Less Annoyed

*The visit with my mom turned out to not be so bad. She apologized for being flaky about getting together in the evening. The apology degenerated pretty quickly into her whining, "But I'm a person too!" (Meaning, a person who needs to go to political conferences.) That's fine; I just wish she could be the kind of person who was a grownup, and with whom we could make reliable plans. Oh, well. She showered Jo with three-month birthday gifts, mostly books because she is my mom, but also this tasty rattle:


*The Babies R Expensive item was not broken, just poorly constructed. Ultimately, after a phone call to the company, I prevailed over the cheap plastic crap. And I do not have to go back there. Thank God.

*Last weekend was our small, local, and adorable St. Patrick's Day parade. We took Jo, all decked out in his green (he is 1/8 Irish after all!). Here's the wee lad:


The parade featured Irish setters, Irish dancers, a green trolley, and horses with shamrocks painted on their butts.

*Last night we took Jo to his first Purim services. For several years now, Purim services at our congregation have been preceded by a parade that involves a motley crew of us walking around the block with noisemakers, costumes, and decorations, including a trussed up folding chair on which we carry "Queen Esther," who is played by a rotating cast of children of both genders. Co and I play a role by ordering paraphernalia from Orient*l Tr*ding such as masks, crowns, and bubbles, to make the parade as festive as possible. This year someone called us the "Purim fairies." We only stayed for a little bit of the service because all the noise was a bit much for our little boychik. (When the story of Purim is told, you're supposed to drown out the name of the villain with noisemakers, booing, etc.) So we took him home to cuddle his boob in peace.

*I'm home today for Good Friday. Jo and I celebrated by going to a queer parent's group while Mommy got some work done. Jo enjoyed watching the big kids (the other babies were 9 months, 13 months, and 15 months), which I hope bodes well for day care, where he'll be hanging with two year old twins. After the meeting, Jo and I picked up prescriptions at the drugstore (our local pharmacist was appropriately delighted with the baby), filled the car with gas, and got the oil changed. I felt like such a mom rockstar!

Seriously: going back to work has been rocky. I love my job, and I get home most days by 4pm, so it could be a lot more traumatic than it is; but I have had days when I thought Jo preferred Co; when I ached with jealousy because she and Leo's Mom took a walk in the sunshine with the babies; whenever I have to ask Co a question about Jo's routine or habits, my heart plunges. So it really felt wonderful to be able to be his full-time mama, even for a few hours, and know he and I could handle it. I can't wait until this summer!

*A colleague gave me this handmade onesie. It's nice when people know you....



*I included some photos of Jo in this post by CCB's special request. We're flattered! I wouldn't have thought people wanted more of the little tyke. But since our public is clamoring, here's some cute stuff and some footage.

Co adores this picture:


She took several videos of our talkative little guy. In this one he rolls around on his Gymini, babbles, and eats his fingers:


Talking & Finger Chewing from L.O. on Vimeo.