At the risk of repeating the sentiment of every new parent, this first month has flown by! In most ways it has been such a blur, and it is still hard to believe that the little man is actually here. In other ways, of course, we have all quickly settled into the (still-unpredictable) rhythym of newborn life.
Baby Jack came roaring into the world, catching Rob and I a bit off guard. He was born at 38 weeks, well within the window that we should have reasonably expected him to arrive, but we had mentally prepared to wait on him until well past his due date (like many first-timers). I am so glad that he came when and how he did, though. The nursery wasn't totally finished (it still isn't!), but that was a small trade-off for getting to hold our little man and skip completely over any anxiety about when and how his birth would happen. We are so thankful that everything went so quickly and so smoothly. It was such a lovely way to begin our time as Jackson's parents.
The first two weeks were near-idyllic as Jack expertly stole our hearts and wrapped us around his chubby little fingers. As it turns out, he was endearing himself to us in preparation for the next couple of weeks, which have not gone quite as smoothly. Jack is still a precious little charmer 20 hours out of the day. On most days, though, for three or four hours in the evening we are privy to what the experts refer to as "extreme fussiness." We bounce and shush and swaddle and tag-team our way through those hours and just look forward to the time when our baby won't be quite so inconsolable every night. In just about every other way, though, I wish that I could freeze this sweet time with our little man.
We made it through this last two weeks largely unscathed thanks to the blessing of my mom's presence here with us. Bubbe, as she will now be known, cooked and cleaned and encouraged us and loved on Jack, and we were all four (Molly too) very sad to see her go. Here is Jack enjoying being in Bubbe's arms:
During his first month, our little man has grown quickly. At his four week check-up he weighed in at 10 lbs, 9 oz. and measured 23 inches. There was a three day old baby in the pediatrician's office, and Jack already dwarfed her. It was a bizarre moment to realize that our baby is so big already! Here he is at one week:
And here he is today:
Jack is a very vocal baby. He has a scream so shrill it could break glass, but he also makes the sweetest baby noises, cooing and grunting nearly constantly, whether awake or asleep. He also purrs with contentment- really, really loudly- when he is snoozing, especially if he is being worn by Rob or I. He is awake and alert more and more often now, and he loves being talked to, sung to, and looking at toys and faces.
We are so thankful for our sweet little man and have loved this first month together!
Oh, my, what a sweet little thing, though I can see that he is growing! I've been looking at videos recently of Brennan's first days and weeks. It's so sweet to look back at what he was like as an infant, and almost heartbreaking, too, to realize that you can never go back; you just have to enjoy each moment. That first baby is so special. Sometimes enjoying the moment is hard, but I assure you, the evening fussiness will one day be a distant memory, and he will eventually pass out at 6 or 7PM for the night! I'm so glad you all are enjoying Jack so much and trying to savor each moment, even the hard ones. Ya'll are doing great!
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