HankandLucy

2012-02-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to an anonymous comment on this post I started reading bonbon mini. Have you checked it out? You should. From that blog I got the genius idea of hiring an in home instructor for cpr/first aid. Ben and I wanted to brush up and go into better detail from what we learned in our baby care class, but finding the time to actually go to one was proving hard. So we searched until we found Sue Lockhart. A few friends came over (above, ms Tori and beautiful little Lucca Valentine) and our nanny came for a refresher. H got to hang out and yell and bang on blocks during the class and no one minded. It was great. The small classroom size was perfect too! And if you are in the area, I really recommend Sue/Lockhart Training.

2012-02-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

Quick I have a dilemma! I think I want to get for H a little table set. He hasn't big digging his high chair (big surprise) and I like the Montessori idea of letting them eat at their own sized table, so I want to give it a whirl. I love the picnic table below, and it is on clearance at my favorite neighborhood shop. But, will H have a hard time getting in and out of that seat for too long? I want something he can use soon. Should i opt for a vintage booster seat (like above) and a little separate table?

*i should note that i am not worried about following the Montessori approach strictly, if so than i would have my choice. i just want to know if you think a little guy like H would soon be able to climb in and out of a bench style seat....

2012-02-27T08:23:00.004-08:00

Oh, the mystery of co-sleeping and why families choose to do it. If you've been reading this blog since the beginning, you may recall that Joe and I were a bit unsure about co-sleeping. It was an idea we considered, but with all the dangers involved, we weren't sure it was the best decision for us and our baby. So we went out, bought a crib, and set it up super cute with a handful of stuffed animals and some Dwell Studio crib sheets... because who with a baby on the way doesn't do that?

Cheech was born at 7:50 in the morning, and Joe and I remember that night as being one of the most traumatic of our lives. Our brand new baby SCREAMED and WAILED the ENTIRE night. At the time I was unaware that I was producing zero colostrum, and by that evening my poor girl was starving. She was latching, so we had no clue that her non-stop tantrums had to do with the fact that she had not received an ounce of food since being pulled out of my belly. She absolutely refused to be placed in the hospital crib, and the only thing that seemed to help her was being cradled in my or Joe's arms. We were lucky that we got to stay in a private room with two beds. We spent that night in 20 minute increments of holding and passing her back and forth between us. The next morning, we discovered her blood sugar levels were low, and that I was dealing with some serious breastfeeding challenges. Having to put so much extra effort into nursing, sleeping with Cheech had become extremely convenient.

Because of my cesarian, we stayed in the hospital for four nights, and by the time we came home, co-sleeping had already become our norm. All of a sudden, all those dangers didn't seem as serious and scary... I can't speak for other couples and families, but we've always been very aware of our baby's presence in our bed. Sleeping with our baby not only made constant nighttime feedings incredibly easier (even when Cheech became an exclusively bottle-fed baby), but it offered a way to bond with our child on a whole new level. Jamie once stated in one of her posts that sleeping with H allows her to spend hours with him that that she misses out on during the day while she's at work. Her sentiment made so much sense to me. Yes, I can see how sleeping with your baby may not seem like valuable time spent together, but trust me, in a very peculiar way, it definitely is. I think most people would agree that the act of sharing a bed with someone creates a deep sense of closeness and intimacy. For me, sleeping with Cheech has provided a great feeling of attachment despite my failed attempts at breastfeeding.

Co-sleeping has certainly come with its challenges, but I am a firm believer that unless there is some sort of sleep training involved, most babies face sleep challenges. That being said, I am here to say that babies who sleep with their parents can and do have the potential to sleep through the night... the ENTIRE night, even. Cheech was your classic "wake every two hours to feed" baby for the first two months of her life. Despite everyone's claims that "bigger babies sleep for longer periods", and "formula babies make it through the night because they are fuller", we didn't exactly have that experience. I assumed that my bigger-than-average, bottle-fed baby would be a champion sleeper in no time, but that was not at all the case for us. In many ways, all these declarations that seemed to apply to the average baby, were starting to remind me of constantly being reassured that morning sickness "only lasts during your first trimester of pregnancy". Somewhere along my 16th week, when I was still on a pretty strict diet of bagels and popcorn because everything else kept making me ill, I started to realize that no one seemed to know shit... at least when it came to me and my situation.

Between months 2 and 4, she went down to waking three times a night. Then another two months of twice a night. Right at 6 months, she mostly only woke once on most nights. Examining her two month pattern, I was hoping/assuming she'd make it through without waking at all by 8 months. Well, since our little Cheech likes to keep us on our toes, she waited until her 9th month to pull that trick out of her hat. She'll be 11 months on Sunday, and I can confidently say that she sleeps the entire night (roughly 6:30-7) about half the week, and still resorts to her one early morning bottle the other half of the week. If I compare her sleep patterns to all the other babies I know, I can't say she's the best sleeper on the block, but she ain't exactly doing too shabby either. And if I take her age into consideration, she's in fact doing a pretty awesome job.

Of course we've dealt with setbacks from time to time, and I'm sure many of you recall all the issues I've had with actually putting her to sleep, but I wrote this post to point out that, contrary to popular belief, co-sleeping doesn't necessarily result in a poor sleeper. Often times, I know parents of co-sleepers may not get the best support, and they may feel discouraged by their situation if they have a frequent waker, but let's not forget that there are babies who sleep in cribs and in their own bedrooms who also suffer from these problems. Although I have not personally felt the need to sleep train, I'm not trying to say that I'm against it here. Every family has to do what works best for them. I guess I just view sleep as a milestone that some babies reach sooner than others... such as crawling or talking. There are babies who have an extensive vocabulary by their first birthday, while others wait closer to their second to utter any words at all. But eventually, even when it comes to sleep, they all get it.

2012-02-23T09:09:00.001-08:00

You guys. How do you feel about your stretch marks? Way into my pregnancy I thought I won the stretch mark lotto. Not a one! Then in the last feew weeks, they just started apeeeeeaaaaring. Every day they got deeper and longer and darker and more intense. Until the days after Henry was born Ben and I marveled at the marks on my abdomen that we thought looked like a tiger had made, swiping mirror claw marks, swooshing across me. They were especially prominent after a hot shower or bath. My mom confirmed it "I (after giving birth at 18) never wore a 2 piece again." I was sure that was my fate.

But here is the thing; I hate wearing a one piece at the beach. Sand all up in everything. I don't like sand being up in everything. I hate having wet cloth on me when I am not in the water. And I go to the beach to actually get in the water. And those tiger claw scars? They have really chilled the f* out. They are there, don't get me wrong. But they are not so intense. The are more skin colored. I don't think under the California everyone in a mile radius of me on the beach would be able to see them.

Also? So much breastfeeding has helped to keep my weight down.* (WIN!) (Don't get me wrong. I DO NOT HAVE ABS OF STEEL. I will leave it at that, mkay?)

So mamas with marks, do you rock that shit in public or keep it covered up? (You know, I tend to keep covered anyways, but you know what I mean. Uncovered long enough to enjoy the water.)

*Related, for the first time ever my jeans are loose instead of getting tighter. Will I regret having them taken in when Henry weans?

portrait by my partner (!) michelle pullman

2012-02-22T21:51:00.001-08:00

As you know, Joe and I also co-sleep with Cheech. We are currently in the market for a bigger place where she can have HER OWN ROOM, and as much as we love sleeping with her, I think the time to get her sleeping on her own is quickly approaching. Like Jamie, I've come across some challenges with co-sleeping*, but on a completely different level. While H, I'm sure, was sweetly sleeping cradled in one of his parents' arms the other night, I woke up to a fierce baby kick in the eye that I'm surprised didn't result into a massive bruise. So yeah, my little Cheech has proven that she feels the need to be active during ALL hours of the day. When she was smaller (I can't believe I'm even referring to her as "smaller", seeing as she's not even a year old), the constant rolling around was much easier to handle. However, sleeping with her has become increasingly difficult and I think Joe said it best when he proclaimed, "Cheech gets half the bed and you and I get the other half." Unfortunately, this could not be more true.

Considering we've attempted [and failed MISERABLY] to get her to sleep in her crib on two different occasions, I'm considering going straight for a "big girl" bed. The last time we tried to get her to make the big move to the crib, we spent two weeks of her waking up every hour until she was brought into our bed. I'll get more into it later*, but we had never had an issue with her waking so frequently, so I'm assuming that more than a desire to sleep with us, she just wants to sleep in a bed. And you know what? I get it. Crib mattresses are downright uncomfortable, and I would imagine most tremendously active sleepers would not be fond of sleeping in such a confined space.

Currently, we have our bed against a wall and during her sleeping hours that we're still awake, I barricade her in from the opposite side of the bed and up from the foot. This system works well for us and she sleeps on her own like that for approximately 5 hours a night, which gives me reason to believe that she could probably go the whole night. She also naps in our bed, and when she wakes up, she just makes sure to give a loud holler for someone to come get her. Getting her in a real bed would mean not having to deal with a toddler bed, and also having an extra place for guests to sleep when we have them (she would sleep with us for such an occasion). It's a big win, if you ask me. Lots of companies make lower beds these days, and with an added guardrail, I'd feel very safe having her sleep by herself.

So, what are your thoughts? I've told a few people this plan, and they've all seemed to look at me like I'm cray cray. Truthfully though, most people give me that look when I tell them we co-sleep anyway. I mentioned a while back that I also co-slept with my mom and was transferred to my own proper bed right around my second birthday. Realistically, we won't be moving until after Cheech's first birthday, so I don't feel I'll be upgrading her that early. Do you have older children who co-slept with you? When did you get them into their own bed?

*My personal experience with co-sleeping coming next week.

Photo, Milk Magazine via The Boo and The Boy

2012-02-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

I have gotten a couple of requests to talk about cloth diapering, so here goes. First read this, then read this. Done.

Just kidding, sort of. For real, Kristina was my cloth diapering guru. If you could see how many emails when had on the subject when I was pregnant, you might think we were a little crazy. (On her part, mostly just for humoring my crazy-ness.) For real though, if you want to hear more, read those posts, then I will add on to our experience below. (Warning, I talk about P O O P.)

Ok, done?

First of all let me reiterate what Kristina said; SO SO SO EASY. When my neighbor/friend saw my baby registry she said (all knowingly) "so you are going to try and cloth diaper, huh?" me "yeah" her "you will give up. no one does it. you know Michelle [her very hippie friend] she gave up, and she doesn't use disposable anything."

This conversation baffled me. How did my neighbor think that a whole industry of products was supported on people trying something then giving up? Surely some people successfully cloth diaper?

Yeah, no. It is so easy guys.

For those of you that don't know, there are loads of different cloth diapers these days. I am familiar with two kinds: there are the classic prefolds (contrary to their title, they do not come prefolded. You prefold them before putting them on the babe.) These are just the flat cloths that you fold and wrap onto the bottom. Then you use a water resistant cover over them, or a cute wool cover. Since the cloth diaper itself absorbs the liquid, you can reuse the cover through several changings before it needs to be washed. They come in a variety of sizes. Oh, you can also buy ones like these that have snaps, so you don't have to do the fancy folding. They still need a cover.

Then there are the pocket diapers. These are the fuzzi bunz that kristina talks about, and Henry is wearing above. They have a shell with snaps, an inner fleece lining that drys fast and keeps baby a little more dry, and a super absorbent liner that you stuff into the pocket. The whole diaper gets washed at each washing with one of these. These also come in a variety of sizes, but they also make a "one size" with adjustable straps and buttons. You can read about one size vs fitted here.

From the advice of K and others, I knew that we wanted to go with Fuzzi Bunz. Since I wasn't sure (still am not) if we would ever use the dipes more than once, I was hesitant to buy more than one size of the pricey (when compared with pre folds) fuzzi bunz, but knew from others' experience that he would not fit into one-size fuzzi-bunz from birth. So we opted to use pre folds for the first couple of months, until he fit well into his one size fuzzis.

I have to tell you, we did not have a great experience with the pre folds. We could *not* get them to contain the liquidy breast milk poo that greeted us several times a day. So we were constantly having blow outs, having to wash the covers and his pants all the time. It was such a pain in the ass. We couldn't get them tight enough around the legs, and because we opted for a diaper service for the first month or two, we even had professional help. It didn't really help. So we ended up using a lot of seventh gen's in those first months. That said, there are loads of families out there who use and love them, so it must have been user error?

We were thrilled, to say the least, when he started fitting into his bunz. They actually give us less blow outs than the 7th gen disposables did. In fact I don't even know for sure if we have ever had poop leakage with our bunz.

Some notes: (Note that I am only adding onto what Kristina has already said, so if you need a comprehensive guide READ THOSE LINKS)

-We have about 18-20. Not sure on the exact number. We do a wash a little less than every other night. We almost never use disposables. I thought we would, say when we were out? No reason to, really. Cary a small (or medium if we are gone for the day) wet bag with us, then deal with it when we get home.

-Yeah, they were a big upfront inverstment (several hundred?) but come on. Surely we would have spent waaaaaay more than that by now on disposables.

-If we are traveling in the car for 2-3 nights tops, we still use our cloth. Sure a bag full of dirty dipes in the back of the car is a leeeeetle gross, but whatevs. It doesn't bother us.

-We hang a large wet bag on the door inside the bathroom. No pails or pail liner. Just throw the dipes in there, then wash the bag along with the dipes every other dipes washing.

