6 weeks feels "all grown up"

it is hot as ever over here in Western MA. like mother like daughter - Harlow is NOT impressed. she keeps getting heat rash on her face and chest. she is possibly the sweatiest baby i have ever met. Gwen gives her afternoon baths to cool down and it is pretty much the only time she is happy enough to lay down and take a nap. poor little baby.

also, she is a giant! these last few days have shown so many changes. she has held her head well since birth but now she is a master at it. and she moves her limbs all sorts of ways. she is so strong and even "stands" really well. i swear, she is going to be walking tomorrow. i know that i keep saying how fast she is growing but it is really shocking. we went to see Denise and her newborn, Peyton, at the hospital yesterday. Harlow was twice her size! that really drove it home for me. each morning when i pick her up, i swear she is heavier. i will weigh her soon but my guess is that she is up near 12lbs by now. she was 10.5 two weeks ago. not bad growth in a month considering she was 7.5 when she was born.

she is also so much more alert to her surroundings. she can see things that i hold in front of her face now. and her social smiles are THE BEST! i think we even have some happy coo noises happening. can't wait for the laughing to start!

pics do way more than words. i may be biased, but she is a doll!

6 week update

i just realized today that i am halfway through my maternity leave. ahhhhh! how do people go back to work after spending 24hrs a day with these little things? i am just hoping that i win the lottery before i have to go back. better start playing. i can't believe this Sunday will make 6 weeks. she is not a newborn at all anymore...but a chunky little baby. her personality is starting to come out and her cheeks are so fat and cute. i am still so smitten. when i pick her up after putting her down for a spell, i can't stop smelling her and kissing on her. also, when other people hold her i just stare at her because she is so darn cute. urgh, i refuse to go back to work!

on a side note - we went for a lovely walk by the Noho Community Gardens yesterday. me, Gen, Auntie Pepper, Uncle Wolfie, Jess, Shannon, and all the doggies went down by the water. it was a hard walk for me but it's good to be moving. when we got back, someone had smashed the window of our car! all they got was my diaper bag. probably thought it was a purse. there was nothing of value in there but it makes me so mad because all of Harlow's stuff was in there. plus, they smashed the window above her carseat. urgh. don't mess with the little baby!!! the one thing that i was really mad about losing was a jorunal that i had been keeping of all our feedings since birth. i know it isn't important but it was special to me since it had all of our time together written down plus notes from her naming and little thoughts i had while feeding her. grrrrr. hope they're happy and their karma suffers. they smashed my window and walked away with baby wipes and rash cream. grrrr.

since my camera was in the bag, i lost all of the picture of Harlow from the last two weeks. BOO! but here are some from weeks 4-5 for now...

these were taken by Auntie Pepper. Harlow's first trip to the Opa Opa Brewery.



looking cute as ever. all grown up and out of newborn clothes.


she is balding! her hair is long as ever in back but balding in the front. we are en route to a mullet!


our first Mother's Day! it was great. Gwen took us to brunch. i had half of a stout and then passed out on the ride home. ha! then gen tooks us to look for trees to plant in the backyard (we want to bury the placenta this summer). it was too cold and we didn't get one but soon!

3 weeks!

we made it to three weeks!!! actually, 3.5 weeks now. Harlow is amazing. we are still over the moon in love. she is chunking up fast. i went to a breast feeding support group on Monday to check in and have her weighed. she weighed in at 9lbs and 2oz! amazing since she was born at 7lbs and 5 ounces just three weeks ago. what a chunker!!! i, of course, feel like a milk machine. she eats no less than every two hours. it's amazing and pretty much all that i do all day long. exhausting.

i have been trying to get out and about every day. to lunch, to meet friends, to go to new parenting groups, ect. sadly, the midwives seem to think that i am pushing it too hard and need to rest more. so i have been back on the couch for the last two days. i'm not happy about it. Harlow is not happy about it and has been a fussy mess for two days straight. good times.

but she is amazing as usual. i just went through IRX's blog from when she was a newborn. i can't believe over a year has passed already. the first year is amazing - from blob to walking/talking. i'm trying to catch every second of it. i already miss her being one day old...one week old...two weeks old. but i also look forward to her growing into a little person.

we're liking the Moby wrap more. it was difficult at first but now we're enjoying it more. we even went for a walk yesterday in it!


here is a picture of her looking just like her Papa!


on Sunday Harlow took a nap all by herself at Jess & Shannon's. it was amazing (even if i did check on her every two minutes).