Harry Joseph, Two Months Old

September 15, 2007 @ 7:50 pm

Dear Harry,

You are eight weeks old this week. In some ways, the time has flown by. In other ways, it has gone very slowly. You are a totally different baby now. You still eat like a champ around the clock, but now you smile and laugh and coo at us. The other thing you have started to do is cry. I don’t know why you decided to start, but you seem to like to cry for part of your awake time these days. We have tried many things, with modest success. Gas drops, baby wearing, walks, car rides, swaddling, swinging, shushing, bathing. Sometimes things work, other times, nothing works. For a few days this week I felt like somebody had replaced you with your evil twin. It is most likely just a developmental phase. Maybe you are gearing up for a big old milestone? Who knows. Today has been better, with no crying jags as of 6:30 PM. But I won’t hold my breath. Regardless, your parents thank you for reserving your crying time for the daylight hours. I don’t think I could bear it if it were at 3 AM.

You have been giving us some longer sleep sessions, though I would like to reserve the right to choose when those happen. Sleeping a 3-4 hour stretch is great, but could we start that at midnight instead of, say 7 PM? Or 3 PM? I know you should let sleeping babies lie, but come on! Throw me a bone! Last night we were up ever 90 minutes or so. That is not acceptable. Especially since you have decided that you no longer sleep during the daylight hours or in the car. I know you can go longer between feedings. I’ve seen you do it! Let’s just agree that you will sleep from 12-5 and then I won’t mind the every two hour thing all day long. Ok? Oh, and thank you for not pooping as much during the night. That does help keep things simple.

I only have a couple of weeks left until I go back to work full time and I feel really torn. Part of me is looking forward to going back and part of me does not want to leave you. Ever. Right now you are sleeping across from me in your car seat and I miss you. How can I leave you for 9 hours a day? With all that you eat, how will I be able to pump enough to keep up? Will your Dad go crazy trying to find practice time? I just don’t know.

I do know that we love seeing your little personality emerge. You are already so much more alert and responsive. You can hold your head up and put weight on your legs. You are starting to get interested in toys and people. Things will just keep getting better. I know that one of these days you are just going to sleep through the night and I’ll be up all by myself wondering if you are ok. But, that is fine with me. Any day now would be great.

So, to wrap up, since this has taken me days to write and is probably completely incoherent: less crying, more laughing and more sleeping. That is the goal! You’re doing great, kiddo. Keep your eyes on the prize!

Love,

Mom