An Open Letter to Desmond: Week 1

Des,

What a crazy first week!  The nurses all said how expressive you are; you make the funniest faces!  Our favorite is your pucker face:

We are having some trouble with breastfeeding, but it's ok.  We'll figure it out.  Your dad says that you have "landing gear legs;" you bring them in close to you as soon as you realize we're about to change your diaper. 

We love it when you're awake, although it's only about 3 or 4 hours of each day; at these times, you open your eyes really wide and just look around without saying a peep.  You turn your face when I call your name and sometimes, we make eye contact. 

You've peed on me and your dad 4 times so far.  It's really quite funny and sometimes it gets on your face.  You hate that part.  You like being swaddled; we call it "burrito-ing," as in, "Honey, can you burrito him?"

You have dry, flaky skin on your hands, feet, and tummy, but this is totally normal, so don't think you were a freak baby.  You always sneeze three times in a row.  When you nurse, sometimes you place your little hand with those long fingers on my chest and I melt (I'm not sure, however, if you do it on purpose or if it's an accidental caress stemming from your startle reflex). 

We are falling more and more in love with you each day.  We're becoming the type of parents that we used to make fun of: we take tons of pictures of you every day and actually think people are interested in what your burps sound like and how cute it is when you toot.  Your breath is starting to smell milky and it's all I can do to keep from covering your tiny little thinking-man's face with kisses. 

Ramblings overheard this week:

Sergio, Desmond's uncle, looking at Desmond's face:
"Oh, he's got some luscious lips.  Is that normal?"

Billy, remarking on how fussy Desmond was being one morning:
"God, he's acting like he's going through withdrawals: he's shaking, moaning, crying, and shitting himself."

Billy, to Desmond at the pediatrician's office:
"Are you trying to remember what the womb was like?  You loved it in there...but you were really gray and now you're really yellow."

"Little Des is excited about getting to poke other girls.  He's just worried about his baby acne, but I told him that other baby girls had baby acne, too."

"Do you wanna poop again?  You could go ahead and poop.  Just like this (Billy grunts)."

"(Desmond starts crying) Des, you sound like a baby girl crying!"

"Des, if you don't cry, they could see how manly you are."

My mom to Desmond after I complained about breastfeeding:
"You just gotta tell her, baby: 'Those boobies are mine now, mama.'"

Bye, everyone!