-We have a sprayer but haven't installed it yet. Breastmilk poops don't need it, the poop will rinse away with that first cold cycle in the wash. Now that he is starting to have big boy poops, we have to scrape some off into the toilet. Should probably get around to installing the sprayer, but part of me hopes they will all be "ploppable" soon.

-You may recall we had issues at night with leakage. (When H was tiny, we diligently changed him every time he woke up to nurse. haaaaaa! He doesn't seem to be bothered by one dipe all night. Way less bothered than being changed while sleepy.) I can now report we have a good system: tripple stuffed bunz (yeah, you can put more than one absorbent liner in there to soak it on up!) with a wool cover over. For this you just need a few extra liners on hand (we like these thin and absorbent hemp ones) and two wool covers. The wool covers need to be washed only every couple of weeks. But since they take a while to dry, you will need two have an extra on hand to use while the other one dries.

-You can read how to wash your woolies here. It also includes instructions on making your own wool wash, which I have been doing since I had all the ingredients but no wool wash on hand.

-Luckily H isn't prone to diaper rash, but when he gets it we use grandma els which works great and does not seem to harm the fleece liners.

-We do use cloth wipes. I thought we would not, but I have no idea why??? They are super easy. We are already doing the laundry, it does not add any. Saves money, and I know exactly what is going on our baby's bottom. Use em dry, or just put a little warm water on them, or make a solution and keep it nearby in a squirt bottle! (We use a recipe suggested by Christina with lavender oil, tee tree oil, a bit of apricot oil, and some almond bronners. Check this link out.)

-I know some mamas prefer non-synthetic materials. If so, fuzzi's are not your choice. Also I know our nanny's babe is sensitive to the fleece liner, so she has to use something else. Makes me think it would be best to start with one or two, just in case, before you invest in them all.

I think that covers it. I will probably add notes as I think of them, though maybe in the comments so that people don't miss them. Feel free to add your own notes! What has your cloth experience been? Favorite products?

2012-02-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

Except for "dada" and the occasional "mama", Cheech is far from not only saying words, but actually formulating sentences. Joe and I are pretty excited about her developing vocabulary, and love to imagine all the strange and funny things she'll say. After all, kids do say funny and strange things.

Amy from Angry Chicken started keeping record of all the memorable stuff her kids would say, and wanted to find a way to document them. In need of a blank card one day, she realized the quotes finally had a great purpose. I CANNOT wait to to do this. I'm always on the hunt for great blank cards that can be used for any event, and I have a feeling that I'll eventually end up with quite a vast selection.

2012-02-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

Just a few days ago, I wrote a post about picking a great cake flavor for Cheech's first birthday party. I know I'm over thinking it, and I know to Cheech, and all babies for that matter, cake is probably just cake, but I still want it to be special. When my ridiculously clever friend, Lauren, explained that after all these years, she still holds onto a little raccoon figurine that was used to decorate her first cake, I just about died. Surely, Cheech will not remember the flavor of her first cake, nor will she remember how it was decorated, but I love the idea of her being able to forever posses a little keepsake from the momentous occasion.

So, I went on the hunt for something RAD. I came across a few vintage cake toppers that remind me of her, but when I saw this post on DIY Party Animal Candles, I couldn't help but think that miniature gold animals seem to fit her quirky personality so perfectly. The girl has shown a soft spot in her heart for Curious George, so perhaps a sweet, little monkey is in order? She's quite fond of our kitty, too, though. Whatever we end up choosing, you know what else is so awesome about this project? She can use her personalized candle holder for her birthday cake every year. I'm sold.

2012-02-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

We have gotten a few emails about baby books, so I thought I might address it on the ole blog. While I was pregnant a friend thoughtfully (and to what I can imagine, painstakingly) searched out the above book by Nouveaudesignson etsy. Many of you know, it is HARD to find a simple, modern, and well designed baby book. This one is hand made and completely lovely. And when I had a problem with the ink I was using she was very helpful. It has some general prompts (though of course I wish they were more general, IE instead of asking the name of the Doctor who delivered the baby, maybe just who delivered the baby?) It also has a lot of blank pages for you to get creative with stories, images and more. Now I just need to find the time to keep it updated. Oops!

I just saw the one below on coos & ahhs and thought it might be a fun supplement too.

Do you have any baby books that you suggest?

2012-02-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

Have you heard the news that French women, apparently, are superior when it comes to the art of parenting? That's right, guys. Not only are French women better at wearing stripes and red lipstick, and eating baguettes to their heart's content without ever getting even the tiniest bit chubby, but they are also geared to raise your child much better than, well, you. Pretty fascinating load of shit, isn't it?

I have lots of issues with the above mentioned book/article, and truthfully, I don't feel the need to get into all of them here. But let's discuss one major one, shall we? THERE IS NO ONE/RIGHT WAY TO PARENT. It does not exist. For those of you who have children and are currently trying to reach the Holy Grail of perfect parenting, please save yourself any further grief and stop while you're ahead. If there are any of you who read this blog who are expecting their first child or who plan on having children one day, you are the lucky ones because you got to be in on this dirty little secret before the rest of us [who've had to learn the hard way]. And for those of you who truly believe that you are in fact doing it right, and that your techniques definitely reign supreme, I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, but you're the most fucked of us all. Parenting is about doing your best with the situation given at hand. Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you fail. Sometimes parenting is the most rewarding thing you will ever do, but other times, it's the most heart wrenching.

Parenting is not as black and white as "not being afraid to say 'no'", or "always making sure you're teaching your child the importance of being patient". And this is coming from a girl who believes that EVERYTHING is black and white. You want to know the real reason I take a handful of cheerios to restaurants when we go out with Cheech? Partly because babies can be restless and have a difficult time communicating that they're feeling that way, but mostly because I am a respectful person. Just as much as I don't want to hear your baby screaming while I'm trying to enjoy my lunch, I don't want you to have to hear mine. Am I teaching her to be impatient? I don't know, maybe? What I do know I'm teaching her, by using the power of distraction, is that there are places where screaming and yelling are acceptable and even welcome (a playground, for example), and there are places where that behavior is not tolerated, and therefore nipped in the bud. As she gets older, obviously, this practice will have to be tweaked, and she will have to exercise more restraint. All this said, I can't help but feel that this has more to do with common sense than French parenting.

This post is not at all meant to be an attack on the French, or the way they supposedly ALL parent. I have to admit that I love, love, love France, and before Cheech was born, Joe and I even considered moving there for a while. And despite the reputation Americans have so ignorantly given the French here stateside, I have nothing but amazing things to say about French people. They are truly the loveliest, most hospitable group I've ever come across in my travels. And if they do happen to be superior parents, I'm willing to bet quite a bit it's because they don't waste their time falling into the ridiculous and competitive American dilemma of "who's the best?".

Photo via George Eastman House

2012-02-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

Oh Nature Baby, how do I love thee. Celia obviously covered a lot of it. Organic Wool? (Which is what they sent us to check out.) This material is the sh*t. It is notscratchy at all, super soft. And (like you all suggested) so great forlayering. Warm, but breathable, and such a light thin layer!

I really love that the company is pretty dedicated to theirnatural products. In reading their website I don't think this is a case ofgreen-washing. From their site;

"Our organic wool is completely free of any chemicalresidues. It has been grown and processed free of chemicals typically used inthe wool process e.g. drenches, scours, bleaches and shrinkage agents."

Rad!

Ok, so we know it is practical, but it is also sostylish. As celia pointed out, we are obsessed with stripes, and they have themaplenty. But above all I am so impressed with their timeless and classicstyling. Nothing gaudy or fussy, no cutesy imagery. They have a small tag onthe bottom of the front of the shirts (which sometimes drives me CRAZY, I hatelogos) but this one is subtle and cute and well designed enough that it doesnot bother me one bit.) Everything is so pleasantly gender neutral withoutbeing overly adult. I am dying to get Henry one of these topsin rose. After all, his papa wore pink at our wedding.

So yeah, I am in love with Nature Baby. I want to travelto New Zealand and visit their flagship store and paw all the goodies inperson. Heck I want to partner up with them and OPEN a satellite store here inSan Diego. Am I right?

Thanks Nature Baby!

2012-02-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

These pretty cute looks from ESP no 1 are on sale at the mini social today. (MAN I have been loving their sales recently, see kai run, baggu....) I have some credit so I am tempted to pick up a top or pair of jeans, but I am also hesitant. Although they are available in baby/toddler sizes they don't have any modeled by them. What do you think? Will these look as good in a mini size?

2012-02-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

Nature Baby asked Jamie and I to review a few of their pieces, and after looking through their website, I could barely contain my excitement. If you've been reading this blog long enough, I'm sure you've noticed that J and I are huge fans of dressing our little ones in stripes, and Nature Baby just so happens to have a plethora of striped baby and kids clothes to choose from. And you know what else? They have an Organic Wool line, and I have been dying to get Cheech into some wool after so many of you have suggested it. All I can say is, yeah, wool is AMAZING for keeping babies warm.

When I opened my package of goodies, I was astonished at the beautiful quality of Nature Baby's clothes. I've been donating most of her clothes as she grows out of them, keeping just a few memorable and sentimental pieces, and these are definitely going to go in the "for keeps" drawer once she's too big for them. I love their simplicity and the fact that they can be layered and paired with just about every other article of clothing she owns. That dress? Come on! It doesn't get much cuter than that, now does it? We've only owned the clothes a few short weeks, and she's already worn everything multiple times. These Nature Baby people, they get it.

2012-02-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

Cheech woke up with her second cold this morning, and I swear to you, the girl is a booger factory. Her last cold wasn't as bad in this department, so I opted to hold off on buying the Nosefrida for a bit. Well, now I'm regretting it. Maybe. I called our local children's store and although they do not carry the Nosefrida, they explained that they had the Baby Comfy Nose, which is essentially the same thing (uses your own suction to suck out boogers). Cheech is not too cool when it comes to people touching her face, so Joe held her down while I tried to suck out all the boogers I possibly could. Although it did work, I didn't get the results I was hoping for. All I've ever heard of the Nosefrida is that you feel so satisfied after using it on a boogery baby. However, I didn't really get that feeling. Should I have just driven to Whole Foods and bought the Nosefrida? Have any of you tried both? Are my expectations too high?

2012-02-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

We had Henry's 9 month well child check up today. The boy is 50th percentile for weight, and 90th in height. We are still trying to figure this one out! Does that actually correlate much with how tall he might grow to be one day?

In other news- I plan to some housekeeping around here soon. More than a couple of you have asked for an archives button so that you can find old posts, and maybe read some things in chronological order. I promise to get on that. Also I want to highlight some of our cool features in the past, like our guest posts on motherhood. Which I have personally been dying to re read.

In the mean time, I thank you for your patience.

xoxo

2012-02-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

People always say, "life moves so fast when you have kids", but that's ridiculous. The truth is, time BOLTS when you have kids. I can't believe this baby will be a whole year old in just two months. How did that happen? Month 9 was a bit challenging for me. Between a slight sleep regression, constantly running after a little girl who isn't scared of ANYTHING, and said baby slowly, but surely, learning the art of a good temper tantrum, I am flat out exhausted. This kid keeps me on my toes every minute of every day, and I have to admit, as worn out as I am, I'm also having the time of my life. How is it possible that she just keeps getting more and more awesome?

2012-02-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

Check it out! We has play corner! Our living room is coming together as pretty baby friendly. It still isn't 100% safe, but H is never alone anyways. And we are working on it. We did get a huge rug, (did I mention that?) back when the hardwood floors were inhibiting crawling. Then we rearranged and created this corner. Just a few books on a shelf, a couple of toy baskets. A soft blanket and a cheap ikea mirror. Sure, he could play in his room. And he does. But usually I'd rather be out here. That way I can sneak in a few tasks with the playing. And of course he wants to be where I am. Plus look at the light! In the morning and days it's the lightest and warmest room in the house. Every morning H smiles at the play area when we enter the living room. It's the best.

2012-02-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

It is such a cliche, isn't it, that all new parents talk about is baby poop.

While I never declared "I will never be one of those people who talk about baby poop all the time!" I never expected how much I would.

It is really one of our favorite topics, for so many reasons. I mean really. You learn so much from it. Right? AM I RIGHT?

(all I will say about the above is when we forgot that Henry had his first spinach/avo smoothie- the next day we were worried his dairy sensitivity had flared back up....)

2012-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

We have this chair*, and every so often we'll sit Cheech in it and tell her she's "such a BIG GIRL". She'll lean back and get the biggest shit-eating grin on her face; She's a little obsessed with being able to do all the things that "big kids" can do.

I'm not sure she's quite ready for a chair of her own just yet, but I've had my eye on this Petit Pan bamboo chair for when the occasion arises. I think with a little throw pillow to help cushion her back, it will be perfect. I'm hoping that with her own chair, then maybe she'll stop spending 2/3 of her time trying to climb every other piece of furniture in our place. Wishful thinking?

*Just to be clear, that picture was taken BEFORE we had a baby. The look we have going on NOW, is nothing short of disastrous.

2012-01-30T07:09:00.000-08:00

Here's a peculiar question for you. Where can I find baby pants that are wide enough in the booty department? Being a latin girl, Cheech has a latin booty, and I have the HARDEST time finding pants that aren't leggings or made of some sort of jersey fabric. Those are fine and all, and I do love them because of how comfortable they are, but they just don't seem to be keeping her warm enough for our afternoon trips to the park.

