Week 5 - Fat and grumpy

Fat and grumpy. 

Those are the best words I could use to describe Jay's week this last week.

Week 5 Picture

The fat is the good. It's a little weird how easy it is to get a sense of personal pride at watching him turn into a little butterball. Especially since I'm not the one providing his calories. Blowing raspberries on his stomach after changing his diaper gets more fun the fatter he gets. I know it should be obvious, but it's just weird to me that babies grow. That little alien looking creature with the pale blue skin that I met late December is turning into a little person--complete with his own little future and own little set of hopes and dreams. It's an odd realization, but really satisfying nonetheless.

Mean muggin in the middle of the night

The grumpy is the bad. Most babies get better at sleeping as they get older. Not ours. I'm writing this post at 1 o'clock in the morning after a 48 hour stretch where he hasn't slept for more than one hour at a time. One of the dangers of assuming things can only get better is that it's completely not in the least bit true. Yes, yes, I know in several weeks, months, or years it eventually does get better, but much of life with a newborn is won and lost in the small battles. And we have been losing these battles handily these last couple days. Still, we are adapting. Just tonight we've switched to a shift schedule, which I am optimistic will help us endure this new exhausting phase.

Even at its worst, it's all worth it. I love this little boy. If I have to endure a million sleepless nights it would be worth the price of admission. I'd be willing to do whatever it takes for the opportunity to spend just one more day as his dad.