They brush and brush and brush their teeth

Greta wants to hold her own brush in the morning when Daddy brushes his teeth. Still absolutely no signs of teeth yet, not even a whiteness to the gums. But the girl will be ready to keep 'em clean when they finally show up!

Back to daycare...

The doc signed a note saying she wasn't contagious, so I dropped Greta off this morning. As usual, she fell into Maria's arms. Usually her smile is much bigger. The one on the left is Maria. Sorry it looks like a mugshot. Anyway, she calls Greta, "Gredita," which we've taken to doing ourselves. We do regret that neither of us speak Spanish, so we can't reinforce the words she's learning at daycare. Perhaps one of us will take a basic conversation course.

The woman on the right is Mama Dhillon, who I believe is really named Dhillon Gurpal. Or maybe Gurpal Dhillon. She's been caring for kids out of her home for 20+ years and you can tell she really enjoys it. She has, I think, nine kids at the moment. Greta used to be the youngest, but now there's at least one girl younger than she is. It's really a nice place, albeit out of our way in terms of commuting. But we're willing to sacrifice just about anything to know that Greta is safe and happy during the hours we can't be with her.

And the doctor said...

Your daughter has pink eye. Most likely viral, so no antibiotic eye drops. Ain't nothing but a symptom of the common cold. Wash her hands often, wash your hands often, and fumigate daycare. Greta thought he said A&D ointment would take care of it, so here she is self-medicating.

Sick day

I'm home with Greta today while she recovers from pink eye. Doctor can't see her until 3 p.m., so we're killing time by eating the crumbs on the kitchen floor and playing with Jinx's chew toys. At the moment, she's contemplating a nap, which means she's in her crib, loudly trying to convince herself that sleep would be welcome. Her favorite in-crib exercise these days is bashing the hell out of the vertical wooden slats with her feet. One of these days she'll break the boards in half like a Kung Fu master.

I'll post a photo of pink eye later. Perhaps the camera flash so close to her cornea will frighten away the virus.

12 hours with Greta

Everybody always asks my Mom & Dad: "How was Greta's day?" I tell them they should just say, "fine," but they constantly elaborate. "Oh, she was fussy all day." "She didn't eat well." "All she wanted to do was be walked around the house." Or my favorite: "She was an angel."

Anyway, my Daddy had an idea: What if he took a photo of me every hour, on the hour, from when I woke up to when I went to bed? That's the inspiration behind this pictorial. As with most inspirations, it was greater in the imagination than in reality.

Enjoy!



0600 & 0700: Having fed the cat, we feed ourselves. Daddy was too busy playing with me to take another photo at 0700, so you'll just have to imagine us rolling around on my play mat, discovering each one of my toys as if it was the first time I'd ever seen them.


0800: Hey, neat! Mommy decided to wake up! (OK, she was up with me from 1-3 a.m. when I fussed for an hour and then whispered sweet nothings in her ear while rolling on a fleece blanket on my bedroom floor.)


0900: On our way out the door to the bagel shop. It is sooo weird not being carried around in that infant car seat.


1000: Driving home from the bagel shop. I started to fuss, so they corked me with this pacifier. I'm on to them, though. I just chew on it. Why suck on tasteless plastic?


1100: Nap #1, post-breakfast and after a 4 oz. bottle. I like to cover my face when I sleep. It worries Mommy & Daddy, which is why I do it.


1200: Daddy heard me make a noise in my crib. I wasn't waking up, I just wanted to see what it would feel like to bang my head against the wooden slats. It was nice. Knocked me out for another hour.


1300: Not quite awake from my nap, but Daddy insisted on maintaining our hourly photo schedule.


1400: A late lunch of squash, peaches and bread. Some of which actually got in my mouth.


1500: I fell asleep on the drive to Jay's house, so Mommy & Daddy let me finish my nap in my car seat. (Yes, Mommy waited in the car with me.)


1600: Watching Jay crawl while taking a break from my walking practice.


1700: Holding hands with the little man who shares my birthday, Jay Leonard Humphreys.


