1st month

  Well Baby A is already a month old! How the time has passed so quickly, I'm not even sure. The days pass by in a split second it seems. Often I ask D what date it is and I am surprised that 5 days went by without me noticing. Our time has been filled with baby coos, small milestones, and cuddling. They have also been filled with sleepless nights, explosive diapers, cluster feedings, and gas pain cries. Even with the not so fun stuff, I thoroughly enjoy being this little guys mom. It's still strange to me that I have a son and as I sit here with him on my chest asleep, I  have to praise the Lord that he is on this Earth. So how did D and I get through the first month? I'm not exactly sure but we have certainly learned a lot.

  Baby A's days are pretty newborn standard. He eats, he sleeps, he definitely poops plenty. D and I have learned so much about taking care of  Baby A. Here's what we have learned so far:

 1. It takes two: how taking care of one little tiny baby takes more than 1 set of hands, I will never know. I do know that I am extremely thankful that D is here to help and is amazing at helping. From the time he gets home until his head hits the pillow at night D changes every diaper, helps with dinner, and takes care of me. I am so blessed.

2. A comfortable couch is important: thankfully our couch (even though it's slightly broken) is pretty comfortable. I'm thankful for this because I have a spot on my couch that I'm pretty sure will forever hold my butt imprints due to the constant feedings. D calls it the "Mom command center". That is pretty accurate because I have the remotes lined up, snacks, a pitcher of water, and many more things stock piled in my command center. Breastfeeding is great but takes a lot of time and patience the first few weeks.

3. Allow a few minutes to go by before changing a poopy diaper: I now wait about 5 minutes after hearing the "explosion" before changing Baby A's diapers. We call it the explosion because that is what it sounds like, it's hilarious. This lesson was quickly learned after not waiting long enough and experiencing a few close calls.

4. Learning your baby's cries takes time: I still get confused about what Baby A wants. I'm not kidding when I say I probably overfed (which I'm told is not possible) this poor babe because every time he cried I assumed he was hungry. By the 3rd week of his life he was probably crying to tell me to stop feeding him so much.

5. Swaddles with Velcro are the best invention: I realize not all babies like being swaddled but Baby A does. We received 2 swaddleme blankets and they are by far our favorite. For a couple of weeks I washed them everyday. Baby A is a bit of a heavy wetter and so we would go through both blankets each night. Finally I ordered another, so now we can make it through 2 nights.

6. Baby bath time is the devil: I hate baby bath time, it stresses me out more than anything. D usually gives A his bath. I help a little but usually stay out of the room. I'm getting better as he gets bigger but sheesh it makes me nervous.

7. Don't give up on the baby swing: For weeks D and I assumed Baby A didn't like his swing. We would put him in and turn it to speed 1 or 2. Baby A would not be content. Finally someone told us to try the highest setting, so we did. Speed 6 with ocean noises was the answer. Baby A zooms through the air (not really) and sleeps soundly with this combination. Unfortunately, the ocean noises put me to sleep as well.

8. It's all trial and error: I can't tell you all the things we have ended up purchasing since Baby A's arrival. What we thought we would "need" and what we actually need ended up being completely different. We have 5 different brands of pacifiers, 2 different brands of bottles, 5 different brands of swaddling blankets, 2 different brands of disposable diapers, who knows how many different brands of cloth diapers, and so on. But it takes experience to know what works and what you and baby will like. Fortunately, Baby A either really likes something and doesn't care what brand or he doesn't like it at all no matter the brand.

9. Find some good TV shows and movies: Going back to those first few weeks of breastfeeding and comfort nursing, I have now watched full seasons of TV shows. I know more than I should about historical military weapons from Pawn Stars and relived high school drama through Degrassi.

10. Invest in some ear plugs for tummy time: Everyday we do tummy time with Baby A. We call it torture time and say that our house turns into a baby torture factory. I'm sure this is what our neighbors think because Baby A hates tummy time. He gets so mad when on his belly. But it has paid off because he can now hold his head up on his own for a minute.

  We have learned so much these past 4 weeks but yet we still have so much more to learn. Baby A teaches us something new everyday. He has certainly taught me patience, how to survive on little sleep, and that it's possible to love something like nothing else. This little miracle is just that, a miracle. I love him more than I could ever express in words. So thank you my sweet, amazing son for letting me be your mom.

Here are some photos from Baby A's first month of life: