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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Ancient Mysteries of Babies (still not) Revealed!

I am the only one who can interpret what Lucas is saying.
But I haven't spilled his secrets yet!
My little brother is a baby enigma. Of course that is redundant since babies are, by definition, mysterious.

But now, with Lucas, mommy and abba have to learn a whole new set of baby tricks and treats. No sooner had they learned (or so they thought) how to handle moi, they now have to figure out an entirely different baby language. The language of Lucas.

While I prefer to present the "big picture" challenges, Lucas likes to take on smaller but daily challenges.

As an infant, I was a pleasant and well-behaved baby on a daily basis. I maintained a wonderful eating and sleeping schedule. I rarely cried. I adeptly fit into my parents' schedule and was portable, able to stay out late, and I did not create scenes in public spaces (although that has become a thing of the past). Admittedly I may have posed some rather large, big-picture problems instead, such as day-long clinics; two to three weekly therapy sessions; rotating check ups on my heart, hearing and other things; then open heart surgery; and culminating recently with a virus that landed me in the hospital for two weeks.

On the contrary, Lucas has been determined to be free of any worrisome medical conditions. He has no scary appointments looming over our heads. There are no therapists clamoring for his attention. He is not scheduled for any major surgery and my parents weren't sent home from the hospital with a checklist of certain petrifying symptoms for which to be on the look out.

However, on a daily basis he presents a more complex challenge: He cries.

Nay, he shrieks. Lucas has a set of lungs that he enjoys putting to good use. And his screams can put any baby to shame. In fact, quite eerily, he sometimes sounds like he is auditioning for the part of the Nazgul in the Lord of the Rings movies with their bone-chilling shriek. (You can listen to it here. Brace yourself!)


So close, yet so different already!

Lucas, thus far, is much more challenging than I was on a daily basis. While I tackled the long-term projects such as being sure to meet every doctor in the pediatric ward of Hadassah hospital, he presents the short-term crises of being high maintenance. For example, he likes to cat nap. He is sensitive to sound, light, touch and anything that would prevent him from sleeping. He needs a new setting every half hour or so otherwise he exhibits his "I'm bored" cry. He spits up a few times a day. Basically, while I spoiled my parents by being such an angel baby they now have been presented with a normal baby. 


Hey Luc, smile for the camera!

Lucas will be whoever Lucas is meant to be. We are simply waiting for our parents to get with the program (especially before his cry escalates to Nazgul level). And since they and all adults have yet to learn baby language, they are still playing catch up with their 1 month old and trying to deduce each "situation" as it comes along. 

Good luck with that!


This is getting serious. Maybe I'll grab my foot as I wait
for the awkward moment to pass.

Sometimes even I don't understand Lucas 

Okay, enough. I'm getting outta here!



1 comment:

  1. I can highly recommend "Grapewater" (Gripewater?). Also, sleeping on the belly as soon as he starts being able to lift his head in said position. Fairly tight swaddling is amazing too. :p Miss you guys!

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