Quit Yer Cryin'

Fresh from the hospital.



Out for my first stroll.


What a range of emotions.

Pas de Doo

Sophie and Genevieve are off to a good start. Genevieve thinks she is really cute and alternately calls her "My big sister" and "My little baby." We usually remind her that she is the big sister but that is just semantics. Sophie on the other hand just sits there and sleeps. Unless she is crying because she wants food. Which she does quite a bit because like most newborns she is eating between every 1.5 and 3 hours. Fortunately for me, I'm out of the loop this time due to having no ability to feed her; late night feedings are solely Carrie's responsibility. At first the crying bothered G but she has learned that it is just Sophie's way of communicating. Hopefully this attitude will keep up.

Sophie just had her first checkup and is 90th percentile for height (20 1/2") and weight (8 lbs 13 oz). Which surpasses Genevieve at this same point in her development. She's even surpassed her birth weight which is uncommon to happen so quickly. Hopefully the new growth trends won't closely match G because they don't make infant car seats that big.

The other night while I was lightly dozing (just because Carrie is the one feeding her doesn't mean I don't wake up); I heard a strange noise. There were several muffled grunts followed by what can only be described as compressed air shooting a hose full of oatmeal into a cotton bag followed by a contented sigh. This unfortunate description isn't too far from the truth. The mess was revolting and required an outfit change. Carrie neglected to wake me but told me all about it in the morning.

The next day I was preparing lunch; Genevieve was playing in the play-pen; Carrie was feeding Sophie. G told me that she didn't want lunch because she was still playing. This is usually a sign that she is actually pooping and doesn't want to admit it. When Carrie was finished we sat down for lunch but Genevieve refused to join us. Sophie was napping in a little basket beside the table. Sophie began to squirm and wiggle and grunt. I guess the hose was full again because soon enough there was an explosive pop followed by the wet splat of muck. Carrie quickly put her finger on her nose. Believe me, this game works better when there are more than two people around. I picked her up and brought her into the bathroom for a diaper change. Unfortunately I forgot two of the basic rules of newborn diaper changes.

1. Wait until you are certain they have finished
2. Be sure to keep the business end covered unless absolutely necessary

I'm used to changing G. She does her business and then waits until you change her. Not a new born. Not 2 seconds after I had removed her coverings did a delicate fountain spray through the air dripping on the changing pad, bath mat, and floor. It would have been almost romantic if it weren't goopy, brown, foul smelling and coming out of my new daughter's behind. "Uhh, Carrie, I think I need a little help." With four hands we quickly cleaned this one up, fortunately no outfit change was required, when a little voice from the other room says, "Daddy, you should change my diaper now so that I can eat lunch."

*sigh*

Big News For A Big Sister

Carrie was about 2 weeks over due this morning when we went for one final checkup. They declared much the same that we already knew, nothin' doin'. Induction was the order of the day and off we went to the hospital. Carrie's parents and Grandmother are in town for a week and were able to watch Genevieve while we went to the hospital.

Carrie called G from the car and told her that we were headed to the hospital to have the baby. "Do you have the baby now?" was the instant response. Today is my birthday and we hadn't yet had cake but we told G that she could blow out the candles for me and sing happy birthday. I'm told that she did both. During the labor I periodically gave Carrie a count down to reminder that she had to have the baby within the next X hours if she wanted to give me a great birthday present.

Sophie Ada was born Tuesday 8/21/2007 at 8:29 PM, weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces and measuring 20 1/4 inches long. Carrie delivered past visiting hours and, more importantly, bed time so G will have to wait until the morning to hear the details. A great birthday present indeed. The delivery went much smoother than last time both the Carrie and Sophie are well.

Tomorrow the sisters will get to meet. I'm not so sure how well Genevieve will take to her as little Sophie can scream very well and for prolonged periods of time.

Rollin Down the Street

We went to a block party at my sister's house and had a great time. Genevieve had a phenomenal time. They had an inflatable slip and slide. She wasn't quite big enough to jump onto it from a running start. Nor did she have any momentum to propel herself down the slide. Of course I became the proxy. I would run with her up to the slide, place her on top and then shove her down the slide. This would only get her about halfway. I would trot up to where she was, braving the mist, grab hold of her arm and yank her down the rest of the slide. The first time we did this she wasn't quite certain about it. But by the time the second run was over she was a seasoned professional and didn't want to stop. After about 25 trips I was exhausted and called it quits.




She also got to take a ride in the neighbor's Escalade. Check on the rims on this ride and, yes, the stereo works though the CD player was a toy.

What are they teaching kids these days...

Genevieve picks up quirky behaviors very often these days. They tend to only last a for a short period of time but for the life of me I can't figure out where they come from. I can only assume she is learning them in school or on television though they could just be coming from her own imagination.

One of her latest is "safe kissing." When it is time to kiss her good night she will say, "Wait; let me put my blanket on you so that you will be safe." Of course, being a good parent I humor her by pausing in mid pucker while she stretches out her short arms to wrap a small blankie around my neck like a neckerchief. I feel sort of like Fred from Scooby Doo especially since the blankie is pink with a fuzzy bunny head on the end. Once it is firmly situated she will allow a kiss. I'm not sure if she is protecting me, her or both of us nor am I sure what she thinks this will protect us from. Before you say that she must have detected cooties I can assure you that I am not the only one who gets this treatment. Carrie is also subjected to a wrap before kissing her good night. I'm also pretty sure she doesn't know about cooties yet. Though, perhaps if I teach her the cooties shot she will not be so concerned with the precautionary blanket.

Genevieve, always a good eater, has never really had a problem finishing her dinner. She may not eat everything on her plate but that is often because she's on seconds or thirds. Recently she'll stop in the middle of dinner and decide not to eat anymore. She'll sit up; look thoughtfully at me and lilt, "Maybe, dessert." "No Genevieve," I'll say, "not tonight." "Maaaybee....desserrrrt," she'll stretch the syllable of each word melodically. I can only imagine she is trying to hypnotize me so that I will acquiesce to her demands. "Not tonight." "You could have it if you want too." "But I don't want to. Not tonight." I can't believe I'm having this conversation. "maybee..chocolate....or ice cream" *sigh*

Okay, so maybe wanting dessert isn't so quirky. And I can probably guess where that came from but I can hope that it will pass quickly. It is doubtful but I can hope. Lest you think that I am heartless, Carrie gives her ice cream every day after nap time which usually ends only an hour or so before dinner. Sometimes when she asks for dessert we just tell her that she had dessert before dinner.