Multi-tasking

At least he is just reading and driving. You should have seen him earlier when he had his "baby crack-berry" in his right hand. I wonder where he could have learned such behavior?

14-Month Old Reads!

OK not true. But he really, really loves books. Although he doesn't read, he loves to point at the pictures and ask "dat"? .....over, and over, and over again. I am very proud when he actually identifies the picture by name, i.e. banana. Besides, he's way cuter than that 17-month old who can really read.

Co-Whatever!

In the past few days, I have been thinking about concepts, other than baby massage, that sound much better in books than in practice.
1. Co-Sleeping: For those who don't know, co-sleeping is the practice of the whole family sleeping together in a "family bed." We did this for about the first 3 months, but mostly because I was too lazy to actually get out of bed to breastfeed him. But now, are you kidding me? I will peek in on Gabriel while he is falling asleep as he tosses, turns, cartwheels, and kicks. I mean who can sleep with a little heel in their rib or an elbow in their face. I know that some people sing the praises of co-sleeping, but not me. At least not until they make a bed larger than a King.
2. Co-Bathing: Like co-sleeping, but in the tub. Yeah, we tried this once. Six inches of water can cover about 50% of Gabriel, but really only about 10% of me. It's not so fun sitting ankle deep in a bath tub, shivering. And let's be honest, since giving birth, there are parts of me that should be covered with a generous layer of bubbles.
So basically, be aware of anything your read involving the word "Co." They paint a pretty picture of bonding with your child, but can leave you sleepless and begging for a hot shower.

Baby Massage

As a new mom, these are the things that you read about giving your baby a massage...

It helps to soothe your baby.

Helps create a bond between parent and child.

Your child will look forward to this one-on-one time.

What a load of crap. I started giving Gabriel a massage when he was 2 weeks old. At the peak of our "massage experience," when Gabe was three months old, he merely tolerated me massaging him. Mostly, he would fuss and kick and try to roll away. Today's massage consisted of me chasing him around the house naked with a bottle of baby lotion, hoping that he wouldn't pee on the carpet I just had cleaned. FYI- he was the naked one, not me.

All he really wanted to do was pull every toy out of his closet and pile them in the middle of his room. Apparently it's very important for him to take "inventory" of his belongings at least twice a week. So, this leaves me wondering, how much else have I read that is pure crap? I have 14 different books on baby-rearing (not including the name-your-baby books). Think of all the time I wasted sitting around on my pregnant butt, just reading. In retrospect, I should have slept more. This kid is exhausting.