Young Baby Young

Chris ran reconnaissance at work and talked to “the girls” about what seemed to be a reflux issue with Emily.  For the past week, we’ve had some rough nights.  As soon as I would lay her down in her bassinet, she would start shrieking wildly.  I’d pick her up and she’d calm down.  When we noticed the pattern of her screams being triggered by spit-up and gurgling noises, we figured it might be infant reflux, a very common issue for babies.  We talked to some mothers at work and got the skinny: keep her upright all night long.  She’ll thank you for it.

So, last night I had her sleeping sitting upright.  SHE LOVED IT.  She slept soundly for 2- and 3- hour stretches, making her momma so proud.  We visit her doctor on Wednesday for a standard visit, so we’ll find out then if we need to invest in something specific for her sleeping comfort.  (I have no doubt that there’s a special pediatrician-approved apparatus that we simply must have…for a mere $57.95…this baby business is quite lucrative….)  I’m just glad that we were able to make her comfortable.  It’s terrible to see her screaming like that.  As such, she was not initially in good form for her big excursion to Walmart yesterday, but she managed to pull it together and avoid getting a sticker plastered to her face:

What else is new in Miss Emily’s life?  She has her first playdate tomorrow with a friend’s daughter who was born on 12/24.  Hopefully Emily won’t rub it in that she’s 2 days older than Gwen.  At this age, two days is a difference-maker (according to Emily, anyway).  You never know what’s going to pop out of her mouth these days.

We got a fabulous gift yesterday.  A family member, Tina, had called when Emily was born and said that she’d like to bring dinner up to us one night.  Heck yes, we’ll take it!  So last night was the big night.  We didn’t know what she was bringing, but figured it would be something like a casserole and bread.  Pshaw!  There’s no casserole-baking for Tina.  No, she brought us a mini Thanksgiving dinner!  There was a whole chicken — filled with stuffing, of course — mashed potatoes, squash, green bean casserole, gravy, and cookies for dessert.  Who does that?!  We were so impressed.  And it was all delicious.  I’ve decided that we’ll be inviting ourselves to their house next Thanksgiving….  Do you think it would be poor form to return the containers and request refills?

I’m convinced my child is part Elf.  (Clearly, this is not a Gimpel gene; I blame the Youngs for this.)  Look at this furry little ear and try to tell me she’s not elfen:

I tried to capture Emily being cute this afternoon.  The camera really didn’t do her justice, and instead she looks like a Kung Fu master of sorts.  Shrug.  That’s kind of funny, too, so I include it here for your viewing pleasure:

That last one shows a lot of promise, don’t you think?  I wonder if Mr. Miagi is still available for apprenticeships.

I was reminded the other day of the movie Castaway.  Tom Hanks was on the island and he was having detailed conversations with Wilson.  When he had the idea to build his watercraft to get away, he and Wilson argued about some of the details.  Of course, you could only hear Tom Hanks’s side of the conversation.  If someone were to Big Brother their way into our house, I think it would be the same.  Emily and I have many conversations all day long, and we don’t always agree.  Is this a sign that I’m losing it?  Already?!