Lily Eats Oatmeal for the First Time!

Some video and a few pics of Lily's first solid meal. 

Daddy makes Lily Laugh

Best Part of My Day

Even though she's a little camera shy, this is more or less what we wake up to every day... it's wonderful. Hands down, the best part of every day...

What I've Learned...so far...

So it's been about 10 weeks since Lily's been born, and we've been through some great experiences so far. Some fantastic, and some that leave a head shaped dent in your drywall. That reminds me, has anyone seen that Beaver movie with Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson? Weird right? I only caught the middle of it, but it seemed awkwardly interesting. But I digress.


Before I get into it, I'll let you have your "awww" moment.

Lily Flirts 

Adorable, right?!? Yesterday we had a great moment right before her last dinner. Lily has a subtle way of telling you she's hungry. It starts with her sticking her tongue out and opening her mouth so wide it forces her to yawn. If you haven't gotten it by then, she starts slamming her face onto your chest. If you can tolerate that, you're in for a show. Her next move is shoving her whole face onto your chest while simultaneously moving it from side to side and downward, as if she's digging for boobage. By then, we've got the point. 

So after her first dinner, I joked and told her she's got to be a little classier about telling us she's hungry, and not so neanderthal-ish. "The milk's a little sweeter when you work for it, " is what I believe I said. 

So, at 8:45 pm on Wednesday, she took my advice and had us cracking up. While she was resting on my legs, Lily looked at Jenn, and starting smiling and raising her eyebrows in a way that would make Joey Tribiani proud with her finest "How You Doin'?" She flirted with Jenn for about 15 minutes, then finally stuck out her tongue and smiled. She was eating within 30 seconds. Missed a great video op, but it was a great moment.

The 5 S's

So I was turned on to this book and DVD set by a co-worker who had just had a little boy a month earlier. He told me his son was colicky and it was terrible, but he found this, and it changed EVERYTHING. 

Now we've been VERY lucky with Lily. She wasn't colicky, had a great mellow demeanor, and seemed to be pretty happy. But at night, it was starting to get tough. Not only was she waking up at 2, 4 and 6 (and sometimes a few times in between), but it was impossible to get her back down without a struggle, or just having her lay on you. 

At that point, my 5 S's were:

• Sway sleepily while standing
• Sing and try to calm her down
• Scream Silently as she continues to wake up even more alert than before
• Sob myself to sleep and wish her the best of luck

Not the best system, but it got me a solid 5 minutes of sleep a night. 

So I figured I'd give this book a shot, and downloaded it on my Kindle. It's called "The Happiest Baby on the Block." The book's main purpose is to educate the parent on the true cause of colic. He goes on for a very long time debunking myths and old wives' tales, but the gold in the book is the 5 S's. 

• Sucking can be accomplished with a pacifier, nursing, a finger or a bottle. The urge to suck is strong for babies. "Sucking has its effects deep within the nervous system and triggers the calming reflex and releases natural chemicals within the brain."says Karp. 
• Swinging is comforting to a baby and reminds them of being inside mom where there was motion whenever mom moved. Side to side swinging, riding in a car, rocking, walking the room with a parent are all examples of motion that reminds baby of the womb environment. 
• Shushing refers to white noise. Inside the womb was actually quite loud most of the time. Babies are used to hearing their mom's heartbeat all the time. White noise machines or white noise CD's can help with this instead of running the vacuum cleaner or saying "ssshhh sssshhh" loudly for long periods of time.
• Side/stomach refers to holding the baby on the left side to aid in digestion or holding the baby on her stomach to provide support. Being held on their back often causes babies to startle. Once a baby is calmed down and sleeping, they can then safely be put on their back for sleeping.
• Swaddling helps provide the continuous touching and support baby experienced in the womb. It also prevents baby from hitting themselves in the face with their hands. Learning how to tightly swaddle a baby is a great skill, or there are products that help with it.

The night after I started reading the book, I went out to dinner with coworkers (there had been a 3 day conference, this was the final night, and I had missed the previous dinner).Well, after about 3 Johnnie Walker Blacks and a nice dinner, I made my way home. I was in a FANTASTIC mood when I walked in the door. So I washed my hands, smothered Lily in kisses, and proceeded to drunkenly walk through the steps.

