Here we go again...

Dear Nicky,

So back we went again this morning, to good ol' Stepping Stones. The commute wasn't so bad, all things considered. You didn't mind; you fell asleep fast in your comfortable new carseat. You did well in PT. One of your classmates, Katie, just started to crawl. She's two months older than you. They put the two of you into a fabric tunnel. She crawled over to you and patted your head gently. Pretty cute. You were a little fractious in speech, but it was probably a combination of teething and hunger. You ate two solids, pear and sweet potato. Afterward, since you had just eaten two solids, we just left instead of having our usual bottle of formula. Back home, you ate well, then took a good nap and woke up just in time for more PT with Tim. He always gives you a good workout. Then bottle, then reading, then meat and veggie and fruit, then bottle, then sleep. Just eight days ago you were in the hospital in great discomfort, now here you are, llike it never happened.

Love,
Dad

Forgetful ol' Dad...

Dear Nicky,

Sorry, pal, but I once again forgot to plug in my laptop to charge my battery, so I don't have much time to write anything tonight. Not much to say, except you're a great kid and we had a great day together as usual. Tomorrow, we may or may not go to Stepping Stones because it's supposed to snow, and the slightest bit of snow on the ground makes drivers in Jersey go insane. They can't drive to begin with, and then the snow makes 'em even worse. There's little reward in the two of us sitting in over an hour's worth of traffic for a few minutes of actual hands-on therapy. So we'll see how it goes. I can feel those little teeth coming in more and more every day, by the way.

Love,
Dad

Fried chicken...

Dear Nicky,

We broke in your new car seat today when we took a ride out to Granny's house. It looks like a very comfortable seat, although it doesn't have a canopy or any way to hang stuff over it for you to play with. I would've have like to find one like that, but because you're getting so big, we needed one that can face backward and forward...I don't know, this stuff doesn't make a lot of sense to me either. Basically, the seat's pretty nice, so let's just leave it at that. So we went to Granny's house way out in the wilds of Jersey. Your grandparents were delighted to see you, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over how big you're getting, how well you're sitting, how well you're rolling etc. Uncle Jonny came over, and he marveled at you also. Granny made fried chicken just for me. I really appreciated it. It took some work, and some pieces were a little undercooked, but I liked it just fine. She also gave us some to take home and I'll be eating some tomorrow, probably for lunch. You fell asleep on the way home. When you woke we tried to give some solids, but you only wanted the bottle. You pounded an eight-ouncer and fell asleep the minute your head touched the mattress. Guess you got a lot of stimulation out there, always a good thing.

Love,
Dad

New car seat...

Dear Nicky,

On weekends, Mom usually lets me sleep a little later while she gets up and takes care of you. But apparently this morning you were a little fussier than normal, probably due to your teething, and you gave her a hard time about taking your bottle, and you were quite unhappy in general. Like any good mommy, Mom doesn't like to see you upset, and sometimes she blames herself for not being a better mother, for not being able to feed you better. I tell her that's silly, that she's the best mom a little kid could have, but I need you to help her see that too, okay? So be good and don't scare Mom and eat well so she feels better. In other news, I went to Target this afternoon (yet again) and got a new car seat, since you've outgrown your other one. This one can face forward and back, so we can get longer use out of it, and looks very comfortable as well. However, despite being touted as easy to install, I thought the written instructions were very poorly worded and illustrated. Mostly, because of my impressive prowess with all things technical, I figured it out on my own. Anyhoo, it's in there now and you should be mighty comfy. The only thing is, it's not one of those that snap into a base and that can be removed, so we don't have the convenience of keeping you in a carrier with a handle on it, like the world's cutest sack of potatoes.

Love,
Dad

Bandages come off...

