Ann vs. Jason

A quick post, Ann and I still owe posts about my family’s visit, Christmas, and more.

Athena looks surprisingly identical to me when I was an infant:

A week or so out  the resemblance isn’t as striking, but you can definitely tell we’re related:

She’s turned out to be just as alert and interactive as I was when I was an infant, according to my parents.  Whenever we see another baby, even if they’re a bit older, I’m so surprised as how much time they spend sleeping or staring off into space.  I have to remember that the baby I’m used to is unusually attentive.

Athena is starting to make cute little baby noises in addition to her normal cries and grunts, so I’m (completely unrealistically) expecting real words soon.  We’ll keep you posted.

By Jason

First off, I’d like to apologize for all the typos in the last update.  To answer the questions I’ve gotten:

• Yes, I was very tired.
• No, my lack of proofreading isn’t a sign of complete mental breakdown.

Taking care of Athena and Ann has meant missing sleep, but I’ve missed sleep in the past and recovered so I’m sure I’ll be alright.

Now that that’s covered, I just wanted to let everyone know that Ann is feeling better, though she’s still ill.  She ate some crackers, applesause, and even a little of her mom’s delicious green bean casserole today.  I have been stuffing myself on leftover chili, chicken and lasagna.  Athena still refuses to eat anything but milk.

I wrote a post today on my blog that you might find interesting, about how having an internet connection at the hospital let us keep everyone up to date on the birth.

Here are some more photos.  These are still from last week, during Thanksgiving.  There are more at Flickr.  I’ll try to get caught up soon.

By Jason

Ann came down with a stomach virus the other day so I’ve been trying to take care of both her and Athena.  We even went in to urgent care yesterday to get Ann some IV fluids and anti-nausea meds.  Their definition of “urgent” is different from mine…  I understand they have limited personnel and they have to triage, but after we got there the waiting room went from a few people to packed.  It took two hours or so to get seen, then we were there for another couple hours with the IV.  Athena was very calm for the most part but took it out on me later that evening.  I think she misses mom time, it makes her more ornery.

So, if you’re wondering why Ann hasn’t responded to your email or note on Facebook, there you have it.  She can’t look at a computer screen right now without the dizziness returning.  She promises to catch up with everyone once she’s feeling better.

I’ll admit it, it’s been tough.  Athena has to eat and get changed every 2-3 hours, 24 hours a day.  I’ve been trying to take care of all of it while Ann recuperates.

Last week Ann’s mom was in town so we were living on easy street – she made many delicious meals and was a huge help all around.

Right now Ann mostly needs to sleep and drink fluids, and Athena mostly needs to sleep and drink fluids.  Some other similarities that our favorite little freeloader has with her parents:

• Athena can’t seem to keep socks on for more than a minute, even when she’s sleeping.  Ann has this weird habit of taking off one sock, in her sleep, almost every night.
• I’ve found Athena asleep in her crib with her hands behind her head – this is a common sleep position for me, as Ann can attest.
• Athena sneezes no fewer than three times in succession, like Ann.
• Her hair looks a lot like mine when I was born, while she has Ann’s nose and long fingers.
• Athena hates to be cold.  Diaper changes and wet washcloths are her mortal enemy.  I don’t think I have to say which one of us also has an antipathy for chilliness.