Random Bits

Random bits tonight:

• I'm reading Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions: a Journal of My Son's First Year now, and what a relief it is to read. Anne is a wonderful writer...painstakingly truthful, putting into print things I would hardly dare tell my best friend. It's a joy, especially when paired right after Momma Zen. I highly recommend both to new parents.
• Speaking of which, I've taken 3 baths (with books) in two days and feel more human than I have in months. This, I'll need to keep in mind, is a fairly easy and flexible fix to feeling a bit, shall we say, edgy.
• On an unrelated (to anything) note, Michael just had an entire conversation with his new fish finder (his birthday present for the next ten years.) Both sides of the conversation, in fact. Turns out it's a very polite fish finder.
• For New Year's Eve/Michael's birthday, we went to visit friends in the Amherst/Northampton area, and Gina came with us. We all love it so much out there, that it immediately feels like vacation. We stopped at Michael's favorite liquor store, which is like...Barnes and Noble for beer lovers. If you're a book lover, I mean. Anyway, we went to Longhorn for dinner right after, and already we felt like we were on vacation and we hadn't even gotten to the hotel yet. Milo was entertaining himself in his high chair with the awesome floppy seat cover (with toy loops!) and between the liquor store and the restaurant, abotu 42 people came over to tell us how adorable he was. I think the glasses are a real "it" factor here...who knew? If only that sentiment would carry on through the middle school years. (sigh) One waitress--not our waitress, mind you--even let him stick his hand in her mouth. Weird. Anyway, we continued on to our lovely hotel--where they remembered Milo and I from a few weeks ago and gave us extra free water and set up a pack and play for us. The next day, we all slept in, went and got breakfast, and then Michael and Milo took another nap together while Gina and I ran errands. Then, we took Milo SWIMMING! I don't know why, but I found this irrationally joy-producing. I wasn't sure how Milo would like it, but he does like baths so I figured the odds were in our favor. He looked a little skeptical while we got in, but then he just acted all nonchalant, like, "what? This is just a big bath tub. I totally have one of these at home and do this all the time." Seriously. He floated and kicked and splashed and I had to be the one to say it was time to get out after a half hour or so, since he felt a bit cold. I can't say he LOVED it, because I had to make funny faces at him to get him to smile for the camera, but he did seem to enjoy himself quite a bit. And it was good exercise for both of us. Okay, that's a stretch. But it made me really happy to spend such quality activity time with him. Maybe there are some swim lessons in our future.
• New Year's Eve was...telling. We are new parents, after all. Oh, okay, if we're being honest, Michael and I were pretty lame about it last year too. And the year before. What can I say? We're homebodies. We did go out for a REALLY amazing sushi dinner first, and then made room for some dessert from this little Italian bakery, and then Gina came to our room and we had some wine and cheese and crackers and played the question game. As in, taking turns asking things like "What one thing would you change about the last year?" and "what one place do you want to take Milo this year?" It was delicious fun for Gina and I, and probably fairly painful for Michael, but he's a good sport. We started dragging a little by 11:00 though and we weren't sure we'd make it. Meanwhile, Milo was in rare form. Awake and goofy and not having anything to do with the pack and play. So when midnight came, he was there for the hugging and kissing and I have to say, I was a little glad for it. But we all went immediately to sleep afterward.
• On New Year's day, Kate and Prateek came to the hotel and we took over the lobby to play the Danish dice game. This was Milo's first year (though his second game, since we're spreading the Danish love as much as possible) and MAN did he want in on the action. He followed the dice play with a hawk's eye. We better watch that kid--he might turn into a little gamer gambler. I'd prefer poker if he's going in that direction, but that's just me. Eventually I had to take him out of the high chair so he could really play, and he did try to help me out by eating some of my claimed presents so no one else would want to steal them. But it didn't work--Prateek stole one anyway! From a BABY! With BAD EYES! hahaha. I had to explain to Peanut that all's fair in love and the dice game!
• He made up for it though--he and Kate gave Michael and Milo the COOLEST BOOK EVER, which is a version of The Little Prince with POP-UP features. It's brilliant engineering and will be SO FUN...when Milo stops eating books. Until then, Michael will carefully watch over it.
• We had another nice meal before heading out of town and back home, where Michael had a nice "guys' night" birthday celebration with our neighborhood dads. 
• Michael had off on Monday, and I got up with Milo and let him sleep in until 11! And then I put Milo down for a nap and Michael woke up and I decided to take a nap. That's pretty much how our day went--we all took turns taking naps (and baths!) and then we went out to ANOTHER nice (steak) dinner to celebrate Michael's (actual) birthday and Milo's seven-month birthday. I can not BELIEVE Milo is that old already. I want to capture and keep every little moment, gesture, and face of his. Michael tells me I should try to live in the moment more and stop obsessing about documenting everything. I wish I could explain to him that it's not possible in a way he'd understand. It's like hoarding for me, this memory keeping. It is as instinctual as breathing, and feels nearly as important. I don't know WHY I feel I might forget everything important about everything, but it terrifies me in a deep and desperate way. Which reminds me, I have yet to make the handprint/footprint ornament! agh. See?
• Today was another good day. I stayed up WAY too late, which was too bad, because Milo decided to sleep for 7+ hours but I only got 4 of them. But after nursing him, he went back to sleep. I heard him wake up a couple of hours later, but he was playing with this GENIUS/annoying flower chime toy in his crib so I drifted back off to sleep. I woke up once 45 minutes later to find him still playing. The next time I woke up, I checked the monitor to find he had put himself down for a nap. I finally got up to shower at 11 and he was decent enough to wait until I was done before waking up. Then we both got dressed and went to visit Michael at work and take him out to lunch. About three different colleagues of his told us that they or someone they knew had a lazy eye as well. (Two positive outcomes and one that never resolved even after surgery.) Who knew it was so common??
• Anyway, it's nearly 1 am now and it'd be silly to stay up any later, just in case Milo decides to sleep a long stretch again. Michael gave him a bottle before putting him down at 10:30 and he's been sleeping fitfully since then, so it doesn't look likely but you never know. Tomorrow is back to work after having nearly two weeks off, and I'm totally and completely in denial. This has been the nicest two weeks, with so much quality family time and practice just being with Milo. I guess this means I'll get to practice being in a more challenging context. I'm sure it'll be good for me.

Stay tuned for the new year's resolutions...