Monkey House

Blanket!

I asked Alex a few weeks back, “You know how some kids are ‘blankie’ kids? How do they GET that favourite blanket? Where does it come from? Is it a receiving blanket that they’ve just never given up?

As it turns out, some blankets arrive as really awesome gifts!! We got an email notification a few days ago that something was shipped to us. At first I thought it was spam, but then I realized it was legit. The email did not say who the sender was, only the origin which is a baby goods retailer who sells a bunch of stuff (You Name It, Baby!), so we didn’t know what it was going to be, either. It felt like a wee little Christmas… we knew there’d be a prezzie arriving soon, but we didn’t know what it was going to be (or who the Santa was).

It arrived today. This blanket is awesome. You can’t tell by the pic, but it’s doubled-up thick fleece (with a brownish back), and obviously personalized to our little monkey! “Soft” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

And the Santa? Our good friend Andrew. Thanks a million! We love it! Cole will be jamming it into his mouth (as he does with all fabrics these days) in no time!

Laughter and Joy…

Being a new parent is pretty awesome. You get to go through the early phases just being amazed that you’re responsible for a little life and being glad that you’re up to the challenge. Then you see the first smiles that are really just reflexive reactions to gas and pooping (note: I still smile about gas and pooping, so I don’t think things change THAT much). And now at approx. 3 months we’re starting to see even more of an individual little personality emerge.

The best thing for me in the past week or two has been the genuine laughter, which has now arrived in full force. Snorching like a piggie into his neck or belly makes him break out into his huge dimply smile as he giggles at his papa. Every morning as he awakens from sleep, he looks around slightly confused until he sees his mother’s face, at which time he lights up with genuine joy. It’s so great to see and to be a part of.

…and Sometimes Not So Much

Not wanting to paint the world rainbow colours, though—last night and a few times recently he has let loose with some absolute doozies of screaming fits. He tires himself out and won’t nap, yet when he’s finally had the biscuit he still resists sleep and lets loose a hollerin’. Similar reaction also comes from being put into his car seat most of the time.

One of the stories our friends Natalie and Steve told us was how once their daughter was crying her eyes out and was inconsolable… they just looked at her and sobbed, “We don’t know what you want!” The story is told in a humorous way, but holy moly I can see how it wouldn’t have been funny at the time! I just look at him sometimes when he’s mad at the world and think, “I don’t know what to do for you, buddy! Help me out here!”

Joyful Feet

Our little monkey has discovered his feet. This has two implications:

1. Serious cuteness. He grabs those suckers and pulls himself up into a little ball, completely amazed at his own discovery of the extremities of his limbs. When we clap his feet together for him or use them to kick at Jaques Le Peacock above his change table, he is in some little piece of heaven.

2. Serious difficulty changing diapers. He’s so fascinated with grabbing his feet and curling up into a ball that it’s tough getting a nice snug diaper on him. This is where I envy parents using disposables. I’m sure those would be a lot easier.

Seacrest out!