9 weeks/two months

The Dillo would be perfectly happy if he could lie in my arms all the time, dozing and gazing adoringly at me and breaking into incandescant smiles whenever I look at him. At times I find this gratifying and at other times annoying, i.e. when I want to put him down and go get the laundry from the basement, or when my shoulder is starting to ache.

He is eating well, growing I am sure, still refluxy but still not alarmingly so. He takes a bottle happily now.

He sleeps pretty well, from 8ish to 6 or 7 with two wake-ups to nurse, and most nights no long awake and restless phase. His napping remains somewhat disorganized, and he is sometimes still fussy in the evenings and only calmed by being put in the sling to sleep.

We played a fun game yesterday, while I sorted out FedEx receipts on the floor (working from home! it can happen!). I wrapped the ribbon of a helium balloon roughly about his ankle, and he kicked and made it bob for a minute or two before it unwrapped and soared to the ceiling. Repeat, for more than half an hour.

Here's the boy this morning, loking v. preppy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/casperflea/241616212/

mmmmmmma

We've just placed an ad looking for someone to watch The Dillo. Our hoped-for candidate, ex-nanny's daughter, looks like she won't work out. She's willing to do Wednesdays and Fridays, but isn't interesting in watching both Dillo and our neighbor's 10 month old the other days. So maybe we find someone for the other days, and maybe we find a whole new someone for all 5 days. I guess I should hit the list-servs, too.

Child care is definitely the most stressful part of parenting, at least as far as stress deriving from external causes and not one's own neuroses goes.

Last time we placed an ad we got the Most Amazing Student Ever - she was better at caring for Casper than we, her own parents, were, and more experienced too - but I feel like there's no way we'll be that lucky twice.