Christmas (Part 2)

We're back! The Iowa leg of the trip was just as fun as the Minnesota leg, except that it entailed more driving, which made Finn angry (happy and in the car so rarely coincide that when it does, we take a picture). We got to see lots of friends and family, even if we didn't get to see everyone we wanted to. And we took pictures! Finn was even better on the plane ride back west than he was on the flight east. He spent lots of time sleeping, and some lying on his back on our laps kicking his legs and flailing his arms, which we've discovered is his current favorite activity when he's in a good mood.
We got back on New Years Eve and spent the night at home, drinking champagne and watching movies. Finn went to bed nice and early after his long day, and we were asleep by 11:15. It's the first time in years that I haven't been awake as the year changed, but we were exhausted. And besides, it was 2008 in Iowa, where we woke up, so that counts for something, right?
Speaking of time zones, Finn woke up bright and early the next morning - 8 am Central time, but only 6 am Pacific. I sent Jonathan back to bed and was pacing the living room trying to figure out why he wouldn't stop crying, and then figured out the time zone thing. See, he sleeps much better swaddled, but if he's not sleepy, it just makes him mad, especially if he wants to practice the above-mentioned flailing and kicking. So I unwrapped him and laid him flat on his back, and he was happy as could be for an hour or two. He also seems to know he has arms now - not fingers to grab things with, necessarily, but arms to swipe with, and he immediately began trying to swipe at the parrot that hangs over his mat that he'd been eyeing before Christmas. Sometimes he hits it. A few of those times are on purpose. Very fun to watch. Here he is planning his attack on the parrot:

And now a (kind of) brief, mostly unrelated, rant: if you ever pass by parents with a screaming baby, PLEASE do not say "he's hungry!" Umm, no, actually, he just ate. Every time we go out somewhere and Finn starts to cry, someone does this. To me, this means a) I'm a moron, and don't know that my own child is hungry or b) I'm cruel and refusing to feed my hungry baby. God forbid I was among the many mothers who had trouble breastfeeding and already had baby-feeding-related guilt. When we went through security at the airport, the guy behind us actually offered "you've got to feed him!" as if someone had just handed us this critter and we didn't realize that eating was one of its needs. I mean, honestly, look at our boy and his chins - do you really think we haven't figured out the feeding thing? That's what I was tempted to say. Apparently Jonathan wanted to say "hey, let's strap you into a car seat for four hours and see how you like it," which I like even better. I realize he thought he was being funny, but to parents with a new baby who are probably already a little stressed, it's not a very good joke.
Anyway, if you feel you must make a comment to complete strangers about their crying baby, stick to positive or neutral comments like "how cute" or "man, it's rough being a baby." Please. For me.