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10/6/05

George here. The school schedule gave me two glorious days off! I missed little Cara, but then yesterday as I was returning from a few errands, there she was, right at home in her mother's arms having a late lunch and listening to my cousin Steve Kaminski's polka hits! Afterward, Evie and I took her to the park where she swung on the swings.

This morning I arrive and find that things are different here at Cara's home. There's an airplane-like seat suspended under a door frame that lets Cara almost stand. There's a battery operated swing. So much has changed in two days.

Cara wakes up at eight and I feed her and carry her around. But when I put her into any chair or seat, she's inconsolable. Whether it's the high chair, the exersaucer, the airplane seat, she cries very vigorously. So I carry her around the block a few times, then I put her upstairs for some tummy time which after a few seconds she finds not to her liking. She cries some more and then abruptly falls asleep at 9:50 A.M., having been up for barely two hours.

It's just after noon as I write this and she's still up in her crib. If I don't hear from her in a few minutes, I'll go and wake her, just in time for lunch.

Evie again:

Dad reported that Cara was far more pleasant and pleased with the world in the afternoon. I theorize that the transition makes her cranky--she doesn't know whom she'll see in the morning, and it upsets her when it's not whoever it was yesterday.

Cara and I had a nice afternoon and evening. I bounced her in her airplane jumper, which she loved; I rolled her from her back onto her tummy, which she didn't mind, as I figure it's okay to do that since she's quite old enough to do it herself; she sat in her saucer for almost half an hour on her own while I made dinner. Cara sat in her new swing while Steve and I ate, and then she played with her father a little bit. I fed her peas tonight for the first time. Steve thought they were yucky, but Cara liked them. She was deeply distressed whenever I took the spoon out of her mouth and she was deeply distressed when she finished. Next time, I'll make up larger portions. I think I was cautious because I was afraid she might find peas yucky.

10/7/05

George here.

Cara is six months old today!

Today, we had a morning much like yesterday's, when she cried almost every moment that I wasn't holding her. This morning, we listened to Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run CD, which is 30 years old. Cara tolerated it--it certainly isn't kid music but she didn't find it distasteful either.

But Cara is thriving. Clearly, she's as healthy as a baby can be. She's on the verge of so many things--crawling, supporting herself, talking, singing. What a time to be alive! Seventeen pounds and growing, with clear skin, beautiful eyes and hair that's delicate and maybe a half inch long.

In the afternoon, Cara was much nicer--she reminded me of her best moments. Those are when she's in the act of waking up and you come and smile with her. She responds with a look of joy. The Beatles' Abbey Road has the line "And smiles await you when you rise, sleep pretty darling, do not cry." Cara's parents, and I, have certainly shown that there's wisdom to a pleasant greeting.

Evie:

Cara and I had a nice afternoon, too, although she was a little bit cranky and certainly would rather be held than put down. A new thing I have begun to do is to sort of toss Cara in the air, without quite letting go of her. It seems to me that it would be uncomfortable to be caught like that, right under your arms, but she really loves it.

This evening's main event was a very special Special Event that required whole-family participation and led me to consider emulating Jenny McCarthy and just cutting Cara's outfit off if her (she claims to have done so with her baby, in her book of which I have read some). However, we got cleaned up and Cara had a nice bath and then ate some more peas. She gets very frustrated because I won't let her jam the spoon down her throat; it's cute. Now she's upstairs playing (nicely, I hope) with her daddy and the Beatles.

I've been trying to figure out, lately, what I used to do with all of my time. I must have been really bored. I spend hours every day with Cara, and I know that I used to have that time free, but I really cannot imagine having it all back. I would be at a loss! I mean, I'm always happy to have a few moments free, but I just couldn't possibly fill these hours with anything nearly as good as my baby.

10/8/05

Today was a long but good day. Cara slept until about 8:30, and then she skipped the usual Saturday morning crankiness. It was raining, so Steve went out to do all of our errands and Cara and I stayed home. We played in her saucer and her jumper, and she sat in her swing while I ate a little bit. I tried measuring her, and she may be 27 inches tall. Of course, I could be completely off.

Steve and I played with Cara in her room with some of the toys that we've been kind of holding in reserve. The first toy I registered for was a corn popper. I pulled it out today and ran it around in front of Cara while she lay on her tummy and then while Steve stood her up. She loves it! Her little head turns to follow it wherever it goes. I love it, too, but eventually it was time to get out something else. We have a shape sorter that my mom found at a garage sale. It's a big canister with holes in the lid for triangles, squares, and circles. It comes with triangles, squares, and circles. They are actually really easy for Cara to grasp, because they have big rims. She likes grabbing them, and we spent some time really playing with the sorter. Cara managed to save all the shapes from falling down those nasty holes!

In the afternoon we went down to my folks' house and left Cara with her grandma while we went to a movie. We had to go twice because it was sold out. Cara took a long nap on my parents' bed. She got sleepy after her bottle, and we put her down and covered her up and she slept for about two hours. It makes me wonder whether I can get her to do that! I ought to be able to. I think I'll try it. While she was awake, Cara played nicely with her grandma. They waved blankets and shook rattles and looked at fishies. When Steve and I came back, Cara would hide her face when we made eye contact with her. It was cute. She was tired and rubbing her nose.

We drove home through terrible pouring rain. Cara had a very long conversation with something in the back seat, but we could hardly hear her. I unlatched her straps by leaning over the front seat so that I could get her out without getting completely soaked, and then, for the first time, Cara kind of stood up when I lifted her, helping me get her out of the car seat! She got wet in the rain, but it didn't upset her at all. She's a good baby.

