Carter: 1 Month

  

Left: 5 days old              Right: 1 month old

Birth stats
weight: 7 pounds, 7 ounces
length: 21"

3 week stats
weight: 8 pounds, 13 ounces
length: 22"

Milestones

• Came home from the hospital when you were two days old.
• Went to Target for the first (and second) time when you were about a week old. You also went shopping at Costco at several times, starting when you were about a week old.
• Went to your first movie at three weeks old and saw Superman: Man of Steel. You slept through the entire movie and didn't fuss at all. Mommy and daddy were happy for the break away from the house and pleased that you did so well.
• We also took you to Ontario Mills and you were so amazed at all of the different things to look at. Mommy carried you and you kept turing your head to look at all of the stores and people. This was your third trip to Ontario Mills, but the first time you were awake and aware of the world around you.
• You went to San Diego (Carlsbad and Fallbrook) three times at 4 weeks old. We went shopping at the Carslbad Outlet Mall and had dinner at Pelly's fish market. We went to Aunt Diane's viewing and funeral in Fallbrook, and spent time with our Turley family.

At one month, you feel like you weigh about 10 pounds now! You're eating a ton...it's non-stop feeding over here some days. You also love to "shark" when you are hungry. You will open your mouth wide and shake your head side to side at whatever you want to eat (your hands, bottle, mommy, pacifier, the burp cloth) and then lunge forward at it. It cracks us up every time you shark, but we haven't bee able to record you doing it yet.

You've been a talkative baby since day one, though you don't cry much. Lots of growling, zombie noises (especially while you're eating...or feeding, as your daddy calls it), sighs, and other noises. At about 4 weeks old you started occasionally cooing and giggling, and once in awhile you like to yell loudly. You'll give one loud yell, just to test out your voice. :)

You started smiling around 2 weeks and are now showing us your smile every day. We both love to see you smile and try our best to make you smile-we stroke your cheeks, talk to you in silly voices, blow rasberries on your tummy, and tickle you. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and much of the time you smile when we aren't trying to make it happen. :) You have a wide range of other facial expressions, including pursing your lips and giving us the side eye, serious straight mouth face, and wide eyes and open mouthed amazement. You also like to stick out your bottom lip, in a little pouty expression.

After you are done eating, or when you need a break, you curl up your legs and feet, throw your head back, wrinkle up your forehead, and streeeeeeeeeeeeetch your neck, arms and back. (This is pretty similar to how mommy stretches after waking up.) :) If you are nursing, you will stretch like this, then throw your head back down on mommy and go to sleep.

You also just started seeming to be more aware of the world around you. You love to look around, especially if we hold you up and give you a "tour" of the house. Just after you turned 4 weeks old, you seemed to make the connection that mommy's voice was coming from her. I was talking to you and you whipped your head around and stared at me in wonderment, surprised to realize that I was the one creating the noise you heard. You stared and then gave me a huge smile.

We started giving you baths in the kitchen sink during your 2nd week. We fill the sink with warm water up to your neck and you absolutely love it. You are so calm and let us scrub you down without a single tear. In fact, you love to try and float on your back and relax. You also push your feet off the edge, like a backstroke start! Since you are so tall, we have to keep one hand on top of your head when you float, so you don't hit your head on the edge. We can't wait to take you in the pool since you love the water so much! Since you're too young to wear sunscreen and the chlorine is so harsh on your skin, we probably won't take you swimming until next summer. :(

Overall, you are a calm, mellow baby, though you do like to party at night with daddy. He feeds you around midnight and 2 am, and sometimes you don't want to go back to sleep afterwards. You  have lots of very soft, fine brown hair, which was really dark at birth, but has lightened up quite a bit. Your eyes are still a dark blue grey, like most newborns. We can't wait to see if they change color and what they will be.

We started calling you Baby Chappy before you were born and the nickname has stuck. Other nicknames: Zombaby (because of your growls and zombie noises) and Sharky.