Rusharound

This week’s “Son-day” Props go to a fellow who just this week celebrated six months of life outside the womb.  As doting parents, we have lots to say about this little guy.   Click the link coming up to read more about our little man’s first half year on earth.

Fifteen months ago, Sarah called me at school and told me that we might succeed in getting the little addition we’d hoped to have.  Two days and a hospital trip later, it was confirmed – we’d beaten the POCS odds and we were soon going to become a family of three.

“Soon” might be easy for me to say, because in the ensuing nine months, my body did not balloon several pant sizes, cause me nausea or prompt a change in my work plans. “Soon” might be even less appropriate given unforecasted ten additional days we spent waiting for labor to begin.

But finally, six months from last Friday on a chilly January night we climbed into Sarah’s car and headed for the hospital with contractions momentarily stealing her breath and doubling her over.  Our timing was about right, because it was only five hours later that we had a little screamer in our trembling hands.  The trembling was caused in part by the last fifteen scary minutes in which his umbilical cord got wrapped around his arm and required Olympian-caliber pushing by Sarah, the assistance of a vacuum pump, and the pulling arm of a hastily-summoned OBGYN.  But with our healthy (if mis-shappen-headed) Richard Steadman Hambleton IV screaming in our hands, our lives went from Before Child (BC) to After Delivery (AD).

That was 5:30AM six months ago.  These days he’s back in our hands at about the same time each morning, but usually accompanied by his contagiously happy Bow-wow-wow-wow-guuhhhhhhh sounds and his “turtle face”.  River usually wakes smiling and energetic about the daily adventures he knows he’ll have in his “office” or banging his cups, or on his daily morning sling walk with his dad. — his fresh start optimism being the best antidote we know of to the economics and uncertainty all around us.

We get to hear all of River’s noises around the house thanks to the lack of walls in our loft condominium.  The space is filled with so many happy noises – from River’s favorite WMVY radio station, to the dog and cat sounds from his office noisemaker, to the senseless songs his dad makes up while walking him around.   Awake time usually means happy noise time.   Sleep time has the opposite effect since his room is separated only by space and some corners; I’ve had to rent an office so I don’t interrupt naptime with business calls.

Our condo living has been good to us, though it may not last forever – the inability to create a baby-safe area in our unpartitioned space may soon make Aberdeen lofts a dangerous place for a curious little traveler.   In the mean time we enjoy having neighbor-fans and the elevator, which to us, beeps Rhhhh-Verrrrr whenever we push the button on the second floor.

Though he can’t yet toddle, he can sit up for about thirty consecutive seconds before toppling backward with one of his favorite toys in his hand – usually a Dunkin-Donuts plastic cup, cloth-book, or stuffed animal.  Or, just as often with one of those things’ tags in his mouth.  That’s because River prefers the tag part of just about all of his soft toys.  (I can hardly wait to show him the oversized tag hiding on the pillow beneath my pillowcase.)

When his hands are not in his mouth, he’s often making hissing and buh buh sounds, having given up on the elusive raspberry and unaffected by his brand new tooth.

Well, sort of unaffected – his hands, chin and cheeks are perpetually wet with slippery saliva, and as of today, subject to smatterings of semi-solid foods.

His favorite in house activies center around his bungee seat and his office, on loan from the generous Dunbar and Bellet families.

On the topic of help and support, River enjoys the adoring love of four grandparents – his faraway Geecee and Poppy and nearer Grammy and Grampy.  When he traveled to California, his great-grandmother Nana asked for “her turn” with River multiple times each day, circling up her favorite place to plant grandmothery kisses – on the back of his neck.  (That’s where “the sugar is” she explained, channeling a favorite phrase of her mother, our Nonny.)  River is tremendously lucky to have family who celebrate him as if he were their own.

As we turn the corner onto the second half of his first year, Sarah and I take stock in some of River’s unique characteristics – including the laser-like eye lock he gets from just about every mom who sees him in public.  We know all parents get the occasional “your baby is soo cute” comment — but we think River (deservedly!) gets more than his share.

Many of his fans have learned of River’s not-so-secret crushes on Beyonce and Lady GaGa and how to elicit a single-toothed smile just by singing the words “Just Dance” right in his face.

And the next six months?  We think it’ll bring first real steps, maybe an identifiable word or two and some baby sign-language.    We hope to keep his fans engaged with a photo each day, and the occasional video, too.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 26th, 2009 at 3:35 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.