I tried buying her some flannel and fleece lined pants from a couple "big brand" stores, but I kid you not, when it came to pulling them over her booty, well, they just WOULDN'T go. I guess I can buy her a bigger size (Like I did with those H&M overalls she's wearing in the photo), but then they end up being way too long for her. Not only do I not want to constantly have to roll up her pant legs, but seeing as she's been cruising for almost two months and just yesterday she started trying to stand up without holding onto anything, I imagine that walking isn't more than a few months away; I'd like to keep her chances of tripping to a minimum.

Now, I know that Cheech's body type is pretty unique in the spectrum of baby figures, but if any of you have come across baby pants that happen to provide some extra space for a little junk in the trunk, please spread the word.

2012-01-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

A questionnaire. Participate, if you are so inclined.

1. Do you have a toddler, child, or adult offspring?

No- you can stop reading (or skip to the end, if you are curious).

Yes- Continue to question #2.

2. Does your toddler, child or adult offspring have relativitynormal or healthy sleep habits?

No- you can stop reading.

Yes- Continue to question #3.

3. Was your toddler, child or adult offspring "agood sleeper?" as a baby?*

No- Continue to question #4.

Yes- you can stop reading.

4. Did you eventually "sleep train"?

No- Continue to question #5.

Yes- you can stop reading.

5. So then, when did your toddler, child or adultoffspring eventually learn to sleep well? Did you do anything to help it?

I have written about Henry's sleep challenges, and thefact that I am not ready to sleep train, especially at the cost of nightweaning or ending our sleep sharing. This remains true. However I still wonder:I know there are leagues of families out there that are hard core believers incosleeping, and against "sleep training." I assume these babieseventually. One day. Do sleep. Right? I just need to hear about it. Every one Iknow seems to say "she slept once we night weaned." "Once we moved him to acrib..." "Once we....." I could REALLY stand to hear from the"rest." Is that you? Please chime in.

*IE One who could, without sleep training, fall asleep onhis or her own, without being nursed or rocked. Sleep for more than an hoursolo in a bed or a crib. Could fall asleep if laid down "drowsy butawake." Not one who (like Henry) if you even think of laying down before he it OUT starts jerking his whole body around until he is completely wide awake and we have to start from square one. You know.

note: when I looked at this post in reader, many words were missing spaces between them. But when I try and edit it, the spaces are there. My apologies if that is happening to you also.

2012-01-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, after a little arm twisting, I was able to convince Joe to take Cheech on his jog. I completely understood his hesitation seeing as her mood can be hit or miss when it comes to hanging out in her stroller for longer periods of time, but I really want them to get in the habit of sharing time JUST together. With the way Joe's work schedule works out, we're a very lucky family because our baby gets to spend most of her day with BOTH parents. I never, ever take this for granted. Joe typically leaves for work at around 3 or 4, and considering Cheech goes to bed at 7, there aren't exactly too many hours she has in a day without her papa around. Thing is, though, when he leaves she and I are on our own, alone. Her dad may be mostly there, but I am ALWAYS there. Cheech is about to be 10 months old, and the most amount of time I've spent away from her, believe it or not, has been roughly 20 hours. That comes out to approximately two hours A MONTH. If you think that's ridiculously insane, well, I DO TOO.

So, I have two reasons for wanting Joe to take on some more one-on-one time with our girl. For one, Cheech loves her "dada" SO MUCH, it's just plain silly. He truly is her hero, and I want the bond they have to be as strong as possible. I know that if they get into the habit of doing things together, they will have a lifetime of amazing memories. Not to get too into it here, but I lost my dad when I was 8 months old, so I think this is a classic case of wanting my kid to have what was taken away from me. Besides, I'm pretty confident there will come a day when I really piss her off, and she's going to need someone to talk to about it... who better than her dad, right? He can listen and be there for her, but also remind her that although I am the "fueled by emotions" type, I am also still totally awesome and lovable. At least, I hope that's what he'd tell her.

On to reason number two. Before I go any further, I just have to say that the amount of love I have for my Cheechy Peachy is beyond limitless, and that I wholeheartedly treasure every single minute we spend together. BUT, man-oh-man, do I miss having some alone time. I am the kind of person that THRIVES when I have hours upon hours to myself. Seeing as I've only been away from Cheech about 20 hours, you can only imagine how many of those hours were spent by myself... not even half. I know it will be healthy for me AND her if we take a little break from each other from time to time. I am a firm believer that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I can't help but think that it would be a little nice to miss her sometimes, and even more importantly, for her to miss me. Every morning when she wakes up and sees Joe in bed, her little, round face lights up like you would not believe. I have to admit that a small part of me gets a teensy bit jealous when she rolls over, sees me, and gives me that "Oh, you again" look. I want that dramatic face glow, too, dammit. So yeah, time apart can only equal good.

They left yesterday at around 11, and were gone for a good hour and a half. Let me just tell you, it was GLORIOUS. I was able to wash our towels and sheets, make lunch without CONSTANTLY redirecting a 9 1/2 month old away from a hot stove, take a shower and SHAVE MY LEGS (I mean, really shave my legs vs. the half ass job I've been doing for almost a year now), check my email, and call Nordstrom to ask if they had a certain bra in stock. On a normal day, with Cheech around, these are tasks that would take HOURS to accomplish. The funny thing is, this jam-packed hour and a half still managed to feel quite relaxing. Call me crazy, but I think I'm on to something here with this whole "time apart" idea.

2012-01-24T15:56:00.000-08:00

Crawling is yesterday's news guys. Once we bought a nice big rug for the living room (the slippery hardwood floors had been holding him back) Henry went from a weird little half crawl leg lift scoot thing to a full on- no surface is an issue, head down racing style, speed crawl, in a matter of (what seemed like) days.

For us, crawling is kind of a relief. So many warned or said in their knowing voice, "oh, your life is about to chaaaaange!". I suppose this would be true to the parent of the baby who is content to sit and play self entertaining for more than a mere moments at a time. Henry was not that baby. His ability to sit up helped, but even still, he lost interest in whatever was before him very quickly and required lots of interaction, lots of being moved around, lots of being held. And so chasing after a crawling baby in a not quite 100% baby proof living room is actually a lot easier/less time consuming. I can set him in the living room, then proceed to start dinner in the kitchen, keeping one eye on him. Usually he will (as I intend) play for a couple of minutes then follow me in, then proceed to play with tupperwear. All of this before he finally comes and pulls up on my legs and I have to pick him up! It is amazing! Occasionally he will instead of following me go for some baby danger, and I will have to redirect him, but honestly it is way easier than keeping an immobile baby entertained.

Anyways, crawling is yesterday's news. Today? Stand. Stand. Stand.

2012-01-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

Before I had Cheech, the idea of a playroom seemed incredibly wasteful and overly extravagant. My God, was I stupid. Living in Such a small space with a baby makes me really yearn for an extra fun-filled room. It really has nothing to do with the fact that ALL HER STUFF has slowly, but surely, taken over our stuff, but more that it would be so awesome if she could have a place where she isn't constantly being directed away from so many non-baby friendly things.

Realistically, when we finally do move, our new place won't be too much bigger. We enjoy small space living, and in order to stay in the area we want to live in, we're going to have to sacrifice a big home due to all the dollars bigger places tend to cost here. So, here first room will end up being a bedroom/playroom, but I have a feeling she's going to love it.

Super fun AND cute playroom found on Shja's Blog.

2012-01-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

A bit of reading, in case you haven't. Most of you likely know about and have read Anne Lammot's Operating Instructions. No? You must. But only after the birth of your baby. (If you are planning.) Then there is Rad Dad, a collection of stories writen for the Zine of the same name. I bought this for Ben for Christmas. I can't wait till he is done with it, so I can read it. (Sh.) Enjoy!

2012-01-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

I am really beginning to dislike car seats. We transferred Cheech from an infant car seat to a Britax Marathon when she was about 3 months old. Although she was definitely happier in her "big kid" seat, she never really got too comfortable, considering I still sit in the backseat with her if both Joe and I are in the car. For a few months there, it was looking like she might actually, eventually, be totally content in her car seat. But I kid you not, the very day she became mobile, that dream was shattered. Basically, she can't stand to be strapped into anything. If we avoid the shoulder straps in her stroller, she's pretty cool, but there's no way we can/would want to do that in her car seat.

I have a feeling that there are two things we might be able to do to hopefully help with our arduous car rides. Currently, her seat is strapped onto the middle seat and in a reclining position. I was under the impression that the seat HAD to be in the middle, but with all the seats I see placed on the side, maybe I was misled? I'm assuming that putting her on the side will give her the option of looking out the window, which might actually keep her distracted from those pesky straps. Is this wishful thinking, or am I, perhaps, on to something here?

I also have a feeling that putting her seat in a more upright position might make for a more enjoyable ride. She's been sitting up for months, now, and lounging isn't something she's exactly fond of. My only concern with this option is how it will affect her naps in the car. I do try to avoid car ride naps as much as possible because I've noticed that she naps better and longer at home. I think the longest she's ever napped in our car has been about 40 minutes (for her, that's a very short nap). BUT, with the way life works, sometimes she just has to spend one of her naps on the road.

So, were going to try both of these techniques out this week and I'll report back. I can't be the only one with a baby who starts screaming the second she sees her car seat, right?

Noll Noll Handmade

2012-01-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

You might have guessedthat my husband surfs. This is something we have always hoped thathe would one day share with our future off spring. It is such a hugepart of his life, and such a pure activity that makes him so happy andkeeps him healthy, why wouldn't we want him to pass it on? Plus theimage of a little towheaded toddler paddling out with his or her papais just *too cute*. Of course, especially since Henry has been born,we keep a level head about it. Knowing he might not care for surfing,or the ocean at all. But we can't help but be a little pleased everytime he shows a liking for water. So why did I start to panic aboutthe possibility of him surfing one day? The truth is; if it wasn't forBen I probably would have left San Diego. It is nice and all, but kindof... limited? And so expensive. But, we stay. And I suddenly imagineHenry, all grown up (ish) and ready to leave home, choosing a college.And I imagine his choices being limited to where they have.... goodsurf. Ack! I want more for him! I want him to be instilled with thewanderlust for ALL exciting places that I felt as a youth. Not justthe Pacific Coast. So how off my rocker am I, worrying about this formy not quite yet 9 month old? Kind of silly, I know. But then Iremembered last night, when Ben finished high school he did not, infact follow the surf, but moved to Sweden for a year. So, I suppose there is hopethat Henry can be both passionate about surfing, but not so tied to itthat it keeps him from exploring other possibilities. Do you havesimilar crazy pants thoughts about your children's future?

2012-01-16T08:02:00.000-08:00

It's starting to feel like a lifetime ago that Cheech was a newborn, and about two lifetimes ago that I was madly searching through baby sites and blogs to figure out exactly what she was going to need. I know that at some point on this blog I had made mention of writing regular posts about the absolute baby necessities, but I'm a new mom, and if I've learned anything in the past 9 months it's that new moms can't always do the things they intend to do. Now, however, a family member of mine is expecting a brand new baby, and since I told her I'd help her out with the must-haves and the must-have-nots, I figured I'd share the list here too.

As hard as I did try to keep my baby gear fairly streamlined, I still ended up with a bunch of stuff that was completely useless to us. I think this is somewhat unavoidable considering random gifts you'll be getting from friends and family members, and the fact that all babies are SO DIFFERENT that it's impossible to know the products that work best for them until they actually come along. So although this list does have specific brands, it consists of items that I have found to be highly successful amongst other moms I know. Here goes...

Must Haves

Aiden + Anais Swaddles

Don't even bother with other swaddling/receiving blankets, because these blankets reign supreme. We have a set of the Classic and the Bamboo, and they were both such lifesavers. First off, they are the only swaddles I'd come across that were actually big enough to properly swaddle a baby. Cheech got over conventional swaddling pretty quick, but we used these to modify swaddle her (arms out) for a few months. They're light and breathable, but still manage to keep baby warm. They're also great for diaper changes when you forget your changing mat, and perfect for blocking the sun out of strollers without creating a pitch black cave.

Baby Soy Kimonos

Those first few months, Cheech didn't want ANYTHING pulled over her head. I found myself favoring all her kimono-style onesies and tops to avoid a baby-panic attack every time we dressed her. My favorite ones, BY FAR, were by Baby Soy. Super soft cotton in solid colors that are actually very lovely... how can you go wrong? I was obsessed with her Baby Soy Kimono Top; She only had one, but I kid you not, she wore it until it was a crop top on her.

Boppy Newborn Lounger

This thing SAVED us (I wrote all about it here). In fact, we had a regular Boppy, and I can count the number of times we used it on one hand. I had developed pretty severe carpel tunnel due to pregnancy that tok months to clear up. My doctor suggested that I prop Cheech on a pillow and lay next to her during feedings instead of holding her, because my condition was so bad. Had it not been for the newborn lounger, that wouldn't have exactly been the easiest thing to do.

