Charlie - 6 Weeks

Charlie is six weeks old, so it's time for another update. Here's what's been going on:

• He weighed 9lbs, 5oz at his one month doctor's appointment and measured 21.5 inches long, so he's growing like he should. High five, Nilda.
• Nilda has been wonderful and is a natural mother. I think this surprises her more than anyone else.
  
• Sleep has replaced poop as the main issue. He still only sleeps about three hours at a time. They say that he should start sleeping for longer periods of time soon. Any day now... Any day... Still waiting...
  
• For a while there, Nilda and I were bracing ourselves before each night. We didn't know what was going to happen and we were both terrified. Getting ready for bed was like "I Am Legend."
• I've adjusted better than I thought I would to the reduced sleep. Nilda, not so much. I heard her saying to Charlie, "Daddy's a trooper. Mommy's not even in the army."
• I've gotten used to being awake for two hours every night. Shout out to the dvr and HBO on demand.
  
• 4:20 am doesn't mean what it used to.
• Charlie likes to fall asleep while eating. This is a lie, since he'll wake up 5 minutes later, starving.
• People tell us to keep him awake more during the day so that he'll sleep more at night. You try keeping him awake. Go ahead, I dare you.
  
• We spent one night in Philadelphia and my mom stayed with Charlie all night. I had 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep and it was glorious.
  
• I've started to pick up on Charlie's cues. For example, he yawns when he gets tired. He puts his hands in his mouth when he's hungry. I know these things because of my experience as a father. I should write a book.
• We like to give Charlie a tour of the apartment and show him where everything is in his home. I pay special attention to how the kitchen faucet works and the difference between the trash and the recycling, since no one seems capable of figuring this out. Our only prayer is to start him early.
  
• He hates when his face is touched. That's how I know he's mine. That, and the farting.
  
• Charlie gets very angry when he wakes up and is not fed immediately. I wonder where this temper comes from. It's so unlike his parents.
• Charlie is starting to like the Mamaroo, as you can see in the picture below. It provides literally minutes of entertainment.
  
• He likes to be paid attention to. He gets that from his mother.
  
• Charlie's getting better neck control, too. He can now move his head enough to flop it around so that feeding him is virtually impossible.
  
• Mommy is definitely the favorite. He followed Nilda with his eyes and almost seemed to smile. I think he's starting to recognize me, too, though the look I get is usually, "Oh, it's you. Do you have boobs yet? I didn't think so. Go change the diaper genie and be useful."
  

Thank you again to everyone for your support and calls! We are truly blessed, and I hope you all realize how significant it is that I use the word blessed.

Love,
Brian & Nilda & Charlie

P.S. - Congratulations to Julie T. and Kenny who welcomed their gorgeous baby girl Hannah! The Lower Moreland High School Class of '94 is procreating at an alarming rate.

Nilda's Uterus - A Retrospective

I irritated Nilda throughout her pregnancy to take pictures of her changing body, all for this one blog. The plan had been to post this before the baby was born, but that never happened. I figured that I'd have plenty of time to post once we were home with a newborn. God, I'm stupid.

4 Weeks
12 Weeks
21 Weeks
25 Weeks (aka, the Babymoon)
29 Weeks
34 Weeks
36 Weeks
37 Weeks (check out the feet!)39 Weeks
Charlie Eve

I knew we were having a baby, but I didn't expect this. Right after Charlie was born, he and I were taken back to the recovery area to wait for Nilda/mommy. We were alone, just the two of us hanging out, so naturally, I took a picture. After so much waiting, I was still completely unprepared for this:

I now understand why John Lennon wrote Beautiful Boy. I still don't understand why Mr. Holland sang it to his teenage son. That shit's creepy.

Happy New Year!

All is still great. My mom stayed with us for a few days and it was wonderful having her here. She'd stay up with Charlie and let us sleep and did everything for us around the house. I even got to go to a Phish show with Andrew. Mom, you are the best Mommom ever and are welcome to the aerobed any time you want it. Stella would come over and they would both look at Charlie and be in grandma heaven.

Here's Stella cursing my mother for making her do some stretches that she must have seen on Dr. Oz or something.

These are the supplies my mom brought for three nights. I may pack a lot of socks, but no one packs toiletries like my mother. There was a slight panic the first night my mom was here, when she feared she might have forgotten one of her many toiletry bags. Luckily, it was right where it were supposed to be. Phew!

I have learned that my loud walking comes directly from my mother. I'm dainty like a ballet dancer compared to her. I have also inherited my mother's gene for splashing water all over the bathroom sink when washing my face. I realized I have it good when Mom asked me if I got water all over the floor like she does.

New Year's Eve, as expected, was quiet and great. I kept singing "Mommy Daddy Charlie time" to the tune of Peanut Butter Jelly Time." No one needs to know that. Here are a few more pictures I took. Or as Stella would say, "Here he goes with the god damn camera again."

Here's Charlie playing with his favorite toys. He loves getting his hands in the way of everything, especially eating. He snaps into his fingers like it's a fist full of slim jims.

Since all I ever seem to post are pictures of him sleeping here's one where he's showing off his martial arts skills.