Michelle’s mom, who has been taking care of Jeanne when Michelle and I are off to work, had to attend another granddaughter’s graduation rites. Unfortunately, Michelle couldn’t take a day off. So it was up to me, the intrepid dad, to take on the daunting task of babysitting for the day.
It started off quite early, Jeanne woke up at around 6 and started talking to us in her baby language. We couldn’t really understand a single thing, of course, but at least we’re communing, if not directly communicating, with her.
At 8, after Michelle left, I gave her her first milk bottle. Then I gave her her vitamins. I tried to make her sleep but she wouldn’t so by 830 I decided to give her her bath, the part I’m most apprehensive about. It actually went pretty well, she obviously likes her baths. After, drying her up, I put her in the car seat which can double as a rocker.
Humming Brahm’s Lullaby repeatedly, I gently rocked her to sleep. By 845, probably because she’s refreshed from the bath, she finally slept. She woke up at 10. I fed her milk and she fell aleep at 1145. She woke up at 1215, I changed her diaper, carried her, and fed her the rest of the milk. She soon fell asleep at 1240. She woke up again by 115. I changed her diaper, carried, fed, and so on.
This was the cycle till Michelle finally got home and I handed over baby care duties to her. By then she had consumed 4 bottles of milk, 5 diapers, countless wipes, and a lot of my patience. Not that it ran out, it’s just that by the time Michelle arrived, I was actually quite eager to handed Jeanne over.
It was a tiring experience. But it was also fulfilling especially every time you successfully make her sleep and watch her as she lay sleeping. Always reminds me of that Aerosmith song.