At the weigh-in today, Tess crossed the 7 pound line by 5 ounces! She’s 20 inches long now. She’s in the 23rd percentile for weight and the 48th for height based on her due date. It’s nice to finally have crossed over into when she was supposed to be born, so we can compare her to the growth charts and have her actually appear. More importantly, the nurse didn’t pay us any special attention. Tess is eating and growing; she’s sleeping and watching and listening and doing everything she’s supposed to.

I’m trying really, really hard to ignore where she’s “supposed” to be and focus on what seems to challenge her in a good way right this minute. For example, right now we’re doing tummy time and she’s playing with a mirror. She keeps getting 3/4 of the way turned over and can’t quite make it the rest of the way. That’s okay! She cries less now when we put her on the mat, and actually turns her head for some of the sounds. We get to see her awake in the afternoons – really alert and ready to listen to songs, to play on the mat or just to cuddle.

People keep asking us how we’re adjusting. I was worried we’d be freaked out by the imposed house arrest, but it hasn’t been too bad. When you’ve been out of your own house this long, catching up is kinda nice. This week we’re getting move into a temporary kitchen, so the addition will actually happen! They’re going to work on that and the basement at the same time. We’ll have a solid chunk of the house to ourselves, which is nice. It will keep the baby’s air and space clean and give us out privacy. Again, mom and the contractor: genius.

Tonight we saw the Olsens and got
To have a quiet dinner on the corner of a patio away from everyone else. We’re getting the hang of this! On our walk home, we watched Summerfest opening fireworks with everyone else in the streets and Lake Park. It’s so fun to share that awe – even when you hate crowds, like me! There’s something amazing about a hot summer night in Milwaukee: just enough city to feel a part of something big and anonymous, and just small enough to feel neighborly and safe.