Photo Emergencies

For about three weeks, my Nikon camera battery has been MIA. I just assumed it was misplaced or stashed in a special spot (that I'd certainly never forget). I assured myself that I'd find it once we started packing and organizing, but I really did it this time. I'm pretty sure it's lost for good. So, last week, I ordered a new battery charger online and it arrived yesterday afternoon. 

As a result of the charger being gone, I haven't taken as many photos as I usually would, hoping to extend the battery's life for real photo "emergencies." The battery finally gave out when I was taking a video of J and Little playing "forts." I'm sad I missed out, it was really cute, but I know there will be many more opportunities, as Miles loves nothing more than playing forts. 

Well, except for eating Pirate's Booty for breakfast, sans pants, while watching soccer with his dad. Last weekend, we were having a rough morning -- Little woke up way too early, was hungry and cranky, but refused to eat anything. He also decided that his pants had to go. Who am I to judge? So, J found a soccer game on TV and a happy morning was born. Little ate his weight in Pirate's Booty and went on to enjoy a more healthy breakfast. A true photo emergency if I've ever seen one.

Chicago Trip

Little and I had a wonderful trip to Chicago last weekend to visit my good friend, Lauren, and her husband, Ken. We escaped the oppressive 95º+ heat in Portland and the music festival bender that consumed the weekend for Jesse and our good friend, Tyson. I was pretty nervous about the 4 hour flight to Chicago, but Little (all things considered) was a pretty good traveler. I won't go so far as to say I had a great time on the plane (who does, really), but it could have been worse. Way worse. 

It was wonderful to visit with Lauren, since I haven't seen her since Little was just a few weeks old. She and Ken purchased a wonderful old house in Evanston and we fully utilized the screened in porch for breakfast and dinners, as well as the back yard for happy hour bloody mary's. Mr. M loved the stairs and terrorized their two cats, Simon and Louisa, every waking moment. His growls of "kittay kittay kittay!" could be heard all over the house as he tried (in vain) to get his mitts on one of the cats as they scurried around trying to escape. 

We took an afternoon drive over to Wagner Farm, just a few minutes from Evanston, where he ran around looking at pigs, cows, and giant farm equipment. I'd like to say that the animals were the object of his affection, but it was the blue tractor that gained his love. He was incredibly excited about the giant wheels and spent quite a bit of time inspecting the rims and tires. 

We also took a walk over to Lake Michigan and spent a lovely Sunday afternoon watching the waves lap onto the beach. Tons of kids and parents were playing and swimming in frigid water -- I know this because I only allowed my big toe to get wet. Little was a little unsure about the sand between his toes and refused to leave the beach blanket. I could tell it was a tough decision for him, because the lure of kids and beach toys would otherwise be too much temptation to resist. He happily barked orders from the safety of the green sheet and finally lost patience even for that. We put him in the stroller, brushed off his feet, and he happily cooed and dozed until we were ready to head home. 


I arrived in Portland Monday evening exhausted, but happy. It was a great trip and I'm so glad I decided to visit. 

Birthday Boy

I had grand plans for Miles' birthday. I was going to bake a cake and there were going to be memorable decorations to remember the big milestone. Then, we were hit with an August heatwave that I (smugly) talked about avoiding the week before. I was also hit with ton of work in preparation for a new lecture season. Even with a ton of help from my mom, some days Miles is a tornado that whips and whirls around the apartment on a seek and destroy mission. So, instead of cute homemade decorations (in typical Brasilliant style), Miles got a pretty sad Happy Birthday banner from Fred Meyer and a store-bought cake. 

One thing that I did not compromise on was my desire to have his first cake at least be a tasty one. While the banner was not what I had imagined for his first birthday, the cake was worlds better than I would have ever made. It was no larger than a cupcake, but was one of the tastiest non-chocolate cakes that I've had in a while (or maybe ever). Miles' birthday treat was white cake with a triple berry cream and a delicious blueberry or huckleberry core. The outside was rolled in delicious white chocolate and topped with more of the delicious filling. I had some reservations about getting him a pretty feminine looking cake, but my mom reassured me at Zupans (the specialty market that sold the cakes) that he'd probably turn out well adjusted despite the frilly wrapper and cotton candy colored frosting. Besides, who doesn't love berries?