Dr. Brown's Bottles

Since Cheech became a bottle-fed baby by the time she was a month old, bottles were serious business for us. Before she was born, I was concerned with making sure we used glass bottles, but not much else. I quickly learned that a "cool-looking" bottle does not necessarily a good bottle make. I had two issues when it came to bottle-feeding with Cheech. Once was that she was extremely gassy, and the second was that she liked to take her sweet ass time polishing off her bottles. I found that the flow on most of the nipples I tried resulted in 30- 45 minute feedings... and that was when she was only taking about 2 1/2 ounces at a time. The Dr. Brown's bottles were the solution to both my problems, and I've never looked back. The day we started using them, I noticed she was getting much less tummy aches, and feedings were starting to move along a little more efficiently. She still eats like a bird (rarely takes more than 3-4 ounces at a time), but at least she's getting them down in about 15 minutes. HUGE improvement. Oh, and look, they come in glass.

Ergo

OK, so it took four months before Cheech warmed up to the idea of being toted around in a carrier. But after about twenty crying fits in her Ergo, I am happy to say that she FINALLY reformed. Baby wearing is AWESOME; I love it, Cheech loves it, and it's safe to say that it has made our life so much easier. It's great (and about a million times easier than a stroller) for running just about every errand, going for walks, and lending a helping hand when Cheech is dealing with some serious separation anxiety (pretty common as of late). I plan on wearing her for years to come, and of all the carriers I've tried, the Ergo is hands down my favorite.

Gerry

"Gerry" is actually just the name we gave this sweet little guy. There's a sheep version too, if that's more your style. Bottom line: It doesn't have to be Gerry or the sheep, but do yourself a favor and get a sound machine. Your baby will sleep SO MUCH more soundly. I'm pretty sure it was one of the first things I suggested to Jamie, and they ended up using an industrial fan. Whatever works, works. We also have an app on our phones and our iPad... that's how strongly I believe in the power of white noise when it comes to babies. We still use Gerry for traveling, but we're currently using this machine at home.

HALO Organic Sleep Sack

To be perfectly honest, we're all about breaking the baby rules in this house, and Cheech has been sleeping under a blanket with a pillow since she was about 5 months old. At that point she was fully rolling back and forth in her sleep, and fighting me for *my* pillow every night, so I figured she was probably ready to sleep like a big girl. Before that, however, I heavily relied on sleep sacks to keep her warm at night. She only lasted in them for a couple months before she learned how to sleep on her side, and therefore no longer wanted a sleep sack or to be swaddled, but I'd use them anyway on extra cold nights. I'd also like to add that many babies will, in fact, still use sleep sacks well into their toddler years, so they're still a great investment.

PRIMO EuroBath

If you remember, Cheech HATED baths in the beginning. Now, she starts crawling toward the bathroom right around five o'clock every night to remind me that she needs a bath before bedtime. She has become obsessed. Those first few months, we ended up just giving her sponge baths, but right around her third month is when I transferred her to her EuroBath. Ok, so I know it just looks like some giant tub, but it is so much more. One side securely holds younger babies who are still not able to sit up on their own. And by "securely", I mean your baby ain't going anywhere (this is obviously not suggesting you leave the room while your baby is in the tub... you know that, right?). I can't tell you how nice it is to plop your baby in a tub and have TWO HANDS totally free to wash and rinse all those little fat folds. I've never had to worry about Cheech slipping and sliding all over the place in this tub. In fact, even though she's been sitting up for months now, she still enjoys the reclining position because she loves kicking her little heart out in the splashy water. I'm certain I'll be using it until we transfer her to showers.

Trumpette Socks

I'm pretty sure this is the only brand of baby socks that actually STAY ON. Very handy when you're trying to keep extra tiny feet warm.

Must Have Nots

Stroller

Remember my stroller woes? Oh man, had I known what I know now, I would have totally held off on the stroller. Chances are, you'll be able to roll your new baby around in their infant carrier/car seat for those first few weeks, or even months, so no need to rush into purchasing a stroller. My MIL had gifted us a B.O.B stroller before Cheech was born, and we love it now, but it's really not suitable for tiny, little infants. I would say that we didn't actually start religiously using it until she was around 5 months old. Trust me, your baby doesn't need a stroller right away. I'm not saying not to buy a stroller, but I am saying it is something you can wait on until after he/she is born.

Crib

Like Jamie and Ben, Joe and I also co-sleep with our baby. Now, I'm perfectly aware that co-sleeping is not for everyone, but if there is even the tiniest bit of you considering it, skip the crib. We had discussed co-sleeping but honestly, I really didn't think we were going to go with it. But when Cheech was born, EVERYTHING changed. She kind of didn't give us a choice. I don't want to get to into it in this post (I'll save it for another), but Cheech sleeps better when she sleeps with us. So, co-sleeping it is. Don't get me wrong... the crib is great when I need somewhere to put her while I draw her a bath, or need to use the bathroom, but we could have just gone with a Pack n' Play. Remember, your baby will most likely be in a bassinet those first couple months anyway; The crib can wait.

Toys

Yeah, don't even bother... or, at least, keep them to a minimum. Remember, they can't actually play with toys until they're at least 4-5 months old. For those first few months, they're so preoccupied with getting to know their new world, that something as simple as a ceiling fan is about all the entertainment they can handle. Cheech has a teddy bear/rattle that she's had and loved since the beginning, but it was quite a while before she took the time to notice any of her other toys. Books, however, she's always been big on. Babies LOVE to hear their parents voices, so reading to them is a win win in my opinion.

Photo, Anna Hedges

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Well, he isn't exactly climbing up them yet, but Henry is using his library wall (as he uses everything these days) to pull up to a standing position on. So far the handywork is holding strong, and he likes choosing books!

2012-01-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

I met up with a friend and her baby last week, and she posed a lot of interesting questions when she asked if I reprimand Cheech. "Well, yeah... I guess... sort of", was my unsure answer. The thing is, I do call her out when she's doing something she's not supposed to, or when she's acting in a way that she doesn't need to be acting, but I'm not exactly sure I "reprimand" her.

Now that she is an advanced crawler, Cheech wants to get into everything. And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. There comes a point when there's only so much baby-proofing you can do. For example, we have an indoor fig tree that she loves, loves, LOVES to climb up on and start tugging at the branches or shoving her little fists into the soil. Sitting on the floor, the tree hits the ceiling, it would not survive outside, and we have no intention on getting rid of it. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure that would be the solution to the problem at hand, anyway. Cheech is at an age now where she is definitely starting to become cognizant of how far she can or cannot push us. I understand that she is nowhere near becoming an expert on the subject, but I do see those little wheels turning.

Instinctually, when I see her tugging on a tree that could easily topple over and land right on top of her, my natural reaction is to yell out, "NO". I tend to have the same exact reaction to things like her trying to climb up our heater or our oven. Not only do I have no intention on being the parent that's always shouting "NO", but truth be told, on the occasions that I have panicked and yelled out at her, she's typically reacted by going about her business with a big, fat laugh and smile on her face. I had read somewhere that the average baby will understand the concept of "NO" at around 6 months, but you cannot expect him/her to respond to it (properly, at least) until they're closer to 12-18 months. They're little explorers at this age, and in order to learn, they're, in a way, programmed to test us a bit. A little frustrating, isn't it?

I had also read in the same article that instead of always shouting out the "N" word, a good approach is to tell them why what they're doing/touching isn't for babies (hot/dangerous/yucky), and lead them in the direction of something that is for babies. I've been practicing this technique for a few weeks, and it seems to be working really well for us. She loves being in the kitchen with me while I'm cooking, and since we have a more open floor plan, a safety gate wouldn't work for us. Now when she starts climbing up the side of the oven, in a very exaggerated voice, I tell her that it's hot and dangerous, and I hand her some tupperware and a couple rubber spatulas. Don't get me wrong, she's no Baby Einstein and this is a practice that definitely has to be repeated again, and again, and AGAIN, but I think it's a step in the right direction.

What say you? Do you have any techniques besides the obvious "NO" that have worked well for your family? I'd love to hear them.

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Henry is on the verge of saying Mama (we think. Or maybe he is already saying it, and we just don't realize that the intent is there, you know? Or maybe it is like a year off and all the mamamama is meaningless babble). So his ability to learn and understand and repeat language has been on my mind.
So.... What all do we call boobs, and nursing time? (To those babies who go on to nurse into an age when they might start to verbalize it, just a little.) Henry's caregiver calls it to her's "ney-neys", and a girl friend calls it "num nums", explaining that her older daughter started running around asking for "boobs". I don't go in for anything too cutesy, but yeah, I am thinking I don't want him running around asking for my "boobs" in the future. I'd love to know what you call it!

2012-01-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

You guys, please tells me there comes a time when it doesn't feel like I'm doing laundry every other day, and PLEASE tell me that one day, Cheech will wear one size for longer than just 6-8 weeks. Also, please tell me approximately when I can expect this all to happen. Thanks.

2012-01-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

Right now, the extent of Cheech's *play* involves different forms of peek-a-boo and having us bounce or throw her up in the air. In other words, we kind of do the "playing" part while she observes. I had a MASSIVE imagination when I was a kid, and I'm so excited that in just a couple short years, she will develop one of her own. Don't get me wrong, playing with her now is tons of fun, but it's going to be tremendously amazing when our playtime becomes interactive. The sky's the limit when you're a kid who can pretend and act out just about anything you want.

I might have to do some early shopping in Colette Bream's Play and Pretend section of her shop. I've never come across such dreamy toys.

2012-01-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

I went to dress Cheech this morning and realized that I had five pairs of clean pants left and NOT ONE clean top. Obviously, I completely miscalculated when I shopped for her winter wardrobe.

These Japanese Robot onesies and toddler tees by botodesigns are slaying me. I rarely, if ever, put Cheech in pink, but all bets are off if she's wearing little robots bowing to each other. I mean, COME ONE.

2012-01-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, guys! I want to make sure I'm starting this year out right for my little Cheech, so I'm looking to enroll her in some classes as a great way to help release some of her curious energy. She's big on listening to music, and I really want to get her into a music class pronto. Unfortunately, she's developed the oddest nap schedule and seems to be sleeping when most other babies are awake, and therefore, I'm having trouble finding a class that will work for her. I'm hoping things will get better once she moves down to one nap a day.

Anywho, I'd love to try a variety of different classes, but other than Gymboree, I don't really know where or what to look for. Did or have any of you tried baby classes for your little ones? What did you think? Were there any that you and your baby absolutely loved?

Photo, Hayley H Ross

2011-12-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

Every day, after I give Cheech her morning bottle, she likes to sit on my lap and spend about five minutes giving me tons and tons of hugs. She wraps her short little arms around my shoulders, rests her head on my shoulder, squeezes tight, lets go, smiles at me, and repeats... times a hundred. I hug her back and tell her she is the best hugger in the world.

This morning, it really hit me how this little daily ritual of hers will be a thing of the past before I know it. I think I've mentioned it here before, but I'm not exactly the most nostalgic person, and the joy I get from seeing her little progressions is SO MUCH greater to me than the memories of how she used to *be*, or what she used to *do*. But the hugging thing? That's something I wish could last forever. The thing is, right now, Cheech looks at Joe and I with the brightest light in her eyes; We are the coolest people she knows, her heroes... even when we manage to drop her off the couch. One day, however, she will discover that, well, we're really not that cool. I'm not saying she won't love us, or even admire us, but the hugs will be few and far between as she gets older. And the hardest, but perhaps sweetest, part of it all is that they'll never be the same.

2011-12-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

Oh hey. Just skyping with Grandpa. NBD.

H is finally interested enough to hold a little video call with his grandparents, and even smile and interact. I picked up the bedroom while they, chatted, the other day. (as clearly I needed to.) Isn't it the BEST?

2011-12-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

If the last 8 1/2 months have been any indication of how fast time flies, Cheech's first birthday is right around the corner. My goal has always been to have her completely off formula by the time she hits 12 months, and I've started realizing that I can't just all of a sudden take it away; I'm going to have to ween her. Although her solid food diet has, so far, consisted of pureed foods and finger foods that she can hold and eat herself, I'm thinking that after the New Year I'm going to phase out her pureed foods in hopes that she will get used to the idea of eating like a *regular* person. At first I was reluctant to do this because I was SO SCARED that she would choke on some of the bigger kid foods. For the most part, if I gave her finger foods, they were soft enough for her mash up in her mouth easily. But when she bit off a huge chunk of an apple slice last week, gummed it and swallowed it without a problem, I let go of a lot of that fear. So we'll see how it goes. I would say she's really great at eating solids; She's still a huge fan of her bottles though, so I know I have my work cut out for me. If any of you have any tips for weening babies off of formula, that would be rad.

Photo, alex@faraway

2011-12-15T05:45:00.000-08:00

You guys, I am wild about traditions, but honestly my small family doesn’t have many. That’s OK, we are starting fresh! A few years ago Ben and I got into the tradition of buying our tree on my birthday weekend (the first weekend in December.) (Although this year we bought a small potted pine that we plan to use again until it is so big it has to be planted- so the tradition next year will just be to bring it inside and decorate it.) My pal Naurnie posted about her family’s tradition of her mom giving her and her sister a Christmas book each year, and I love it! I am starting this year with Margaret Wise Brown’s Christmas In the Barn (the original illustrations), because Goodnight Moon is our favorite.

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Favorite holiday books? I would love to hear, I need to be ready for next year!

