Sleeping Woes, Plus THE SWING.

Last night we decided to try to let Lois sleep without being wrapped in her baby burrito because she's turning 3 months old in 3 days and that's about when you need to start establishing good sleep habits, including not sleeping all wrapped. We also tried to lay her on her back instead of in her bouncy chair for the night.

Baby burrito, ready for sleep....or eating.

We bit off more than we could chew.

It was like the first week of life with her all over again. No sleep. No dreams. Just crying. So, of course, we failed. We just can't go back to that; we don't have the fortitude (mental or physical). She ended up back in her chair for most of the night but unwrapped.

But the sleep-time ritual has started. We need to get her sleeping on her back in her crib, without the wrap.

I'm prepared for more than a couple sleepless nights; mommy and I have to work out a sleeping schedule so that one of us is awake to handle the baby outrage from us changing her sleep habits. Tonight we'll probably take her out of the burrito wrap but leave her in the chair. Once she's used to that we'll start putting her on her back. Yay, sleeplessness!

And speaking of sleepy, let me tell you, Lois is definitely tired today from keeping us up all night. So at the moment I have her in her swing.

Have I told you about the amazingly magical swing? I love it, Lois loves it, and truly it's a god-send. During the day she will take a three hour nap using the swing. Doesn't sound like much? Consider that before she would sleep 10, maybe 15 minutes.

Three. Full. Hours.

And it looks ADORABLE!

I haven't had 3 full hours in the daytime to work around the house (or play games, or whatever) while Laura works since Lois was born. I think, at most, she might have napped for an hour once. Now this has happened two days in a row. That swing is truly a mystical device and I love it. Lois and mommy do too!

Now, if only there were a way that she could just sleep in a swing for the rest of her life. Unfortunately they don't make things that hold you off the ground and swing in the breeze...

Unless you count a hammock.

I have to go tell Laura the fantastic idea I just had that our daughter never has to sleep in a regular, non-moving, standard bed again. GENIUS!

While I do that, here's her enjoying the swing:

Wide Afake

You may remember a while back when I complained that my baby fakes sleeping so that she can then wake up and laugh at us for thinking mommy and daddy might get some time together. She still does this, of course, but we've gotten into the swing of things at night and she's actually sleeping well through the night. Books tell me she should also be getting naps during the day which, of course, happens with the regularity of a narwhal showing up in your office, which is to say it doesn't.

Oh, she naps. 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there. The other day I think I might have accidentally slipped rum into her bottle because she napped for an entire 20 minutes before waking up and stopping me from cleaning around the house because she needs attention now Daddy!.

This picture is completely unrelated to this post.

Well maybe because she doesn't nap during the day, or maybe because she's still Little Miss Stubborn, she's decided that being tired is the worst thing ever and if she's tired? She needs us to know that she is absolutely, positively, not in any way tired and never could be. In fact, Daddy, she never needs to sleep again because she is SO awa...zzzz...ke!!! AWAKE!

It's adorable to see, until the crying starts.

Her eyes get big and round, showing those baby blues off to the world. She waves her hands around like she's dancing to a bad early 2000's hip-hop song by Cameo and kicking

Lois knows the answer*! Also, she is NOT TIRED.

her feet around like she's learning Kung-Fu.

We call this state being "wide afake." She needs us to know that she isn't tired and that she doesn't have to be laid down in bed soon, please. No, really. Not tired. NOT TIRED. NO! DO NOT WANT!

It's adorable and we make fun of her constantly for it. If she grows up feeling that we're making fun of her behind her back it's not because we ARE making fun of her but because she's vaguely remembering all the times we DID as a baby and flat-out laughed at her antics.

Yet another way I'm screwing up my little girl but hey, if you can't laugh what's left?

*If I couldn't laugh at my little girl? Insanity is all that would be left because I'd be holding it all in and that's a LOT of laughing to hold in.

Only For Daddy

The other day Lois looked at me with big bright eyes and clearly said "Hi!"

I laughed because obviously this was impossible and was just air escaping in a random matter, regardless of how much it really sounded like the word "hi." She's not even yet 3 months old; she can't talk.

Except then she did it again later directly in response to me saying "Hi little girl!"

So I showed mommy.

Except that I didn't. See, she wouldn't say it for mommy. When mommy wandered away, less than impressed at this genius of a baby, Lois looked up at me, smiled and said "hi" under her breath.

Not. Even. Joking.

She hasn't really done it since, which shows me that it's clearly a fluke but...

Yesterday I taught our little girl to blow a raspberry by walking her through verbally step-by-step. She followed my directions exactly and ended up blowing a perfect raspberry. I rushed to show mommy this.

Nothing.

Same thing with pursing her lips and going "bptbptbptbpt." Show mommy? Nothing.

