He was learning how to use his hands. Bonnie arrived this morning at 8:30 for her first day as Conrad’s nanny, and he celebrated by spending 10 minutes grabbing her fingers. It was very clear he had just figured out that those things on the ends of his arms are his hands, and that they can be made to do things other than randomly slap him on the head when he is trying to sleep.

It was fascinating to watch and it’s hard to explain why, but it was obvious we were watching a big step forward. So that means he’s supposed to sleep through the night for the next couple of nights. We’ll see. I’m watching him on the BlarkyCam right now and there’s definitely some flailing going on.

BlarkyCam goes to 11

Bonnie’s first day went very well. Jean went out for a coffee with our friend Abe and when she got home Bonnie was not only still here, but reading a book while Conrad napped. She’s already planning activities for them to do together. Next week they’re starting banjo lessons.

We had a good run. For two nights in a row, Conrad only woke up once to feed. It was like a spa vacation. But last night he woke up every two hours, and between 7:30 this morning and 10:00 tonight, he took only one 20-minute nap. We looked it up on the Information Superhighway and found two possible explanations; he might be having a growth spurt, and he might also be having a cognitive growth spurt. In other words, he might be learning something new. Whatever it was Jean read said that often babies don’t sleep when they are mastering a new skill, and then sleep through the night for the next couple of nights to recover. Based on his lack of sleep today I expect to wake up in the morning and find him riding a unicycle while reciting pi to 39 places in Urdu.

Hastings has decided he needs to help when Conrad is upset. He’ll walk over with a concerned look on his face, and reach up and put a paw on Conrad if he can reach him, or rub his face against Conrad’s head. It’s very sweet, but sometimes, when Conrad has been inconsolable for half an hour for instance, it almost feels critical. “Oh great. Even the cat thinks we’re doing something wrong.”

In the last 10 weeks we’ve had innumerable experiences that seemed astonishing to us, but we realize in retrospect are absolutely common. I mentioned early on I would try to avoid the new dad phenomenon of acting like we’re the first people ever to have a baby. So forgive me if it seems trite to mention that our life is so full of effluent these days that we barely even notice it. Things that would have made me choke back a gag in January can now be handled while holding a sandwich in the other hand.

The name of the above-pictured product therefore fits in nicely with our new, no-big-deal attitude toward bodily functions. Half of our conversations revolve around some aspect of belching, farting, peeing or pooping, so it makes perfect sense that we have a product in our lives called “Butt Paste.”

But there is one thing about the product that, despite its efficacy, will make me reconsider when it’s time to buy a new tube:

It smells good.

No, I mean, it smells really good, like something you would fill a pastry with. The web site says it has a balsam scent, but it smells more like vanilla to me. When I’m standing over my son, having just removed his dirty diaper, ready to slather his pooper, I don’t want to be thinking, “I wonder what this tastes like?”

It also distresses me that this blog will now show up in searches for “butt paste smells good.”

Last night Conrad went to bed peacefully at 9pm. He awoke around 4am to eat. Dave had gone to bed at 9:30 and I followed shortly at 10. This allowed us each a 6 hour stretch of much needed sleep. The next awakening was a bit before 7am, but was followed shortly by an hour long nap around 8.

There was a second nap around 11 for about 45 minutes. We went for a car ride at 2, which resulted in the inevitable car nap. Now, it’s 5:30 and our lovely boy is taking his 4th nap of the day. Will wonders never cease?

Also, this morning Conrad passed some developmental milestone. He learned to scooch. By scooching, I mean that he was lying on his back and he used his legs to push himself backwards. He made it out of the baby gym and on to the quilt lying next to it.

I suppose this means that the safety days of leaving him on the bed or other higher surface while doing something else are over. But it’s was quite awesome to see him moving himself across the floor.

But perhaps I’ve ruined it by posting it here for all to see, for now my boy is flapping his arms and kicking his legs in what can only mean, ‘I’m not tired’. Something we’re quite familiar with.