Dadblast update: baby behaving babyish

We’ve been busy living a busy life. Work is busy (in a good way) and parenting is busy (in a fun way).

Let’s see, where to begin? Gus now sits up for as long as an hour unassisted. Whereas two months ago he toppled over with the slightest breeze, today his spinal column is ramrod straight and supported by balance-maintaining muscles. He surely wobbles, but he won’t go down.

And he’s far more vocal. He likes to babble baby-style, sometimes saying things that are actual words by accident. This morning he strung together “ma-ma-ma-ma” amidst a typical spit-producing blubbering jag. The other morning we think we heard him say “da-da” in similar fashion. Last night, as Bixie and I noted that he can’t yet sit up by himself, we’re pretty sure he said “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

On the sleeping front, life has been something close to normal for the family. When we got back from Boston for the holidays we employed the Ferber method and, within 25 minutes, Gus had learned that the old days of mom and dad rushing into his bedroom at the slightest whimper were behind him. For good. Since then he sleeps from about 6:30 p.m. to about 6:30 a.m.!

I don’t need to tell you parents how huge this is: going from waking up every single hour to sleeping through the night is a watershed occurrence. In a sense, we got our life back. Disturbingly, though, Gus has woken up at 4:30 a.m. the past three nights in a row. Not sure what that’s about yet (teething?), but hopefully it’s just a blip.

In terms of the most noticeable changes, I’d say that Gus has finally crossed the chasm from being a spectator to a full participant. He’s no longer content to simply sit and stare at the world around him: he wants in! He grabs for everything in sight and gets steamed when he can’t reach what he wants. He gets annoyed when we don’t let him sit on our laps during dinner. When one of us walks out of the room he gets frantic, as if seeing the milk delivery truck pass by the house without a visit.

Another biggie: separation anxiety with respect to Bixie. He simply can’t get enough of her. If he senses she’s nearby but not immediately with him, he’ll bawl his face off. Sometimes this gives me a “chopped liver” complex, but I have to remind myself that it’s normal and that I’m actually a pretty nice person who deserves love from my baby as much as Gus’s mother does, only she carried him for nine months and gave birth to him and nursed him and therefore is entitled evolutionarily to my son’s unyielding attention.

Am I bitter about it? Oh, please! Only when my son stiff-arms me when I’m trying to hug him at the same time he catches a glimpse of his mother. At that moment dad = monster while mom = fluffy clouds and sunshine and milk trucks.

How can a dad explain this feeling to a mom in a way that makes sense? Let’s try this visualization exercise. Imagine if you were out on a date with your man, having a great time. Then, your guy catches a glimpse of an extremely attractive woman at another table and begins ignoring you – and is even rude to you! – because all he wants to do is be held and tickled by that more attractive woman.

It’s kind of like that. Of course an infant isn’t able to control his urges but your hubby (for the most part) can.

Speaking of controlling urges, I’m guessing my impulsive writing above may get me into hot water on the homestead.

But what am I – a baby? I can take it.