Little Buddha

Monday we had to take Topher in for his 4-month vaccinations. Poor little guy, it's hard to watch him get poked and see the pain flood into his features right before he starts screaming. But before the trauma (he only cried for about 30 seconds, by the way), he was stripped down to his diaper and weighed. Normally that would have made him cry, too, just being naked, but since he's gotten chubbier he just loves it. Maybe it reminds him of bath time, his favorite time of the entire day. Any guesses? He was born 6 lbs 11 oz. and now, at 16 weeks old, he weighs 15 lbs 9 oz! He's enormous. The doctor kept saying what a big belly he had and that we had a little Buddha on our hands. And when the doctor said, "Any bigger and we'll have a football player," Topher broke into a huge grin and made us all laugh. Here are a few pics from the doctor's office:

The bigger he gets the stranger I think it is that he grew in me. It's been 16 whole weeks since he was born...I cannot tell you how many people said that this time with Topher would fly by and that if we blinked it would be over. Sometimes it seems like the only advice we ever hear, even though it's not really advice at all. But I disagree. I think those first 12 weeks were the slowest weeks of our lives. And I don't mean that in a negative way, just factual. We feel like he's been here for years already. I'm convinced people say that it goes by so quickly because one day they see their child graduating and they're suddenly without a baby anymore and they can't seem to find a place to put the last 18 years. And yes, on Topher's graduation day I'm sure I will be tempted to say how quickly he grew up, too. In theory, though, everyone's life passes in a flash, but the reality is that each of us survives through some very long days, weeks, and months.

But like I said, things are getting better. Topher still doesn't "do" anything, but he does a lot more than he ever could as a newborn. He can hold his head up, pull my hair, and break into a smile that splits his whole face in half. He sleeps quite a bit, usually 10-11 hours at night and a few random naps during the day. But when he's awake, it's constant work trying to keep him entertained and happy. But since this is my new "job" I have all the time in the world to devote to him. The biggest challenge to me is just feeling unproductive. I like to accomplish specific tasks, and being a mom you end up doing the same things over and over, and nothing is ever really done because it will just need to be done again soon. Plus there's no time limit on this job...no clocking out for lunch, or looking forward to closing time. But on the up-side, I get to live in my PJ's and watch the miracle of a little boy discovering his world. It's a good job. It kills my back, but it's a good job.

--KC