Yesterday afternoon was rough on Dad. Cora was a bear (probably due to her DTaP vaccination - the same one that caused James to cry uncontrollably when he got it at 2-months-old), and she blew out 3 diapers (not too surprising, since she hadn't gone in a couple of days). Dad was exhausted and sweating when I got home from work, and he was more than willing to pass Cora over to me! Then she exhausted Jay and I as she continued to cry until about 9pm. And THEN she was up every 3 hours to eat. Needless to say, she spent the night with us from midnight onward. Good thing she's a good co-sleeper (she likes to cuddle, but isn't a bed hog like James was and doesn't fidget like James does).
This morning she was all smiles, cooing in the dark and watching the lights flicker on her empty monitor. After an hour or so of playtime, I put her back to bed (in her crib). She was tired because she woke up early (5:50am to be exact, when she usually sleeps until 6:30/7am), and oh man does she ever fuss when she gets tired (she needs our assistance to fall asleep, in the form of swaddling and rocking/walking). I certainly couldn't leave her like that with Dad after yesterday's performance! I just wonder how long she stayed asleep... Hopefully she's taking it easy on her Grandpa today!
I dressed her in her big brother's hand-me-downs today:
Dad definitely needed his coffee this morning.
And it looks like James needed some too, doesn't it?
Don't mind the bags under James' eyes. He slept great, as always, he just didn't want to wake up this morning (the kid would sleep until 8am every day if we let him). And his hair is always wild like this in the mornings. Perhaps he's old enough now that we should start conditioning it?
James loved it! We didn't bother with the stroller for him - we just let him loose. He had fun checking out a live tortoise, but liked the stuffed coyote and black bears even better. When we tried to move on to the Megalodon exhibit, he just wanted to go back to the bears... 
They took care of us right away and sent him straight to x-ray. Turns out it wasn't his shoulder, but his elbow that had popped out of socket (called 
He ended up sleeping all the way home (he had only had one half-hour nap today anyway, so he was a bit overtired) and was still feeling sore when he woke up on the couch at home. I decided that since ice cream always make ME feel better (no matter what the ailment is), it was worth a shot for James too. And oooh, did it ever work! He was a new man within 15 minutes (AKA half a cup of ice cream). Then the sugar high kicked in and we were all entertained by his antics. Within another 15 minutes he was putting normal pressure on his arm and using it as usual. Thank goodness!
He's taken to rocking her in the glider, once his arms and knees wear out from the constant walking she requires to stay happy. He can't stand to hear her cry. He told me at lunch today that it is an average of 62 steps to circle her around the living room and kitchen. I think tomorrow we'll stick the pedometer on him so he can report his daily mileage to his cardiologist... I bet he's burning tons of calories this week! 
And when walking or rocking doesn't do the trick, Grandpa has found that diaper changes (or "pretend" diaper changes, where you just lay her down and jiggle her legs) make Cora happy. I don't know what it is with babies and the changing table, but whatever works. In fact, Grandpa can get Cora to smile just by saying "Pretty Girl" or "Poo Poo's" or "Poopy Girl" in a high-pitched voice. Again, whatever works...
My Dad is a wonderful Grandpa to his 3 (soon to be 4) grandkids. He didn't really need any training. We're so excited that he was able to come out and help us for a couple of weeks, and to keep Cora out of daycare until she's 3-months-old. And we're super happy that Cora and James are getting to spend this time with their Grandpa. Stay tuned for more adorable pictures as the fun at Camp Grandpa continues...
Once in the exam room, she was awake and happy to lay alone on the exam table, look around and "coo" at the lights, and flash me some smiles (and goofy faces).
She's getting better at sucking on her fist (and sometimes just the fingers or thumb).
She was a good sport for the good doctor, all calmness and zero fuss, even for the ear and throat examinations. She passed the milestone tests of smiling, tracking, and babbling. However, she did get in trouble for her dislike of tummy time... Because she prefers to look to the right (Have you noticed? Just check out all her photos posted here and elsewhere), she is developing a minor flat spot on the back right side of her head. And this is causing the front right side to bulge out a tiny bit. I noticed this starting to happen about 3 weeks ago, but you can only see if from the perfect angle, so it really is very slight. The cure? More tummy time! So, like it or not, Cora will be exercising her neck muscles for longer stretches each day (with our assistance - the good doc gave me some tips), and when we're playing with her during floor time, we're suppose to lay her on her left side. Should be fun...
"What's up Doc?"
