Jude's @ 1 month

Dear Jude,

You've made it through your first month....and another 8 days. Okay, I'm a bit late but in my defense, it's been a pretty busy 5 weeks around here! 

Sure, I'll gaze poetically into the distance so you can document my cuteness. 

If I had to describe your personality this first month it would be, well, cranky! It's not that you have colic or really cry that much or that intensely. You just have had a generally grumpy disposition and it takes a bit of work to keep you somewhat happy.

He loves his sling. 

And his wrap. 

And that work pretty much had to be done by me. I don't even have that many pictures of your dad holding you yet because if he was, you were normally crying. You want mom. Not dad, not grandma, not your siblings...mom.

You are not mom therefore I am cranky.

But you do like to snuggle and I've been taking it easy so you and mean have had some good times cozy in bed with netflix and podcasts. And you sleep well and eat well and are certainly growing well.

At least I sleep well

At 1 week you were only down 5 oz to 10 lbs 1 oz and at 3 weeks were all the way up to 12 lbs. I haven't weighed you lately but your still my little tank baby. You are firmly in 3-6 month clothes. I used (and hated) size 2 disposables on the trip but now that we're home we're squeezing you into the biggest setting on your size 1 thirsties covers because it's what I have for now. (And for you cloth diaper mama's, I've always been a snappi not a trifold mom but I've converted bc a size lasts a lot longer trifolded. I now love trifolding!)

And I'm clearly getting plenty to eat. 

It's so much fun comparing you to your siblings. All four of you have had a similar BRC Baby look but you and Jonah are probably closest although I times I see the girls too. I think the hair makes you look even more like Jonah. Although his always looked like I combed it (I never did) and yours always looks like it hasn't been (even if I try to). It's also darker and maybe a tinge red. Jonah's had that strawberry tint to but it went away pretty quickly. We'll see if yours is similar. And you and Lucy would probably be closet in personality so far - as in, not my mellowest ones :-)

But you are also proving that even with being the caboose, you can be your own little man. You love baths and your swing (you love your swing!), sitting up one my legs so you can see all around and having all your fan club ( aka Lucy, Jonah and Norah) come and talk to you. They all adore you and will just randomly come up and look at you and say how cute you are and how much they love you and you just watch them so intently. Norah calls you her "bug-a-boo" and if she here's you cry, she'll run to you and stroke your head and say "It's okay, it's okay, you're okay" and then call me "Mom, he's mad. He needs mi-mi (our word for nurse, courtesy of Lucy mispronouncing milk way back in the day) right now! Jonah was so happy you were a boy he had to add to dad's prayer the first day of "Thank you for a healthy baby" with "...and thanks for making him a brother." Lucy loves to hold you but doesn't like to make you cry so it doesn't happen a lot. But when you do cooperate, her face just lights up. 

Norah doesn't really care if you cry, she just likes to hold you.

Are you sure this girl is qualified to hold me?

You did a lot of traveling, having been in 5 different states before you turned one month old. Your were a pretty good traveler but now that I'm the one doing the driving, you seems to hate the car. So all the kids now hate it because they don't like to hear you cry. Lucy even asked me why your cry was so different and sad. It's because it's a real distress cry and not a whimpery cry for attention or food. So I don't think we'll be going as many places this next month as the last. But at least you did good on the trip!

I got my paci and my mom's hands so let's get going. North Dakota or bust!

Loving a pacifier is probably the biggest difference in traveling. Lucy would scream and start gagging if we tried to get her to take one, I didn't even try with Jonah. Norah liked it well enough for the 10 seconds she could keep it in her mouth but she never seemed to latch on to it (pun intended) but you love it. It meaning one specific pacifier and not even the same brand that I tried to get as a back-up. No, the dark blue one is different. You like the light blue one. But you like that one a lot!

And with all your fussing, you have miraculous (knock on wood) not had too many troubles with evenings...aka "the witching hours." And your my first to really love to be swaddled but your very hot natured (or maybe it's just that you were born in August) so even a swaddle over a onesie is too much most of the time. But you're big enough for a zippadee-zip and looks so cute all ready for bed and looking like a little grey flying squirrel. 

His cheeks just keep

getting smooshier!

Maybe that will be another nickname. You have a lot. Besides Bug-a-boo you might be be called smooshy, smooshems, tank baby and Jude the dude. And you love when we sing your songs - Hey, Jude (because, duh!) and a little ditty that goes...Jude, Jude, he's kinda rude. He gets real cranky when he wants food...so far you don't seem to be offended by that. Perhaps because you know its true.