Much has happened since our last post, though it is only two weeks later. I am not sure how it has happened, but Amy's maternity leave is now almost completely used up and for the next two weeks she is going back to work part time. That means that Joshua "Nestcock" Sutherlun is currently alone with the little one for 3-4 hours every morning, learning just how much attention such a little person can need. So for the future nestcocks and nesthens out there I am going to recount my morning in as I remember it, sparing only those details that take real thought to recall.

At 8:30 AM, I rolled over to find a screaming baby laying next to me and no mother anywhere in site. When lifting Serena upon my chest did not calm her down, I stood up to change a diaper. After wrapping her all back up and dressing her in a new outfit for the day ahead, I left her on the changing table as I found a new trash bag for the "Diaper Champ." After placing the morning diaper, as well as four others that had been left on the changing table because there was no bag, into 'The Champ,' Mom took her downstairs for the morning feeding before heading to the church. I slipped into the bedroom to separate clothes for the laundry and then into the office to pay bills while there was some silence. Amy placed Serena in the crib and turned the mobile on as she finished getting ready and walked out the front door. When I came back up from spraying every single article of clothing the baby wore during the last week with "Shout," Serena was needing some attention.

She has recently preferred laying limp on our shoulders instead of on here back in our arms so we walked here and there with here grabbing onto my hair (which reminds me, I need a haircut). A little bouncing on the exercise ball and her eyelids were shut enough for me to set her in the vibrating chair. I left here there as I went down to the basement to put the laundry in the dryer. About half way through this process I heard her crying, so I picked her up and carried her down stairs with me to move the clothes. It turns out that when you are holding an 8 1/2 pound baby reaching into the washing machine, you can get quite workout for your love handles. As she sat on my shoulder, hunger seized me so a banana became breakfast and we went upstairs to find another load of laundry.

I tried to leave her in her crib for a few minutes with the mobile on, but when that didn't work I placed her on top of the clothes in the basket and we journeyed back downstairs. But this has never calmed her down yet, though I continue to try so we made a detour before the basement and we bounced on the ball again and then placed her in the vibrating chair as I put the second load in. When I came back up, she was once again crying so we changed a diaper then bounced and after about 15 minutes she was asleep again, so back to the chair once more.

For the next forty-five minutes we listened to "Baby Einstein Lullabys" as I unloaded and reloaded the dryer, cleaned up the living room (sort of), and searched for the remote. We got about 10 minutes into 'The Price is Right' when it she awoke to find out that she had been starved by her father. So screaming ensued as we warmed up the milk and cleaned a nipple. 20 minutes later Serena wouldn't swallow anymore, so we bounced and bounced until hunger once again seized me and we went for the vibrating chair once more. I took the opportunity to finish folding the laundry and then when to fixing a sandwich. Before I could get the mustard open however, she realized I wasn't holding her and was crying again. So I ate lunch on the bouncy ball (it's good for digestion), left her in the swing while I made some peanutbutter bread, and then forced in down my throat.

I left her on my shoulder for a while, put her in the crib and turned the mobile on, and left to put the load in the dryer. After two rewinds of 'rock-a-bye baby' in high pitched mechanical sound, we were restless once more so with a few bounces a diaper discovery was made. Since Serena seems to be happiest naked, I left her on the changing table wiring out a while while I cleaned up the kitchen from lunch. With the diaper back in place, Amy came through the front door and picked her up. I haven't seen her since.

The Nestcock