Babywearing 101

Lola gives the thumbs up; this thing rocks!

I remembered that we had a small stash of kid slings my cousin Emily made for Rock N Roll Craft Show a couple years ago. I figured if Eliot is going to be a parent, he might as well practice the attachment variety.

"How many Elmos can this thing hold?"

Baby Fever - Cured

Little did we realize having a new 'baby' in the house would be so realistic. Much to Justin's chagrin, Lola still has Eliot's rapt attention. Last night, E requested that she sit in the Bumbo and 'eat' dinner with him, and she even joined him in the bathtub for a pre-bedtime swim.

Justin was really hesitant to let Lola sleep in E's bed. He's still really creeped out by her and her presence seems to be putting him in something of a mood. He denied that he's scared of her. I'm not completely convinced. But Eliot was very insistent that Lola be put in his bed, and I complied, because I'm a wuss and just wanted my precious little baby child to GO TO SLEEP.

Around midnight, I heard him complaining a bit, and I really hoped he would just curl up and settle back to sleep. No. I went in and tried to get him to lie back down. No. After a few more attempts coupled with an increase in his volume, I pulled him out of his crib and into our bed. He seemed to relax, I thought he was asleep, lying there on my chest like a newborn. As soon as I put him in his own bed the screaming returned, and he requested DADA! which was unusual, but completely welcome. Dada settled him down - twice, and after a quick pop in by me, he was quiet at around 1:30. A.M. In the morning.

I was hopeful that Eliot would sleep until at least 6. No again. 5 a.m. He was ready to go, and as soon as I got him out of bed he said, "Lola". Sigh.

Justin is convinced that Lola was the culprit, because she is big and hard and not cuddly and soft like the doll he wishes Eliot would love. Possibly her old lady fragrance woke him. Or maybe she comes alive and jumps on the mattress demanding cookies. Who knows. But she's in our life now and we just have to learn to love her. And keep hope alive that he will forget all about her.

That's not going to happen, is it?

This is what 5:00 a.m. looks like, for those of you who slept through it.

Introducing: Lola Butter

Apparently I'm not the only one toying with the idea of growing this family from three to four. (When I told Justin I thought I had baby fever, he advised me to take a Tylenol.) I picked up this baby doll for E's birthday back in February, but decided that I hated the way she smelled. Seriously, it's a putrid combination of baby powder and old lady perfume and it's infused into every molecule of her chubby plastic shell. Justin was just really creeped out by her, specifically her unending stare. She must have been packed away for the move, and I just found baby girl last night in a vain attempt to try and organize the 'office' so we can paint. I had every intention of donating her to the toy pile at the Hartford, but Eliot saw her and of course fell in love. What could we do? You can't choose your child's happiness.

She has been dubbed 'Lola' as E is very good with pronouncing names with l's like Lila and Lala and Ella. And because she seems a little saucy.

Lola just loves her baby food! Eliot requested the Bumbo and the bib, as he is avery conscientious caregiver, much like his father.

Diaper changes are an important part of childcare. Note Lola only wears cloth!

Many children love to read and be read to.

Sharing is fun.

Eliot and I were invited recently to the house of our friend JJ, mom of Sylvia, for some playgroup fun. (Check out The Baby Human Experience for some photos of the cuteness that ensued.) E was the youngest by about 9 months or so, but he still had a ball watching the frenzy that was this group of toddlers. I was mostly happy for the adult conversation, even though most of it was about cloth diapers, baby sleep (or lack of), feeding, breastfeeding, and of course, the penis infections (please see Stay Calm and Carry On for more information on that horror story).

One of the best things about the day, at least for E, was that JJ lent us her excersaucer to use until they have another baby someday. I've always been a little hesitant with the big play contraptions; our 'play mat' is just a lot of blankets layered on top of one another with a splattering of toys, but let me tell you, this is possibly the best invention of all time. At least the best invention for busy 6 month olds. Eliot is completely entertained, swiveling around in a hurry, as though he is the sole mission controller at NASA. I can actually cook an entire meal while he talks and spins and grabs, there in his contraption on the kitchen floor, and sometimes, just sometimes, Justin and I can eat that dinner. Uninterrupted. And just look at him, he's having the time of his short yet exciting life. Thank you JJ!

Butterfly is his favorite flavor.

This one pretty much sums it all up.