September 30, 2011

Maci,

This is the first letter I've written to you, though I wish I would have started sooner. You're 10 weeks and 4 days old today. I cannot believe how big you've gotten over the last couple of months. I know everyone says this, but it seems like just yesterday that you were born. I remember the very first time I held you. You had your hand on my face the entire time. You obviously didn't know what you were doing, but I like to think you were telling me "relax, I'm here!".

We've been breastfeeding for almost 11 weeks now. That is something that I feel so proud of. I wanted to give up in the beginning, I'll admit it. While we were in the hospital, the Pediatrician suggested we supplement with formula since you were so small and since my milk wouldn't be in for a few days he didn't want you to "starve". (Crock). At first you wouldn't latch, so we used a "nipple shield" so you could eat. We had to put a tiny tube in your mouth and let you suck from that so you'd think you were getting the milk from my boob. Thankfully we only had to do that for the first few days of your life, and then we just used the shield. That thing was a blessing and a curse at the same time. It made it so that you could eat and gain weight, which I'm so thankful for, but after using it for 2 weeks I was so over it that we quit cold turkey. We've been all boobie ever since! You seem to like it, because last Monday when we went to the Doctor you weighed 10 pounds 11 ounces! You're almost double your birth weight, which is such a great feeling!

You've changed so much already, Mace. When you were born you were such a little string bean. You had long skinny legs, and feet that looked like they belonged to a 4 year old. I could also see your neck, but that has been missing for about a month now. You have my eyes, my lips, and my chubby cheeks and your dads dark hair and big feet. You're the perfect combination of the both of us, but we still like to argue over who you look like. You're also 23 inches long now... I think you're going to be tall.

You started smiling the day you turned 6 weeks old. I used to have to earn them, but now you give them out freely, especially in the mornings. You're in the best mood every day when you wake up. You've started cooing at us and laughing in your sleep. I've noticed you make the sounds "guh" and "meh" a lot, so I tell you to say them and when you do everyone thinks you're super talented. You're welcome! You also like to hold onto my fingers and let me pull you up. Every time you grab onto my fingers I can see you straining to pull up yourself, but we're not quite there yet! It's really cute though, and really neat that you already associate holding my fingers with us pulling up. Your little brain is learning already!

You still sleep a lot. Infact, you're asleep on my chest right now. You prefer to sleep on your left side, which is starting to get a little bit flat now. That's how you were laying in my belly, so that's how you're most comfortable! I'm trying to get you to stop, because I really don't want you to have to wear a helmet, but you just turn your little head back to the left every single time. Stubborn like your daddy, too! For a couple of weeks now you've really started to sleep longer stretches, which I'm thankful for! At first you would wake up every 3 to 4 hours to eat, but now it's usually every 5 to 6. It feels so nice to get 6 hours of sleep at a time! I was worried that you were going to come out and hate me and stay up all night screaming, but I think it's exactly the opposite. I feel so blessed. Although you were a complete surprise, I think you were supposed to come when you did. I can't imagine my life without you in it every day. I'm meant to be a mama, and I'm so happy that I get to be your mama.