7 weeks

Caroline is 7 weeks! My maternity leave is flying by and I can't believe it's half way through. We've had a good week this past week and many things seem to be improving for sweet Caroline. As with all of us, it just takes time to adjust to the real world! Bless her heart! She's certainly been a trooper in joining our crazy little family - she makes us complete!

July 3, 2011 - 7 weeks

Here are some things sweet girl is up to these days:

• the colic seems to have reached its peak - week 6 was a rough one for you, but week 7 has been much better to you ... you seem to have learned how to cope a little better and Mommy and Daddy are learning how to soothe you a bit better a well
• you are almost smiling - not a full smile, but you certainly are close!
• you are making more sounds - oohing, ahhing a bit
• your awake time is increasing - after eating you are wake now about 45 minutes before you are ready to sleep
• you do not want to sleep in your crib during the day - you've been fighting this since week 5 - Mommy is going to work with you this week to try to get you back to your crib at least once or twice a day
• you love sleeping in the swing - can I get a loud AMEN for whoever invented baby swings??? Thank you Jesus!
• you're still eating well - fussy at times, but not near what you were. You're eating 6-7 times a day.
• you are still super good to us at night - your stretches are now averaging between 6-8 hours the first stretch and then 3-4 hours the next. Your last feeding is between 8-9 p.m. most nights and your first morning feeding is typically somewhere between 5-7 a.m. I typically only have to feed you once in the middle of the night - somewhere between 2-4 a.m.
  
• you continue to fight the swaddle - bless you - but it sure helps you sleep at night!
• you are starting to calm yourself enough to fall asleep during the day sometimes on your own for about 10 minutes - this is huge for you!
• you can follow me with your eyes and turn your head a bit when I walk away from you
• you can hold up your head fairly well for a few seconds and then it comes crashing down
  

We sure love you sweet, sweet girl! Thank you for adding joy to our family - our life certainly wouldn't be the same without you!

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
~ John 1:16