Laurel turned three weeks old on Thursday. Here are ten things I've observed about her:
She weighed seven pounds, six ounces at her two-week check-up (which was over a week ago, back on the 22nd). This means she continues in the 25th percentile for weight. She is still about a pound short of Isaac's birth weight. Just over the last few days, her clothes seem to fit her better. At first the "zero to three month" size looked laughably large on her, and now it just looks baggy.
She measured 21 1/4 inches long at the two-week appointment. This is the 50th percentile for height, a ten percent drop from her birth height. However, I don't know how you can accurately measure a newborn baby's length. Those legs just don't want to straighten out.
At the appointment, the doctor paused in the middle of telling us something and said, "She shouldn't be able to do it yet, but it seems like she's tracking me with her eyes. I swear she's looking at me!" He is a old-school pediatrician who, while warm and friendly, is too professional to indulge in compliments and enthusiasms, so he must actually have been surprised. And I think he's right -- she does look at things. Not only will she study faces, I've seen her notice toys hanging from a mobile.
She is an incredibly noisy sleeper. I seriously don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep in the same room as her. It's like sleeping with a whole barnyard of animals -- she grunts, bleats, and even whinnies like a horse. I keep waking up because I think she's hungry, but then she won't wake up. I think part of the noise is her straining her muscles -- she is trying desperately to roll over, even in her sleep.
She's not interested in nursing if it wasn't her idea in the first place. She actually won't open her mouth when presented with a nipple she hasn't requested. And when she's full, she stops! If I force it on her, she might even gag. This is completely unlike her brother.
However, like her brother, she enjoys being carried in the sling. She usually falls asleep right away. She also sleeps in the car, in the swing, in my bed, in anyone's arms, in the crib, and in the co-sleeper bassinet. She doesn't always fall asleep on her own, but she often stays asleep when set down. This is also completely unlike her brother.
Her eyes are beginning to make real tears. I noticed them becoming moist when she was complaining about something. It's hard to say, though, because she's not much of a crier. She mostly grouses. Is she actually mellow? Or is she going to surprise us next week by suddenly waking up and throwing a fit?
The dark newborn blue outer rim of her eyes is growing smaller, while the lighter blue-gray area radiates further outward. It's now looking less rigidly geometric, like a star sapphire, and more organic, like flower petals. Her hair is still dark and shows no sign of falling out yet.
The skin on her entire body is flaking off in a most unbecoming fashion. She is also developing a tiny case of baby acne, which is actually pretty cute. It's like freckles across her cheeks. Her face and torso are darker, while her hands and feet are pale. Why is that?
She went to her first birthday party today, accompanied by me and Isaac. She has also been to two different parks, the Gap, Starbucks, IKEA, a drugstore, a gift shop, and at least four medical appointments. We seriously didn't leave the house until Isaac was two weeks old, and even then I required Craig as mental and technical support. This time is much easier. And more fun.
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Bonus observation:
Two different people have told me that when they asked Isaac what he thinks about his new sister, he answered, "She pees on the changing table. A lot."
He's right, unfortunately.
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