Judah - 1 month

Oh my goodness, Judah, you are 1 month old already! When your sister was born, the first month seemed to crawl by in a haze of no sleep, feeling overwhelmed, and walking a fussy baby. Your first month, however, has gone by so quickly!

Weight: Not exactly sure - probably about 8 lbs. You weighed 7 lbs, 6 oz at about 2 and 1/2 weeks. At your 1 week appointment, they told us that you were already back up to 7 lbs, 2 oz, but we think this was a mistake because at 2 weeks, you were exactly the same weight. I knew you were eating well, and sleeping well, so they asked us to come back in 4 days. You were over your birth weight by 1 oz so we were all happy!

Height: 20 inches (according to our at-home measurements)

Sizes: You are wearing Newborn sizes in everything - both diapers and clothes. You are finally starting to fill them out, though, so it won't be long until we move up!

Comparison pictures:

What you're up to:

- We had snow in your first month! Unbelievably, it snowed on May 3....this has never happened on record in the state of Arkansas.

First snow

- You eat every 3 hours, and have since you were born. You are very good at burping - unlike your sister - so you rarely spit up.

- You are a GREAT sleeper. When we first brought you home, you would sleep in 3-4 hour increments when someone was holding you. This was so nice during the night. Now, you pretty much wake up to eat exactly every 3 hours, whether you're being held or are in your bassinet, but I can see that soon you will be stretching that time a little longer.

- You are rarely fussy. During your first week, you had some gassy spells that made you cry, but even those were nothing too bad. After that first week, you seemed to get some of those digestive issues worked out, and now you are only fussy when you are hungry or getting a diaper change or bath.

Getting love from Uncle Dan and Aunt Janna

- You don't like your bath. You pretty much like to be warm and snuggly all the time, and bath time is not your friend. I have to get the bathroom nice and warm with the heater or you cry the whole time.

- You smiled for the first time last week, on the 23rd. It was just a small smile, but I could tell that it was not just gas. Then, the next day, you grinned such a big grin for ReeRee when she came over. Now you like to give small smiles to anyone who talks to you, but especially your sister. You've also started cooing a little - I adore those baby noises.

- You love Elysen, and she LOVES you. She loves to give you kisses and hugs and pats. She loves to show us your eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hands, feet, etc. She is just so proud of you. She only gets a little jealous when she wants to be playing with someone and they can't play because they are holding you. She calls you "Bubby" or "Brother" or "Judah" and calls herself "Big sister" all the time.

- You hold your head up pretty well and love to look around. You have become very alert in the last week - watching, observing, and taking in your world. Again, you're just so calm and sweet!

My first Mother's Day with 2 babies!

- You have the skinniest legs and hips - they are so cute. Elysen was starting to get chunkier at this age, and you are still looking pretty slim.

- You really like your room. If you do have a bout of fussiness, we can take you in there and walk around or rock (in Elysen's old rocking chair) and you usually settle down within minutes.

- We aren't really sure who you look like. You aren't your daddy's twin like Elysen was at this stage, and you look much more like my baby pictures, but there's definitely a little of both of us in you. I know that you are going to be such a handsome man!

On the way to town for a visit to Chick-fil-A

Oh, my sweet son, you are an AMAZING baby. Everyone who is around you says how calm and sweet you are, and how little you cry. Your Daddy and I can't wait to see your personality develop. Your sister came into this world full of drama and excitement, and she was so fussy for the first few months. You could not be more different - you are cool, collected, and relaxed. I imagine that you're going to be a very laid-back and happy person.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about having a boy - I just didn't know what I'd do without hair bows and dresses. But I was so silly to have been afraid. I felt the most precious bond with you from your first minute of life and I knew that I was going to love being a mom to a boy just as much as I love being a mom to a girl. We are having so much fun with you around. Our family feels so much more complete now that you are here.

I thank God for you each and every day and for the blessing that you are to our family. We love you!