Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Cute Baby

So tired...



Why'd you wake me up?



I forgive you, but get me out of here pronto...



Yep, Sadie got a new car seat. The girl is huge. She's in the 95% for weight (so, I think that means out of 100 babies, only 5 weigh more than her at her age), and clocks in at 21 pounds. Greg is claiming an increase in arm muscle mass. I am complaining about a sore lower back. But she's cute, so it all works out in the end.
This reminds me of something that happened a few weeks ago and I think about it all the time. I was in the park with my friends Amber and Susannah, with our kids, Ruby and Zoey, and of course Sadie. We are in Mill Valley enjoying the swings. I've got Sadie on my lap. This little boy, I guess around 7 comes up to me and says, 'That's one big baby'. And I say, 'Yeah, she's pretty big'. And he says, 'What's that big baby's name?' and I say, 'Sadie'. And then he says again, 'That's one big baby' and walks off. Hhmmm....Pretty funny I think, but then I start to wonder, is my baby too big? And then like five minutes later he comes towards me again with a small wallet size photo in his hand of a very fat baby. 'This is me', he says, and then I get it. The kid was huge and now he notices big babies all the time. His dad is behind him, grinning at me, maybe he noticed that his son's comments did that thing that comments can do to a mom. Of course a comment from a kid has to be taken with a grain of salt. But the comment I can do without, which is always from adults, is about Sadie's eyes. The girl has sleepy eyes. Even when she is wide awake and kicking with more energy than Frida at dusk when she hasn't had a walk, she's got sleepy eyes. We even went to the doctor about this because without fail, no matter where I went, someone would comment on Sadie's eyes. I started to think there was something wrong that I couldn't see. The comments ranged from, Oh she's so tired, to, Oh did she just wake up?, or, She needs a little nap. Having a kid is really like letting your heart walk outside your body all the time. You are just so vulnerable to everything. I've learned to just say, 'No, that's just the way she looks', which pretty much shuts people up. I really don't care that much. Sadie makes my heart skip beats because she is so beautiful. But why can't people just say, 'Cute baby' and leave it at that?
Love,
Rosalie

7 comments:

Dianne said...

Why indeed? Sadie is beautiful!! Do not listen to one other remark. That child is an angel straight from heaven, a perfect blessing. Just beautiful!!!!!!

Megan said...

"letting your heart walk outside your body all the time" such perfect words.

amber {daisy chain} said...

everyone's got a comment, don't they? love the new carseat!

Unknown said...

People love babies and want some baby energy so the don't hold there tongue when they should. They want to tell you about their baby and they want to hold your's. They feel like they can say anything because they also have had babies or knows someone that has. They are trying to connect. It's human nature. People are stupid!

chicken said...

CUTE BABY!

brainella said...

I'm a lurker on your blog, but I just have to say THAT BABY IS SO CUTE! Seriously, you fall in love just looking.

Kimberly said...

Sadie is adorable and I am inspired by your amazing journey. The new car seat is awfully cute too but I wasn't sure if you know that the chest clip needs to be up at Sadie's arm pit level. If it was there before and just lowered for the photos, just ignore. But if the chest clip is that low when in use, the seat won't work and Sadie could be ejected or hurt by the chest clip itself. The straps are too loose too. Hope this is helpful, I have too many friends who are car seat techs and notice how many folks aren't using them correctly. Thanks for sharing your experiences and Sadie.