month 4!

hi monka,

i am quickly running out of variations of the name monkey. i guess once i run out i will have to call you by your name? imagine that!

oddly enough, your nickname suits you perfectly because you are in fact a monkey. you like to hang upside down, sit on your daddy's shoulders, and hang over his back. when i tip you backwards off the couch you giggle every time. and speaking of giggling, you do so much more often and have also started squealing like crazy. sometimes these squeals of yours are not so cute. in fact, they are often ear shattering. and on top of that they can sometimes be filled with what i can only imagine is a small fraction of what your teenage attitude will be like. assuming you take after me, of course. ;)

monk, you are the only child i know that appears tortured by their toys. it is getting a little out of hand. grandma and grandpa d came for a visit a few weekends ago and while at sam's club we found you a baby einstein walker. we sat you in it in the middle of the store and you loved it. sometimes when i put you in it at home you scream like crazy and i can't figure out what the problem is. i lie you on the floor surrounded by toys and you end up crying each time. i am going to continue trying, but if you grow up and wonder why you never received toys as a small child this is the reason why. waste. of. money.

i would have written this on your actual birthday but your 4 month check up wasn't until yesterday so i waited so that i'd be able to post your newest height and weight. you are now 18 lbs, 10 oz and 25 1/2 inches long. i can't believe i ever worried about your weight because you are a champion eater and you can certainly tell by the size of your thighs. they are very chunkalicious indeed. as is the rest of you, my darling boy. i know everyone thinks their baby is the cutest baby alive, but you really are. i have no doubt what a handsome man you will be. hopefully you get over your desire to cry so often though because chicks don't dig whiners.

truthfully, you don't really cry that often unless you are waking up from a nap and are hungry, tired, or overstimulated. you are quite demanding though and if you don't like something you make sure to let me know. you love to observe...to walk around and take in the scenery and people around you. you smile for anyone who talks to you and are most content when in the snugli attached to mama.

we got your fat butt a new car seat last week and miraculously i think the endless screaming jags while in the car are over. i am crossing my fingers, legs, arms, and toes right now though because chances are as soon as i put that in print i will have jinxed myself.

MONKEY! guess what else happened?!?! on your 4 month birthday you rolled over! twice! and your papa and i missed it both times. you little stinker, i swear you did that on purpose and i can't coax you to do it again while i'm watching. you are scooting such far distances and so quickly now that i don't doubt you'll be crawling within a couple of months.

the doctor also told me yesterday that i can go ahead and start you on foods...rice cereal, veggies, and fruits. even though she said you will still nurse as much and it will probably cease your middle of the night feedings that you've unfortunately picked up again, i don't know that i'm ready quite yet. i think you are, but it's hard to explain the satisfaction i get knowing that all of your most chunky parts are due to me and the boob juice i provide for you. feeding time is also the one special time we share that no one else can partake in. and although at one time i found that slightly frustrating, now i love it. but, like i said, i think you are ready...you seem ready for a lot of things i'm not quite ready for. such is the life of a mom, i suppose.

you fell off the bed this month, monk. this is actually the 2nd time, but the 1st was daddy's fault and this was all mine. i cried and shook so hard that i could hardly breathe for an hour afterwards. thank god daddy was home because i did not handle it well. i do hope that when daddy is not home, i find a way to deal with situations like that more calmly. needless to say, you are fine, and i am fine and i can't believe how resilient you are. thank god you are okay, and please forgive me.

this month i have realized how truly blessed i am to be able to stay home with you. i enjoy our time together more and more each day and i am so glad i am the one that gets to be with you day in and day out to watch you grow. your daddy is the best and i am so thankful that he is doing this for us.

you amaze me more each day. but do me a favor? please stop growing up so fast. it makes my heart hurt. and i will try to never take one kiss, one nibble, one squeeze, or one smile for granted.

love,

mama

adventures in stay-at-home motherhood

oooooh buddy, was yesterday a fun day. since we've moved to north dakoooooota (i am already thinking with a north dakota accent. hopefully i will not start speaking with a north dakota accent) the monkey's papa has pretty much been around every day. yesterday was the first day he actually went to work for a full day so my new life as a stay-at-home mom officially began. it started out great, with the monkey smiling, screaching, and talking his butt off like usual. then the pooping began. and continued throughout the entire day. while i was feeding i felt and heard him take a huge poop so i finished feeding him and as soon as i sat him up to burp him i saw the poop. all over his back and all over the boppy. i immediately threw the boppy cover in hot water with some oxi clean laundry spray (best stuff ever!) and proceeded to clean the monk and attempt to clean the poop off the pillow itself. with my mission accomplished we went about our day as usual, had lunch with daddy and auntie and then came home. i decided a walk would be nice so i put the monk in his stroller and set off down the street. or i should say, UP the street as there were hills. in both directions. which is good for butt, but not so easy when your baby starts screaming bloody murder and you are trying to carry the baby and push the stroller uphill at the same time. when we got close enough to the house that i felt comfortable letting the boy scream the rest of the way, i plopped him back in the stroller and off we went. since we were so close, i figured there was no reason why he needed to be strapped into the stroller. i thought wrong. we made it home, i pushed him into the garage and just as i walked around to the front of the stroller, he comes sliding out the bottom just in time for me to catch him. note to self: never put baby in stroller unstrapped again. but don't worry, i was punished when i decided not to go to sleep until 1am and then heard the monk crying before i ever fell asleep. and then was woken up again at 3:30, 5:30, and finally for good at 7:30. needless to say, it's been a rough day! i'm hoping that he gets adjusted to his new home soon because i am not ready to revert back to the old days of waking every couple of hours.

in other news, i joined weight watchers today. and i start dance lessons on friday. in which i am supposed to wear a leotard. HA! and then i have the alzheimer's walk on saturday and mma fight on sunday. you could say i kind of love it here.

the end.