One Month Old

Marin was one month old on Sunday. I think this last month goes down in history as the fastest passing month ever. The number of things that have changed in the last month are incredible. Now when I sing in the shower it is usually "Mary had a Little Lamb" (or "Marin has a Big Doggie" to mix it up) to keep Marin from crying while I quickly clean a 5am feeding and the subsequent diaper change off of me. I'm lucky if I get a comb through my hair. The days that the blow dryer comes out from the depths of my drawer are nearly miraculous. Forget makeup all together. Ha. Makeup. That's a good one.

Words like "passie" (short for pacifier) and poop (even though I hate this word) are a totally normal part of Jason and my conversations now. Nothing spices up the romance in a marriage like a conversation about your baby's bowel movements. Once upon a time 4 hours of sleep would have had us walking around yawning and acting like zombies all day. Now if we get 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep we not only consider it a "great night" but Jason runs client meetings without a cup of coffee and I get the laundry done and straighten the house. Today I even made banana bread!

These changes of course are all for the best reasons. And while my eyes haven't closed for the day this early since I was a child myself, there are many, many amazing changes as well. Tiny coos, baby smiles, little fingers gripping one of ours and the echos of "Daddy's home" every night are among them-- the "Daddy's home" proclamation by myself, of course- happy for the help an extra set of hands can lend. I had heard it a million times before I became a mom, and it is perhaps one of the biggest parenting cliches, but it couldn't be more true; becoming a parent changes everything. In the best ways possible.

Marin is changing herself quite a bit too. She is much more alert during the day now, and she makes little noises like she is trying to talk to us. She likes to look at bright lights and out the window, and she likes her little toys that dangle from her activity mat. We read a lot of books during the day, and even though she doesn't know what I am saying, she likes to look at the pictures. And of course, she is still besties with her dog, Norah. And while Norah is a little perplexed about why this thing that cries at 2am hasn't left yet, she is very gentle with her and still very protective of her.

Change is good.