One month

Dear Callum,

Today you are one month old. It has been a fantastic month. As every new parent says, it is simultaneously shocking that it's already been a month and amazing to think we ever had a life without you. Though I will say that I very much can remember what life was like before you. It just feels like it was a long time ago.


You are an incredibly calm and laid-back baby. You have slept well from the start, waking up only every four hours at night to eat. You sleep peacefully in your crib, in the car, in your stroller, in your swing, in the Moby, and in our arms. We have tried really hard not to get complacent about this, and keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and you to stop sleeping entirely and become fussy. So far, this hasn't happened. Your dad especially has been waiting for this day, because he asked the pediatrician in the hospital when we would know if you were going to turn out to be a fussy baby, and she said that if you weren't fussy by a month, you likely never would be. God, I hope she's right.


In the past month you have become very alert. By now you stay awake for long stretches, not because you're hungry or uncomfortable but just because you are checking things out. You are captivated by your toys, and in the past week or so you have started being interested in not just black and white things, but colorful toys as well. You can spend 45 minutes or more just watching a toy as we shake it, squeak it, and move it around in front of you.


When we smile at you, sometimes you smile back, though not consistently. This may just be a reflex, since sometimes you also copy our faces when we raise our eyebrows or stick out our tongues at you, but that doesn't make it any less adorable. We still haven't managed to get a photo of your full-on smile, but last night I did manage to snap the tail end of a grin.


You are incredibly strong. Doctors and nurses have been commenting on this since day 1, and it's only become more and more apparent over time. Your arm strength is particularly striking, especially when we are getting you dressed and trying to maneuver the sleeves. Your neck strength is also quite noticeable, and not just during tummy time--whenever we hold you on our chests, you lift your head and look around for many seconds at a time.


I know you're only a month old and therefore it's a little early to tell, but it seems like you are just head over heels for your dad already. Everyone says you look like him, and it looks like you're a huge fan of him as well. You are totally captivated by him and can stare at him for ages. When you're crying he can calm you down just by picking you up or talking to you. You respond instantaneously to the sound of his voice, and you can sleep peacefully on his chest for hours. I could just die of combined happiness and cuteness whenever I watch the two of you together.


You are a champion eater, and you're growing accordingly. We last weighed you at the pediatrician's office last week, on your three-week birthday. At the time you were 9 pounds, 3.5 ounces, which put you in the 52nd percentile for weight. By now I'm guessing that you're over nine and a half pounds, which would keep you in a similar percentile. At this point you are finally starting to grow into your 0-3 month outfits. I have been waiting for this, because you have a whole drawer of adorable 0-3 clothing, and I am very much looking forward to dressing you in all of it. You are going to be one very well-dressed child.


Montana is the only one of us who is still undecided about you. Recently she has started acting a little concerned when you cry, and she sniffs you occasionally, but for the most part she just ignores you. Or when she hears us talking to you, she noses herself in the way and starts pawing at us to pay attention to her instead of you. But I'm pretty sure her main thought process at this point is something along the lines of, "If I lie near the baby but face the other way, then I can guard him while also pretending he isn't there."


We, on the other hand, are the very opposite of undecided about you. You are pretty much the best thing to ever happen to us. We can't get over how amazing and adorable we find you, no matter what you're doing. I'm incredibly glad to be sharing this experience with someone who's as invested as I am, because I don't think anyone else would be as interested in talking about every little thing that you do. To us, you are the most fascinating thing in existence.


We are so glad to have you in our family.

Love,
Mama