I’ve been kind of a no-show here lately. I had no idea that raising a baby and going back to work would be what the kids like to call “time-consuming.”

The other night, Patty and I were enjoying our usual Sunday evening where we sit and stare blankly at Elisabeth.  Well, our li’l noisemaker apparently found this very amusing.  Patty grabbed the video camera and here is what we got.

Suddenly, I’m feeling very creative again.

Oh, so THAT’S what everyone was talking about when they said, “get some sleep before the baby comes.”  Well, maybe if people weren’t laughing so much when they said it, I would have taken them seriously.

Isla is six weeks old today and although she is not as tiny as the day she was born, she is even more beautiful.  As you can imagine, the past six weeks have been a tremendous learning experience for Patty and me.  The most important thing we have learned is that we absolutely love being parents.  Even with the lack of sleep, the disjointed schedules, and the fact that previously mundane activities have been transformed into massive undertakings requiring honest-to-God planning, we love the new gig.

Indie & Bear were a little nervous at first, but they have finally warmed up to the adorable li’l screamer. Also, Bear can be bribed with “ice cream.”

This past weekend we also brought Isla to her first Farmers Market where we met up some great friends.  The sheer excitement of being in St. Paul, MN caused her to completely pass out.  Seriously, she slept the whole time! Even while we looked at Parsnips! Parsnips!!

Now that I’m done saying “parsnips,” here’s a photo of the pasty happy family.  Um, Patty and I didn’t realize we were both wearing black until we got there.  Isla is of course looking stunningly sleepy in her red cherry dress.

Credit: tomdunnphoto.com

Man, I wish I could sleep like that.

Elisabeth spit up on me for the first time today.  I haven’t had another human being spit up on me since my Confirmation, so the events of earlier today came as a peristaltic stroll down memory lane.  The strange thing is that I didn’t mind, not really.  It’s absolutely true; when it is someone you care about all other concerns just kinda fade into the background.  Not that I want to make of habit of this, mind you.

I should also point out that Patty & I have used more laundry stain remover in the last week than we have in the preceding six years.  (I won’t say the brand name, because it’s not like they’re going to send a complimentary 5-gallon drum for the laundry room.)

Speaking of laundry; at the risk of bragging about something horribly pathetic, I am becoming quite the laundry Jedi around here.  Sure, all of the websites I visited suggested that in order to relieve stress and catch some zzz’s, we’re supposed to let the laundry wait. You know, just let it sit there, mocking me. OK, but when exactly is this stuff supposed to get done?  Do you have any idea how stressful a big honkin’ pile of laundry is?  Besides, a lot of the new laundry I’m doing represents a veritable bio-hazard, so yeah, I’m gonna go ahead and hop to it.

The dirty dishes can rot in hell, of course.

Little Isla has been with us for a little over a week now, and other than the fact that Patty is still recovering and I’m lumbering around like an extra from a George Romero film, we are adjusting very well. I could go on about the staggering joy of being a proud papa, but I’m wearing a larger-than-usual quantity of spit-up, so I’ll wait on that for the time being. It’s hard to believe that just over a week ago, I had never changed a diaper or burped a human or eaten a sandwich. Now it feels like second nature. We are also continually amazed by all of the little noises and faces she makes. Admittedly, most of those adorable wittle things are gas-related, but since they’re cute as hell, we’ll take ‘em.

Indie & Bear are also settling into their new positions in the hierarchy around here. No more jumping on the bed, no more dog parties until 2AM. They are having a harder time realizing that not all of the new stuffed toys are for them. However, that can be handled by gentle yelling. The good news for both dogs is that in order to keep them from getting underfoot, Patty suggested I tucker them out. So, the dogs and I rented Tucker: The Man and His Dream, which of course put them right out.

I feel like I have so much to write about, simply because I learn something new every day. All I know is that being a dad and husband is the best role I ever had.

Oh, Hey! Baby Pictures!