I was planning to do today’s HMF post about an item from someone other than Kate, since I talked about her last time, but most of the other hand-made items that are currently in use by our 7-week-old are in the laundry, so here’s Violet’s hand-knit bassinet blanket. It’s the perfect size and weight for a second layer atop the swaddle-blanket. Vi sleeps underneath it every night.

Speaking of sleep, it’s Friday, and in a description coined by my college roommate Emily, Stevel and I are experiencing “The Friday Factor.” This is the condition so many of us find ourselves in on Friday afternoon/evening, when the weekend officially begins, and you want to chill and do fun things, like go out or watch a movie, but the week catches up, and you can only feel sleepy and crawl toward bed for an early night instead. Stevel came home early and is napping. I’ve been tired all day, but it turns out Vibble’s Friday Factor involves a lot of sleeping … but only in my arms. Put her down, and I have maybe ten minutes before she “lets me know” it’s time for more arm sleeping. Here she is temporarily giving in to being put down. In this photo, she is also giving in to the swaddle. Most often, she manages to bust out and stick her arms up or out or sometimes fold them up next to her ears.

Incidentally, all of these photos are from today. That first outfit? Victim of an early morning Poo-splosion. Along with my PJs and the nursing pillow. Up to now, I hadn’t found a way to remove baby poop stains. But I was recently introduced to a product called Zote (I assume it’s pronounced “Zo-tay”), which is cheap and works like magic and can also be used as catfish bait, according to the Internet, which never lies.

Back to the Friday Factor. Because I’ve spent a good 90 percent of this day with a kid in my arms, I’ve watched a lot of TV. Here are some observations:

[1]

A woman I knew in college—actually, we had a class together and worked on a project together—was on FreeStyle. I know it was her, because I recognized her characteristic grin and unusual first name. Her living room looks much better now.

[2]

Two different commercials feature the music from the hymn “Father Father, We Adore Thee,” which I’m pretty sure (and the Internet backs me up on this) originates with the hymn; in other words, it’s not like I remember a hymn that borrowed music from some non-religious song. Anyway, one of them is the Lowe’s garden commercial, which has just the tune. The other one is Manwich, which features pretty much the same lyrics, except it’s Manwich that is adored, rather than the song’s original exaltee. I don’t feel necessarily political about this or anything, but for some reason it makes me squish up my face and go, “Whu?” It just seems … off.

[3]

I can’t stop thinking about Manwich. It’s such a weird food. Loose meat in sauce in a can, and you’re supposed to just eat it, just like that. Is it just me, or does that sound a lot like the definition of dog food?