1 Month of Jay Wheeler

Be still my mama's heart, my baby is one month old! How did this happen? When did this happen? Month one of JJ's life was among the most challenging months of my life, but also the most rewarding! I am so in love with this little boy.   

At one month old Jay:

-Has the sweetest disposition. This is certainly inherited from his dad who seems to possess endless kindness and patience. Jay is easily soothed and really only cries if he is hungry. Seriously, I can never think of a time when he has cried more than a couple of minuets after which he wasn't easily soothed by eating (his favorite activity), moving (this boy loves to move), or a quick snuggle with mom. 

-Enjoys the car and his carseat. He sometimes get a little fussy when first getting strapped in, but quickly settles the second we pick up the carseat and is instantly asleep once the car starts moving. Like I said, this kid LOVES moving. It must be all the running I did while I was pregnant--jiggling the poor boy around all the time.

-Weighs a whopping 10+ pounds, which is up a whole 3+ pounds from birth. Each day I discover new rolls throughout his body and his double chin/cheeks increases in size. I have to allot at least 5 extra minuets to each diaper change to allow time for smooches on every single roll! At our last doctor's appointment he was in the 45% for weight and height and the 90% for head circumference. Ha! He must has a lot of brains in the big old head.

-Never spits up and hardly ever burps. As someone who has worked with kids my whole life, this is so strange to me, but I don't mind never having to carry around a burp cloth or change his clothes a million times per day. But what he lacks expelling from the top he certainly makes up expelling from the bottom. Don't be mistaken--his tiny one month old body can certainly make some BIG sounds. He especially likes to display these abilities in quiet settings...like church or when sleeping in the arms of a new friend.

-Goes by a variety of nicknames. He picked up the nickname JJ (as in Justin Jr.) before we could decide on a name. This has really stuck, so I am sure he will be called this forever. Besides that he is called Little J-Dub (with his gramps being Big J-dub), Sweets, Toots, Angle Sweets, Little Mouse, etc. (As you can tell, most of those nicknames come from his mama. Ha!)

-Has a beautiful complexion. Who would have thought I would be envious of my tiny baby's skin? He never really got any baby acne and has a great coloration. He makes his mama weak in the knees!

-Still has a lot of hair (especially at the bottom of the back--mullet much?), but it is lightening up. In the right lighting there seems to be a few flecks of red/auburn on the sides. I guess it will just be a waiting game to see if he ends up a blondie or if we have another redhead on our hands. 

-Is a master eater. This boy loves his milkies. And I mean LOVES his milkies. But I guess that makes sense given his big weight gain. I am so lucky that breastfeeding is going so well! We gave him his first bottle (of pumped breastmilk) at week 4 and he accepted it like a champion. It is so fun for Justin to be able to participate in feeding him--I love watching my boys together! Plus, this means we will be able to leave him with a babysitter before to long! I am itching for some one-on-one time with my sweetheart.

-Has the huskiest little voice. Oh my goodness, I adore all of his sounds! The other day we were all at my parents house and I heard my sister's baby cry from the other room. It was so funny to think "That's not my baby". I could recognize his voice from a mile away.

-Has gotten into a good night sleeping routine. He usually sleeps 2-4 hour stretches throughout the night and goes right back to sleep after gobbling up some milk. At first sleep was a struggle, but after figuring out his days and nights, realizing that he ALWAYS needs to be swaddled for sleeping, and adding a noise maker, sleeping has gotten a lot better. Next on the agenda is transitioning him to his own crib in his own room.

-Enjoys doing chores with mama in her Moby wrap, reading Harry Potter (gotta get those 30,000 words in somehow...), visiting his grandparents and cousin Gideon, listening to Christmas music, tummy time, and especially when daddy gets home from work. 

-Has his daddy's nose, full lips, and sweet personality. He certainly has blue eyes but we are trying to figure out if they are his mama's dark blue or his daddy's crystal blue. He didn't get much from his mama (that we can identify at this point anyways) besides her patience. Or should I say lack thereof. Ha! You have approximately 15 seconds from the time this kid realizes he is hungry to get him some food in his belly or you will HEAR about it. 

-Loves to scare Thule away with his noises, squeaks, and grunts. Frankly, she hates him, but we are working on it. She peed in his carseat (twice) when we first brought him home from the hospital, but with some extra TLC (and bribery with extra wet food treats) she is warming up to him a little. Emphasis on the little... 

My favorite memory from month one with Jay happened just this week. I gave him a smooch on the lips and he got the biggest smile on his face. It was the first time I have seen him smile NOT in his sleeps (aka gas smiles). *swoons*

Being a mama sure is hard work, but I love seeing my little man get stronger and more aware with each passing day. Turns out motherhood is a pretty sweet gig.