Barnabas Monkeypants

On February 10 of last year (the new year being all of 21 hours old), I posted my first entry for Barnabas Monkeypants, announcing to the world (or, more likely, the 8 people who read this) that Kristen was pregnant. This is the 150th post on the blog, and I’m somewhat surprised that I’ve actually managed to write that much.

(Aw, who am I kidding? I love writing this! I’m more surprised that I haven’t posted 250 or 350 times.)

Looking back at that first entry, a few things jump out. One, I was then pining for Guitar Hero. I also mentioned that both Kristen and I would be writing entries. And last, in February, there was no Henry. Instead, there was just a Barnabas, a nameless, faceless, tiny little creature that was still months and months away from being born.

Things have changed. I’ve since gotten Guitar Hero (thanks to our friend Megan) and even the expansion pack (thanks, Kristen). Kristen has yet to write anything for you guys to read, but she is the best picture-taker of the two of us, and she made a really terrific banner. And most importantly of all, Henry is here, in all his glory.

I started out slow, with only a few posts a month, but now I feel like a bad father if I don’t write something at least four times a week. I’m determined to keep this up, long enough at least to have Henry be completely embarrassed by me (why else have children, really?) and to show a naked baby picture or two to his first girlfriend.

So what have we learned this week?

We learned that Henry is battling the late-afternoon nap, and it’s nearly killing me. You see, our son takes four naps a day: at 8:30, 11:00, 1:30, and 3:30. The first, only a couple of hours after he’s woken up, is both the longest (anywhere between 90 minutes and two hours) and the easiest for him to fall asleep (he’s out when his swaddled body is placed into the crib). The second two naps are shorter (usually only 45 minutes) and normally require some singing and swaying and jiggling until his eyes close. The last one, however, is horrible. We know when Henry’s tired. He gets dark circles under his eyes, he yawns constantly, and he starts rubbing his face. Yet when it’s time for that last snooze, even with all the tell-tale signs of him being not just tired but exhausted, he fights it. He forces his eyes open, stifles a yawn, and starts whining (yes, whining), and usually doesn’t stop for at least 20 minutes. Or 30. Or even so long that he doesn’t take a nap at all and just is miserable for the last couple of hours that he’s awake. Oh, how I love those days.

We learned that babies are different. Okay, I know this sounds completely obvious, but it really became clear last night when our friends came over for New Year’s Eve (note: we, again, did not make it to midnight) and brought their daughter who is 5 days younger than Henry. While they are so close in age, they’re so different. Talia’s legs are really strong, and with the help of adult supervision, can practically stand up. Henry, however, likes to put weight on his legs only for about 10 seconds before he stares up at you with the look that says “why aren’t you carrying me, Daddy?” Henry wants to be sitting up at all times, whereas Talia seemed content to lean back and relax. Am I the only one who didn’t know about these differences?

We learned that Henry doesn’t like it when Kristen eats broiled jalipenos wrapped in bacon with cream cheese. No explanation needed.

We learned that two arms outstretched is a great sight. Starting this week, when Henry was good and done with sitting in his swing or playing in his excersaucer, he would look up at you, smile, and reach out his arms where Kristen or I will quickly swoop in and pick him up and smother him with kisses. Just wonderful.

And we learned that the past year was the best in our lives and, undoubtedly, 2009 will most certainly be even better.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 10:17 pm and is filed under What We've Learned. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.