Playing Hooky, and Sam in Cinci

I am skipping a family event of Emily's today, but I have been blessed to do so. My job today is to begin apartment hunting, write some letters, and do whatever other work I see fit to do. I'm working on a book proposal (very boring academic book with niche audience) that I hope to finish by the end of the summer.

In terms of Sam, who is the ostensible reason for this blog, we are working on figuring out how to travel well with him. Emily's family is amazingly wonderful--I have great in-laws. And yet this fatherhood thing is throwing me a little, because I am not always wanting to share him. For the last two months on most mornings I've been able to spend three or four hours uninterrupted with him. He alternates napping, a bottle, and some playtime. I really look forward to it. Here I worry that our decisions are being judged (use of a bottle, how I get him to sleep, etc.), even though this probably isn't the case. It is an interesting time, because I am reminded again that (1) Sam doesn't belong to just us, and (2) many people have hopes and dreams for him, and (3) eventually he will be able to decide these things. Emily's family is aesthetic, athletic, and a bit more gregarious. I think under the proper conditions I could be a cave-dwelling, lethargic ascetic (which is basically the academic lifestyle).

What will Sam be? I have no idea. He may get some of the artistic genes. He has runners, and swimmers, and football players in his extended family. He is already a big talker (at least for a baby). On the other hand, he's still sleeping about 18 hours, and both of us really need 8-9 hours of sleep to be functional. He's pretty happy to face-watch, and he naps well on a couch or in your arms. An interesting thing about being around family is that you are aware of how many different gifts adhere to the same lineage, and how different habits and customs there are that he may adopt.

Mirror, Mirror...

Uncle David recently gave us a gift card, and Emily spent part of it on this mirror for babies. At our last appointment, our pediatrician suggested that babies like mirrors and mobiles. (Sam is already a huge fan of mobiles, which he actually often enjoys more than this parents.) He likes the mirror also, and is rapidly becoming the world's youngest narcissist, although of course we think he it is all deserved.

The Baby's Smile... Priceless. Getting the Baby Here: 17 Grand

Yowzers! We just received the full hospital bills. $12,000 for mom and $5,000 for baby. (Insurance should pay most of it.) The only things that were at all different from other births were that he needed antibiotics for Strep B ahead of time and Em had an epidural. $17,000? What? The doctor was there for, like, 60 minutes max, and they charged $17,000? We checked in Thursday at 11:30pm and checked out before noon on Sunday. Healthy mom and healthy baby. $17,000?

Tummy Time Continued

Sam is making more faces and smiling more. Baby-adult interaction is different than any other action. He will make unlimited eye contact (think of a staring contest, but more fun). At the same time his face can change nearly every second as he cycles through curiosity, concern, joy, and glee. It's definitely a big change over the first weeks.
This is his "smile." Okay, I have to confess other babies can actually smile better. His smile has that wide-mouthed baby bird look to it. He sort of opens his mouth as wide as he can, moves his head around, and makes a guttural baby cry of joy.
Here Sam is having tummy time on the couch.
This is possibly my favorite new picture.
Here you can see the back of his head and his hair. We still have no idea what he will look like. Hair is brownish and eyes are still blue.
More later... I have some very nice Sam looking at the baby in the mirror pics.

Keeping Things In Perspective

We're both pretty high on the stress charts lately. There's the new baby, the lost uncle, sleepless nights, job possibilities and moves in our near future. I have to finish grading 30 exams by Friday, and then we'll get in a car with the cat, who we took to the vet today and is sick tonight, before driving 10 hours. It's hard to stay optimistic. And yet there's this:

My Little Study Buddy

We've talked a little bit about the baby's sleeping, but ours is also part of the challenge. Our current solution is that Emily and I usually go to bed around 11 and she gets mediocre, feed-the-baby-every-three-hours sleep until 7. Then I take the baby until she wakes up late morning (so usually around 11am). It's not great, but so far it preserves our sanity.

Usually in the morning I give him a bottle at some point (Emily pumps once or twice a day) and often he naps next to me on the couch. He loves to play in his pack 'n play, but actually sleeps better next to me. This is when I can get a couple of hours of work done if I try hard. Right now I am in the midst of grading.

It actually makes for a pretty good morning, and I feel like we get a lot of good bonding this way.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heidi asked where we'll be in the fall, and it is looking like a (actually very beautiful) part of northwest NJ. My affinity for the Garden State has been heightened by Sam's birth here. At church a few weeks ago we were presented with this statement. (Sam goes to a church with connections.) Anyway, it made me laugh at the time and when he has a room someday I expect it will go on the wall.

The Fall

Some of you have heard my dramas about next year. PCUSA funding for mission has largely evaporated, and it would have been January at the earliest when we might go. In the meantime, I have heard of at least one classmate/student who is self-funding and the coworker for our presbytery partnership will probably leave official status (presumably because the person will have four kids either in international school or college). A bit discouraging...

In the meantime, I have been trying to prep for next year. I had an on-campus interview at Big Name Div School, but I found out today it's a no-go. (I don't feel bad: basically everyone I know has been rejected by this school at one time or another.) I am now accepting at Very Nice Liberal Arts College for the coming year. I feel a bit guilty that Taiwan is not in my immediate future (although still possible in a year or two), and also somewhat sad to be leaving theological ed. I'll update when I know more, or when the papers are signed. I really hope everything works out. It's not that our life has been so unstable, but it would be good to have a 2 bedroom (or, miracle of miracles, a 3 bedroom) apartment or house next year. Time will tell...

Thank you all for your patience. I am really bad at nailing things down, and it is physically painful for me to close doors. I would feel more ambivalent if I didn't love (probable) new colleagues, or if I hadn't pursued a similar road 6 years ago. Here's hoping God is in the details, and that the coming year will bring growth and new ministry for the three of us.