Baby Bella celebrated her first month on Thursday. Mommy and Daddy took time today to reflect on how much Baby Bella has changed and all of the ways our lives have changed in the last month.
You can see from the picture that Baby Bella has grown bigger, stronger, and longer. Her brown hair has softened, her dark blue eyes have transitioned to medium blue. Her movements have become more controlled, her voice has grown louder, her temper has shortened, and her grip on a loving finger has become amazingly tight.
Baby Bella has developed some very real and definable traits in her first month: she hates to be cold and she prefers to sleep touching someone or swaddled in a blanket. The sound of running water calms her down, she can burp like a drunken sailor, she prefers to pee with her diaper off, and she sleeps with one eye partially open. (a trait she inherited from Daddy) She would rather have two heavy blankets on top rather than one baby blanket - something about the extra weight makes her feel secure.
It is fair to say, our lives will never be the same. Each miracle God provides changes you in some way and Baby Bella has certainly rocked our world. Here is a short summary of the larger lessons we have learned in the last month:
1. Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. Some are more noisy than others. Some require more work than others. But all babies are miracles in their own right.
2. Mothers are the closest thing to angels that we have on earth. Anyone can give birth, but Mothers are amazing creatures that possess a depth of love, compassion, caring, and strength that makes me marvel.
3. Our gene pool needs chlorine. We continue to be amazed and amused at the various family members we see coming forward in our child. Baby Bella is developing eyes like Mommy and Granny Mc. The back of her head reminds us of Granddaddy Blythe. She is long legged like Shina was as a baby. She seems to have Nika's skin tone. Her aversion to cold is a trait straight out of Skyler's baby days. She resembles Daddy in the face but inherited her nose from Mommy. Baby Bella has some of all us - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
4. Sleep is overrated.
5. It is impossible to get mad in a pink and green room.
6. Every baby girl should have a big brother.
7. Wait 7 years between your first and second child. (you need that long to recuperate and forget the early years. It doesn't hurt that a seven year old takes pride in helping with the little one).
8. There is no such thing as too many diapers.
9. The most important thing is to remember what is important is not things.
10. Whoever said "girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice" never changed a baby girl diaper.
A month of miracles. What does the next four weeks hold? I can't wait.
