The Fundamental Level of Things

Master William J. is three weeks old now and changes every day.

This may seem pretty trivial, but our world has completely shifted focus. We are enslaved to this little being with a fundamental, gut-level desire to attend to his every need. It's particularly urgent when we can't exactly figure out what he needs- is it a diaper change? Food? Rocking and snuggling? Sometimes he's just vocal and wants walking around being gently jiggled.

He likes different sounds- water running in the tap, Tibetan Throat Singing (no joke), and I think he's fond of Paul Simon's Graceland era music- so we spend time listening to "You Can Call Me Al," and "Crazy Love" in addition to earlier songs from the Simon-cannon (Kodachrome, Cecelia, anything with a fun beat, really).

(William, looking a little orange)

William seems to like his swing. He spends a lot of time snuggled up in there.
We bribed the dogs with treats.
They are really that respectful and attentive though.

We're trying to transition him to the pack n' play in the bedroom for bedtime. It hasn't really worked yet. I get a little anxious wondering if we're already "failing" as parents. Failing to establish a routine, failing to position him where and when we want him to sleep, failing to comfort him enough so that he feels snuggly in the pack n' play as well as the living room. Then I step back a bit and realize he's only three weeks old, has a little time to adjust and will, eventually, acclimate to new environments. In fact, he may be busy acclimating to his post-uterine environment now and can only handle so many adjustments at a time.

Let's not forget who the real stars are around here.

So, it's all good. A learning experience. Many many parents told me over and over again that it would be a profound experience, that having a child would totally change my life. Of course, I was like: well, duh. And of course it has changed my life, Dave's life, the pets' lives. Of course. It's a feeling I experience every moment in my bones and heart.