Happy 1st Month, Moses

While everyone else was celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Tuesday, we were celebrating Moses' first month of life! Moses is growing like a weed. I don't know how much he weighs now, but he is already outgrowing his 0-3 Month clothes and his 3-6 Month outfits seem to offer a much more comfortable fit. He's not a particularly fat baby (his legs are actually really skinny), so it would make sense that most of his weight can be attributed to his length, and that would explain why he's outgrowing his 0-3 Month clothes two months early!

Moses continues to win us over with his congenial personality and easygoing ways. I felt so spoiled the other morning when I woke up and complained that he had woken up every two hours to eat and poop the night before, and then realized that that had been my life for the twins' first 6 months, although back then I had twice as many babies to feed and change every two hours! I am blessed that on most nights, Moses sleeps 5 or 6 hours at a time.

Sadly, Moses has developed a case of baby acne, so I've been trying to be diligent about keeping his head clean. He enjoys his daily face-washing and shampoo at the kitchen sink, and also enjoys being taken into the shower every few days. He doesn't mind getting water in his face or eyes- what a good sport!

While Moses' experience in the NICU conditioned him to fall asleep on his own and not be held while awake, the more time he spends at home with his doting family, the more he expects to be held, rocked, and bounced to sleep. But really, who can blame him? Another sure-fire way to get him to fall asleep is to walk around while wearing him in the Hotsling or Babyhawk, which allows me to get things done around the house and appease him at the same time. He also takes a pacifier more willingly than the twins ever did (they used to spit them out with such rage that they'd fly clear across the room!)

Moses is already very good at holding up his head, and he coos when you talk to him. He loves looking at people's faces and his eyes will follow you as you move around. He seems to be mesmerized by shiny things (Mimi's sparkly eyeglasses, lights, etc.) and linear designs (the stripes on our bedroom drapes, vertical blinds, etc). He will sleep right through the loudest raucous emitted by his rowdy Daddy and brothers (I guess he got a lot of practice while in the womb), although when he's awake he often observes their antics with a look of concern and bewilderment. Don't worry, Moses, you'll get to join in on the fun soon enough!

Caleb and Joshua adore their baby brother. "Sweet Moses, I love you!" they will tell him. If Moses wakes up crying and I can't hear him because I'm in the kitchen frying eggs and running the washing machine (which is always on these days!), one of the boys will come tell me, "Uh oh, Moses is crying!" Joshua is constantly asking to touch his hair, which I'm reluctant to let him do because it gets so greasy (I tell him he can touch my hair instead). Lately Caleb has been coming out of his shell when he's around Moses and will now shyly give him kisses and ask to "touch his back" (or in other words, help burp him). The other day Caleb climbed into bed with sleeping Moses and laid down for a nap right next to him. For the longest time Caleb didn't want to be photographed with Moses, but now he is an eager participant in our photo shoots.

Even though Caleb and Joshua are generally very sweet with Moses, they still have a thing or two to learn about babies and their limited communication skills. When we're in the car and Moses is crying (as usually happens when we're stuck at a light), the boys think it's hilarious and will laugh at him. And when they're not laughing, they'll scold him using the same tone of voice that I use when I'm exasperated with them, saying, "Moses, calm down! Don't be ridiculous!" When I remind them that they should be more understanding of their baby brother, their tone softens and they'll sweetly say, "I know, Moses, I know... don't cry, Moses, it's ok."