the "I jus-hafta"s

I have come to realize that as soon as we came home from the hospital my husband and I also gave birth to a whole new world of language. Here we were with this beautiful bundle of joy, brand new to the world, and while we should have been focused on bringing our smart cards to the table we were acting as though we just failed kindergarten.

Oohs too cuutes?? Youuus too cuuutes!! Oohs does pee?? Ooh dizz sweets!

Just a glimpse of the ridiculousness. Which is to be expected, I mean, I know there aren't many new parents who are reading their four day old baby The Wall Street Journal. I think allowing yourself to be silly is partly what makes a good parent a GREAT parent.

All goo-goo and raspberries aside - I did pick up on one pretty interesting oddity that occurred shortly after the baby was yanked from my uterus. I noticed that my husband and I began to quite frequently use the phrase, "I jus-hafta". The phrase is most often uttered to the spouse having "free-play" while the utterer is holding/watching the baby.

Examples:
"I jus-hafta shave and brush my teeth"

"I jus-hafta go on the computer and check something real quick" {Sidenote: I LOVE "real quick" simply because it feels like you're inconveniencing the other person a bit LESS if they believe you will be SO FAST - a la Napoleon Dynamite: "Can I try really quick?" in the infamous bicycle scene}

"I jus-hafta finish doing these dishes and call my mom"
"I jus-hafta run downstairs and do my workout"
"I jus-hafta wash my face and file my nails"
"I jus-hafta take my vitamins and vacuum the living room"
"I jus-hafta finish burning the photos"

You get the idea. And yes, some are more elaborate than others - usually I am the dramatic one. I will sometimes add five things to the list. I didn't really notice Gregg doing this until recently but I always felt guilty as the words would leave my mouth. Seemed as though I was trying to get away with something when really I was just rushing off to a chore or task. It's not like either of us say "I jus-hafta go lay in bed and watch three hours of Boardwalk Empire while eating cotton candy." I should mention that neither of us feel as though playing with our daughter is something we'd like to be rescued from. I savor every second I have with her - BUT there are times when everybody needs a tag-in. Hence, the "I hafta"s.