Today was the start of our outdoor soccer season. Unfortunately I haven’t been given the go-ahead to play soccer yet, so you and I were on the sidelines cheering your dad and the team on. I had you in the wrap and you slept the entire game. I imagine you’ll spend many hours on the sideline of our games, and we’re both hopeful that you’ll learn to love soccer. If not, that’s ok. But if you do then we’re excited to teach you about the game and to watch you learn to play.

Soccer’s been a big part of our lives; that’s how your dad and I met in high school. We’re lucky that we’re still able to play and we enjoy playing and exercising together. We also really like the social aspect of playing with our friends every week. Whether you play or not you’ll likely accompany us to lots of games, as we enjoy watching the Rapids’ play and also hope to continue going to the World Cup. We’re planning to take you with us to Brazil in 2014!

Today we finally busted out your stroller and went for a really long walk around the neighborhood. We were happy to discover that the sidewalks are great for strollers, with ramps and sidewalks for the entire hour-long walk. That makes it really easy! You looked around for some of the walk and slept for the rest, but all in all seemed pretty content to be exploring your neighborhood.

In my never-ending mission to find something big enough to take your weekly or monthly picture next to, your papa suggested one of the dogs. Moguly is the most patient, laid back dog, and after a nice, long walk he is even more relaxed. So after the walk we decided to try and take some pictures of you and him. He did great; he even let you lean on him and didn’t move.

This afternoon your dad and I had tickets to the Rapids’ opening soccer game. We pondered taking you, but when I couldn’t find any baby hearing protection headphones in sizes smaller than 6 months, I decided it probably wasn’t appropriate to be taking a 5 week old. And when we were there I was very thankful I made that decision! From the crowd cheering and yelling to the canons they fire after ever Rapids’ goal, it just would’ve been way too much for you. We’ll maybe take you later this summer, or we might even wait for next season.

Nana and papa watched you while we were at the game. When we came back to their house after the game your nana asked if I ever knew I could love somebody so much, and if we wondered why we hadn’t had a baby sooner. We do love you so much – beyond any amount we could comprehend before we had you – and I think we’re both amazed at how strong that love is for having known you for such a short time. But the timing question is tricky. Your dad and I are having so much fun with you, and I think we’re coping really well with the difficulties of being new parents. I think this can be attributed to all the life experiences we’ve had to date. In waiting until now to have you we were able to establish our careers, travel the world, spend our time and money with virtually no limitations, and perhaps most importantly, we were able to build a really strong relationship with each other. Your dad and I are best friends and great companions, and we entered into this new phase with you knowing it’d be difficult, and knowing we’d have to support each other fully and to the best of our abilities. We also are lucky to have learned and observed as our friends and siblings entered into parenthood; I think this afforded us a really realistic perspective of what it’s like to have a little one.

So, are we amazed every single day by how much love we have for you? Yes! And do we regret not starting our family sooner? No, because you came to us at just the right moment in our lives, a time when we could appreciate you for both your crankiness and happiness, a time when your dad and I can support you (and each other) the best, and a time when we have the resources to provide you with the very best life possible.

We’ve anxiously been waiting for your cord stump to fall off. Usually this happens in the first few weeks, and for almost all babies it happens before four weeks. For you four weeks came and went, and we even went to the doctor to make sure everything was alright. They wanted us to come in again next week if it still hadn’t fallen off. But finally, tonight, your dad was changing you and looked and it had fallen off! He called into the other room to tell me and I jumped up and ran in there. I was so happy it had fallen off as the doctors seemed to be starting to get concerned about why it hadn’t fallen off, and that was making your dad and I concerned. Now you have a cute little in-y belly button!

A friend of mine from grad school, Eric, and his wife had a baby about four weeks before you were due. Jeff and I went over to their house to bring them dinner and to meet her when she was two weeks old. I remember thinking she was so little and that they seemed so overwhelmed with their new little one. Well Eric and their daughter, Freja, came over yesterday to meet you. Although just four weeks older then you, she seemed huge. Her head seemed ginormous compared to yours. It’s funny that now, developmentally, four weeks seems like an eternity of difference. Heck, she is about doubly as old as you are. But of course as you get older you will find that days and weeks, even months and years, of age difference do not matter when friends are concerned.

Anyway, that four weeks of extra time that they’ve had parenting Freja really does make them experts in our eyes in some matters. They have cloth diapering figured out, having tried many different brands and types. He brought over a bunch to show me and we had show and tell with their diapers and with yours, sharing with each other the merits of the ones we liked best. Who knew that someday we’d be discussing in so much detail cloth diapers with each other, rather than complex topics from school!

I love to bake and I’ve been anxious to make cookies for awhile. When I was pregnant I wasn’t supposed to eat raw eggs. It is impossible for me to make cookies and not eat the cookie dough, and do to this complete lack of self-control, I had to avoid making cookies for the last 9 months. Ever since I had you I’ve been craving cookies (cookie dough to be honest). Today I put you in the wrap and we baked some sugar cookies together. You seemed to enjoy it, mostly just watching as I moved around the kitchen. I can’t wait until you’re bigger and we can bake things together.

You had to go to the doctor today and get some blood drawn. After our experience a couple weeks ago, I decided not to accompany your dad and you back to the area where they draw your blood. Well, as I sat in the lobby waiting for you two, I could hear you crying and it just seemed to go on and on. And on and on! I looked at my watch and 30 minutes had passed. I decided I just had to come back and see what was going on. When I went back they had just finished and you were starting to calm down, but apparently they had a difficult time getting enough blood out of the first foot, so they had to repeat the procedure on your other foot. Poor little girl! But during all of this you got very upset, and as you usually do you were kicking your legs back and forth, in and out. The lab technician proclaimed that you were going to be a soccer player with those kicks!

This afternoon we met three other women and their little ladies for coffee. Two of them had babies within a week of when you were born, and it’s fun chatting with them about everything that we’re all going through. I keep thinking how you three will be in classes and sports together as you grow older, and I’m hopeful you will be good friends.

We’ve had unseasonably warm weather the last couple of days, and we decided to take advantage of it with a nice, long walk with your dad and the dogs at lunch. I put you in the wrap and we were off. You slept the whole way. I’m glad you’re liking the wrap; hopefully we can have lots of adventures with you in it.

You turned one month today and it is amazing both how fast time has gone and also how long ago your birth seems. You are getting bigger, but your dad and I don’t really see these changes. They’re proven real by the scale at the doctor’s office, telling us that you’ve gained over a pound since birth, and by comments from your grandparents about how much bigger you look. Also, although you’re still in newborn clothes, they are starting to get a bit tight in the length and soon you’ll be moving into the 0-3 month sizing.

Your cord stump is STILL attached. I keep thinking I’ll find that it’s fallen off when I change your clothes, but there it is, still hanging on. It doesn’t seem at all like it’s going to fall off any time soon. I’ve been researching and most sources say that it’ll fall off by four weeks, so we called your doctor just to double check. She wasn’t worried about it but said if it doesn’t fall off sometime this weekend we should come in next week for her to have a look. Your nana keeps saying that you just want to stay attached to me and you’re not quite ready to let go. I’m not sure how true that is, but it’s a sweet sentiment nonetheless.

Well your amazing sleep night Wednesday night did not replicate itself last night. In fact, I think last night was your worst sleep night. You slept in hour-long chunks, followed by long wakeful periods. Ever since your dad has been back at work I’ve been trying to take care of you at night, but this was just exhausting and not something I can do night after night. I proclaimed to your dad today that he will be on night duty for the next two weekend nights while I try to catch up on sleep!