Ping Pong

We continue to search for the right balance of sleep and awake time during the day hoping that we can forecast how she'll sleep at night. The mythical "4 hour stretch" is what we're aiming for where she's content enough to sleep an entire four hours in a row. I know...the bar on sleeping has been severely lowered. We had one such night last night thanks to the help of the automatic swing, an incredible device that rocks your baby to sleep for you and the only payment is that it makes a really loud clicking noise that makes it almost as hard to go to sleep. A true case of picking your poison. So we had her nice and snug and rocking and we somehow drifted off with the tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock of the swing motor ratcheting away. And do you know that for eight hours last night (I can't feed her :) ) I dreamed I was playing ping pong...I'm not kidding...all I can remember is playing ping pong in different settings with different people, having conversations while playing ping pong, driving to a ping pong hall, visiting little Natalie Johnston and playing ping pong. We'll give it another night but if I dream about ping pong all night we're going to have to mix things up here and there :)

I had to add a picture here I took of Josh who has joined the Dad's club with his little girl Natalie on Thursday night. He looks as tired, elated and proud as I was a few weeks ago.

Generations

With four generations of Ivey's and three generations of Priddy's I couldn't resist a group shot. OK...really I was trying out the new remote control for my camera (that you can see me pressing if you look closely) which worked perfectly. The snapping camera even inspired some lovable shots of grandpa Tom. With this many grandparents and greatgrandparents around we haven't seen our kid in three days ;)

It's funny what happens when you become a grandparent. You start to act all goofy and do things you never thought you'd do. It's terrific. (Mike Krzyzewski/Coach K)

High Five

Just thought this was a funny picture and something we wanted to remember. Not a one time occurrence, Sydney sleeps like this all the time and looks like she ready to give someone a high five. What's a dad to do but oblige so most times I walk by her I lean down and give her a tiny high five and congratulate her on another satisfying nap.

Seepy Time

That's right, no L. It's become "seepy time" already. Why do we start talking to our baby this way so early? Maybe it's that whole cycle of life thing where we start to regress. Maybe this is where it starts...a college educated adult working toward a Master's degree referring to a nap as "seepy time". It just sounds so cute though.

Week 5 - Simply Great

I think the picture at left sums up what can only be described as the purest joy of a great grandmother holding her great granddaughter for the first time. Not only a moment special in itself, but with one son and two grandsons this was her first time welcoming a Ms. Ivey to the family. (ok, she has two pretty good granddaughter-in-laws as well) While taking this picture I really thought of the incredible nature of what each of these two have and will experience. One grew up in London and experienced air raids nightly during WWII. One will graduate college around the year 2028. One was born around the inception of commercial air flight while the other is born on the verge of commercial space flight. Such a special treat to watch these two great women meet one another.



...and another lucky dad had the pleasure of joining the Father's Day club on Sunday. With Sydney dressed in a very posh "Daddy's Girl" onesie we spent the day staring at each other and going out for a bagel and coffee. She even managed to make a little photo book of our pictures together on Shutterfly. I'm fairly sure Mom helped out but she denies it :) Much like someone calling your new spouse your "wife" for the first time, I couldn't help but laugh and well up with pride when the young girl at the restaurant that night looked at me and said "Happy Father's Day!".

What do I feel like today?

I've realized that bestowed upon parents of a young infant, among many other tasks, is the pleasure of providing them each morning with that days personality. Unable to smile or truly react to us at this age, as parents we use the power of the onesie to describe how the little one feels each day. Just last week she was a "little princess", while yesterday she felt "too cute" for words. Once in a while she lets everyone know that "daddy does my hair" or that she was truly "worth the wait". Then there are those days where she's feeling rebellious and must tell everyone that "chicks rule". But with uncanny regularity and to daddy's surprise each time he unwraps her from her blanket around mid-morning she proclaims that indeed, she is "more like mommy every day".

Week 4 - New Tricks

We think we're still young dogs and we are definitely learning lots of new tricks. Have you ever opened a jar with one hand? It's hard enough with two. Ridden an exercise bike while holding an infant for 30 minutes because she's fussing? I can do that now. Typing with one hand? I'm an expert. The simple act of getting coffee ready in the morning has become a feat I am proud to accomplish. But perhaps all our new skills will be put on hold for a while as Maggie discovered the wonders of an 8 foot long piece of cloth that some moms have branded and sell as a "baby wrap". Ingenious. I am constantly amazed at the marketing (and cost) that accompanies baby items. The wrap is $35 while I'm sure an 8 foot piece of cloth is much less. "Baby bags" for wrapping up that smelly diaper on the road? $3 for one roll. The same bags found on the doggie doo doo aisle? $3 for 10 rolls. Though being the good capitalist MBA student that I am, I have to appreciate the simplicity with which these companies snare new parents walking down that aisle in Target for the first time proclaiming "I must have the Eddie Bauer poop bags!"...nothing but the best for our children.

My Daughter Loves Me This Much

How much does she love me? Enough to know that her original due date, June 6 would end up being the final game of my beloved Stanley Cup Finals. So instead of coming on that date, she figured she would just come a little early, leave enough time to get over the hospital stay and get everyone on a routine. And last night, on her original due date, with my little daughter laying on my stomach we watched the final Stanley Cup game together. Not a close game as it turned out and two teams far removed from the East Coast, but a moment I will remember forever.

Week 3 - Baby Got Back

Syndey enjoyed her three week birthday yesterday by taking a quick trip to the doctor for a weight check which revealed she's regained her full birth weight of 7lbs 12oz. and a second chin (maybe third). One of the few times she won't mind us all cheering that she gained a pound.

Here are some pictures from the week below including Maggie with our new BOB stroller that is all I thought it would be. As we were walking down the street a flashy new BMW passed by and I verbally drooled over it to Maggie, resigning myself to the fact that the costs of a new baby and a new BMW don't mix well. "At least", I proclaimed, "we have the BMW of strollers!" :) Ahh, how things change.

"People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one." Leo J. Burke