Dear Nicky,

This morning we gave you a nice long bath and soaked you good. It was time to get the bandages and tape off your abdomen and your privates. We were nervous, especially about the tape on the latter, but that came right off. The tape on your belly came off a couple hours later. You're looking really good all around. Well, eventually you will be. I think that doc did an excellent job. Sorry, but I had to apply some antibacterial ointment, and I'll have to do it again. Yesterday, I got us a juicer for the kitchen, and when I wasn't waiting on you hand and foot today, I was juicing, man, juicing. I juiced some apples and oranges in the morning, then some tomatoes, celery, and an apple this afternoon, and this evening when Mom came home, I juiced some strawberries, kiwi, lime, and another apple. Man, that stuff tastes good! I like the taste of fruits and vegetables, but not so much the feel and texture of them. We put you to bed early because at six we tried to give you some beef and carrots. You only took a couple nibbles before you started to cry. Poor kid, you're teething at last, and it must hurt a lot. I gave you 1.5 milliliters of Tylenol with codeine (which the doc prescribed for surgery pain) and you were out in two minutes. You'll eat well tomorrow, I'll see to that.

Love,
Dad

Recuperating right along...

Dear Nicky,

This morning right at nine o'clock, after I had taken out the trash and stuff, I figure I can have myself a bagel before the maid service comes for their biweekly cleaning. Just as my frozen bagel is coming out of the microwave, tap tap tap, there's a knock on the door and there they are. Whenever we need them to be on time, they never are; and when we need them to be late, they never are that, either. Well, I don't like us to be here when they are. Call it white man's guilt or whatever, or maybe I just find their presence overly invasive. Usually we're at Stepping Stones at the time they come, but not today because we're still doggin' it from your surgery on Monday. So I just tossed my bagel and stuff you into your fleece suit and crammed you into your car seat and we bailed. We went to Target to see if I could find you a new car seat since you've outgrown your present one. No luck, didn't see any I liked. Then we came back home. The maids were done and it was time for your lunch. This morning you barely touched your two bottles, but you did have a whole thing of #2 sized pear/pineapple puree, so I guess you were in the mood for solids. For lunch you a big bowl of cereal with more pear in it, then a thing banana after that, and the rest of your bottle after that. You ate well three more times after that, and that made me happy. (Strange the things that make a parent happy, right?) Tomorrow you finally get to take a long bath, and get some of those hospital bandages off. It'll be good to be clean. It'll be good to being one step closer to putting yet another anxious experience behind us.

Love,
Dad

Well on the road to recovery...

Dear Nicky,

Were it not for your very recent and very welcome teething, you'd be almost your old self. The teething makes you irritable, but we're so happy you're finally getting some! We just hung out today, day three without therapists, which could not be helped of course, since you just had some surgery on Monday. Next week is back to the salt mines! Your recuperative powers are remarkable. You took a nice long nap today, and got back to sleep almost by yourself during your usually fussing moment. Everything looks okay down there!

Love,
Dad

Back home again...

Dear Nicky,

It's so good to be home again, isn't it? We stayed overnight at the hospital, so last night's entry was hand written and will need to be imported here eventually. Basically it was an uncomfortable and exhausting night, but everything went well and there were no complications and this morning the docs checked you out and pronounced you fine and dandy. You look like you've been attacked by a lawnmower down there, but Doc Schlussel said it'll pass. I must give you props for your great spirits the whole time, even when you were scared and in pain. Every nurse that came in did a double take at how cute you are. When I tried stretching out and getting some rest around three or four this morning, my sciatica made my right leg jump like a dog being scratched. You're running a little fever, so we gave you some Tylenol with codeine. You're appetite's getting better and better, so we take that as a good sign. Since no one got much rest last night, we hope you get plenty tonight, here in your own home.

Love,
Dad

Back to Columbia...

Dear Nicky,

We hung out today and had a lot of laughs. I feel like you're getting stronger and brighter all the time, and your little-boy laughter is like a shot of pure happiness straight to my heart. Tomorrow we go back to Columbia for yet another corrective procedure. It's supposedly pretty minor, as far as surgery goes, but I mean, there just ain't no such animal as minor surgery, is there? You can't eat after midnight, so you're going to be pretty cranky in the morning, so I'm going to try and feed you now. I couldn't get any evening solids in you, because you again conked out around 4:30, but I got some in your belly earlier. I hope tomorrow goes well and passes quickly.

