Avalon, today you are one month old. Seriously, where did the last month go? How did I miss it? I thought you were just born five days ago? It’s so cliche when parents drone on about how having kids makes your life fly by but wow, it is so true. In the blink of an eye, just eleven more of these fast-paced months, you’re going to be one YEAR old, which is exactly why I am purposefully treasuring each and every moment with you. Even all of those moments, and Avalon, you know what I mean by that, don’t you?

Today, on your one-month-birthday-thing, we celebrated by putting you down for a nap in your crib for the very first time ever! Whoo! We know how to party around here, don’t we? Unfortunately that nap only lasted a solid fifteen minutes and then you were all, dude, it’s a little bit lonely up here. Because your bedroom, it’s upstairs, and our bedroom is downstairs. For that reason we’ve had you sleeping in your Pack n’ Play next to my side of the bed. I’m not quite ready to leave you upstairs all alone yet, and I’m not really sure when that day will come, but for now we’re both perfectly content sleeping a mere ten inches away from each other.

I think the way you’ve changed the most in the past month is that you’re starting to not be so angry about the fact THAT YOU WERE BORN. Those first few weeks, man, you were seriously irked at the universe. I guess the bright side to all of that is that my womb must be the equivalent of the Lake Austin spa, a place where you must have bathed in a tub filled with rose petals, enjoyed daily hot rocks massages, and hired some pool boys to massage your feet and fan your face with palm branches. I guess I’d be pissed to leave a place like that, too. Lately, though, you’ve become a much happier individual. It probably helps that we’re finally getting on more of a routine. You’re also doing an awesome job of sleeping at night. In fact last night you slept for six straight hours, and when I heard you rustling around your bed and looked over at the clock to see what time it was I couldn’t believe that it had been six, onetwothreefourfiveSIX hours since I put you down for bed. You are a rockstar, girlfriend. Keep it up.

Your physical appearance has changed a lot in the past month as well, as your facial features have become more defined and your hair color has lightened up a bit. If you were to ask your daddy he’d say that “you keep getting cuter and cuter every day.” In fact, he actually tells you that every single evening when he gets home from work. I think you have already achieved that milestone of getting Daddy wrapped tightly around your little finger, and really, I don’t think you had to work too hard for that one.

I love you, punkin, and I am so glad that you came into my life.

Love, Mama