Nathan is one month old!

 In mid-December, our little guy turned one month old! The month flew by so quickly! We loved getting to know the newest member of our family and introducing him to our friends and extended family members.

Nathan easily earns his "mellow fellow" nickname. He rarely cries except when in the car, buckled into his car seat. He'd much rather be held! Otherwise, he cries only for short periods of time until his needs are met.

Nathan spends most of his days and nights sleeping. He sleeps the longest while in a moving swing or while being held. Unlike his older brothers as babies, Nathan doesn't enjoy being tightly swaddled. Instead, he prefers to be wrapped loosely in blankets, often with a fist right up near his mouth. He wakes up to eat every 2-3 hours and then usually goes right back to sleep. His most alert time is in the evening. By the end of the month, Nathan's gaze was starting to focus more and more.

Eating is another of Nathan's favorite pastimes. He took quickly to nursing and is gaining weight well. At one month, Nathan now weighs around 11 pounds.

Some of his favorites include his pacifier (especially when he's starting to get drowsy), stretching BIG stretches, swinging in the swing, and bath time (especially once his umbilical cord fell off and we could put him directly into the water).  When we're out and about, Nathan loves when Momma "wears" him in the Moby Wrap and will usually fall right to sleep. (This makes grocery shopping with an infant and a toddler much easier. :)) Nathan doesn't mind tummy time for a few minutes at a stretch, and his neck is starting to get noticeably stronger.

STRETCH!

tummy time

Nathan gets a lot of attention from his big brothers. He doesn't mind being held by them and tolerates lots of boisterous hugs and slobbery kisses. Ian and Ryan just adore Nathan and love helping to care for him. Ian likes to call Nathan "Sweetie" or "Little Bull" (he thinks the ring on Nathan's pacifier looks like the ring in a bull's nose), and almost daily Ian will comment, "He's SOOOO cute!" Ryan calls his little brother by name: "Nay-sun."

Ryan "reads" Nathan a Christmas book

We received lots of help this month from family and friends. Thanks to everyone who brought us meals and showed us care in other ways! Our friends and family were happy to meet our newest little guy. Most often, people complimented Nathan on his dark, abundant hair or commented on how much he looks like Daddy and Ian.

with our friend, Kati

Our friend Melissa knew how to hold Nathan right away!

with our friend, Carrie

We have certainly fallen in love with our littlest gift from God, Nathan Paul!