Tuesday, August 12
Please don't tell Seamus and Aliyah I said this, but I think they multi-task too much. When they get home from work they do a thousand things. We have a nice dinner outside around 9:30, and they still have a thousand things to do.
At 10:30 PM, Seamus is trying to fix the freezer problem, which means he has to disassemble the entire freezer. Aliyah is on the computer still doing her job plus researching a thousand things to make life better for Yarden, plus pumping breast milk, plus preparing for tomorrow, etc. Multi-tasking.
Here's another little family secret to keep in mind for this story -- My beautiful daughter-in-law is a laundry freak. Everything - and I mean everything - must be washed and dried just so. In that regard, she has purchased a GALLON of special detergent to economically launder Yarden's cloth diapers. Two teaspoons will do an entire load.
So at 11:30 PM I head out to my little room at the back. I walk through the laundry area and James is there spreading towels all over the floor. "What happened" his mom asks. "The laundry detergent spilled" he replies. "Good luck" say I, "I think your wife will be upset." And off to bed I go.
James puts the detergent-soaked towels in a laundry basket. Then he takes the dog for a walk. Meanwhile, Aliyah sees the basket full of dirty towels and throws them in the washing machine. The exhausted woman falls into bed. Man and dog return and realize there is a problem. Are you getting the picture yet?
Lucy and Ethel did a great job of faking the scene of the overflowing washer. The real thing must have been a sight to behold.
When I figure out how to do it, I will post a video of Yarden and me hosing down the sudsy towels in the back yard.
Shots Fired
Tuesday, August 12
Yarden has a doctor's appointment this morning, so off we go en famille to the pediatrician's office. Yarden is 24 inches long and 13 lbs 10.5 oz of sheer delight. The lovely Dr. Shaheedy pronounces her hale and hardy at 12 weeks. And then the pediatrician produces a tray of three needles for immunizations. Ouch! Triple ouch! Yarden cries for about 10 seconds after each shot. Grammy has been permanently traumatized by the sound of that little girl's cry.
Yarden and I then went to Seamus' office so Daddy could show off his little girl. I wish I could have bottled the pride in James' face as he introduced Yarden to his coworkers. Many of them said that she looks like Daddy. We'll see how many people say "she looks like Mommy" when we visit Aliyah's office later in the week.
More to come about our eventful evening, plus photos I hope to post...
Yarden's biggest fan
Monday, August 11
You'd think the parents would be her biggest fan, or Bubbe Tamar, or me. Noooooooooooo - its the ceiling fan. I had been told about her fascination, but today she broke my heart. I'm standing with Yarden in front of a mirror in the living room and she rewards me with the biggest smile I've ever seen. Then I notice her eyes are focused not at MY baby blues, but slightly upward. There it is -- big ceiling fan, big smile. I test the theory several times with consistent results. It's not fair. I decide to distract her from her obsession by taking her for a walk in the stroller where she could focus on Grammy Grammy Grammy. She falls asleep.
The photographer from the kid's wedding, Toby Morris, came by this evening to take family pictures. You might recall he was a very creative person and took some amazing wedding pics with the evening sky in the background. It's dusk when he gets here, he sets up his lights, etc. and takes a zillion outdoor photos of the parents and baby. Yarden behaves perfectly and looks stunning. I'll post some photos of my own once I figure out holw to do it.
Of course it's late when he leaves, and then we do the putting-baby-to-bed routine, so now I'm getting used to eating dinner at 10:00. It's actually nice - almost Parisian - dining al freso with good conversation and good wine, albeit without the obnoxious French waiters.
You'd think the parents would be her biggest fan, or Bubbe Tamar, or me. Noooooooooooo - its the ceiling fan. I had been told about her fascination, but today she broke my heart. I'm standing with Yarden in front of a mirror in the living room and she rewards me with the biggest smile I've ever seen. Then I notice her eyes are focused not at MY baby blues, but slightly upward. There it is -- big ceiling fan, big smile. I test the theory several times with consistent results. It's not fair. I decide to distract her from her obsession by taking her for a walk in the stroller where she could focus on Grammy Grammy Grammy. She falls asleep.
