Happy One Month!

Ryuta turned one month on Tuesday! I won't lie. Getting adjusted to motherhood isn't easy, but it's amazing how your love grows for them even after a sleepless night or getting sprayed with poop. When I was changing Ryuta's poopy diaper the other day he decided he wasn't finished and let loose. It got on me, the couch and the carpet. I thought I just had to worry about getting peed on.

Before Ryuta was born I read a couple of different parenting books to get me prepared. It's funny how each of them is convinced that their method is the only method. Not that the books aren't helpful. It's just that theory is one thing and putting that theory into practice is another. One book I have is all for swaddling babies to calm them and help them sleep. Ryuta doesn't like it when I swaddle him and he wakes up trying to free his arms. He also refuses to take pacifier. But he does like white noise and getting rocked to sleep in his swing. Shinsuke picked a nature CD up from the library to help Ryuta sleep at night. It's sounds of the rain forest and is mostly the sound of running water and birds in the background.  I like it except for this one bird that comes up randomly that sounds like the bird Kevin from Up. I'm always afraid when that comes on it will startle Ryuta and wake him up, but he sleeps right through it.

I took him in for his one month checkup yesterday. I thought he was going to hate it but he was pretty much content the entire time. Even when he got his shot he only whined for a few seconds then calmed down.

Only a few days old. He loved taking the pacifier then.

One week old. With his Aunt Elsa and Emma.

Ryuta LOVES taking baths.

Stretch!

He did not want his picture taken.

At his one month check-up. He's making faces at himself in the mirror.

This month I am starting up my tutoring again so we'll see how that goes. I haven't left him at home alone yet and he hasn't taken the bottle before. Some of my students are going to come to my apartment for their lessons so that will be interesting too. I am hoping to get Ryuta on a schedule so that he and I will sleep better at night. He hasn't been terrible, but last night he was up at three and did not want to go back to sleep. Shinsuke eventually got him to go to sleep around five. My body has gotten used to my scattered sleep schedule but I can't wait until I can at least sleep a straight 6 hour stretch.

Looking back...

• I love watching him sleep. He makes the funniest faces and sounds.
• Playing with his reflexes. The startle reflex, curling his toes and fingers, and he's just started doing the fencing pose.
• I'll never get tired of cuddling with him. 
• I love putting him in the Moby Wrap and going on a walk with him, though he is asleep for most of it. 
• Styling his hair after a bath never gets old. He looks especially handsome when I spike it.