Dear Baby Jack: 1 Month

Dear Baby Jack,

You are one month old (and a few days..)! This means your father and I have completed somewhere in the ballpark of 1 million diaper changes (approximation), 10 million feedings (slight exaggeration), and have almost perfected the baby walk and hip bump that puts you to sleep. We have not been able to decipher what every cry means as the baby books have told us we would, but we definitely know that they mean something along the lines of "I DON'T LIKE IT", so we're halfway there to figuring you out.

Thankfully, everybody was honest when they tell you that "it gets better" after enduring the first few weeks of having a newborn. In general, everything you do isn't super frightening and every noise you make doesn't make us want to rush you to the emergency room. Just those things have made it so much easier to sleep and keep our sanity. You also have decided that you like being asleep for more than an hour which in turn means that everyone is just that much happier. I will tell you that I never could have understood the dread I would feel when at 10 pm you look at me with those eyes that say "I'D LIKE TO SEE THE WORLD FOR TWO OR THREE HOURS STARTING RIGHT NOW, AND YOU WILL BE STAYING UP WITH ME DURING THAT TIME, THANK YOU VERY MUCH." See the photo below for a prime example. Believe it or not I used to try and purposely be awake past 10 o'clock as well, but now it is a victory when I get into bed around that time. 

We knew we were officially parents when we both did a celebratory dance when we finally figured out a way to get rid of your diaper rash. I would equate that feeling with something along the lines of winning the super bowl or lottery. There may have been a series of high fives involved. In case you're curious (you're probably not) the treatment was soaks in the bathtub and using a blow dryer after every diaper change. You enjoyed said blow dryer more than I would have thought possible......

Overall you and I have been taking in quite the gambit of television. Your father has told me multiple times that the DVR has never been as empty as it is now, except for the day we first received it. (In case you read this in the future, a DVR is something you record television shows on so that you can fast forward through commercials. I'm assuming that in the future you will have the same thing but on a TV you watch through glasses in your flying car.) I would also like to apologize for my appearance during all of our late night television watching, and to be honest the daytime as well.... Its a good day when I get to shower and my sweats and t shirts just function better. I will try my best to not spiral out of control and get mom jeans and a fanny pack, no promises.

It has been a whirlwind month, but I think we all are starting to get used to each other. If you could just forget all of the times that we stared at you while you were crying to figure out what you needed we can promise to make your first birthday cake at LEAST two layers.