10/9/05

Today was a nice domestic day. We were all up around seven. We did groceries this morning, and in between bottles and naps we managed to clean the house; now I feel better. Cara is wearing cute little pink pants with a tiny drawstring. I have managed not to have to change her diaper, because I assume that it's terribly annoying and difficult to have to take off her pants and then put them back on. Steve tell me that it's not that bad. I'm just going to take his word for it.

Steve has given Cara a couple of bottles today, which he does in front of the TV. This is very bad for Cara's concentration, unfortunately. In the morning they watched an episode of Star Trek, and my daughter apparently had a conversation with Kirk and Spock. I'm not sure how to feel about this. Mainly she lets television go by with few remarks, but she seemed to feel that they required some sort of response.

I gave Cara a bottle this afternoon in the glider, and she fell asleep. She stayed asleep for about three hours. It's lucky I had a long book. I figured that my dad would have put her down, and I could have, too, but I think it must be nice to sleep all snuggled up with your mommy, and there's no reason to waste an opportunity.

One thing that Cara is starting to do more is hanging on when she's being held. She grabs all sorts of things, which can be helpful or not, depending on the situation.

Cara finished a bottle around seven. At 8:30, I figured I'd make her some food. We decided not to make much, since she'd eaten recently and would eat again when she went to bed. I mixed up some leftover formula with a little bit of peas and some rice cereal. It was runny and pale green and reminded me a little bit of paint. We bibbed the baby and stuck her in her high chair. We took her crab toy away from her to reduce distraction. She really has learned about food; she opens her little mouth nice and wide whenever the spoon comes anywhere near her, and she snaps her mouth shut on it like a vicious turtle! Between bites she was leaning forward with her mouth open, and we were mildly concerned for the welfare of the spinny toy on the high chair tray. To my relief, she was not angry when we stopped feeding her.

I left her in her high chair with her daddy, and she seemed to have a very good time for a while. There was a lot of banging going on, at any rate. Soon, she'll have her bath and head for bed.

10/10/05

I have a cold again, and Steve seems to be under the weather as well. Daddy said Cara was snuffly when she had her last bottle. She was playful this afternoon and spent some time in her bouncer and her saucer as well as her jumper, from which she got to watch Buster the cat. She may have gotten to touch the cat, too.

I just fed her and she was sleeping soundly in my arms, but she woke up as soon as I put her down. Fortunately, she was in quite a good mood. She's playing or at least conversing with her daddy now. I hear that she slept a lot today, and I hope she goes to sleep tonight.

10/11/05

George here. Today has been a pretty good day. For the first time, I fed Cara her peas/rice combination and for the first time, Cara ate it up! I had tried a couple of times previously to feed her in her high chair but she didn't want any then. Today she gobbled it up like an expert.

One of the day's activities is rolling her onto her back and then onto her tummy. She lets me do this a few times before she gets upset. Each time it happens she seems to become more used to the sudden change.

Cara has barely slept at all today and she's kind of cranky in the afternoon, but I don't want to put her into her crib hoping that she'll go to sleep easier tonight. But at 2:25, she's very tired so even though she's crying I put her into the crib where I hope in a few minutes she'll settle down. At 2:30, she is settling down but it might be a few minutes yet before she's asleep. At 2:35, she's asleep. We'll see how long this lasts.

At 3:26, she's up, just in time for a fresh diaper and the arrival of her mommy, who is feeling better today.

Evie:

I've been thinking that Cara may know her name. When I say it, sometimes she turns to look at me. To test my theory, I've tried saying other words instead of her name, in the same tone of voice. All I can think of to say is "vegetable." I've tried it a few times over the past week or so, and I've discovered that Cara definitely answers to "vegetable."

I've also been reading a book about games to play with baby. One thing it suggests is something I know my mom will like, which I bet she'll have the materials for. We should blow bubbles for the baby. I'm certainly up for this.

I'm feeling somewhat better today, and I got my flu shot at school. I've been reading, and I think we should get Cara one. Also, maybe Steve and my dad should get them. I think I ought to call the pediatrician.

Cara was being fussy with her poor daddy, who's still sick. We gave her a popper and he sat in the glider with her, and I came down here and haven't heard a sound since. In a little while, though, I think I'll make up some baby food (more peas!); after that, Cara needs her bath.

10/12/05

Steve is able to lay Cara down on our bed, plant his fists beside her, and somehow make her bounce violently. This is, apparently, A Lot of Fun. I may have him try it on me sometime. We've had some of that tonight, and we just had some Fun Time for the Whole Family in the hallway. (It's a lot easier to do that, since the gerbil died.) Cara was standing in her jumper in the doorway, and Steve and I sat on opposite ends of the hall. We tossed the cats' jingle ball back and forth while Buster ran in and out periodically, once slapping the ball down from midair; Shelby sat and watched, sitting on the ball if it came near her; and Cara watched Shelby. Everyone had a good time, but eventually the ball fell down the stairs and Shelby sprang into action and chased it down, turning herself into a maniac, as she does every evening, and ruining the moment. Shelby is ignoring Cara, but Buster sort of approached her a couple of times, and Cara smiles at her.

Something really terrible and completely unforeseeable happened yesterday: I listened to Burl Ives one time too many. I'm not sure what I'll do. We're listening to the Beatles instead, but some of their stuff is just boring for babies. I think the only real option is to buy a new Burl Ives CD.

I've been lying on my back, sitting Cara on my chest, and screaming at her. She thinks it's awfully funny. So do I.

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