6 weeks

Sweet baby Ellis, you are now officially six weeks old. How is that possible? I've been terrible at documenting your life thus far....honestly, I haven't written the first thing in your baby book yet. So before another week speeds by, I wanted to quickly let you know just how truly precious you are.

Ellis, you may be #4, but you are unique. You are already showing us that raising you will not be like raising any other baby. Just like your brothers and sister, you have your own identity and your own adorable quirks, and we are thrilled to learn all about you.

Here's what we know thus far...

You are not a car baby. While many babies love their car seats and will snooze away, you truly hate yours. You scream; you spit up; you generally protest until you tire yourself out and fall asleep. And this is really a pity because you are already on the go. We rarely leave you behind as we jump from one activity to another--you are quite the busy 6 week old.

You get held and carried a lot. Being the fourth baby, this may sound surprising, but I find myself just holding you all day. You like it; I like it. You just seem to precious to put down, and you fit right into my arm so perfectly. And when we are out and about, you can most likely be found being worn in the carrier. I've never worn a baby very much before, but you have quickly become part of my wardrobe.

You get very fussy at night, usually inconsolable. You want to just eat and eat and eat, and nothing we do seems to calm you down. But your dad is so patient with you. He is already so in love.

Your brothers and sister love you so dearly. Frances and Barnes love taking care of you...they talk to you and give you your pacifier and help with diaper changes. I wish I could capture the love I see when I find one of them sweetly comforting you or telling you a story. And Shepherd loves you too, he just isn't sure how to show it safely. He loves saying your name, and his favorite thing to do is help you bounce in your bouncy seat, but his bounces are a little too violent for a newborn. I promise we are doing our best to protect you!

You smell so wonderful. I don't know when that sweet smell wears off--you don't realize it's gone until it's too late--but I cannot get enough of it.

You are a champion nurser. Ellis, I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying feeding you. You will never understand, but you have given me an invaluable gift. I love having those moments with you and being able to sustain you with just myself. One of the sweetest parts of each day right now is when I nurse you in my bed each morning, just you and me, before we go out and join the craziness.

Ellis, you are so dear and already an irreplaceable part of this family. I am so thankful for you and the way you (most likely) complete our little family. I cannot wait to learn more about you and watch you grow and explore this amazing world.