AC Capehart/10 Things

Created Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:31:30 +0000 Modified Thu, 14 Oct 2021 14:31:47 +0000
502 Words

A while ago I asked AC if I could occasionally write a guest post on his blog, as I don’t have time to properly maintain a blog of my own. (Even as I write this now, I should be sleeping!) He was kind enough to set it up so that I too can share my impressions of Sam.

In honor of Sam’s 10-week birthday, here are 10 Things I Love about Samantha:

  1. Her cinnamon bun belly button.

  2. The light in her eyes when she smiles at me.

  3. Her quivery pout.

  4. Her two big toes, which are so much longer than her other toes (just like her Dad’s).

  5. She really does say “Waaah” when she cries, just like a cartoon baby.

  6. The breathy squeals she makes when she’s in her kick n play bouncy seat.

  7. She pooches out her lips and turns her face away when I kiss her while she’s asleep.

  8. That half-lidded, milk drunk look.

  9. After nursing, or a nap, she raises both arms above her head in a V, causing AC and I to shout “Victoire!”

  10. How an 8lb baby can let out a burp as big as a truck driver.

It’s hard to believe that Sam crossed over into our world a mere 10 weeks ago. One of the things parenthood has done to me is destroy my otherwise decent memory–an effect of sleep deprivation no doubt, though it really does feel like Sam obliterated quite a few neurons when I pushed her out. In addition to forgetting things like what day it is, whether or not I’ve fed the cat, and who the U.S. president is (hey, not a bad thing), I’m rapidly losing my memory of pre-Sam life. Did I really used to get 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night? Did AC and I really go out to eat in restaurants? Did I really used to get dressed every day? Who was that person? In such a short time Sam has reordered my internal and external worlds. And as I watch her change everyday, I realize that I am changing along with her, or rather she has made me more aware of my capacity for change. Before Sam’s birth I was worried that I was already too set in my ways to raise a child–that I’d always rather watch “The Sopranos” than “Sesame Street.” But now that she’s here, it’s Big Bird all the way! (Sorry, Tony). Tending a newborn has allowed me to see like never before just how adaptable humans are. If Sam can learn to thrive in this vast airy expanse after 9 months in a watery cocoon, then I can deal with a sleep debt the size of Texas…at least for a few months. And that’s one more thing I love about my daughter: she’s starting to sleep for longer stretches at night. Victoire!

Happy 10-week birthday, Sam!