Love,
Dad

Yesterday, and today...

Dear Nicky,

So I told you yesterday was a busy Friday, but that's all I could tell you because by the time I got around to writing yesterday's journal entry I was too tired to do more than say a couple words. Anyway, let me bring you up to speed. Friday morning you got up kind of early, around 4:30 or so; that's just too early, by the way, but when you work out hard with one of your therapists, you konk out early and wake up early due to hunger. Mom took you out to Livingston yesterday--no, not for Stepping Stones, but she had an appointment with her new OB/GYN. I think I may have told you this already, but if I haven't, here it is: you're going to be a big brother to a baby sister, due in June, who we'll be calling...June. I think you're going to be a fantastic big brother; you are a fountain of love and affection, and I can't wait for you to share some of that with June, who I know is going to adore you as much as we do.

Mom took you with her because I had an appointment for a physical myself. The doc checked me out and found me okay for the most part. I have to go back for a stress test and echo sometime, but scheduling's tight. When I came home you guys had only recently returned. Apparently there was a two-hour delay at the doc's. Mom had a bunch of phone calls to make and manuscripts to read, so I fed you and hung out with for a while, then I went to Target for more Nickyfood. Again you went to sleep early and this time woke up at 3:00 in the morning. I fed you and we finally got you back to sleep, but then I couldn't sleep, so today I was pretty tired. And on top of that, it was just you and me alone, kid. Mom went up to Vermont to visit Aunt Sarah and her new little addition; she'll be back tomorrow afternoon.

Today, you and I hung out and had a lot of laughs. We didn't have to go anywhere, so your schedule was much more relaxed. You ate really well and took a long nap. Then we went out to make a car payment and mail some bills and take a stroll up and down the promenade. You ate again when we came back, napped some more, woke up, played, ate, and now you're down, well fed, and I hope you don't wake up too early tomorrow, because frankly, my darling boy, I'm beat.

Love,
Dad

A busy Friday...

Dear Nicky,

Today was pretty busy and it got off to an especially early start since you decided to wake up around 4:30 or so. Now the day has caught up with me and I've got to go and come back later.

Love,
Dad

Let's wind down...

Dear Nicky,

So hey, I'm writing this about six hours earlier than I usually do. I thought I might try to go to sleep early tonight, right after CSI. (Since you don't know, CSI is a TV show--not some kind of new therapy treatment or something.) So this morning we gave you a bath and headed out to Stepping Stones. You did really well this morning in both therapies, PT and OT. I could tell the therapists were impressed with you. It was easy with the OT, who said she could eat you up; that was a dead giveaway. Then you took an 8 ounce bottle like a champ, then we went to the doc's for a clear-for-surgery exam. Yes, my friend, more work on the horizon for you, I'm afraid. They call it minor, but when is surgery ever minor? Then we came home and I slipped you some puffs in your cereal to start introducing more solid-type textures to you. Kristine your personal OT came over and worked on you, and you did extremely well, which is nice because last week you were quite fussy. I think you were a little embarrassed about it and were trying to make it up to her. Afterward you pounded a bottle and then crashed. You're in your crib now, but who knows how long you'll remain down...?

Love,
Dad

Rainy and windy...

Dear Nicky,

There were floodwatches and wind advisories all over the place today, but since we didn't have to go out, they didn't bother us. Your speech therapist worked on you very well, then you took a nap, woke up, and worked out, etc. You ate very well today, which is a relief because you didn't eat so well yesterday. I played telephone tag with the office girl at the latest doc's office. I finally got her and she faxed over some stuff. Tomorrow, after Stepping Stones, we go back to Doc Mock's for an okay for surgery. Pal, it kills me what we have to put you through. Hopefully it all work out.

Love,
Dad

New record...

