weeks 1-6

I have the desire to do a weekly post with a picture of Noah and an update on how he's developing that week, kind of like I did each week with pregnancy.  I'm not sure if I'm up for the task of keeping up with it, but I'll give it a whirl and see how it goes.  Here's some catch up for weeks 1-6.

Here's how Noah has been developing according to parents.com (in italics).

Week 1: It's only been a week, but already your newborn knows she can rely on you. By now, she can recognize your voice. Hearing her parents' familiar voices helps her adjust to the strange new world outside the womb and lets her know that she's not alone. So the more you talk to her, the better. She can't understand your words, but your love comes through loud and clear.

At this point Noah pretty much slept all of the time, and almost never cried.  He was 7 lbs 8 oz at birth, 6 lbs 14 oz when we left the hospital, and back up to 7 lbs 1 oz at his one week doctor's appointment.

Week 2: This week, your baby can focus on objects 8 to 14 inches away--just about the distance between his eyes and yours during feedings. In fact, babies this age prefer faces to other objects. By looking at him during his meals, you'll encourage him to practice focusing. As you feed him, move your head slowly from side to side and see if his eyes follow you. This helps build his eye muscles and tracking skills.

At this point our little one was still sleeping most of the time, and still not really crying ever.  We were a little worried that he still looked so skinny, but his 2 week doctor's appointment revealed that he was still gaining weight, and was up to 7 lbs 5 oz.

Week 3: Though her movements are still random and jerky, your baby can control her body in one amazing way by this week. She can snuggle! As you hold her, watch how she adjusts her posture towards you. She finds your arms and even your scent calming and comforting. There couldn't be a more perfect and relaxing way for the two of you to bond.

Just after two weeks Noah's umbilical cord finally fell off and he got his first bath.  He wasn't too thrilled or impressed with it, but he didn't cry, which was a victory in my opinion for such a new experience.

Week 4: Have you noticed your baby using his vocal chords in ways other than crying? He may coo and make "ahh" sounds this week, especially when he sees mom or dad. Babies learn by mimicking--so replay his sounds back to him. He not only loves the attention, but he's also finding out that his voice has power: he calls, you appear!

Somewhere between weeks 3 and 4 Noah found his lungs and started being a lot more vocal, including several hours of screaming between 5 and 9 pm each evening.

Week 5: This week, your baby's movements are becoming smoother and more purposeful--those random, jerky motions are beginning to disappear. She's not ready for gym class, but try to give her time each day for using her body. You can give her a gentle mini-workout by slowly pulling her to a sitting position, or letting her "fly" by resting her tummy-down on your forearm. Always support her head.

Around this time we realized that Noah sleeps much more peacefully on his belly than on his back (the recommended sleeping method these days).  At night we still swaddled him and put him on his back in the cradle in our room, but during the day when I could be around to keep a close eye on him, he would take most of his naps on his belly in our bed.  By this point his nightly screaming reduced from 3-4 hours, to 1-2 hours.

Week 6: It wasn't gas! At about this age, your baby will flash an adorable gummy grin that is his first genuine smile. How can you tell? His eyes will brighten and widen as he moves his mouth upwards. By smiling back and cooing to him, you'll do more than get another smile. You're teaching him that his actions cause a reaction--with pleasant results!

Not quite smiling yet, but flashing lots of smirks to mom and dad at this point.  Noticeably focusing his eyes a lot more at this point also, and would follow us or objects with his eyes, just a little delayed.


Shannon