Who doesn’t love a good game at a party or gathering? They’re fun, entertaining, and get everyone laughing. The game we played at my aunt’s house for Chinese New Year was hot potato. The “hot potato” in this case was Caitlyn.
She was passed from person to person to see who could hold her the longest without crying. No one wanted a crying baby on their hands. In the end, the loser was the wife, who ended up with the hot potato for the length of our stay because no one else could manage to cool the crying potato.
This has been an ongoing problem that we’re still trying to fix. At first, I thought Caitlyn was getting better because she was beginning to let Jessie’s family members, and sometimes friends and random strangers, hold her for longer periods of time. But yesterday reminded me of how far we still have to go.
Even after spending four days with Caitlyn, my parents are still having difficulty holding her. Though she won’t admit it, the wife is indirectly the problem. As long as she’s around, Caitlyn will always want to be held by her.
Take the wife out of the equation and all is well. Out of sight, out of mind. I’ve been telling her for months now, but either she doesn’t believe that the baby can be so easily managed when she’s gone or she feels like I just don’t want her around.
I finally convinced her to do a bit of shopping with my mom this afternoon so my dad could hopefully spend some more time with his granddaughter. If my parents are ever to really hold her, this would be the quickest way.
The wife departed with my mom while Caitlyn was napping, and after she woke up, my dad and I took her for a stroll by the river, which is right next to our house. He was able to hold her all the way there and back by himself without my assistance. 15 minutes in all.
And when we came back, we played together on her play mat for a while longer until it was time for Caitlyn to take another nap. All this was done in a completely relaxed and enjoyable environment. There was no whining or crying for Mommy.
When the wife came back later, she asked how things went, and I replied back that it went down the way it always goes down when she’s not around. Of course, she didn’t believe me and went to ask my dad, who stated what I’ve been saying all along. That Caitlyn did perfectly well without Mommy around. Boo-yah! In your face, woman!
If the wife is serious about detaching Caitlyn from her, this is the way to do it. It’s a win-win situation for everybody. She gets a couple of stress-free hours to herself, I get a couple of nag-free hours, and Caitlyn becomes a lot more well-balanced.
She was passed from person to person to see who could hold her the longest without crying. No one wanted a crying baby on their hands. In the end, the loser was the wife, who ended up with the hot potato for the length of our stay because no one else could manage to cool the crying potato.
This has been an ongoing problem that we’re still trying to fix. At first, I thought Caitlyn was getting better because she was beginning to let Jessie’s family members, and sometimes friends and random strangers, hold her for longer periods of time. But yesterday reminded me of how far we still have to go.
Even after spending four days with Caitlyn, my parents are still having difficulty holding her. Though she won’t admit it, the wife is indirectly the problem. As long as she’s around, Caitlyn will always want to be held by her.
Take the wife out of the equation and all is well. Out of sight, out of mind. I’ve been telling her for months now, but either she doesn’t believe that the baby can be so easily managed when she’s gone or she feels like I just don’t want her around.
I finally convinced her to do a bit of shopping with my mom this afternoon so my dad could hopefully spend some more time with his granddaughter. If my parents are ever to really hold her, this would be the quickest way.
The wife departed with my mom while Caitlyn was napping, and after she woke up, my dad and I took her for a stroll by the river, which is right next to our house. He was able to hold her all the way there and back by himself without my assistance. 15 minutes in all.
And when we came back, we played together on her play mat for a while longer until it was time for Caitlyn to take another nap. All this was done in a completely relaxed and enjoyable environment. There was no whining or crying for Mommy.
When the wife came back later, she asked how things went, and I replied back that it went down the way it always goes down when she’s not around. Of course, she didn’t believe me and went to ask my dad, who stated what I’ve been saying all along. That Caitlyn did perfectly well without Mommy around. Boo-yah! In your face, woman!
If the wife is serious about detaching Caitlyn from her, this is the way to do it. It’s a win-win situation for everybody. She gets a couple of stress-free hours to herself, I get a couple of nag-free hours, and Caitlyn becomes a lot more well-balanced.
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| Sucking on an apple |
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| Happily playing with grandparents |
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| Can I play with you? |
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| Yay! You're letting me hold you! |
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| You're not crying?! |
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| That's as big of a smile as you'll get from Grandpa |
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| Why so serious, Grandpa? |
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| No tears yet! |
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| Who needs Mommy! |
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| Playtime continues |