Dear Nicky,

You didn't seem too hungry first thing this morning, but I guess we shouldn't worry if sometimes you're just not that hungry. We went to the docs for your monthly Synagis shot. There you were weighed, and we saw that you have broken the twenty-pound mark. Congratulations! You are 20 pounds, 3 ounces. Wow! It looks like you're managing to get enough to eat somehow. So Patty the nurse practitioner checked you out. You impressed her with your charms, so much so that she said you could be some kind of ambassador. Anyway, they told us that there's a mini epidemic of RSV going around, so we're very glad we got that Synagis going on. I fed you as soon as we got home, and you were more in the mood for it. Tim came over and worked you out, then I fed you some more, then you went to sleep, then I fed you some more and put you in your sleep sack and put you down for the night. Good night already!

Love,
Dad

Chilly, and quiet...

Dear Nicky,

Shelby came over this morning for your first DI session. Happily, you took your morning nap beforehand and woke up refreshed shortly before she came over. It went very well and you interacted nicely and played sitting up for an hour straight. Mom and I had talked about going to the shore today, but it was way too cold for that. We just sort of hung out for a while, then we went to Whole Foods up in Edgewater. Whole Foods is a chain of supermarkets that purports to sell the best stuff. I don't know about that, but they're pretty good. Now, this one up in Edgewater today...sheesh. It was crowded with people who seemed rude and ignorant to say the least. We got some stuff and got out of there fast. I couldn't stand it. Later, Stephanie called us to tell us there's no Stepping Stones tomorrow because of a pipe break or something, so we both get a reprieve, yahoo!

Love,
Dad

Getting stronger...

Dear Nicky,

Well, you still don't have any teeth yet, but the rest of you seems to be coming along pretty well. You can stand with some help balancing. You're getting bigger, which has become very obvious since your heart surgery. You respond to peekaboo games, and can find things hidden under cloths and stuff. You look like you're getting ready to crawl, but you're still a little uncoordinated. You are starting to try to get your knees under you, though, and it's getting easier to move you into a four-point position on the floor or on the bed. I think your protective reflex are coming along, too. The other day on the therapy ball I saw you clearly put your hand in back of you a numbwer of times. And you babble, and get angry at us when we can't read your mind.

Love,
Dad

Insanely proud...

Dear Nicky,

Not much went on today. It was cold and rainy all day, so we didn't go anywhere. Mom got us a couple subs. We worked out a little bit, you did pretty well--till you did that protest spit-up thing you're sort of developing. I wish you'd stop that, quite honestly. But despite that, we just think you're the greatest, kid. You're brave, sweet, cute, and a hard worker. We trimmed your bangs just a bit, because they were getting in your eyes. We worried that we made you look goofy, but we needn't have worried. Nothing makes you look bad. I have a couple pix of you on my desktop and I just keep looking at them and marveling. One is you at four months, sitting and laughing in your bouncy chair. The other is from just a couple weeks ago, with your Santa hat on. Both are just amazing, as are you 24/7.

Love,
Dad

What a nice day...

Dear Nicky,

Outside it was awful all day, cold and foggy and damp. Sorry, but I wasn't going to go out into it if I didn't have to. Inside, however, it was Sunny Nick all day long. We did quite a bit of therapy on our own, which worked you out well it seemed. Around noon or so, after watching a Baby Einstein video, which made you sit upright in your bouncy seat the whole time, I put you in your crib, ostensibly for a few minutes so I could have my own lunch. After a minute or two I realized you were pretty quiet, so I checked on you and found you sound asleep. It was beautiful. No fuss, no whining, no exhausting Nicky-go-sleep dances, just you out like a light all by yourself. And you slept like that for about two hours and woke up cheerful as a Scottish earl in a field of bagpipes. We had a lot of laughs, tickling and rolling around and such. And, by golly, you sure seemed to eat a lot today, too. You really are a growing boy!

Love,
Dad

Kinda fussy...

