WW#18: The Biggest Baby of Them All

Wordless Wednesday: The Biggest Baby of Them All

Last weekend, we took A. to the MFA for the grand opening of the museum's Art of the Americas Wing.  Although she was pretty good the whole time, Steph and I both felt like we didn't see much art.  First of all, the free "community day" drew more than 12,000 people, so it was a bit of a challenge getting around the crowded galleries with a stroller.  Second, because it was a museum--and our first excursion of this kind--we were paranoid about A. crying and consequently focused more on keeping her entertained than ourselves.  It was fun, though, and A.'s favorites seemed to be anything with animals and/or babies, including this massive sculpture of a baby's head outside the entrance.

#27: Your Schedule vs. Baby's Schedule (Guess Who Wins Every Time?)

When you have a kid, your schedule is dictated by their schedule.

In addition to controlling your heartstrings, kids have a vice grip on your schedule--from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. You can try all you want to impose your will, but like rationalizing with a crying baby, this effort is futile.  My advice to new parents: just surrender and embrace it.  Once you accept it, it gets much easier to deal with.

Just how extensive is baby's control on your schedule and daily routine?  Let's dig into six main areas:

1. Waking - Most mornings, you wake up when your baby does, not when the alarm goes off.  Moreover, the gap between the two always seems to be the greatest on weekends.  See also: increased predilection for napping.
2. Eating - At home, you and your spouse frequently eat in shifts, especially during baby's first few weeks when you are still getting a handle on their signals and routine.  When you do start to venture out for dinner, you eat early.  Early bird special early.
3. Driving - When taking trips of any significant distance, the time you leave and come home is based on baby's feeding and napping schedule--especially if you have a squirm worm like A. that tends to get feisty during a long car ride.
4. Working - While it's usually necessary that one or both parents work to fund the enormous cost of raising a child, your work schedules quickly come under the influence of your baby.  You adjust your hours, so you can get home earlier; or you leave early or call in sick for childcare reasons.  
5. Playing -  Babies can play any time they want, but when you want to indulge a hobby or simply focus on a movie or some quality television, playtime is strictly reserved for after baby's bedtime, unless you have the express written consent of the National Football League your spouse.  The other option is to use your hobby to entertain the baby, which I've done with playing music.
6. Sleeping - Because the baby goes to sleep pretty early, you're technically free to go to bed whenever you want.  But because you woke up at the crack of dawn, you fall asleep early--most often on the couch (looking at you, Steph).  And of course, a full night's sleep is never guaranteed. 

These are just the basics, and I'm sure there are plenty of others that I can't think of right now.  Help me out by adding a comment below!

WW#17: Future Family Band?

Wordless Wednesday: Future Family Band?

As a lifelong musician, I couldn't help but expose my baby to music as early as possible.  We listen to plenty of music on my iPod, and I also frequently play guitar and piano for her.  And because she's the one with the piano hands, I even let her to sit at the piano and play, which she really seems to enjoy (despite the resulting cacophony, or perhaps because of it).  I'm just doing my part to instill in her a love for music and the arts--and perhaps pave the way for the next multi-platinum family band!

#26: 4 Things Baby Didn't Learn by Watching You

When you have a kid, they don't learn everything by watching you.

"You, alright?! I learned it by watching you!"

Who doesn't remember that quote from the classic 80's anti-drug commercial (video if you haven't seen it or simply care to reminisce)?  Drug use is just one example of learned behavior, but as I alluded to in this week's Wordless Wednesday post, today we will focus on innate baby tendencies, those behaviors which aren't learned and instead seem to be hardwired from birth.  Disclaimer: my evidence is anecdotal, at best.  But for each of the four points below, I can't recall A. being taught to act/react a certain way.  On the contrary, her behavior seemed to come from somewhere within her.

1. If you build it, they will come (and knock it down).  A. loves to knock things down.  I discovered this when we bought her of those shape sorting toys.  Since she was more interested in chewing the shapes than trying to put them in the right hole, I started stacking them.  And lo and behold, she started knocking them down.  Stack, knock, stack, knock--without fail.  We never taught her this game; she innately knew the rules. 

2. Peek-a-Boo Street. A. discovered peek-a-boo a few weeks ago.  The first time we tried it, she gave us one of her beautiful smiles.  The response has been the same every time since.  According to this article, babies love peek-a-boo for a number of reasons, including the smiles, the undivided attention; the sing-song quality of "peek-a-boo"; and the element of surprise.  Whatever the reasons, it's a perennial all-star for keeping baby amused and I've never seen a baby who didn't love a game of peek-a-boo, A. included.

3. Achtung, Crawling Baby!  A. learning to crawl was a big milestone, but it's a double-edged sword for Steph and me.  We can no longer sit idly by while she plays, especially because she's innately driven to crawl to the dangerous spots in a room: the section of hardwood floor not covered by rug, the pointed edge of a TV stand or coffee table, a baseboard heater, stairs, the fireplace, etc.  I'm not sure what it is about these spots -- perhaps they're all on the edge of the room and A. is just exploring our limits her surroundings? -- but no matter how many times we correct her course, she turns around and heads straight towards danger.

4. Taking names and grabbing glasses.  I wear glasses every waking moment -- one morning, A. literally didn't recognize me until I put them on -- and when I hold her, she loves to grab for them.  I've seen other babies with the same fascination, perhaps because glasses are an interesting object within reach.  But glasses are only the beginning.  A. also loves to grab and pull hair my hair.  And for some twisted reason, she laughs whenever she does.  It's one game I'm not very fond of, but if she's fussy and needs to be calmed down, I'll tilt my head towards her and play anyway.  Whatever it takes to get the job done!

What are some other innate baby tendencies that you have observed with your kids?

WW#16: Knock Your Blocks Off

Wordless Wednesday: Knock Your Blocks Off

This Wordless Wednesday post is essentially a preview of a post that I hope to publish on Friday about innate baby tendencies.  As you might guess from the first picture below, one of these tendencies is for baby to knock over anything that's stacked in front of her.  Note her closed eyes and concentration as her arm comes down, sending the shapes tumbling.  Boys: beware of her roundhouse punch!

WW#15: Cute as a (Lady) Bug for Baby's First Halloween

Wordless Wednesday: Cute as a (Lady) Bug for Baby's First Halloween

Ah, baby's first Halloween.  There's nothing like it--for the parents, that it.  New moms and dads get so excited picking out cute costumes for their kids and subsequently dressing them up.  Babies, however, could usually care less and spend most of Halloween trying to squirm their way out of said costumes.  It's all worth it in the end, though, especially for the pictures.

Speaking of pictures, here are a few of my favorite from A.'s first Halloween.  I thought she looked as cute as a bug in her lady bug costume.  That smile--especially in pictures #2 and #3--is just the icing on the cake.

What did your kids dress up as for Halloween?