5 Weeks - Bliss and Breakdowns

At 11:47 this morning, our beautiful baby girl will be five weeks old. How weird is that?! It's so wild to me how much she has changed in just five weeks. We can't comment on those chicken legs of hers any longer since they are now filled out and rolly polly, and her cheeks and gobbler now rest sweetly on her chest (haha!). Last night Dana and I weighed her and she is a solid 9 pounds even!! In an effort to keep up with her speedy growth, Dana and I made the trek down to the factory stores to visit the Carter store and stock up on clothes because believe it or not, she is creeping her way out of NB sizes. :( All of that In just 5 weeks?!

Aside from her physical growth, it has been so amazing to see her mind at work. She is recognizing our faces and voices, and making direct eye contact. The most exciting for I think both Dana and myself is the smiling and cooing. She SMILES and people, it's not the gas! She is perfectly content (after a fully belly and clean diaper and no other distractions whatsoever) to lay on the couch and stare at the lights in the room. She is so fascinated with the shadows and the way the different lights fill the room. She coos and gurgles to tell us what she thinks of each luminary design she sees in front of her.
It is so fascinating to watch her see her discover the world around her. What she must be thinking?

Needless to say, Penelope is not the only student of life these days. Dana and I have been in perpetual 'learn' mode since the moment she was born. We are soaking up wisdom our good friends offer us about everything from sleep to diaper rash. We take every opportunity to do our homework and research the growth and development of this little bumpkin. And in this push for education, we are learning that all the learning in the world is bunk compared to the hands-on, real time education we are getting. We are starting to understand her cries (didn't think I'd ever get that), we know her favorite ways to be held, we know how she acts when she is not feeling well. There is still so much we are trying to figure out, and yet, we know we will be in that pursuit of understanding rest of our days.

Chow time - baby calls. :) Stay tuned!