That afternoon, following some present opening and a nap, we sang happy birthday and brought over the cake. Miles was pretty excited when we put it on his tray, but he wasn't quite sure what to make of his cake padded fingers after a while. He gave the cake a few tastes, but it was pretty different than anything he had before. The sweetness made him shudder. After a while the tray was smeared with icing and filling and he flapped his little arms to say he was finished. We got in a few photos before he really insisted on being released from the high chair. Jesse and I grabbed a fork and enjoyed a few bits of tastiness discarded on his tray. 

Miles was much more interested in helping Jesse take down his Fred Meyer decorations. I don't blame him, they were pretty pedestrian, but oh so shiny and intriguing to a one year old boy. Next year, dude, we'll go all out. Homemade cake AND decorations of your choice. Not that you'll remember anyway, but I will. 

Rough Mornings (and Afternoons)

As I've mentioned before, J usually takes Little for the first hour or so in the morning after he wakes up so I can get a little extra sleep. Yesterday morning though, 7:30am came rather early and I was pretty bummed to find a very fussy baby staring at me as I walked into the living room. The situation called for a trip outside for some fresh air and a way for us spend time together without Miles clinging to my body. I happily lugged the stroller downstairs and we set off to the Lovejoy Bakery. 

Little zoned out in the stroller and I reveled in the silence of our neighborhood at 8:00am. He ooohed when trucks would go by and I took the occasional break to poke my head around and say hello. Once we got to the bakery and I ordered breakfast, we parked ourselves at a cafe table that was just feet from the road (not an ideal location for most, but perfect for our purposes). Miles squealed with delight at the passing cars -- especially the streetcar -- and I read the Washington Post on my phone. We shared a cinnamon swirl muffin and washed it down with coffee (for me) and water for Little in his sippy cup. He'd point his finger at my plate and grunt, a form of communication that he uses a lot lately to signal MORE MORE MORE! He also flaps his arms around like a little bird to signal when OH MY GOD I'M FINISHED WHY ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO FEED ME?!

Anyway, back to the bakery. I'd hand him a bite, he would examine it in his fingers and stuff it in his mouth and give me a sweet little grin. I think he was unsure about the cinnamon at first, but then realized it was a baked good and, like his father, was helpless to its powers. Little polished off about half of the muffin and then chucked his last bite out of the stroller and flapped his arms. Finished, moving on. We stayed for a few more minutes so I could chug my cup of coffee and turned around to head home. Little somehow found a pacifier in his stroller and made his little sleepy sounds (like a car with a dead battery trying to start) all the way home. I crossed my fingers that he would not fall asleep in the stroller. Once home, I fed him, rocked him and he went down for a nap without a fuss. He was so tired, yet only slept for 40 minutes (smacks head in frustration). We made sure to administer a full dose of ibuprofen before his next nap (damn you teething)!

Today was a much better day. I actually got work done, thanks to my friend T, who so kindly offered to watch the dude for a few hours this afternoon. I know I complain a lot about teething and we have more than half to go before they're all in. Maybe I should buy stock in Advil. It's going to be a long haul.

Parents of the Year

It was a rough day. This week has been extra busy for both me and J. Little seems to have gotten over the rough patch that consumed the last two weeks, but has still been a lot of baby. We discovered that he's probably phasing out one of his regular three naps, which has thrown our schedules a bit off balance. Today though, we threw the schedule out the window (and Little's much needed second nap) and decided to go out and enjoy the warm summer weather. We were going to head down to the Oregon Brewer's Festival on the waterfront, but it was pretty warm in the sun and the idea of heading into crowd with Miles on edge was not in the cards. 

