Diary of a Third Time Dad

Main Section

WEEK TWENTY - JULY 2002

One-handedness.

Thank you to everyone who wrote in to inform me that there IS a one-handed pepper grinder. But I have discovered another even more frustrating task that is very time consuming when you try to do it one-handed. Answering email. Yes, I am a big fan of email, and correspond daily with various business partners. My 90-words-a-minute typing ability (yes, I am quite proud of this) allows me to zip through and answer my email in five minutes or so. But trying to do this while holding Joshua on my lap turns into a never-ending one-handed hunt and peck that takes an hour or more.

This was confirmed by Cheryl the other day when I walked by the office door and saw her in there answering her own email with the baby on her lap. I took the baby from her and got an "Oh, thank you SO much" from her. As I left room I heard the clicking of the keyboard came alive.

So, everyone was quick to point out my need for a one-handed pepper mill has already been solved, but does anyone know of a one-handed computer keyboard?

We better take him to the doctor.

Actually, not really. This on-going joke between Cheryl and I got another episode today. The little guy has been fussy for a few days, and was up a lot last night (of course, completely unawares to me). If I didn't know better, I'd worry that he has an ear infection. But I do know better, because I've seen several million five-month-olds in my office with the exact same story, and several million worried parents afraid their baby may have an ear infection. The real culprit is always just teething.

But honestly, I can now understand why almost every baby in our office comes in for their five-month "ear check" appointment. Teething can be a real bear, and who wouldn't worry that their baby had something worse than teething after several miserably fussy days?

Of course, I cheated, and checked Joshua's ears at home just to make sure.

Attachment grandparenting.

Cheryl's parents came to visit, and of course I was thrilled. Live-in nannies for a week, yeah! It's fun to see what a little baby brings out in a grandparent. Cheryl's dad, whom the kids call "Papa", was a perfect example of what I would call "Attachment Grandparenting". He held the little guy almost the whole time he was here, whenever he managed to steal the baby away from grandma. And when he wasn't holding the baby, he was outside playing with the two older boys. He even carried Joshua around in the sling (where was my camera)! And whenever he was fussy, and we were overwhelmed, Papa and Grandma were quick to take him off our hands and calm him down. I think our parenting style has really rubbed off on them.

Baby in Black.

No particular reason for this picture, but this is what Joshua would look like if he was a government agent who hunted aliens for a living.

Dr. Bob

Did you miss one of our previous diary entries?
Click here to go to our diary index.

AskDrSears.com is intended to help parents become better informed consumers of health care. The information presented in this site gives general advice on parenting and health care. Always consult your doctor for your individual needs.