I Got My Baby Back Baby Back Baby Back

Madeleine and Hannah came home yesterday after 12 days in Florida. She (Madeleine) has grown and has a lot more hair. She also appears to only want to breastfeed (she used to be a fairly indiscriminite eater), so that's a new habit we'll need to address.

After the flight into National Airport, the pilot came back to see the little girl. She flashed what Hannah calls her "million dollar smile" and the pilot was hooked. He liked her so much that he took her out the car seat and took her up to the cockpit to meet the rest of the crew!

After getting home last night, Grandma Mary took Madeleine for a long walk - and arranged her prom date for 2026 with a cute little boy named Hudson who they met on the way. He seems like a nice enough kid but 1) not sure my little girl is going to date anyone who eats leaves; and 2) the nuns will have her by then.

The Boo Boo Blogging Community

I've always been interested in the dynamics of relationships and communities - how people interact with each other, how they establish a hierarchy of relationships, how their customs develop, etc. I never considered anthropology as a major but I did take a class on it in college and always read articles when I see them in magazines or newspapers.

How do people to form a community? Throughout human history, communities have been formed by basic factors like family, clans, tribes, geography and religions. As societies grew more and more complex, the kinds of communities they formed grew more and more complex as well - developing things like guilds and fraternal organizations and sports fans.

In the internet age, communities can be formed by things such as shared injuries.

As I get ready to begin the next step of the recovery process from my boo boo, I've discovered a whole internet community devoted specifically to Achilles tendon injuries. In addition to a host of medical articles and reference guides, there are also a number of excellent blogs specifically devoted to this topic, such as:

• Achilles Tendon Rupture Blog
• My Achilles Tendon Rupture Blog
• Achilles Tendon Rupture Recovery by February 8th, 2009
• Ruptured Achilles Tendon?

From the names, you get the idea that they're after a very specific audience!

Now, as in all human relationships, every community has its hierarchy and pecking order. In the case of Achilles blogs, the alpha dog is apparently someone named Simon Barratt. OK, maybe he's not the alpha dog - but if you've ever read Malcolm Gladwell's book The Tipping Point, he appears to be the "connector" of the Achilles community since everyone seems to cite his site.

Some people also have more general interest blogs that happen to address Achilles issues - interesting to read what this guy says about seeing a spike in hits due to his Achilles postings.

So what have I learned from the Achilles Tendon Rupture (ATR) community?

1. It seems like a lot of other people were put into some sort of boot instead of a hard cast - wonder why I didn't have that option?
2. Physical therapy, which starts for me on Wednesday, is necessary, long and unpleasant. But even after a year and a half there's no guarantee of walking 100% normally. Hey, I'm planning to settle for being able to push the stroller somewhat normally!
3. Seems like other people have arrived at my solution for managing the shower.

Most importantly, I've learned that, while I wouldn't wish this on anyone (well, maybe someone like this), I can take comfort in knowing that there's a community out there of people who have experienced the same thing.

I Want My Baby Back!

Madeleine had a great weekend in Florida getting to meet lots and lots of relatives (apparently 29 people went out to dinner on Saturday night - I suspect that the restaurant went ahead and built the tip into the bill).

Madeleine also had her first tea party on Saturday afternoon - hope to have some pictures to post here at some point. But apparently she was quite lovely and was a very good hostess.

The biggest thing I'm looking forward to this week is getting my girls back home on Wednesday. It's been hard having them gone for so long - so I've adopted a new theme song!

Meanwhile, I was able to go down the stairs for the first time in 6 weeks without using my backside. Trust me - after six weeks of this - it's a big deal!

Castaway - in a Good Way!

Yesterday was what I've been calling my "Castaway Day" - the day I got my cast off after 6 weeks (maybe I should have called it "Castoff Day" but "castaway" sounded more exotic).

The doctor says that everything looks good. I am allowed to stand up and to walk with the assistance of the crutches for the next 2 weeks, when I become crutch-free (unless I traumatize myself during the interregnum). If all goes well, the crutches go away at 1:10 PM on April 3. Physical therapy starts March 26 and is twice a week through the end of April. Unclear how frequent the remaining 5 months of PT will be.

Now, you might ask, as my madre and I did, what the difference between "walking" and "walk with the assistance of the crutches" is. We very quickly found out the difference when I got down to the car. I can stand up and support my weight sans crutches with no problem. What I can't do is walk - not because it is painful, but because the muscles have atrophied to the point that they don't support my full weight for locomotive purposes. We found this out the hard way when I tried to move from the back door of the car (where I had placed the crutches) to the front door of the car for three steps under my own power - and almost fell flat on my face.

The biggest single change that this new development means for me is that I CAN DRIVE AGAIN!!!! Having the ability to drive a car and not have to bum a ride off colleagues and family members is a HUGE help. Not only is it great to be more independent, but it will also play a critical role in ensuring marital harmony when Hannah and Madeleine return.

Speaking of my girls, they are still having fun in Florida. The rest of Hannah's family has arrived, so Madeleine has gotten to meet (and be held by) lots and lots of people over the last few days. Hannah reports that the Madeleine fan club is definitely growing by the day.

I'm glad they're having fun but, selfishly, I can't wait for my girls to get home. My mom and I are going to have to compete to see who gets to hold that baby first/most when she gets home. My mom has proposed a footrace to settle the issue - with my newfound upper body strength (I actually have defined triceps and shoulders now!), I propose an arm wrestling match.

"Technical" Difficulties

Sorry for the lack of recent blog posts. With Hannah and Madeleine in Florida for 12 days, I don't have regular access to the primary subject matter of this blog.

