The day his newborn PJs no longer fit

It seems it all happened at once.

We took Luca to his 4-weeks-old doctor’s appointment. He weighed in at 10 lbs and is almost 23 inches long. How could that be? The next night, he slept 7 hours straight. 7 hours straight without needing to eat. 7 hours straight… without needing me. As I put on his PJs two days later, they wouldn’t snap closed. It was a day I didn’t even know I was dreading. The day his newborn PJs no longer fit.

Time is truly flying by. Speeding, really.

Luca will be a month old tomorrow. When I think back to the moment the doctor handed me my baby boy, it truly feels like hours ago. Despite all that has passed and all we have experienced the past month, our love seems so new. His life is still so pure. His smell is still fresh. And the excitement of staring into those big eyes has not faded a bit.

This past month has been the most beautiful experience of our lives. There have also been hours, days even, that have been some of the most emotionally exhausting times that I can remember. My mantra on these days was “this too shall pass”. Now, looking back over the past month, these words have shifted slightly in my mind. My heart aches as I realize, “this too, WILL pass”.

These moments are so incredibly precious, a gift we are blessed to open each day.

The newborn squishiness. The way he smiles in his sleep without even realizing. How his tiny hand grasps my finger. Baths in the sink. 3 am snuggles. How he is soothed by our voices. Cozy, swaddled cuddles before bedtime. Our time nursing in the dark during the early hours of the morning. The way he stares into daddy’s eyes. Quality daddy and son time watching football at 5 am while mommy sleeps. The sound he makes when he sucks his pacifier in the car. The sweet hums and grunts he makes while he sleeps. Late mornings when we snuggle as a family of three under the covers. These moments are the little ones, the ones that will pass us by so quickly, but the ones that will forever be engrained in our hearts. 

I am reminding myself to remain present.

To soak up and cherish this time. To put down the phone while nursing. To keep the TV shut off during his awake time. To read more. To take more photos. To cuddle more. To say “I love you” as often as the thought crosses my mind. To stare at him and memorize every inch of his sweet, newborn skin. To memorize the moment, even as it passes.