Dear Nicky,

You were a little fussy, a little fractious today. After a short while in PT at SS, you started crying, very rare for you in public. Then, this afternnoon, while your OT came over you were fussing and crying. It's either teething, tiredness, hunger, or growing pains. Who knows, but it sure is tiring. We did have a lot of laughs today. We also were outside for a good long time and got plenty of air and sunshine. That's about it.

Love, Dad

More surgery...

Dear Nicky,

So this morning you were kind of a monster. Since Mom was out of town overnight for work, I had the pprivilege and pleasure of being the first face you saw when you woke up. You took a bottle, rolled around for a while, then made sleepy whines and maybe you slept for a little bit, but not much at all. And you know how you get when you're sleepy and tired. Sheesh! Then you had another bottle, and still you did not sleep. Yet you whined about how sleepy you were! Shelby came and you were good for her, then I gave you some cereal, and I ate some leftover Chinese food while you napped shortly thereafter. Then we got ready and went to see Dr. Shlussel, a new doc who's going to be doing some more stuff to you soon. We drove into englewood, thinking it would be better than driving into Mqnhqttqn; can't really confirm that it wa, since we had to drive so much to get there. It was okay though, and the doc was a very nice guy. So we tentatively set up a time for around a couple weeks from now for some--I hate to say it--more surgery.

Love,
Dad

Just dandy...

Dear Nicky,

You were not up to your usual spectacular standards at SS this morning, which makes me feel bad that we tote your little butt out there an hour in traffic each way, but you were quite sunny during your usual feeding, and there was this Russian grandmother there with her son-in-law, and man, did they go nuts over you, the granny especially, but what I thought was funny was that this tough-looking Russian guy was gushing over you, saying how beautiful you are. Isn't that something? Then on the way home we went to Target and got some koosh balls to give to the OT next time we go out to SS; apparently koosh balls are heard to find. You had a pretty goo nap after lunch, then Tim came over and worked you out fantastically. Afterward we went out and I hope it wasn't too cold, but I don't think it was. We came back, had dinner (I ordered Chinese, you had chicken with carrots), you squawked a little and then you went to sleep. All in all, it was a dandy day.

Love,
Dad

Mild weather...

Dear Nicky,

It was really mild out today, so we went out for a walk and a nap in the sun down on the pier. You were quite active and vocal all day, and you were also your usual sunny self. Later, we practiced a little four-point action, where you're on hands and knees. They say this is the precursor to crawling, so let's hurry it along, shall we? Although with your curiosity, getting even more mobile might be dangerous. Got you some more tri-vites with fluoride, did a bunch of laundry, nothing spectacular going on. You took a brief nap outside, then a longer one after lunch, then after your usual wake-up-and-cry-because-you-want-to-keep-sleeping shtick, you took an even longer nap on me, pinning me to the chair for close to two hours. I had to use my Jedi powers to will myself to sleep so I wouldn't go insane from boredom from just sitting there while you had a nice long nap. I didn't mind, though. I just wish I was more comfortable for you; I have a feeling I'm a little bony.

Love,
Dad

War nerves...

Dear Nicky,

Today we went to look at an open house in New Providence. We didn't like it. So many houses there are tiny and yet insanely expensive, and this one was no different. And these people that are selling these places don't even try to make the house look modern or whatever. The inside of this house looked like 1972 for crying out loud.

Speaking of crying out loud...kid, you're killing us, mostly me. Just a few minutes ago you woke up from a sound sleep in your crib, down for the night--or so we thought, and you started shouting bloody blue murder like you hadn't been fed all week. You had just had close to nine ounces of formula four hours earlier. So I'm rushing around like a clown in an Italian opera hoping to keep you from full-on meltdown, not wanting Mom to get woken, and hoping the neighbors can't hear you, and all the while I'm trying to soothe you while holding you in one hand and trying to put your bottle together with the other. I opened a can of room temperature formula, but apparently that wasn't suitable to your discriminating palate, so I had to warm it up anyway.

