Julia: One Month Old Already!

Jules,

Last Sunday was November 11, 2012. That means you've been here for a month already...and we can't believe it!

Granted...we should believe it. I mean you've grown from this:

To This:

And this to this:

And From This:

To This:

So it should come as no surprise that in a month you've grown from this:

To this:

It seems just like yesterday you were a glimmer in our eye, and now you're a one month old beautiful little baby girl.

And now you're official...I mean, you've even got your paper work!

So, now that you're official, you've been officially rocking one-month old activities:

You're making serious progress with tummy time and mat time (with some encouragement from big brother):

And, since you're umbilical cord-free, you're taking big-girl baths...in a bucket! And you love it!

All in a day's work for a one-month old! You're a bathing, tummy-time-rocking, good-sleepin', good-eatin', happy, healthy little one-month old baby girl. And whether we want to believe it or not, you're only going to continue this trend of growing up.

Well, it may be happening too fast, but on the other hand, I can't remember a time without you being here. So, onward and upward, Jules. Next stop: 2 months old...but we have plenty of time before that happens. For now, let's just take it one day at a time, okay?



Celebrate: One Month Old!

You turned ONE MONTH OLD on Saturday.

Your mother and I cannot believe how fast time is flying, and how much you're growing (even though when we took you to Kohl's with us people kept asking us if you were just a few days old, so I guess to them, you still look small.)

But, forget those people! We know how old you are, and how much you've grown in the past 4 weeks!

To cap off a wonderful month-birthday day, you celebrated by surprising your Mom and Me!

Just as your Mom was feeding you before bedtime, she told me that your Umbilical Cord Stump had fallen off!

Yes! Score! Finally!

We were just looking at the black, crusty thanger about 10 minutes before, marveling at its tenacity and bemoaning the fact that it seemed to be hanging on for the long haul, like a barnacle stuck on a steamship.

Say Goodbye to the little Umbilical Cord Stump!

(7 days old. Photo by Stacy Bratton)

But, alas, your Mom felt your tummy and the stump was gone.

However, a brief mystery presented itself: the stump, itself, was MISSING.

Your Mom had an instant theory, which she presented to me at the same time she told me that your Umbilical Cord fell off:

"Aidan's umbilical cord stump fell off...and I think Preston ate it."

GROSS. But, considering he and Toby come running when they hear your Mother and me clipping our fingernails (and do a good job of cleaning up after us), it hardly came as a surprise to me that our little friend might have eaten the evidence.

"I didn't see no umbilical cord..."

How could we live with ourselves with an umbilical-eating dog? Well, we didn't have to suffer that fate for too long.

When your Mom stood up to take you to bed, the umbilical cord stump was sitting there on the couch in all of its disgusting glory. The dogs weren't even interested in it!

Also to celebrate your one month-iversary, you have decided to start losing your baby hair. As a result, you look a bit like you're wearing a bald cap or losing your hair in a pronounced way. It almost looks like you're sporting the "Captain Picard."

But, don't worry, it will all grow back in soon enough!

So, you lost some hair, you lost an umbilical cord but you gained a calendar month on this little dance called 'life.' And your Dog did NOT eat ANY of your body parts! Not bad for a weekend's work!

Social Security

Hey old man! In two days you are going to One month old! Can you believe it?



Well, you're not exactly the old man around here. Your old man is actually the one acting like an old man.

Fatherhood is an amazing experience, and I figured I'd be tired (which I am), and sappy (which I am) and frustrated (which I sometimes am), but I never figured I'd be immobilized.

But that's exactly what happened. On Sunday I somehow threw my back out while- I think- moving you and your car seat. I think I just turned the wrong way and torqued it and by Sunday afternoon, I could hardly move! Days of icy hot, frozen vegetables, hot packs, medicine and complaining later, and I'm still kind of nursing a bad back, but I think it's a lot better. Considering on Sunday that I couldn't even get up from the couch while holding you (because I had to slither off), and now I feel like I could even do a few jumping jacks (not while holding you, of course). But, jeez, nothing like a bad walk to make you feel feeble.

Before the Back Pain (and after too, I promise!)

And your Mom has had her feeble moments too. No, her back is fine, but she hasn't quite figured out how to take a shower when it's just the two of us, so I think she beat my record and went 4 days without showering! But, I think we may have worked out a system: call Aunt Sham or Mimi to come over or wait til Aaron's home and then take a shower.

Family Naps heal what ails you.

Between your Mom's dirty-ness and my aching back (which hurts when I sneeze, by the way!), your Mom and I suddenly feel like we need to start cashing in our Social Security Checks.

Speaking of Social Security, you're official, my good man! Take a look:

Your Social Security Card came in, which means...well, I'm not sure exactly what it means...but you now have a 9-digit number that identifies you! Your Mom and I collectively have the number memorized, but we need to work on individual memorization, because, well, that's what parents do. Your Pops knows ALL of his kids' social security numbers by heart. With just a few more days' practice, I'm sure we'll get it!


I do think it's funny how the SS card wants your signature...right now your signature is a combination of farting, pooping, crying and vomiting. I don't think they want that on their card. And if they did, maybe they wouldn't prohibit us from laminating it...