Life settles ...

... into a routine so fast, it catches you by surprise even when you're watching out for it. Lyzz and I have been so deliberate and so clear about our desire to stop and smell the roses, to take in everything about our son and his journey, to really enjoy every day. I look up, and in 24 hours my son will be a month old. It was 30 days ago that Lyzz came into my study at 12:30 am to tell me that it was time, and 29 days since I held him in my arms for the first time. Already a month, and I can't believe it.

We just finished giving JP his bath. That's the routine - 830 bath. We don't use too much soap, because that can dry out his skin. Heck, we don't even necessarily use too much water. Mostly its a reason to get him naked and let him cry a little bit to (hopefully) get tired, and ready for bed. It's also a chance for mom and dad to spend some quality time with the kiddo. Before the bath, at least when we can swing it, we watch the West Wing. Why the West Wing? Well, we'd started season 1 when Lyzz was pregnant, and now we're emotionally invested in the storyline. And since JP isn't old enough to be spoiled by TV yet, his parents continue to be. And before that, dinner. Tonight Lyzz made chili.

The chili isn't important, but the routine is. I finish up at work, and go not only to relieve Lyzz of the little bundle of joy, but to get my own one-on-one time with my son. Lyzz takes a break, and then one of us at some point tracks, hunts, kills and prepares dinner. We eat, watch a little TV, bathtime, swaddle, last feeding, and hopefully to bed. I look back, and realize we've done fundamentally that for the last 5 or 6 work nights. Like a family.

And you know what? We ARE taking it all in. Every day, I know that I stop and for 15 or 30 solid seconds, I just watch JP. He's just recently started focusing in on voices. He may not know my name, but he knows someone is talking to him, and I'm convinced that he knows Lyzz or my voice, and knows that those two voices are more important than the other noises he hears. We watch. We experience. The routine doesn't get in the way of that - it enhances it. We sort of let life slide into the background (it'll take care of itself), just long enough to take a mental snapshot of how wonderful that very life is, and why it's so wonderful. If you're wondering, he'll be one month old on Wednesday :).

All our love to everyone. We've enjoyed every single visit, phone call, facebook message and gift, and we can never thank you enough.