Dear Catherine,
The second four weeks of your life (November 6 - December 3) included fun times with family and friends, and lots of firsts!
In early November, we finally began to settle into a new routine with you - you were sleeping in consistent 2.5-3 hour stretches and your Mommy and Daddy were figuring out how to keep up with household "stuff." Daddy went back to work after having taking about 3 weeks off, and so you and Mommy got a lot of alone time together. That gave me the opportunity to dress you up and take cute pictures that you slept through!
Catherine, you and I attended a very special event on November 15th. Early that morning, we bundled up and headed for the Dallas Zoo, where we took part in the Alzheimer's Walk in memory of Poppa - your grandfather and my father. Because you missed getting to meet him by only 2 months since he passed away in August 2008, it was extremely important for me to involve you in the walk with me. Because you were so bundled up and in your carrier, it was hard for me to get a good picture of you at the walk, so I posed you by one of the statues at the end. I look forward to telling you all about your Poppa as you grow older.
Even though it was hard to get a good picture at the Zoo, your Daddy and I posed you for about a million pictures that afternoon when we got home. I happen to think that this Pooh outfit is the cutest of your early outfits and I dressed you in it as often as I could for as long as it fit! Even Audrey, one of our kitty cats, thought that you were cuter than cute in this ensemble. In this picture, you're propped up in the Bumbo, where you love sitting, which is then propped into a little rocking chair that was mine and is now yours.
The day after we participated in the Alzheimer's Walk in memory of one of your grandfathers, your other grandfather and your step-grandmother arrived at our house to spend a couple weeks around Thanksgiving. Grandpa and Grandma Aller just fell in love with you from the first moment they set their eyes on you! Over the next few weeks, we enjoyed a fun time together, and spoiled the heck out of you. We spent a lot of time working in the yard and on projects in the house, and had many enjoyable evenings just hanging out together.
Don't think for a minute that your Grandma and Grandpa Aller being here meant that you spent any less time cuddling with your mom and dad! Your Daddy was able to take more time off during this time, and so, feeling more comfortable in our new routines, we carved out a lot of time to relax. During this month, one of your most fabulous firsts was smiling in response to being kissed or when your goofy mom or dad would do something silly. And believe me - we did everything we could to get that smile to come out!
While here, your Grandma Aller held you as much as she could - she wanted to do a lot of your bottle feedings (Mom was probably a bit too shy, so she spent a lot of time tucked away alone on the pump so you could eat by bottle) and your diaper changes. She mastered your cloth diapers like a champ! A lot of the time, she just enjoyed sitting with you on her lap. Your Grandma Aller has a lot of grandkids and even a few great-grandkids, but she definitely believed that you were the most special and most beautiful!
Right before Thanksgiving, you and your mom and dad and grandparents traveled about an hour east to a neat country restaurant/club to enjoy a good steak dinner, and you got to dance with your daddy for the first time. Personally, I thought that was the cutest thing ever! Then, you hung out with your Grandma and Grandpa while your mom and dad took a twirl around the dance floor.Your first Thanksgiving was very neat, from your "I'm a little Turkey" bib, to a dinner full of family and friends, to your rivaling onesies with your cousin Zach during the Cowboys/Seahawks football game. You took advantage of having bunches of people here wanting to see you...by sleeping most of the day! Geez, you didn't even have tryptophan! We'll let the pictures tell the rest of the Thanksgiving story!
We really enjoyed getting to take you out for your first Sunday brunch right after Thanksgiving, and then spent the day driving around the area to show your Grandpa some of the little local airports, in case he decides to fly his own plane in next time. As usual, when you were saddled up in your car seat, you were happier than a clam!
During your second four weeks of life, one of your signature moves was the stretch. You stretched and stretched and stretched and stretched. We joked that you were stretching right into being a 2 year old! You had your one-month checkup and measured in the 90th percentile for height and weight - you developed fabulously despite a bit of a rough start. You also got your first shots, but handled that like a champ! You began wearing 3 month sized clothing at 6 weeks - we were astounded! Your little feetsies also grew fast - your couple pairs of newborn shoes lasted for about 3 weeks and then you were into size 1's. One of your big accomplishments in your second four weeks was to grasp toys. We could hand your your plastic rings or your Mooby rattle and you would hang on with a fierce grip and wave them around in front of your face.
Grandma and Grandpa babysat you for us twice while they were here - once so we could go out for dinner and a movie, and once so daddy could take mommy to get her wisdom teeth taken out. Both times, you were a perfect angel for them! It was really hard for them to leave at the end of your second four weeks of life, but even before they left, plans were made to get together again in 2009, up in Idaho, where your daddy grew up! In this last picture taken when you were 8 weeks old, you look pretty happy about getting to see them again soon!We love you, Catherine!
Mommy and Daddy
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