It's Christmas, Charlie Heller!

Charlie's had his first full week at home and it's been full of firsts. First Hanukkah, first Christmas, first keeping mommy and daddy up all night, you name it. This week has been great, but I go back to work tomorrow. I'm not upset about going back to work, but I'm not happy to be leaving home. Nilda is even unhappier about my not being home. Luckily, my mom is coming for a few days to help with the transition. Now, she too, can enjoy the bliss that is the aerobed. Here are a few updates from this week:

• Charlie loves Christmas and Hanukkah equally. We know this because he slept through both of them.
• Overall, Charlie is a very good baby, but we've had some rough nights. 11:30 pm - 2:00 am + 4:30 am - 6:30 am = party time. Nilda has asked me to find a way to make him go to sleep on command. I'm still working on it.
• I have never appreciated coffee as much in my entire life.
• Charlie has a number of different nicknames, so far, since "Charlie" is too formal. The most popular has been "Jack," which coincidentally is his cousin's name.
• Charlie has a vicious cycle of eating, being awake for 30 minutes, passing out, pooping, and needing a change, which makes him wake up all over again and by then it's almost time for him to eat again. When I hear a fart, I pray that it's Nilda.
• Nilda did a great job preparing for the kid and the apartment is set up perfectly.
• Nilda looks great and her bellybutton is even coming back. I, on the other hand, look like I'm about 3 months pregnant. Having a newborn is a great excuse to eat all your favorite foods. Especially pernil on Christmas.
• Babies only want to be held. All these toys and swings aren't for the kids, they're to give the parents a rest.
• Charlie's umbilical cord stump just fell off. It looks like a gigantic dried booger. Don't act like you don't know what that looks like.
• Nilda and I love having Charlie around because now there's someone else to make fun of. We especially like to mimic the way he cries.
• Charlie didn't poop for 16 hours and we got concerned. He then spent the next 22 hours making up for lost time. Lesson learned, Charlie.
• No matter how much we try to keep his diaper tight and in place, he manages to leak out of it. Poop finds a way.
• For the record, I recognize how poop-centric this email is. It's an accurate reflection of what my life has become.
  

I'll keep posting here, or you can try following Abuelita Stella's blog, at www.whoneedstheinternet.acomputerwillburnthehousedown.com. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the dreamy days Nilda and I have had since Charlie the Kid was born.