Leah tells me I’m impatient. And she doesn’t mean it as a compliment.
I guess I know she’s probably right. I actually think I’m pretty easygoing most of the time. My crime, it seems, is that I’m a forecaster. When I’m having a conversation with someone I know well, I can see where we both want to go, so I want to jump straight to that point without a lot of jibber jabber and polite talk. Why wait? It isn’t the definition of impatience, but it’s not such a good character trait; I come across as brusque or indifferent or short.
The only good thing about having a character flaw like this is that you know how it works and what it looks like, which means you have a better chance of nipping it in the bud if it starts to show up in your kid. Ava seems pretty even tempered so far, though she does have her moments. We’ve been chalking up her tantrums to a strong artistic / intellectual streak thus far (of course), but I suppose we’ll have that illusion shattered once she starts talking.
Oh, in case I forget to post this later, Ava did a funny thing this morning. At some point during the night, Leah brought her into bed with us to nurse. I was awakened this morning by a difficulty in breathing, like two little besocked feet were pressing against my windpipe and cutting off my air. I reached up to my throat and felt Ava’s tiny feet right under my chin. Her legs were crossed just above her ankles, and she had my Adam’s apple locked in a scissor hold. I told Leah later that it was like waking up in the middle of a low-budget karate movie. Maybe that little girl is trying to tell me something.