Milo: Six Months!

Weight: 17 pounds, 9 ounces // Length: 27 inches //Teeth: One is hovering right at your bottom gum! // Eyes: Blueish-green // Hair: Blondish-brown, covers the tips of your ears on the sides of your head!

Milo, you have been with us for half of a year.  I cannot believe how fast time is going, or all the amazing things you do now.  I’m writing this letter pretty late (You’ll be 7 months in 1 week.  AH!) but I never want to waste any time when you’re awake.  Every day you’re doing new things.  Watching you, whether it’s with a smile or lunging forward to stop you from falling, takes up all my time.

You like to dance and hear music, you like to go for long walks in your stroller, you like to eat!  You desperately love iced coffee cups and you’ve figured out how to get the straw into your mouth.  We read lots of books and you spend the entire time gently slapping the pictures and trying to get the bottom edge of the book into your mouth.  You like the way it feels or sounds when you scratch textures, and you constantly open and close your hand over couch upholstery and your lamp shade next to the chair in your nursery.  When you want something to get closer to you, your wiggle your hand in front of it, like you’re trying to wave it nearer.  You have new and different cries: you whine now, cry from frustration, make a different sound when you’re hungry, and a different sound when you’re hurt.

You eat a lot of different foods.  Right now we serve you pureed fruits and veggies in bright, colorful pouches.  You also love to gum on these baby wafers called Baby Mum Mums…they dissolve in your mouth, and you love to hold them between your lips and let the end stick out.  This is incredibly adorable.  You like to taste whatever Daddy and I are eating, and you’ve snacked on everything from apple and clementine slices to my spicy Thai Butternut Squash soup.

We go to swim class once a week.  I think that you were a little young for it at the start, but you don’t cry in the water, and you like when we’re singing our songs and dancing around the pool.  More than anything, you want to eat the pool dividers.  I won’t sign you up again until you’re probably about a year old, but I’ve loved our little Saturday morning date.  I like showing you off.  I just like being with you.

 

People call you busy, alert, and  active.  Your head is always swiveling.  Your legs are always kicking.  Everything is in your mouth.  You are never still.  You save your smiles and dole them out sparingly.  You are head over heels in love with your Daddy, and laugh hysterically whenever he is near you.  Just when I’m getting a little worried that you and I haven’t bonded the same way, you’ll snuggle up to me, wrap my hair around your fingers, and stare into my eyes.  You’re our little boy, and we both love you so much.

Milo: Five Months!

Weight: I would guess about 16.5 pounds, but no doctor visit this month! // Length: About 25 inches //Teeth: Zero // Eyes: Still blue! // Hair: Blondish-Brown, growing longer every day

 Hello sweet thing.  You are five months old.  That is five months of kisses, five months of white noise, five months of passies and your puppy and board books and soft blankets and silly cooing noises and changing pads and visiting with people who love love love you.  Almost nothing about you is the same as when you were born.  Your legs are longer, your belly is rounder, your cheeks are more bitable and your expressions have grown so much.  You wear 3-6 month clothes and 6 month pajamas.

You use your voice all the time, for laughing and singing and slurping on your lips.  When you sit in the car seat, you gaze up at your caterpillar and lion and you absolutely call to them at the top of your lungs, reaching up your hands and trying to hold on.  You hold your bottle  and anything that is remotely bottle-shaped gets lunged at with an open mouth.  You have new toys (play car keys, a great big exersaucer) and you just began eating solid food in the form of rice cereal!  Daddy and I keep saying “This is the best age.  This is the most fun we’ll ever have.”  Just when we’re sure, it gets better.

Here are some firsts from this month:

March 1st: Your first time out in the snow.

March 12th: Your first taste of rice cereal!

We sit in the kitchen where your swing has been turned into a high chair.  You are already an eating pro, grabbing the spoon and propelling it into your mouth just like you do with your bottle!  We are so proud and can’t wait to start adding in veggies and fruits!  We also let you have tastes of things that you reach for like our apple or orange slices.  I love that you try lots of things.

This is a picture of our family.  It’s a little bit blurry, but it shows how happy we are.  We look like this often.

Milo: Four Months!

Weight: 15 pounds, 5.5 ounces // Length: 24.75 inches //Teeth: Zero // Eyes: Still blue! // Hair: Blondish-Brown, sporting a bald spot in the back where you lay when you sleep.

My wonderful boy.  When you were first born, it seemed like there were almost years between these letters.  I would save little stories and ideas, waiting impatiently for the day I could pile them up and make my monthly post.  That beginning of us was only four short months ago, but time is completely different now.  You’re growing so fast, and our family is changing so much, that even though I am writing this ten days late, it seems like I was just getting the three month post together a minute ago.  Even though this is overdue, these “official” monthly pictures are from February 13th, the day you turned four months old!

 Part of the reason this is so late is because your 4 month doctors appointment was just a day ago.  Right now you drink a 6 ounce bottle every three hours and have an 8 ounce bottle before you go to sleep, so I was very anxious to see what your weight was!  You are growing so well, weighing over double what you did when you were born!  The doctor was happy with all your stats, the way you followed light and try to sit up, and the fact that you sleep so well- 12 hours a night (6:30-6:30) with only one wake up for a bottle in the night! You were also very brave when they gave you your 4 month shots.  Thankfully, it is my school vacation and Daddy planned to go into work late so we could both be with you- shots can be sad sometimes.

Here are some firsts from your 4th month:

January 22nd:  Your first time rolling over (on the couch at Aunt Lulu’s house…you haven’t done it again, so I think it had to do with our coaching you and the couch being squishy and helping you.  We got it on video.)

February 3rd:  Your first time sitting forward in the stroller

February 4th: Your first time sitting in the front of a shopping cart

February 11th: Your first time sleeping over without Mama and Daddy (you stayed with Nona while we went to Daddy’s work party in Boston, and you did a great job)

Our family has a pretty solid routine right now.  You usually wake up around 6:30 while I’m getting ready for work.  I scoop you up and bring you in to cuddle in bed with Daddy, watching cartoons and having a bottle for breakfast.  While I’m at work, you and Daddy do chores together, play games and tickle, and go for lots of walks in the stroller.  You take cat naps and Daddy takes care of bills and house repairs.  When I get home, we’ve started a routine of bundling you up and pacing up and down our street with the stroller until it’s too dark to see anymore.  We’re lucky that it’s such a mild winter because this is the perfect chance for you to have a nap in the fresh air.  Then it books, bath, and bottle before bed.

Aunt Lulu and Mimi are both missing you very often, so we do Facetime with them almost every day- it’s a program where we can use our phones to see each other and talk face to face.  We see Nona and Grampy and Uncle Andrew as much as we can, and they love to bounce you and play games, now that you are a little more able to interact.  Everyone asks about you and we send pictures on our phones all the time, so all your spread-out family can see how much you grow.

Right now, some of your favorite toys are your Sophie chewer, your gloworm doll, and a plastic set of keys that plays music and, for some reason, also makes animal sounds.  We read a lot of board books, and the two favorites right now are Snuggle Puppy and The House in the Night, which has black and white ink illustrations that you stare and stare at.  You have found your voice, and you love to sing and growl in the mornings.  Your fascination with the fan is back, and when we visit places with a fan, you quickly notice.  You always need to face outward and you take in everything!

Daddy can make you laugh like no one else.  Whenever he walks in a room, your face lights up and you laugh and laugh.  The bond between you is so special to me.  You and I have a special time, too.  When we read together, you snuggle into me, take your pasey, and listen gently.  Daddy riles you up, I calm you down, and you make us both so happy.  We are a circus and a puzzle and a work of art; all of us make up a part of this house that is full of giggling and cameras clicking and books stacked in the corner and silly songs all day long.  Thank you for making us a family.

Love, your Mama.

