Soothing Sounds

Baby Joaquin is a mellow baby. He seems to take after Daniel in most ways. But more about that later. He does a lot of sleeping. From what I hear, that's like finding out your in-laws own a place in the Caribbean. Funny thing is that he sleeps best when there is loud background noise. So we have taken to taking the baby out to parties, restaurants, breweries where we know the roar of the crowd will make him conk out.

At the Jupiter Pub last Tuesday, he slept like an angel. At Kate and Luka's Christmas party, he snoozed like a pro. At Friday's couples-with-baby dinner party, he was the picture of well-behaved napping in a bouncer chair as Daniel and I leisurely enjoyed our meal. Yet when we take him home between nursing and spells of complacent observation, he squawks. "Wah!" (translation "I am a baby and my stomach hurts!)"

We need some white noise at home. Daniel and I talked about a white noise machine. But reports from the public say those machines become additive for the whole family. We've heard dishwashers make baby lulling sounds. But how often can we run our dishwasher? We tried putting Daniel's Norelco electric shaver next to Joaquin. He calmed down but the shaver motor isn't designed to be on for hours at a time.
Daniel had the brilliant idea of a baby CD of Soothing Sounds.

Soothing Sounds for Babies
Track 1: Blender
Track 2: Washing Machine
Track 3: Vacuum
Track 4: Fan
Track 5: Car idling
Track 6: Radio Static

I think Daniel is on to something here. When we get some spare time, we'll head to a recording studio with a mess of motorized appliances. I predict it to be a hit, up there with "Happiest Baby on the Block" Dr. Karp's method of soothing crying babies (which we ordered off the internet at 11 p.m. last Wednesday.)

Thank you all

Time out from descriptive writing on pregnancy and new babies.
I want to say a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who sent good wishes or a gift or delivered a meal to me, Daniel and Joaquin. I truly feel loved. Perhaps more so than ever in my life.
I am working on thank you cards but in the meantime please know I appreciate you all.

Love,
Claudia

On the pursuit of milk

Baby Joaquin loves milk. He indulges easily 12 times a day. He slurps, he gulps, he sucks. He also spits a lot of milk back up. The milk goes into his belly. The milk goes into the deep folds in his neck where the sun never shines. I try to wipe it out regularly but nevertheless he makes cheese under his chin. The milk also encrusts daily on his clothes and mine. He's a baby.

Last Tuesday night, walking the six blocks home from our BART station after a visit to the Jupiter Brewery, I notice a cat behind me. When I stop and turn around, the cat stops and ducks quickly under a juniper bush. I walk again and the cat walks again. A few steps later I stop and turn and the cat hides behind a car tire. It appears when I walk, the cat walks and when I stop the cat stops too. Weird, I think. After a block the cat drops from our trail.

Another block towards home and suddenly I notice another cat is following us. A different cat. Again the creeping and hiding. This calico cat stalks us to our doorstep. Should I be frightened? These cats must smell the milk on the baby and me. And are in hot pursuit. Another creature that loves milk.

Suddenly the half heard fishwives-tales of cats sucking the breath of newborns come to mind. In the dark misty night these superstitious tales seem just possible.