"I am 9 weeks, going on 10 weeks..."

First, here are some pictures for Sophie, sweet girl, who likes to get up and look at the baby every morning.



Amelia loves the Rainforest play mat--



but she did not like this hat.



And I love the snowsuit pictures.

Amelia is beginning her second hour of sleeping in the Moby Wrap. For some reason she has been very fussy and sleepy today. This is not one of Caroline's Wonder Weeks. Who knows? Maybe she misses her grandmother. Luckily her other grandmother is coming on Sunday.

Having a baby here in DC has taught me that humans are meant to live in small tribes. When I'm with Amelia and other people I have a lot more fun. No offense to Amelia. She is great. But let's be frank: she's not the best conversationalist. It's sometimes kind of lonely to be alone with her. It's more fun to watch her smile and try to laugh and wriggle around with someone else around. It's nice to be able to have someone to hold her while I do something other than hold her every once in awhile, too. I don't want much, just to be able to get up and pee, and maybe eat lunch...

I do miss the incredible freedom I used to have, and of course was totally ignorant of, before Amelia was born. I woke up this morning with all kinds of ideas for next semester. I got up to write them down and maybe work my gradebook a little, but didn't even get down the stairs before Amelia decided to forgo her last stretch of morning sleep, so that plan went down the drain. I've been feeding her or holding her all day. Somehow I did manage to cut up a butternut squash. It's my biggest accomplishment so far.

I was feeling kind of sorry for myself until I read this op-ed on poverty in last Sunday's Washington Post while I finally ate something. I am still not in the mental state to coherently comment on it. Although I did find the energy to write a three paragraph response to someone's question about getting a baby to take a pacifier on MOTH.

I've had a lot of time to think about why I feel like I need to get anything done anyway. If Amelia, who is less than 10 weeks old, wants to be fed and held all day and I do it, then I am already accomplishing an awful lot.

I disagree with the advice in all the parenting books, though, that you should just ignore all the housework. Well, the advice might be good, but I can't do it, and I've figured out why. Pre-baby, I was pretty much in charge of my own life. I got used to those long swaths of unstructured time in which I could work and write. Post-baby, not so much. The cleanliness of the house is something I can semi-control. A clean, neat house makes me feel calmer. We're not talking about a deep clean here. I am totally ignoring the state of the downstairs bathroom, which is where we spray the diapers. But I can keep the kitchen neat, and I can sweep while I am wearing the Moby Wrap.

In conclusion, little A is stirring, so I am sorry that I will be unable to revise this post. I think we will try to get out of the house and into the day. It's cold, but it is sunny.