So, we hopped on the Max to Mississippi Avenue and picked up lunch at the food carts and a drink in the beer garden at Prost. There was a nice shady area with a corner bench to wrangle in the little dude, but also gave him the freedom to roam around. He had a blast throwing his truck into the planter around the perimeter and gently touching the flowers. As we sipped (okay gulped) our beer and blocked Little's many attempts to fling himself under the picnic table, for a split second I was reminded of our trip to Belgium and Germany last fall. It was our last trip before really thinking about having a baby and we relished our time in the sun -- today I made every attempt to block the sun by forcing our unwilling 11-month-old to wear his sun hat.

We thought we might be able to get him to nap so we could enjoy a second drink, so I attempted to nurse him to sleep. It almost worked, but then he opened his eyes and realized there was a lot of action going on. I always try to be discrete about breastfeeding in public, but today Little insisted on hoisting up my boob toward the gentlemen who were sharing our picnic table as if to say "dudes, I don't know what you're drinking, but you should order a Mass of this stuff." He was very proud of himself and we quickly asked for our check, since he literally had not napped in six hours. 

Thankfully, on the way home he conked out in the backpack, but the rest of the evening has been a bit edgy (for lack of a better term). Clearly, he's had a growth spurt because his pj top that fit just fine not that long ago was way too tight. After wrestling him to get it on, drama ensued when we realized that there was no way in hell that it would fit over his meaty biceps. We laughed mostly out of frustration that we would in fact have to take off the shirt and try to get him into another one before bedtime. He squawked and ran around like a tiny t-rex with his arms pinned to his body because the shirt sleeves were so tight. Like any good mother I photographed his misery, because we needed to kill time before the next round of dressing and honestly, it was tragically hilarious.


Little went to bed about 7:45 and is just now settling down to sleep. It'll either be an awesome night because he's so exhausted, or the worst night ever, because he's so exhausted. Only time will tell and I'm not exactly looking forward to finding out. Needless to say, we won't be winning any parenting awards this week.

New Job, New Nanny

Well, not a new job yet, but soon. My supervisor at work accepted a new academic position, which means he has a lot less time for running our lecture series. Luckily, he feels pretty confident in my abilities, so I'll be taking on some more responsibility -- as he likes to say, I'll "curate" the next season -- more hours, and more paycheck. We had arranged for a nanny to come in to watch Little a couple of days a week before we went to Los Angeles (oh yeah, should probably blog about that sometime), and her arrival couldn't have come at a more perfect time! I'm pretty busy at work "curating," J is finding his way in the new company, and well, Little has kind of been a jerk lately. Mostly it's teething, but also he's figuring out that he has control over things (like what goes in his mouth) and likes to exert that control when we all seem to be tired, hungry, or both.

He's really developing quite a personality, which is awesome and tiresome. For those of you who have been around Mr. M for an afternoon, you know what I'm talking about. He's active and fun and is strong as an ox. Walking is his new favorite activity and he's getting quite good at it. He's still taking some spills (cue bruise on forehead), but for the most part doesn't seem to mind. His personality really came out this past week as I had quite a bit more work to accomplish during the day. I was ignoring him more than usual and he was pretty pissed about it. I realized that working from home for me is not going to be possible for extended periods of time. Little is very good at entertaining himself, but not when I'm in the room. The minute my laptop opens, he's clawing at my pants, shirt, and boobs (which is highly annoying) and has even started biting to get my attention. Of course, I let him know that this isn't allowed, but really, it's my problem not his. When I'm here, I need to be present (not in front of my computer). 

As the summer moves along and I start to get a better idea of my new work schedule, we'll probably up the number of nanny hours a bit. On the one hand it's hard (especially knowing that a large part of my paycheck goes to pay for childcare), but on the days that Lindsay comes in, I'm happier, Little is happier, and as a result, J is happier too. I actually make dinner, we have conversation, and I don't count the minutes until Little goes to bed (okay maybe sometimes). And then he gives me his "night night" face and waves bye bye. How can stay angry at that?