The photographer from the kid's wedding, Toby Morris, came by this evening to take family pictures. You might recall he was a very creative person and took some amazing wedding pics with the evening sky in the background. It's dusk when he gets here, he sets up his lights, etc. and takes a zillion outdoor photos of the parents and baby. Yarden behaves perfectly and looks stunning. I'll post some photos of my own once I figure out holw to do it.
Of course it's late when he leaves, and then we do the putting-baby-to-bed routine, so now I'm getting used to eating dinner at 10:00. It's actually nice - almost Parisian - dining al freso with good conversation and good wine, albeit without the obnoxious French waiters.
Getting my feet wet ...
Sunday, August 11
Enjoyed my favorite flight to LAX on Southwest Air (www.swair.com), my favorite carrier. I can't say I'm the most frequent traveler on that route, but I did recognize at least one crew member from a previous trip.
And what do I find but a granddaughter who has doubled in size, smiles, and sparkling personality. I will try not to overdo it with the ga-ga stuff, but she IS amazing. I think I might have outdone Grandmama Roz for consecutive hours of not putting the baby down since my arrival.
Seamus and Aliyah have really got their act together since the early newborn days. They are wonderful parents. This week we are trying to establish a schedule for Yarden that will be the basis for her start of day care next week. Once we put the baby down, we enjoyed an al fresco dinner prepared by Seamus. Then I retired to my little corner of the world, the room in the back of the house that the kids have fixed up to make guests feel comfortable.
And at 3:00 AM, my body and bladder decided it was time to wake up. Didn't I know it was really 6:00AM? I debated going into the house to use the bathroom, but wasn't sure whether the new dog ("Oso" -- more about him later) would like a night prowler in the house. So I decided to use the portable chemical toilet the kids installed recently in the guest house - how convenient! And as I was marveling at the practicality of this facility, it gradually occurred to me that perhaps it was not functioning properly. Thus the title of this chapter ...
Enjoyed my favorite flight to LAX on Southwest Air (www.swair.com), my favorite carrier. I can't say I'm the most frequent traveler on that route, but I did recognize at least one crew member from a previous trip.
And what do I find but a granddaughter who has doubled in size, smiles, and sparkling personality. I will try not to overdo it with the ga-ga stuff, but she IS amazing. I think I might have outdone Grandmama Roz for consecutive hours of not putting the baby down since my arrival.
Seamus and Aliyah have really got their act together since the early newborn days. They are wonderful parents. This week we are trying to establish a schedule for Yarden that will be the basis for her start of day care next week. Once we put the baby down, we enjoyed an al fresco dinner prepared by Seamus. Then I retired to my little corner of the world, the room in the back of the house that the kids have fixed up to make guests feel comfortable.
And at 3:00 AM, my body and bladder decided it was time to wake up. Didn't I know it was really 6:00AM? I debated going into the house to use the bathroom, but wasn't sure whether the new dog ("Oso" -- more about him later) would like a night prowler in the house. So I decided to use the portable chemical toilet the kids installed recently in the guest house - how convenient! And as I was marveling at the practicality of this facility, it gradually occurred to me that perhaps it was not functioning properly. Thus the title of this chapter ...
I can do this ...
"You can't expect me
to be in perfect shape yet;
to be in perfect shape yet;
I've just had a grandchild ... "
In a few days I'll be heading to LA for a week with Yarden (and her parents,of course) and thought I'd attempt a blog. Join me for news, and hopefully a few laughs, about caring for that beautiful 12-week-old girl all by myself. Of course Seamus & Aliyah's blog "Beyond Sycamore" (http://www.aliyahandseamus.blogspot.com/) is a class act, so don't expect great things from an amateur...
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