After all that fuss, you only took five ounces and were out again like a light. Meanwhile I'm sitting here with my nerves buzzing like I had a Starbuck's triple espresso in the middle of the DMZ during the Vietnam war. I feel like a marathon runner heading toward a mushroom cloud. It's okay though. Mom and I believe that you're going through a real growth spurt, and since your heart's been fixed you've got more energy and need more refueling. That's what we hope it is, anyway. Maybe you're just getting spoiled. (Just kidding, I'm your number one fan.)

Love,
Dad

Interviews...

Dear Nicky,

I forgot to tell you yesterday that we interviewed a potential babysitter for you. Her name was Edna. She was a very nice young girl from Queens, originally from Colombia, who's going to school to become a speech pathologist. Mom called one of her references, who raved about her. Apparently, in the past she took care of triplets, one of whom had autism. So she's battle-tested, that's for sure. Also today, we spoke to a lady who runs a sort of babysitting dispatch service. She came over, along with her eight-year-old son ironically enough, and told us a little bit about her service, which seems pretty cool. If we ever need a sitter, we can just give twelve hours' notice and she provides one from a large pool of them, plus she's registered and bonded. The funny thing is, while the idea of going out and doing stuff sounds appealing, I actually don't see that much fun in doing stuff or going places with out you, my little friend. Maybe the gym or the doctor's office once in a while, but for the most part I like being with you just about all the time. Convenient that I'm you're father, right?

Love,
Dad

Nice job, Big Man...!

Dear Nicky,

This morning we got off to a late start and had to rush a little bit in order to make it to the doc's office for your nine-month checkup. We thought our appointment was for later than it was, so I took a power shower, then we bathed you (because you were funky), then Mom got ready while I got you ready, then we were out there door, all in less than half an hour. Not bad! Mary the nurse took your basics. You weigh 19 pounds, 11 ounces--very respectable, but I was hoping to break 20 pounds since you've been eating so well, and also the last time we got you weighed you were 19 pounds, 4 ounces and that was three weeks ago. We were assured that was a fine gain, though. The really, really great part was your height gain. You are now 28.5 inches long! That's a giant leap in a short time and it puts you in the 75 percentile in terms of height. I was so happy. You're now right about exactly where you should be. Fixing your little heart is really paying off. Doc Mock came in and looked you over and said you look fantastic, you're really doing well, neither too fat nor too skinny, etc, etc. Mary the nurse gave us three cases of formula for free, too, so we made out like bandits on many levels. Then we came home, had lunch, tried to get you to take a nap with little success, ate some more, rolled around...the usual, but we did it with you at a height of 28.5 inches!

Love,
Dad

Therapy homework...?

Dear Nicky,

I tell ya, pal, you do so good in therapy that the therapists are resorting to making stuff up for you to struggle with. Take this morning. You were sitting up so straight and so steady that your outside PT (as opposed to your inhome PT) said let's practice side sitting, you know, where both knees are bent and both feet point in the same direction. And that was more of a challenge, and I don't mind these challenges, and you're always up for a challenge, but darn it if I don't feel like a certain PT has contempt for me because I'm overprotective of you! I'm just kidding, I think. I don't really believe she has contempt for me. I just think she thinks I'm overprotective and nervous about how we all manhandle you. And she's probably right about that. I am overprotective. And I do get nervous a little when I'm doing something new because you're little and I'm big and clumsy and I don't want to dislocate anything valuable. We have you sitting on a thick pad where you can't get hurt if you topple over, and yet I still cluck and flutter over you like a hen, but I'm working on it. She said we should work on your trunk strength as "homework." She obviously doesn't realize the paces we put you through most days, when we're not going to a doctor for this, that, or the other thing.

This morning you didn't really seem to be into therapy anyway, but when Kristine came over this afternoon (after you had a meltdown from waking prematurely from you all too brief nap), you worked out with her brilliantly. She brought this big plastic saucer we call a turkey platter and we sat you in and tilted and swung you all around, and you did some arm support stuff that Kristine found most impressive. She was telling me about this special needs program where they do yoga and pilates for core strength and flexibility. She's a real fountain of information this girl. Plus she thinks you're cute.

