Chillin' and Chilly

After much agonizing, I have decided to stay one more week.  That will get JLO halfway through her magic date of 6 weeks post-op.  I am afraid, knowing her, that if I left now she would start doing too much (as I would in the same situation--as KT would--as the husband would), so one more week just postpones that.  Also, if I leave in a week, B will be on spring break, so he will be home for 9 days after I leave, getting her to over 4 weeks post-op.  As much as I truly did agonize over this--I really would like to be home--once the decision was made and the kids agreed they could tolerate my being around some more, I felt completely calm.  It was the right choice, even if home is calling...

The baby is doing well.  He had his first real bath yesterday in a baby tub (I am constantly amazed at what has been invented since I had kids!) and he loved being back in warm fluid!  It was too cute.  His circumcision has healed, he now has a real belly button, he's grown and put on weight, so all is well.  He fusses after nursing, no matter how much burping goes on, as his little system tries to digest all that milk (he's a little piggy!), but can usually drift off if JLO rubs his tummy, or, even better, if B takes him.  I've tried to explain to JLO that B doesn't smell like milk, so the baby doesn't expect to nurse for comfort with him and will take the soother and settle down, but I think it surprises her.  She does take great pleasure in watching B as daddy, and he enjoys doing it.  They are both so happy with their new roles and with this new little person.  Seems to me my generation was a bit more overwhelmed, where they seem quite calm and matter of fact about things.  I remember constantly wondering what I was doing, or what I should be doing, or how to do whatever; they seem to just flow. 

JLO's healing is going well, except when we make her laugh too much, so of course that's a constant temptation--isn't laughter supposed to be good for the soul?  Apparently it's not good for post-surgical innards!

I feel completely cut off from whatever is going on in the world--the tv here is set to sports, so unless I catch the morning news, I have no idea if there is a world out there.  I'm a person who reads the newspaper daily and can't watch enough news broadcasts in a single day, and even on holiday I only give up the newspaper reading.  Going cold turkey (with the emphasis on COLD) has been a strange feeling.  And I'm running out of things to read--I've been re-reading all of the books I gave to JLO after I finished with them (the one I was looking forward to most has been loaned out), and with some of them I'm wondering what I liked enough to pass on to her.

Happy birthday (tomorrow) and all my love to my wonderful mother-in-law!