Hazel Continues to Learn about Motherhood

It turns out Blueberry likes the blues. The music genre, that is. We had some inkling of this preference while she was gestating, when she nodded her head/pumped her fist/stomped her foot (we're not sure which) several times to the beat of an Albert King song. Now that she's here, it's quite clear that she enjoys it. She doesn't express enjoyment the way you or I do. She expresses it like this:


Please weigh in: does she look like Stanley, Hazel, or both? I can't tell. I've heard some say Stanley, some Hazel, and some both. I kind of see my brother in her, in the eyes and mouth, but that's precisely where people say she looks like Stanley. People on my side of the family say she looks like our side of the family. Okay, no need to weigh in. I think I'm satisfied to assume she looks like both of us.

I can't wait to see what she looks like when she loses the baby face. On Friday morning, I set her on the changing table and she disappeared.

So I reported her missing. I also said she was born in 2002. I'm hoping they will do an age-progression photo for her.

I can't tell you the number of times I've heard mother's exclaim that their baby is only ___ weeks/months old and they are already in ___ size clothes. Well, now I know why I hear that so much. The freaking clothes are sized too big. A friend suggested it's because the clothes are made in China, where the babies are smaller. But come on. If you're going to put the size in English and send the clothes to the U.S., make the sizing accurate for the U.S. Blueberry is 5 weeks old and has now outgrown most of her 0-3 month garb. I've been putting her clothes in a box as she outgrows them, and every time I put another item in the box I get wistful. Those days that she wore those clothes, a pound ago, are gone now. They are so cute and small. Doll-sized. I wonder if I will have another child that will wear them? Will I someday give the clothes away, and how can I bring myself to do that? Sure, I'll keep one or two pieces as mementos. But I don't think it makes sense to keep more than that.

My wistfulness was put on the back burner when I brought out the box of 3-6 month clothes. A whole new wardrobe!! Check out this number.

It's too big, but not for long, and I don't think it's too big to wear safely. The shirt has a happy little reptilian creature with a happy little bird on its back, the hat has a happy little frog, as well as all manner of other happy little rainforest creatures. I love the useless pockets on the pants. Perhaps I'll keep my cell phone and keys in there.

Here's a closeup.

Once again, I must state that this expression means she is happy and interested. Not angry.


Blueb went to her first church service today. She liked it well enough, and will probably go back. The congregation was excited to meet her. They literally congregated around her before and after the service. She was not bothered by people during the service, with the noteable exception of a very sweet and nice but also very forward and confident woman from whom Hazel had fielded numerous probing and embarrassing, but well meaning questions regarding how her pregnancy was going, everything from how often does she pee to what type of underwear she is wearing, all in the presence of several other people who did not need to hear the questions or answers. Now that Blueb is here, it looks like the harrassment is going to continue and possibly get worse. In the middle of the service, Kim* moved the car seat aside and sat herself next to me while I was holding Blueberry, and asked to hold her. This worried me because my main goal was keeping Blueberry quiet and it was going well. Why mess with a good thing? But I gave in because I'm new at this Mama Bear thing. Never again! Blueb started to fuss within a minute of being handled in ways she wasn't used to. Kim gave her back to me and asked "Does she have a binky?" I knew the pacifier had half a chance of making her really scream if that's not what she wanted at the moment; she wasn't wanting to be soothed, she just wanted to be in a comfortable position. We've only used the pacifier if she's asking to be fed but doesn't eat, i.e., she just wants to suck. But again, I gave in and Blueb got a pacifier. Luckily she took to it okay, so maybe she was getting hungry. If she had continued to fuss I would have left; I was already worried that people were annoyed at the little fusses. But I never really got irked about all of this until Stanley remarked on the oddness of it as we drove home. Then I realized Kim was intruding on our space and our experience, just as she had intruded on my privacy while I was pregnant. She means well, and she's sweet, but too forward for my comfort. So next Sunday, I'm putting on my Mama Bear costume. LITERALLY.

*Names changed.