Month 2

Dear Corbin,

You are two months old. You have grown, of course, and put on weight, but what I really notice is how much bigger your hands have gotten. They seem to have grown even more than the rest of your body, and you are getting better at putting them in your mouth on command. You still make strange and funny expressions, but you have also started smiling for real, and every time we see you smile we smile big, goofy smiles back at you. We just can’t help ourselves. Hopefully, we’ll get over that before you start high school; by then, we’ll have so many other ways to embarrass you.

This month, I finally managed to wrap my head around the EASY routine, and that’s helped us (and by, “us,” I mean, “me, your perilously-close-to-anal-retentive mother”). It’s good for everyone that you’ve started napping in your crib, but sometimes I miss the days when we would sit on the couch together and you would sleep while I held you. Your nap times are still wildly inconsistent, and you have days where you simply defy any definition of the word schedule, but any kind of routine is good in my book. Of course, that doesn’t keep us from blowing the heck out of it when we’ve got a special occasion. You made it to your first house party this month (Sarah Davis’ house warming), your first art showing (John Catron’s Paper Quilts at the Pillsbury House Theater), and over to visit Chris Smith’s house for the first time, and each night the whole family got to share in the fun of you being overtired. Your father and I will simply have to get better at inviting people to come over here, so that we stop screwing up any sleep patterns that you’re starting to form.

The weather has grown warm enough that you’re wearing onesies instead of footy pjs, which means that you’ve been sporting much cuter outfits than before. Judging from some of the teenagers I see in the mall, childhood may be the only time in your life that you wear anything that can be considered a cute outfit. That’s fine with me, as long as you can do your own laundry by the time you really get picky about your clothing. My wardrobe has also benefited from the warmer weather. I have been going on walks with you, which may be one reason that I’m now able to fit back into some of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Well, until I eat dinner anyway.

Your grandparents Thorne, and your Aunt Erin and your cousin Charlotte came up to visit this month. It was nice to spend time with them, and to see how big Charlotte has grown. It’s a little bit like having a preview of what you might be like at 10 months. I’ve been very grateful this month for advice from our friends and family who are parents. Sometimes I feel that parenting is the worst kind of on-the-job training, and it’s nice to have people around who can give us advice and encouragement. So just remember: when you’re in high school and you think we’re ruining your life, blame them and not us.

Love,
Mom