One Month

Charlie is one month old today. The past month has been a complete blur. Time becomes this strange thing...the days can sometimes seem long but then POOF! A week has passed. And now an entire month! It's shocking.

Charlie has been the greatest baby! I almost hesitate to write this down for anyone to read out of pure fear I'm going to jinx our good luck. Pretty much from the moment we brought him home from the hospital, he's been sleeping through the night. Well, sleeping in 3-4 (and even the rare 5) hour blocks and just waking up for a meal. He seems to understand day vs. night and I couldn't be more thankful for that. I have a new found respect for parents that have babies that don't sleep well at night. I realize our situation could change up anytime Charlie feels like shaking things up a bit but for now, we're trying to enjoy our good fortune while it lasts. Charlie also eats really well and latched on right out of the gate after he was born. He weighed in at 6lbs. 6oz. at birth, was 6lbs. 1oz. when we left the hospital and as of last Thursday he was a whopping 8lbs. even! He's a really even-tempered little guy and only cries when he actually needs something. Sometimes he'll cry for a spell and we'll think "what the heck is wrong with this little guy???" and then he'll poop or burp or fall asleep.

He's awake and alert quite a bit during the day and I love hanging out with him on my lap after feedings and just staring at each other. He smiles a lot and I know everyone assumes it's gas pains but I'm pretty sure he's actually smiling sometimes. His gummy little smile is one of my favorite things ever. He likes to kick his legs and the past week he's started cooing and making sounds other than cries, toots and burps which we love. He hates being on his tummy and seems to protest by face planting on the blanket and refusing to lift his head up.

Steve and I are hanging in there and figuring this parenting thing out as we go. We get lots of support and help from our friends and families and that makes all the difference. Steve is so amazing...he's such a great dad! Charlie loves him so much. Our latest overnight plan of attack is I get up with Charlie to feed him and then I wake up Steve when I'm done so he can rock Charlie to sleep for a few minutes. Charlie falls asleep quickly when daddy is holding him. I'm so lucky to have a partner like Steve. I'm a total stress case a lot of the time but Steve keeps a cool head and helps me out when I'm at the end of my rope. Having a baby is hard but I can see how it can help you love your partner even more if you support one another through the tough moments.

Sorry this post is so all over the place...forgive me, I'm sleep deprived so I can't be held accountable. Here are some pictures we love from the past month.