A Moment of Peace

It's been about a week and half since we became parents. Right now, I am savoring a moment of quiet when the baby is settled and I can enjoy a hot cup of tea while it is still hot. I'm not deluding myself; the baby is likely to wake at any moment. In fact, I'm surprised that he sleeps at all since the sound of car horns and construction noise is unceasing. Really, he is a good baby overall. He feeds about every 2 hours, though he'll sleep 3-4 (even once 5!) hours after his last nightly feeding at around 11p. He is fairly easy to settle when he cries. Generally he cries because of he is hungry or he is wet. Once those issues are addressed, he quiets down quickly.

In this week and a half, Lincoln was born, went home and met the cat, had a 2-day follow up doctor's visit (heel stick for PKU test -- parents should never watch their children have blood drawn), and went to the U.S. consulate to start the paperwork for his Consulate Report of Birth Abroad and his passport. I took a picture of Lincoln in his moses basket, which has white sheets. Like most passport pictures, this one wasn't very flattering. It made him look odd with a big moon face. The person at the consulate said that his papers should be ready in about a week.

It's strange to think how new this person is; that 2 weeks ago, he was still in my belly; that a year ago, he was only a distant thought. Now I wonder what he will be like in 2 weeks, when he is 1 month old; what he will be like in a year.

Right now, I am looking forward to his first smile and first laugh. He has such a serious demeanor that I have a hard time imagining what that smile would look like. The other day he pulled a spectacular frown on ayi when she was gently teasing him.

Mugsy isn't quite sure what to think of this little squalling bundle. If I sit in the big leather chair with the baby, Mugs is sure to sit on what remains of my lap. Lincoln still isn't aware of kitty. It'll be interesting when he starts to notice.