Babies, The Flick

Having babies on the mind these days, we watched the Netflix streamer 'Babies' last night. It is a short documentary, highly recommended, that tracks some moments in the lives of four babies as they progress through their first year. Two live close to nature in Namibia and Mongolia, and two lead high tech baby lives in Tokyo and San Francisco. Of course, the conceit is how similar the babies are in spite of their obviously very different life styles. They all reach their crowning achievement, the ability to stand up and walk by themselves.

We noticed a couple of useful props. The SF baby was thoroughly enjoying a jumping seat suspended in a doorway. Debby recalls it was called a 'Jolly Jumper' back in our day, and I recall O and B spending blissful hours in one bouncing off the door jambs. Also, the Tokyo baby used a Bumbo seat. Debby and I had never seen one until B&J sent us a picture of Sasha in one.

New Baby Trips: The Sequel

Debby and I are now at our separate vacations stage. New granddaughters in CA and PA drew us apart for five days.

I visited Barry and Kelly in their new home and got to meet Lilah for the second time.

Barry and Kelly put me up in their spare room and put a Hershey's chocolate treat on my pillow (they live near the Hershey plant). We also visited with Kelly's parents, who have temporarily relocated to the area to be near. Their presence means a lot to Barry and Kelly, faced with the new dynamics of a first baby, new jobs, new house, new community.

Debby traveled with Dori to visit Ben and Zhanna and got to see Sasha for the second time (Dori's first time).

Debby and Dori shared the bouch (bed/couch) in the loft. Debby also visited David and Ruth, Paul and Arlene, and Kathy, her office manager and help-mate at Olive school, since retired also. Happy Birthday, Kathy.

Debby gained a pound; Ben made a fillet mignon with butter/mushroom/shallot sauce and roasted potatoes, then made a chocolate chip banana bread to accompany a scrambled eggs and bacon breakfast. I seem to have bested Debby in the weight gain category; I have less self-restraint. Kelly impressed with her culinary skills, making two apple crisps, crepes and waffles for two breakfasts with lots of bacon and sausage; she also bought some yummy cupcakes for us. Her whipped cauliflower, a mashed potato substitute, was delicious with the roast pork loin they served the first night. Barry prepared a secret sauce for the meat that was wonderful. I have no idea the ingredients, but I did see an entire jar of marmalade disappear into it.

I pitched in, in my limited capacity, making the BBQ fire, peeling and slicing apples, washing some dishes, and most importantly, entertaining Lilah. That was easy, given my natural clown tendencies.

I received a guided tour of Barry's new college from Kelly and sat in on Barry's smallest class, where he has only eight students. He has motivated them well. I also got a tour of the surrounding areas, visiting Kelly's favorite town nearby for a chocolate festival. The area is rural, corn and soybean fields dotted with barns and silos, with small villages dating to the 1760s scattered randomly along the local pikes. New housing consists largely of multi-family condo-type units gradually encroaching into the cornfields from the edges of the villages.

Debby and I are now both undergoing withdrawal. Our children are marvelous hosts; we miss the pampering. Debby looks at pictures of Sasha and begins to talk to her in cooing, gurgling tones. I view a picture of Lilah and suddenly can clearly smell her new baby scent. Uncanny. Bonding happens. Nature is great.