Six Weeks

I can stare at this boy for hours.  And he stares back. I'm startled by how wonderful he is. And that he's mine.

Our beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.
Harvey has baby pattern baldness. He has thicker fuzzy blond hair on the sides and in the back but the top of his head is now shiny bald. I'm waiting for his little duck feathers to grow in. His cheeks are chubbier and wider and he grew a new chin layer. He's starting to stretch out his body. I love it when he goes from scrunched up to arching his back with his little hand near his face.
His eyes get a little lighter each day. The pediatrician shined a light into his eyes (and let me try it) and it looked lit up like red-eye in a photo. He said that means he'll likely have light colored eyes. While they will likely have my coloring (blue) I see a lot of his dad in his eyes--they are deeper set and have an intensity about them.

Expressions
Harvey coos and smiles (especially in the morning) and we get so caught up in it it is hard to think of anything but him (hard to get a picture). His opened mouth grin and the look of delight in his eyes stops us in our tracks. His coos are so sweet too. This child has an expressive face ... I also can't hide what I feel and his dad has a rubbery (handsome) face full of character.  Harvey's other specialty is the grumpy old man face, or a look of deep concern. As his parents we find them all irresistible. This tiny boy seems larger than life. His thoughts and opinions and interests are forming already and it is a joy to watch.

Opening gifts from generous friends and family. This was at 3.5 weeks.

Motherhood
I really really love being a mom. More than I thought I would. It's an amazing responsibility and I often think of how I have a little man. He will be grown person some day. We feel like he is such a big boy, every day he feels a bit heavier in my arms, but people comment on how small he is.  Are you on your way home from the hospital? When I see him in photos I realize he really is still pretty small.

Doctor Visit
Today he weighed 9 lbs 14 oz and was 22.75 inches.  He got his first immunizations.  I was nervous. He cried out on the second and third shot and his face was beet red and angry but it only lasted a moment. I scooped him up and nursed him and he forgot all about it.  He's been extra sleepy and has a slight fever. It's a little rough. I'm proud of him for being so brave.

This Mama likes blue stripes. I also love his little feet and hands and lack of neck.

Food
He has a healthy appetite and was marathon feeding; at four weeks he was eating 10 hours a day. I use the Baby Connect app on my phone to track his feedings. I didn't mind because it's my job to feed him and grow him but boy was I tired. It's slowed a little 6 or 7 hours a day. I get about 2 hours from the start of one feeding to the next. I didn't realize what an amazing commitment baby feeding is. And I am happy to announce it no longer hurts.

Sounds
Babies make a lot of noise! I mentioned his endearing gurgley coos. He also farts. Very loudly. A and I often credit one another when Harvey is the culprit--They sure sound adult sized. His belches can be equally impressive. I'm learning his language. If he starts a whiney, discontent cry while nursing it means he has a burp. The bubbles in his tummy come out pretty quickly when he is upright and he's happy to eat again.

Baby Love
I've always loved babies but I find that I'm extra interested in babies. And this sounds a little crazy considering how young my baby is (and I'm in no huge rush) but I look forward to having another baby. I can look at pictures of babies all day. Andrew asks, "What are you doing?" when I'm looking at my phone---and I'm probably looking at babies on instagram, on blogs, on facebook. We joined a mommy group and I love oohing and ahhing at the other amazing newborns.

Music
I love to sing to him and I make up many ridiculous songs. I copy the tune of other songs and invent my own lyrics. My family has always loved to sing and make up songs... Plus I'm a k teacher. My life is a musical. It will be fun when he joins in.

Friends
Our dear friends have a daughter, Avery, who is one and awesome. She has developed an interest in babies and dolls since meeting Harvey. He's still not aware of her.  I talk to friends and family on speaker phone since I don't usually have a free hand. Harvey listens and looks around attentively so I like to think your voices will be familiar to him. Also, he/we love google hanging out. So let's make a date, okay?

Smooches
I hope he doesn't mind that we kiss him constantly.