Back by popular demand . . .

Hello, everybody, Scott here on behalf of Team Fensin. We miss
everyone and hope all the babies and their families are happy as can
be. Nearly two weeks after our little girl turned the big 1.0, we
decided to post the following observations of first time parents.

1. Schedules Rock!!

It took us a little time (like, a month) but Ivie is finally on a
schedule that any army seargent would be proud of. Trying to
operate on whims and fancies didn't quite work for anyone. So, we
wake up, have a bottle, play, have breakfast, play, take a nap, wake
up, have a bottle, play, have lunch, play, take a short trip outside
somewhere, come home, take a nap, wake up, have a bottle, play,
welcome daddy home from work, play, have dinner, have a bath (every
other day), play, have a bottle, and go to sleep....at the same
times (roughly) every day. It made for a much happier transition.

2. "Toddling" Babies Can Get Anywhere

Like behind a couch, in the cats' food dishes, behind basement
piping, inside a toy chest, up two flights of stairs, in laundry
baskets full of laundry, etc., etc. It's quite exhausting following
around a toddler all the time, carrying her away from where she's
not supposed to be, and having her crawl back to that very same
spot, laughing the whole way. By 8:48 p.m. we're exhausted.

3. Mealtime Is More Often Than Not A Chore

When adults eat, the main purposes are (a) eating and (b) talking
about the day. When toddlers eat, the main purposes are (a) eating
as little as possible, (b) as slowly as possible, (c) making as much
noise as possible, and (d) making as big a mess--of high chairs,
oneself, and the floor--as possible. It's never a good sign when a
new parent is forced to bargain with a child--"Come on, Ivie, you
take one bite of this Apples and Chicken mush and Daddy will take
two bites"--when that child neither speaks nor understands English.

4. Desperation Acts Like Giving A Crying Baby An Empty Bottle To
Suck on For Comfort Is A Bad, Bad Idea

One day Ivie cried. And cried. And cried. We were desperate. We
gave her her empty bottle to hold onto. She shoved it in her mouth
and stopped crying. We figured, hey, what a great idea. We'll give
her the bottle to suck on when she's cranky. Great. Two months
later we're trying to wean her off the bottle. It's been a slow,
painstaking process, involving the very thing we were trying to
avoid in the first place...crying. But, we think we're making some
headway and Ivie will be weaned off the bottle soon. She's managing
to take some naps without it.

7. Be Very, VEry, VERy, VERY Nice To The Grandparents

Having ready, willing, and able babysitters is a must. We parents
need adult time out of the house and out of the vicinity of the
child every so often, even though we love Ivie desperately. Both
sets of grandparents have been tremendous in this regard.

8. Don't Give A Toddler Who Has Never Had Sugar Before A Huge Piece
Of Birthday Cake At Their First Birthday Party And Then Expect That
Toddler To Go To Sleep Before, Say, 1:30 In The Morning

Ughh.

Ivie is changing so much these days that we have decided to revive the blog and post more updates.