I finally got to talk to Laura and Jorge today. Laura is sounding great -- in fact, I think she's almost a terrifyingly active and energetic as our mother. Maybe it kicks in at childbirth.

Andres is, of course, perfect -- he doesn't cry, he just coos. I'm guessing that will change. The birth was relatively .. well, not painless, obviously, but not hideous. I do think it's incredibly cruel to have a birthing center on the second floor or a walk-up . I don't know what they were thinking. She was thrilled with the way they treated her, though, and says she recommends birth centers to all and sundry. I don't think they're legal here. Hmmm.

We had the following conversation:

Me: I heard he scored high on the test thingy...
Laura: Yeah, APGAR. He got a nine.
Me: Cool.
Laura: That's one less than you.
Me: What? I got a 10? I was just the perfect baby, wasn't I?
Laura: Yeah, well, I guess they didn't test your hand-eye coordination.
Me: Hey!
Laura: [chortle, as both Jorge and Andres give her a high-five for the "burrrrrrrrrn".]
Me: Actually, I probably had perfect hand-eye coordination for a newborn. It just hasn't developed at all since then.

APGAR, for anyone who cares, is a score give minutes after birth that measures the health of the baby. It stands for Activity (i.e., are you moving), Pulse, Grimace (Reflex Irritability), Appearance (are you blue) and Respiration.

Look at that list again -- I scored a perfect 10 on Grimace/Reflex Irritability. That's one trait I've kept, I guess.