Love,
Dad

Speechless...

Dear Nicky,

Shelby your speech therapist didn't show today, and she didn't call, which was very unlike her. For a while we thought she might've been in trouble or something. She called later to explain that because she's switching companies, the Early Intervention bureaucracy requires her to toss all the kids she works with, including you, back to the state so they can be reassigned to a new speech therapist. This is, of course, pretty ridiculous, since all the parents have to do is call their service coordinator (usually an overworked and underpaid social worker) and insist that their current therapist continues with them, which we've done. But until all the paperwork is done being shuffled around, Shelby is forbidden by law to provide treatment to anyone in the Early Intervention program. What a system! Hopefully, this will all be straightened out by your next session. So your routine was thrown off a little today. It's actually probably good that Shelby couldn't make it today, since you got really cranky and sleepy right around the time she would've been working on you. But you're not much a napper yet. We had a lot of laughs. I discovered that if I nibble on your chin you laugh uproariously. It's great to hear. Your laugh is really maturing. Each time it's more "ha ha ha" and less babylike "uh uh uh." I mixed a jar of chicken with a jar of sweat peas and you really seemed to like it, and you took a full bottle after that. Not much else going on.

Love,
Dad

Troupers, two...

Dear Nicky,

We're both a pair of troupers. This morning the weather was lousy. It was rainy and cold and sleeting west of us. These conditions usually translate into lousy driving conditions for us in terms of how long it takes us to get out to Stepping Stones in the morning. Yeah, we got delayed some near our exit, which is a change from the delays we usually face going over the bridge in Newark, but we made it to our destination with time to spare. We're troupers you and I because I could have said the heck with it this morning. Bad weather, long commute...it takes us longer to get there than it does to receive treatment...but I did it anyway and it wasn't so bad after all. And you're a trouper because all these therapists manhandle you and twist and torture you, and you go along with it because you're a trouper too. When we got back, you didn't nap a lot, and you didn't nap at all after Tim your PT worked on you, so now you are super sound asleep, which is great because it's a deep, restorative sleep. Oh, and Mom's a trouper too, because she goes out into the bad weather everyday, and she takes care of both of us.

Love,
Dad

Little eating machine...

Dear Nicky,

You're the sweetest little kid I've ever known. I'm so proud to have you as my son. You might need some help these early days, and I don't know what the future will bring, but I do know we'll face it together. Earlier I took you out of your crib to feed you. You pounded the bottle while still asleep. I just remember thinking how beautiful you are as I lifted your limp, sleeping little body out of bed. Then, you feasted while still asleep, and when you were done you immediately went lax again. I remember thinking how well formed you are, how good looking. Oh, and don't ever think it's just me that thinks so. Mom is insane with love for you. She adores you. She and I both think you're just this wonderful little kid with a big smile to go with his big heart.

Love,
Dad

New Year's Day...!

Dear Nicky,

Happy New Year! Well, today was New Year's Day. We got a call from Yaya and Papou (my folks) to wish us the best for the new year. We got a call from your Aunt Sarah who went into labor (at this time I still don't if she had the baby). I made some pancakes for breakfast and even though some of them turned out a little dark, they were all very tasty. Outside it was gloomy all day. We were kind of bored so we all went to Target. There, I looked for refills for this awesome Sonicare toothbrush Mom got me for Christmas. See, you insert this cartridge containing liquid toothpaste into the brush itself and it squirts out the brush head. I must say it is without doubt the greatest toothbrushing experience I have ever had. But I couldn't find any refills. I also forgot to get diapers, so we'll probably have to go back tomorrow. It'll be less crowded then anyway. You did a ton of rolling today, and you were on your tummy for well over an hour. For dinner you had a combo of chicken and pairs, followed by some sweet peas. Then later a bottle. You sure can eat, little Nick. I hope we're feeding you enough, but not too much. What a tightrope walk this parenting gig is!

Love,
Dad