• baby gets the swwllaalaa...the swaallala... swaddle the baby
• here baby, lay on your tummy on my tummy...stand up baby...i stand...we stand, i hold you, you're on your tummy
• shoooooshh shhooooshh baby, this is good sleepy time shhooooshhh
• swing side to side...hey baby, you asleep yet?
• JENN! Where's the binky??? 
• Shhooooshhhh, sorry baby, sorry

And I kid you not, I put her down in the co-sleeper, passed out on the couch, and she was asleep for 6 straight hours. That was at about 3 weeks old. The 2 of us have mastered the 5 S's since then, and I've promised never to have 3 glasses of Johnnie Walker before we go through the motions.

Music

I owe a HUGE thank you to Rob Cutler and Jess Snow for this one. Nap time has been one of our biggest challenges. Lily likes to sleep in itervals of 10 minutes, rather than an hour or 2 at a time. It's great for the night, because she's so tired from being up all day. But during the day, it's like a marathon. 

So a few weeks ago, our friends came over to visit and brought some gifts for Lily. A red onesy (Philly red I believe), an awesome pair of blue sunglasses, and Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles. BEST. GIFT. EVER!

That Saturday, she had a great time playing and started getting tired. So I opened the CD, popped it in the blu-ray, and the second she heard the chimes of "Yesterday" her eyes lit up and she gave an approving "aawooo" (she still does this, especially if she hears it somewhere other than her room, like the car). While Jenn insists that she loves them all, I think her favorites are "Yesterday", "Here Comes The Sun", and "Yellow Submarine". The COOLEST thing about getting her to listen to this is that she becomes familiar with the tune. So if she's fussy while eating, or trying to take a nap, and the music isn't handy, we just sing the song, and she immediately calms down. 

I just bought the U2 version this morning. I listened to the whole thing while Lily and Jenn slept in bed. I think this whole series is absolutely worth getting, especially if you have an appreciation of music.

Thanks for listening to my rambles again. I promise to try and update this more frequently so every post isn't a novel.

Naldo

In a Recent Sleep Study

Dreams

As I sit here drinking my second cup of stale coffee ( a new morning routine), enjoying a bowl of oatmeal that can only be described as being pulled out of a Charles Dickens novel, I watch my darling daughter sleep, and wonder what she's dreaming about. It surely can't be that detailed - or quite frankly, that interesting - considering she's only been in this world for all of 9 days. But it's started to get my mind going.


I wonder what she'll be like in a few weeks. Will she be one of those kids who can't grow up fast enough? Holding her own bottle, turning over, running before she crawls? That sort of thing. Or will she be a bright eyed observer, content with things like color and music.


I wonder what her future will be like. Will she be talented like her parents, and perform at Carnegie Hall like her grandma? Or will she display a completely different skill set, and rock the world as a phenomenal athlete? Though if her current size, along with the stature of her parents have anything to do with it, she'sprobably looking at the former as a much more reasonable expectation.


Speaking of which, what do I expect from her? I honestly just have a few expectations. That she is honest, hard working, and understanding as well as accepting of those around her. But if we're talking hypothetical, I would love for her to be incredibly unique. More specifically, the type of heroine you read about in novels, like Jane Eyre, Lisbeth Salander or Hannah. I realize this last one is a film, but as any father will tell you, they dream of raising a girl capable of bringing down a small army if needed. I immediately dismiss the thought of her being more of a "single white female" character, or even worse, an unoriginal remake.


I wonder if she'll have the same love for animals as Jenn and I. I wonder if she'll come straight to us the first time some douche bag breaks her heart. I wonder... if this crap she just took on my shorts will come out...

The Daddy Diaries...

Part 1

I've always enjoyed writing, or rather, the prospect of writing something that people will enjoy reading. In 2007 I started writing a screenplay, but didn't make it past the 5th page. I shared the story with my soon to be wife over dinner at a sushi place in Hollywood while a couple next to us seemed to be listening quite intently. I'm not saying my idea was stolen, but you can catch it on Thursday nights on NBC starring Jason Isaacs. ANYWAY... this blog isn't about that.


