How The Time Goes

Anna seems to be settling into a few habits now, as much as possible for a two week old.

Much of her awake time revolves around nursing. She'll wake and fuss and Lisa will feed her, trying to recall on which side she left off. She does have a nursing bracelet that helps defuse the baby brain and get her on track to the proper side. Frequently, she'll doze a bit after feeding for a time and while perched upon Lisa's shoulder. Sometimes I get to be involved at this point and can take over the burping process, which gives Lisa a break and me some baby time. As one can imagine, she's not always pleased to have a substitute burper. Never too soon to teach them about compromise.

Occasionally, after feeding on both sides, often more than once, she'll fall asleep. I have to say that it's hard to keep her asleep, unless you hold her and keep a nook on standby. Here's another perfect daddy job. Lisa's usually too exhausted to have the patience to keep it right near her mouth in the event that she is asleep enough that the nook slips from her lips. I hold her across my chest in a semi-reclined position (the lazy boy reclining sofa is excellent for this purpose) and try to keep her as warm and snuggled as I can. I have to say that I enjoy having her sleep on my chest enough that I know I'll miss this terribly when she's a little older.

From this vantage point, I get a close up view of the goofy faces she makes as she slumbers. She also makes a variety of cute gasping and sighing noises that push her well off the cuteness charts in Dad's eye.

If she's especially sleepy, as she was this afternoon, she'll be asleep enough that I can put her in her "Moses" basket after 45 minutes to an hour of Daddy time. By that point, my 42 year old (nearly 43!) joints are barking for stretching and my right arm is likely numb from holding it up for so long.

Of course the most challenging part of all of this is trying to hound Lisa to take a rest. And even if she does lay down, often she's a little too wired for a helpful rest. I'm always relieved when I pass her by and hear the deep breathing of deep sleep.

Here's a photo of Anna in her miracle blanket, which is a commercially available swaddle blanket. Perfect for containing her very active and flailing arms. In the photo she's giving Daddy the stink eye.