Micah Asher, One Month - Kat Schmoyer

I know that every mom always starts these posts with “It’s so crazy that my baby is one month old!!” but y’all, it really, really is!!!! It feels like just yesterday I was pregnant with him!!!! Time truly is flying by and while part of me wants it to stand still, the other part of me LOVES seeing who our little man is becoming!!!

Micah has truly been such a joy!! He is such a sweet baby!! Matt and I had prepared ourselves to be no-sleep-newborn-parents but thankfully, he’s been sleeping 3-4 hour chunks since his 3rd night home!!! It’s been amazing!!! While sleep hasn’t been a huge struggle for us, breastfeeding has but not for the reasons I expected. I thought I would struggle with the pain of breastfeeding … everyone warned me it was pretty terrible for the first few weeks. However the pain hasn’t been my issue, my supply has been. It took my milk longer to come in than the average women, and I’ve had to work really, really hard to build up my supply. It’s actually something I’m still very focused on!! We’ve had to supplement with formula and while that wasn’t my initial plan, the Lord is really working on my heart and helping me lay down my pride. I’m so grateful Matt’s been supportive of our breastfeeding journey, and happy I found a great lactation consultation in my area to help (as well as friends I can text when I have paranoid questions & fears!) ! I’m sure I’ll share more details about our full breastfeeding journey at some point, but today’s all celebrating Micah-boy being one month old!!!

During this first month, our family has adjusted SO well to Micah!!! Knox is such a sweet doggy-brother, Matt is such a hands-on father and I just can’t picture our lives without our 7 lb. boy!! The first week he was home I had severe anxiety over him sleeping; I was so thankful we had been gifted an Owlet by my aunt & uncle! I remember waking up what felt like very hour to check the app and make sure Micah was doing okay!!!! I also dealt with the usual postpartum emotions and found myself needing to cry or just sit and hold Micah alone more than I thought. Thankfully the “sad” emotions seem to have passed & the rest of my postpartum healing is going very well! I definitely have the “mama-bear” feelings though and find myself being very protective over him, and also just wanting “me time” or “family time” with the three of us! We’ve loved having family come visit (and getting to travel with Micah!), but there’s just something so, so sweet about being home together! We’ve already created some of my favorite memories!

Highlights / Things I Want To Remember About Month One:

We’ve never had an issue with him knowing “night” and “day” and rather than struggling with him sleeping at night, we actually struggle with nap-times during the day!! We’ve found baby-wearing to work wonders!!
He LOVES his hands!! When he’s upset, he always has one hand on his face. When he’s happy, he’s flailing them around (while also kicking his legs!). And we’ve caught him sucking his fingers a few times but I know it’s involuntary right now; we’ll find out if he becomes a finger or thumb sucker as he gets older, I guess! (When he was born, his hand was on his face – that’s how much he loves them!)
I am obsessed with his little nose! I know I’m biased, but his profile is absolutely precious!!
He hates to be naked. Almost every diaper change means a screaming, crying baby! Yet afterward, he’s content to just sit on the changing table & kick & kick!
He loves his boppy lounger (and so do we!)!! He can sit contently in it for hours (literally). It’s great because we can easily take it from room to room, and it keeps him on a small incline which is nice for after feedings.
He also likes his swing and his activity mat, however he does NOT like tummy time yet! And he’s not a big fan of a vibrating seat we have.
He does great in the car and has already been on several road-trips around the state!!
He HATES bath time (which just consists of a wash-cloth rub down!) but doesn’t mind having his hair washed!!
He’s not a huge fan of the paci. He’ll use it in the car-seat or the wrap if he’s upset, but spits it out a lot and never uses it to fall asleep.
He LOVES light. He stares out the window in our living room for hours every morning, and LOVES the strand of Christmas lights we have in our master bedroom. (We have them on a dimmer so I can turn them low when nursing at night – best idea ever!)
He likes to sleep on his side or laying on our chest instead of on his back. This made me nervous the first week in his bassinet, but we’ve gotten used to it & LOVE having the dock-a-tot, too!
We struggled to find a swaddle that worked for him because he likes his hands so much! Thankfully my friend Annamarie told me about Love to Dream and it’s been PERFECT. I swear he associates it with “bedtime” now since putting him in it is apart of our bedtime routine. He instantly calms down & goes right to sleep during our bedtime nursing session when he’s wearing it!
Towards the end of week 3, he hit a very fussy patch (poor him AND poor us!!) BUT he also starting making more noises!! I feel like we’re slowly beginning to see his personality and it’s been so much fun for us!!!
We’ve also seen his “pout” a few times and it’s both the saddest & cutest thing ever!!
When he’s upset or stressed, he wrinkles his forehead & scrunches his eyebrows together … I’ve counted 7 wrinkles on his forehead!! I joke with him that he needs to stop or he’ll look like an old man when he’s 3!!!
Knox (our pup) LOVES Micah! He loves to try to lick him, lays right beside him and will even bark to tell me he’s crying if I’m in another room – amazing, right?! I can’t wait to watch them play together!!
When he was 3 weeks old to the day, he rode down the aisle in a red wagon at my brother’s wedding!!! It’s a memory I will never, EVER forget!!!! (Remind me to tell you about planning a wedding with a 3 week old some other time!)
Whenever we know he needs to take a poop, he sits with Matt in Matt’s old man recliner and within minutes he’s pooping!!!!! It’s the FUNNIEST thing!!!!
His hair is looking more sandy blonde, with strawberry hints in the right light (or in pictures!)! His eyes are looking more gray-blue now, too!
It took 3 weeks for his dry skin to subside. Poor guy basically shed a layer of skin he had so much dry skin!!!
We’re starting to learn what his cries & little noises mean. He grunts & snorts & I love that we’re becoming more in-tune with him now!
Matt plays baby music on his phone a lot for him, and it’s the cutest thing!!!
We fall asleep nursing together a lot at night. It’s one of my absolute favorite things about being his mom!!! Baby snuggles truly are the best.
We don’t have a solid eating or napping routine yet. Because he’s been a slow grower, I’m nursing on demand; we also haven’t established a nap-time routine and he’s yet to nap in his crib. Usually he naps in one of our arms, his boppy lounger or dockatot! I know we need to start working on a daytime routine with him soon, but I’ve honestly LOVED our “lack of routine” the past month. It’s been so meaningful to just hold him whenever we want, bond with him while we nurse & all in all just BE with him – without the confines of a “schedule”! (I never thought my Type-A self would say that!!) We plan to start a loose schedule this month (mainly for naps!) so we’ll see how it goes!!
He’s still wearing Newborn size diapers and clothes and while I have had my moments of stress over his weight, it really is so fun to have a baby who truly FEELS like a baby!!! He’s so tiny & adorable!!!

Now that you’ve read all the things I hope to never forget, here are some iPhone pictures I snapped to celebrate one month with Micah!! I’m sure they all look the same to you, but I couldn’t pick a favorite!! (You can follow along for more fun pics on our family instagram account!)