First time holding a toy, August 21 (more on Flickr)
August 17
August 10. One in a series of reaction photos; visit the Flickr feed for the full sequence.
The Ethicist had an interesting (and in my mind well stated) item on online publishing this weekend.
After my niece's 1st birthday party, her parents sent videos and I uploaded them to YouTube for family members to view. My sister-in-law sent me a stern note saying that unless images of my niece are accessible only to people approved by her and my brother, I may not post them. YouTube lets you restrict access, so I complied, but isn't her request overprotective and unfair?For what it's worth, I am actually rather protective of my online presence. I have no photos online that I wouldn't mind a stranger seeing, and I don't post anyone (or anything about anyone, for that matter) who may be an unwitting subject.
Nathan's photos on this blog and on Flickr are not password protected, so the world at large can see them. I hope they are not being reused or misused anywhere, but one never knows. Of course, the Ethicist summarizes this as well:
The only videos more tedious than other people's vacations are videos of other people's babies. (I cower at the prospect of vacationing-baby videos.).Oh well. Maybe it's okay that I haven't posted a new picture in 10 days.
With Mom, August 7
August 1
July 21
Already taking ownership of his blog, July 18
Sporting his first concert tee, July 18
July 13
July 7
Having received roughly 60 pieces of comment spam in the past few days, and having an audience that is not prone to commenting, the comment feature on the site has been turned off. I may turn on comments for individual items but that's about it.
Love a photo? Please head to its Flickr page (just click on its image) to rave about adorable Nathan and what a phenomenal photographer his father is. Subtly, of course.
The gymini is getting fun, July 12
Went to the pediatrician today. At six weeks, Nathan weighs 10 lbs, 12 oz. and is 22 inches long. First immunization shot went smoothly. Massaging blocked tear ducts, a little less so. He is sleeping comfortably on Nana's lap while Mom takes a well-deserved lunch break with a friend.
Sleepy baby, loyal puppy, July 7
At Mamaroneck Beach Club, July 4, with Aunt Holly and Uncle Allan.
See also Nathan's first trip to the beach.
On our roof deck, July 5
For those interested in even more Nathan immersion, I am pleased to note the following:
- Comments seem to be working properly now. Click the Comments link under any title to read and write comments. This is currently enabled on all posts (photos and blog entries).
- The Flickr feed is finally in the sidebar. Click either of the links on the top of the right-hand column to see many, many more photos. The top link is the full flow Nathan feed; the "Nathan-only" link knocks out anything that's not solo-baby cuteness, for those who like their baby pictures unencumbered by dogs, parents, etc.
Too much writing, not enough photography. Back to the images.
Nathan turned one month old yesterday. The milestone was fairly uneventful, as it goes; he was his usual sweet, cute, fussy, overtired self.
To me, the new dad, the progress he's made in just 31 days is remarkable. Nathan is very alert, and can make and hold eye contact; he can hold his head up nicely, and has started to vary his movements; he stares at his plush toys and bats at them with his hands; he has developed a variety of cries that Amy and I kind of, sort of understand. He's even beginning to feel out the basics of crawling, successfully pushing himself forward with his feet and knees when on his stomach. This will probably be much more interesting when the rest of his body moves in synchronicity, but hey, for a month, it's pretty good.
A month of fatherhood has led me to confirm and disprove assorted preconceptions about having a newborn. (Warning, rambling thoughts ahead.) Chief among them is the complete and overwhelming loss of time. Waking up at all hours of the night is no longer startling, showering at 3 in the afternoon no longer the result of laziness, hours consumed by parenting minutiae now standard. The baby sucks up all of a person's free time--two people's free time, even. Life slows down, simple things take longer, delays are inevitable. Taking turns eating dinner at 10 p.m.? Normal.
We've had a day or two of hours-and-hours-long fussy crying periods, which give us intense worry that Nathan will turn colicky. We've also had some trouble getting him to fall, and stay, asleep. But reminding ourselves this is normal is all we need to smile and keep going. When rested and fed he's as sweet and entertaining as any baby can be.
Yes, this parenting thing is hard, and confusing. Baby cries. Why? Why won't he stop? What about this position? Is it gas? Does he want to eat? I thought he did, but why won't he take? He's sound asleep, so how come when I put him down, he wakes up and hangs out for another 45 minutes? What's with all the gas? And the formula regurgitating through the nose? Even with a good night's sleep we'd probably be tired just from the overthinking.
Here's an unexpected new skill: I am rather expert at catching urine with my hand.
Also, this far more expected development: I have taken (or prompted) roughly 94% of the thousand photos we've shot this month, and I've done 100% of the blog posting. So much for sharing. Of course, Amy has done a similar proportion of organizing his clothes, so I guess we're playing to our strengths.
I completely disagree with everyone who's ever said, "It's pretty boring the first few months." Every day is fascinating and fun. Getting Nate into clean diaper and clothes, relaxing him with a good feeding, watching and listening as his sounds and mannerisms and patterns change--I'm having a blast. When he starts interacting it will probably blow my mind.
In short: baby tough. Baby fun. Life different. Intense and wonderful.
Practicing for the family business, June 26
Amy's boys in repose. June 21
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