One month with Baby Declan

Being pregnant for 9 months felt like a really long time to me, but as soon as our baby arrived, time seems to be flying by rather quickly. Perhaps it's the limited sleep that has made these past days feel like one. But as much as
these days have felt so muddled, I have seen how fast my baby has grown from a not so little newborn (Hello 9lb 3oz baby!) to a baby that won't stop growing. I blame it on how much he eats. Seriously, when is this kid not eating? ;)

Although we're still trying to adjust to creating new norms with a baby around, I wouldn't want to go back to the way life was before this baby entered it.  Our baby has brought so much joy into our lives and a new perspective on life and love. His presence has also revealed to me areas that I have yet to improve on, like having grace towards myself when I struggle to help him calm down during nights that he fights sleep, or being more patient, because it's a learning process for both him and me. I have also found new vulnerabilities that I am having to deal with, like being comfortable with a crying baby in public, always checking that I'm not leaking through the nursing pad, and figuring out how to breastfeed in public. But all these changes are worth it, especially because they mean lots of baby cuddles, the cutest facial expressions, and heart melting mannerisms and noises.

There is so much I want to remember from this first month, but I narrowed it down to these 12 things:

- The way he sleeps on my chest with one arm under his chin and the other behind his head

- How he grunts so loudly while stretching

- The way he rounds his lips when he's about to have a bowel movement

- How his noises can sometimes resemble animal noises, like an elephant, tiger, or dinosaur

- The way he sleeps with his hands in the air, if he's laying on his back

- How he holds himself up on my chest, while I'm sitting, so he can observe what's going on around

- The way he eats, sometimes covering his face and other times resting his arm on my arm

- How he loves to be held just about all the time

- The way his reflexes remind me of an Italian man, because his arms can be so expressive

- How his smile melts my heart every time

- The way his hair gets super curly after he takes a bath

- How a little line of dried milk can sometimes be seen outlining his lower lip

I'm so in love with this baby boy and I still can't believe I get to be his mamma. Even though I feel a sense of sadness that one month has already passed, I'm excited to see how he develops during month two. :)