PS little man: Your gloworm is from Sarah, and your monkeys are from Reecie and Hopie.  You have so many people who shower you with gifts, but these are special things you keep in your crib and play with all day, so thank thank thank you to them!

Milo: Three Months!

Weight: I’m guessing around 12 pounds- this is your first month with no check up // Length: Maybe about 24 inches? //Teeth: Zero // Eyes: Blue, but darkening // Hair: Blondish-Brown, headed toward mullet territory

Hi there, tiny one. Your third month on this Earth was INSANE.  You have done so many things, met so many people, and been so many places.  Let me get you up to speed:

Things were moving along pretty normally until it was time to celebrate Christmas.  You have so many people who love you that you had TWO Christmases.  We spent one weekend in Ipswich with Nonna and Grampy and Uncle Andrew, and you got to meet cousins and spend some time with Irene and visit with so many people.  You got a beautiful mobile and some amazing stroller charms that look like Eric Carle characters, as well as some sweet, cozy clothes and fun toys.

After our sleepover in Ipswich, we got ready and got Aunt Laurel for our big journey to Florida!  We flew there and you were SO good, all the way through security and take off and landing.  In fact, the majority of the time, you were sleeping.  Once we were in Florida, you finally got to meet Grandpa Ray, Aunt Emily, and Aunt Julianna.  After a few days, the Swensons got there and you met Hopie and Reecie, two cousins who love you very much.  We drove to Ft Myers and met Grandma Whitney and Papa Whitney.  You really made every single person we saw very, very happy.  It was a week-long trip, but my favorite part was taking you to Ft Myers Beach.  I’ve been going there every year since I was very little, so it was special to put your toes in the sand and water, and let you have a tiny drop of melted DQ Blizzard off the end of my finger.  Ft Myers Beach is the place where I have the most memories of Grandpa Kevin, so it was really special to spend time with our whole family there.

The biggest change that happened in this third month is that I have gone back to work.  As soon as the New Year started, we all began our new family routine.  During the day I teach first grade at a school about ten minutes up the road, and Daddy stays home to play with you.  On the weekends, Daddy goes to work and I stay home with you.  On the weekdays I miss you a lot, but as soon as I get home, you and I have some special time together before I give you your bath, bottle, and bedtime.  Sometimes we stay home and read books or watch TV while you play on your activity mat, and sometimes we go to the library or Target or some other really fun place.  It’s hard to be away from you during the day, but I have my big kids to teach and Daddy sends me pictures of you on my phone to keep me from getting too sad.  I’m proud to be a working mama and show you that ladies can have wonderful families, even if they are making money by doing something else part of the time.  I also know how lucky we are that Daddy can be the one to take care of you when it can’t be me.

Here are some firsts from this month:

December 20th: Your first plane ride to Florida

December 20th: The first time I had you hanging out with no socks or pants on It was hot in Florida!

December 24th: Your first time overnight in a hotel

December 25th: Your first time in the Atlantic Ocean

December 25th: Your first time digging your toes in the sand

December 25th: Your first taste of ice cream (I let a tiny bit melt on my finger and put it in your mouth.  You loved it!)

January 1st: Your first night sleeping in the crib in your nursery

January 3rd: Your first day home with Daddy

January 8th: Your first flea market

Here are some pictures from this month:

You are a very different boy the you were in the middle of December.  Your face has filled out and your legs are much chunkier.  I love it.  You shove everything in your mouth, including your rubber Sophie doll and your own poor fist.  When I wipe your mouth when you’re drinking, you try to suck the cloth in and gum on it furiously.  You drool and drool and drool.  You wear 0-3 and 3 month outfits, and it’s really fun to go through the clothes I’ve stored away and see all the cute clothes people gifted you.  You hold your head up very well and love to face out in the Baby Bjorn carrier.  You have a need to see the world.

