Wednesday, August 8, 2012

{ Six Weeks }

Dear Little Lainie,

Today you are six weeks old! Just think: Before you were born, the doctors told us that if we were really super lucky, maybe you would only have to stay in the hospital for just 4-6 weeks after you were born. You were better than really super lucky: You were blessed by Jesus with what is probably the record for the shortest hospitalization of any CDH baby: eight days!

So now here you are, six weeks old, and tomorrow you will have been home for five weeks. You are still the sweetest, mellowest little girl. And when I say little, I mean little. At your four-week checkup, you weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces, which puts you in the seventh {yes, 7th} percentile for weight. We chose well when we nicknamed you Peanut prenatally--you are such a tiny little peanut! But your newborn clothes are starting to get just a tad snug...and you were literally swimming in them when you came home from the hospital.

At six weeks old, you love:
~ being held, by pretty much anyone. You love physical contact, and sleep a lot better if you are touching someone.
~ snuggling
~ stretching. If stretching were an Olympic sport, you, my dear, would be a medal contender. You seem to abide by the idea that you can never stretch too frequently or too vigorously.
~ sleeping next to Mama
~ your pacifier. Sometimes.
~ Daddy talking to you
~ being in the Baby Bjorn. Anytime. Anywhere. You love it!
~ holding your head up. Your neck is ridiculously strong.
~ having your bottom thumped and/or being jiggled up and down
~ farting. It makes you grin.
~ sponge baths. You get really quiet, then start making your happy, singsong sounds.

What you don't love:
~ real baths
~ tummy time
~ diaper changes
~ losing your pacifier
~ not being able to see/feel Mama when you think you ought to
~ camera flash
~ feeling the wind
~ being buckled into your carseat {though once your carseat is in motion as we walk to the car, you're fine}

What I love about six weeks old:
~ you're going for slightly longer stretches between feeds--up to 5.5 hours a few times! {Translation: a little more sleep for Mama! Yay!}
~ your baby smell
~ how incredibly soft your hair is
~ the way you immediately curl up into your comfy position and nestle when I put you on my chest
~ how floppy and relaxed you are after you eat
~ all the little noises you make while you sleep
~ the ever-so-slight beginnings of rolls on your thighs and upper arms
~ wrinkles on your wrists...rolls will be coming soon!
~ your smiles
~ your dainty little toes
~ how you stop crying or fussing immediately when I pick you up. Every.single.time.
~ your eyelashes...just yesterday I noticed they are getting longer, and they are oh-so-pretty!
~ happy grunts while you eat. Sometimes throughout your entire meal.
~ your long, long fingers
~ the hilarious incongruity of the man-size burps and farts that come out of tiny little you

Here are a few snapshots from the last week or so. When I look at these photos compared to ones from a few weeks ago, I can't believe how much you've grown. Even though you are still itsy-bitsy for a six-week-old, you've changed so much in a short amount of time!

:: tummy time, in the 30 seconds before you decided it was pure torture ::

:: talks with Daddy ::

:: sweetest little smile in your sleep ::

:: your first BBQ and bonfire, at Luke and Joanna's house {you slept through the entire evening} ::

:: keeping Daddy company while he works {if someone can't hold you on their chest for your nap, this is your second favorite way to sleep} ::

:: not entirely sure what you think of the bouncy chair! ::

:: in your happy place: the Baby Bjorn ::

:: first trip to the local beach--proof that we DO take you outside!! ::

:: it was a gorgeous evening...first your Daddy and I had burgers at Shake 'N' Go, then we got ice cream cones at Ivar's and ate them as we walked down the beach ::

:: sleepytime with Grandpa {Mike's dad} ::

:: typical reaction to the flash going off in your face ::

Lainie Bug, we couldn't love you more!!
Happy six week Birthday!

Love,
Mama

4 comments:

  1. Happy 6 weeks to Lainie - she is such a sweetheart!

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  2. Oliver chatted and kept saying "baby" while he watched me read this post. We are both in agreement that she is such a sweet, sweet baby! Wow! How can it be 6 weeks already?

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  3. This made me all warm and fuzzy! You two made a beautiful baby - good job! Hugs to all of you. Hoping to meet the adorable Lainie in the not-too-distant future... :D

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  4. love seeing how she's grown!

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