Nine Pound Champ!

Today, at 6-1/2 weeks old, Joseph weighs nine pounds! He has gained one pound in the two weeks he has been exclusively nursing--way to go, big boy!

I chuckle that it took my smallest baby (Joseph, 6 lbs 5 oz) six weeks to grow to the size of my biggest baby (Mary, 8 lbs 9 oz).

In the last week, Joseph has begun having increasing quiet, wakeful periods. He is alert for one to two hours generally around 8:00 a.m. and again around 8:00 p.m. Today he is having an alert period in the middle of the day, so maybe he is adding in a third wakeful session to his day. Those alert periods when he calmly watches the room around here are the only times he is out of my sling--otherwise he is in arms nursing or in my sling sleeping.

I seem to raise Barnacle Babies who are stuck to me even when sleeping: if I set them down sleeping, they cry. The fourth time around, I guess I'm pretty used to all the implications of my babywearing choice, some heartwarming, some a real hassle. That's okay: I recently read "Kangaroo Care" and was fascinated to read a study of former preemie babies whose mothers agreed to "kangaroo them" 24/7 for a year (!) and how much better on physiological measurements (e.g., growth) the babies performed. Since my babies have rarely touched the ground (or a swing or a seat) for about ten months--until they began walking--reading about all the physiological benefits measured by science of wearing one's baby made me pleased.

Speaking of babywearing, there was a contest going on to make a music video about babywearing for the brand Obimama: the video "Wear Your Baby" by Carly Rae Jepson is my downright favorite so far! I could have written all those lyrics myself--if I could write lyrics, which I can't, but you get my point.