1800: Starting to get cranky, and it doesn't help that Jinx is in my bag.

1900: I was sound asleep by 1915, having missed my afternoon nap. Mommy & Daddy were too tired to snap another picture after bath, bottle, books and bed.

GCM wishes AK a happy birthday

Saturday afternoon we made what we think was our final trip to Bowie, Md., where Carey's aunt has lived for 16 years. We have many happy memories there but are glad that she'll soon be on the proper side of the Beltway. We didn't take any photos at lunch, but we ate at one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area, Grace's Fortune. Great fresh food and a cozy atmosphere. None of the vinyl menus with the weird pictures on them that make other Chinese joints infamous. After lunch, we had blueberry pie and ice cream. We did take some photos then, including the one above. For the rest, click here to watch a short slideshow. The last two are videos, so you'll need QuickTime to view them.

Happy Birthday Party Great Grandpa!

Click on the photo to make it bigger so you can read the note.

Sleeping Like An Angel...NOT!

Looking at The Adorable One you would never guess that she had a two-hour coughing jag last night, which had me "Googling" the phrase 'infant nighttime cough treatment' at 3 a.m. Turns out we were doing everything the on-line docs (Sears and Greene) recommended. She finally fell into a deep sleep around 3:45, and we didn't hear a peep until she woke up smiling at 7 a.m.

It's now 9:45 and she is taking her morning nap (having dropped off the Saturn for a service and returned from breakfast at our bagel joint). The plan for the rest of the day is lunch with AK to celebrate her birthday (last Tuesday), and lots and lots of errands. Perhaps I should grab a quick snooze now, too!

Greta Goes BANANAS

Aunt Colleen told Mommy to pick up these Munchkin feeder bags. I am SO glad she did! I just can't get enough of the yummy lollipop-like thing... especially when there is a chunk of banana inside. Thanks Aunt Colleen!

Greta in her new chariot

It's a Graco Comfort Sport, the same used by her cousin Max! She seems indifferent at this point, as you can see in her expression. I think she misses the canopy from the infant car seat, which did a fine job of keeping out the sun and lulling her to sleep during the 25-minute ride to daycare. Now she wakes up when we unstrap her. But hey, she slept through the night last night for the first time in 3 days, so life is good!

Sundry stuff

I'll post that promised photo of Greta in her new Big Girl car seat later tonight, for those of you (Mom, Dad, Vicki) who are looking for it.

Greta had a good day yesterday at daycare, or so we're told. But she had a rough night, waking up twice at 1 & 5 a.m. Drank 4 oz. of formula both times. We hope this is simply her pattern after being sick for a few days. It takes her awhile to settle down and get back into her sleep-through-the-night routine. In the meantime, Carey and I rationalize that she's climbing out of the 10th percentile on the weight chart thanks to those late-night snacks.

Dance Fever

I won't write a better headline all year, so enjoy this video of Greta and her mother dancing despite her 100 degree fever. Click here to watch it. A special shout-out to Jen Winthrop, who knows all the words to the song in the background, "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas. :-)

We think the fever broke in the middle of the night. At the very least, she didn't have a temp this morning, so she's at daycare. We hope the phone doesn't ring.

Tomorrow: A photo of Greta's new Big Girl car seat. Still facing backwards, but much more imposing.

Febrile Saturday

Greta maintained a low-grade fever most of the day that continues today. Between 100-102 degrees depending on how much children's Tylenol/ibuprofen is in her system at any given time. Her only symptoms are the oven-like quality of her skin and a general fussiness. It takes a little more work to keep her happy.

So the plan is for a low-key Sunday, maybe a walk in the afternoon sunshine, and lots of NCAA hoops on TV. Both her Mommy & Daddy's office pools are done for the year. I have UConn beating Kansas, who lost in the first round, while Carey has Syracuse beating B.C. (SU lost in round one as well).

Trying something new here: Rather than posting a picture, see if you can click here and view our Kodak slideshow.

