Little Pumpkin 5 Month Update November 10, 2006

Yesterday Little Pumpkin turned five months old. I realize that I don’t often enough blog about being a dad and what these changes all mean. Little Pumpkin has been sitting up now for the past week and really taking it to heart! She is able to sit on her own if we put her in that position; she can hold it for quite some time before tipping over because she’s interested in something to her side. It’s quite a challenge now to leave her alone — even if she’s on her back — because within a matter of seconds, she’s rolled over and into something else. Crawling is the next big step, and I’m certain she’ll be there soon. She’s really been high-energy lately, jumping up and down and getting very excited by lots of things. Even something as simple as looking out the window is a lot of fun for her. Jasper the Cat and her have even become quick friends! She likes to pet his soft fur, grabbing at him and touching his whiskers. Surprisingly, he is not bothered by this and instead realizes that she’s just a baby. She grabs his fur in big clumps sometimes and while I’m nervous that perhaps he’ll bite her (he’s declawed), he hasn’t even come close to doing so yet. He generally just moves his head away if he’s being bothered and moves elsewhere. But she loves to touch his soft fur!

The big challenge has always been being mindful of her being distracted by watching the television. I’m a fan of the idiot box, but in a…cultural perspective. Okay, I enjoy mindless entertainment as well (The Soup). That doesn’t mean I have to instill these bad habits in her though! I do not look forward to having her peers being mindless boob tube zombies, but I’m feeling better that she’ll have others in this area who have like-minded parents.

Her exer-saucer is a constant source of fun, however she does want routine and constant attention from us when she’s in it. Typically we can put her in it and then sit and have dinner while we talk to her and she entertains herself. Solid foods are coming soon — before the holidays she’ll probably have her first mushed foods. I hear babies like sweet potatoes!

Breast milk ‘does not boost IQ’ October 5, 2006

Breastfed babies are smarter because their mothers
are clever in the first place, not because of any advantage of
breastfeeding itself, a study suggests.

Researchers found breastfeeding mothers tended to be
more intelligent, more highly educated, and likely to provide a more
stimulating home environment.

However, they stressed that there were still many advantages to breastfeeding.

Yay moms!

Link

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Babies on a Plane! August 8, 2006

…coming this summer?

Travelling with a baby on an airplane wasn’t all that bad. We made sure we’d played with her and tired her out a bit before we got on the plane, and then fed her during takeoff. So far, so good. She only got a little bit fussy at times, but the total amount of time she was fussy was probably 5 min during the entire 5.5hr flight. She fed a little, slept a little, but was awake a lot, just looking around and taking it all in.

The biggest problem was actually trying to figure out how to hold her while she was asleep; you couldn’t very well hold her and drink something or read something at the same time. I am working on an idea for an inflatable infant bed for your lap or the tray table or the seat next to you, something very small and compact but would be able to cradle an infant during flights. It probably already exists.

And just another plug: I recommend flying JetBlue with babies because they offer free DirecTV on every flight and everyone’s got headphones on. That way, if your baby gets fussy, not that many people hear it.

So for the next week, we’re posting from California!

From zero to baby in 20 seconds August 4, 2006

This guy took a photo of his wife every other day during her pregnancy and animated them all into a movie. Step right up, step right up and watch the gestation happen before your very eyes! Right now a dozen mothers are all saying, “if only it were really that fast.”

read more | digg story

It’s the breast thing for your child August 4, 2006

We got this magazine this month and knew it would spark some controversy:

…but some people are grossed out.

“Gross, I am sick of seeing a baby attached to a boob,” wrote Lauren, a mother of a 4-month-old.

Dear Lauren,

I really want to shake you violently, but I can’t decide if it’s because of your stupidity or lack of understanding of basic human survival skills. I understand if women were just whipping boobs out, flashing them in public like some sort of salad-bar striptease, but look at this cover. Do you see a nipple? No. Do you see anything? No. You need to learn what your boobs are for and use them, because obviously you have some self-shame issues. Thanks.

All the breast,

Tim

PS You’re such a boob.

What’s the big deal? Is America that pent up and Puritanical where a beautiful image of a mother feeding her offspring that offensive? I hardly think that a natural act such as the nourishment of a child should be so shameful in this society. Only in America!

