Noel is one month old today. I can't believe it's already been a month. Seriously, I can't. Today Noel had his one-month checkup. He weighs nine pounds, eleven ounces, a gain of about 1.75 pounds in three weeks. Considering that he eats almost every hour while he's awake, this does not seem terribly surprising. The doctor said he looks great.

Even though Noel still sleeps most of the time, he does have periods of alertness. He'll open his eyes nice and wide, and if we're really lucky, he'll charm us by smiling. They're probably not legitimate smiles yet, but they're adorable all the same. Noel was really smiley yesterday for some reason.

Dominick continues to smother Noel with kisses, so we still haven't had any problems with jealousy or resentment. Sometimes he can be really helpful without my having to ask him. For instance, today he brought me the Boppy and put it in my lap and then moved Noel's papasan chair into the dining room when it was time to eat breakfast.

In the past couple of weeks, Dominick has been using sentences more and more. The longest one that I can remember was "That tree doesn't have leaves on it." He asks lots of questions, like "What happened to them?" "Where did it go? Is it hiding somewhere?" "Is it Daddy? It is!" Even when he doesn't use full sentences, I've noticed that his phrases are getting longer and more complex. I love the conversational tone and inflections in his speech. He can say things so earnestly, especially when he looks at you with those huge blue eyes.

This morning was our last Stay & Play session, so Wednesday and Thursday mornings are free once more. I've got to start looking into preschools if we want him to start this winter, which we do. I think he'll enjoy it.

Noel's hungry again. It has been a whole hour since I last fed him. Keep in mind that when I say one hour between feedings, I'm timing from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. He keeps me busy!