Webmaster (Not So) Extraordinaire

Wow, it's been a full nine eleven days since I posted last. I'll go ahead and blame my absence on preparing for/recovering from our four-day trip to Texas, but really, I should throw in a little laziness and chaos too. Work has been busy with two lectures in a row and we're still juggling our work schedules to watch Little (I know, I know, I need to find a nanny already). And to pile on top of the chaos of coming home, I think Little is teething again and turned into a Tazmanian devil. He literally destroys all sense of order in his path. But he does it with such a sweet smile, so how can I be mad?


I still haven't gotten around to writing that post about my Mother's Day Sichuan feast. That'll have to wait for another day because there's real work to be done. I have fundraising deadlines, mail merges to run (fun stuff), Tweets to post and a website to build (ha). I never thought when I took my part-time job at a non-profit last year that I'd be pushed into the deep end of databases, InDesign, Tweeting on a regular basis, and now, overseeing (and probably doing) a new website design. But something has to change, our website is pretty bad. We got an email on Wednesday night a couple of hours before our lecture that said:

"Hey, I love [Non-Profit Name], but your website is crap. I was going to say that your website needs a little fine tuning, but when I went to the staff page to try and contact someone, the person in charge of your information systems doesn't provide an EMAIL ADDRESS. Ha ha ha. AnyWho. Still love you and will see you tonight (I'll be the one with the bag over my head)."

We had a good chuckle and my boss emailed back that the website is the same vintage as our computers (2005) and that while the website may suck, it has done so reliably for the last six years. He assured her that we're trying hard to to change that by updating the website over the summer. The only thing stopping us from doing it sooner is funding. Hence, the fundraising drive.


And hence, my new role as web designer/IT lady.

First Mother's Day

Little and J worked together to make my first Mother's Day a special one. J woke up early with the little guy so I could sleep in as late as I wanted. Getting up at 9:30am to the sounds of Little babbling in the kitchen was pretty amazing. When I finally decided to roll out of bed, I found the breakfast room tidy with flowers and sweet treats from Ken's. My guys made it very easy to be a mom this weekend.

After breakfast, we lounged around the apartment, marveling at how great it feels to be parents while Little entertained with giggles, feats of strength (trying to do pullups on the dining room table), and cheesing the camera with his two bottom teeth. He also reminded me of those teeth this morning when I wasn't paying him enough attention by gently nibbling on my big toe. Those things are sharp. He'll appreciate them in not too long when he can enjoy a greater variety of his parents' culinary adventures. We made a Sichuan meal last night that was pretty out of this world. More on that tomorrow.

As an extended Mother's Day gift, Little was a delightful baby this morning (allowing me to finish a long overdue blog post for work). While I was typing away, he did a few chores around the house.  I guess he was embarrassed that I never polish the brass knobs on his changing table, so he took on the task himself. Such a helpful lad. I'll have to talk to him though about being more gentle in the future, don't want teeth marks on the hardware.

And We Shall Call Him Mischief

Little is now more mobile, but more importantly, more curious. He's in and on and under anything within his path. At the end of the day, it looks like a mini tornado touched down in our dining room and living room (as evidenced by last night's photo). I'm not complaining (much), his mischievousness makes him increasingly more fun. 

Today he figured out how to pull fun stuff out of my fabric and notions stash. He tried ripping and chewing the lace, but (unlike the newspaper) it just wouldn't budge. He quickly lost interest and moved on to his next target.

 


















He's particularly fond of the drawer pulls on the chest that serves as his changing table. They make a fabulous noise when pulled and dropped and apparently taste pretty good too. 

He also found a new morning time friend -- his shadow.

And all of his tasks are accomplished with an endless supply of determination.

End of the Day

Some days at the end of the day I'm not exactly sure how this all happens. I turn my back for just a few minutes and all hell breaks loose. Believe it or not, our dining room was rather tidy this morning. Now the contents of our bookshelves and nooks are all under foot. Sigh. Today I chose to ignore the chaos and just closed the doors.

Sunshine!