Sleeping princess

It's worth noting that our posts on March 7 & 8 about Greta's sleep pattern were just the beginning. Girlfriend slept through every night from March 3-16! Not that we counted... But now she has something viral and is running a low-grade fever. So she sleeps after she settles, but she takes a little longer to get comfortable. And comfortable, as you can see, requires a position that vaguely resembles yoga's downward-facing dog.

OK, we're back...

Apologies for not posting for a few days. Blame our busy lives. Here's another photo of Greta mauling Jinx. Thank God we had his claws removed years ago. Now we're thinking about pulling all his teeth.

We heard from the daycare provider I wrote about in the last post. She didn't want Greta. Well, she wasn't that heartless, but that's what it amounts to. She was concerned that with her 3-year-old and a few other toddlers, she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Greta like she should. I told her this would be the one and only time in her life my daughter would be rejected, so it's nice to get it over with early.

Other stuff... our darling has more fluid in her right ear. Not infected yet, but worrisome. The doctors want to make sure she can hear OK and is on track for language development. A co-worker told me her own story. Their daughter had quite a few ear infections in the first couple years of life, they treated each with antibiotics, and then when she turned 2 1/2 and still wasn't talking, she had some sort of surgery related to her ears and adenoids, and voila, language. It's kind of like the Internet. Google anything and you'll find the negative side of it. People don't talk about their perfect kids.

This weekend we'll post more pictures, promise. Carey is now staying home and not running her half marathon, despite my assurances that sick Greta would be fine in Daddy's care. But she had a good retort: It just wouldn't be as fun driving 3 1/2 hours south to stay at a beach hotel and run 13.1 miles without her family. Awww.

Technical difficulties

Blogspot won't let us publish photos at the moment, so forgive the lack of an image today. I snapped an artsy shot of Greta moments after she first stirred in the morning. At her eye level, peaking through the slats of her crib. But you'll just have to wait and see it. In the meantime, trust me, she's adorable.

We interviewed a new daycare provider today and are hoping she chooses Greta. Demand far outstrips supply in this area, so she's actually able to handpick her candidates. The woman, probably in her late 30s or early 40s, used to work in the corporate daycare world (Kindercare, Tiny Tots, etc.), but now wants to open her own home daycare. She's a heck of a lot more convenient, just miles from Carey's work and on my way from home to work, so we have our fingers crossed. She'll likely take 4 or 5 kids and just one under the age of 1 year. We'll see.

Greta is a Girl!

Today Greta wore her purple April Cornell dress to a BBQ, and she didn't look like an infant cross-dresser!

Weekend @ home

Saturday ... Greta & Mommy helped Aunt Kathy pack up her house for the big move to Arlington! Greta in particular is very excited to have a family member close by. She's convinced it means more opportunities to be baby-sat. While the girls were playing movers' assistants, Rob joined a member of the Air Force Blue Suit Pacers' bicycling team for a 40-mile ride through D.C. and down to George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon. It was good training for the 65-mile charity ride he hopes to finish on April 22 in Chesapeake, Va.

In the afternoon we just admired each other, ate some Fingerpuffs and went shopping at Costco, where Greta scored FOUR containers of Enfamil and Baby Einstein flash cards.

Now it's Sunday and Carey is out for a 10-mile run, getting ready for her half marathon (13.1 miles!!) next weekend in Virginia Beach. Greta went down for her morning nap an hour ago and hasn't stirred since. Sometimes it's not so tough being a Dad. :-)

Here's a photo from Saturday. Not sure who gifted us the hat, but it's great. When you hide her baldness, Greta actually looks like a little girl.

Greta's first floating poop

Sad to say, it happened before I got home from work Thursday night. I only heard the remarkable tale from Carey on the phone. Our lovely daughter was on her tummy, splashing the water when Greta made a funny noise. My intelligent wife thought something was up. But she didn't think soon enough! Out popped a "puff" poop. Carey picked Greta up and tried to get her over the toilet, apparently hoping the bowel movement would neatly drop directly into the bowl. Alas, at 10 months, Greta knows nothing about potty training. I can imagine what she was thinking: "What the hell am I doing suspended over this contraption when I'm usually flat on my back, red-faced, pushing out a poop?"

