3/29/2004

My daughter was christened or baptized or whatever yesterday. I think it is a silly custom- first and foremost because I don't beleive. Secondly, I think our daughter should have the ability to make up her own mind to believe what she chooses. Right now she doesn't have that ability. You really don't want to get me started on this whole religion thing.

Anyway, she did very well. the wife held her up in front of the congregation. The put the daughter's back to her chest and made a seat with her forearm. London cooed and giggled for a while. When the pastor took London and put the water on her head London cried in protest, but it was short lived. After we said all those silly things and I untruthfully confessed my faith and promised to raise the daughter teaching her the ways of "god" we all sat down and then the wife and I took the daughter out of the church since she was crying.

I took the daughter back to the building where all her changing stuff was and changed her out of her $138 christening gown and into some comfortable clothes and put her in the Baby Bjorn and carried her around the cemetery while she continued to cry for about 5 minutes. Steve, Cindy, Lauren and Kayla all came up for the baptism which I appreciated very much. Even Greg and Kori showed up!

I walked her around the cemetary outside the church until everyone got out of church and then I walked her around inside the dining hall.

She is smiling more and more now and really cooing and almost giggling. Still she sleeps with Tamara on her chest. It is going to be a big challenge to get her to sleep by herself.

3/18/2004

Damn, the daughter smiled about a week and a half ago for the first time! She has had some rough days. The wife has been sleeping with the daughter in the bed so they both can get some rest. the daughter has a lot of gas very frequently and it makes her very fussy.

Yesterday was a difficult day for the wife and the daughter. When the daughter cries most of the day it breaks the wife's heart and makes them both iritable. The wife has been reading all these books - specifically The Baby Book by Dr. Sears, Babywise by Ezzo and the Baby Whisperer by Hogg. She says the books just make her feel inadequate. So we are finding out that the best thing to do is what works for us. Sears says sleep with your baby, the other two day don't. Ezzo says let the baby cry herself to sleep and Sears says this will make the baby feel unsecure and unloved. Hogg says to pick the baby up every time it cries and then put it down in the crib right after she goes to sleep and repeat this process as many times as it takes to get you daughter sleeping throught the night. Hogg says not to use a swing because it is a substitute for holding the baby. I guess she expects us to continue to hold the baby 24/7.

Right now the daughter is sleeping in the swing and she has been there for two and a half hours. We are amazed that she is still quiet, happy and asleep. Two nights ago I held the daughter while she had some pretty bad gas pains. Her body writhes uncontrollably and she screams when she has these pains. Once she blows out a good fart she quites down immediately- just as she did the other night. But it is difficult to see her twising and kicking because it is hard to hold her and you know she is in pain.

I don't get to hold her enough becase I get home from work around 7 or 8 at night and there just isn't enough time until bedtime for everyone. Last night I did fall asleep with the daughter on the couch. She was on my chest and slept with me for aoubt two hours.

Keeping finders crossed.

3/02/2004

I stayed at work until 7:30 tonight trying tot get everything ready for my trip to the other closed factory tomorrow. When I got home the wife was rocking the daughter and said that she had a difficult afternoon. the daughter was very fussy and would not go to sleep.

The wife got the results of the stool sample and everything is inconclusive- the doctor says that it is probably a food allergy and did not give the wife much encouragement about finding out what it is. Tamara is taking London to the doctor tomorrow- she was not satisfied with what the doctor had told her so she is going to go see another doctor..