Time is definitely flying by as Lucas is approaching the one-month mark. It feels like it was just yesterday when he first came home barely filling out his car seat. It�s pretty amazing how we are already beginning to recognize his unique personality traits. It�s something that is difficult to put into words, but I feel like there is this little boy that we know locked up inside wanting to jump out and scream �Hey, Mom and Dad!� Instead, each personality trait is slowly coming out, a new one revealed each day.

His sleeping habits are a little peculiar. He grunts loudly throughout the night as if he was wrestling an alligator in his sleep. Sometimes, I wake up to try and comfort him only to find that by the time I reach his crib, he is already fast asleep. Other times, he wakes himself up with theses noises and he will immediately cry. But, not only does he make crazy nocturnal sounds, but also he is quite the mover. I�m sure it�s a trait that he inherited from his mom, but when he is placed in his crib, he can easily turn 90 degrees or more. So, I believe the combination of these two things and the fact that we think he has his days and nights mixed up, makes him a very uneasy nighttime sleeper. All these things make our late nights quite an adventure.

He is such an aggressive eater that he downs breast milk like it�s coming from a beer bong. After two minutes or so of sucking and grunting so intense you can hear it from the next room,all the air he inhales while feeding causes him to stop. It actually seems as if he is choking on his own food. I read that newborns are pretty inefficient at feeding that this intake of air is can cause extreme discomfort. Luckily, this is supposed to improve as they get older. So, Tey has to burp him until he is relieved and then start all over. He will be a maniac when he goes to the bottle, where sucking is easier.

Of course, he still loves his Mommy more than any one else. When he has a crazy crying spell and no one can comfort him to stop. One second in his mommy�s arms immediately quells the crying. I know it�s hard to imagine, but even I cannot comfort him!

This past week was quite busy for Lucas. He visited his Gramma�s house and played with cousin Tristan. Eleven-month-old Tristan has two teeth growing and is getting so big. He will be moving to the Philippines soon, so Lucas is sad that he will not get to play with him more often. We also visited great-great-aunts, Lola Azon and Lola Pat in Loma Linda, CA. This was the first time they met Lucas and were really happy to have him visit. He even attended his first late-night poker party!

It�s only been a month, but it�s been quite the experience for me. As a first-time parent, I�ve gone through a roller coaster of emotions. It�s amazing how my life has dramatically changed, not in the way that my daily routine changes, but in the way I feel about my role in the world. I get this tingling feeling in my belly when I look at Lucas and realize that I am responsible for his life. I believe that I have accomplished a good amount of things in my life. Meeting and marrying my love. Being fortunate enough to have a career that I enjoy. Living in a beautiful place. But, unexplainably, the feeling I get when I think of raising this baby boy has made my life more fulfilled.

Enough of this emotional stuff. On to month number two.