7 weeks!

Noelle is 7 weeks old! We're having many "oh yeah - this is what having a newborn is like" moments, both sweet and exhausting. We've been thrust into serious soothing mode these days, trying to get her down for enough (and long enough) naps to keep her from getting overtired and really hard to settle. We've added some new techniques to our soothing rituals, like listening to the iPod while bouncing and rocking and shushing a screaming baby. The music really helps to drown out the cries plus gives you perspective of how long you're actually bouncing a crying baby (a few songs feels like a lot longer than it is). We've also employed the formally used technique of bouncing the stroller along cobblestone streets.
Thankfully, the sweet moments of newborn life outweigh the difficult ones on most days. You can't beat watching those bright eyes take in the world, that smile light up that little face, those hands gripping our fingers, those little legs kicking with excitement, that hair that still stands on end, that mouth that drops open when she falls asleep in our arms ... She's precious!