I feel kinda like the guy who finds the WB frog that will only dance for him.

Either that or insane. Maybe both.

Road Trip! Washington, D.C.

We took our first big road trip this weekend to visit our friends Heather, Greg, and their newly adopted little girl in Washington, DC! It was a fantastic time and on Sunday we went to the Smithsonian DC Zoo! It was a nice weekend, punctuated with some really cool sightseeing.

Here's our story, in pictures:

It was a beautiful day for a drive.

Lois didn't care for the scenery 2 hours into the 5 hour drive. Feeding time!

Beautiful sunny weather meant zebras were roaming/playing

And cheetahs were lazily sunning themselves, relaxing.

Lois was less than impressed. Lazy cheetahs.

We got up close and personal with an elephant who wanted a snack.

Lois said "Back off, buddy" and wanted nothing to do with it.

The Giant Panda came out at the end of the day to say goodbye!

Just then, Lois was finally interested in something!

More food! Yay!

We went there knowing we were going for us and not for Lois so while I pick on her a little bit we do understand that she's just WAY too young to get anything out of a trip to the zoo.

That'll have to wait until she turns 5 months old. Then she'll know what's what.

I'm A Good Dad!

Have you guys been spying on me?

This picture isn't of me but it could have been. If it had been a picture of  me and Lois the baby would have been cuter and I probably wouldn't have had pants on.

I'd have had underwear on but if I'm alone in my house? No pants. It's a rule.*

Now here's the thing: People look at this photo and its caption and laugh but really, when the baby is that age? I see absolutely nothing wrong with this kind of "watching the baby."

The baby is contently curled up on daddy's chest where daddy can make sure the baby is okay while daddy entertains himself with a game. Nothing wrong with that!

Now, if the dad continues to play after the baby wakes up, crying and hungry? Yeah, that's a problem. When your baby needs your attention, their needs come first over your wants and you need to pay attention to them.

So here's a picture of me trying to find a way to feed her while keeping my hands free so that I can take pictures/play video games/etc.

Taking a picture of being a bad dad is hard work with no hands free.

*And now you know more about my pants status than you've ever cared to know.

Baby Craze

I have a great friend, (pictured here) who loves our little Lois and calls her the "Cutest baby in the world*." She's really quite amazing and has been a huge help over the past couple of months whenever we've needed a babysitter for a couple of hours. When I had my appendix out she was right there offering up her and her boyfriend (who is also amazing) to watch Lois so that Laura could be at the hospital with me without worry. She's a great friend.

But she's a little baby crazy. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love when she coos at Lois and smiles at her and fusses over her; it all makes me feel happy. It's just that one day I'm completely expecting Lois to cry at 2 AM and as mom sits up to get the baby we'll both hear the voice of our friend float in the night air "It's okay Laura, go back to sleep, I've got this one."

No, I can tell that's not Lois. Please tell me where you hid my baby.

Baby craze is a well-documented phenomenon! I can totally see this happening and our baby being stolen away in the night out of pure love and adoration.***

Everyone is going crazy over our little girl though, not just our friends. The other day we were walking down the street and I happened to notice a scene happen where two large men stood across the sidewalk and a third man had to meekly squeeze by; they didn't make a move to get out of the third man's way at all and glared at him. The moment they saw us coming along the way with Lois in the stroller? They moved aside and both men's faces lit up with huge smiles.

The first man commented, looking at our little girl "That, right there, is an adorable baby. Adorable!"

The second man grinned "That's a Gerber baby right there! Gerber!"

We thanked them of course, proud parents every step of the way. When we had gone by they went back to dominating the sidewalk with glares at all who passed by.

We really do have the cutest baby in the world.

*She's right, of course, though I try not to brag.**
**Who am I kidding? I brag ALL THE TIME!
***I promised not to make her look bad when I asked to use her photo so please allow me to state now that I do not actually believe she will steal our baby. I just believe that she WANTS to steal our baby.****
****Love you, A! 

Blech: The Plague

I've come down with a cold. It's not nasty or really that horrible though I do feel like roasted death that's been left out to sit for too long. My head hurts and my nose is runnier than The Gingerbread Man but I'll be fine. Laura was wonderful and grabbed me some DayQuil for while I'm watching the little girl and some NyQuil for when I want to go to sleep tonight. Yay!

But watching the little girl is what has me worried.

She's being fantastic today, I have to admit. No fussing, just relaxing and letting me know when she's hungry or needs a change. She does want to be held though.

You know what I don't want?

A sick baby.

You know what holding this little girl is probably going to lead to?

A sick baby.

But if I don't hold her, she cries. But if she gets sick she'll cry lots, AND I'll have to use that snot-sucky thing. Ew.

The only solution I see is to let her cry. It's for her own good!

What?