When we saw Zoe, the way her onesie bunched up looked like she had an alien trying to escape from her chest.
Nice to know that we aren’t the only warped parents out there.
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }
I’ve got the late shift at our house. Besides me is a sprawled-out cutie looking just like a drunk. I’m resisting the urge to put my beer bottle next to her and grab the camera. Nothing says good parenting like infants, alcohol and digital pictures to enter into evidence. Adding to our electronics collection, we just bought our first camcorder and ended up with the first video of the kid. While fiddling with the night vision settings, got a couple of seconds of really funny faces followed by some college-level puking. It’s the kind of video you keep for a rainy day, when the kid is obnoxious, dating and asking for it. She’ll run away, shrieking, “I hate you all!” So, all the more reason to keep it on file.
Instead of writing something more substantial then this blog entry, I’m watching a show about a blocked writer, and it is also about boobs. So, bonus! I got to get back into/start the habit of writing. Between the TV and internet, its easy being passively entertained. If I could be as entertained by my own writing as others, I’d be happy.
All the while, a sink full of dishes cries out to be cleaned.
Lastly, an early picture of the sweet kid (7 days already?!) that will be a favorite for all time.
Happy New Year to whoever is reading this post. Sometimes writing this blog feels like yelling off a cliff. I’m making some noise but I don’t know how far it carries. I don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions and I don’t have a big end-of-the year post in my head. I’m just looking forward to doing more of the things I like to do, keeping the good habits I have and doing less of the things that haven’t worked.
Anyways, our coming year and years will have us traveling with a new addition. Zoe is her name and on her 6th day, still sweet girl. I think she will be a good partner in crime and fit in quite nicely with our little clan.
I’m hoping to put her immediate arrival to good use. Author William Gibson said that his first book Neuromancer was written under the influence of sleep deprivation brought on by the birth of his first child. I have to say that I am hoping for the same creative push. While I didn’t manage a whole book, NaNoWriMo did result in three finished short stories and the beginnings of a couple of longer stories. The completed works just need some feedback and proofreading. I’m looking forward to the next step with them and hopefully publication will be the final result.
Simply put, this year will be full of opportunities and experiences. I hope to make the most of what comes my way.
A couple of weeks ago, we attended an infant care class and the teacher said to think of a newborn as a stranger. They are unfamiliar with the world that parents live in. The one they knew was dark, compact and reassuringly full of whooshing, fluid noises. The new, bright, occasionally quiet, colorful, spasmodic place they now reside in is a jarring change to the biological home they were just evicted from.
They are strange to themselves. Arms that were held against their bodies now can flail about. Twitches and reflexes have them wriggling about without intention. They will know how to manage these parts and pieces, make sense of what eyes and ears tell them, but not for the near future. They are learning machine, just newly turned on.
Most importantly, to my understanding, they are strangers to everyone around. As familiar as they may seem, you have only been introduced to each other recently. You don’t know what they like, dislike, what their moods are like, and so on. “Get to know me,” should be stamped on every kid.
We have a mysterious kid of our own. This one promises adventures, despair and joy. Already, I find her quite charming. So, I say to her with the tenderest of voices;
“Hello, Stranger.”
Baby FAQ:
D.O.B 12/26/07 (two and a half weeks ahead of due date)
7 pounds 7.5 ounces.
18 1/2 inches.
Neon Poisoning 