Week 3

Asa turned 3 weeks old on Tuesday. How can it be? He'll be 4 weeks old this coming Tuesday and ONE MONTH old on Thursday!! That is just CRAZY.

I'm 3 weeks old!

After Asa's frantic pace early in the week, he seemed to settle back down. I honestly can't tell you for sure if it was a growth spurt or just some off days. I wish sometimes Asa had a little headband with neon lights that would light up saying "GROWTH SPURT" or "TUMMY HURTS" or "JUST FUSSY." I hate that I can't read his mind. :) Matt's a biomedical engineer--don't you think he ought to be able to come up with some amazing device so we'd know exactly what Asa needs even in these early days when we're still learning so much about him?? :) I'll have him get on that right away. ;)

Am I not ADORABLE??

Yesterday we took Asa for a weight check. Overall the experience was rather frustrating, but there is great news! He weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz. which EXCEEDS his birth weight! PRAISE THE LORD!!! The frustrating part was that even though the pediatrician said we were free to not come back until his 2 month appointment as long as he made his birth weight, they made me talk to a nurse and nurse practitioner about his weight gain because it doesn't average out to an ounce/day (it's 3/4 of an ounce/day) and that is even though they said they wanted between 1/2 ounce and 1 whole ounce/day. So he's perfectly smack in the middle of that range, but they're still borderline unhappy. Anyway, we're switching a couple things up and we'll see how things go. The other good news is that Asa is already over 23" long! And along with that, he is getting too long for some of his newborn clothes that he used to swim in. I couldn't believe it yesterday and today when I put sleepers on him that used to be huge and now BARELY made it up past his shoulders. He is a long little boy! A week ago a nurse measured him and said he was 21.5" (and that the missing 1/2" from his birth measurement was due to his head rounding out after birth). So if you use her measurement, he grow over 1.5" in week!

Firsts: Asa had his first outing to a store this week. We needed to pick up some dog food for Sammy, so Mom and I took him out to do just that. He does well in the car as long as it's moving. We had to stop at a red light, and he did NOT like that. He was quite vocal about his opinion as well. But then it started pouring rain and the sound of the huge raindrops on the car calmed him down. I also aimed for every bump in the road--the driving habits that change once you have a baby in the back. ;)

Growth: Asa is becoming a champ at holding his head up. He's getting so big and strong! We also notice that he's scootching a little bit in his sleep. He and the sleep positioner are often at a slight angle when we go wake him to eat. He's starting to push up a little bit too when you have him up on your shoulder. He's smiling more and more, starting to look more intently in people's faces/eyes, and has cooed a tiny bit this week, too. :)

I can hold my head up, but sitting up is still quite a ways off... and that led to a little malfunction during my 3 week update pictures

We are praising God for our sweet, growing boy!

Prayer requests:

• for Asa's continued growth. I have started pumping for storage and to top him off during the day in an attempt to maximize his weight gain. I'm also taking an herb (fenugreek) that's supposed to increase milk supply in hopes of that aiding the pumping, etc. We're also taking a different approach in the pediatrician department for his 2 month check up. Please pray all of that goes well!
• Next week is my first week on my own with Asa during the day. Bible study friends have sweetly offered to bring meals a couple times next week which will be a huge help. And Mom has stocked our fridge, freezer, and pantry in the meantime. Please pray we are able to get some rest and have a good week.

That about sums us up! Thanks for keeping up with us, for your encouragement, and especially for your prayers!