Three Month Growth Spurt

Dear Jack,

You nursed thirteen times yesterday.

To put it in perspective, you had gone to a mere eight nursing sessions a day. Right now, it's not even ten in the morning and you have nursed five times today.

I think you may be having your three month growth spurt a little early and I couldn't be happier. If you had waited until your actual three month birthday, I would have been at work and would have missed out on the marathon nursing schedule.

Happy Growing!

Love,
Mom

All Good Things...

Dear Jack,

With me going back to work and you headed off to the sitter's each morning starting next week, our days of sitting around the house all day, snuggled in the nursing chair are coming to a close.

But I want you to know that I have thoroughly enjoyed them, and we'll still have the evenings and nights.

Love,
Mom

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Dear Jack,

While it is possible to have too much of a good thing, the warm fuzzy feelings I get when I see you laying on the blanket my Mema crocheted, next to crocheted donuts, wearing crocheted shoes make me think this is not one of those times.

Although a lot of folks might think it is.

Love,
Mom

Sleeping Jack

Dear Jack,

You, asleep, are just about the most adorable thing in the world to me.

Love,
Mom

Swirly Things

Dear Jack,

This is the view out the window of the room I normally sit in to nurse you.

You really have no idea how much time I have spent, looking at you, looking out that window.

Which is why having the swirly things makes me so very happy.

Love,
Mom

Balancing Act

Dear Jack,

I am having a little bit of a hard time right now. You see, I love my job. Teaching Kindergarten is a lot of fun and it's rewarding and I happen to think I'm pretty good at it, and being good at a thing almost always makes it even more enjoyable.

So here we are, the end of July, and I am excited to be starting a new school year. I've been up to the room and looked over the furniture, deciding how to arrange it. I've started contemplating new centers I want to put together in the next few weeks. In short, I have begun to switch gears from being a mom to being a teacher.

That means that you also have to switch gears. You have to go from nursing to bottle feeding, from being held while you sleep to being able to sleep on your own, from being with someone who can spend an hour watching you sleep, or marveling at the cuteness of your toes to being with someone who just likes you a lot.

And I simply cannot help but feel maternal guilt for all of that. Especially since I am excited to be going back to work at the very same time that I am sorry that means you have to go to day care.

I think you are going to like day care. You'll get to be around other babies and kids and the lady I take you to is really good at her job. I've taken you to day care for a couple of half days this week and although you had some trouble taking a bottle that very first day, you did eventually eat and seemed very full and content when I picked you up.

Finally, even though you might, at some level, rather stay at home all day with me, that's not really how I work. All of the cool things I like to do with you and and your sister and all of the fun we're going to have as you get older are a function of me getting out of the house and doing something for other people's kids for part of the day. It leaves me excited for every minute I get to spend with you because I'm not with you all the time.

In short, for me, working at a job I love when I'm away from you makes me a better mother when we're together. That's really why I do it.

Love,
Mom

Not Rocket Science

Dear Jack,

It's not rocket science. It's not even a full roll. But I think purposefully rolling from your back to your side at just over two months is pretty amazing.

Love,
Mom