Newborn: Vortex of Time

Time is an elusive thing even under the best of circumstances. However, the presence of a newborn in your home makes whole chucks of time just disappear…slip away into some ethereal non-existence. I understood, or course, that I had not posted any words to this website in some time…but I had not realized just how overdue my update was until the complaints started rolling in. And to those fine people who were brave enough to complain to this new parent (despite the fact that new parents as a group are so often clinging to sanity by a mere thread), I thank you for your obvious concern for Norah and invite you to come over any time you like so as to watch the Little Miss as thus afford me some time to post. My readers would thank you. If, however, that’s not what you were offering by your complaints…then you’ll just have to make your peace with the fact that I’ll get to posting as soon as I clean the spit-up from my hair, wash the poop from the crib sheets, and pump a few more ounces of formula into my growing daughter. It’s a glamorous life. In actuality, I do thank the complainers. I have no idea how long I would have ignored my posting duties had people not cared enough to jostle me about.

To answer the real questions the protesters were concerned about…Norah is doing fine. She’s putting on weight like a champ. She’s got her second chin and rolls of fat on her chubby little thighs…like a happy baby should. She eats what seems to me to be massive amounts of formula and then launches significant portions of it back at us. She is so undisturbed as the milk comes back out her mouth that I can only think of a drunken college student too far gone to be concerned about a little vomit. I am consequently tempted to chant “Chug, chug, chug!” as he mows through her bottle.

Norah has been practicing smiling as she falls asleep, but has yet to bust out a real smile while she was awake. Her eyes are tracking together which makes her appear far more alert than before. She’s using this newfound focus to pay close attention to her mobile and the hangy toys in her hammock. She loves music and will listen contently to the simplistic symphonies produced by her crib fish. She sleeps most the evening and only wakes about two times during the night. We count ourselves as lucky on this point, but know that we may be causing future problems sine this sound sleep is purchased by letting young Norah sleep in bed with Moonshot and me. There will come a time in the near future when the screaming will start as we try to accustom her to her own bed.

Moonshot tells me that she is more fussy during the day while I am at work, but I usually only see her complain around dinner time…nothing upsets Norah more than the idea of her parents eating a meal together. She wails like a siren when she’s hungry (which is often), but she reverts to happy girl one she fills her belly. I have no idea what she weighs right now, but we have a check-up next week, so I’ll let you know then.

In short, we have a very happy and healthy girl.

Moonshot and I are adjusting well, I think. Oh, we have our moments of irritability and frustration. But, generally, we’re coping well and enjoying the ride as much as we can. I returned to work last week. On some levels it’s nice to get out of the house, but it is nerve-racking to leave. I have every confidence in Moonshot and there is no reason my absence should decrease Norah’s safety nor even her happiness at this point. But, the protector gene has switched on and it is difficult to be away from home.

We watch more TV these days than I like. But reaching for a book is useless…you WILL be interrupted within a few seconds. And a two-hour movie is an impossible fantasy at this point (Netflix is finally making their money’s worth on us). Hell, even a half-hour sitcom is a bit of a stretch. I find myself gravitating to Discovery Channel and Game Show Network…channels that can deliver entertainment in tiny clips. When I have ten uninterrupted seconds, I like to be amused by some interesting factoid or to challenge my brain with a trivia question. Only these channels can deliver that kind of rapid-fire passive entertainment. I’ve become a fan of Lingo and Chain Reaction since I can play along even if Norah’s cries drown out the TV speakers. I am embarrassed to admit that on one occasion while Moonshot and I struggled to recall when we had last fed Norah, we were able to answer our question by remembering what game show had been on. I have devolved into a person who tells time by television programming. It’s disturbing…but temporary.

And with that sad fact, I must steer myself toward bed. My wife and daughter have already drifted off to sleep and my 3am feeding looms closer with each keystroke. So, enjoy the new pics both here and over on Norah's page. And remember that every second I spend on this blog must be wrestled away from my little bundle of time warping joy...so quit your belly-aching about my slow output ;)