Dear baby D,
You are 10 weeks old this week – and this is the very first letter I’ve written to you. A lot of moms write letters to their babies before they’re even born, and even though I thought about it, every time I sat down to write something, I just didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t picture your sweet little face, even though I had a 3D ultrasound photo of you. And despite the unarguable size of my belly and the constant kicks, squirming, and hiccups (oh my goodness, the hiccups!), I still couldn’t believe you were real. Even as you were being born, and I heard those first loud cries from you, I was completely surprised and amazed by you. A baby boy. MY baby boy.
Those first few weeks are a blur. Your daddy spent more time caring for you than I did since I was still recovering from my c-section and limited in how much I could do. Then your great grandpa passed away on your 4 week birthday and I was devastated. I’m so happy he got to meet you though. Even though he was so sick and bedridden, his eyes lit up when I brought you into the room. He said you were a “dandy” an called you a “little dumpling.” He wanted so badly to be around and watch you grow up, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I know he’ll be your guardian angel though. And I can’t wait to teach you all the little things he taught me, like how to spell, how to do math and multiply, and how to sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame.
The night before your great grandpa’s funeral, you slept through the night for the very first time. You must’ve known your momma and daddy needed a break and you gave us one, sweet boy. Of course, it was a couple more weeks before you did it again, but that’s okay, because around this time you really started smiling at us. Your smiles in the middle of the night make it all worth it. Your favorite time to smile at us is when we’re changing your diaper. I’m not sure why, since most babies hate getting their diaper changed, but I’m not complaining!
At 7 weeks old, we took you to Marion, IL to visit your great grandma and grandpa. She’s 90 years old, and I used to spend summers with her when I was little. We were only there for a little while because I had to go to my friend’s bridal shower, but they sure were glad to see you.
When you were about 8 weeks old, we took you on your first big road trip to visit both sets of grandparents. Your grammy has been sick since the 4th of July and even though they came to St. Louis to visit you that weekend, they really didn’t get to spend much time with you since your great grandpa’s funeral was that same weekend and we just had so much going on. You did so great on the road trip though. You didn’t cry at all on the way there, but you were definitely exhausted and slept for a good 6-7 hours each night. After a quick feeding, went right back to sleep for another few hours. We spent some time watching the Olympics and all of your aunts and cousins came over to see you. The whole family just loves you so much already. We even took you to Huntington, WV to check out the Hot Dog Festival. You slept most of the time so I guess you weren’t too impressed.
On the way back, we stopped to visit your other grandparents in Elizabethtown, KY. We spent some time on the deck, enjoying the summer evening, and we spent our first night in their newly-finished basement. It’s the perfect space for company and I can definitely see you running around there and enjoying longer visits with grandma and grandpa. You’re their first and only grandchild so I have a feeling you’ll like spending time with them because you’ll have them wrapped around your little finger. They’re going to spoil you rotten!
Just one day after you turned 10 weeks old, you slept through the night for more than 8 hours! We’re still working on making it a regular occurrence, but you’re getting there. We also gave you your first real bath in the bathtub this week. Until now, we’d always done sponge baths because you liked them so much. But you also seem to like the baby bathtub too. I need to look into swim lessons for you soon, because you really seem to like the water. Your dad and I were just talking about how we can’t wait to take you to the ocean for the first time.
This letter is getting long, but so much has happened in the last 10 weeks that it’s hard to summarize in a short letter. I’ve only got another week left of my maternity leave and I’m going to soak it all in. You’re actually sleeping next to me right now, and I keep stopping my writing to stare at you and your sweet little face. Just know that you are loved, by so many people, and especially by your momma and daddy. You’re the best thing to ever happen to our little family and we are so very blessed to have you.
Love you, cuddle bug.
Your momma
:-)