The Long Drive

As I write, Lisa has finally gotten Anna to take a nap. Perhaps after a weekend of being passed from Daddy to Grandpa, from Mom and to Grandma, it was too much fun to hang just with Mom for most of the day, and Anna found it hard to rest. Maybe it was gas. You can rarely tell with these young babies.

We were away up north when our friends Chris and Jenny called from Pasadena, CA, to say that their daughter had been born Sunday morning. When she got the phone message and later spoke to Jenny, her impulse was to fly out and help. My thought, of course, it to take one baby at a time. It's certainly plenty for me to handle. In fact, we have had some 'discussion' this weekend about my anxiety about being left alone with Anna for extended periods.

No doubt I enjoy my time with her, especially now that she's more expressive and more able to interact during play. Then again, certain things have changed as Lisa and Anna have bonded more tightly.

For the first month after we got home from the hospital, I took a certain amount of pride in the fact that I seemed pretty good at walking her around and singing to her to get her to calm down. Lately, though, it seems she prefers Lisa's rocking. More troubling are those times when I do all I can to calm her down, yet she only becomes quiet when I give her to Lisa. At one time it seemed that her advantage in soothing her came primarily from her ability to breast feed. Now it's more general than that.

Anna did no less than GREAT in the car this weekend; She slept most of the way back and forth to Butternut, which is more than 4.5 hours in the car. I imagine that some of that was due to Gene's excellent driving and the fact that she benefited from having Mom on one side of her and Grandma Sue Sue on the other.

So as I find new strategies to cope with the protest cries to come, I'll remember that we're in this for the long haul, and we'll get there one way or another.

Two Months Old

If she's two months can we say two months or do we have to stick to weeks for the foreseeable future?

Speaking of the future, as a new parent, it's not that you don't want to look to the future: The prospect of better sleep ahead; Less crying and fussing, or at least crying that is more easily identifiable; A chance to hear words and laughter, to see crawling, walking, and rolling over.

For better or worse, babies keep us in the present. Since most parents of older children have told us to 'snuggle 'em while you can' and enjoy the moments both difficult and sweet, I figure the present is where we want to be. And not just with babies. The same goes for friends, husbands and wives, those we meet and help at work. I have always been particularly annoyed at parents who push a stroller with a cell phone or those who can't be bothered to talk to their children on the way to the grocery store. It's disrespectful and wasted opportunity.

Today was a great day for Dad. She really seems to be figuring out that Mommy's stooge isn't going anywhere but to work. He also plays a little sillier than Mommy does. She seemed to really enjoy when I pretended to be munching on her fists this afternoon and tonight, and she stared at me intently during diaper changes. I enjoy and it now AND I enjoying knowing that our play will become even more fun in the days to come.

Enjoy future U.S. Olympic Volleyball player Anna in this video action!

Miles of Smiles

A couple of months ago, some friends with a new baby mentioned that once their son began to smile, they spent most waking moments trying to create conditions favorable to further grins and toothless smirks. Now we know where they're coming from.

I think especially after all the newborn crying, when she smiles it's like a powerful antidote to the night time crying spells.

Of course, since she's just figuring out this smiling business, it can arrive at odd times. She seemed pretty pleased, for example, as I changed a particularly messy diaper. What's different lately, though, is that smiles show up during her short bursts of play. At this stage, play is usually defined as her following an object, such as a rattle, as we shake it in front of her mug. Her other favorite is lying beneath the ceiling fan while we chat playfully to her, and we sometimes receive coos and ahs in response.

Of course, there's no shortage of fussing and crying yet. My latest frustration is that she'll settle down and nap if I tote her about. If I try to sit for more than a few minutes, however, she'll wake and fuss. If I get up to walk again, she falls back asleep. Perhaps she's trying to work off the extra pounds daddy has acquired from being around the house and refrigerator so often. Perhaps she's just yanking my chain. Either way, I find it quite irritating. Just now Lisa relieved me and she went fast asleep in her arms as Lisa enjoyed an Ellen rerun. Turns out the joke is on Mom, however: John McCain was the featured guest.

Today Mom and Dad tried to be bold and go to a matinee. Lisa has been wanting to see the Pineapple Express, the stoner action comedy from the Judd Apatow gang. Plus today has been forcast as the hottest day of the year, so far.

We bought our tickets and settled in. Marcus theaters have bench seats that work well with a car seat. Just as Lisa was chomping on the second half of her sandwich from lunch, an employee came to explain that babies aren't allowed into R rated films. The gave us both a refund and free passes. It probably worked out for the best since there was no way Anna would keep quiet for 90 minutes. Now we can hire a sitter and use our free passes to see it and relax at the same time.

Instead of a movie, we made a trip to Target for diapers and milk. Plenty of air conditioning there, too.