One Month Old!

We can hardly believe a month has already passed! Ethan already seems like a completely different person than he was on day one! We have been so excited to see some of the changes from newborn to 1 month:

• Different Cries: Ethan has a variety of cries now--from his goat cry to his raptor cry to his little whimpers, we can tell that he wants different things (not quite sure what they are, but we can tell the difference). He still hates getting changed, but we are getting quicker, which means his crying is for shorter bouts. Michael has become a diaper changing master!
• Old man struggles and stretches: When he is getting up from a nap, he looks like an old man and he grimaces and fusses for a little bit before getting up.
• Finding his fingers and busting out of the swaddle: Ethan LOVES to bust out of the swaddle and often we'll find him one arm up or fist pumping early in the morning or after a nap. His fingers are everywhere--in his eyes, his nose, his ears. He has also started holding the pacifier up to his mouth. Too bad he can't do this all the time. It would make nighttime much easier for all of us!
• Tummy Time: Though he can't fully pull himself up and stay there, he is getting stronger by the day! He loves his jungle mat and has been playing with various toys, including having stare-downs with the monkey.
• Personality Emerging: We can tell that Ethan is going to be a stubborn one (he gets that from both of us!) and so far, seems relatively calm (thank you, Michael!). He will purse his lips tightly when he doesn't want any more bottle/pacifier/breastmilk and he will also push it away. I have no doubt that Ethan will tell us exactly what he does or doesn't want as he continues to grow. 
• Comfort from mom and dad: I love watching him when Michael is holding him. He loves daddy time and he quickly is calmed (for the most part) when either of us pick him up.
• Sleep Smiles: These are my favorite and I can't wait to see more smiles during the day! He has been staring at us for longer now. 

There were many ideas all over the place for how to document an infant's growth from month to month from using the same chair, crib, accenting with balloons or blocks, using specific monthly onesies, or putting an adult shirt on him. Nina did a picture of Theo in the same chair each month and we loved that idea! I can't believe how different Theo looks each month! We did a slightly different spin with his Ethan pillow and tiles outlining each month to see how our little man continues to change. The photoshoot this morning was definitely hilarious. Ethan would occasionally flop over (and did catch the hiccups), but overall was a great sport! He is just amazing!