Letters to Serene: 1 month

My dear Serene Joy,

I can't believe you're already one month old. At the same time, it hardly feels like merely a month because we've been anticipating your joyous arrival ever since we discovered God blessed us with you in my womb. Nevertheless, time has flown by, and since you've been born, God has been teaching us how great His love is for His son. We finally understand just a smidgen more how fierce, encompassing, and sacrificial a parent's love is for a child, which causes us to better comprehend God's great love for us because He gave up Christ for us. God is so kind to us through Christ, and we daily pray that in the years to come, you would know Him for your ultimate joy. This past month has been an steep learning curve for us as new parents (as expected), and despite the hiccups along the way, our love for one another and for you is unconditional, steadfast, and grows ever more by the day. Because of you, your daddy wants to have seven kids like the Von Trapp family. Needless to say, you've made us proud new parents, little love. We're learning that we cannot love you best if we do not first love the Lord and one another.

My sweetheart, we're treasuring every single minute with you since you came into this world. We love snuggling with your cuddly self, talking to you in hopes that you understand us, exclaiming over your beautiful smile, snapping endless pictures of you, laughing at your adorable newborn grunts, and playing with your littleness. Especially with your little feet. We love how you curl your legs up froggy-style; that and your perfectly teeny toes kill us each time. You are a such a sweet newborn; this past first month of life, you have slept soundly through the night in three hour stretches the majority of the time, only waking up to feed from Mommy the Milk Machine and to get changed by Daddy on Diaper Duty (we hope to be more than just that to you someday!). We're slowly adapting to your nighttime schedule even if we teeter around like zombies the rest of the day. I tell people that we're real parents now - we have real(ly dark) bags under our eyes! On the other hand, you're slowly adapting to our daytime schedule by being more alert while the sun is out, but napping well in about two hour stretches nearly anywhere, from your cradle, to my sling, to our bed, and especially in our arms or in the arms of the many admirers who've come to meet you for the first time. You expressed your gratitude to them by snoozing through all their visits this past month. You were not fussy at all until you went through a growth spurt at three weeks old, when you began cluster feeding while simultaneously crying intermittently for two to four hours during the day, which made nursing in the midst of it a battle. Tears were shed on both ends, and we are thankful that stage is tapering off. We never would have fathomed that newborns could eat or poop so much. Besides eating and pooping, you also currently enjoy warm sponge baths and being wrapped in a toasty towel while listening to Disney songs that your daddy plays for you. Though I'm a tad sad that you're no longer as teeny as you were on that first day, we are so grateful you're growing healthily. At 1 month, you are 8 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long. We are so thankful we get to cherish all this and more with you, our precious gift from the Lord.

Love you so,
Mommy

P.S. Serene Joy at 0 months.