A Letter to Zach - Month 4

Dear Zach,
Um...like a week ago? you turned 4 months old and you weighed 20lbs 1oz, and were 28 inches long.
This may be a short letter as my ability to sit down in front of the computer for extended periods of time has been reduced dramatically. Although, when I think about it, it's more out of choice that my time spent in front of the computer has been reduced, rather than something that has been forced upon me.
This can be explained in two parts: 1) a fantastic new development that you have achieved (YOU NOW TAKE NAPS ALONE), (yes, alone), (as in alone, alone), (like, you don't have to have a living, breathing person pressed against you, alone), (seriously), (couldn't be happier), and 2) we were out of town for your 4 month birthday and therefore I am behind schedule as it is and rather than try to crank out a regular letter and put me even further behind I am going to make this short.
And to any normal person reading this the question might arise: "what does taking naps alone have to do with why this blog is going to be short?". Well, this can be explained like so: now that I no longer have a little cute baby shaped tumor attached to me I can now get more things done around the house. So when said baby shaped tumor is napping I can do things like move crap out of the formally-known-as-the-office-and-now-referred-to-as-the-nursery, or seal the grout to the bathroom floor. Which means less time in front of the computer.
And to the same normal person reading this blog the thought might arise "it would appear that this blog is going to be no shorter than usual at the rate it's going, given that I have been reading for how long? and so far there is not as much depth as there is just a bunch of explaining."
Not to insinuate I ever have much depth to my blogging.
But I will admit that I have a tendency to, shall we say...ramble?
(Notice how I am now rambling about rambling.)
Um.
Well, I'm supposing we should get back to this here post.
Your 3rd month proved to be a bit more on the trying side. Not to say that it was difficult, but we did some learning and there were a few times where I wanted to lock myself in the closet with a bottle of wine and my iPod.
And it was really just one week, near the end of your 3rd month, that was difficult.
It was the week where I got a stomach bug, then you got a head cold, and then we wrapped things up nicely with a growth spurt.
There were a few moments in there where I wondered where my sweet calm adorable baby was and why was this alien with this sudden opinion of his own in my house? You went from being easy going and laid back about pretty much everything to only wanting to eat and sleep. Sounds easy enough...only you went even further and only wanted to nurse in bed - on a certain side of the bed. Imagine my consternation when your father suggested that perhaps you were fussing because you wanted to be nursed on your side of the bed (instead of where I was nursing you - in the middle) and when I humored him and moved you over you shut up. I damn near fell out of bed - the only reason I didn't was due to the fear of moving even in the slightest might disturb your happily nursing (and falling asleep) - something I was desperate to avoid at the time.
But we made it through that week - albeit with a few more bed sores than we went into it with - and now you're bigger, I'm wiser, and we're both getting along just fine again.
In addition to growing a little bit you also picked up a few more tricks during that week. You suck on just about anything you can get your hands on. But mostly you suck on your fingers. In fact, you'll be interested in pulling something to your mouth and then when you get that object to your mouth it's as if you're just discovering your hands all over again and you get all excited, drop the item you were deftly trying to maneuver into you mouth, and start sucking on your fingers.WOO HOO fingers!
The drool is an interesting side effect. It gets everywhere, and I'm busy trying to remember to put a bib on you whenever I can so you don't soak your clothes constantly. But you seem happy as ever, drool or no drool.
And I'm just happy to see you developing right on plan - drool and all.
Another fantastic trick is your talking. You are one little chatter box these days. Mostly only to me though. In public you are more concerned with people watching and observing your surroundings. But at home you are busy busy busy. You've got so much to say and you love it when we have our little conversations. I love talking to you, and I'm learning so many new words and nuances and fluctuations to your voice - it's making giving you what you need/want just a little bit easier. I make a point to talk to you just about every opportunity I've got. I've become quite good at narrating everything I do. Which, to an outsider, has got to be amusing - especially when wandering the aisles of the grocery store discussing at great depth our agenda for the rest of the day.
We wrapped up the last week of your 3rd month in Virginia with Michele and John. This was a very exciting time for me because not only was it our first plane trip together, but it was also the first time you met Michele. The plane ride went off with only one hitch - the airline (VIRGIN AMERICA) lost our seat reservation and put us in the very last row that DID NOT RECLINE. At first I was quite irritated, but the seats are pretty comfortable on their own, and the proximity to the galley proved to be quite useful as I could jump up and down as needed with you. I tried nursing you at take-off to help keep you calm and reduce discomfort with your ears, but the moment the engines flared up and the cabin started to rattle you leapt up in my arms and stared at me with a look of pure fear. It was incredibly endearing and I couldn't help but smile as I rocked you and told you everything was ok. You settled back down and for the next hour you flirted with the gay flight attendant over my shoulder. I finally stuck you in the baby carrier and bounced you in the galley to get you to sleep - and you slept peacefully the rest of the flight.
Thank God.
Now if only I could say the return flight was as easy and successful. But that is a story for a whole post in itself - not something I'm going to get into here.
And that just about wraps it up. It only took me a week of taking snippets of time here and there to get this thing cranked out. But there we go - so is the life of the mother of a busy now 4 month old!
All the love and kisses possible,
Mama