A Day in the Life

Home:
• Sterilize the chewies
• Pack the diaper bag
• Roll up the beach blanket
• Hop in a cab (nod politely)

Babyhouse:
• watch Jem’s feeding ritual—a messy affair comprised of applying an adult-sized portion of hot cereal onto her nose and chin (Colonel Sanders style), and occasionally down her mouth.
• Receive her little chest congested body into our arms, and delight in our new little kitten.
• Devour her smiling and giggling at us.
• Marvel at her cute clothing, then put on her onesie for the day.
• Pick up her botilka, filled with tea juice, and stake out a shady spot on the playground.

Playground:
• Morning calisthenics (followed by oos and ahhhs and many rounds of applause)
• Standing and sitting practice (repeated throughout the day for reinforcement)
• Lots of crawlies
• Drinkies
• The occasional burp
• Rubbies and Squeezies
• Kissies
• Huggies
• A constant assault of photos
• Grunt, whine, and coo-mirroring—our newest parenting practice
• Weird facial contortions—we’ll do anything to make her laugh
• More huggies
• Walkies (that is we walk around the property; Jem graciously accepts a free ride)
• Fun with Froggie
• More kissies
• Chewie time
• Roll-overs
• Repositioning with every whine
• Huggies again
• Singing and kissies (hits include Good Morning to You (sung to the birthday song tune); Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; the Zoom theme song (when we’re going to take her zooming around the grounds); Frère Jacques (with improvised French); and our best humming of the Mexican jumping bean song)
• Group swinging, which leads to deep napping.
• Exchange of excellent lovies

Babyhouse return:
• Hand her back to caretaker
• Say Paka (“see you later”) and kiss her little hands, cheek, feet—whatever we can grab before she’s wisked away to her crib
• Sometimes listen to her cry (look at each other helplessly)
• Walk down the empty hallway to meet our cab outside
• Look at each other with awe and wonder