Support Staff

Over five weeks into our new lineup and, like any good team, individual roles and responsibilities are beginning to shake out.  Of course there's Mom and Dad, those roles were determined about 10 months ago, but what about the other five players?

Introducing, as Head Lactation Consultant, Alee (Aka, Winky Leadfoot):

Head Product Tester and Comfort Analyst - Buches:

Security Duty - Frances Liverbottom & Farls Barkley:

 

Izzy, having been uninterested in the new addition at first, has become the Interim Downstairs Lactation Consultant.  However, she declined to be photographed for this post.  We'll try to get a candid when she's not looking.

What's up, Chuck?

OK.  So I guess it's inevitable, certain things are just going to happen to you as a parent.  It's these common experiences that, I'm finding out, are the subtext to the knowing looks shared between parents that I've seen my whole life.  Two guys at the the coffee shop on a random Thursday: "Do you have kids?" "Yeah? Then you know what I'm talking about."  Wink, wink.  Nudge, nudge.  Say no more.

After just two weeks of parenthood Dawn and I already have a modest collection of these experiences under our belt.  No more than 2 1/2 hours of sleep at a time for almost 3 weeks (and counting): check.  Been peed on: check.  Held a baby up and sniffed it's butt to see if it had dirty diapers: check.  And now, on different occasions during the same 12 hour period we both have been baptised into, yet, one more common parenthood experience.  And by baptised, I'm not talking holy water, more like an entire freshly filled stomach full of curdled mother's milk.

Who me?

My personal experience was at 4 am Tuesday night when, after changing li'l h following a big feeding, I thought it would be a good idea to lay him on my chest, face down, and try to gently rock him to sleep.  Simple physics would tell me this was a bad idea, but I just wanted to go to sleep as quickly as possible.  Wouldn't you know, a few minutes into it, three enormous heaves, and out comes all of what just went in... on me, on my pillow, and all over the sheets, necessitating an early morning shower and bedding change.

I did what?

Dawn's inaugural dowsing came at much less fault of her own.  She was merely trying to burp little man over her shoulder when the fountain started.  Drenching her black shirt, and leaving a delicious pool of liquid treats on the floor for the dogs.

I'm so embarrassed.

These will be, of course, forgettable incidents when looking back in a few years, and will surely be dwarfed by many and more calamitous baby disasters, but for now they are our most memorable.

Bonus video footage of furry and not-so-furry Freemans:

*A note on comments.  It has come to my attention that some of our beloved "Followers" have been having trouble posting comments.  I'm looking into it and will hopefully have it remedied soon.  We love feedback.

So Fresh and So Clean

Yesterday Henrik had another milestone moment: his first bath since coming home from the hospital.  Jennifer, our postpartum doula, helped out and gave us some invaluable pointers on how to make bath time quick, efficient, and non-traumatic.  Judging from Henrik's other new encounters, few as they may be, we knew that he would either love it, or hate it (he doesn't have much room for nuance at this stage).  However, judging from his love response to the warm hairdryer (on low, of course) during diaper changes, we were putting our money in the love basket for his first warm bath.  Verdict: loved it!

Since he hasn't been doing much rolling around in the dirt, the most visible sign of his newly acquired "clean" status was his oil-free, light brown, fuzzy head of hair.

Here are a few bonus photos:

Oh, no.  Watch out for Mr. Hand!

Sleeping baby photos never get old.

Good bye...