Dear Edie,

Today you are one month old. Your favorite thing to do is eat, but you also love to slap yourself in the face, take baths, and bounce on the exercise ball. You hate getting dressed, waiting longer than 30 seconds for dinner, and being moved while sleeping. You are turning into quite the bruiser and weighed in at 9lbs and 4oz at your one month check up this week. You'd also grown over 2 inches since birth and are now 22 1/2 inches long (95th percentile! You must take after your Dad). Neither of us were surprised by your growth as you tend to eat at least 5 more ounces of food per day than what our baby book says is average for your size.

I try to spend some time every day with you naked (you are naked, not me) on your blankets (and a towel under your rump) and you stare up at me wide eyed and excited while I peddle your legs and rub you down with lotion. Your Dad likes to spend a few minutes of tummy time with you in the evenings and you are very focused on your blanket while kicking your frog legs and trying to twist your head left and right. I walk you in your Ergo carrier every day (sometimes 3 or 4 times a day) and while you whimper while being strapped in, you always fall asleep within a few blocks of the house, wheezing and snorting to the pattern of my steps. One of my favorite things is when you're soundly sleeping and you take a deep breath and let it out in a big, dramatic sigh.

You've acquired many nicknames from your father, but my favorites are The Moody Burrito (because wrapped in your swaddle, you look like a burrito. And you are moody.) and The Little Beast. He refers to your bassinet as your cage ("I put The Little Beast down in her cage for a nap.") and when you make your hungry faces, he asks you, "Is it feeding time at the Zoo?" We also call you Toots sometimes as you have proven to be a champion farter. You also burp like an old man who just polished off a brewski and very few things crack us up more than when you burp and fart at the same time.

We are both convinced that you are going to be a fiercely independent girl and I've been told by my Mother that the same was obvious of me as a baby. We are anxiously awaiting your first smile and I'm not sure who is more looking forward to you holding your own head up for more than a few seconds at a time - you or us. Sometimes you tire us out with your occasional bed time crying jags, but as I said to your Dad the other night while you were winding up for a cry, "This is hard now, but before we know it, she'll be two and we'll be walking on the beach at Orcas holding hands with her; flipping over rocks to find crabs together."

I remember that the pediatrician at the hospital came to check you out before we could be discharged and bring you home. When we asked her if everything was okay, all she said was, "She's perfect". Maybe she says that to every couple, but it certainly is true with you.

xoxo,

Mom