21

Before we begin, let me say: this post is a shameless attempt to avoid writing thank you notes for baby swag. If I could legitimately cover the gratitudinal bases with a blog shout-out ("Hello, Cincinnati! How y'all doin tonight? Thank you so much for the pacifier!"), rest assured I would. Instead, we're camped at the dining room table with thank-you-note shrapnel scattered everywhere. I am demoralized, pathetic, and resorting to time-(dis)honored procrastination techniques. Enough with the unbridled generosity, people. Sheesh.

Finn is 21 days old today. In dog years, that's 3 days; in parent years, it's a lifetime. Before you know it we'll be referring to his age in units of MONTHS. He's managed to survive our parenting so far, with the only obvious ill effect a case of crusty eyes.

To celebrate the 3-week occasion, we hauled the boy to IKEA, which was strangely, almost preternaturally calm considering that we're in the thick of holiday madness and all. I wore his sleepy self strapped to my midsection hidden away in his sling, his little light bushelled for the protection of unsuspecting, innocent IKEA shoppers who would surely be stunned into melty helplessness by the merest glimpse of his fabulousness and rendered incapable of completing their purchases and promptly returning home to waiting families in Eagan, Fridley, or St. Bonifacius. Holiday disaster thus averted, harmonious family lives assured. We snacked in the restaurant, lingered among the dining sets, browsed picture frames---he slept though it all. We were in housewares; he was unawares. Back at home, we wrapped up anniversary festivities by baking a huge Boppy-shaped cupcake with lime-green frosting and tasty Finn topping.

Note the beautiful lacy blanket under which he's nestled---a gift from V's abuelita. That's software we won't be keeping under a bushel. The mechanics of such thready things elude me---can someone out there with sharp eyes and expertise in tatting vs. crocheting tell us which end is up? Between this blanket and some other works of art we've received, we're tempted to host the first annual Schwillig Tat-Off, a thread-to-thread knitting arts competition attracting the nimblest fingers and quickest needles in the land.