One month!

Benjamin James Gruwell - 1 month old

This has been the happiest month of my entire life! I have been blessed with a dear baby boy who has brought a piece of heaven into our home and has made my life sweeter than I ever knew it could be.

I can already tell that Benjamin is going to be a smart little boy. He often stares at pictures on the wall, mesmerized for hours, or at bright sunlight streaming through the blinds. We have a quote on our wall above our bed that says "Together is my favorite place to be!" and Benjamin will focus on those words despite everything we do to try to get his attention. We joke that he is working on deciphering it and figuring out the reading thing already.

One day while joking with Ammon, I asked him what Benjamin's Indian name would have been if he had been born to a Indian chief instead of an engineer. Without hesitation he said "Grunting Tomato". Haha! I couldn't think of a better way to describe Benjamin myself! While other babies might gurgle and coo, Benjamin is definitely a grunter! Whether he is happy, grumpy, sleepy or playful, Benjamin always communicates with a long series of deep guttural grunts and snorts. It is so funny to hear and even funnier to watch Ammon try to imitate. Instead of crying when he is hungry, Benjamin scrunches up his little face and holds his breath until he turns a deep, dark red. It is amazing how quickly his little face changes from white to red and then back to white. So, he has become our little grunting tomato.

Another nickname our cutie has earned is "sleeping dog". This was inspired by a lesson we learned the hard way a few too many nights. Whenever Benjamin falls asleep at Grandpa's house, he looks so sweet and adorable that there are always eager hands, itching to play with the sleeping baby. But a peaceful, sleeping baby that is woken prematurely from his nap quickly turns into an angry grumpster that is not easily comforted. Now we have learned that sometimes it is better to let "sleeping dogs lie".

My mom recently asked what my favorite time of the day is with Benjamin, and I immediately said "Nap time!" And no, I don't say that because I finally have free time to shower or clean the house. Nap time for Benjamin has become my favorite time of the day because they are sweet and joy-filled hours. Whenever Benjamin falls asleep, usually with milk dripping from his chin, I lay him down on my bed and curl up next to him. There is only way that I can describe the feeling as I lie next to my baby boy with warm sunshine streaming through the windows. It is sacred. I love to look at every inch of his face. His soft eyelashes closed gently on smooth cheeks. His perfect little nose that reminds me of Ammon. His tiny mouth and big lips that look just like mine. During these moments I am reminded that Benjamin is my gift from Heavenly Father. He has given me one of his angels, to bring light and love to our lives, and I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for that!