{Elijah - 1 Month} | The Paul + Charity Show

Elijah James, You are one month old today!

I can hardly believe it. Your first two weeks of life moved slowly - mostly because of your mama and papa's lack of sleep. These last two weeks, as we slowly found more of a routine, have gone by quickly.

Papa says you look just like me, but I'm not sold on that yet. I think you look just like baby squish - cute and lovey. I do catch glimpses of your Auntie Destiny and your cousin Eleanor from time to time, so there must be some of me in you!

Your first month of life has been all about us getting to know you. What your cries mean, how to get you to sleep, and what brings you comfort. For a while you seemed to only have two cries; when you were cold and when you were hungry. Now we are experiencing a cry when your tummy is upset. And, you have a general cranky cry that seems to come on around 4pm every afternoon. You're not quite hungry, you're tired but won't sleep, you don't always want your binky. You just want to fuss. I won't lie, this tends to be mama's hardest part of the day. Papa is still a couple hours from getting home and I'm exhausted. But, we're figuring it out.

You've had lots of visitors your first month Elijah! Our friends and community (now yours) delight in seeing you. Everyone coos over that full head of hair you have. It really is quite marvelous. We coo over it too! You came out of the womb already in need of a haircut! Your papa and I have tried to get out of the house on a regular basis. We have walked you all around Ballard and have already taken you to several restaurants. You love being in you car seat as long as you're moving. You sleep well there, so that has been one way I calm you down in the late afternoons. We go for a walk. Thankfully Spring came early, and we have had beautiful days to enjoy outside.

Your awake time has increased so much since your first two weeks. We don't have to drag you out of your newborn coma! During the day time, after you've eaten, we like to put you on your activity mat. You lay there and stare at the stuffed animals that hang from it. You kick, kick kick and try to grab the animals. It is pretty cute!

You're a strong little man! Your papa loves to brag about your accomplishments. For instance, you neck muscles are out of this world! You'll be doing your tummy time on us and you lift that head up and just look all around. It is amazing! You also have a death grip, so watch out if something gets in that hand of yours. Often it is my shirt, or a pair of glasses. Elijah, you have the best facial expressions! It will be so fun to see which ones you keep and which ones are just coincidence as you start gaining control of your motor skills. You also make some great noises! Sometimes you make a noise, that sounds like a word that totally fits with the situation. We like to think you're advanced for your age!

During your first two weeks, you lost 7% of your birth weight (14oz), which as new parents, was a bit scary. At your 3 week weight check, you were 9lbs, 10oz which is up 8oz from your birth weight. This was wonderful news for mama and papa! You seem to be a good sleeper! During the evenings your stretches go from 2 hours to 4.5 hours. During the day they are a bit shorter, 30 minutes to 2 hours. You love to eat and I imagine you'll be our little chunk in no time!

During your first month you also had your circumcision done. You handled the procedure like a champ, recovered well, and didn't seem bothered at all. This was much harder for your mama. I was so anxious before and during the procedure, but thankful that it went smoothly.

We've already established lots of nicknames for you. Most frequently we call you Elijah Bear, Lijah Bear, Buster Brown, and Buster Bronco.

During your second month of life, we think you are looking forward to: your Auntie Destiny and cousin Eleanor visiting, your first Easter, and your grandma Robin visiting.

Here are some photos from your first month of life. It is so crazy to see the difference in just 4 weeks!