2011-12-14T06:33:00.000-08:00

when H wasn't yet a week old, a girlfriend and her 6 month old baby came to visit. she held onto H with tears in her eyes, marvelling and his tiny size, not letting go until he finally needed to nurse. i thought- yeah i know they grow fast. but come on. your baby is only 6 months older. it isn't SO hard to remember how tiny she was?

and now i understand. it is completely mind boggling how fast they change and grow, and how quickly we forget.

the other day, this happened. i was sorting clothes to give our pregnant sister in law, and could not believe how small his newborn outfits were. then last night i watched ben "cradle" H in his arms to rock him to sleep, thinking to myself, i don't know how much longer we will physically be able to do this! then last night i was sorting photos for grandparent chistmas gifts. look at how baggy his tiny clothes even were! look how much room he still has in those arms.

slow down, little man. i can't keep up!

2011-12-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

Um, it has just come to my attention that NOW (or even a couple months ago) is a good time to get Cheech in the the habit of brushing her teeth daily. Did you know they're supposed to start so young, because I most certainly did not. Seeing as she only has 2.5 teeth, and isn't exactly downing cans of coka-cola, it really never occurred to me to start thinking about her oral hygiene. I was also reading that experts recommend taking your baby for their first dentist visit by their first birthday; That's in about 3 1/2 months for us. Is it me, or is that totally bananas? So, what say you? Did you start your kids young too? Am I the only one who's been left in the dark on this subject?

The Baby Banana Training Toothbrush, which apparently, I need to get right away.

2011-12-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

These images blow my mind. We have our collection of ultrasound shots up on our fridge, and I often take Cheech up to them and enthusiastically ask her, "Who's that baby?!". She looks at them confused and somewhat amazed, because they obviously look nothing like any of the babies she knows. Pregnancy always felt like such an immense mystery to me, and seeing such clear photographs of what exactly goes on in there seems to help make sense of so much. Can you believe that little H and Cheech once looked like that? It's unreal.

Buy the book here.

2011-12-07T18:56:00.001-08:00

I made this tiny video this afternoon. He was blowing EPIC raspberries that I wanted to catch. (Failed).

But we caught a few other things. Notice first; the teeth. If you are not keeping up on twitter you might not know, but Henry has two little baby bottom teeth. It was rough going for a few nights, but we are out of the woods (for now). Notice second, the tongue. As seen here, it has been making a lot of appearances lately. And the grand finally of the video is a surprise. His newest and most amazing trick. Check it out.

OMG, so cute, right? If you know how I can fix my wonky little video, feel free to let me know.

******************************************

Thank you all for your wonderful comments on my last post. It is nice to hear that we are not the only ones, that others are going through almost the exact same thing. I think sometimes to outsiders, this whole baby thing can come off as looking a bit easier than it is. Cause honestly we are pretty damn happy to be working so hard! So all the strain might not show through so easily. Which can make you wonder; hey, is it hard for everyone else too? And thanks for sharing the perspective from the otherside. ;) Of course I know it gets easier, but it is nice to hear.

It seems a lot of you found some peace with (some form of) sleep training. This is a tuff one for us. I would really love for Henry to be able to sleep a bit in the evenings without us (say, from 6-10?) or even longer naps, but I don't think I am ready for it at the cost of moving him to his own bed. Sure, a night of uninterrupted sleep sounds awesome.... But I actually feel that the middle of the night together time is valuable. I am away from Henry 40 hours a week. Which to me feels like so much. I can't be there to nurse on demand all day, so I might as well do it at night. This is both emotional and practical. Because we are trying a baby led weaning approach to feeding, he still has pretty high milk needs. I think that if we cut out night nursing I would have a hard time meeting his demand.

So, it is all a delicate balance of choices and compromises, I suppose. For now we choose a baby who needs lots of cuddles to sleep well at night, so that we can keep feeding him in a way that feels best for us. We will see how long that lasts. :)

2011-12-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

As cute as Cheech's sausage legs look in leggings, they just aren't cutting it now that the temperatures are really starting to drop. I don't like to put her in denim because I find it somewhat constricting (my own hangup, I'm sure). I thought of maybe doubling up her leggings, but I can't imagine that would be very comfortable either. Then I remembered that a friend of mine always has her baby in harem pants, and although I'm not sure how I feel about them for adults, they are so stupid cute on little ones. I have a feeling layering harem pants over leggings is the answer I'm looking for. Now, if only I could buy these already made; Sewing is my arch nemesis.

2011-12-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

Time is flying. When Cheech was born, I remember thinking that 8 and 9 month olds seemed so old... so advanced and grown up. It was hard to imagine her ever being able to do all the things that the big kids could do.

This past month has been a month of firsts. Her first haircut. The first time she flew East to spend time with her Papa's family. The first time she met two of her uncles. Her first time sleeping through the whole, entire night... for multiple nights in a row. The first time she got licked on the face by a pup. The first time getting hissed at by a kitty (not our kitty). The first time she ate beets (and LOVED them). The first time she officially crawled. The first time she held on to the side of our coffee table and stood up (done exactly one day after mastering crawling). The first time she took three steps around said coffee table. The first, of many, times she fell. The first time she looked to me and held her arms out for comfort after falling. Her first bruise. The first time she heard, "NO". The first, of many, times she ignored my "NO".

She really is becoming a little grownup right before my very eyes.

2011-12-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends! So you might have seen (either on the side bar, or in this post) that we are now taking a few sponsors for our blog. I wanted to take a minute to let you know a few things:

-We will only ever accept sponsorship from products, companies, services, professionals whatever, that we truly believe in and recommend to our readers. You know, the kind we would in general be happy to share with you in a post. Ones that are relevant and you might be interested in.

-We will often "introduce" our sponsors like Celia did for Frazier & Wing. We will preface these with this title below, so you know it is for a sponsor:

-If asked to review products (like we were for Tea Collection), we will include a banner like this. We promise to always give our honest opinion:

Because we like our content the way it is (and assume that you do also, other wise you wouldn't be reading, right?) we will try and always make these posts on Fridays- a day we are generally light on posting- so as not to interfere with our regular programing.

Know that if one of these banners is not present in a post, we are in no way being compensated or provided with free goods- we are just passing on stuff we like and think you will too.

We hope you don't mind too much- and indeed that you even find something you enjoy!

And finally, if you are interested in being a part of our sponsor group, shoot us an email at hankandlucyblog (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thanks!

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

It is with the greatest pleasure that I introduce Hank + Lucy's very first sponsor to you, Frazier + Wing. If you guys have been reading this blog since the beginning, you may recall that I had my heart set on a Frazier + Wing mobile for our nursery/baby nook in our bedroom, and that I was lucky enough to be gifted one from a friend. I often imagine how I will decorate Cheech's room once she finally has one of her own, and one of the first things I think of is where I'll put he mobile... over her bed, over her dresser, near a window, it would really look fantastic anywhere. I love it, but even more importantly, Cheech loves it. It's hard to know exactly how receptive your child will be towards their mobile, you know?

I think what is most special about her mobile, to me, is that it's not necessarily a "baby" mobile, so she can use it for years to come, and even take it with her on the day she moves out. It's so beautiful, that it would really work well in any room. I've actually got my eye set on one of the branch mobiles, or garlands (or both) for myself. Oh, and Heather, the one-lady show behind Frazier + Wing, is too sweet for words. We exchanged a few emails back when I was posting about mobiles, and I was a little blown away by her kindness.

Seriously guys, the mobiles on her website are gorgeous, but the photos can't show exactly how stunning they are in person. So if you're in the market for one show-stopping mobile, I highly suggest one of the many Frazier + Wing has to offer. AND, if you happen to be expecting a baby, you can always register for it with Amazon's Universal Registry. That's what I did. :)

2011-12-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

This baby business? Whew. Our average weekday is hard. I made a log:

515-530: henry wakes, nurse while ben showers

530-545: play with henry in bed, change his dipes while ben gets ready for work

545-615: get ready for work (dress, shower, make smoothie and eggs, help pack diaper bag, squeeze in a few last minute baby kisses, no wonder I almost never make it out of the door on time)

615 ben leaves to drop H off at the caregivers, i leave for my carpool to work

630-4: feel underworked and terribly sad that i am not making better use of my time at home with henry. crunch numbers to try and see if there is anything to be done. there isnt.

430-445: get home and nurse H, who has just woken up (ben and H have been home for a couple of hours)

445-530: spend time with my boys. try not to "get stuff done" but make it quality time.

530-545: H and ben bathe while i start dinner and get the room ready for bed (make bed, get dipes and pjs together, pick up floor, change water in humidifier)

545-630: nurse H and spend some more quality time with him before putting him to sleep while ben finishes cooking and watches a little surfing on the net and cleans up a little

630-640: wolf down our dinner

640-710: chat while we clean up (not the dishes- too noise) prepare for the morning, take care of little thing

710: H wakes up. we know that until we come to bed, he will just keep waking up. so ben goes to bed and reads a bit and lies with him

710 till i give in and go to bed to read (930ish?): edit photos for that wedding, make a tiny dent in the laundry that needs to be folded, type up these notes, refrain from blogging, try and give the cat 5 minutes of affection, pick up messes, wash cloth dipes, pay some bills

bed time to 5ish: lie in bed and try not to focus of what did not get done (those dishes, the rest of the laundry, mailing that package, calling my mom....) H wakes several times in the night to nurse.* i honestly have no idea how many. in the beginning of the night (9-12) i think it is every hour. then we get a long stretch. then it is frequent again in the early morning hours and we are using every trick to keep him asleep past 5.

we love H more than anything we could have imagined. we are so completely filled with joy and gratitude that he is in our life, and almost every moment spent with him is a good one. but. it is still hard. i hate that H goes to sleep so soon after i get home from work. miss alone time with my husband. i am frustrated that our only day off together too often involves catching up around the house instead of taking an adventure with H. i'd love to watch at least half a movie one evening without one of us having to go to bed.

so i wonder; how does this compare with your routine, if you are also in the thick of it. if you have made it to the other side (please tell me there is one) when does it get better?

*unless he is sick or teething, for the most part this just involves scooting him down from the crook where he is nuzzled by me, then scooting him back up after he passes back out within 5 to 10 minutes. THANK GOD.

2011-11-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

May I insist that if you would like to brighten your Wednesday, that you watch my friend Elizabeth's darling almost 3 year old working out how to use a water fountain, here. You will not be sorry.

2011-11-30T10:35:00.000-08:00

With The Holidays just around the corner, I've got gift-giving on my mind. I have no desire to fall into the trap that is a materialistic Christmas because, although we are not religious, I truly believe that The Holidays are more about spending time with the ones you love than gifts. When I was a kid, my parents were great about not buying us enough presents to stock a whole toy store, and as much as I groveled about it at the time, I cannot tell you how grateful I am now. It taught me to look forward to more than just what I would find under the tree.

This year, since she is so young, we are buying Cheech one present. We figure with the insane amount of gifts she'll most likely be getting from her grandparents, that's more than enough. But as she gets older, we're going to have to devise some sort of plan. I like the idea of gifting her a couple gifts that she needs, and about three gifts that she wants (some being from us, and some being from Santa). What are your thoughts on this? Do you find this plan Scrooge-y, or would this even be too many in your household? I'd love to know.

Photo, Peas in our Pod

2011-11-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Speaking of not being able to resist, I just picked up this print for Henry's room. Abby (mama to Asa) is closing up her print shop, to focus on Asa (raise your hand if you can relate!) and make time for new future projects. You can scoop up any print in her shop at a deep discount by entering "shopclosing40" at check out. Sweet! Best of luck Abby!

2011-11-29T07:49:00.000-08:00

Holy cow you guys, Bloesom Kids has the best gift guides. We are not doing a big spendy Christmas, but I am sorely tempted by a number of items here. So if you need help shopping for the littlest ones in your life check it out!

How bad does Henry need this ride on plane? In honor of his favorite grandpa*, of course.

*an all time favorite ADF vintage post. I link to it as often as possible.

2011-11-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

So after just about 8 months of co-sleeping, we have made the executive decision to transfer Cheech to her crib. Although I figured she'd stay with us until she was about 12 months, she's started CRAWLING IN HER SLEEP (and sometimes sitting up too), and seeing as she's no stranger to falling off our bed, we think she'll be safest in her crib from now on. But, how exactly does one make this transition without a baby who ends up confused and a crying mess for two hours every night?

Getting her to start napping in her crib (she used to nap in our bed too) was actually quite simple. She fussed and fought through one nap, but has been golden ever since. However, nighttime is a whole other exhausting story. When she would go to bed in our bed, I would lay next to her as I gave her her last bottle of the night and she would peacefully fall asleep. Sure, this took months to achieve, but it had become the norm around here and was VERY nice. Knowing that laying next to her in her crib was not an option, I decided to rock her to sleep for her first night in the crib. She fell asleep in my arms and I held her for a good 20 minutes before putting her down. Ten minutes later, she woke up screaming. After countless efforts to try and soothe her, I put her in our bed and she eventually fell asleep to both of us sobbing. It was horrible.

The next night, I rocked her again and she started to lose it the second she was put int the crib. Not wanting to endure what we had gone through the night before, I immediately put her in our bed. She started laughing and, I think, started to think we were playing a game. I spent the next hour trying to get her to fall asleep, but was totally unsuccessful. Out of frustration, I stuck her in her crib and she instantly passed out. I was shocked, but happy that it worked. At around midnight, she woke up and I put her in our bed where she quickly fell asleep again. Last night, the worst night, she woke up every half hour sobbing. Being exhausted from the two previous nights, I put her back in our bed and she, again, cried herself to sleep.

