first bath bath

We've been sponge-bathing Peter for a while now, but today we toughened up and actually bathed him, in a tub, with water.

It's yet another item I'm adding to my "How in the *@#& Does a Single Mother Do It?" list. Because, really, I think Kevin and I could have used another set of hands.

Peter makes it a little tougher: he's been Mr. Splounch!, spitting up almost constantly. It's like a little river of baby puke coming out of our son's mouth...adorable, really. And, he's SO pudgy it's hard to get into his ripples. I'm pretty sure his neck won't be fully clean until his 5th birthday, and don't even get me started on his thighs.

I've read that many, if not most, babies are comforted by a bath. For many parents, it's part of a calming routine leading up to bedtime.

For Peter, the bath led to a solid 10 minutes of serious freak-out. Luckily, we're versed in the Cult of Karp.

Kevin's comments include, "he was a good boy," and "his hair looks funny when it's wet." Which is true, especially about the hair - it almost looks like Herschel Walker could be his father.

almost one month

Because Peter was cooperative (and so cute), I took his one-month photos today.

Hmm. This suggests that there will be no photos tomorrow, which clearly is a ridiculous proposition.

pensive and pacified peter

his father's eyebrows

inside the cavern that is the Soothie

Golden Slumbers

I might be having an emotional affair with Dr. Harvey Karp. I'm really in love with the man and his witch-doctor baby-sleeping ways. It's almost like kiddie heroin.

Last night's achievement? Bassinet sleeping for almost the entire night.

Here's some video evidence of the magic mojo of this baby wrangler:

family walks

Family Walk time is perhaps all of our favorite time of day.

Infant Lupemia

Peter's pretty hairy. That's why we call him Chabo, the Wolf Baby.

Exhibit A:

Make no mistake: That's some serious ear hair Peter's working. And if you think this is hairy, you should see his back.

naptime

brought to you by the swaddle, the suck, and the side position

poop face

Because, really, there's nothing funnier than a one-month-old working so hard to poop.

The second video, a bit longer, is worth it for the "grand finale" - lately, Peter's been yawning with an adorable little squeak at the end.

the beginnings

lest we forget how hard we had to work to get here:

baby's first hike

Peter hangs out, while we keep him out of the sun.

As Peter has been convinced the Bjorn is not a cruel Swedish torture device but actually a rather dandy way to travel, we decided to see if Peter would respond well to the great outdoors. So, we took a hike in the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve.

And, the great outdoors was enjoyed by all.

Kevin and Peter, at the start of the trail.

Crossing Stevens Creek

Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

16 photos

the very, very cooperative baby

The hills are alive, with the sound of freedom...

Peter is such a team player. Today brought these milestones - and not a minute too soon:

(1) Sleeping for a 6 continuous hours last night. The only way this might have been MORE enjoyable is if Kevin and I had also slept for 6 continuous hours last night as well. Alas, while cosleeping is a godsend, it's also a curse, as neither of us really enter into deep sleep states.

(2) Hand in hand with #1, Peter also avoided the uglier side of the "I want to be awake right now even though it's only 4 a.m., or, barring that, demand that you hold me for hours on end" phenomenon that had been his trend for the past two weeks. Today, it was a more tolerable 6 a.m.

(3) Let's hear it for a half-hour pack-and-play nap, which allowed me to dust, put a few things away, and (in a burst of OCD that suggests things really are getting back to normal around here) sort about $300 in loose change we have hanging around.

(4) AND, perhaps most excitingly, Peter and I took a nice 2-hour errand walk, which found us at the library, the bookstore, the post office, and - cue choir of angels - a coffee shop, where I enjoyed a coffee and croissant and read the latest Martha Stewart Living (cursing her under my breath all the while).

In fact, Peter was so very delightful during the entire walk/errand experience. The only time he freaked out was during our walk home, when we were delayed at a stoplight for 20 minutes as a barrage of trains kept denying us the light. Frankly, I was a little freaked out, too.

So, we're figuring out this parenting thing. We still have a few things to work out - most pressingly, the cosleeping. Peter's outgrown the nest the hospital gave us, and is a frighteningly mobile wiggle worm in bed. Cosleeping didn't seem so daunting when he was somewhat securely tethered to one place; now, he ends up perpendicular to Kevin and me. Other than hogging prime mattress real estate, he's also putting his head dangerously close to some suffocating blankets.

Also, he does really, really enjoy being held while sleeping. He has two favorite positions : Sleeping Baby, Slumping Mama and the Doll Hold. In Sleeping Baby, Slumping Mama, Peter is face down on my chest, while I half-sit, half-slump. I'm able to get 10-minute bursts of light sleep out of this one, even if it does leave me with a sore neck. In the Doll Hold, Peter is on his side, stomach-to-stomach with me. Imagine a little girl holding her doll, and you've got it.

All of this sleeping stuff has us on the American Academy of Pediatrics Do-Not-Parent list. Otherwise, I think we're doing a pretty good job. Sigh.