Declan - One Month

Happy one-month, Declan! 

We are so thrilled you're here. You have added so much to our family already, and we love getting to know you.

Especially your big brother. Marshall seems to have a healthy curiosity about you ("Declan's sleeping?" "Declan's waving at me!" "Declan, you're waking up a little bit!") while also continuing to enjoy his usual independent activities and play. He often likes to cover you with a blanket, and we're working on not covering your face. :-)

He likes to hold you and loves holding your hand. Often, he'll call you "Dec." (He also used to say "Ducklin," which was too cute.)

I know this relationship will continue to grow, and I'm excited to see where it goes.

This weekend was Daylight Saving time and at 4:30 in the morning I heard, "Hi, Declan!" and awoke to find Marshall standing next to your co-sleeper in our room. I think he likes you.

Daddy and I like you, too.

(Creepy photo of me, but cute of you!)

You also celebrated your first Halloween! Marshall was a dinosaur, and you were a dinosaur egg.

We won't get "official" measurements until your two-month check up, but my unofficial measure of standing on the scale with and without you suggests that you weigh 11 pounds, 9.6 ounces and are about 24 inches long. Big boy! A little bigger than your brother at this age, but we'll see if that continues. You've already outgrown all your newborn clothes and some 0-3 month clothes. It's a little sad to know I'm packing those items up for the last time, but I also know what fun we have in store for us as you grow up.

Scout seems to feel a lot more sure about you than he did your brother. He walks up to you frequently, snuggles up to us (and you!), and has been much more willing to hang out with the family.

For me, this month has been such a wonder. When you joined us, I had a little trouble because I was in a lot of pain and felt frustrated that I struggled to recover from childbirth, even without a C-section. I have also struggled to balance my time, energy, and attention between you and Marshall and am still (and will likely forever be) working on that.

You seem pretty chill, though. You rarely cry, and we've only heard you get worked up maybe once or twice? You grunt a lot, especially in the early morning hours, and you are LOUD. We have nicknamed you "little goat" because you really sound like one! I'm trying to figure out if there's anything I'm eating that might upset your tummy, but mostly you seem content.

Except during cold diaper changes. :-)

You look quite a lot like your big brother did at your age, but you have dark hair (and you HAVE hair). Although it does seem like your hair might be falling out, so we'll see what happens there. When you open your eyes, you look less like Marshall because your eyes are smaller and more...piercing? Intense?

Nursing is going really great. You eat only on one side at a time, which is new for me, but you also eat more frequently--every hour and a half or two hours, I'd say. At night you'll go three hours. And so far, your spit up is WAY less intense than Marshall's! There's still some, but it's super manageable.

 You sleep a LOT. I usually get a long nap from you in the morning and then several catnaps throughout the day. You seem to love the Baby K'Tan wrap, and so do I. You're so snug and cozy in there and will sleep soundly while I run errands or bring Marshall in to day care. I love this snuggly newborn time, and sometimes I'll just chill on the couch holding you.

I also love when you're awake! At home, we lay out on a mat, read a book or two, talk, sing, and dance. You have recently discovered the "witching hour" in the evening and tend to be pretty fussy from 4 pm until 7 or so. It's a tough few hours, because Marshall is getting home from school, you're upset and difficult to appease, we're trying to throw together dinner, and we have to get Marshall to bed. But we're finding our rhythm, and you're finding yours.

The best part of this month has been seeing your first smiles! We kept telling ourselves they weren't the real deal, because it's still pretty early, but now we know for sure those are social smiles! It's such a beautiful sight. You really light up and seem so happy. You also have really great head control and seem eager to look around. I can't wait to see more of your personality and skills emerge!

Overall, we're just so happy to have you here, little boy. You are calm, alert, and certainly a joy to snuggle. Every day with you has been absolutely wonderful, and I'm already excited for month two! We love you, Declan!