Honestly, I know myself and I am REALLY not cut out for letting her cry it out. I understand that there are different versions of this method that have worked for other families, so I'm not knocking anything here, I'm just well aware that it isn't for me. It may have something to do with the fact that five nights a week, I do bedtime by myself because Joe's at work. Who knows?

I'm hoping that we're just going to have a few tough nights around here, and the crib will eventually become her new normal, but am I dreaming? Have any of you gone through this process? Co-sleeping has been one of the best parts of being a parent for me, and I wouldn't take it back for anything in the world. In other words, I have no regrets, I just need a little help with breaking/reversing the habit (I hate calling it that). Once she's actually asleep, she's pretty good about staying asleep most, if not, the whole night. On the occasion that she does wake up for a bottle here or there, I definitely don't have an issue bringing her back into our bed. But for that initial bedtime, for her safety, I need her to go down in her crib.

Photo of The Ouef Sparrow Crib, which I was so bummed we couldn't afford. Seeing as we've had a virtually unused crib in our bedroom for about 10 months now, the thought of owning such an extravagant piece of furniture kind of makes me chuckle now.

2011-11-22T22:43:00.000-08:00

With the rainy season right around the corner, what on earth do you guys do with your babies? Typically, I love rainy days, but now that I have Cheech, I dread them. I end up feeling so bad for her because we pretty much just wait for the rain to pass us by inside our apartment. She definitely is the type of baby that bores easily and tends to get cabin fever, so this isn't exactly the best strategy. So, what to do? She's super into walks, and if it was as easy as taking her to a mall just so that she can go for a stroll, I would do that... but, believe it or not, the closest mall to us is a 20-minute minimum car drive away (and that's on non-rainy days). Seeing as she's still on three naps a day, 20 minutes in the car eats up LOTS of time. Some of her other favorite activities include trips to the zoo and the park, but those are obviously out. Any suggestions?

Rainclouds by sparklehen

2011-11-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

Help dress this nakid baby! We have been relying on these carter's PJs for bedtime. They are innexpensive, 100% cotton, and we like that they are footed, especially for winter! But they only go up to 9 months, and at 7 months H is rapidly outgrowing them. We need to stock up, as we go through sometimes 2 a night! (We are still having leak issues.) Can you suggest any footed PJs that won't break the bank if we want to stock up on a handfull? (Bonus points for natutal material like cotton or wool, and also anything without garish colors or designs. I know I am dreaming. Why do the simplest baby clothes always cost the most?)

2011-11-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

I've had some trouble keeping Cheech's toys/books organized and I realized that it probably has to do with the fact that the basket we've designated as her "toy box" is a little on the small side. I stash what I can in there, but what doesn't fit ends up thrown all over the living room floor or shoved into odd places. For the most part, it's not too much of a problem, but there are times here and there when I don't want our living space looking like a nursery, you know? Anyway, I was recently at a friend's house and noticed her 3 sprouts owl bin. It's super adorable, ultra roomy, and just the kind of thing I need to get everything out of the way on a moment's notice. Now I just have to decide between the fox and the raccoon...

2011-11-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

Yeah, we finally tried the nosefirda and it totally kicks ass. Unfortunately it is no easier to get it into (or at) the baby's nose than the bulb is (if you have a defiant one like ours), but once there it is so much more effective, and completely worth the struggle.

Now what to do about his poor little rattling chest cough?

2011-11-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

For those of you who were asking about Cheechy's owl pants, first of all, we LOVE them. Second, they come in lots of styles (for both girls and boys) and are incredibly warm. And third, can you believe how cheap they are? So yeah, we definitely stocked up for the winter.

UPDATE: Shitballs! Jamie just informed me that most of the styles are sold out, BUT they do have lots of new styles. Here's the link. :)

2011-11-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

Henry has his first cold. He doesn't seem too terribly bothered, though we have a had a couple of rough nights, I don't even know if it is related. The funny thing is, being so stuffed up, the poor guy sounds like a pug when he nusres.

pug by Mark Peckmezin via miss moss

2011-11-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

Guys, is this totally going to be little H in 6-8 months, or what?! I CANNOT WAIT for the day when Jamie posts photos H's papa teaching him how to surf. *That* will probably be a bit longer than 6-8 months from now, but still.

via piccsy

2011-11-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

Would it be weird if I told you it feels like I can see my baby turning into a little girl right before my very eyes? Even though, she still VERY MUCH is a baby? There are no words to explain the amount of fun we're having right now. She's like this little ball of constant energy, excitement, and curiosity all rolled into one. She is desperate to crawl. And by desperate, I mean I've never seen anybody want something so bad, and work for it so hard. She has the leg part down, but is still working on those little arms. Mostly, she'll start inching her legs forward until she gets herself into a downward facing dog position, but Joe saw her crawl backwards a bit last week, so I know she's almost there. Now that she's on solids, it's impossible to eat around her without offering her something to have as well. I've learned the hard way that I have to pack something for her every time we go to a restaurant now. Some of her current favorite things include hugging (seriously, the girl must hug me at least a hundred times a day), extra long baths, swinging, being sung to (this makes me realize how much she loves me, because if you heard my singing voice, you'd probably cry), sitting on her dad's shoulders, peekaboo, high fives (she doesn't always get it right, but when she does, she's SO proud of herself), and sucking on pizza crust. I am realizing that there is absolutely no limit to the amount of love a parent has for their child; It just keeps growing, and growing, and GROWING.

*Don't mind her drool stain. We are, after all, dealing with some serious teething. On that note, thanks for all your awesome suggestions! We went out and bought some of those Hyland's tablets and one of those raspberry suckers, and both worked WONDERS. The next day was so bad, that we did end up giving her a little tylenol, but she was much better soon after. And as for the coconut oil, genius idea! It's been working splendidly. :)

2011-11-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

I don't suspect that they are for everyone, but I have seen a number of dolls around where the dolls engaged in various activities like babywearing, nursing, and even (as in above) birthing. These ones by fridastierchen are some of my favorites. I'd like to have a few dolls in H's collection of toys, maybe I will get one of these?
PS- fox mask!

2011-11-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the very late posting today; I have an incredibly unhappy teething baby with one toof and more on the way. I'm feeling pretty helpless here. Every time she looks up at me with oversized tears in her big brown eyes and a frown that's bound to break anyone's heart, all I know to do is hug her and tell her it's going to be OK... not exactly supermom skills. There've been a couple times she's ended up with a fever, and a few times that she's been completely inconsolable, in which I've given her some Baby Tylenol. Although it does seem to take the edge off a bit, I wouldn't say that it alleviates all of her agony, so I don't want to get into the habit of giving it to her just to give it to her, you know? Do any of you have any secrets to help soothe a teething baby? They'd be greatly appreciated. She'll also develop teething rash from time to time and I'd love some suggestions to help with that as well. I know some people put a little Vaseline on their babies' faces, but I feel like the oil in Vaseline would cause her to break out. Right?

Ella and her teef by Cara

2011-11-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

And just like that, little man is officially over his grandpa fear. PS- Henry in his costume.

2011-10-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, guys! Wishing you lots of fun with your kiddos, or just yourselves, on this festive holiday. Much to my surprise, Cheech is big on dressing up. I have a feeling Halloween is going to be a pretty major deal around here for the years to come.

2011-10-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

I know it has been food week here, but I am breaking that to end with a quick talk (call for support?) on sleep and the mama being away.

Let me preface with an overview of our sleep sitch; we sleepshare. (co sleep, whatever. H sleeps in our bed.) He is nowhere near sleeping through the night, but we are not too fussed with it and have no desire to sleep train any time soon. Sometimes a gentle rock puts him right back to sleep, sometimes he wants to nurse. Especially because I am away from him at work so much during the day, I look at this as a time for us to (albeit half asleep) bond and be together.

Enter some situations where I might be away for a night (or few). With this project on the horizon, I might be doing a bit of travelling next year. H and Ben will come along for some of it, but to come for all of it would be a bit much on the little guy. (And potentially pricey buying extra plane tickets.) Ben is a stellar hands on Dad, and is completely up to the task of being at home with the little man. But we are all a little nervous about the nights, since Ben simply can't offer what I can. He can have a bottle ready, sure. But it isn't quite the same, I don't think.

So I am curious. How old where your little ones when you were comfortable being away for the night? Those of you who let baby wean on their own, how old were they? A lot of this travel happens next summer, and he will be over a year old. Maybe I shouldn't even be sweating it, it is so far away? Thoughts and your own experiences would be sooooo welcome!

And, have a great weekend dudes! We are having a bonus day off together all 3 of us. A scene identical to the one above is happening *right now* and I have been able to get so much done! Yeah!

2011-10-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Henry and baby led weaning, we celebrated H's 6 month birthday by giving im solids for the first time. We may have gone over board. I think his favorite thing was smooshing the avocado around, and maybe sucking a little on the banana. For now he is mostly interested in playing, and gnawing on the occasional pear.

2011-10-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

With the introduction of solids, comes baby's first sips of water. Our pediatrician had instructed us to start Cheech on a sippy cup, and while I obviously wasn't expecting her to get it right away, I finally gave up after the hundredth time of having to change a soaking wet shirt. I don't know about your baby, but my baby hasn't exactly mastered the art of tilting her head back and slowly gulping tiny sips of water. Instead, she opens her mouth wide open and just sits there while water pools on the sides of her mouth and creates a waterfall effect down her chest. Charming, I know.

We were at the park earlier this week with our friends, Shayna and E, when I noticed that E's sippy cup had a straw attached. "What a GENIUS child this must be!", I thought to myself. If Cheech was nowhere near handling a regular sippy cup, we'd be lucky if she mastered a straw by the time she got into kindergarden. Shayna assured me that the straw was actually much easier and that little E was also not so keen on the head tilt. Sure enough, I tried it out on Cheech and she was taking sips of water like a champ! I ran out and bought a sippy cup with a straw that same afternoon.

After doing some more research, I came across the LOLLACUP, which I will admit is a bit of an investment for a sippy cup, but I'm loving the handles suited for little hands and the narrower straw for flow control. I just might have to put it on her Christmas wishlist.

2011-10-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

It turns out, we are having solids week here on H + L. A while back I said something about baby led weaning on twitter. Kristen mentioned that she has been feeding her boy Dax that way, and I jumped on the chance to ask her to write us a guest post and tell us more. Thanks Kristen!

krmmnn

So we've all been feeding our babies however we've managed to for some months. By wizardry, by divining for water, by panning for gold, by osmosis, our babies have grown into plump or lean miniature humans who can sit up and look us in the eyes. And now for whatever reason, we're in a hurry to feed the baby our scraps of dinner, to try on cute bibs,
to perfect family recipes and calibrate our wee ones to its texture and flavor, to do more laundry and get on our hands and knees to wash the floor, ahem... or to labor over perfect mixtures to freeze for effortless afternoons to come, to show our baby what our lives really
revolve around, real food.

Enter Baby-Led Weaning, or BLW.

Celia touched on BLW in her Monday post -- and I'm here to add my own experiences regarding BLW.

Let's start by explaining what this BLW is. Contrary to the way it sounds, BLW is not "weaning" in the typical sense; it simply means to start the weaning process and leave the weaning entirely up to the baby. It can take weeks; it can take years. The crux of BLW is
essentially that you start off baby on whole foods rather than spoon- feeding him or her, and in this way allow the baby to explore texture and self-satisfaction, as you offer him or her as much food as he or she is interested in eating at each offering.

Many BLWers will also cite the signs of readiness for baby to start eating: Sitting unassisted; Tongue-thrust reflex is gone; Pincer grasp is present; & the baby is 6 months of age.

All of the signs are intended to minimize the risk of choking on food, as a baby that presents all signs are technically ready to chew and swallow food on their own. From everything that I've read, the guideline of 6 months is to both ensure the other signs of readiness and also that the baby's digestive system has been given sufficient time to mature from what is called "open gut," a period of time during which "spaces between the cells of the small intestines will readily allow intact macromolecules, including whole proteins and pathogens, to pass directly into the bloodstream," to "closed gut." However, there is a dearth of authoritative information on this subject, so it's left open for mothers to debate.

I have been thinking about how to write about BLW and the truth is that at 15 months of babyhood, I don't care much about BLW. But that in itself became kind of interesting to me. As with other parenting choices, the time they are relevant in our lives is so short comparatively. By the time we feel confident about our decisions, it's time to move on. BLW might just be another thing to feel weird about, or to feel strongly about only to not care a few short months later when it seems like everyone's babies are eating big chunks of food.

In our own experience, my son, Dax, did not express much interest in solid foods until he was 12 months old. Furthermore, he was completely inept at swallowing even the softest chunks of sweet potato. An alarming and embarrassing scenario: Eating dinner with my sister and her friend with a 9 month old baby, I gave Dax a chunk of tofu to everyone's encouragement. This resulted in Dax gagging and puking milk all over me at the dinner table. He was 11 months old. When he was 9 months old, my friends with 7 month olds were feeding their babies whole black beans and seeded bread. But we stuck to food processed in a handheld food mill, or food served in a mesh feeder, or honestly just nursed, because that's what felt right most of the time. Our pediatrician wasn't concerned and the LLL (la leche league) leaders assured me it was okay. When 12 months rolled around, it was like a switch turned on, and Dax started eating table food vigorously. That's just how he rolled!

purees vs whole foods

I would like to clear up one misconception about BLW. I feel like too much emphasis is placed on the wholeness of food. In my opinion, it is more about self-feeding and letting the baby dictate the quantity of food eaten. Even though I milled Dax's table food, I would stick it to his broad wooden spoon and let him feed himself. (Much to my mother's dismay, Dax would never let us feed him, and has only recently tolerated me shoving food in his mouth.) It is totally possible to both perfect your soft babyfood concoctions and and also practice BLW.
Yes, the spoon will end up on the floor. Often. But guess what -- this happens all the time with older babies anyway, so get used to it!