After a week of extremely fickle weather, it looks like the sun is coming out to stay for a few days. It'll be a nice relief from the gray, 48º weather that we've had lately. Little is feeling the spring fever too. I can tell he tires of playing alone in the dining room while I peck away at the computer (especially when there are so many cool noises, smells, and colors outside the window). We're both anxious to get outside in the fresh (hopefully not dewy) air to observe the the cars and dogs and trees. On a few walks lately, he's popped his little hand out of the stroller and reached for bushes and flowers -- anything green and colorful that he can get his hands on. It's nice that we live within a short walk of two great parks, but it'll be nice to have our own yard some day, so Little doesn't have to peer down to the street from three stories up. But for now, we're making the best of bright spots in the weather forecast by taking long walks, going to the zoo, and throwing open the windows to feel the breeze. 

This weekend I'm hoping that we take another bike trip around town and we're going to shop around for a frame backpack so we can start taking hikes again. Little is at such a great age right now and I can't wait to experience the summer with such an enthusiast for life.

Seattle With My Dudes

J had a business meeting in Seattle on Friday, so we decided to extend the trip overnight and take a mini vacation. I hopped on Priceline, held my breath and bid on a 4-star downtown hotel for $75. To my surprise (and delight) the offer was accepted. Seriously, $75 a night. We ended up at the Grand Hyatt on Pine -- super swanky and way cheaper than if we had gone with our usual, Holiday Inn Express. Little enjoyed racing down the hallway, which was shiny, cool, and made lots of noise when banged. It also led to the bathroom, which had a giant mirror over the tub -- perfect for admiring one's hair and giggling. Speaking of the bathroom, the shower was larger than our walk in closet. In fact, we could have hosted a dinner party in there if given a little more time to prepare. I think we're going to do this Priceline thing more often.

While J attended lunch meetings and work sessions, Little and I cruised over to the Seattle aquarium for the afternoon. Just when I thought that he was a little too young to appreciate the fish, we headed over to the sea otter tank and spent most of the rest of our time watching them dive into the water and skim the edges of the tank. It was pretty awesome to watch Little stare into the water and gasp when the otters swam by. After we spent some time watching them below the surface, we moved on to the outdoor tank and spent a good deal of time watching them above ground. The otters splashed, rolled and played on the rocks and would dive in the water for a special thrill. I'd say the day was a success. We then went down to the tide pool area and observed other little kids touching sea anenomies and starfish. 

After the aquarium, he and I walked around and then met up with J for dinner with Jeremiah & Jeovanna. It was such a nice little getaway -- just what I needed after a week of just me and Little. On Saturday morning we met up with Jeremiah for breakfast in the Ballard neighborhood in Seattle at Hi-Life. Seriously, the breakfast was a revelation. J had a fried egg with herbed breadcrumbs, dash of vinegar and home fries so good that we weren't even tempted to apply ketchup. I had eggs sunny side up (cooked to perfection I might add) over black beans and a flour tortilla filled with sharp cheddar and scallions. I will strive to replicate the deliciousness in the next week or two.

For now, I'll leave you with Little, the 4-star baby:

How is it Only Wednesday?

I'm starting to feel better, but my cold is still lingering. It's disrupted my sleep as well as Little's, so neither of us were at our best this morning. Actually, my son was being super annoying -- refusing to nap, eat, or do anything on his own and then squirmed and twisted when I tried cuddle. At one point I just sat him on the floor surrounded by all of his toys and let him have a good short cry. He finally got over it, crawled over to my leg and gnawed on my kneecap. I guess he was making amends. Then, the cycle started all over again. 

So, I decided that I needed to eat something more hearty than oatmeal for breakfast in order to deal with Crankster McGee. I hauled his highchair into the kitchen and gave him a spoon while he complained at the top of his lungs. Eventually, he realized that the spoon was really cool, especially when used to hit things. While Little was working out his frustration with a spoon, I made a giant pan of scrambled eggs for J and me, which provided the main protein for breakfast tacos (liberally sauced with sweet sweet Cholula). Black-eyed peas are a very non-traditional addition to tacos, but believe me, they tasted awesome. 

