Grandmas, Digestion, Lungs, and Back Hair

Well, not too much to report at the root household. The biggest news is that Grandma C left yesterday. Pretty tearful event.

Let me just tell you that I have no clue how single parents do it. It has taken all three of us to keep everything going around here for the past 2.5 weeks. However, a GREAT deal of the load was born by Grandma C. She took care of the baby in the early morning (and sometimes all night and day), she cleaned, cooked, went grocery shopping, on and on and on. We're very thankful that she could be up here for the past month.

In other news, I'm convinced that we didn't really give birth to a full human. We just gave birth to a digestive system with lungs. I took over baby duties at 5 AM. He had just taken 4 ounces of food at 4 AM. I determined he was hungry at 5:30 AM b/c I'm a smart dad...well, I was actually just looking for any way to shut him up and he was acting like he was hungry so I figured, "What the hell."

By 6:30 AM he had taken 4 more ounces. I thought, "Well, that should tide him over until...oh, I don't know....he's 18." Wrong I was.

He never really got settled after that feeding. First it was poo. Then it was gas. Then it was poo and pee. Then it was general crankiness. Then it was 7:30 and he started acting like he was hungry again. By this time, Pappa, who is not a very patient person, is having delusions of sitting on a barstool with nobody bothering him and drinking a cold, cold, Bud Light. That or pulling a Bugs Bunny and putting Junior in a box bound for Antartica.

However, since no bars are open at 7:30 AM, I was fresh out of boxes, and postage to Antartica has got to be expensive, I decided to try to feed him again. Praise Jesus, Mary, and Leroy Jenkins.....it worked! He took another ounce and he was out like a prom date on Mad Dog.

OK, so that's a happy ending. However, let's look back at this. In the span of 3.5 hours he took NINE FREAKING OUNCES! I'm going to have to start fixing him steak and he can fight with Bailey over the bones after he's through with the meat.

Break....baby crying again....

Well, 8:30 rolls around and we had another poo and we took another ounce.

...back to your regularly scheduled exercise in blogging futility....

Random thought for the day: Chest hair and baby hands don't mix well. I'm going to look like I have mange pretty soon. If I could get him to lay on my back and take care of that jungle, I'd be set. Although it wouldn't be the most painless way to have back hair removed.

I can just see Junior laying on my back, pulling out tufts of back hair by the handful while he's wailing his head off and throwing the hair up in the air. Then the hair descends back to Earth, lands on him, adheres to whatever sticky substance is covering his entire body at that exact moment, and he winds up looking like some circus wolfboy.

Pappa out.

Mamma and Pappa

Last night Grandma C took care of Junior for a few hours while Mamma and Pappa went out to eat and to a movie. We saw "The Good Shepherd". Good flick if you're into spy movies.

Grandma C also took 3rd shift last night. She's a brave woman.

Unfortunately, Grandma C is leaving tomorrow!

It would be nearly impossible for us to have made it through the last 3 weeks without her. We're all going to miss her.

Best,

Pappa

Last Night and Random Thought

Mamma took care of Junior last night. They didn't get to sleep until 5 AM. As Buford T. Justice would say, "Ooof!"

Random thought for the day: Is a mongoose just a male, Jamaican version of a female-goose?

Much like how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Roll Pop, the world may never know.

Best,

Pappa

Christmas Pics

I'm gradually figuring out this whole digital camera phenomenon. I'm the last person with an annual income above $15,000/yr to not have an mp3 player and I'm the last person of similar status to not have figured out how to properly do this digital camera stuff. Anyway, progress is being made.

Here are our pics from Christmas. Everyone had a good time. Ate too much food. Brother C came up to MI for Junior's first Christmas. Enjoy!

Pappa

"My Uncle C has armpit stains."

"Mom, why did you and Grandma C have to dress me up like a ballet dancer on A&E's 'Little People, Big World'?"

"My breath puts Grandma C to sleep."

"After a while, my breath got so bad that it caused Grandma C to wake up and the air in the room to turn yellow"

"Did you see the size of that chicken?"

"Here I am with my Dad, Mom, Grandma C and our pet ferret on my head. Dad told me it was just a hat. I think it's a ferret. I named it Riki Tiki Tavi but dad told me that was a mongoose. I asked him what a mongoose was and he told me it was a ferret. I think my dad failed science in high school."

"OK, Riki Tiki Tavi, on the count of three bite dad's belly. It's a big target. You can't miss."

"SOMEONE STOLE RIKI!!! OHHHH THE HUMANITY!!!!"

"Someone get that fly outta my face!"

"I'm crossing my arms like a rap star."

First family photo

Snooze hounds

"This is my gang sign."

"Psst! Mom..hey, listen. I don't have any clothes on and there are people here. Could you just throw a jock strap on me or something? Geez. How embarassing. Trust me, if you keep me naked, you'll pay the price of pee in places you don't want it. I can hit the eye out of a bird flying with that stuff."

She's baaaaack

Grandma C is back among the living today. That's good for many reasons. Not the least of which is the quality of Christmas dinner.

Thanks for your prayers.

Best,

Pappa

Habits

Junior's at a stage where he doesn't have a whole lot of personality yet. That'll change soon. He has begun smiling a little, although there's not really a cause for it.

One thing he does that cracks me up is that when you first put a bottle in his mouth he shakes his head back and forth like a dog and he even growls a little while he's doing it. Hi-larious I tell you.

I was talking to a colleague of mine about how it would be interesting if habits/traits we have as babies correlate to habits/traits we have as adults. I don't know if they do or not, but that would be interesting to know. If you would like to take a stab at what the head shaking and growling means and what it will translate into as an adult, leave a comment. I'd be interested.

On another note: Grandma C has come down with a bug and selflessly refused to stay with us until she's better. She's staying at a hotel close by. Keep her in your prayers.

On another another note: Mamma's brother is up here for Christmas. Hopefully we can get Grandma C well by Christmas day.

On another another another note: Grandma C being sick and Mamma still recovering most likely means that Pappa has to cook Christmas dinner. This could be interesting/smokey.

Best,

Pappa

Pics and 2nd dr's appt

We had our 2nd doctors appt today and the little guy is back up to 8lbs 1 ounce. He was born at 8lbs 2ounces, then dropped to 7lbs 4ounces, and is now back up in the heavyweight division.

Junior is starting to show a little personality. He'll lay there and look around. He breaks a kind of half-hearted smile sometimes. I'm sure he doesn't know that, or why, he's smiling...but he's kind of smiling none the less.

Here are some pics of the little guy. You can see in the first pic that his upper lip is getting dark. That's his mustache coming in......not really (obviously).