 You growl and gurgle and make very conversational noises when you’re in a good mood.  When you’re angry, you have different cries and shouts for different feelings.  We can tell that you’re about to get upset because you make little fussy noises in the back of your throat.  Aunt Laurel called it “poppin’ and crackin’,” and now we do, too.  You sleep like a big boy in your crib in the nursery for the whole night, and you only wake up one time.  In your crib you have a really cool white noise machine that Aunt Tanya bought you, a fuzzy blanket to keep warm, and your puppy.  I am still forcing the puppy on you.

Your best time of day is the morning.  Often, you’ll wake up grinning and in a great mood.  When Daddy or I or anyone you love walks into the nursery, you look up through the crib bars and beam with a big smile.  It’s the best part of my morning to share smiles with you, then get you changed and snuggled and back in bed with Daddy before I take off for work.  With Daddy, you like to laugh when we sings you silly songs and you love to watch The Cat in the Hat on TV.  You and I read a lot of books together; your favorite right now is one called Swing that has moving pictures inside.  When the three of us are together, we go on adventures or out to eat.  That’s our special family time.

We say all the time that we can’t remember our life before you were here, and as each month goes by, it gets more and more true.  We keep adjusting and growing into each other, getting used to new routines and making new memories.  We still look at pictures of you and swap stories about you when you’re asleep.  I’m already forgetting when you looked like when you were three days old, I can’t wait to know what you’ll be like when you’re five, but most of all, I’m glad that I have these pictures and this letter to trap you exactly like you are today.  I love being your mama.

Milo: Two Months!

Weight: 10 pounds, 6 ounces // Length: 22 and 3/4 inches // Teeth: Zero // Eyes: Blue // Hair: Blondish-Brown, bald on top, curly at the back of the head

Hello sweet growler!  You are two months old, but have actually lived with us for about 9 weeks now.  You are looking so much more like a little boy every day.  Sometimes I expect you to talk or pop out a tooth; I forget how small and young you really are.  You’ve gained another almost two pounds and grown almost two inches!  You are still small for your age, but you have small parents, so that’s likely your lot in life.  This month you started pulling hair, making cooing and talking noises, and staying awake for longer chunks of time.  You also have a bedtime and a nighttime routine now that we really love.  You are obsessed with white noise- the sounds of pouring rain and a fan are your two favorites.  You still sleep in the bassinet in our room, but you’ve had a few naps in your crib and you did an awesome job.  You are seeing more things, and you need more than contrast to keep you interested now.  We have a little mobile that clips to the sides of your bassinet, and we bought an activity mat that you can lay on and look up at some swinging animals.  As soon as we set you on your play mat, you start kicking and waving your arms like crazy.  You stare very seriously at the little animals and you make loud cooing noises.  We play music in the background and pretend you’re dancing.  There are lots of little video clips of you doing this.

We read books at night, and you love the sound of the book The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown.  You listen to a Pandora station of lullabies while you drink your last bottle before I lay you down to sleep.  I hung some strings of colored lights in our bedroom, and you like to stare at the colors on your sheets and the wall.  You are always drawn to lights, so it’s the perfect time of year for you.  You are so VERBAL!  You make lots of conversational noises, and when you’re angry, you always let out a couple of sharp shouts before actually bursting into tears.  When you cry, sometimes there are little tears running down your face, and that basically makes Daddy and I laugh and cry at the same time.  You are, somehow, unbelievably, more precious to us with every day.  This is an amazing feat, considering the fact that you’ve stopped consistently sleeping through the night and are taken to crying jags on random days.  Still, when you go to sleep, we sit together and look at pictures of you because you’re so beautiful to us.  Really.

Here are some firsts from this month:

November 20th: Your first 5k (You cheered on Aunt Laurel and Ari)

November 24th: Your first Thanksgiving (Nonna, Grampy, and Uncle Andrew came here to celebrate; Aunt Laurel was here and we watched the parade and Skyped with everyone in Florida)

November 24th:  First time you smiled at me

November 27th: Your first Christmas tree (We went to the tree lot at Berlin Farms.  You cried a lot but that’s okay.)