Or conversely, don't worry about it. If your baby isn't showing a lot of interest in actually eating, it's totally okay. However you've been feeding him or her so far is more than sufficient. Solid food is not as calorically-dense as breastmilk & formula; a little milk goes a
longer way in terms of weight gain and nutrient delivery than a chunk of sweet potato will. Even fatty foods like avocado and tofu are less suited for the task of growing a human brain, so there's no hurry.

But I will admit that despite the quickening of laundry loads and extra prep and cleaning, feeding babies is fun and BLW is a pleasant way to do it. Dax's delayed appetite coincided with the start of berry season, and every time he jammed a summer raspberry into his mouth it was like watching a coin tossed into a winning slot machine. I kept a mental tally of how many berries he had consumed as if to hold the nutrient-content of his little body a little closer. He was choosing to eat this food, and it was a good choice. Maybe in some way BLW is about that -- Beyond exploring texture and taste, it is about facilitating choice independently early on and reinforcing that behavior. That's the beauty of baby-led weaning that can be hard to grasp in the moment, especially if that moment seems to take too long
-- The baby leads us, and we guide them by simply following.

2011-10-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

We started Cheech on solids at 4 1/2 months. For many people, this is quite early, but as a parent of a formula-fed baby, I have somewhat of a different take on this subject. After doing TONS of research on organic formulas, we found the formula we felt was right for our baby. Unfortunately, our baby wasn't on board with the formula we chose. She was having trouble digesting a variety of formulas, and I was feeling pretty defeated. It would never have occurred to me that not every formula is right for every baby. After lots of trial and error, we finally found a formula that, when combined with a probiotic, was gentle enough for her little system. It wasn't my top pick, but I was happy that we were at least able to keep her diet organic. So for me, starting her on solids felt like I was able to regain control of her diet; I was able to feed her wholesome and nutritious foods that I felt were right for her.

I feel that she was already starting to show interest at 3 1/2 months. At her 4 month check-up, she was in the 90th percentile for height and 97th for weight. Due to her size, our pediatrician gave us the green light. I started her on rice cereal (as recommended), but moved onto *actual* food after just a couple of days. I've made every effort to keep her food local, organic and seasonal, because that's exactly how Joe and I eat. It's been a ton of fun trying new things and seeing how she reacts to unfamiliar foods. I can't get her to eat banana or avocado to save my life, but have had an extremely positive result with pears, peaches, yams, carrots, and persimmons.

At six months, we started incorporating some BLW. Although I really love the idea of feeding her the foods she gravitates towards, I still want to stick with the purees because she likes them, and I find it's the best way to offer her an extremely expansive selection of foods. I really want to do whatever I can to prevent her from being a picky eater, and I feel getting her accustomed to a variety of flavors might aid in that. So, we do a combination of both.

So far, feeding her solids has worked really great for us and for her. BUT (there's always a "but"), I do have one issue. She seems to have this innate distaste for all green foods. It's almost as if some older kid already told her they suck. Now that I'm blending flavors, I've had some luck. She loved her apple, yam and kale mixture, and also did pretty well when I caramelized some cabbage and blended it with a steamed carrot and asian pear. But other than that, it's been a bit of a challenge. Are there any green vegetables that your babies absolutely love? Or, do you have a blend that just so happens to be your secret green weapon? I'd love to know.

2011-10-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

Big news I forgot to share; H has been sleeping unswaddled for the last month or so. This is huge, people. I thought he would be sleeping swaddled through high school, when he had kids of his own, into retirement. I couldn't understand how he would grow out of the need.

And then he did.

BUT. With non swaddled sleep has come sleeping on his side. And with sleeping on his side has come: THE ATTACK OF THE LEAKEY DIAPERS.

It is a nightmare. He leaks out of two diapers a night. He goes through jammies like there is no tomorrow. He soaks up our bed sheets, and worst of all; he requires middle of the night diaper changes. (He hates being changed when he is sleepy, the poor thing.)

Is there anything to be done? We love our fuzzi bunz cloth during dipes the day, but have always used a single disposable at night. (Either 7th Gen or Earth's Best for no chlorine and all that.)

Help!

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Remember back in the day, when I was looking for the perfect mobile? I got the one I wanted and Cheech LOVES it. A friend bought us another felted elephant mobile that I hung over our bed because it works as a nice distraction every night while I'm changing her into her pajamas... for some reason, this is a ritual she is not fond of. Well, now I'm in the market for a third mobile. Cheech has this horrible habit of trying to roll onto her belly while I'm changing her diaper, and no matter how many times I tell her, she can't seem to remember how incredibly counterproductive that is. I'm hoping hanging a mobile above her changing table will give her a reason to want to stay on her back, even if it's just for a minute. I think this one's calling my name.

2011-10-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Baby scarf? Oh yes I did. See more photos from our trip to the pumpkin patch on ADF. Incidentallty, kid likes pumpkins. His grandma bought him a grapefruit sized one and it is a big hit.

2011-10-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Remember back when Jamie was talking about childproofing? I have to admit, at the time, childproofing seemed SO far into the future that I didn't really even give it a second thought. Well, things have changed. Right at six months, Cheech started to sit up on her own. I kid you not, just about a week later, she started doing that thing where she gets on all fours and rocks back and forth. From what I've heard, that means crawling is right around the corner. It's obvious that she's desperate to crawl. Although she's not exactly doing the hand/knee, hand/knee movement just yet, she is definitely mobile. If she sees something she wants a few feet away, whether by rolling or by nudging her little body, she'll make sure she gets to it.

As soon as I noticed this new development, I started to see our apartment in a somewhat different light. I began to worry about our low-to-the-ground cabinet full of glass barware and our bookshelves with stacks of very heavy books. And now when I look at our marble coffee table, I shudder. Just yesterday, she was sitting on the couch with me when she flopped over and landed on her pinky in a back bent position. The wailing that ensued was intense, but luckily after some hugs and a game of peek-a-boo, I was able to calm her down. It made me realize that if she can hurt herself so easily just by SITTING, then the damage that can be done once she's really moving is freakish. After all, I do have the baby that fell off the FOOT of the bed.

I totally get what Jamie was trying to say in that post. I don't want to spend every minute of every day saying "no" and keeping a hawk eye on Cheech, but at the same time, I just don't see how you can reason with a six-month old. So now it's inevitable, I guess. Project baby-proofing will start this week.

Photo, YrVelouria

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Some pretty darn stylish 2nd birthday decorations. Baby birthdays! I can't (can, but you know what I mean) wait! See more on A Merry Mishap.

2011-10-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

With Holiday Season just around the corner (I know... scary, right?), I've been on the lookout for baby girl dresses that are suitable for all the festivities and that also DON'T SUCK. I don't know what it is about December that makes it OK for designers to just start sticking candy cane and santa hat appliqués everywhere. I'm really trying to avoid having Cheech look like she's going to one of those tacky Christmas sweater parties, you know? Luckily, I found some great pieces over at Zara and Lost and Found.

2011-10-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

A while back our pal Lauren shared with us a story written by her friend Paul. It was so beutiful I wrote Paul to ask him if he wouldn't mind sharing it here, and lucky us, he said he would not mind. Thank you!

Recognition

“Have a great day,” said the attendant helping J. out of her wheelchair, “and a great life.” I was so stunned, with my daughter in my arms, to think these might be the same kind of thing that I had to sit down on a bench, under that sun, with the topiary animals below.

The previous night, R.’s second in life, had been a low point. She screamed for hours; time was a tunnel of screaming; already we had been away from home so long that our previous life seemed to be entirely wiped out, as in the beginning of Lanark, and replaced with a low-grade nightmare in which our home was the hospital and our job was to tend an inconsolable small animal that never slept. She had plastic tags on her wrists and ankles and umbilical stump and was kept in a kind of Plexiglas bin, on top of a rolling cabinet too high for J. to reach without climbing out of her hospital bed. J. was too wounded to climb out. I would pick R. up and try to rock her through space, give her to J., who would try to initiate breastfeeding with no milk; finally we had to call in a nurse, who pointed out the urine-filled diaper that I had overlooked and wheeled away our child, whom we were failing to care for, so that we could sleep. I collapsed into the bed next to J.’s battered body and said that I didn’t know how we were going to raise a child, that we could never be enough for her. But here we are.

She’s beautiful. I have a hard time conceiving that she has anything, corporeally, to do with me. They gave her to me after birth and I held her in the dim light (the bright lights being focused on J.’s agony) and watched her eyes open and shut, roving. I thought they were blue or gray; I still think they are gray or blue, but darker now, with hints of earth. Maybe green. Maybe more changes.

We expected English to be her first language, but in distress all she says is hélas! In better moods she names the parts of her world: lait, and eau, and her birth month août. She reserves a certain effortful grunt for lying on her stomach, lifting her head and turning it from side to side, a feat she was performing by ten days old.

Today we had the first fecal blowout all over the office wall. Malebolge.

She came out long at birth—ninety-sixth percentile—and with a head not absolutely large, but too large for J. and turned unhelpfully to the side. I have never seen anyone in so much pain as my wife during those hours. That she kept her lucidity astonishes me. “Dude,” she said to the doctor, skirting a curse word, “I am in a lot of pain.” She couldn’t understand, she said afterward, why everyone was exhorting her to keep pushing, given that her whole being was bent on nothing but pushing through to end the ordeal, even three and a half hours in.

We had wonderful nurses. Living two days in the hospital was a reminder that the caliber of the nurse determines everything.

Lying on her back, R. makes dances of her reflexes and really seems to be speaking through the language of gesture. Her fingers are long for a newborn’s, always opening and closing. I don’t know if she knows what I am, but she hates to be put down. I hold her a long time at night, sometimes long past my own waking. She’s warm. Her breath is like wind in the grass.

-Paul Kerschen

2011-10-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

I'm a weird mom. I'm not incredibly nostalgic, and instead of longing for all the baby stages that so quickly come and go, I excitedly wait for everything that's yet to come. However, I will be a sad, sad lady the day that Cheech stops putting her feet into her mouth.

Via Favim

2011-10-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

It is Halloween time! Love this holiday. But- bed time for us is so early, do we bother celebrating this year? We had a REALLY cute costume in mind, but I realized there is no way to make it warm enough, so that is kind of out the window. Hmmmm. Encinitas pumpkin lane sounds fun, but it is a bit of a drive for us, if Henry won't get anything out of it. It starts at 5, so we could go for about an hour before Henry hits the wall.

I wonder, those of you with little ones Hank + Lucy's age(ish) what are your plans? Or with older ones, did you do anything on Halloweens past?

little fox by amanda mae

2011-10-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

Well, gone are the days of the laying down poses. My little adventuress* is a MOVER, and this is honestly the only photo I took that ended up being in focus. Getting her to stay still for even ten seconds has become virtually impossible these days. Those of you who follow me on twitter probably read that she fell off the FOOT of the bed in the middle of the night a couple days ago, and was lucky enough to have landed in a pile of laundry. Although she's a huge fan of being in her crib for playing purposes, she rejects it completely as an actual bed. So I'm in a bit of a predicament, as you can imagine. My mom says I was the same exact way; I refused to sleep in a crib and she ended up giving mine away right around the time I turned 9 months. I guess there are worse aspects of my personality she could be taking after.

Happy half birthday, Cheechy Peachy! You are my favorite girl.

*Coined by Amanda

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about Henry and music a lot lately.

Saturday night we went to a neighborhood walk about, which included a stop in a baby learning studio where they were hosting a mini kids music lesson. I stood in the back with Henry in my arms as he watched wide eyed (and sleepy; past bedtime) the older babies & kids play the tambourine; soft and hard, soft and hard.

You guys, I started tearing up. The tambourine is such a staple of childhood (or was in my own, anyways). The thought that I will soon get to share this with him (soon! Everything is happening so soon!), and everything else I treasured as a child; that he is my child, it just sort of hit me at that moment.

We are big music people, and we can't wait to share all of our favorite music with him as he grows. (See my friend Bruce's successful strategy in sharing his favorite music with his nephew here.)

But what about when they are so little? I am curious about your experience with music and the little ones. So far Henry went through a phase where he really liked being sung Mary Had a Little Lamb (boring!), then he ditched that and loved Do Re Mi. But even that only gets a little smile these days. He doesn't care for most of my rock renditions (After Hours is of no interest to him, but he tolerates I Will for his lullaby.)

I wonder; do babies strongly react to baby specific music? Should I be hitting up the record store? If I play something specifically recorded for him in the car, is he more likely to be happy and entertained than if I just put on the oldies station?

And if so, please. What doesn't suck?

2011-10-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

Like I've mentioned before, in an effort to keep all the baby stuff to a minimum, we made sure to purchase very few toys for Cheech. But now that she's *so close* to sitting, herself, I think the three rattles and Sophie we've kept in heavy rotation for the past six months are getting a little old/boring for her. I was browsing through Giggle's website and was enamored by their selection of wood toys. Perfect for a baby that is starting to gain a little independence, don't you think?

