Boyz in the House, Part 1

Steven was the first grandchild on both sides of our family, so he was well-supported by doting aunts, uncles, and grandparents. A note here about his name. We chose three names in case we didn't have another boy; we liked all of the names so much that we didn't want to leave one out. His first name, Steven, is my dad's first name. Taimur is the name of Chris' college friend, Taimur Baig (remember him from Meeting Mr. Right?), and Ray is the middle name of both Chris and his father. Rowland, naturally, is his last name -- we thought that it would be convenient if he had the same one we did.

Steven was 10 pounds and 1 ounce when he was born, and was 22 inches long. I guess because he was two and a half weeks overdue, he looked like a giant compared to other babies. In fact, not once did any of the nurses in the hospital comment on his looks, unless it was to note that he had blond hair, as if I had any control over that. Instead, the first thing I would hear was "Wow! What a big baby!" I finally began replying, "I know! I was there!"

Apparently he was more mature in other things besides size. By a week (yes, one week) after we had brought him home, he was nursing almost every single hour. I was sore, I was tired, and I couldn't figure out what was going on. My mother-in-law had been suggesting that I try giving him some cereal, but I was resistant; after all, everything says to wait four weeks, because the baby won't be ready for it yet.

Even when he wasn't nursing, Steven could be demanding. He could alreay hold his head up if I laid him down on his stomach, but if I didn't change his position every five minutes or so, he would cry because he couldn't go anywhere -- even if I was laying right there with him, talking to him or playing with him, he would demand to be moved forward. There's nothing like watching your two or three-week old baby trying to scoot himself across the floor.

Finally, on New Year's Day, I had had enough. My mother-in-law sat me down in a chair and told me that she was going to give Steve some cereal, whether I liked it or not. I figured he would spit it out like they said he would do, and then I could get back to being completely miserable.

Wrong!! He gulped the first bite and tried to grab the spoon. He ended up eating about two tablespoons of cereal and that night slept all the way through. Chalk one up for Mom! He continued to nurse, but I also had to feed him cereal to keep him satisfied.

Once we got past that first month, Steven was really a pretty easy guy to live with. For the most part, he was self-directed. If I held him or played with him or read to him, fine, if I left the room, fine. That characteristic hasn't changed much. Steven is still a very self-directed person, and doesn't need a lot of attention.

Steven was also very obedient, as a rule. The downside to this is that there are one or two rules that he feels it is worth the punishment to break. Someday I hope he will turn this attitude into a willingness to stand up for his beliefs; I am just not sure that sitting on the table when he feels like it is a supportable belief system.

So we progressed, through a job change, a wedding (my sister), and a few other changes, but not otherwise experiencing much upheaval. In fall '97, Grace Hopkins, now Rothenbacher, a friend from Germany, came and lived with us for a few months while she looked for a job and a place of her own. That was a fun but different experience, as all of us tried to adjust to living with someone not in the family.