December 2nd: Your visit to Boston (actually, Somerville) for dinner with Aunt Pagie, Aunt Laurel, and Ari!

December 14th: Your first shots (This was really sad to see and I actually cried a little, but I tried to be brave for you.)

December 14th: Your first visit to my classroom (My students really loved you and I was so proud to show you off!)

Here are some pictures from your second month:

This month we listened to lots of Christmas music and danced around in your fussy afternoon times.  I “wear” you on my chest, all wrapped up in a scarf and tied behind my back; you like this better than the Baby Bjorn at this point.  You spend the day with Mama and Daddy steals up all the time he can in the mornings before he goes to work.  We had our roof fixed and you loved to hear the hammers on the ceiling.  You like to visit the Christmas tree when you wake up from a nap.  You are our favorite present.  We all can’t wait to see what the next month brings.

Love, Mama and Daddy!

Why Your Middle Name is Kevin

 

Milo Kevin, you have a very special name.  Daddy picked out your first name and it is perfect for you- it’s the main singer of a band, the main character in a book, and just the right amount of quirky and fun.  Your middle name is different.  It was already someone else’s name, and now it’s your middle name in memory.

Kevin was my daddy’s first name.  He is one of your grandparents, but you won’t be able to meet him in person, because he died on this day 14 years ago.  We gave you the middle name Kevin to honor and remember my daddy, and (at least in my mind) in the hopes that you would have some of the same characteristics that Grandpa Kevin was known for.  He was very kind and very funny; people loved to be around him because he made them laugh.  He was a hard worker who was devoted to his family.  He was extremely creative and made amazing Halloween costumes and special gifts and read books in silly voices.  He loved the ocean.  He made individual time for each of his daughters; he made a special breakfast for me before the bus stop each morning, and used a mower to create a baseball diamond in the grass for Aunt Laurel.  He was an amazing daddy, and I know he would have been a great grandfather, too.

Grandpa Kevin died very suddenly when I was only 12.  At first it was very hard and I was angry all the time, because I missed my daddy.  Now that I am older and I have my own family, I only want to remember him.  One of the ways I remember him is to talk about him.  Another way I remember him is to look at pictures.  My favorite way I remember him is by giving his name to my firstborn son.

I don’t want to tell you these things about your Grandpa Kevin to make you sad; I’m telling you about him so you can be proud of your wonderful name.  Even though he’s not someone you will see on every trip and holiday, he will be a part of your life because he is one of the people who made me me, and I will be one of the people who make you you.  You will grow up hearing his stories, looking at his pictures, and being a part of the legacy that my daddy, your Grandpa Kevin, has left behind.

 

 

 

Milo: One Month!

November 13th, 2011 

Weight: 8 pounds, 12 ounces //  Length: 21 inches // Teeth: Zero // Eyes: Blue // Hair: Blondish-Brown

Hello my handsomest little man!  You are one month old!  To me, you look so different than when you first joined our family.  During this month you gained two pounds and grew an inch in length!  Your face is filling out and your legs are much stronger; you kick and beat your fists when you’re mad, and if someone is holding you to their shoulder when you’re hungry, you will wobble your neck and head butt their face.   You are starting to coo and make little noises when you’re not crying.  You love staring at faces and ceilings; the fan in the living room is your best friend, and you stare at it in wonder.  During the day you sleep in the pack’n'play bassinet set up in the living room, and at night we move it into our bedroom, but secretly we let you sleep in our bed more often than we should.  We change your diaper on the changing table in your nursery, but you don’t sleep in your big crib quite yet.  If you are out in public, you are always in your car seat, either in a cart or attached to  the stroller.  You like the sound of running water and the vacuum; you love to lay naked on the soft cover we have over the changing table.  You don’t like having onesies pulled over your head, or someone stopping during your feedings to burp you.  You burp like a grown man!

Here are some of the firsts from this first month:

October 17th: Your first pediatrician’s appointment.