Once I finished breakfast, I fed Little a second round of solids while roasting a few sweet potatoes and some red bell peppers for his afternoon snack. What was on the menu for Sir Cranky Pants' breakfast? Steamed carrots mixed with pear, a dollop of oatmeal, and some cottage cheese. I normally wouldn't doll up carrots, but they were a pretty mediocre bag and quite honestly tasted like dirt -- I try not to feed him things that I wouldn't eat myself. Luckily, pear cures most food imperfections and he gobbled it up. After breakfast we played for a while, but a tumble onto the floor sent him into a downward spiral. It was finally nap time for real and he slept for an hour. Finally!

Let's hope this day is just an anomaly and tomorrow we'll both wake up refreshed.

Sick Days

J was pretty sick last week with a cold. Mid-week while still symptomless, I proclaimed smugly on Wednesday evening "wow, looks like we dodged that bullet" (see pictured smugness). Then BAM! Sore throat and stuffy nose followed by a fever last night that had me in bed sleeping approximately three seconds after Little went down for the night. Luckily, he only woke up once to eat and when he was bright-eyed at 6am, I was ready to face the day as well. The fever has run its course, but we're both still stuffy. Little is handling it very well, actually he's running (crawling) circles around me with all of his energy. It's kind of driving me nuts. He's also learned that mom's shirt and pants make lovely tissues. My wardrobe has turned into a collection of installation art pieces with a tiny master painter at the helm. 

Despite his cold, little developed a new trick yesterday: nearly cramming his entire pacifier, handle, nipple and plastic piece, in his mouth. If given a little more time, a quick twist would have securely wedged it between is palate and lower jaw. He was very proud of his (near) accomplishment and giggled when I gasped in horror at the thought of it getting stuck in there. I immediately removed the lot from his reach and, despite my cold, hopped in the car in search of a new brand that would be too big to fit in his mouth. For those of you who are wondering, bedtime without the pacifier would be a hellish nightmare that I'm not ready to approach at this time.

Sir Little is very particular about the shape -- the likes the angled orthodontic variety -- so my search wasn't easy. Soothies have been a joke for a while, MAMs make him gag, and I haven't bothered with any other of the shapes, because it seems that he's stuck on Nuk. I was pretty shocked to find that many companies, Nuk especially, make pacifiers in sizes with larger nipple to fit the mouth, but do not scale up the outside piece accordingly. Haven't they hung out with tenacious six-month-old babies who are determined to cram as many things in their mouths as possible? And with our son, as soon as he learns a trick, he masterfully practices his skills until perfected. I don't think I'm overreacting when I say that it's a serious industry oversight that shouldn't be taken lightly. 

Anyway, my friend Serena suggested a brand that her son likes and it seemed a little bigger than the ones that Little has been using. Little is still warming up to his new pacifiers, not that he has a choice in the matter, and I'm secretly hoping that he just decides he doesn't want them. Then, we won't have to worry about weaning later. Ha! Wishful thinking!

Hello Old Friend

Dear Nancy's, 

Crank up your production! After a six-month hiatus, we're back in the cottage cheese eating business. We may not go through three pounds a week like during my pregnancy, but Little is definitely a fan. Paired with carrots, pears, or just on it's own, cottage cheese was a hit.   

Love, 

Brasilliant & Little

Home Again

I think I'm still recovering from our two week vacation on the east coast, not because the trip was taxing, but getting back to normal life was quite a shock. I had a bunch of things I needed to accomplish right when we got home -- taxes, doctors appointments, expired car registration, work, etc. -- and it seemed as if the universe was plotting against me. The car battery died so hard that we had to have it taken out of the car and charged. Then, when I went to have the car tested at DEQ to get our expired registration renewed, I found out that the computer system was reset as a result of a dead battery and their monitors couldn't read our emissions. We have been charged with driving our car around town and logging some highway miles this weekend before I can take it back. Seriously, I could not wait for this week to end. I was not my best, but I think it might be behind me now. 