This is both a self serving story of my life as a father, and hopefully what will be an enjoyable read for dad's to be, parents, and the general public. If I've already lost you, thanks for reading this far. But if you're sticking around, I promise to make this as entertaining and informative as possible.


Last Monday at about 5:15 am, my wife woke me up after having contractions all night long. We chose to wait it out until our 8 o'clock doctor appointment (week number 41) to see what to make of it. At this point we had already had 2 false alarms to Morristown labor and delivery, and had no intention of going back and coming home empty handed again. Having already been 4 days late, our patience was running thin, and our minds were fragile.


We went to the doctor, were told that Jenn was in labor, and we headed to the hospital. A mere 12 hours later - and after just 26 minutes of pushing - our daughter Lily emerged out of Jenn's vagina. It was the coolest thing I think I've ever seen. We were later asked if we felt an instant rush of emotions and love for our little one. We looked into each other's eyes and immediately knew the answer...Nope! 


Don't get my wrong. I am completely in love with my little peanut, and frankly can't get enough of her coos and ridiculous faces. But when the doctors wrapped her up and gave her to my wife, the first thought in my head was "Holy shit! That dump that Jenn just took is talking...and looking at me...". It truly is a life changing moment, and seeing my wife - the same woman who loves to drink and feel the comfort of the bathroom's cold, cold tiles - become a mother in front of my eyes brought my mind to an immediate stand still.


The coolest part came just a few seconds later, when I started talking to my daughter (weird right) in the same voice and with the same words as when she was in her mother's belly, and she started looking for me. THAT was when it started. She came out just short of 6 pounds, but when we locked eyes, it was like being hit with a ton of bricks. 5 pounds 15 ounces and 19 inches long, and she was all ours. 




The rest of our time at the hospital was an absolute blur, with text messages, facebook alerts and phone calls pouring in, coupled with people coming in and going out in such rapid succession that it felt like an episode of This is Your Life. We felt terrible to send her back to the nursery for a second straight night, but since we didn't get a chance to sleep at all that second day, we opted for some alone time before we were sent back home with our little celebrity. 


However, life would not be put on hold, and just 90 minutes after her 3 am feeding, Lily was back, ravenous for her mothers bosoms,  and the sleepless nights began.


It's been 8 days since she broke out of her tight confinements (and 43 weeks since the race from the last one...wink wink). Our apartment is a little more crowded, our eyes a little more heavy, and our trash cans are being emptied at 3 times the normal rate. But I honestly wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. 


As I write this, it's nearing 11 o'clock at night. Once, a time that meant the same to me as 2 o'clock in the afternoon - now, my bed time. Or, as Lily likes to call it, last dinner. My wit is running low. So I'd like to end this post with some new found knowledge.


Don't tell yourself "things will get easier". It just makes the present that much more frustrating, and to be honest, who the fuck knows if it will. Find your rhythm and hope for the best.


Sleep when they sleep. SERIOUSLY! Everyone tells you this, yet nearly every first time parent I know fails to do this right away. Prime time TV is awesome, especially when your  3 day old kid  has been asleep since 4 in the afternoon. But you know what sucks? Half the Nick at Nite lineup and everything else on TV at 4 am.


Before changing a dirty diaper, slip a clean one underneath it. At first, you think it's an awesome time saver - but you soon find out, it's an awesome upholstery saver. 


Girls pee range is just as good as boys...trust me on this. 


Big loving eyes and a wonderful, heartwarming smile are nothing more than the precursor to an epic dump. They're hilarious. Except when you've just taken them out of the bath and they're still wrapped in their white towel. 


And last - It takes a village to raise a child. Nothing is truer than this, and we've been blessed to be a part of a fantastic village. Your true family and friends are no longer just drinking buddies and ears, but your lifelines to the outside world, and your backbone to prop you up just when you think you're about to collapse. 


I wish you all a good night and sweet dreams. Someone's got to have them.