7 Things About Our 7-Week Old

Declansmom sometimes does something called Six on Sunday (or Seven on Sunday... I can't find it on her blog right now with this baby on my lap) in which she shares her son's responses to 6 (or 7) questions.

I want to try to find 7 things on this 7-week birthday.

1. ND is very strong. When held under her arms, she pushes very very hard to stand up. It's adorable because she hooks her arms down like a strong man, makes a face and trembles as she exerts this energy. It's especially cute when she's naked.

2. Her little ears stick out in just such a way to make her look a little yoda-, or maybe elf-like.

3. She's becoming more independent during breastfeeding. It used to be that if she needed to burp she would kick and go "mmm mmm mmm" urgently until I removed her and burped her. Now she pulls herself off and looks at me.

4. She smiles socially now. In the mornings, especially, when she's just hanging out on the bed while I'm dressing, breastpumping or whatever, she laughs and smiles and kicks around. Her first really incredible smile came in the middle of the night once when I was EXHAUSTED and not so keen on being awake with her. She just beamed at me and I completely melted. She also smiles a lot when she sees I'm preparing to nurse her.

5. Sometimes her smile hooks up a little on the left side of her mouth, making her squint that eye a little. Very mischievous. Makes me think of her dad's childhood photos.

6. When sleeping, she seems to have the tiniest little lips. But when she's tired, it goes like this. She'll just be sitting there, hanging out and looking mellow. Suddenly she'll let out this SCREAM and her lips will expand with all of her cheek muscles into this enormous oval. I'll "shhhhhhhhhhhhh" loudly, right into her ear, her soft precious cheek right against mine. Eventually the scream dies out to more of a putter until she finally passes out w/ her mouth wide open and one last little "Ah" of protest.

7. When she's really really upset... as in, strapped into car seat and hungry but can't be nursed until we get her out of the car and into the apartment, her whole face turns red, she screams so hard it sounds like she can't breathe, and her little arms alternately work up and down like a mechanical toy... a reflex, I guess. Thankfully, she often does this when tired and will fall asleep as soon as the car starts, there is a change of scenery or, of course, a breast comes into view.