One Month Old

Yesterday was Reed's one month birthday. To celebrate, he visited the doctor. Not the best of birthday celebrations, but a necessary one.

Our little linebacker now weighs 12 pounds, 8 ounces! That is 2 whole pounds he has put on since his last doctor's appointment a couple of weeks ago. He is 22 and 3/4 inches. Overall, the nurse said his measurements are in proportion and he is in the high-90s percentile wise for children his age. He is dealing with a yeast infection in both his mouth (thrush) and his groin area, but he was prescribed an oral medication that should clear it up in about a week. Nothing to worry about, very common in newborns. Reed did great during the appointment. He fussed only a little, but did let out a silent scream when he received his follow up hepatitis shot in his upper thigh. He was so sweet. The nurse stuck the needle in and his little face scrunched up tight, bright red, and his little mouth opened in a silent scream. I think he was completely shocked. Then he screamed just a little before mommy scooped him up, cuddled him and told him what a brave boy he had been!

In his first month, Reed is doing wonderfully! He has more alert time now and is especially good in the mornings and late afternoons. He will track you with his eyes and sometimes turn his focus if he hears your voice near his line of sight. He moves his arms up and down a lot and does what daddy calls his "kung-fu" moves where he takes both of his arms and karate chops across his chest. When he really gets going, he sounds like he's about to let out a scream but instead will let out a big coo which is really fun to hear. We are catching more gurgles, grunts and other vocalizations. He has even smiled a couple of times which is such a pleasure to see and makes me yearn for more!

He is sleeping in about 3 hour increments and wakes up to take a bottle. About the only time he truly cries is when he's just woken up and hungry. Otherwise, he is content to sit in your arms, or in the bouncer (his favorite) or on the Boppy pillow. He will sometimes fuss when he wants to change positions or wants his pacifier, but usually he is fine to just sit and stare at everything around him. I realized he is a pretty happy baby when some of my girlfriends who also have newborns told me how much their babies are crying and how they will never just sit by themselves without being held.

Mommy and Daddy are singing in their tone deaf manner to him, and he really seems to enjoy the sound of your voice even if you're reading e-mails or sports scores!

We are loving our little baby and can't wait to see what the next month brings.

I have compiled a gallery of Reed's moments from his first month for everyone in Kodak Gallery so you can order ones you may not have. Newer photos are at the beginning and older ones from the hospital are at the end.