Charlie - 3 Months+

Charlie is three months plus one week and he's getting big. How big? Soooooo big! Here's an update:

• Whatever hopes I had of being the favored parent have been eviscerated. Mommy, without question, is the favorite. His whole face lights up when he sees her. I think this is a survival mechanism, since we all know how Nilda is when she wants to be sleeping.
• Most of my time with Charlie, on weekdays, is either right before he goes to bed, in the middle of the night or, more recently, early in the morning. He looks at me and says, "I know you. I see you when I'm tired."
• As we can see on the video monitor, Charlie spends most of the night kicking, making noises, waving his arms and sucking as if the pacifier that he spit out long ago is still in his mouth. Thank God he doesn't sleep in the same room as us anymore.
  
• We kept talking so much about Charlie sleeping through the night that he's now calling us liars. He sleeps from about 7:30-8:00 to 3:30 am, then is up for about an hour and a half, then wakes up every hour thereafter, like clockwork. It's wicked fun. Nilda says he's not transitioning from light sleep to deep sleep. It's certainly preventing me from transitioning to sleep.
  
• My body wakes up automatically at 3:30 am, now. I almost don't even mind anymore. Thank you, coffee!
• Charlie's getting so long. The sherpa that we brought him home in finally fits.
  
• The books say to put the baby down when they are "sleepy but awake," so they don't get used to falling asleep in your arms. We say that the books can try putting Charlie to sleep. Alternatively, the books can go to hell and die.
• We've hit a rough spot with getting him to stay asleep. The nap nanny is getting a little too small, but he hates sleeping on his back in the crib. We look forward to the glorious time we can let him sleep on his stomach, which we know he loves because he's taken a few naps that way. Stomach sleeping is like crack for Charlie.
  
• Charlie enjoys the fruity notes and floral bouquet of his hands. This is the only explanation for why he always has them in his mouth.
• We make fun of Charlie on a daily basis. This usually involves each of us trying to get as much of our hands in our mouths as possible.
• We have become those people who humiliate themselves to try to entertain a baby. Charlie was crying and I saw Nilda with a huge forced grin on her face and her hands way up in the air, singing the alphabet song. That is what we've become.
• Nilda cannot get the words at the end of the alphabet song right. She doesn't say "Next time won't you sing with me" like a normal person, she says, "Won't you play with me" and then doesn't know how to finish the line. I think we'll need medical intervention.
• Charlie cannot stop kicking. It's his favorite past time. He kicks so much I want to put him on the back of a boat and see how fast we'll go.
• Charlie luuuvs tv. If he is in a room where there is a tv, he will crane his neck so he can watch it. He also hates having the sun in his eyes. He's just like daddy!
• When I'm feeding Charlie at night as part of the wind down, he looks up at me like he's saying, "Hey, we should get a tv in here."
• Abuela speaks Spanish to Charlie. I can't understand everything she says, but I definitely hear "culo" and "conjo." These are what we call "naughty" words. Abuela is a great influence.
• Charlie looks just like his Abuelo, who he's named after. He looks like an old Cuban man, with a giant head.
• Charlie is a world class burper. We're thinking of entering him in a competition.
• A common question I get is whether he'll be a Met fan or a Yankee fan. Charlie is a Hispanic who lives above 125th Street, so odds are pretty strong that he'll be a Yankee fan. As long as the Eagles come first, Charlie. The Eagles come first.
• I now get to blame things I want on Charlie. For example, Charlie really needed to get yet another hot sauce and I just couldn't say no. It's the tabasco buffalo sauce, Nilda! Are you really going to deny him that?? Btw, that shit is goooood.
  
• We've been going outside a lot now that the weather's getting nicer. As long as the stroller or car is moving, he's fine. But God forbid the motion stops and all hell breaks loose.

All parents want is to see their kids be happy and I get that now. I swear I've become more careful crossing the street since Charlie was born. Charlie is happy and healthy and we are very grateful. Charlie recognizes me and I'm almost starting to feel like a parent.