Parenting tip: if you’re ever curious about how much actual free time you have, try watching a movie. In our case, it takes a day. As long as it’s a weekend day with nothing else going on. By my estimation, if we make a concerted effort, Marjorie and I can find one uninterrupted block of twenty minutes at the end of the day to sit on the couch together, side by side and even touching if we want. I think this will improve after the three month mark, when Avery can start to get on board with routine. I think. That’s not so far away. She’s almost seven weeks! Already!
Don’t get me wrong – today was a good day. Lots of smiles and wiggles. I love hanging out with little Peppermint. Marjorie suspects she’s trying to talk back already. She’s at least chatty. She really lights up when she has your complete attention. Like a wriggly football.
Problem: Skyfall opens in a few days. It’s probably a bit soon for Avery. Also too soon for a babysitter. I suspect I will have my next theater experience a couple years from now.
Bonus performance – Tonight was Avery’s weekly meltdown. We still feel a little helpless when she’s fully wound up. You go down the list of tricks, but you can’t just rattle them off. Too much stimulation will just level up. Patience. Always patience. Every trick gets a fair and full shot. I think tonight may have been for real gas related, because she was just as desperate as we were for some relief. I blame the super cute sweat pants (pictured above). With her new and amazing round belly, the wardrobe needs another shuffle. I think the elastic waist may have been too tight. After the tantrum had pushed into the one hour mark, Marjorie suggested we get her out of her swaddle and sleeper (she’s recently discovered she loves being naked). The screaming was heating her up, so it made sense. And as soon as we got her out of those pants, she settled right down. For a few minutes. Then we got the sequel. You will often not know what the problem is, and what seems to work may only buy you a temporary reprieve. Finally, Marjorie got her skin-on-skin, chest to chest, and just waited her out. It worked. Three hours later they’re probably still lying like that in the bedroom.
Yes, we do still consider ourselves extremely lucky. Avery could be one of those “difficult” babies. Sometimes I worry that Marjorie might be getting frustrated in the middle of those epic meltdowns, but the depths of her patience and love are as yet unplumbed. She’s amazing.
Meanwhile, last year I designed a tee-shirt graphic for Hurricane Irene that we never got around to using. Wasn’t much of a market for it in New York after Irene’s non-starter. I pulled it apart and revamped it for Sandy, and Lee and I are hoping to get some material support for it so we can sell a bajillion of them and donate all the proceeds to the recovery effort. I will keep you posted. If we can’t get the ducks lined up, I will still do up an iron-on or two. It’s a nifty graphic. An improvement on last year’s design, for this year’s hurricane that, by george, really took the trouble to make an impression.
Other news – we didn’t get selected in the China-Canada script contest (part of the Whistler Film Festival). Most of the finalists already have features under their belts, so you can see that, as is usually the case, the system favours those already embedded in the system. That said, considering the political non-firestorm around the China-Canada trade deal, a certain distance is maybe for the best. Harper has cheerfully raped Canada once again. Seriously, go read the linked op-ed. Or this one. And this one on the oil deal. How has he not been burned at the stake yet? Just how much do Canadians have to take before acting in their own best interest? Honestly, I am baffled. Someone said to me that we lack a strong alternative, and I challenge you: would a block of moldy cheese not do a better job of protecting Canadians and Canadian interests? At least in the US, everybody has an opinion and is happy to shout about it. Maybe that’s unfair. Maybe not. Canada desperately needs a wholesale changing of the guard. It’s embarrassing. David Suzuki quit his eponymous Foundation so he could get politically active, because he’s sick of 1) Harper raping the environment for profit and 2) Canadians not doing anything about it. How can we even talk about political accountability when millions of Canadians don’t seem interested in taking responsibility themselves? Oust the bastard!
sigh. Rant rant rant. We lost Jack Layton way too soon.
I also can’t believe how close the polls are down here. Where is the educated middle class? What does it take to get somebody into a voting booth? Fine, I get that you’re frustrated with the Electoral College (universally recognized as the worst electoral system in practice today by any nation), but that’s no excuse not to vote.
Says the guy that didn’t vote in the last Canadian election. Fair enough. Who am I to complain. Touché.
My goodness, I am ranty this evening. With the hurricane all over but the cleanup, I seem to have some spare energy for politics. Must be because Marjorie let me sleep in today. I love that girl very much.
She just shuffled out of the bedroom, squinty with sleep. Apparently Avery is asleep in the middle of the bed, as surmised. She should be awake any minute now for her feeding, and after that we’ll try to transfer her to the bassinet. Poor doll. Hopefully whatever was troubling her earlier is long past.
Happy expiry of Daylight Saving Time! Hello, winter, my old friend. It is a time of transition, of change. With my bruised ribs and bum knee I’ve been at a bit of a loss what I can do to shed some poundage. It occurred to me during the blackout that stairs are a lot of work, so that’s my plan. I live on the 28th floor, which would make for a significant climb. I don’t imagine I’ll scale them all on the first trip, but I can start with half. Let’s see if I can make this a habit.
Of course, I haven’t managed to make a habit out of a reasonable bed time yet. Silly man.
Yep, there she is for her feeding. G’night everybody!