Anyway, we don't have a photo "flagrante delicto," but I snapped this one in the morning when Carey was making Greta gargle Clorox.

Sleep pattern update

Ding ding ding! Greta did indeed go 4-4 last night. She seems to wake up like clockwork at 6:30. So we get 30 minutes of Imus in the Morning before switching to the first 15 minutes of "Today" for news. By 7:15, she's enjoying 6 oz. of liquid refreshment. At 7:30 we play for 15 minutes, before getting dressed and out the door to daycare at 8.

All seemed perfect this morning, until Mama Dhillon, daycare head honcho, called Carey at 11 a.m. to inform her that Greta vomited. Vomiting and fevers over 100. Those are the two symptoms that the state of Virginia does not want in its sanctioned child care faciliites. So Carey's at home with our precious gift as I type. Who knows if she just choked or if she's feeling ill. Time will tell, and I'll let her update, maybe with a vomit photo if it happens again.

Three's The Charm

I don't want to jinx our good fortune, but thought it blog-worthy to share that Greta has slept through the night for the last three nights!!! Nary a peep out of her after she has settled down with a silky blanket. Mom, of course, can't believe it when she rolls over and sees that it is 0400, and promptly rushes in to make sure said silky is not smothering her. It is so nice to have uninterrupted sleep once again. Fingers crossed for night number four!

Feline friendship

Like all parents, we were worried that our cat, Jinx, would not take well to a new baby. I'm the Worrier-in-Chief in the family and was convinced that Jinx would defecate outside the nursery, urinate on her clothes, maybe even suffocate her while she slept in the crib. So we installed a screen door on the nursery, giving it that barnyard feel. Carey even bought netting for the crib, but it made Greta look like she was trying to avoid mosquitoes in the Amazonian jungle.

Well, as you can see, our fears were completely unfounded. Jinx is, quite possibly, Greta's first friend. He lets her tug on his hair, chase him around the house, and even shares his cat perch. I suspect as Greta gets more mobile he'll run away and hide more often, but for now, he is indeed Baby's Best Friend.

Weekend in Joisey

Greta survived her first semi-long road trip since infancy. Mommy tricked her into sleeping in her car seat all the way from home to Brian & Melissa's house in Englishtown, NJ after work on Friday. The little angel slept the whole way, but woke up for about two hours upon arrival. She didn't pitch a fit about the third-party pack & play though, which we consider a sign of maturity.

She spent the whole weekend doing everything with her girlfriend Joelle, who has a house full of toys! Joelle showed her the jump-a-roo and Dora the Explorer's kitchen (Greta liked the spatula, the rubber cake and the chicken drumstick). Being in New Jersey, the girls also went to the mall, where they rode what I'm told is one of the finest and most lovingly restored carousels in the country.

Saturday ended with a Together Bath, Greta's first with someone who doesn't have hair on their chest. Here's a photo. I'll try to figure out if it's possible to do a slideshow of other images, or maybe just link to our Kodak Gallery.

Greta's New Favorite "Toy"

Clothes baskets are so much fun! They are a great way to travel around the upstairs, and provide a comfy place to kick back, play with board books, and chew on rattles. Wheeee!

Sick day

Like all children, Greta is a veritable Petri dish. She seemed happy and healthy Tuesday morning so we went through our normal routine. Then I got a call from Carey around 11 a.m. saying that she (Carey) was not feeling well and going home to rest. At 2 p.m., daycare calls and says Greta vomited, would you please come pick her up? So Mommy and Greta spent the mid-afternoon vomiting together. At 6 p.m. I started to feel nauseous at work. At 6:30 I blew chunks on the sidewalk walking to my car. We all went to bed at 8 p.m. and took turns visiting the bathroom throughout the night. The good news? It's Wednesday morning now, and we all feel at least 50% better. The photo was taken during the height of the storm. Beautiful family, huh?