The one thing that didn't stress me out this week was Little. He's been awesome now that he's perfected crawling and climbing and general romping around. We straightened up the living room enough to let him roam while supervised and he thinks it's the coolest thing ever. J also set up a bit of an obstacle course in the play pen, so he's been practicing his maneuvering skills. His endless curiosity has been pretty amazing to experience, definitely a bright spot in this gloomy week. Also, the fact that he's been napping and sleeping like a champ doesn't hurt either. I looking forward to whipping up a few new foods for him to try this weekend and maybe making some frozen treats in a new ice pop tray that I got this week.

How Sweet (Potato) It Is

Last night J and I started our holiday detox routine with a simple dinner of salad with chicken, apples, and almonds with a side of roasted sweet potato. We also had a little bread and butter to round things out and to try out the sweet french butter dish that my parents gave us for Christmas. You smoosh the butter in the container (the dark ceramic dish in the foreground) and then turn it upside down in a bit of salted water (the other ceramic dish in the background near the bread). It keeps the butter fresh and cool while sitting out on the counter. After all of our holiday indulgences, I was a little worried that my taste buds had forgotten how to process vegetables, what with all the meat, sweets, and alcohol that I've consumed for the last month. Luckily, my dear friend salad tasted just as good as I remembered. 

Although delicious, we usually don't have plain roasted sweet potatoes, but last night I had other plans as well. Little's pediatrician said that we could start him on solids after his 4-month appointment because he was sitting up on his own in a high chair and had shown quite a bit of interest in our food and drink. I decided to wait a bit, partially because I wanted him to be a little older, but also I wanted to do some reading on what to introduce first. Eric & Lea gave me a sweet baby food book for Christmas and the more I read there (and other sources as well) the more I realized that rice cereal probably wouldn't be his first food -- although well tolerated, it's pretty bland and boring. Since breast fed babies are accustomed to sweet things, I decided on sweet potatoes, which are nutritious and tasty. He was pretty shocked after his first bite and had a few sour faces to go along with the experience, but he kept swallowing and opening his mouth for more. I think the jury is still out on whether he's a fan, but for a first try it wasn't bad at all. 

After we put the little dude down to bed, I baked some gingerbread (something I had planned to do over the holidays, but never go the chance) and we had a mini belated birthday celebration for me. What? Everyone knows that you have to wean yourself off the sweets during holiday detox to avoid withdrawal. My mom picked up a small King Cake from Ken's Artisan Bakery before they left since we never got around to making a birthday cake while my parents were in town. 

As you know, every year my birthday marks the first day of King Cake season in New Orleans, but this is unlike any that I've seen before. I'm pretty sure it's more of a traditional French King Cake rather than the yeasty bread-like cake that I'm used to, but it was delicious. I'd probably describe it as a giant croissant with a delicious sweet almond and vanilla treat in the middle. Well done Ken's, well done.

Status Update

I'm always surprised when I look at the calendar and find that nearly two weeks has gone by without me even noticing. It seems like Halloween was just yesterday, but now Thanksgiving is just two weeks away and Christmas is just around the corner. We will set out on our maiden voyage with Little to San Francisco and Santa Cruz in exactly nine days! I surveyed our trunk the other day trying to figure out how exactly we are going to pack in all of the baby stuff necessary for nine days away from home -- stroller, infant carrier, portable crib, swing, enough outfits for the two day car ride without doing laundry, and a cooler big enough for all the Corralitos sausage we'd like to bring home. We still haven't planned our exact route. I mean there aren't an abundance of options, but taking 101 for a portion of the trip instead of I-5 all the way down is a possibility. 

