I can hardly believe it's been one month of Jack already! To celebrate, we headed to Magnolia Bakery for a cupcake. While we were there, an older gentleman was passing by on the street. When he saw us in the window holding Jack he stopped and looked at us and gave us a nod of blessing. He passed back by while we were still there and came inside to talk to us for a moment. Among the many nice things he said, he told us that this was our time to hold him, that this was a time we'd never forget. He said his son was now 27 years old, but that the moment he was born felt like it had just happened that morning. He said "God bless you" and went on...I sat with tears in my eyes. Such a sweet, sweet moment for us!
Everyone says it goes by fast and I now fully understand that statement. While I know each phase will only get better as Jack grows and shows us more of who he is each day, there is a small part of me that wants him to stay a newborn just a little longer. While I attempt to hold onto that idea, here are a few thoughts from our first month together...
*I feel really blessed that breastfeeding has been going so well. Jack and I seemed to figure it out pretty easily together. It is a pretty amazing thing women are built to do. It is also a pretty amazing commitment too. Thank goodness our bodies burn extra calories during this time because sitting for 8+ hours/day could do a number on your body otherwise. I'm learning how to do many things one handed (blogging for example). And I've taken my mom's advice to not let it interrupt life, Jack and I go everywhere we feel like and a feeding fits in wherever we are at the moment.
*Having a stroller in the city is like having a car again. It comes complete with 2 cup holders (a personal favorite), a glove box for those immediate essentials, a second seat for your bag, and a trunk for all those other necessities you collect along the way. I love it!
*Jack has the cutest wake up face. He stretches his arms up over his head, arches his back, purses his lips with his eyes closed...one of the many favorite parts of my day.
*Every day we are learning what makes Jack happy. We each have our own tricks too, Alan singing "Hey Jude," a cuddle with Jenny, the infamous "butt pat," or anything else that keeps him moving and lulls him to sleep (can you tell he's a New Yorker?).
*A friend told us that a baby that looks up at what's above them has been shown to be a more intelligent child...well, Jack is a genius then:)
*Jack has 2 favorite spots in the house, his changing table where he can look in the mirror or just stare at his room and the couch in our living room where he stares up at the mirror and frames above it.
*Jack's starting to have an opinion about what's going on around him. It's kind of cute really, even if the reaction is to cry. He lets you know what he thinks...just a small taste of what's to come I'm sure.
*I feel a lot of pressure about the amount (and quality) of photos taken of Jack. I realize this seems ridiculous when there's a folder of images of Jack's first month with nearly 900 photos in it, but it's true.
*Riley could not have cared less about Jack when he first arrived. Slowly, but surely he is figuring things out. He definitely knows when he's being left out and finds ways to remind us he's here (ex. climbing into the lower level of the baby cradle). Recently, he has taken to watching over Jack a little more. If Jack is crying, Riley will go sit next to him as if to let me know where I need to be too.
*Almost daily I have a moment where I'm looking at Jack and the realization that he's mine overwhelms me. It's such an amazing feeling really. All my life I've wanted to be a mom and experience this very thing and now that he's here I still find myself amazed that it's happening. I suppose there will be many more of these moments for months/years to come.
There are so many other things I could write, but that's all for now.
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