One month ago today little Emrick was born. Sweet, precious Emrick. The first month of his life has been the fastest month of mine. It seems like he was born only last week. Maybe that’s because we’re still learning new things about him, and his habits are still changing. Just when we think we’ve figured out how to get him into a routine, he turns things upside down. For instance, a couple of weeks ago I decided to feed him every two and a half hours exactly, even if it meant I had to wake him up to feed. My hope was that maybe if he stayed well-satisfied throughout the day, and was given a little extra milk at night, that when he went down in the crib at 11 or so, he might sleep more than his usual two hours before waking (us) up. Well, this worked like a charm for two nights! He slept for nearly four and a half hours (an eternity in Emrick time) both nights, so I was sure I had him all figured out! Then, for some reason, the third night he didn’t sleep at all. So we changed things up again and hoped for the best.

That is pretty much how it goes around here. We set a goal —  sleeping through the night, minimizing spit up, soothing him when he’s inconsolable — and then we find a way to accomplish the goal. When that way stops working, we try something else. It’s a little adventure that exhausts but never bores. Anyway, I thought I would list here some of the things that are true of Emrick today. They may not be true tomorrow, but tomorrow is far away…

1. His hiccups are high pitched, like a tea kettle. And he hiccups in his sleep. It’s cute.

2. He farts like a helicopter.

3. He stings like a bee… or, He burps like a champ.

4. He cries during 50% of his diaper changes (this is a big improvement). [Marcus just informed me that Emrick only cries during 50% of my diaper changes :p]

5. He likes to be tightly swaddled. Unless he doesn’t.

6. He doesn’t care too much for baths, but he digs the sprayer. I guess having warm water sprayed on your belly feels pretty nice.

7. His hair gets pretty greasy just one day after a bath (just like Mommy’s!).

8. Of all the tunes that I have sung or hummed to him, the most effective for calming him down when he’s upset is — hang on to your hats — the jingle for Mr. Clean. Really.

9. Blowing cool air on his face calms him down as well — but just for a second, when he stops crying and looks confused — and then he remembers he’s mad and starts crying again. Lesson: Don’t waste your breath on this one.

10. He’s gorgeous (this will still be true tomorrow).

Thanks for the neat blanket, Grandma Cinda!

We love you, Emrick. And we can’t wait to spend at least 600 more months with you… ~muah!~