Saturday Night
Daniel, Zoe and I just got home from a party one of his co-workers from Nigeria had at his home. It was a particularly special occasion because it was his birthday, he was showing everyone his new home and he announced his engagement to a woman currently living in Nigeria who will join him here in the States after they are married.
I think one of my favorite things about Daniel's job is the opportunities it's given us to meet so many interesting people from different countries and gaining exposure to their cultures. Sometimes people joke that I must be tired of hearing about his work (which I never talk about on my blog because I hear that's a bad idea) but the truth is, I'm very interested in it and have enjoyed all the people I've met through his job. It's been particularly cool in the past year because many of his coworkers became new parents like us in the last year or so.
Anyway, my entire little family had a lovely time tonight at the party - especially Zoe, who had all the women and most of the men at the party going ga-ga over her. She was held by multiple women who fed her bottles, rubbed her tummy and entertained her while I sat nearby watching, but pretty much doing nothing. She did not even flinch when people would reach for her to hold and we willingly let them take her because it's important to us that she be social. We make sure to stay within eye contact, but like to give her space so she can explore and meet new people.
Zoe is actually quite the social butterfly and I've noticed that since having her I've become more interactive with people than before. Having a daughter has opened us up to complete strangers coming up to us, complimenting her and giving us advice. And it's true that children create a universal bond that we now share with parents everywhere. When there is a lag in conversation we can talk about "how fast they grow" or "how much they sleep" and it's like we've been friends forever, like we understand what each of us goes through as new parents. I think being a parent is like a culture too.
I think one of my favorite things about Daniel's job is the opportunities it's given us to meet so many interesting people from different countries and gaining exposure to their cultures. Sometimes people joke that I must be tired of hearing about his work (which I never talk about on my blog because I hear that's a bad idea) but the truth is, I'm very interested in it and have enjoyed all the people I've met through his job. It's been particularly cool in the past year because many of his coworkers became new parents like us in the last year or so.
Anyway, my entire little family had a lovely time tonight at the party - especially Zoe, who had all the women and most of the men at the party going ga-ga over her. She was held by multiple women who fed her bottles, rubbed her tummy and entertained her while I sat nearby watching, but pretty much doing nothing. She did not even flinch when people would reach for her to hold and we willingly let them take her because it's important to us that she be social. We make sure to stay within eye contact, but like to give her space so she can explore and meet new people.
Zoe is actually quite the social butterfly and I've noticed that since having her I've become more interactive with people than before. Having a daughter has opened us up to complete strangers coming up to us, complimenting her and giving us advice. And it's true that children create a universal bond that we now share with parents everywhere. When there is a lag in conversation we can talk about "how fast they grow" or "how much they sleep" and it's like we've been friends forever, like we understand what each of us goes through as new parents. I think being a parent is like a culture too.
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