7 Weeks.. and taking time to slow down

We are to a time with Lillian that is a lot of fun. She's very smiley when she's happy (read: not resisting sleep or hungry). She's getting better at sleeping at night once she goes down (usually around midnight or 1am), she's doing sweet things like gripping tight onto our shirt when we hold her, getting her hand to her mouth and sucking or licking on her thumb's knuckle and 'watching' us more as she's tracking better with her eyes. She is less of a newborn now, but still far from her independent phase b/c she's still so helpless and uncoordinated... which means she's snuggly and content to sleep on my chest in the mornings while I sleep or watch the Today show. Her tears these days seem to be for not knowing what to do with herself or how to process all that her senses are taking in and they are 'big girl tears' that will roll down her face when she's really upset. She likes being held upright with her head on your shoulder (dangerous since she's also been spitting up some).

The weeks have flown by and all of a sudden she weighs 10 1/2 lbs and is 7 weeks old. When she was born everyone kept saying to slow down and enjoy this time, but in the beginning periods of enjoyment are mixed in with stretches of 'survival mode', which makes it hard some days to stop and smell the roses. I am by nature a multi-tasker and get restless if I don't leave the house some, but as I approach the day I must return to work I'm conscious of trying to slow myself down a bit to enjoy the time (that I can't control or slow down) that remains. Rather than rush to get things done in the morning I've tried to take some time for sleeping or snuggling before we start our day. After all, eventually we will have a little independent person that won't be content to lie down on our chest just looking around and snoozing!

Lillian, in some ways we can't wait to see all the joy and development to come, but because I know those things will be here before we know it - whether we 'can't wait' or not - we will wait and for now remember to just enjoy you in all your tiny, needy sweetness. We love you so much!