#19: Piano Hands (Long, Thin Slivers of Hope)

When you have a kid, you hope they'll be what you never could.

This post is in response to a writing prompt from @MommysPen, a fellow parenting blogger I've come to know through Twitter.  I hit a road block coming up with blog topics and she offered the following suggestion: "Write about your baby's hands, your wife's hands and your hands. What do they look like, what do they do?"

I immediately knew what to write about, because I have studied my baby's hands and thought about them in relation to my own.  Everything about A. is long and lean.  To give you some perspective, she was in the 99th percentile for height and the 60th percentile for weight at four-months.  Just as her entire frame is long and thin, so too are her fingers.  As a proud parent, it wasn't long before I was thinking "With those hands, she's going to be a great piano player".

As you may know from reading this blog, I am a musician.  Piano is my third instrument behind drums and guitar.  I started playing piano in eighth grade around the same time I picked up the guitar.  The guitar came much easier, though, and I largely abandoned the piano until my senior year of college.  Today, I have a used piano in the living room that I tinker with, though I've had very little time to play since becoming a dad.

Although I now enjoy playing the piano, I recognize that now matter how hard I work, I could never be great.  There are two reasons why.  One, it requires a LOT of practice and patience.  I lacked patience for most of my youth, and I now lack time. 

The other reason is my hands.  My fingers are thin like A.'s, but they are way to short (musicians: my reach is basically an 8th).  Seeing A.'s piano hands -- those long, thin fingers -- I am filled with hope that she could one day be the piano player I never could.  I can just see her fingers dancing gracefully over the keys.

Given how active and squirmy she is, though, I fear that she too will lack the patience needed for piano greatness.  Or, as Steph says, she might end up with her non-musical genes.  Regardless of the dreams I (not so) secretly harbor for my baby girl, that's OK.  Ultimately, whatever she's happy doing will make me happy too.  If that's playing the piano, awesome.  Or if she wants to become a chick drummer, I wouldn't mind that either.

#18: Potty Mouths and Poop Talk

When you have a kid, you have a potty mouth but not because you swear.

During A.'s first few weeks, Steph and I were obsessed with tracking pees and poops.  In a way, it was a barometer with the only quantifiable evidence of how our baby was doing (and us, as new parents).  When our chart was filled with pees and poops, we knew all was well.  But when baby wasn't doing her business and the column was blank, we worried like only first-time parents can.

Fortunately, while A.'s routine is much more regular (pun intended), we still talk about poop.  A lot.  That's what I mean about having a potty mouth.  It's not like we are excessive swearers.  Rather, our conversation tends to cover all of the day's activities, even pooping.  Did she poop?  How many times?  How much was there?  What color was it?

Having a baby with a milk allergy that's transitioning to an all-soy formula diet, these are all important questions.  And they get discussed frequently, whether over the phone or at home.  Sometimes, it amazes me how casually we talk about poop.  Being a parent has definitely raised the bar for what's an embarrassing topic of conversation.  There's not much that makes us blush these days!

If A. had any say in the matter, I'm sure she would put an immediate end to all this poop talk.  Perhaps she'll read this blog someday and exclaim in shock, "Daddy, you and mommy talked about WHAT?!"  Until then, our potty mouths will remain in full effect.  It's just part of the job.

WW#7: Baby Toys and Discoveries (Jumperoo, Mirrors, and More)

Wordless Wednesday #7: Baby Toys and Discoveries (Jumperoo, Mirrors, and More)

Here are some photos of A. hanging out and having fun around the house last weekend.  We got her a new toy (the Rainforest Jumperoo) and she made a new discovery (the unending joy of looking at herself and others in the mirror).

Because A.'s so squirmy, we bought her a Jumperoo...

...But she's not tall enough yet, so we put a book under her feet.

She loves looking at herself in the mirror...

...And she sometimes poses for pictures!

#17 Having Your Cake and Eating It Too

When you have a kid, you want to have your cake and eat it too.

Me, when it comes to parenting

Parenting is a balancing act, with often conflicting forces and desires.  Last month, I wrote about balancing my pre-baby life ("Rome") with my post-baby life ("home").  For the most part, these two forces are currently separate, but I'm hopeful they can eventually coexist.  In fact, I would say that taking a photography class this summer was a good first step towards pursuing my personal interests while maintaining an active role as a parent.

However, other forces don't co-exist so easily.  For example, I want my baby to be advanced, but I don't want her to grow up too fast.  Although I often feel these desires simultaneously, I recognize that by their very nature, they are contradictory.  One is a wish for time to speed up, the other a yearning for time to slow down.  Wanting both--at the same time--is like having your cake and eating it too.

WW#6: Life's a Beach

Wordless Wednesday #6: Life's a Beach

We spent the weekend at my in-laws' beach house in Marshfield, MA.  We've been going there a lot this summer, but it was the first time we spent more than just a few minutes at the beach with A.  As you can see below, we put her feet in the sand for the first time.  While we were excited, she hardly seemed to notice.  Oh, well.

Fun in the Sun (Dome)

Hangin' with Mommy

First steps in the sand

Pooped from all that ocean air!

WW#5: Sophie Giraffe (Best Friend and Occasional Foe)

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday #5: Sophie Giraffe (Best Friend and Occasional Foe)

While A. hasn't cut any teeth, the process is definitely underway.  In addition to drooling constantly, A. will suck and chew on everything -- from my wrist while I hold her to her new best friend (and occasional foe) Sophie Giraffe, which she received as a gift from my cousin Jeff and his wife Jackie.  In the pre-baby world of Italian vacations, I had never seen the friendly French animal.  But once Steph's friends starting popping out babies a few months ahead of us, Sophie Giraffe was everywhere.

 I think A. loves Sophie Giraffe so much because its long legs and long neck make it easy to grab and even easier to chew.  It's funny to see the range of emotion A. displays when she plays with (aka chews on) it.  When it's her friend, she's gentle and playful (picture one below).  But when it's her foe, she'll downright attack it (picture two) in a scene reminiscent of one of those man vs. wild TV shows.  She's a teething predator that always gets her prey!

How does your baby play with its Sophie Giraffe?