1 Month Old

Today is Brighton's 1 month birthday. Wow. Here are some things I've learned about him.

• He has been lifting his head up since he was about a week old.
• He has gone from nursing with a nipple shield to not using one.
• He has gone from nursing for an hour to an average of 30 minutes.
• He poops when he is eating and only then...
• He eats about every 4 hours.
  
• He likes to cuddle in bed and sleeps longer when he is sleeping with me.
• He really enjoys baths. He seems to really like the warm water and just looks around while relaxing.
• He will take a bottle from Jere.
• He could take or leave his pacifier.
• When all of his "issues" are solved he sits and just looks around.
• He was born with hair and although it seems like it thinned out a little bit, there's still quite a bit there. I love his hair.
• He sleeps on his side in the bassinet but will sleep on his back too. He does not like sleeping on his tummy on his own but will do it if he's sleeping on my chest.
  
• He has had a couple sessions of "tummy time" and will stand it for a little bit.
• He gets really warm if he is wearing more than just a wunzie.
• He has a really nice grip with his hands AND toes. Jere always puts his finger under Brighton's toes and loves to see him wrap them around it.
• He is a skinny little boy. While he is getting bigger and gaining weight, it seems that he is just getting longer.
  
• He is an awesome eater. At one week old he was past his birth weight (7lb 4oz). At two weeks old he was 1 lb over his birth weight. Normally babies are back to their birth weight at two weeks old. Now he weighs about 9.5 lbs.
  
• Bouncing him up and down while holding him under his arms helps his tummy to release gas.
• When I am bouncing him he pushes off with his legs.
• He liked to be swaddled with his arms tight until about 2 weeks. After that he still liked to be cuddled with a blanket but his arms need to be free.
• When he eats, he likes his hands to be by his face usually balled up next to his cheeks.
• When he sleeps, his arms are either over his face, straight above his head or balled up next to his cheeks.
• His cord stump fell off the day before he turned two weeks old and he has an inny belly button.
• He gets gunk in his eyes and although it was really bad at first, sometimes he does have normal tears.
• We can't tell who he looks like - me or Jere. He seems to be a good mix.
• Dirty diapers don't seem to bother him.
• When he first starts nursing, he makes a sound like he's attacking his food.
• His first trip to church on a Sunday was when he was 3.5 weeks old.
• He has a really good set of lungs and knows how to use them. There are about four different levels of his cry and the highest one is pretty amazing.
• When he is crying and I pick him up while shushing in his ear, he calms down really quickly.
• I left him with my sister Rachel for 30 minutes at 4 weeks 2 days when I went to pick up Jere from school. That was a big step!
• He went on his first date night with us at 4 weeks 1 day old to Jason's Deli and Gage Park.
  
• He makes the cutest little sounds after burping. It's kind of a plaintive little sound like "wa" (while his lips quiver) and then another one shortly after. It seems to be his way of saying how much his belly hurt.
• He likes movement when he is sleeping although he doesn't HAVE to have it to fall asleep. (car rides & stroller rides)
• Anytime I am out shopping, people comment on what a beautiful baby he is, how clear his skin is and how perfect his little features are. He truly is a wonderful baby and a precious gift from God.

He spits up. All over the place.