4 Weeks (1 Month?) Old

Dear Tate,

Today is four weeks from the day you appeared in our lives, which I guess means you’re a month old. I’m actually not sure…are you a month old on the 20th of January, since you were born on December 20th? Or are you a month old at four weeks? Do I care? No, not really. You will quickly learn that I’m in charge around here, so if I say four weeks equals a month, then that is the way it shall be. Amen.

What can I say about you, my dearest Tater Tot, that wouldn’t sound cliché? You are everything I ever wanted and more. The addition our family really never knew it was missing. Okay, so those are completely cliché statements, but they are truer than I can describe. I spent the last month of my pregnancy with you trying to do everything as a family of three that I could think of, knowing our lives were about to change drastically. And yes, there has been change. I miss sleep (and caffeine for that matter), but really, the change hasn’t been as daunting as I feared. You, by your very nature, have blended quite wonderfully in to our weird family life; so much so, that I barely remember there was a time when you weren’t a part of it.

And that nature of yours, my goodness child, it couldn’t be more charming. You are a sweet baby, one that rarely cries unless something is actually wrong. I mean, yes, you scream bloody murder if I leave your diaper soiled for a moment too long or I don’t feed you immediately as hunger hits, but other than that your personality is so peaceful. I know babies aren’t supposed to smile for a few weeks, and everyone on the planet will tell me it’s just gas, but I constantly catch you grinning ear to ear. Especially when your sister walks into a room. She gets up in your face and tickles your cheek, and though I tell her to back off (“You’re smothering him!”) you just smile and encourage her to continue. Stinker.

Tate, you have added so much to our lives. So much love, chaos and happiness. When I had Lucy, I became something new, something I wasn’t before. I became a mother. But you, my dearest, when I had you, my heart grew to sizes I didn’t know existed. Yes, she made me a mother. But you made us a family.

Love,
Mama