Ok, ok -- I know it isn't entirely an either-or choice, but this Mom-thing does take a lot of work and time. In fact, I do a lot of laughing -- inside, where it counts -- at my naive, pregnant self for thinking I'd be leading this perfectly Martha-Stuart-esque existence post-delivery: taking care of Alex while creating culinary masterpieces, cleaning the house down to the microscopic level and crafting thoughtful, hand-made thank-you cards for Alex's gifts. Of course, I'd have had time to thoroughly rework our gardens and flowerbeds by this point. Why not? (Everyone who has his or her own children laugh along with me, now). The truth is, I consider it to be a major victory of time management if I get the laundry done and put away and empty the dishwasher. A shower is cause for celebration! (And Daryl appreciates it, too -- ha, ha). I can't imagine a better way to spend my time than to spend it with Alex and Daryl. Clearly, however, I hadn't correctly imagined just how I'd be spending that time ...

Ah, but I ramble. Let's talk about Alex! Big week for Alex this week. The big news (note the repeated use of the word "big") is Alex's 6-week checkup. As we guessed, we're living with a child who knows how to grow. He now weighs 11 pounds, is 24 inches long and has a head circumference of 39 centimeters. This places him in the 95th percentile for length and the 90th percentile for weight and head size. The doctor was very happy with how he's developing and commented on his good muscle control and strength. (A "big" thank you to our families for good genes!). Alex also received his first round of immunizations, which he didn't really appreciate. :-(

Other news this week. Alex is developing a heart-melting smile (Daryl and I both positively turn to jelly when he shines this smile upon us). There are even the beginnings of laughter there. In general, he seems much more aware of his surroundings this week -- interacts more with us, grabs for his toys, etc. On the "big"-ness front, we've started using 3-6 month clothes for him. The newborn clothes are just getting too small. We're trying to get him to take one bottle of breast milk each day, so Daryl can also feed him. This is going only marginally well -- so far, Alex does not believe that food can come from an inanimate object. We'll keep working on it, however.

That's all the news for now!

J.