Surprises for Kali 0.2.........

Kali 0.2 got the shock of a lifetime (albeit only 6 weeks long) when she went to the doctor's office yesterday. The otherwise quiet visit to the doctor turned bad very quickly when the doctor gave her 4 shots (2 in each thigh) as part of her 6 week checkup. Mrs. Lime reported that Kali was not very amused and put on a pretty good screaming show. I'm sure that the doctors just hate doing that to a baby, but it's part of the deal obviously. I'd rather she scream now for a few minutes rather than getting sick several times down the road.

I got a haircut yesterday. I hadn't got my haircut since Kali was born, so a major hedge-clipping was needed. The lady that cut my hair was very nice. I mentioned my baby and she noted that she had a 9 year old boy. I told her I thought I was older than her and that I was 32. She said she was 29 and had the baby when she was 19. She said she obviously loves her kid and doesn't have anyone to blame but herself, but she wouldn't have had a kid that early if she would have had that choice again. I honestly couldn't have done the baby thing that early in my life. I'm sure I would have managed if I did, but that's a rough way to start adulthood. I'm not even sure I'm capable of parenting NOW, but that's another story and a whole lot of therapy. I digress.

I got home for 'Daddy Night'. That would be the nights where Mrs. Lime has to work, so I'm in charge of the baby. It's always an 'exciting' night when I'm in charge. Mrs. Lime asked the doctor about general dad feelings after the baby is born. On more than one occasion, I've stated 'If only I had a breast......'. To some extent, I don't think that moms realize how nice it is to have a food dispenser handy at all times. As a dad, you've got to be a little more creative in your entertainment and feeding selection.

So, here's roughly how the night went......

6:00 PM - Mrs. Lime heads into her office to work. Kali and I stare at each other momentarily.

6:01 PM - I ask Kali to try to be a good girl tonight so her dad won't be overly stressed out. Kali responds with a laugh that obviously indicates she's going to make it rough on her dad.

6:05 PM - Kali starts fussing. Dad goes into panic mode. Only 5 minutes?????? The honeymoon period is over.

6:10 PM - I put Kali in her favorite bouncer seat. She smiles and is happy.......for now.

6:15 PM - More fussing from Kali. She's already bored of the current circumstances. I put a Elmo play-center in front of her and she's happy again. She's amused by Elmo's dance and jumps every time Elmo surprises her with a 'peek-a-boo'.

6:30 PM - Fussy again. Elmo's no longer good enough entertainment. I take in Kali to the office to see Mrs. Lime. She likes the glow of the monitors.

6:35 PM - Fussy again. Casanova is bored as well, so I decide a walk is in order. Kali and Nova are both big fans of walking, so we head out.

6:55 PM - We're a pretty good distance from the house and Kali starts to fuss a bit. We turn around and head back towards the house, much to Nova's disapproval.

7:10 PM - Back at the house and we head back in to watch Survivor.

7:15 PM - Hit pause on Survivor as Kali is suddenly hungry.

7:30 PM - Snack time is done. Kali is very angry, but after a couple of large burps, she feels a bit better. Back into the bouncer seat with me sitting directly in front of her, talking about the news of the day. We covered the Iran prisoner crisis, Elmo's influence on the world, and the fact that Opening Day for baseball was only a couple of days away. She liked the idea of going to a game, so a trip to the park this summer with Kali and Mrs. Lime is pretty likely.

7:50 PM - Fussy again. I entertain her as best I can.

8:15 PM - Survivor is over and Kali has decided to take a nap.

8:20 PM - Load up a movie to watch.

9:20 PM - Still watching the movie, but my fussy arch-nemesis is awake again.

9:30 PM - Got her calmed down and finish watching the movie.

10:00 PM - Movie done. Kali requests more food. I give her the bottle and she eats a bit. Thankfully, Mrs. Lime will soon be on break and she can give her a good feeding before she goes to bed.

10:30 PM - Mrs. Lime comes in to rescue us. Feeding time! Kali smiles!

11:00 PM - Feeding done and Kali is out. I take her up to the crib and she starts to fuss a bit. I leave her in the crib as I've figured out that she will go to sleep if you just leave her be.

11:15 PM - She's out for good. Whew.

2:45 AM - Guess who's up again???? Mrs. Lime just got off work and swings into action.

5:15 AM - I wake up and Mrs. Lime tells me to be very quiet as she's had trouble keeping Kali asleep. Ah, just another night in the life of a parent.