I do wonder how much of a person's personality can be glimpsed when he or she is just a very tiny baby. I know that a lot of baby habits are at least semi-universal, but there still seems to be things that Kai does which could be portentous. (Or maybe I'm just reading way too much into nothing. That could be it, too!)
One of his habits that I love the most is how *interested* he continues to be in things. ALL THINGS. Even when he's very upset about something, if he has the chance to look at something fascinating to him (like a pattern of light coming through window blinds, or a sharply contrasting black picture frame on a white wall), he'll often calm down and become totally riveted. This has its downsides, as well: if he's not very hungry when eating he's very easily distracted by looking at interesting stuff, which can have all kinds of hilarious milk-soaked consequences. Also, if something has caught his eye and we make the mistake of moving him in such a way that he can't see it anymore - well, there can be hell to pay there. He has an agenda and by god we're not going to get in his way.
Something else that pisses him off is when we fail to notice he needs to pee. This kid is not a fan of going in a diaper (and who can blame him?). Usually if he randomly fusses for what appears to be no reason, it's because he has to pee and we can respond appropriately and give him the chance to go. But sometimes we don't get his signals or misinterpret his cries, which results in a wet diaper and, often, an angry, angry, baby. "DAMMIT YOU GUYS. I HAD TO GO AND YOU MISSED IT AND NOW I AM SITTING IN MY OWN URINE. I HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY."
Currently in his "reserving judgement" category: the ring sling. He's happy in his mei tai carrier (where "happy" means "goes immediately to sleep," but the ring sling is a bit more hit-or-miss. Unfortunately it's by far the easiest carrier to pop him in and out of quickly, which makes it the best option for getting things done around the house. So for now, I'm risking his occasional wrath and using it a lot in the hopes he'll get more and more used to it.
Other exciting new and recent developments:
- Smiles! That are probably actually deliberate rather than facial test patterns! I think there must be some kind of hormone response upon seeing one's baby smile because it's just remarkably riveting.
- Fist chewing - he can't get the fist to his mouth deliberately just yet, but when it's there, he's like, "Hey, a thing! I can nom on this! NOM NOM NOM." (Occasionally followed by, "Uh… no milk is coming out of this. DO NOT LIKE DO NOT LIKE."
- Head lifting and turning! His head control is improving hugely, spurred on by his unending desire to see all the interesting stuff in the woooooorld.
Oh and! My parents came for a visit the weekend before last to see their first grandchild. I'm pretty sure that my mother's fondest wish in life since I became an adult was to be Granny someday. She's pretty stoked that she finally got her wish.
(One might mistake my dad over there, reading Neal Stephenson over in that chair, for someone uninterested and disengaged from this whole process. That would be a mistake.)
In closing: Still doing awesomely, still finding each day an incredible learning experience, and still (YAY) getting enough sleep.
One of his habits that I love the most is how *interested* he continues to be in things. ALL THINGS. Even when he's very upset about something, if he has the chance to look at something fascinating to him (like a pattern of light coming through window blinds, or a sharply contrasting black picture frame on a white wall), he'll often calm down and become totally riveted. This has its downsides, as well: if he's not very hungry when eating he's very easily distracted by looking at interesting stuff, which can have all kinds of hilarious milk-soaked consequences. Also, if something has caught his eye and we make the mistake of moving him in such a way that he can't see it anymore - well, there can be hell to pay there. He has an agenda and by god we're not going to get in his way.
Something else that pisses him off is when we fail to notice he needs to pee. This kid is not a fan of going in a diaper (and who can blame him?). Usually if he randomly fusses for what appears to be no reason, it's because he has to pee and we can respond appropriately and give him the chance to go. But sometimes we don't get his signals or misinterpret his cries, which results in a wet diaper and, often, an angry, angry, baby. "DAMMIT YOU GUYS. I HAD TO GO AND YOU MISSED IT AND NOW I AM SITTING IN MY OWN URINE. I HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY."
Currently in his "reserving judgement" category: the ring sling. He's happy in his mei tai carrier (where "happy" means "goes immediately to sleep," but the ring sling is a bit more hit-or-miss. Unfortunately it's by far the easiest carrier to pop him in and out of quickly, which makes it the best option for getting things done around the house. So for now, I'm risking his occasional wrath and using it a lot in the hopes he'll get more and more used to it.
Other exciting new and recent developments:
- Smiles! That are probably actually deliberate rather than facial test patterns! I think there must be some kind of hormone response upon seeing one's baby smile because it's just remarkably riveting.
- Fist chewing - he can't get the fist to his mouth deliberately just yet, but when it's there, he's like, "Hey, a thing! I can nom on this! NOM NOM NOM." (Occasionally followed by, "Uh… no milk is coming out of this. DO NOT LIKE DO NOT LIKE."
- Head lifting and turning! His head control is improving hugely, spurred on by his unending desire to see all the interesting stuff in the woooooorld.
Oh and! My parents came for a visit the weekend before last to see their first grandchild. I'm pretty sure that my mother's fondest wish in life since I became an adult was to be Granny someday. She's pretty stoked that she finally got her wish.
(One might mistake my dad over there, reading Neal Stephenson over in that chair, for someone uninterested and disengaged from this whole process. That would be a mistake.)
In closing: Still doing awesomely, still finding each day an incredible learning experience, and still (YAY) getting enough sleep.
That last picture is terribly adorable.
Posted by: Amos | 07/28/2010 at 14:09