Out and About with Barney

We've managed a few outings so far with Barney and Beth. On our first excursion it took us nearly two hours to get out of the house from when we first talked about getting ready to go. And that wasn't just because I phaff around a lot. When it's Tom and I we have Beth in the stroller and Tom carries Barney in our baby bjorn frontpack. That's pretty straightforward and easy since Barney's so little right now. I ventured over to a friends by myself a few days ago and managed to get Beth and Barney in and out of the car without either being run over or dropped on their head. It was ok but will be quite a juggle on daycare days and shopping trips etc. So far we haven't needed to use the double stroller (it's almost as wide as it is long!). I think I've forgotten how to unfold and then fold it up again so better sort that out before it's needed. It's ridiculous how much paraphenalia you need with two kids really. It makes staying at home seem very attractive as it's exhausting just thinking about getting organised to go out.

Tom and I took Barney to his first movie today whilst big sis was at daycare. We saw the Bourne Ultimatum - thoroughly enjoyed it. The cinema we use has crying rooms which are usually empty apart from us (as was the case today). So it's like having your own private screening room and it doesn't matter if you want to chat while the movies going. Barney fed for the first hour or so of the movie and then slept for the rest. The tricky part was trying to start his feed in the pitch black. We ended up using the backlight of my mobile phone to see when his mouth was open to attach him. I probably should have waited a bit longer for breastfeeding to be more established before attempting this but it all worked out fine.

Barney's sleeping, feeding and settling really well. We're giving him tummy time after most feeds and he already has really good head strength. In the early days of breastfeeding you get to gaze for long periods at your child's profile as they feed. I could almost draw the shape of Barney's ear for you and I start to make pictures out of the curves in his ear. I always see either a cat or dwarf with an oversized beanie on. Barney on the other hand is always looking straight ahead at goodness knows what. I sometimes wonder if I startle him when I move my hand quickly toward my breast as I can't tell how clearly he can focus and what he can make out. We have some intense staring sessions now when I try to smile at him and have a little friendly talk. He's not up to responding as yet but he sort of moves his mouth in a way that I've decided is friendly too. Bless him.