Two Month Old Letter

Dear Gabriel,

Today you are 2 months old. You have changed so much since that moment when the doctor placed you on my chest.

At 7 pounds 11 ounces, you were much smaller than I expected you to be…possibly because you came 9 days before your due date. I did not complain about your timing or your size because I was really ready for you to be born. And I really was worried about a large baby leading to c-section. Since that day, your chicken legs have developed into fat baby thighs, and your sweet little face now has the start of chubby cheeks.

You’re growing so fast. You eat a lot! We got off to a pretty rough start with breastfeeding because you were tongue-tied, and I didn’t know it. After we got that fixed when you were about 3 weeks old, things started to improve. And now, thank goodness, you nurse just fine.

I started trying to get you to sleep in your crib, but you’re not a very big fan of that idea. Sometimes you’ll sleep in there for an hour or so, but then you cry until I come get you. Mostly, you sleep in the bed with me right now. I don’t want this to last very long, but it’s the only way I’ve found so far that we can both get sleep. And now that you’ll sleep next to me instead of on my chest, it’s not so bad. Of course, your dad is sleeping on the couch, so we’re going to have to get you into your own bed sometime soon.

You make a lot of noises. You grunt and squeak a lot…so much that one of your nicknames is Grunty McSqueakers. In the past couple of weeks, you’ve started cooing as well. Sometimes we have little conversations wherein I speak English and you coo back at me. You’ve also begun to smile. I love when you smile at me, though I am as yet unsure whether it is purposeful smiling or just happenstance. It’s incredibly cute either way.

Having you in my life is amazing. It’s still a miracle that your daddy and I made you from scratch, that I carried you in my body while you grew, and that you’re here. I love you so much. I can’t wait to meet the person you grow up to be.

Love,

mommy

Baby Longhorn

Gabriel really has no other choice than to be a Texas Longhorn fan!

G with his Aunt Jordan, Cousin Will,
and Will's other cousin Emma.

G in his jersey.

Born a Horn. That says it all.

The First Few Weeks

These pictures were taken within the first couple of weeks at home.

At G's 2 week well-check appointment, he was:
weight: 7 pounds 14 ounces (20%)
height: 20 3/4 inches (50%)
head circ: 37 cm (50%)

G's first bath at home.

At either this bath or the next one, Mommy got seriously peed on.

Just 4 days old. 

My boys. :)

Eight days old. And Mommy still hasn't gotten the courage to
trim those sharp fingernails.

One-week Photos

These photos were taken by Justin's sister Joanah. Thank you, Joanah!

First Photos

These are some of the first pictures of our Monkey.

At G's 3 day weight check, he was:
weight: 6 pounds 15 ounces (20%)
height: 20 inches (55%)
head circ: 36 cm (50%)

Gabriel's first picture. Taken when he was just minutes old.

Grammaw holding Gabriel while he was still in the NICU.

Grandpa and Gabriel after he moved down to our room.

Taken on our way home from the hospital.
Gabriel's cheeks are a little scratched up from his long nails.

Random Photos

I think all of these pictures are from the first month or so.

At G's 1 month well-check appointment, he was:
weight: 9 pounds 10 ounces (45%)
height: 21 1/2 inches (50%)
head circ: 38.1 cm (50%)

I love this picture.

Chillin' with Dad.

First stroller ride.
In a stroller that was a little too big.

 

Welcome

We've started this blog to share pictures and milestones in the life of Gabriel Copland Rojo (whom we affectionately refer to as "Monkey").

Gabriel was born on June 17, 2011 at 2:20 am. He weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long. Because of a fever mom had during delivery, Gabriel spent his first 12 hours in the NICU to make sure he did not have any infections. Luckily, there were no other signs of infection, and he was able to move into the regular hospital room with mom and dad after those first 12 hours. The rest of the hospital stay was pretty uneventful, and our little family went home two days later.

And the rest of the story is being written as we go...