A Month of Sully

My sweet Sullivan,

One month? One month! How the time flew by so fast, I'll never know! What I do know is that you have brought endless amounts of joy into our lives, and we praise God for you every day! You truly are an amazing baby, and your dad and I look forward to seeing the man you will grow up to be.

Each month I'm choosing a prayer focus for you. Even though you are only one month old, I'm asking God to capture your heart early on in your life: that you will fall in love with Jesus and walk on this earth with Him not just in your heart but in your actions and words, too.

My favorite time of the day with you right now is in the morning. Mornings have always been my favorite, and they seem to be yours too. Almost every day, we have a coffee date with worship music and journaling, and I cry at least once because of how abundantly blessed I feel to be your mom.

Your dad is the night owl, therefore rocking bedtime routines. He and I take turns picking out your book, and you love to be read to, especially books with bold pictures. Dad holds you before we lay you down in your bassinet, and you go to sleep so quickly on his chest. Many nights he has taken the first shift so I could sleep. You guys stay up and watch car shows, and I wake up feeling much better!

You have met so many of our favorite people, and you have a good number more to go! Everyone loves you and comments on how handsome you are. In addition to your baby book, we're creating you a visitors' log so that you can see how much you are loved!

Sleep:

You sleep really well, and you've put yourself on somewhat of a schedule. You sleep an average of three hours at a time at night, but you love to be awake during the day. You are a champion power napper as long as the sun is up, and sometimes, I have to put you in the Baby K'Tan to get things done around the house because you love to play. We're going to start Moms on Call next week, and my hope is that it will go smoothly. The thought of you sleeping in your room makes me want to cry but the thought of me sleeping for more than two hours at a time makes me want to cry more.

Eating:

You are definitely your mom and dad's child! You were an expert eater from the minute you were born, and you haven't slowed down since! I am so very thankful that you are a quick eater because those middle of the night feedings could be brutal if you weren't; fortunately, from getting you out of your bassinet through a diaper change to eating and burping, it only takes about thirty minutes total. You listened when you were in the womb when we had chats about how much Mom likes to sleep! 450+ ounces of milk are in our freezer so far, so your dad and visitors can give you bottles; outings are easier too because you can eat on the go! You eat anywhere from one to three ounces at a time when you take a bottle, but I have a feeling you'll be eating much more soon.

Size:

You weighed seven pounds six ounces when you were born, and by the time we left the hospital, you were down to six/fifteen. At your one week check up, you were back up four ounces, and at two weeks, you weighed five ounces over your birth weight. Last night, your dad and I looked at you and realized that whoa! You have grown so much! Your newborn diapers are too small, but the next size up are too big, so right now you look like an old man with high waisted pants. You can still fit into your newborn jammies, but your feet don't quite do the same. Tuesday is your next appointment, and we are guessing that you weigh a good bit over eight pounds.

Loves/Hates:

Content is the word I would use to describe your personality this month. As long as you are fed and changed, you are go-with-the-flow. Mr. Giraffe has become your friend, and Ellie Holcomb's new album Sing seems to be your favorite music. Taking laps around the house with Dad puts you right to sleep, and the mirror on your play mat makes you smile. You're not quite sure about Mom's made up songs, but you pretend to like them anyway. Dad's silly voices make your eyes really wide.

You are a really quiet baby in terms of volume with the exception of riding in the car. Initially, you HATED your seat, but we think you're finally coming around to it because the number of "good" outings we've had has surpassed the "bad." (All outings with you are fun; the driving just wasn't our favorite for a while there.) You also suddenly started hating your Rock 'N Play. Every nap and every night you slept in it like a rock, but one day about a week ago, you started waking up and crying after only a few minutes in it. Fortunately, we also have a non-rocking, flat bassinet that you seem to love now.

Favorite Moments:

This is an impossible task! Your dad and I have so much fun with you no matter what we do; we are believers that the small things are actually the big things, so not all of our favorite memories are big things. The app 1 Second Everyday is my current favorite; each day, we capture a one to two second video of you, and it compiles it into one for us. This has been the best month!

A few highlights:

-Bedtime: Your dad reading "Guess How Much I Love You" on our first night home. Our love for you is only matched by how much God loves you, and we hope you always feel that.

-Snuggles: We decided to spend the first week of your life home with just the three of us. While we are so thankful that family offered to stay, we wanted to get to know you ourselves. It was truly the best week we have ever had!

-Our first outing and diaper disaster: We had to change you twice in a matter of minutes in the parking lot in Tiger Town, but we were laughing so hard at you, it took us an extra long time. We learned our lesson about packing extra diapers and outfits.

-Movie Night: Your dad and I love Halloween and fall, so we decided to see The Rear Window outdoors at the Arboretum one night. We packed your bag and our bag full of snacks and drinks and headed to the event with low expectations. Buddy, we were so proud of you! You slept and snuggled the entire time; Dad and I enjoyed the movie with you!

My sweet boy,

Will you promise to always snuggle with me, even when you've outgrown me? Your dad and I love you so much and look forward to making all of the memories with you!

Love,

Mom