Dearest, sweetest Mikey –
I just glanced at you sleeping in your cradle and then glanced at the clock and I realized, one month ago, you were 8 minutes old. 8 minutes! I hadn’t even seen you at that point, but you were getting to know your Daddy. This month has been equal parts challenge and overwhelming joy. I’m not sure who I was before you were born, or even conceived. You are already so full of personality and I feel like you are growing and changing drastically every day. As much as I pray for time to stop, or even just slow down, I am patiently waiting for the next milestones. Here’s a recap of your first month – things we’ve learned about you and things we’ve done:
You are one gassy baby! You burp, pass gas and get the hiccups pretty often and they don’t make you happy. Daddy and I are trying different burping techniques, and one that works is putting you on your belly, on my neck pillow and patting your back between your shoulders. Gassy drops seem to help too.
In the hospital, you hated being naked or changed. Now you tolerate it and sometimes like being naked. Being changed is another story. And you STILL hate baths unless we are scrubbing your back.
Along the same lines, you have a gift for spitting up down my shirt – every. single. time. I could be wearing a turtle neck and you could have eaten 3 hours ago and still lean over and spit up. Again, you’re gifted!
You love snuggling on our chest with your head firmly planted under our chins.
You are not a morning baby, much like your Dad, Uncle and Grandma. The best part of my day is watching you (try) to wake up. You fuss a bit, stretch a bit, fall back asleep, then 10 minutes later you fuss some more, wiggle your eyebrows, open your eyes, then fall back asleep. And oh boy! You make some grumpy faces! I know from the minute you start fussing I have about 20 minutes before you wake up. Just enough time to jump into the shower.
You were born with your eyes wide open and they are pretty much that way today – so alert! You love laying on your play mat watching the flashing lights, or sitting in your vibrating chair mumbling to your ‘friends’ who are hanging in front of your face. Bright colors can keep you entertaining for hours. Like Momma!
You’ve had lots of visitors – grandma and grandpa, Bubbe, Aunt Rachel, Uncle David, cousin Mollie, Siobhan, Miranda and some other friends from church who are helping keep Momma and Dad fed. You’ve enjoyed them all and looked at each of them with a burning curiosity.
We had a rough go of it with breastfeeding, but you have chunked up quite a bit and are a great eater! Not the most patient, but you do your best 
Sometimes we have to pull the bottle away so you can slow down a bit and boy do you get mad! You start moving your arms and legs, and grunting like a pit bull. It’s pretty entertaining. We just imagine you saying you are starving and haven’t eaten in days.
We’ve taken a few short trips out and about – the Fair Oaks Mall to window shop once a week, PetSmart to pick up Charlie, Target with Grandma and most recently, The Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum and Babys R Us with Daddy. You usually sleep through these adventures, but I love how strangers ask how old you are and marvel at your alertness and adorableness. They are right on both points.
Well baby, time for another bottle. Happy 1 month birthday. Life has never been the same or better since you arrived. Can we try for sleeping through the night next month?
Love you,
Momma
