Charles is One Week Old!

Well, we made it... one week down! I can't believe he's a week old already. I look back on his pictures from the hospital and I already think he's changed so much. He's not a little baby anymore!!

We had some great news at the doctor's office today. His weight is up to 7 lbs. 11 oz., which is a 6 oz. gain from Tuesday. Dr. G (his pediatrician is also Dr. G, just like Mommy's OB) predicts that he'll be above his birth weight of 8 lbs. 6 oz. at his two-week appointment. He is eating every 3 hours and has just started nursing on both sides at all feedings, so I think she's right too. Way to go buddy!

Here's what Baby Center has to say about one-week old babies:

Your baby's eyesight is still pretty fuzzy. Babies are born nearsighted and can see things best when they're about 8 to 10 inches away, so she can see your face clearly only when you're holding her close.

Don't worry if your baby doesn't look you right in the eye from the start: Newborns tend to look at your eyebrows, your hairline, or your moving mouth. As she gets to know you in the first month, she'll be more interested in having eye-to-eye exchanges. Studies show that newborns prefer human faces to all other patterns or colors. (High-contrast items, like a checkerboard, are next in line.)

Give your baby plenty of opportunities to study your features by looking at her up close. As you or your partner feeds her, move your head slowly from side to side and see whether her eyes follow you. This exercise can help strengthen the eye muscles. (Don't be alarmed if your baby looks at you with crossed eyes: It's normal for a newborn's eyes to wander or cross now and then during the first month or so of life.)

Babies are sensitive to light and can see in three dimensions. Notice how your baby blinks when you bring an object close to her.

I've noticed that Charlie is very alert and focused when he's awake. I totally understand what it's like to be nearsighted, and I hope Charlie gets better eyesight. But if he inherits mine, just think how cute he'll look in glasses!

In honor of the first week, here's another video we shot this morning. I remember when JA bought me that flipcam for my birthday last year. I knew I'd be recording our baby pretty regularly, but this every day stuff is just crazy. And you know what... I don't care! ;)



Oh, and I plan to start my food journal again after Week 2. We are still establishing our nursing routine and I want to make sure I'm getting enough high-quality calories for us. I can share that I'm down 20 pounds since delivery, so just about 10 to go to pre-pregnancy weight. Not sure how those pre-pregnancy jeans will fit, but I'm waiting to try them until week 2 is over as well. I'll keep you posted...

And one more thing... you know you're a new mom when you get an email from Amazon about a sale on pumps, and your head immediately goes to breast pumps and not shoes (which the email was actually about). ;)