One Month!

I am amazed how time flies. Sunday marked Sig's first month, and as I write this, the little boy who was inside me, moving around, getting ready to enter the world is grunting and playing with his hands. It is surreal that he is both here now, as Alex and I experience the newness of another life in our family, and that he hasn't always been here. He is truly our son, with his Alex furrowed eyebrows and his sun-kissed tan baby skin that reminds me that he is really mine.

He has done an amazing job keeping up with our family. He attended his first Family Reunion as the number 60-something member of the Hanstad family. After time with little cousins, great aunts and uncles and great-Grandma Gud, he spent the next few days sleeping off what my dad referred to as the "Hanstad Hangover" from so much activity and socializing. We are so grateful that much of the Carlson extended family came out this weekend for a wedding, and that Sig had the opportunity to be with even more family members who already love him so much.

As I begin to think about going back to work a couple of days a week, I want to capture what these last few weeks have been for both Alex and I as I have had the opportunity to be fully present at home as wife and momma. The days have flown by, but are marked by the following:

-Sig on dadda's lap each morning for "bring your baby to work day"
-"Khloe-LEAVE IT" as she attempts to lick Sig's face (we swear his first word will be Khloe, as it is the word said most frequently in our house)
-laundry blowing on the line in the backyard, full of tiny onesies
-4 or 5 outfit changes a day
-the click of our gate in the backyard as so many wonderful friends and family come to sit in the sunshine and love on the little guy
-daily outings with girlfriends to go on hikes, out on a boat, walking around Greenlake and shopping
-lots and lots of Starbucks dates with friends (he is getting acclimated to Seattle coffee culture at a young age)
-lots of cold cereal as I try to feed myself between his feedings
-many, many pictures as we try to capture every face and moment, as we know it will fly by
-learning his different cries
-Khloe by his side so often that we find ourselves referring to Sig as "her baby"
-bringing him up to communion as Pastor Jim Sundholm laid hands on him and blessed him
-losing track of time as I watch him sleep
-singing the same Lullaby a few times each night and never tiring of his facial expressions as he listens
-the outpouring of cards, blankets and gifts that seem to arrive daily
-his glittery face from my bronzer as I kiss and cuddle him
-"Diaper Days" in the backyard on these 80+ degree days
-Sig-to-skin dadda cuddle time while Alex is on the iPad

As I read ahead in my childhood development books, I am already looking forward to hearing his coos and laughs and seeing how he continues to explore and grow. However, I am learning to live in the moment. Moments like the following remind me how precious time is:

The summer evening warmth as my dad barbecues, Alex collects hydrangeas from my mom's garden for our table at home, my mom washing vegetables from her garden before bringing me a clean towel as I bathe Sig in a bin on top of the hot tub while the following song plays in the background:

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

I turned to my dad as he gazed at his bundled, clean-smelling grandson and said "I know I'm going to miss this."