Thursday, March 31, 2005

Grab

Pete has started grabbing stuff. He's not very good at it yet, but he got the idea last Friday night that if he keeps opening and closing his fingers and moving his arm around, he'll sometimes strike gold. Or strike toy, more accurately. The next day, he improved upon this model by trying to pull the grabbed objects to his mouth. When he gets better at that--and he's working on it--we will enter a world of slobber.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

The uncertainties of parenthood

I just heard a sound behind me that was made either by a) a woodpecker outside or b) Pete, pooping. Both are common sounds here. I guess we'll never know.

It's a world of babies!

After some telecommuting, Carolyn is back working in Iowa City today. A tough transition.

But there are two reasons to be happy: 1. our carseat can be used without a base--who knew?--so we don't have to get one in a rental car this weekend, and 2. turns out hotels provide cribs on request, so we don't have to take our travel crib. I tell you, there's a whole world of baby stuff that's been going on right under my nose while I had no idea. Oddly, I have become most aware of that fact at Coral Ridge Mall. The first time I wheeled Pete in there, I realized that there are hundreds of strollers in that place at any given time. Hey, wha' happened? I had never noticed. And there's a family restroom for toddlers. And a little room just for breastfeeding. The breastfeeding room is always about 20 degrees too hot, however. I think the Sbarro workers use it as a sauna betwixt their shifts.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Adventuring

Carolyn has been working from home in the afternoons this week, so Petey and I have started having adventures. I learned a lesson yesterday: I cut a trip to my mailbox a little too close to feeding time and had a wailing Pete on my chest (in his Baby Bjorn) all the way back across campus. But he is generally doing very well and sleeping better at night, which means that I'm back to my old, caffeine-fueled day-night routine. I'm getting work done, too, but everything's up in the air when Carolyn goes back to work full-time next week. Gulp.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Alien baby

Some parts of calming a baby down are intuitive for adults. Like Pete, for instance, I would find a way to protest if I were wallowing in my own poop. I don't like to be hungry or tired any more than he does, and I understand being calmed by quiet environments or music or darkness. On the other hand, it's very difficult to imagine being put to sleep by having a giant human bind my arms to my sides (a.k.a. swaddling), turn me on my side, bounce me to jiggle my head a little, and blast fairly loud white noise into my ear. And yet it this is standard baby practice and works for Pete. What an interesting and familiar little human he is! And what a strange alien creature too!