in a tiny, noisy old house.  You are falling into a routine of taking fewer longer naps, usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and it is actually working really well for all of us!

You nurse every 2-3 hours during the day and every 4-5 hours at night.  At your two-week appointment, you weighed 8 lb. 4 oz., so you're growing strong!  You took your first bottle at 2 weeks and take one every few days just to practice, and you also take a pacifier.  We bumped you up to a size one diaper at about 3 weeks (The beauty of second-time parenting is that you know all the tricks like preventing leaks by bumping up a diaper size!  Who knew?), but you are still wearing newborn clothes.

During this first month you have enjoyed a week with your Grammy, traveled to BSF, MOPS, and church, gone hiking at Shelby Forrest, visited the zoo, and braved Target.  You have also enjoyed lots of visitors from our amazing group of friends who are still bringing us meals and checking in on us; you sure are loved, little buddy!

When I think of you at one month old, I want to remember the little "oh" face you make, the way your bottom lip quivers, the way you sleep on my chest, the somewhat frantic look you make when you get upset, the way you love your bath, the way your eyes search for your big brother's voice in the room, and the way you kick your tiny feet when laying on your play mat or outside.

Rhett, it's hard to imagine our family without you!  Welcoming you into our family felt like a seamless transition, and your sweet, easy-going personality has just fit right in.  It doesn't hurt that you are just a beautiful, adorable little boy!  We love you so much, Rhett, and thank God that he blessed our family with you.

The best is yet to come, buddy!
I love you,
Momma