you can't spell "crazy party" withour "CPR"!

Yesterday the Rocketfamily attended an afternoon dedicated to infant safety & CPR with most of the members of our prenatal group (only one mom has not made an effort to keep in touch). I've been coping with mommyhood by myself for so long that I was inexpressibly overjoyed to be in a room full of crying, sucking, sleeping, smiling & pooping infants - and their tired parents, of course! The first aid content was really informative & has already sparked a wicked argument with my parents (who are convinced that Blake will get frostbite if he ventures out the door without 3 layers of bulky clothing, despite the warning from car seat manufacturers). But the best part was socializing with the other moms & dads. It was a relief to hear that not everyone was sleeping through the night, that other babies pooped all the way up their backs, and that all babies get cranky.

Once again, I present the baby who's surprised by everything – and his dad.

Ciaran looks much more relaxed on Kate's lap.

Our two hostesses Sydney & Danielle take it easy for a minute.

Lizanne briefly breaks Dexter's penetrating gaze.

Robbie is just as happy in his chair, leaving Sue free to mingle.

Blake did really, really well, with only a few long crying spells. He's definitely the runt of the litter - he's not the youngest, but he lost so much weight right away that it set him back. I don't mind - he's fashionably slender like his daddy, and his face is ten times more expressive for its leanness.

"D'ya think you can stay awake for a big picture, Blake?" "I'll try, momma..."

Slump! O no!

I invited everyone to a pool party this summer, so we can take the picture again & see how our little babes grew. Right now they slide on top of each other and had to be propped up every other minute. The flashbulbs stopped every time a parental hand reached in to correct the lean.

As it turns out, I was the youngest mom in the prenatal group. I'm also the least solvent & the clumsiest - we are the only ones living in someone else's house, and as for clumsiest, let the record show that I didn't intend that one of my cotton breast pads go AWOL. It just kind of happened. Then I had to make an announcement despite my embarassment, and accept the news that it had wandered into another room and into the newspaper box. I'm still not sure how to think of these pads when they unfortunately make their way into the public gaze. They soak up breast milk, which is food. But it's also a body fluid, which is icky when it comes from someone else. I suppose that I should just try to more discreet. They're not toilet-paper-grade offensive, but there's no reason to draw attention to them.

Ahem. Let's let this topic die, shall we?

We ate all day. Even after the instructor left, we had yet to get into the cheesecake & beer. I hated to leave, but Blake started having a meltdown, so we took ourselves home. Unfortunately, even after he nursed he was still in a crummy mood, and at midnight he started shrieking inconsolably. To state the redundant, I think he was a bit overstimulated. But I discovered that I still love him when he screams - though I love him more when he stops.

my sweet little screamer

More photos can be found here

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- Rocketbride's adventure of 1/25/2004 10:20:00 p.m.