Have tooth will giggle

I remain amazed at how beautifully serene our little guy is. Even though he has clearly been teething, as evidenced by the tiny tooth which now graces the left side of his jaw, he has still been a very pleasant boy. I have noticed a slight upswing in fussiness, but it is hardly worth mentioning. Daniel and I feel so incredibly blessed to have been eased into parenthood by such a gentle soul.

Ian's favorite activities these days are bouncing, bouncing and bouncing. He loves his Jumperoo and his door-hanging jumper. They are a Godsend for me since we've been working so hard to keep him off of the back of his head when he is awake. Having jumping toys means I can put him down while I cook or do other things that don't allow for baby holding very easily and he is entertained. It seems to have instilled in him the beginnings of cause-and-effect reasoning, since he tries to make himself bounce in other situations as well.

Our trip to the grocery store in advance of the snowstorm that came through Friday night comes to mind; he had tired of sitting in the kiddie seat portion of the cart, so I held him over the seat in a standing position while we waited in line. He bounced, with my hands serving as his supports. One nice feature of the bouncing is that it tends to tire him out. By the time we got to the register (someone had coupons and rain checks and I think we were in line for about 20 minutes), he was sleeping with his head on my shoulder. He was so sweet that I (uncharacteristically) asked for help out to the car so that I could leave him sleeping there as long as possible!

Last Sunday Ian also tried to bounce his way through liturgy. I held him to my chest, facing forward, as is his preference, and he rhythmically moved his body forward and back, which was the best approximation of bouncing he could muster with his legs immobilized. I tried to retain both my dignity and my balance as the service progressed and some of the men across from us in the choir shot us bemused smiles. It was rather cute, if I do say so myself.

Ian is still eating nature's best baby food about 95% of the time. I've had to give him formula occasionally for various reasons, and we've offered him some rice cereal at dinnertime, but we're not in any hurry to vary his diet too much. We'll talk to the doctor in a few days when he has his 6 month check-up to see how he suggests we introduce more solids. When we do begin solids, I know I want to make the food myself. It's kind of fun to think about what I can do and which foods I am most anxious to see him try.

The biggest news, in that it could be the most life-changing for all of us, is that I have had an interview for a job that I believe would fit me very well. Working while mothering a small child is not my ideal in a perfect world, but it is a practical choice in the real one, and one that Daniel and I have been talking about quite a lot lately. Our hope and prayer is that we will find a safe, affordable daycare situation and that I will find, if I am to work, a well-paying job that is an excellent fit for me so that my enjoyment of the job will offset in part the sadness that comes when I contemplate leaving my baby in childcare so that I can contribute to family financial solvency. Some of the promising things about this particular job are a degree of flexibility with working from home when necessary, a 35-hour work week, a staff with a fairly large number of young mothers and work that I am confident I can do well.

Prayers are appreciated as we figure out what the future holds. I have taken some short videos to share and will post them soon. Right now, I am long overdue for bed!

Night night!