Thoughts on Pajamas

Leah is getting big.

In fact she is so big that she must now wear two-piece pajamas to bed. For some reason, this seems like a big milestone to Darcey and me.

We went shopping for clothes this weekend and pajamas were at the top of our list. Most of you know about our house's "insulation problem" which is almost as bad in the summer as it is in winter. The house just gets hot. The new windows in our bedrooms are nice and the ceiling fans are great, but it's still a bit warm for sleeping so we wanted to get some light-weight sleepwear.

I guess they still make footie pajamas for children her size, but they are just hard to find. She's 8-months-old (yesterday) and is wearing clothes for 12-month-olds. So as we browsed the children's section of Target, we had to kind of guess where she is now and where she will be by the end of the summer. She weighs about 22-lbs which I assume will plateau a bit once she starts crawling, but it's just hard to gauge how big she we will be in three months.

I really can't believe how quickly Leah has grown and how quickly the last eight months have gone by. I mean she's almost crawling which means she's almost walking, talking, talking back, driving, graduating, getting married…

I guess I shouldn't put so much weight on pajamas, but being as how this family spends a lot of time lounging, it's kind of hard not to.

-Sefton

Home Alone

Leah and I spent the last three nights home alone because Darcey had class in Columbia on Saturday morning and then she went to Myrtle Beach for a work conference. It was the first time either of us were solely responsible for Leah.

I don't know how single parents do this.

I don't even know how Darcey does this with me helping.

Don't get me wrong, I never felt stressed or put out by the situation, I just couldn't seem to find any time for myself. After Leah would go down at night I would spend the next couple of hours cooking and cleaning. I folded laundry constantly. I pureed fruits and vegetables for baby food. I even planned out meals for the week, made a list of groceries, and went to the store.

And when I could finally put my feet up and relax, I'd fall asleep. And it was good sleep too.

But then I'd just wake up and start the whole day over again with the never-ending beat of reminders rattling through my head. It was like watching the crawl on the bottom of the screen on CNN.

change the diaper. don't forget the medication. where is her pacifier. warm the bottle but don't let her see it. did i pack her lunch. does she need to wear a sweater or is it warm enough outside. do i need to wear a sweater. when did she eat. when did she nap. when did she poop…

But we've made it through the weekend and Darcey will be home tonight. I know they'll be happy to see each other and that I'll be happy to take a shower without listening for shrieks from down the hall.

Easter

Leah's first Easter was a special day for all of us. She spent the whole weekend with Grandma and Grandpa who were visiting from Wisconsin. Well, she didn't get to spend ALL weekend with Grandpa because he and I went to The Masters on Saturday. You can tell by Lloyd's hat.

I think the Easter Bunny may have been a bit confused because she ended up with three Easter baskets on Sunday morning. She got a lot of toys and clothes, including the hat she is wearing in the picture, although one pair of northern Easter Bunnies decided to fill her basket with candy.

And on Sunday afternoon Leah attended her first Easter egg hunt in a neighbor's yard. Because she is not quite mobile yet, she was forced to sit this one out but took in all of the scenery including a wall of azaleas.

We all had a big time and Darcey and I are particularly thankful for the time Lloyd and Vicki got to spend with their granddaughter. By this time next week she will have seen all of her grandparents in a 14-day span.

You can't put that kind of present in a basket.

-Sefton

The Two Leahs

Last week we finally did something we have been trying to get done for a long while. Darcey, Leah and I packed up and headed for eastern North Carolina for a short vacation that we mainly took to introduce Leah to her namesake. My grandmother Anna Leah Ipock, or Oma, cooked lunch and invited several family members over for the afternoon. We had a great time and the two Leahs were happy to meet each other. Leah performed all of the tricks she has learned so far and couldn't have been happier as the center of attention. As we were leaving we passed Leah around to say goodbye and as Oma said bid farewell Leah grabbed her face and kissed her cheek. It was wonderful.

The trip also served as a battery recharge for Darcey and me. I think Darcey took as many naps as Leah did. Dad and Barbara were great hosts and actually overfed us. One night we gorged ourselves on oysters and shrimp. They also babysat Leah and Daisy one night so Darcey and I could go out for (gasp) a dinner out.

Although the weather was a bit chilly and the wind was gusty, we did sit outside a bit and looked out over Bogue Sound. This little spot of the world is very special to my family. Dad and Barbara bought a little place down there after retiring and have been very generous with it. I hope that as Leah grows older she will find the spot as beautiful and peaceful as all of the other Ipocks that I know.