One of the truly surreal parts of having a newborn in the house is that they grow. They never do it while you’re watching–you come down for breakfast, and you look at them, and….they’re bigger than when you last noticed.

That’s what happened this morning. I looked at Mary, all comfy and relaxed in her carrier (she’s on the table next to me as I write) and suddenly realized that her head was just a little bigger and more rounded than it was yesterday.

“Jane,” I said, “Her head’s bigger.”

“It could be,” she said. “She wanted to eat all night long.”

The kicker was her hair. She was born with a lot of dark hair, but it looks thinner this morning. Analysis: the follicles are farther apart.

I was expecting this–Mary is our fourth, after all–but I wasn’t expecting it quite so quickly.