Well, having a young baby is exhausting. I already knew that it would be that way, but lack of sleep is still tough. I can’t really complain though because John is a pretty good baby most of the time in this respect and Deena does most of the night shifts (bless her!) It is certainly more difficult to find time to write things for the blog though.
Anyway, late last year Deena’s mother Marlene came and stayed with us. It was a great time. One evening, we went downtown and watched the Festival of Lights. We also went into the local book and toy store. I suspect that it was there that Izzy mentioned to Marlene that she would like the enormous cuddly giraffe…..
Well, last week the most enormous box turned up. It was huge and way taller than Izzy. We didn’t know what was inside, but it wasn’t too heavy. I told Izzy about it when I picked her up from school and she was incredibly excited (so was I!) We got home and when she unpacked the box, there was the huge giraffe. Grandma Marlene had obviously remembered. We decided to call him Hal after the German word Hals, which means neck. It seemed appropriate.
Izzy loves Hal, but she has had even more fun with the boxes! She put them together and made a drive-through takeaway from them. Very exciting. I helped her put several holes and a shelf in the boxes. She put various edible items and a teapot inside and takes orders for food and tea. She even made a hole way up high for Hal to look through. Wonderful. I have promised her that I will help her spray paint it when the weather gets better.
John is a complete star. Deena had told me that babys change really quickly and I am amazed at what he has started to do. He now really stares at you when you talk to him and coos and smiles. He also tries to grab for things and is starting to hold his head up for short periods. I can’t wait until he can sit up and we can watch the baseball together. He is a very alert little baby and has definitely packed on the weight. He now boasts a treble chin. We are all immensely proud of him. The dogs are pretty good with him which is very important. Crystal is really sweat as she tries to use her nose to push the blankets over him and nuzzle him. She obviously recognizes John as a baby/puppy.
Anyway, I must dash – I have the worst job of the year to look forward to - getting rid of three months worth of dog poop in the yard now that the snow is melting. Wish me luck!
