October 2004

Kyla is now two months old and Becky and I are amazed at how much she's changed, and by how much our lives continue to change.

Mother and daughter have really gotten the breastfeeding thing down, which has made Kyla grow to over 12 pounds. Kyla's heavy appetite has taken its toll on Becky who feeds her on demand, night and day. I don't know if it's the need to feed Kyla or motherly instinct, but the two of them haven't been separated for more than 30 minutes at a stretch; though I suppose it is natural after being indivisible for nine months.

Biology dictates that I am not able to contribute quite as much to raising the baby as Becky at this point, though I absolutely love spending time with Kyla and I try to give Becky as many breaks as I can. She has become much more interactive with her smiling and cooing. It's clear to me that she is a little genius (just kidding, I'm holding off on the Stanford enrollment paperwork).

We're trying to get her to take breast milk from a bottle, but she won't be fooled and prefers to get it straight from the source. She also shows a strong preference for her parents over all others, so she'll have to stay close to us for the time being. This has been a source of frustration for her grandmothers, who insist that she is ready to be babysat.

Kyla teased Becky several nights by sleeping for four to six hours straight, only to revert to her stretches of two hours or less. We learned that this pattern often coincides with a major development, and sure enough she just started rolling over, which is a very impressive feat for an eight week old. Apparently babies practice these types of exploits in their sleep before they are able to perform them in reality, which explains the increase in the grunting noises she's been making at night.

Everyone had told us that babies love to ride in the car, but apparently Kyla is the exception. Short trips become much longer when you have to stop every five minutes or so to appease the baby. We have done everything we can think of to make this a better environment for her; we got her a new car seat and I bought a new car (I don't think Becky is convinced that this purchase was entirely for Kyla's benefit).

I promise to keep the updates coming, so stay tuned.

Kyla's First Halloween

Kyla’s first Halloween was a busy day. I spent the afternoon haggling with the Honda dealership to get the best deal I could on my new Accord. My old car was a coupe (’99 Toyota Solara) so it was time to bite the bullet and get an official family car, complete with car seat and a mirror that flashes lights and plays an annoying rendition of “Pop Goes the Weasel.” I still have 18 months until I hit 30, but these automotive accessories are definitive proof that my youth is already dead.

Then for Trick or Treating we went to Bellevue Square with Grandma Linda (Becky’s mom) where all of the stores give out candy. Apparently many other parents were also trying to avoid the cold because the mall was packed full of Eastside offspring. I took refuge at Eddie Bauer while the girls went to the Nordstrom lounge, which is apparently a breastfeeding haven.

Kyla wore a pumpkin outfit that Grandma Jan (my mother) bought her. Having a granddaughter is an impulse-shopping woman’s dream. Kyla looked extremely cute in her costume, though she more or less slept through the entire Trick or Treating experience.