1 month old today!

Daniel is 1 month old today, and he still doesn't have a middle name decided on, so we also still haven't told very many people yet of his arrival! I figured I should share more than just one picture of him though. Once his name is certain, there are some lovely baby announcements full of pictures waiting to be sent!
He is SO lovely right now, I would love everyone to meet him now before he grows and changes any more. Maybe a few more photos and a bit about him so far will suffice though?! (These are all photos from his first week or so as the few I've taken since are still on the camera.)

We have been mostly unwell and also really exhausted for the last 3 weeks, especially the first two of those weeks, so survival has been the game we've been playing! Daniel has also had his face and then head covered in spots for the last couple of weeks. Not infectious, just lots of acne-type spots! There are still loads there, but they are not always so bright red anymore, and are definately starting to go a little now. Despite that, he is a most gorgeous little fellow. Really handsome / beautiful - take your pick.

He has longer awake and fully alert times than he did at first, and I really love it when he is calmly and intently looking at someone or something. He really seems to be getting familiar with different members of the family, and when he just wants Mummy, he often calms straight away when he gets me which is very lovely. So many times he looks just like a little Michael to me. I love that! I've never seen Michael so clearly in any of them. We got out Michael's baby pictures to compare as he couldn't see it, and he thought so too. Other than that he looks a lot like Rachel in quite a few ways, and seems to have a Hogan nose (from my Dad's family!)

Samuel getting used to him early on:

Not many days later, quite enjoying holding his baby brother. He wants to hold or cuddle him, and it lasts just seconds sometimes and he is suddenly done - perfectly satisfied and he just lets go!

He loves warm baths, loves to feed, even doesn't mind being changed much anymore, especially when he has a loving friend to hold his hand and talk or sing to him - sometimes he's even extremely calm while being changed because of this.

He has grown loads, and in the last week has been wearing 3-6 month clothes. He's quite long (we measured him as 59cm long I think the day after he was born) He's getting so much bigger now too, I think about 11 1/2 pounds now, and so much more sturdy. He's very strong and steady with how he holds himself. He has such big hands and fingers, and long feet too. Not really disproportionate to his body, just big for a newborn baby I suppose!

He knows when it is bedtime, and is very irritable unless I can just take him to bed (as that requires peace and it's right in the middle of the other children going to bed that can be quite a challenge, but that's all he wants and all he will settle for). His hair was just a standard approximately 1cm all over until a few days ago when it just started growing. It seems so much longer each day now, but all round the back and sides, with the longest strands stretching out over the still barely present hair on top, like a very tiny old man! :o)

These next photos were from when Daniel met my Mum and Dad, and they him, when he was four days old.

Taking Daniel out for the first time a couple of days later.

You can only just see Daniel. He's pretty well wrapped up as it was very cold!

Well I hope you enjoyed meeting Daniel a little bit more. As we only have until he is 6 weeks old to register his birth, I'll hopefully be able to let you know before long what his full name will be too!