Things I Have Learned in the Last Four Weeks

My precious fellow is four weeks old today and while he has grown and changed substantially every day, it's me that has changed the most (from the inside).

I have learned a few things about my boy in the last four weeks:

• If you do not cover certain private parts while changing his diaper, someone or something will get peed on. Its always a telltale sign when I walk in his room and hubs is changing his diaper without his shirt on. It's not because he's hot, but because he's been baptized by our little lovebug.
• He has a passion for nursing. He has not really deviated from a 2-3 hour schedule since he was born. I really don't mind this; he is growing like a weed and pooping like a machine.
• Toph loves to take in the world. He just stares and stares at everything. I know he can't see more than a foot or so from his face, but I can't describe the feeling when he looks up at me with those eyes. I am putty in his hands.
• He is a sleep warrior; meaning, he will fight sleep tooth and nail during the day. He's a wonderful night time sleeper, but he really prefers to be up during the day.
• When he does sleep during the day, he prefers to be held. He will put his little head on my shoulder, nuzzles down into my neck, and sleeeeeps. Ask me if I mind that I'm trapped for the duration. Nope, in fact, it's the best part of the day for me. We are working on getting him to nap in a bassinet though.
• He farts like a full grown man. It makes my dad oh so proud.
• He rarely spits up, but when he does, he makes it count.
• When he gets fussy, he REALLY gets fussy. He has some issues with gas, poor guy. We're praying it isn't the onset of colic, for everyone's sake.
• He loves to suck on his fists and his pacifier. For now, we're letting him have a pacifier but we'll probably wean him off of it at four months. We know that means he'll probably go whole hog on sucking on his fists, but it's rather cute when he does it so we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
• He lights up our lives.

Here's how I have changed over the last four weeks:

• I really don't mind walking around with spit up and pee stains.
• I laugh when I get pooped on (yes, it's happened).
• When he wakes me in the middle of the night to eat, I am so happy I get to hold him that the hour is completely unimportant to me.
• I have no qualms with just slapping my hair in a pony tail and keeping it there all day long. I am actually cutting a few inches off my hair today because it's too long for breastfeeding; it gets in his face and I really don't like that.
• I can brush my teeth, put my contacts on and wash my face in under three minutes. Makeup? What makeup?
  
• My heart has grown a million times its original size since he was born and every day it gets a little bigger.
• I am fiercely protective over him and show no remorse for it; it's amazing how brazen I get when it comes to my boy (as one unsuspecting phlebotomist learned).
• When I look at my husband now, I see the man I love and the father of my child and it makes me love him so much more.
• I never played with dolls as a kid, but I think I could dress this boy in ten different outfits a day, but he really gets annoyed with that.

I've been a mom now for four weeks and I couldn't be more blissful. Yes, there have been long days and there have been hard days and I know there will be many more of those to come, but Toph makes everything worth it.