Day 88: Monkey Punch

Atom is really getting this hand-eye coordination thing down. Flapping his appendages wildly practically on purpose doesn't fill up his entire day anymore.  He now takes periodic breaks from the imaginary melee to master his focus. Don't get me wrong, random strikes in all directions against thousands of would be attackers clearly is still fun for him and is the cornerstone of his Baby-Fu. No one or thing including eyes, noses or rattles are safe from his constant barrage. Even in his sleep he still musters up the energy to sometimes violently lash out at an unsuspecting basinet wall. (It's like sleeping next to two Tasmanian Devils in a turf war.)

But now his new weapon, and his most deadly of all, seems to be his focus. When he isn't trying to read your mind (which appears to be constantly) he turns his focus on harnessing his strike force onto a specific target. I like to hold his Monkey Rattle above him and watch his focus turn from carefree drifter to that of a Ninja. He will lie in wait until the monkey has completely forgotten he is there and then with what seems to be the power of a small rabbit or maybe a squirrel, launches a series of strikes at the monkey. Most of the strikes must be used to contain the monkey in the same way that some species of dolphin herd their food, as they usually miss by about 6 inches or so. Eventually the monkey gets what is coming to him with pinpoint accuracy. BAM! I am not comparing Atom's focus or strike to that of Bruce Lee and his famed 1 inch punch but…it might be not that far off. That's all I am saying.

Day 80: A Wrinkle in Time

There is now the beginnings of a WRINKLE on Atoms face. Two months old and already the weight of the world is beginning to show. What's next? Grey hair? It's just too much to bear as a parent. The Wrinkle in question has started to form across the bridge of his nose and it is basically invisible to the casual observer. It is however painstakingly obvious to a doting parent, namely ME. Wrinkle is called into action when Atom is upset or crying and it visually and metaphorically represents all that is wrong with the world. Why should someone so small have so much pain that it physically re-shapes his perfect skin? Why should someone so small have to learn that the best way to physically represent what you are feeling on the inside is to distort your outside?

Fortunately for us his world is a pretty easy one and we are lucky enough to not have too much calamity in our lives sans the occasional cold hand or full diaper. He doesn't even seem to be too self conscious about Wrinkle. He hasn't spent countless hours shopping for the perfect face lift or spackling his face with exotic creams yet. He is perfectly content enlisting this new ally into his execution of the world's saddest face all the while knowing the end result is like Kryptonite to his parents. The deeper Wrinkle goes, the quicker we jump to help him. Pretty smart for someone who thinks the sole purpose for fingers is to stick them into your mouth, eyes, and nose. I am starting to wonder if this is all a part of his plan. Learn the emotional aspect of things first and then let the less complicated things like neck control, bowel control, and speech fall into place later.

He hasn't stopped with Wrinkle either.  This emotional metamorphosis is spreading to other ares of his face too. He has added slight bends, for emphasis, to his unbelievably straight eye brows. God helps us!

Things we have learned so far:
Diapers are like dentures. You never know how they are going to fit until you test them out in action and when they don't quite fit the result can be disastrous. So we rate 7th Gen as good for pee but try to stay out of the blasting zone for anything else.  Luvs are good for all occasions including for night time but hard on the mental state because of the chemicals. Pampers are like sports cars. Stylish, great design but no real backseat.

Day 73: What's in a smile? #2

Atom has been working hard this week. He has added not one but two smiles now to his repertoire. He has sort of a slanted right side of the mouth smirky thing that he does when he is not fully committed to the smile. He does it seemingly more to let you know he appreciates your effort. The goofy sounds coming out of your mouth and the crazy eyes you made didn't go unnoticed. He got it . Now move on.

His other smile is pure unabashed joy. A stop you in your tracks and take your breath away smile. It's a huge toothless mouth smile that is obscenely wide. Maniacal almost in nature except it couldn't be any more innocent. There is something magical in watching the discovery of happiness and joy manifested by genuine expression. It is an inclusionary smile that bubbles under your own skin as it commandeers your facial muscles and explodes out in a reactionary smile. I find myself not even aware I am smiling and smiling so wide my jaw usually hurts afterward.

The most sublime moment might just be a smile dancing across Atom's face. The fact that he hasn't quite enlisted the rest of his face into the act doesn't matter in the least. A smile so pure and raw that hasn't been worn down by self consciousness is truly a powerful thing. I'm not sure I could take a full face smile at this point.

Day 64: Baby Talk

One of the most difficult classes I have ever taken was about the origins of the English language. The course covered everything from how sounds are formed by the mouth to The Great Vowel Shift. Sounds just like a class every sophomore in college wants to take, right? The hardest thing about the class was that we had to translate text and speak text in "languages" that didn't exist anymore. I had no frame of reference for how everything was supposed to sound. At least when it came to my Spanish classes I could hear the language being spoken or hear it in action whenever I wanted. But Old English? There just weren't many 500 year old people kickin the Hacky Sack around at our student union. It was, in my opinion, cruel and unusual punishment to put such a popular and socially centric young man through theses cerebral somersaults.

Well now I am finding myself in a similar situation where I am trying to decipher a language that seems made up. Atom is talking. "Baby" talking to be clear. CLEAR is precisely the problem though. It is not CLEAR what he is trying to say. It is incredibly sweet. Incredibly endearing. Incredibly frustrating.

He is so so so close it appears to conquering this communication thing. Atom even has a set of built in facial expressions to go along with his coos and grunts. I know two month olds don't typically spout soliloquies but the intention appears to be there. He is so convincing that it makes me feel dense. Dense like his "statement" should be abundantly clear. It is the oddest feeling. Both of us speaking back and forth in languages that sound like gibberish to each other.

Don't get me wrong I am thoroughly enjoying this new challenge and find a sense of achievement when we are able to carry on pleasant conversations for twenty minutes or so at a time. In fact I think I learn more in these exchanges than I do in most of my other "English" conversations I partake in. I just hope we can always share these special moments even if we both think the other person is talking nonsense.