No mama

Pops here.

With the Mama gone for the weekend, Mabel and I had our first overnight alone together. Between all the travel we've been doing this summer and the limited amount of time I spend with her each day (really not much more than four hours a day between when I get home from work and Mabel goes to bed), I hadn't taken care of her for more than short stretches at a time since she was a newborn. The stage was set for disaster but I'm pleased to report that Mabel and I had a wonderful weekend that resulted in the loss of neither life nor limb.

Mabel started the weekend off with a reaffirmation of the master/servant hierarchy by filling her diaper with a truly outrageous amount of material before the Mama had even crossed the state line. My lack of practical experience with changing diapers of this volume proved to be quite an obstacle, but a box of wipes and some time later, both Mabel and her room were restored to a reasonable state of cleanliness.

I was similarly unprepared for Mabel's daytime feeding pattern. Pretty much the entire afternoon from 11:00 to about 4:00 was one continuous meal. She consumed so much so quickly that I began to fear for our formula supply. Mabel also did not sleep a wink all day until her bedtime, which was just fine by me as we had a great day together. We walked around the house in the sling, we did some tummy time, we snuggled on the couch and watched the Cubs. We also did some dancing, with me pumping Mabel's arms in time with the music while Mabel vigorously kicks her legs against my chest (I looked back in my library and recalled the song that really got Mabel wound up the most was 'Brainiac's Daughter' by the Dukes of Stratosphear).

As night fell, I worried that Mabel's indefatigable energy level would be a harbinger of a sleepless night for Mabel (and, therefore, for Pops). Yet another red flag - our typical routine of a pre-bedtime bath would have to be scrapped due to a lack of available manpower. Luckily, just about bedtime, Mabel conked out about a quarter-ounce into a four-ounce bottle and I slipped her into her bed without any issues. She slept straight through until about 5am, when we got up for a quick bottle and then went back to sleep for another three hours, this time with both of us in the grownup bed.

I actually woke up before she did on Sunday morning, and we spent the morning having a nice bottle, enjoying the sunshine and listening to Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane, which sparked a discussion about Mabel's birthday vs. her expected due date (her due date was May 22, Sun Ra's birthday). Just as I was finishing the story of our drive to the hospital when the Mama was in labor, who should burst through the door but the Mama herself.

(Mama added the photo of her and Mabel reading the new Harry Potter book on Sunday. Mama is finished with the book if anyone would like to discuss.)