I had every intention of scoping out potential hotel stops, organizing the things we'll need, and running errands this week. However, our sweet, dear, adorable Little has had quite a stretch of incredibly cranky days. I'm thinking that he's going through his stormy period just before Wonder Week 12 and is wearing me and J thin in the process. Naps are erratic, night sleeping is spotty, and he gets incredibly angry at the things he can't do like rolling over and crawling. His brain keeps telling him go go go, but his body has yet to catch up. At points I feel bad, because I can't even imagine how frustrating it must be for him, but it's hard to feel sympathy for too long when he doesn't just demand to be held, but entertained for every waking hour. Luckily, there are a few bursts of sunshine during the day and it helps to remind me that he's learning so many new things in such a short period of time. For instance, tummy time is no longer torture. In fact, he loves his new view of the world.  

As for my errands and chores, well, they can wait for another few days. Our friends Ben & Daphne are in town for the weekend and I intend on making the most of their time here. We are going to bundle up this afternoon and take a walk downtown to enjoy the crisp fall air. 

Online Dating

While reading a chapter of the Wonder Weeks aloud to J the other morning over breakfast, we found out that around this M is really starting to see colors and patterns more clearly. He also is starting to enjoy movement more, such as rustling leaves on the treetops and shiny clothing or jewelry. Before J left for his business trip to D.C. (and before the weather abruptly changed from warm sunny days to cold and rainy) we had been taking afternoon walks with M in his stroller. His eyes would stay wide open, taking in all of the scenery, and then about 10 minutes from home he'd fall asleep and nap. So, I feel that we've done a pretty good job of exposing him to new objects and places. 

It's people that we've left out of the equation. Yes, we've introduced him to many of our friends, but it's been in the comfort of our apartment -- a very familiar setting. He's definitely starting to take interest in people walking by and facial gestures, but J and I were struck by the fact that by 8 weeks, M will start to enjoy watching other children play. It was one of those "oh crap" moments, because we know very few couples with babies. Our friends Anna and Brian are our closest friends with a little one and Elliot is quickly becoming a little boy and is sort of indifferent towards M (I don't blame him...J is much more fun at this point in time). We love our friends here in Portland and have every intention of attending many more happy hours, camping weekends, and birthdays, but it's time to expand our social circle -- we need to start putting ourselves out there to meet more people in our neighborhood with kids. 

So, Operation Find More Friends has commenced. J and I joked that it's like dating all over again. We both managed to avoid doing the online dating game the first time around, but this time I think it's inevitable. Don't worry (moms) we're not posting creepy Craigslist want ads or anything. I'm going through completely respectable channels to pick up other couples with babies. I joined a group of ladies called the Super Strollers who go out walking on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and the weekends. There are only 3 or 4 in the group, but they all live in NW Portland. I haven't actually gone out with them yet, but making contact and setting up dates is the first step right? I'm also going to join a parenting group at the local hospital that meets once a week. With M as my wing man, how could I go wrong? M is already honing his Blackberry skills for all of those phone numbers we're going to rake in.

Maybe Moby?

When I got pregnant, I had set out a game plan of ideals. One of my main goals was to have a natural childbirth -- clearly that did not happen. Another one of my goals was to wear the baby as much as possible. I thought it would be so easy to just sling Little on my chest, wrap him up and go about my normal life. Well, just like my birth, life threw a curve ball. I gestated a child who hates swaddling (unless under extreme duress) and despised all forms of child carriers including the famous Moby wrap that apparently is loved by all babies and parents. The first time I put Little in the Moby he howled. The second time he screamed as though I were prodding him with hot pokers. The third time, well, it took us an hour to calm him down. I'm not one for giving up, but needless to say, the Moby went on a high shelf never to be touched again. 

The galling thing about his reaction to the Moby is that it places him in the exact upright position in which he loves to be held. For some reason, after two weeks of avoiding it, I decided to pull the wrap off the shelf today to give it another try. I wrapped it a little looser than usual and slipped him in with hardly a whimper. After a minute or two, he realized he was being confined, so I popped in the pacifier. It worked like a charm. He tolerated it for about 15 minutes then began to rooting around to be fed. I nursed him and slipped him right back in and he passed out for a catnap. In fact, I'm blogging while baby-wearing -- how very new age mom of me.