This week's weight gain

Monday, at three weeks and six days old, Cayden weighed 11 pounds, 6 ounces.

Tuesday, at four weeks old, he weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces.

And today, at four weeks and two days old, he weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces, or one ounce short of 12 pounds.

Total gain: 9 ounces in four days.

A few disjointed thoughts:

(1) I never thought ounces were so heavy until they started piling up on this baby. Chicken Wing is really heavy. I didn't expect him to get this heavy this fast. Like it hurts my back to sway and bounce him longer than five minutes or so.

(2) I thought we'd be using prefold diapers for a lot longer than two weeks, but since his circumcision didn't heal until two weeks in and the newborn prefolds are getting small already, Cayden sported his first all-in-one this afternoon. Sure, just as Dad gets good at folding, fastening and covering the prefolds, we move to the easy diapers. Well, I guess we'll use both kinds to ease up on the laundry burden until his poops and pees slow down a bit. We're still going through 12+ diapers a day.

(3) Another mom in Tuesday's BF group said her son had a constant growth spurt from three to six weeks. Seems six to eight weeks is some kind of magic timeframe when babies become much more rewarding. Two weeks to go. We can make it.

(4) Lactation Consultant and infant guru Mary says the frequent feedings, gas pains, cries and everything else we're experiencing is completely normal. She calls three to six weeks of age "all systems go," when babies turn into fussy, gassy, challenging little buggers.

(5) While it's a great opportunity to ask questions and hear from "experts" who have been through this all before, there is a down side to attending these twice-weekly mom groups at Hershey: the shopping that happens afterward. Tuesday evening I bought a sling online, after a few moms modeled them and Mary explained why they're so much more appealing to a young infant than our Bjorn, which worked for Cayden once, but not a single time since then. (at his age the "dangling" arms and legs scare him; he'd rather be bundled up) But the Bjorn is supposed to be great for older babies, so we'll return to it some day. Today we invested in an excercise ball, after watching what amazing tools they are at this morning's group. Cayden was fussing, but as soon as I sat on the ball and bounced, he went right out. The ball was only $6 at Walmart, although it's 65 cm circumference is now adding to the baby crap that has taken over what suddenly seems to be a very cramped living room.

(6) And apparently I must have "rich" or fatty milk, and that's what's helping him grow so fast. I don't know if he'll be 16.5 pounds in two weeks or not, but Mary said some babies do double their birth weight by six weeks.