I had hoped to have Grandma Kay take some pictures of the baby in Florida and email them to me so I could post them here. But she left the cord for the digital camera in Massachusetts - so, I don't expect that we'll have any new photos here for at least another week.

We've been doing daily video calls with the girls in Florida, though. Those have really helped to bridge the geographic distance between us right now. Hannah calls us when the baby is active -- usually between 6 and 7 -- and we try to do the video calls when the girl is in her happy place. Not sure if she recognizes the grainy picture of daddy on the screen but she seems to respond to my voice, which is great. And, she definitely talks back and tells me about her day.

Madeleine went to her first St. Patrick's Day party yesterday at a neighbor's condo. Madeleine is at least a quarter Irish, but she didn't wear green - preferring to look resplendent in her gingham dress instead.

Meanwhile, back here in Northern-by-God-Virginia, my madre and I have been having a good time as she helps me with the final phase of my convalescence. She braved Washington DC rush hour to take me to work today and, to the best of my knowledge, made it home in one piece.

I am looking forward to Thursday with eager anticipation since the cast comes off then - about as excited as a 6 year old on Christmas Eve!

Life Comes Full Circle

This morning, I was a husband and a father. Tomorrow afternoon, I become someone's child again.

Hannah and Madeleine left this morning for 12 days in Florida. They will be visiting Grandma Kay and Grandpa Bob, and Madeleine will have a chance to meet the extended family for the first time. Hannah just called in to report that Madeleine did great on her two flights today! Famous last words - "Madeleine's a good little traveler." Let's hope she doesn't outgrow that characteristic.

Since I am still hobbled, my mom will be coming up tomorrow to help me out - or, more specifically, be around to call 911 if I fall and whack my head. So, for the next two weeks, rather than being a dad, I'll be someone's child again. I guess my mom can only hope that I don't spit up on her after a feeding (or require a changing).

We sent a webcam down to Grandma and Grandpa so I'm hoping that we can have a daily video chat with the little girl (and her mommy) during their absence. I miss my girls so much already!

Bath Time!

We've started a new ritual - nightly bath time between 7-8pm. The girl likes it, and hopefully it will help us to establish a bedtime ritual so we can continue to make her sleep patterns more regular (and longer!).

Monster in Disguise

It's hard to believe, but the sweet little girl you see pictured here was a MONSTER this afternoon - from the moment mommy left until the moment mommy walked back in. She screamed so loud and so long that I thought she was in actual, physical pain and worried that she had something truly wrong with her little self. But once mommy got home we were able to diagnose the real problem - BOREDOM.

Can't wait to get my cast off so I can do a better job of keeping her occupied!!!

Dancing Baby

No, it's not the famous Dancing Baby of the late '90s. Then again, things that were funny in the late '90s don't seem so funny when you have to look at them again 10 years later - they are actually kind of disturbing!

But we do have our own dancing baby here in the B family residence. And yes, for you musicologists, that is "She's a Beauty" by The Tubes playing in the background.

A New Record for Sleep!

We've hit a new record for sleep - Madeleine made it 7 hours last night! Admittedly, it was from 8pm to 3am so there was still a 3am wakeup call for Hannah, but hopefully we're making progress.

More "New" Pictures

We recently received a CD in the mail with photos from the visit of Grandma Mary and Grandpa Steve a few weeks ago. Grandpa Steve has a great new camera and isn't afraid to use it!

So, here are some more "new" photos of Madeleine. And there's even one of daddy demonstrating the ridiculous way that he has to get down the stairs these days for good measure!

The last photo involves Grandpa Steve singing something we wound up calling the "Dump Song" - it's one of those things you had to be there to understand......

Our Big Girl

Hannah took Madeleine to the doctor for her scheduled two-month checkup.

She received 4 immunization shots and an oral vaccine -- Hannah said she was very brave during her shots and had a minimal amount of fussing.

Her weight is now up to 13.4 pounds and her height is up to 24.5 inches. That puts her in the 95th percentile for weight and the 97th percentile for height. What a big girl! The doctor described her as "very alert" and "gaining weight beautifully."

The doctor continues to hear a bit of a heart murmur. He is not overly concerned about it but wants us to take Madeleine to a cardiologist to get to the bottom of it. So, that's yet another doctor's office visit for us. I know the economy is going through a rough patch right now, but our family is definitely keeping the medical profession alive and well these days.

Madeleine continues to get more and more alert and interactive. In addition to making more baby talk, she's also moving around a lot more. Daddy has learned the hard way that she has developed an impressive left hook and has started to wonder if she might be left-handed since she definitely uses her left hand a lot more than her right (although apparently being left-handed is a mixed blessing).

Lately, during her feedings, she's been putting her whole body into the process. She'll throw one arm around Hannah's back and the other arm across her chest, moving her legs during the process. She basically looks like one of those stuffed animals that people used to stick in their car windows - although the suction cup is her mouth!

Baby Talk

Like all parents, I would like to think that my child is the most wonderful, beautiful and intelligent kid in the world.

In my case, I'm right!

Our two month old daughter can already talk. That's right. She can already talk.

Unfortunately, it's not English but I'm convinced that the problem is not on her end but on mine. I suspect she's speaking an ancient Indo-European language that is known to only a few scholars. She speaks in complete sentences and conveys some very deep and profound thoughts.

I just need to find a reputable linguist to translate for her so we don't lose all the valuable information she's giving us. Is there a Sanskrit or Proto-Greek or Tartessian speaker in the house?

(Of course, given where Madeleine's B family roots are, she might be speaking something called Jurassien - guess I'll have to wait until the English kicks in to know for sure)