October  18th: Your first outing for fun- a trip to Target with Mama, Daddy, and Mimi!

October 22nd: Your first book- Mama read you Ollie the Stomper by Olivier Dunrea.

October 23rd: Your first time in a stroller on a trip to buy groceries.

October 28th: Your first time visiting a friend’s house- we went to Lindsay and Kate’s house for a game night.

October 29th: Your first snow storm!  It was early in the season and the wet snow knocked down power lines.  It was also your first power outage.

October 30th: Your first night away from home- we stayed at Nonna and Grampy’s house while we waited for the power to come back on.

October 31st: Your first holiday- Happy Halloween!

November 1st: Your first bath in a bathtub.

November 3rd: Your first trip to the Leominster Library.

November 11th: Your first restaurant- you went to Al Dente’s with Mama and Mimi.

Here are some pictures from your first month:

 

This month you had tons of visitors and so many people gave you gifts.  People always say that you are very small and very well behaved.  You are the absolute center of our existence.  We love you so much and can’t wait to see what new and exciting things happen in this next month!

Love, Mama and Daddy!

(The blanket in your picture was made by Sarah, the froggie doll was a gift from Kate, and the sock monkey was passed down from your cousin Reece.  You are one lucky boy.)

 

 

Your First Halloween

Daddy came through.  He searched and searched and found this gloworm costume online.  It’s made for babies who are at least 6 months old, but we dressed you up all the same, and you clearly loved it.  Even screaming, you are so cute.  I can’t wait to try again next year!

We dressed you up on October 31st, but because of a freak snow storm and power outage, we celebrated and passed candy to the trick or treaters on November 3rd.  Basically this meant that candy was less expensive to buy and we got to stretch out Daddy’s favorite holiday for an extra week.  The kids coming to the door thought you were absolutely adorable.  You were.

I can barely believe that next year at this time, we’ll be toddling around on the streets, collecting candy, carving pumpkins, and having ourselves a grand old harvest time.  A few years after that, you’ll probably not let me humiliate you with cuddly costumes anymore.  Until then, I’ll hang on to every moment.  I love you, little Gloworm!

 

 

 

 

Two Weeks Old

Milo, yesterday you were two weeks old!  It was rainy and cold, so we stayed inside all day, but we read stories together, and took pictures of how cute you are, and you tried out your first tummy time!  I feel like you’ve lived in our house for two years, but even after only 14 days together, we’re really starting to figure each other out.

I’m saving all your momentous firsts for your one month recap, but I have to say that you’re really developing a personality.  You are looking around like crazy, and when you really try to focus, your eyes spin in different directions and you look hilarious.  You are quite the little piggy with your bottle, and let milk run all down your face and chest- we have to stop feeding you every couple of sips and wipe you up before you destroy your clothes!  Your face is already much rounder and more baby-like then your delicate little alien skull was at first.  You have stopped only eating and sleeping and have periods of time where you just lay in our arms and look around at the world.  You notice the fan on the ceiling, and when you’re thinking you purse your lips and make a monkey face.  Your eyes roll around in your head when you dream.  You still instinctively keep your knees drawn up to your chest until you’re completely relaxed.  You are prone to hiccups.  Once you sneezed and milk came out of your nose, and you looked at me really expectantly, like, “Hello, lady, please clean this up?”

Daddy and I are very cautious to say this, but we love our routine and we’re adapting really well to having an entirely new life with an entirely new focus.  I honestly can’t remember one worthy thing I did with my time before you came along and taught me to get things done in snatches during naps.  You’re starting to squirm and squeak in your swing, so I’m going to feed you and get ready to take you out for a walk around our neighborhood.  I hope we see some people, because I absolutely love showing you off.  I can’t wait to see what the next two weeks, two months, and two years have in store for us!

