Childhood Scars...

I guess when I think about it, childhood injuries are inevitable.  From the first day of exploration to riding bikes, bumps and bruises are bound to happen.  I suppose one of our jobs as parents is to try to minimize the injuries sustained (i.e. knee pads, outlet covers, padded walls).  As I look at some of the trouble I found myself in when I was a kid, a lot of my scars came with an important lesson or two about what NOT to do.  Like the one under my chin that came as the result of swinging on a bench I shouldn't have been swinging on.  So I guess to some extent, I was prepared to deal with Jaycee's bloody lips, bruised knees and other injuries.  What I wasn't prepared for was those injuries that she would be inflicting on me!  

Jaycee is sleeping with us still, so when she wakes up, so do I.  I usually let her wake up slowly and eventually she stands up to make her official "I'm awake" announcement.  This can be some random screaming or even some face poking.  So today's wake up call was in the form of a tiny finger being violently jammed up my nose.  Naturally, a bloody nose followed.  So far (not including needle pokes) Jaycee has only had two bloody anythings.  Me from Jaycee: more than ten.  From the biting to the head butting.  The poking and pulling.  Her weapons are becoming stronger and more complex.  So I guess I'm saying that childhood scars should also include parenthood scars.  Better me than her, right?... 

New Family= New Traditions...

I think a big part of having a new baby is learning to live life with a new family.  Before Jaycee's arrival, life was very different (obviously).  If we needed to do something, the only hassle was getting dressed and driving.  Now we have to get ourselves dressed, dress Jaycee, change diapers, stock the diaper bag, get the car seat ready, (etc.).  Now I am certainly not complaining.  I definitely knew that life was going to change and we were as prepared as possible, but I have run into the problem of the HOLIDAYS (cue the scary music).  Both Jess and I come from families that have some traditions of meeting together to celebrate.  Naturally, the question of where to go comes up.  While this was only a slight bump when we first got married, now with Jaycee; things got complicated.  My family traditionally meets Christmas Eve and parties until midnight (or later) to ring in the holiday.  Jess' family meets for lunch/early dinner on Christmas Eve.  Last year, we were able to hit both.  It was a long day (especially with Jess being 7 1/2 months pregnant), but we made it work.  This year, the prospect of driving in the rain on Christmas Eve seemed a little cumbersome.  So, I made the big decision to not do the midnight festivities this year and end the day with the early dinner with Jess' family.  Unfortunately, this didn't go over so well.  Some of my family saw this choice as a break of the tradition and were pretty outspoken about it.  Concerned that I might have made some waves, I tried to think of ways to do something that worked on both sides.  So I decided to visit with family on the 23rd instead.  It was made apparent again that I was breaking tradition and some people still weren't happy.  What to do?  Nothing.  I chose to stick with my plans of an early evening and a rested Christmas day.  Some people might see this as selfish, but I saw it as the best way to make the holiday great for MY family.  I think I made the right choice for everyone and maybe next year we can change it up.  And last night, I sat next to our exhausted baby at 8:30 as she curled up next to me and I swore I heard her say: Good Choice dad, Good Choice...  

To Clothe or not to Clothe...

There has been a little debate here about Jaycee and clothing.  Before Jaycee made her debut, we amassed a large supply of outfits.  Thanks to generous family and friends, we didn't have to buy very many things until recently.  One of the perks to Southern California is the wonderful weather.  Jaycee was able to wear all sorts of sun dresses and tank tops out and about and we never had to worry about her getting cold.  Well, I found myself in a little bit of a routine with Jaycee's clothes... like I didn't put any on her.  Of course when we went out she'd have on any of her many outfit choices, but when we were planted at home: naked (with diaper, most of the time).  Jess would leave in the morning and kiss a clothed baby goodbye and greet a shirtless/pant less wild child when she got home.  The funny thing is, I wasn't skipping the clothes out of laziness, but rather it seemed like Jaycee really enjoyed being nature baby  (plus it was always fun to watch her investigate her belly button).  With that said, Jess always gave me a hard time over our clothing optional policy.  I can see her side, we had so many clothes that she won't and didn't get to wear so we might as well get a cycle out of them.  Even with that knowledge, I really felt like she was happy without the weight of a cotton onesie.  As winter rolls in, the debate ends.  It is a little to cold to crawl around naked, so we have to cover up that skin.  Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.  I guess in some ways, seeing a naked baby made me think she was just a little tiny baby.  When she wears clothes, she looks like a college bound teenager.  Ok, a little bit of an exaggeration, but its kind of true.  I'll do anything to make this last a little longer...