Hey You With the Pretty Face, Welcome to the Human Race

I had every intention of posting this yesterday, but I wanted to take the time to wish my Little G a happy one-month birthday. The one-month mark is a tumultuous time in a child's life. Her body is going through a lot of changes. She's periodically cranky for no discernible reason. She occasionally lashes out physically. And she has facial acne that she can't control. It's a lot like being a teenager, oddly enough.

I wish I could say that a lot has happened in the last month, but it mostly feels like more of the same. Regular feedings, irregular naps, a bath every other day. We're stumbling into routines, most of which seem to be working. Oh, here's something new! She has hated every bath we've ever given her, until last night, when she just giggled and burbled her way through the whole process. It's only one time so far, but I hope it bodes well for the future of baths.

One thing I have been doing over the last week or so. When Hollie showers in the evening, and it's just me and the baby for a little while, I've cranked up iTunes and bounced her and sang along with whatever I've felt like listening to. The first time was last week, when we listened to The Beatles for about 40 minutes before her bath. I kept it upbeat, with songs like Octopus's Garden, Yellow Submarine, Penny Lane, When I'm Sixty-Four, Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, and Your Mother Should Know. (One of my personal favs, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, is upbeat, but more than a little creepy, so we'll save that for later). This was a lot of fun, especially When I'm Sixty-Four and Your Mother Should Know.

The vibration of my voice coupled with the bouncing must be pretty soothing, because she was out like a light after the first 30 minutes. She was so knocked out, we were able to trim her fingernails well for the first time. It's a lot easier when she's not squirming.

The next day, I loaded up a mixed up list of songs that I like to sing really loudly when I'm home by myself. Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson, Mr. Blue Sky by ELO, Down on the Corner by CCR, and Kick Drum Heart by the Avett Brothers, among others. I didn't belt 'em out the way I usually do, and she didn't drop to sleep like she did the previous night, but it was still a good time.

Less successful lists? The Beach Boys and Michael Bublé . I think I bounce too fast to surf rock. And either she did not at all care for the smooth retro sounds of Michael Bublé , or she had a bad case of gas, because such squirming I have not seen before. Of course, she followed that up with the excellent bath, so maybe she was just grooving her way to contentment.

In closing, in lieu of smiles, which she hasn't quite figured out yet, this is my favorite expression.
Happy Birthday, Little G!