Bi-Coastal

Yesterday I (Papa) dropped off Ash and Ezra at O’Hare for their cross-country odyssey. This was a difficult thing to do, to watch them roll off into the distance, all Dad-less and self-sufficient Nevertheless, I came home and rather enjoyed life without spit-up and poopy diapers and 3am wake-up calls. By this morning, I found that I really miss spit-up and poopy diapers and 3am wake-up calls. I also have found that every time I walk past his bassinet I look inside, expecting Ezra to be in there. This even happens, weirdly, when I walk to my car and look in the back where his car seat goes. Family separation does odd things to the brain.

Ash and Ez managed to make the Herculean trip with great deftness and grace. I’m told the kiddo handled the plane well (on mama’s lap the whole way), and managed to sleep through almost all of it. They negotiated the intermodal transfers to bus and ferry, and still: Ezra held up beautifully. I hear he finally melted down when he was in Grandma Andi’s car on the way from the ferry to their house on Martha’s Vineyard. But by then there were only Ash and Andi there to disturb -- and really, who cares about them? Ha, I kid. I feel pretty safe in saying I would have thrown a tantrum by then, too. So in all, it’s a huge relief that they made their journey without incident.

All the grandparents and an aunt or two have remarked on Ezra’s progress over the last few weeks. He really is filling out great -- was one ounce shy of the big Ten Pounds threshold when they left town yesterday morning … he probably hit 10 by dinner time.

He’s also begin to vocalize a tiny bit … not quite babbling, but something different from the usual cooing, moaning and grunting. I am convinced that he is saying his name … something like: “Egh-ruh.” He has said this several times over the last week, though seemingly only in my presence. Funny how that works. I like to think his first “word” came two weeks ago, when he clearly enunciated: “Egg-boo.” Though, again, I have no other witnesses to substantiate it. The definition of Egg-boo has been subject to debate in scholarly circles. It’s been posited that it’s derivative of a middle English term for “Dad, it is so awesome when you rub diaper rash balm into my butt cheeks.” I’ll check the OED.

Not much else to report for now. Ash is going to attempt to post a dispatch or two from out east, and I’ll head out to join them on Friday.

Egg-boo,
Gabe (sans Ash and Ez)

P.S. Today's Poop Report: Distant.