Bobby!

He’s just babbling nonsense like, "eo eo iuiiii iuiii ao aoo."
The other day, I swear I thought he said "Mom," so if we're counting that as a milestone...🤷

We're heading out the day after tomorrow to visit my in-laws. Mentally preparing myself now—and honestly, Hans is even more stressed than I am.

It isn't official until Josh says it is. Is Hans actually scared of his own parents?🤔

It’s not about being afraid; we just don't want the baby getting stressed out. If Hans's dad starts making a scene and gets drunk, we're heading straight home. We'll see how it goes...

Grace Anderson3 said:It’s not about being scared, we just don't want the baby dealing with all that stress. If his dad starts acting out or gets drunk, we're heading straight home. We'll see...

Auf. Good luck 🙂 🙂

Thanks. 😘

Man, look at old Hans, just knocking them back

Unfortunately, yeah.

Grace Anderson3 said:It’s not fear, we just don't want the baby stressed out. If Hans's father starts acting up and gets drunk, we're heading straight home. We'll see...

Look, you have to remember that you can leave whenever you want. Keeping that mindset helps you get through it. Alcoholism is just a nightmare. 🙂

The other day they let me hold this tiny baby, maybe a month old. I was terrified 😁 Little witch wouldn't stop crying and wouldn't sleep, then she finally drifted off in my arms and they were all like, "You should help us out once in a while..." Yeah, right. 🙂

Hehe... I totally get that anxiety. She’s still so tiny, and at that age, their little heads aren't really stable yet, so you definitely have to be careful. 🙂You should have seen how Hans used to carry Bebot in the beginning; he held him like he was carrying a live bomb.
But you were such a calming presence for the baby 😉 and in that moment, you saved her parents an hour or two of pure stress.

Hang in there, Grace Anderson3. 🙂

Maybe his dad will actually behave himself once he realizes you guys are heading over.

Well, I'm hoping so too... He's getting a grandchild first.

Honestly, my best advice is to prepare for the worst so you don't end up disappointed. This is especially true if it's something that happens to you frequently. If things turn out better than expected, that’s a huge win, but if they don't, at least you can just pack up and head back to your peaceful routine 🙂 I'm really crossing my fingers that everything works out for the best, though 🙂

That’s how we set things up on our end. Everything else is up to them.

It’s pretty obvious Hans hasn't spent much time on the court. Personally, I used to be able to toss a basketball through the air with much more precision than that.

Grace Anderson3 said:That’s just how we set things up. Everything else is on them.

It'll all work out fine. They didn't have a grandkid before. Once they see Baby, any drinking the grandpa was doing will pretty much evaporate.🍿

Grace Anderson3 said:Heh. I get the anxiety. They're still so tiny at that age, their little heads aren't steady yet, so you have to be careful. 🙂 You should've seen how Hans used to carry Bebot in the beginning—it was like he was holding a live bomb.
But you were such a calming presence for that Baby 😉 and honestly, you saved those parents an hour or two of stress.

If we’re being totally honest, 😬 that crying and screaming drives me crazy. It's not even the first time I've grabbed a friend's kid just because sitting there listening to them wail was unbearable. All the other Babies fell asleep eventually. 😁
Some people had this theory like, "Oh, the baby will just learn to fall asleep on its own after crying for a bit." 🐔 Sounds pretty harsh to me. The Baby was perfectly happy snuggling against me, and now suddenly everyone's like, "Oh no, they got used to being held, poor things, now we'll have to carry them forever..." babies aren't stupid. And who wouldn't want to hold them when they smell that good? 🙂

Grace Sanders24 said:Honestly, everything is going to be just fine. They haven't had a grandkid before. Once they lay eyes on Baby, any alcohol that grandpa was planning on drinking will evaporate instantly.🍿

If you ask me, Hans is probably going to drink himself silly just out of pure joy over having a grandchild.

Michelle Bennett14 said:If we’re being brutally honest, 😬 that constant crying and screaming drives me absolutely insane. It isn't even my first time—I've had plenty of friends where I ended up just taking their kid to hold because sitting there listening to that noise was pure torture. Eventually, all the Babies fell asleep. 😁

Some people have this grand theory like, "Oh, the Baby will just fall asleep on its own once they finish their little tantrum." 🐔 To me, that sounds incredibly cold-hearted. The Baby was perfectly happy snuggling against me, and then suddenly, everyone's like, "Oh no, they felt the warmth of being held, now we're stuck carrying them..." and who knows how long that lasts? A year? Babies aren't stupid. And honestly, who wouldn't want to carry them when they smell that good? 🙂

It looks like it's time for you to start having some Babies; that maternal instinct is clearly kicking in.

Michelle Bennett14 said:If we’re being completely honest 😬 the crying and screaming just gets to me. This isn't even the first time I've stepped in to hold a friend's child because sitting there while they scream was simply unbearable. And in those cases, the Baby eventually fell asleep. 😁
Some people cling to this theory—that the Baby will just learn to self-soothe after a little crying. 🐔 To me, that feels somewhat harsh; the Baby was perfectly content snuggling against me, and then suddenly—poof—they realize they were being held, and now we're stuck thinking, "Oh no, poor thing, we have to carry them..." which could last for months, honestly. Babies aren't irrational. And who wouldn't want to hold them when they smell that good? 🙂

You shouldn't let babies cry it out; psychologically speaking, it's detrimental to leave them feeling abandoned.
During those first six months, kids don't even perceive themselves as separate individuals—they view themselves as an extension of their mother.
It really shouldn't be done. 🙂

I hope you all have an absolutely incredible New Year.

Meeting up with the new grandparents went fine, I guess. We just tuned out some of Grandpa's comments, so it wasn't too bad.
But on the drive home? Total disaster. We missed our exit and ended up stuck in a massive traffic jam just five minutes from the house. The line of cars looked endless. Minutes were ticking by, and luckily, Baby was still asleep. Then a police cruiser tries to weave through the gridlock, the lights flash, and suddenly Baby wakes up. He starts wailing. I tried giving him a bottle, but it didn't help at all—he just kept crying. The traffic wasn't moving an inch. Hans had to pull the car onto the grass, so I’m standing there trying to unbuckle Baby from his car seat and nurse him at the same time. Finally, the cars start crawling again, and of course, everyone is honking at us through their windows because we're standing on the shoulder. 🙂