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Playing, originally uploaded by Koog Family.

It tickles when someone talks to you through a paper towel tube on your tummy!

 

Father’s Day 2006, originally uploaded by Koog Family.

This is a picture of a frame containing a picture (well several pictures) that I “helped” Emma¬†give to Paul on Father’s Day.

 

Behind BarsOriginally uploaded by Koog Family.

. . . of the gritty life behind bars.

Bars in the living room that are attached to our new baby gate.

And Mom and Dad get a break from the constant vigil of keeping her out of the catfood bowl and other nefarious places beyond the living room.

 

Blowing Bubbles, originally uploaded by Koog Family.

Here’s just some of the fun we had on our Happy June 23 — blowing bubbles in the yard!

  

What a weekend!

We had a very special visit from Emma’s Auntie Pam, Cousin Alex, and Grandpa S.

Collectively, we jumped on a trampoline, visited my office, went to a pig roast, rode in a paddle boat, had a cookout, went to the zoo, exchanged presents, played with toys, cried, ate custard, laughed, went to a restaurant, watched cartoons, blew bubbles, and tried to catch nightcrawlers.

(Whew!)

        

 

Here she comes!, originally uploaded by Koog Family.

Look at this pink-cheeked little sweetheart crawling around! How can I help but be smitten!?

There have been several surprises along this journey called motherhood that I hadn’t known about before. Here are four of them:

1. New Mommy Hair, by Koog Family.

Once a woman stops nursing, for whatever reason, her body starts shedding hair. I’m not talking about a little bit. I’m talking about gobs and gobs coming out in the hairbrush and in the shower. I’m talking about my stylist having a very concerned look on her face and telling me, “there’s just not as much there as there used to be.” I’m talking about the fact that I used to barely be able to squeeze my thick pony tail into a large barrette. And now, if I don’t use a small tiny one, it slips out. I probably lost fifty percent of my hair, if not more. The good news is that it is growing back. The new growth is about an inch and a half long now. When I wear a pony tail, the new stuff groups together into little flippies that kind of look like horns coming out from the side of my head. It’s strange. But it’s normal. Other mothers¬†at work confirmed that they experienced exactly the same thing.

2. This Book Makes Me Cry, by Koog Family.

I never knew that the rush of love, emotion, hope, and protectiveness that came over me as I bonded with my new baby for the first hours and days of her life would become physically?, chemically? imprinted upon me somehow. And that images or words that remind me of the intensity of my new-mother feelings can set me off on a crying jag. This sort of silly little book, “Love You Forever,” by Robert Munsch, did it to me. It came in a basket of various baby items upon which we made the winning bid on at a fundraising auction. When I read the book, I melted into a weeping heap of blubbering emotion.¬†¬†¬†¬†

3. Wham_-_Make_It_Big-front, by SuedeyAde.

How could I have ever guessed that leaving Emma at home with Paul in order to drive a half-an-hour away to the dinner place to pick up food, combined with a Friday night “Retro Eighties” radio program, could be such a source of joy and renewal. Driving alone to do errands these days feels, again, like driving alone did when I was a teenager. Just me, the road, and the radio station. I’m quite sure that “Burning Down The House,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” and “Dancing With Mysel-elf” have never before been played at such a high volume or sung along to with such passion inside the space of a mini-van as they were last Friday evening.¬†¬†¬†¬†

4. Tiny Baby, by Koog Family.

I hadn’t realized that a parent’s attention to a child is so grounded in the moment. I’m so aware of what Emma does every day, and I take in and adapt to each change as it comes along. But that focus keeps me from remembering many of the details of her earlier stages. Paul and I looked at some of her early baby pictures last night, and reacted with stunned laughter to her amazing smallness and her difference from now! We can’t clearly remember that, as we’re following her around the house, now, to keep up with her crawling.

Nine and 1/2 months old, and today, I brushed Emma’s hair for the first time!¬†

She just hasn’t had enough of it to need brushing until now.¬† I’ve just pushed it behind her ears now and then with my fingers.¬† But it’s finally getting long enough, in parts, to look unruly when she wakes up.¬†

So I brushed it this morning.  With a soft little baby brush. 

I parted her hair to one side, too.¬† I changed the side of the part, after Paul thought the first choice I made wasn’t the natural one for her.¬† Now her hair is parted on the same side as mine.¬†

And it looks, like she always does, just lovely.

Mom and Daughter - 6 months oldOriginally uploaded by Koog Family.

“Six Month” studio portraits of me (left) and Emma (right), separated by approximately 33 years and 9 months (the difference in our ages. My father pointed out that this was also the exact age at which my grandmother had her first child [him]).

So far, Emma has my eyes, something of my upper cheeks, my hands and feet, and my quiet focus [she’s great at entertaning herself with toys].

The rest (dimples when she smiles, head shape, mouth shape, having less hair and earlier teeth) is all Paul…

Like me as a baby (and very unlike colicky baby Paul), Emma hardly ever cries. But unlike me, there’s more of a drama queen element going on here. When she does cry, watch out - she means it. The shrieks are short-lived, but shrill, and enormous tears well up immediately. These have to be wiped away, usually always after she’s calm and happy again, because she settles down again so quickly.

She shares a birthday with Napolean and a couple of German Kaisers. So far all indications are that she shares with her birth-date-fellows the desire and great ability to command attention. (While being MUCH cuter, of course!)

Paul was out tonight and my mom came over for dinner. She sampled the Dinner By Design “Blackened Catfish with Lime Cilantro Butter” dish that I removed from the freezer and baked. We both approved of the taste, and I especially enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have to work too hard to cook it.

Before and after we ate, Mom had fun feeding Emma, playing with her, and even videotaping her a little bit. When I changed Emma’s diaper, Emma wasted no time in getting to her usual trick of pulling her socks off. It was fun to see how much it entertained my mom to see that - she hasn’t seen it as often as I have, and she just laughed and laughed. . .

I think she’s having fun, being a grandmother. She certainly made a lot of changes in her life to move here and be closer to Emma, and I’m glad she’s enjoying their time together.