Letter to My 1 Month Old

My Dear Princesinha,

Wow, one month old! I’m pretty sure there has never been a better month in my life. The time passed so quickly, but yet it seems like we have been a family of three for a long time. You bring your papai and me so much laughter and joy every single day, and I can hardly remember now what I did to fill my days before you came along (although I am quite certain it included a lot less poo and spit-up.)

We count ourselves as supremely blessed that you are such a good baby. We weren’t so sure those first three nights of your life when you refused to sleep anywhere except on our chests or in our arms. But on the fourth night, we decided to swaddle you up tight, we turned your noise machine on to the sound of the ocean, and from 10:00 pm until 9:00 am you only woke up twice to eat and then went right back to sleep in your bassinet. And now, at four weeks old, you are sleeping in your crib in your own room from around 9:00 pm until 9:00 am and only getting up once between 4:00 and 6:00 for breakfast. Sleep really does make everything better, and you have no idea how grateful your mamãe is that you let me rest at night! (And I suppose your daddy is pretty appreciative too of being able to get some sleep before he fights the BH traffic and works a long day at the office!)



You still prefer to be held during your daytime naps though. And while I know you need to learn to nap on your own, as I hold you close to me and watch you sleep I want to just keep you there in my arms and try to memorize every little thing about you. You are changing and growing so fast, and I want to cherish these moments that we have. I try to lock into my memory the way the top of your head smells and the cute faces you make while you sleep. I want to always remember the feel of your soft skin snuggled against my cheek as you lie on my shoulder and the way your breath smells like sweet milk. I can’t play with your little dimpled-knuckle hands or mess with your head full of hair if I put you down. So while I say that I have been working this week on making you sleep in your crib for naps, my attempts may be rather half-hearted and, in all fairness, maybe it is your mommy that enjoys the cuddles as much as it is you.



Just as we had hoped, you are quite content being a baby on the go. While you tend to yell while we put you in your car seat/infant carrier (making those around us, who may or may not actually use a car seat for their infants, look at us as if we are torturing you), you are happy once we pick it up and you’re moving. And except for the necessary breaks when you’re hungry or sitting in a dirty diaper, I think you would be pleased to spend the entire day going for walks in your stroller. In the beginning you would fall asleep almost instantly, but now you stay more alert and have a blast taking in the scenery and flirting with everyone we pass by. And being the cuddler that you are, the BabyBjörn is right up your alley. And I guess it’s all a good thing, since we have a lot of traveling planned for the next three months!


A few of the fun tricks you have worked on this month:

- Taking a Bottle from Daddy (Every night he gives you a bath (you were unsure about the whole bath thing at first, but now you’ve decided you really enjoy them), gets you dressed for bed, and then gives you a bottle before swaddling you up tight and putting you in your crib to fall asleep. He enjoys the one-on-one time with you, and Mommy appreciates the opportunity get something accomplished in the evenings.)

- Smiling (And not only while sleeping or when you’re filling up your diaper! This week you’ve started occasionally grinning at people when they speak to you, but only if they speak Portuguese. Even your mamãe has to speak to you in Portuguese to get a grin!)

- Rolling Over (I keep telling myself it’s a fluke, but you have rolled over four times this week while I was watching you: three times from your belly to your back during tummy time and once from your back to your stomach. It’s really too early for you to be able to do that, but, regardless, we’ve become a little more careful as to where we lay you down now!)

- Reading Books (Last week I started reading to you when you’re most wakeful. You alternate between looking intently at the pages as I turn them and twisting your head around to stare up at me. Papai has tried reading with you some too, but you are usually either sleeping or prefer to be moving in the evenings and aren’t usually in a sit and read sort of mood for very long.)


You are such a pleasure to be around and you’ve made the first month of parenthood so easy for us. Based on the horror stories, we half expected to be sleep-deprived zombies completely exhausted and at our wits’ end dealing with a baby who won’t stop crying. Instead we have a delightful daughter who sleeps through the night, rarely cries more than 30 seconds, and only occasionally shoots poop at her father. You’ve set the bar high for your future siblings!

I love you so much,
Mommy, also affectionately known as The Milk Cow