 

 

Welcome, Milo

Milo Kevin Swicker

Born October 13th, 2011 at 5:37 am

6 pounds, 13 ounces, 20 inches

Hello my sweet, precious, pumpkin of a child.  You have arrived!  You’ve actually already been here for 11 days, but you keep Daddy and I on our toes.  This is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and write all the things that I’ve been whispering in your ear since you finally came into my arms two Thursday mornings ago.

You were born in Leominster hospital by the midwives.  Daddy and Aunt Laurel were there, and Mimi was on her way to the airport, keeping up to date with text messages.  My water broke while I was teaching earlier that morning (October 12th), but I didn’t know that’s what it was and I stayed for the whole school day.  By the time I went to the hospital to check it out, I was sure it was just another false alarm.  I left my classroom a tiny bit messy, took out pizza dough for Daddy and I’s dinner, and stopped in at the Labor and Delivery ward to find out that you were actually well on your way!  I was so shocked and happy that I got very flustered.  They told me I could go home to take a shower and eat some dinner before I needed to come back and get started.  The whole 2 minute drive home I kept saying out loud “I’m going to have a baby.”  I was crazy with excitement.

At the hospital, they explained that they would have to give me some medicine to start my contractions, and that I would sleep the whole night with something called Cervadil on me, to get me ready to give birth the next morning.  They gave me the Cervadil and Aunt Laurel and I settled in to watch some TV.  Daddy needed to return his work car to the pharmacy about 45 minutes away.  He decided to do it quickly right then so that he could be by my side the next morning when I was having you.  Of course, you had different ideas.  No sooner had he left then I started feeling contractions that were very different than anything I had felt before.  You weren’t waiting for tomorrow morning.  I was having you right then.  I started having contractions at 9pm, and by 5:37am, they were plopping you on my chest.  Daddy and Aunt Laurel saw you being born, and were the first people to hold and snuggle you.  You were perfect from the start.

You had your first bath, your first meal, and your first check up in the morning hours; Daddy went with you on your adventures while I rested from the work of getting you here.  You had visits from Nonna and Grampy, Uncle Andrew and Irene, Mimi, and Aunt Laurel, all during your first two days of life.  You were the demonstration baby in the nursery when one of the nurses taught us how to give babies a bath.  You screamed the entire time, and showed off how strong you are by trying to flip over when they had the nerve to wash you with those wet cloths!  You were called the Prince and King by all the staff, because you were the only boy out of 12 babies on the floor the entire time we were there; even other moms and dads knew all about you.  What a star.

You came home on October 15th in the afternoon.  You screamed from the second we left our room and for the entire journey to the car.  In the old days, there was fanfare when you left and someone wheeled the mama in a wheelchair for safety.  Now, we were hiding in the elevator, trying to rip open a package of pacifiers without the lactation consultant (who had suggested we not use pacifiers or bottles) noticing our crime.  I honestly thought someone would say, “Who are these kids and what are they doing making that baby wail like that?”  But no one stopped us, and we got you to the house safely and soundly.

You met Penguin, our big cat, who is wary of you when you scream but very respectful of your space.  You mostly hang out in the pack’n'play bassinet in the living room by day, bedroom by night.  You like the swing and riding in the car.  You hate initially being buckled into the car seat.  You’ve been to Target, the pediatrician’s office, and Hannaford.  You sleep much, much better when you are snuggled against a chest, but if you are full with a dry diaper, you will also be a champion sleeper in the bassinet.  You pee everywhere when we take off your diaper.  You like a certain green pacifier called a Soothie, which is adorable.  You make little old man faces and squeal like a dolphin when you are mad.  We call you Milosh, Beeba, and Aunt Laurel calls you Little.  Your screaming doesn’t make us nervous anymore, and we often mock your little wails when we’re changing you.  We say, “Life is hard for a baby!” and you make the saddest little whimpery cry and agree.

We are absolutely crazy about you.  This morning, Daddy looked at you and said, “He’ll never be this precious again, will he?”  I think he might have been choking up- don’t tell him I told you that.  You’re our entire heart and world, Milo Kevin.