In which Helena finds her voice, Harper suggests a little natural family planning, and Hudson vacuums

Helena is extremely pleasant for approximately 23 hours a day. Mostly still just sleeping and eating and then, more sleeping. Around 5 days ago she decided that she needed to do a little crying. It is loud. So loud, in fact, that when she tried it out at 3:30 am she actually managed to summon a feral cat who crouched outside our bedroom window and joined Helena in her lament. When they get worked up, it's uncanny how much cat can sound like a baby. In fact I was so groggy I got a little confused and was concerned at one point that Helena was actually out in the shrubbery. A few other details I'll chronicle here in case this ends up becoming her baby book. So far she isn't crazy about the sling, the swing, the pacifier, the Miracle Blanket, or sleeping on her back. She likes being held, sleeping on her tummy, eating her hands, being swaddled NOT in the Miracle Blanket (I am not giving up on it because it cost $30--it looks like a baby straight jacket), and Daddy rubbing her back while she reclines in the Boppy.

Two days ago at breakfast, Harper said this: "If we took one baby away, we would only have two children in our family." She then cut her eyes to the right where her brother sat happily eating his oatmeal, oblivious that in this little equation, he had just been canceled out. I commended her on her math skills, but assured her that none of our babies were going anywhere. Then she segued into this:
Harper: Mommy, WHAT is making you have a baby so much?
me: (panic, panic, is she asking what I think she is asking??! I won't answer her and she will forget the question!)
Harper: (not bothered at all by my silent panic, eyeing my English muffin with Great Suspicion) You need to stop eating so much. So you will STOP having so many babies.

And we moved on.