2011-09-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

And.... We are almost sitting. I can hardly believe this little guy is almost a guy who sits up on his own. He has a good grasp on the tripod sit, where he leans on his hands in front of him. He can push himself to upright, and hold it there for a few moments before leaning forward again, or toppling over.

I think life will get a bit easier in some ways. He will be able to sit and play with a toy, instead of sit on our lap and play with a toy. (Sometimes he sits in the bumbo and plays with a toy, but he always drops the dang toy then lurches over the side to get it.) And for this, I will be thankful.

But as always, I am wistful. He isn't my tiny baby anymore. Already. Lightspeed, I tell you.

2011-09-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I was so scared of everything. I'd avoid getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night to lower my chances of being attacked by monsters, and I slept with a nightlight well into my early twenties. It probably didn't help that my mom would use all things scary as a way to get me to behave and mind my manners. With L, I want things to be different. Obviously I want her to be a cautious and polite child, but the last thing I want to do is use scare tactics in order to achieve that. I guess, for me, since I was always so scared and hated being so scared, I don't want her to feel the same strong emotions over such nonsensical stuff. So I'm considering starting a monster collection for her. If I give her the impression that monsters are friendly and that a dark room can be fun and not spooky, I'm hoping she won't suffer from all the paralyzing fears I endured. I don't know. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I definitely think it's worth a try.

Luca by morningglori

2011-09-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hey cool guy! You turned 5 months old last week! Like Celia observed with Lucia, you are really turning some cool corners, which made our weekend on the go (just home from 4 days in LA) pretty delightful. I think it's time I sit down and write another letter, and capture all these changes before the memories slowly fade....

2011-09-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Lucia with Henry's papa / Henry with Lucia's papa

You guys, the babies met this weekend for the FIRST time. It went by far too quickly, and I'm getting teary eyed knowing that the next time they see each other simply won't be soon enough.

*jamie's note. see another adorb picture Celia took here...

2011-09-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

As Celia mentioned, Tea Collection asked us if we would like to review some of their children's clothing. Um, yes please! Actually, the first baby clothing item I remember buying ages ago was a Tea item. It was a teeny tiny onesie for the new addition for the family I was already working as a nanny for. I had never seen such a beautiful mod pattern on baby clothes before! And of course when Henry was born they handed it back down to us. So sweet.

For Henry of course I picked up the western inspired shirt above. We love the colors. Henry you are so manly.

Solid color tees! You know I love me some plain solid kids clothes. You know that, right? Why don't more companies do it? I don't know. Anyways they have a selection of colors in this thick cuddly tee that will be perfect for fall. Ben picked the indigo for Henry.

Baby in a hood! Ack! I think he needs to wear it at the beach to hide him from the wind while his papa gets in an evening surf sess. I wasn't sure about the orange till I got it on him. So dang cute.

I do wish that they made some of the newborn styles in larger sizes. I love the mod patterns and subdued color pallets, and we still wear footed one piece outfits every morning.

Thanks Tea collection! We are a little more ready for fall now! Bring it!

2011-09-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

My whole life, people have called me Cecilia. Many of them have even felt the need to sing me the song. I guess it makes sense. Compared to my *actual* name, it is much more common, so I can understand why people tend to naturally go there. Typically, I'll correct the error once, but seeing as I'm not big on repeating myself, there have been a good number of people who have continued to incorrectly address me time and time again. It is what it is, I guess.

This being my situation, I wanted to make sure that when my time came to name a child, I would not make the same mistake twice. Well, I fucked up royally. Joe and I had loved and discussed the name "Lucia" before we even got married. But there was one little problem... the pronunciation. Joe, being of Italian decent, believed the name should be pronounced "loo-chi-ya". I, being of hispanic decent, preferred "loo-see-ya". After years of not being able to compromise, we chose another girl name when I became pregnant. We loved the other girl name and it went fabulously with our last name, but for some reason we couldn't truly become attached to it. Joe, then, brought back the idea of "Lucia". After thoroughly discussing it, we decided that since we lived in a state with a HUGE spanish-speaking population, it would be best to go with "loo-see-ya". We could avoid any confusion and it sounded lovely with her middle name, which we were not budging on.

Our plan has totally backfired. No one ever thinks to pronounce it "loo-see-ya". Even my family members (who are all spanish-speakers), have a tendency to refer to her as "loo-chi-ya". Not only that, but we've gotten more "loo-sha"s (British pronunciation) than "loo-see-ya"s, and that way of saying it isn't even remotely common stateside. Look, I'm not trying to say that we made the wrong decision or that we have any regrets. I LOVE her name, I love the way we pronounce it, and I love that it suits her so perfectly*. It just makes me wonder how on earth I ended up doing to her what was done to me.

*Although if you read my other blog or follow me on twitter, you know that we exclusively call her "Cheech".

2011-09-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

photo by my funny eye

Can we talk about god parents? Or more specifically, a person that is identified to be responsible for the care of a child should something happen to both parents. This is how I (growing up in what could be considered an agnostic family) understood the role of my own "god parents". (Is there a better word for this? I am at a loss.)

Did you choose a friend, one who shares your own principals and values? Or did you choose a family member? One with whom you might not share as much in common, but with whom you share blood. Knowing that while friendships can sometimes ebb and flow through life, family is a bit more permanent (generally).

What factors did you give the most weight to? Location, financial stability, their own status as single or married or having children? Political or religious views? If close friends were chosen over family, does this cause hurt to family members? Can multiple people be named, with the assumption that whoever is in the best place in their life (should the time come) to care for a child step in as primary caregiver? Should the spouse of a chosen person also be asked?

And finally, how have people, as non-practicing Christians, commemorated the decision? Perhaps some event can take place where it is acknowledged and celebrated, the fact that this adult has a special role in your child's life.

These are just some of the questions going around in our home, and some of our friends' homes. Can we discuss? Would you like to share how you chose? What struggles you might be having with choosing a "god" parent?

2011-09-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... here I am talking about sleep again. But I'm in need of a little help with a couple *issues* that I'm hoping some of you may have had some experience with. Believe it or not, bedtime is AMAZING now. What happens after bedtime, however, has turned into crazy town up in here.

A couple months ago, we decided to start putting L in her crib because she's fond of the diagonal starfish sleeping position, and I wasn't getting any sleep at all. Surprisingly, she did great her first night while I cried myself to sleep. For the most part, she's been in her crib ever since, unless she's having a tough night, in which case she's in bed with us. So, here's where things get complicated.

1. I'm having trouble keeping her warm enough at night. By two weeks, she wanted to and was able to break out of even the tightest swaddle, so we gave up that practice long ago. I started putting her to bed in sleep sacks, but noticed that she slept much better on nights that she didn't wear one. I was uncomfortable with having loose blankets in her crib, so I came up with this weird technique where I would lay down two folded Aiden + Anais blankets, put her on top of them, and then pull up the flaps and tuck them under her... kind of like a rolled taco. This worked pretty well for a while, and I think the snugness of the blankets wrapped around her was plenty to keep her warm. Sure enough though, as soon as she discovered side sleeping, this technique didn't work as well, and she'd wake up flustered in a jumbled mess of blankets. Then, I decided to tuck the folded blankets into the foot of the bed along with a baby quilt. Since she's such a reckless sleeper, the blankets get kicked off in no time at all. Usually, by the time she wakes up for a bottle, her little body is FREEZING. I wish I could explain to her that staying warm requires keeping the blankets on, but you know the drill. The other morning she woke up and I assumed she wanted a bottle. She was really crying, so I put her in bed next to Joe and she passed out instantly. I realized that she wanted warmth, not food. I felt horrible. Now, if she wakes up on especially cold mornings, I'll put her in bed with us and sure enough, that does the trick. As you can see, I need suggestions. Unfortunately, her footed sleeper just isn't cutting it. I'd turn the heater on, but is it me, or is sleeping with the heater on horribly uncomfortable?

2. Ok, next. She's mastered rolling from her back to her stomach, and she LOVES it. When we put her on the floor to play, it's impossible to keep her on her back now. And unlike most babies who roll and then practically lose their minds because they're so annoyed by being on their bellies, she's as happy as a clam. She picks her head up high with a shit-eating grin on her face, and it almost looks as if she can't believe how amazing she is for being so skilled in the art of rolling. This surprises me as much as the next mom because she started out hating tummy time just as much as every other baby. Well, she loves rolling so much that she feels the need to do it ALL the time, including while she's sleeping. Which is fine, except for the fact that she has NO CLUE how to roll back. During the day, while she's hanging out, it's fine because, like I said, she enjoys being face down. But at night, when she wants to reposition herself and can't, it gets a little infuriating for her. A couple nights ago, I was up every hour to hour and a half, rolling her onto her back. I'd also have to stay with her for a while to make sure she wouldn't instantly roll back. Needless to say, I was not happy the next morning.

I try to give her plenty of floor time so that she can figure out this whole rolling situation, but it honestly seems as if she has no interest in rolling back. She's so happy to be on her belly, that she's fine just staying there. I've tried doing the thing where you dangle a toy in the direction you want them to roll towards, but she'll start bending her legs and lunging forward almost as if she's trying to CRAWL. She's five and a half months old... I'm not sure I want to encourage crawling just yet. So, what to do? I was reading some forum where this woman experiencing the same dilemma wrote in. One mom responded saying that she had the exact problem and that at six months, her daughter learned to sit up and no longer had any desire to practice rolling onto her back. Consequently, this continued to interrupt her sleep for another two months. Um, how bad would that suck?

Photo, macetaria

2011-09-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of loving these prints of classic children's stories by Christian Jackson. They'd be awesome in a kid's room, or any room for that matter.

2011-09-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

When I was still pregnant some friends gave us their old baby monitor. I didn't think much of it, and stored it away. I mean, we live in a tiny house. We never used one with the littles I used to nanny for, and I just hate having too much stuff. But Henry is kind of a quiet guy. He will wake up, and we won't know it until he gets to a loud cry. So we found ourselves using a huge loud floor fan for white noise and keeping the bedroom door open so we could peer in at him every couple of minutes.

Then I finally pulled out the monitor. And it is awesome. I love being able to see him in his sleep! His little chest rise up and down. It has changed everything. Do you guys use a monitor?

2011-09-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first lesson in buying up. If you follow me on instagram you may have noticed these little leggings are our absolute favorite (and I think Wolf & Lucia have the same). I was at the mall the other day and I went to buy the next size (from the baby girl's department at the gap) and sadly, they were no longer available. Kicking myself, and lesson learned.

PS rad mollusk surf shop shirt from Meg.

PS If you happen to see then around somewhere? Do let me know.

2011-09-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I came across Tea Collection a while back and we loved it so much, so when they contacted us to do a review of their line of children's clothing, we jumped on the opportunity. I'm sharing some of their super cute baby girl pieces, and soon Jamie will talk about their boy stuff. Like I've mentioned, buying clothes for a girl can actually be more challenging than it sounds. Consequently, I really appreciate that their baby girl clothing doesn't make me feel like I'm dressing L up to look like a big ball of cotton candy.

Seriously, how awesome are that gingham tunic and this little Mexican dress? They're not at all frilly, but still incredibly feminine. Both pieces that I would even wear myself if they came in grownup sizes.

And my favorite striped top! I'm totally considering buying it in the next two sizes up because I'll be so sad when she grows out of this one.

2011-09-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

I am sorry. I know I just posted this photo on ADF. BUT LOOK AT THOSE BABY FEET.

2011-09-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

We went to a bbq on Sunday, and I spent the whole day boasting about how it was her five month birthday. Sure enough though, as I was getting her ready for bed that evening, I realized that it had completely slipped my mind to take her picture. I was going to wait until the next day so that she wouldn't be in her pajamas, but that seemed strange and dishonest. Her pajamas are cute anyway.

Five months! Holy crap, I've been really excited about this one for some reason. Actually, for good reason... in the past month, she's totally transformed into a little person. she doesn't seem so helpless anymore. She's grown to love both of the strollers we have, car seat freak-outs are now a rarity, bath time is party time as far as she's concerned, and she's mastered rolling. She loves rolling so much that she thought it would be funny to roll right off the couch last week. Luckily, she got caught between my leg and a cushion. Every day I am more and more amazed by her, and more and more in love.

2011-09-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Lucia might need tie dye leggings just as bad as Henry needs a little vintage bandana. I think I'll wait until she's a little bit older so that she can actually partake in the fun, but I'll be dreaming of them until then.

2011-09-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

Do please stop over and say hello at The Littlest, where I wrote a guest post about Henry's best vintage goods and where I said the thing aloud that you are not supposed to.

2011-09-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

Henry has mastered rolling from back to front. The trouble is, he doesn't really like being on his tummy. So he gets there, then complains. I was greeted with this face the other day. "Mom, why are you taking pictures instead of helping me???"

2011-09-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

Does Henry need a little vintage bandana (asap)? Yes. Yes, he does.

Birthday boy from Mae Bird.

*update. instead of commenting on posts, Ben sends me his responses via text.

Ben: Henry does not need a lame bandanna. Thank you. Love Husy.

Me: Whaaaaaaat? What if the bandanna was (in your opinion) cool?

Ben: Bandannas have never been cool. Unless your a rancher.

Oh well. He is just going to have to deal with it.