Getting pumped

Well, the good news is that G has been sleeping very well the past 6 nights or so. The bad news is that Saturday is three days away. Now, when I say "bad news" I am speaking from the perspective of the other passengers...because we're going on a TRIP!!! Gabby is so excited. The 3 of us are heading to Austin from April 2 thru April 10. It's the southwest leg of G's first US tour. She's been training hard, and she's sure that this tour will please all who witness.

Today, as I walked home from the T, I started to think about Gabby. And the first thought that came to my head was an image of G crying. I mean really crying - with her eyes clenched and her nose scrunched and her mouth continuously open into an oval...and she's belting it out. I thought of this...and I laughed. I laughed out loud from the sheer joy that thinking of her brought me. Corny? Nah.

In other news, this weekend G was introduced to her naked arm. Normally she's got long sleeves on. Well, let me tell y'all, she and her arm got acquainted quickly...then started going for it. That's right. She's now the proud giver and receiver of her first hickey. ewwww.

Lastly, Gabby got her second round of shots on Tuesday morning. 4 shots. She was crying before the needles even stuck her...so the effect was less dramatic than her first round. The first time, B said that she went from happy to "what the bleep are you bleeping doing to me!" crying. B cried too. Hence, I was recruited for this and all future shots.

Well it's been a week.

First off, let me confirm what y'all may have noticed. I don't have as much time or energy to post to this blog as I once had. Call it busy times at work, busier times at home, or less sleep on a much more consistent basis than I could have planned. Whatever the reason, accept it. Now let's move on. While the frequency of posting may have declined, I hope that the content will improve. I'll let you decide.

Today is Easter. B, G, and I are hanging with Gabby's extended family in Taunton for the holiday. I'm sure that pictures will follow. But until then, let me describe our little munchkin.

Today, I noticed that her chin has doubled. That is to say that she has a double-chin. And it nicely finishes off her round cheeks. Her whole face is rounding out for that matter.

B decided to girlify our sweet thing today. G's got a little pink barrette in place to accent her pink outfit. It's cute. But I'm a little wary of pushing Gabby into Girly girl world. I think we should treat her like a person, not a girl...and let her be herself. I know it's too early to worry about such things...but - whatever.

This morning, I had the pleasure of waking up for my darling at a little before 5 am. We chatted. I gave her a massage. Then I was able to express some gas, and some poop from her precious bum-hole. Ha. I changed her, played with her some more, and eventually rocked her to sleep in her sling. That was at 5:45. Sound early? It was. But I didn't mind, since I'd had some good sleep.

This whole week, I've been taking night shift while B gets a good rest. After I put G to sleep, I peep down in Gabby's room to be the one to calm her and relax her in the event that she wakes up during the night. Overall, it's a tough job, but I love it. I've become really good at understanding her sleep noises vs. wake-up fussing noises. Yay me.

So last night, we tried something different. B and I went down together with our trusty Sony (r) trademark BabyCall Monitor. There was a problem. Basia is not in tune with Gabby's sounds. So needless to say, Basia couldn't sleep. With every peep came the question, "Joe, is she ok?" To which I would respond, "Yes." Eventually, she just got up to sleep in G's room. I thought it would be good experience for B. It was, and I got rest.

Now, let's go back in time to Wednesday. Basia and I brought Gabby with us to Arc en Ciel, a daycare in JP, where we live. We met the director/founder and took a tour. They had an opening, and we liked the place. So...Friday morning, B and I went for a show-and-tell session at Basia's work. We visited all her co-workers, showed off our lil thing. It was great, and so was G. B also had a little chat with her boss. It went very well...long-story-short - Basia will be taking an extra couple of weeks off work, then returning on a part-time basis. The days she's at work will be daycare days. Thankfully, we created a solution that we think will work for us.

In other news, our friends Kendra and Matthew welcomed a new baby into the world. Gabby's new friend is William David. Congrats Kendra and Matthew!!! Welcome William David!!!

Saturday began with the realization that I don't know how to play with my girl. I see her every night when I get home from work, as I put her to bed - then I'm with her all night, while she's sleeping. And that's about it. I didn't really realize how out of touch I became until Basia went out Saturday morning to run some errands. I had Gabby, awake, and was perplexed. How do I play with her? When B returned, she let me watch her play with the Gabster. I caught on quick. Thanks Mommy!!

Saturday afternoon, Gabby met her "sort-of" cousins. Saba's girlfriend, Nancy's daughter, Tammy, her husband Doug, and their daughter Carissa welcomed a new addition six months ago, Abby. Gabby and Abby got along splendidly - pictures will be posted soon.

That's it for now...I think. Here are the last week's worth of pictures:
Click here!