My baby boy is 5 weeks old today. I took the above picture of Joseph just now as I typed. I don't even recognize him compared to the baby that was born. Sigh... But this is good! Well, so Aaron tells me. "We want him to grow", he says. Uh-huh. Sure.

In all seriousness, Aaron is right. God gave us this precious life to grow and nurture. The whole point of children is to raise mature disciples of Christ. How can we do this if, at the very least, they don't grow out of their newborn clothes? Why is it, then, that I feel slightly panicked that his newborn booties are too small? (See below: the heel of the sock is in the middle of his foot!) I'm not sure, but I do know every wise person has said to me, "Enjoy this time when he is tiny - it passes far too quickly". Yes, I see that it does! :)


We weighed Joseph again last night at the McIntyre's: 10 1/2 pounds! And oh, how that little boy smiles! Meme Reese had him Saturday night for 30 minutes just grinning at her!

And remember that post last week about needing to watch what I eat? Well, true as that may be, and as much as my vit-C drink and horsey sauce from Arby's did affect his little tummy, what we're pretty sure of now is that Joseph was going through a growth spurt! Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday he was incredibly fussy. He would eat, but would become fussy between feedings, start to cry and cry, miss his nap, get very tired, and get more fussy. See the hideous pattern?

I finally called the midwife, Michelle, on Wednesday afternoon. "Are you letting him eat between feedings?" "Well, no, because he's usually only hungry every 3 hours." "Honey! It sounds like a classic growth spurt to me. Offer him food! He's trying to increase your milk supply so that he has enough for later. He might seem frustrated when he eats, but keep offering. And in a couple of days, he'll be normal again." I gave it a try. He ate and ate! He was frustrated, like she said, but he still wanted to eat. So, Thursday and Friday was similar to earlier in the week, only he ate more often. This past weekend was crazy, with his schedule disrupting any normal routine that gives his parents sanity.

But around Sunday, he got some good naps in and here we are Tuesday morning back on track. :) Mama's happy! And the midwives were correct.

It can be so daunting and scary when you don't know what to do with a baby. It's got me thinking about community, and how that's just one more reason God gave us older women, sisters, fathers, grandmas and midwives: to talk to them, get hugs from them, hang around them, call them, watch them, learn from them, cry with them, and let them hold the baby. Community gives you perspective, sanity, wisdom, encouragement and love. A new baby makes me realize I need those things desperately.













From our trip to FTW
Above: Mom and Mark discuss who should be able to hold baby Joseph. :)
Right: Aunt Chrystal meets Joseph!