Six Months

Viver-Liver @ six months

Viv (and the rest of us) reached her six month birthday last week, and we decided to begin some solid food feedings. So far we have done oatmeal and avocados with adorable, if not nutritive, results.

She really seems to enjoy the activity of eating, and she occasionally holds the spoon and manages to not poke her eyes out with it. Next foodstuff will be banana, with, I assume, similar results.

We continue to go to work three days a week, and the car rides have been even more of a grab bag of emotions than before, which is good, actually. We were going through a stretch of always ending up upset by the end of the ride, but now she's just as likely to be asleep, upset, or awake and amused. That's progress, right?

Later this month we will be taking her on a longer car trip up to Boston, but that is a manageable 2 hours or so. The real transportation challenge will be her first airplane trip next month, going to MN to meet her cousins and all the other friends and family. I don't think it'll be too bad, but that is the attitude I have tried to apply to everything involving Viv, and so far we've been really lucky. We've had her out and about a lot more in the last month or so, and she has been great, very happy and social for the most part, even outlasting some other infant and toddler meltdowns at a picnic party that pushed her late into the evening. She is a really happy baby, and we are still shocked and grateful everyday.

So is life.

So, working with baby, which I do 3 days a week, has been an interesting experience.



The commute, which is anywhere from 30-45 minutes on a good day, and over an hour on bad days due to weather and/or traffic, has helped erode any fears I had about driving with baby on board. Not a problem anymore, even when Viv is screaming and or pooping at 70 mph. There is lots of singing songs to soothe the savage beast, and even just talking to her can calm her down. My greatest fears now involve leaving the house without enough bottles or diapers in the bag.



Once we get to work, usually around 10 am, Viv is either ready for a bottle or a nap, sometimes both, which works out well for me. (She takes 30-60 minute naps throughout the day when we're not at home, and can nap for an hour or two at home in the crib.) I generally have time to get settled, check email and do some work before she wakes up from her first nap in the carseat stroller.



Post-naps, the bouncy seat is our first change of scenery, and I usually can place her on the nearest counter where I can interact with her while I work, or where coworkers walking by will automatically entertain her. She almost always has a big smile for them, and she seems to entertain them as well.



My boss even brought in a mobile to help with the entertainment. When we experience bouncy/mobile fatigue, we sometimes use the Björn frontpack, or I just carry her around the shop. Viv sits in my lap for a while pretty contentedly too.



After about four or five hours of the eat/sleep/entertain cycle, we are both tired of being at work, so we pack it up and head home. Timing of pre-commute feedings and diaper changes are crucial, especially since Viv has largely given up sleeping in the car. If all goes well, we can often stop for essential provisions on the ride home without a fuss.



I was hoping to work from home a little more and go in less and less, but three part-time days per week really isn't too bad, and I really like leaving work at work. Viv does exceptionally well most days, and I am thankful I was even able to consider rearranging my schedule to do things this way and be with her every day. We have pretty good times together.