And to those who see this and think that the breast is a sexual thing, I’m talking to you, Gayle Ash, of Belton, Texas. If you someday google your name and this article pops up, hello!

One mother who didn’t like the cover explains she was concerned about her 13-year-old son seeing it.

“I shredded it,” said Gayle Ash, of Belton, Texas, in a telephone interview. “A breast is a breast — it’s a sexual thing. He didn’t need to see that.”

Let me assure you that your 13-year-old son has seen plenty of breasts — but only in that sexual way. If he had been exposed (pun intended) to what breasts are really for (NOURISHMENT), then maybe he wouldn’t have been shocked. Your sheltering of his view on breasts is highly ostrich-like. I can guarantee that he’s seen thousands of boobs by now (ask him) and of course he’s going to see it as sexual, because you’re eliminating all other viewpoints.

What a sad society we live in where a natural act makes women feel ashamed. The term lactivist always makes me chuckle, because it’s sad that we have to have such a thing. But more power to mommies who have milk-ins in public! What are you going to do, kick out 30 nursing mothers? And shame on those who would make a woman feel ashamed for doing this or telling them to just “go do it in the bathroom.” Do you eat in the bathroom? Come on, let’s go, I’ll bring my baby and you bring your humble pie and we’ll go eat in the bathroom. If more malls had better nurseries, this wouldn’t be as big of an issue. But that’s another post.

The original article in Baby Talk can be found here.

So far, so good July 31, 2006

Today is the first day I’ve had alone with the LP, and so far, so good! H had to go back to work because she is too healthy. We almost had a minor meltdown, but that was solved with a quick feeding and now she’s snuggled off into her crib for another nap.

Yesterday was my birthday and we spent the day travelling around central Vermont, we drove to Rutland and back, with stops in Bridgewater for brunch and Killington for lupper. It was a perfect day, weatherwise: low 80s, sunny, breezy, and not humid at all. In fact, as we went by Killington the air grew much cooler and felt great in the car. Last night it finally cooled off into the 50s and we were able to relax.

As I reflected on turning 28, I enjoyed that I have these new roles to fill and these new responsibilities and duties to my family. It’s a huge change from even 2 years ago when it was barely a blip on my mind.

In another daddy complaing note:

1. too many things run on batteries

2. the battery life is too short

3. the time cycles of sleep-inducing things are way too short. Seven minutes? Stupid swing.

Hunka Hunka Burnin Diapers July 28, 2006

We’ve been surviving some humid days and humid nights in preparation for my birthday coming on Sunday. BBQ is going to be the name of the game, and all sorts of folks will be coming over, but I suspect that most of them are coming just to see LP! Which is fine by me. LP has been practicing all sorts of tricks this week, but her best one is that she’s about 7 weeks old now and can pretty much hold her head up if you lay her on your chest! During Tummy Time she’s usually pretty good about stretching up. I can hold her under her armpits and make her dance which should go over well. Last night she was doing quite the softshoe routine.

I still hate Anne Geddes pictures. I thought that having a baby around would make me say otherwise, but nah. It’s not that cute! Now, babies dressed as _____________ are automatically funny:

• • Abraham Lincoln
  • pirate
  • Elvis (Viva Las Vegas era)
  • handlebar moustache man w/stripey bathing-suit along with a straw hat
  • Viking
  • Frenchman
  • …?

God, that kid is creepy. I need to use him in more posts.

Portsmouth, NH and baby portability July 27, 2006

So on Sunday night we headed up to Augusta, Maine as I had some work to do up there. Since H was still on maternity leave, we made it into a mini-vacation. On the way home we decided to stop off in Portsmouth, NH for a rest stop which turned into a scenic tour of historic downtown Portsmouth. Portsmouth is colonial in the truest New England sense — the houses are close together on cobblestone streets with the feeling that you’ll run into an olde timey sea captain around any given corner — which is my kind of city. It reminded me a lot of Salem, MA but without the kitchy witchcraft stuff.

We parked in one of the many huge downtown parking garages and headed down the main street towards the square. The streets are narrow with high buildings and Lil Pumpkin rode w/H in the Bjorn, which I need to plug as the greatest baby carrier a man could ask for, but that’s another entry. We had the Portsmouth Brewery in our sights as I’ve heard much about their crafty brews and wanted to taste for myself. They are also responsible for the oft-hailed (but personally under-sampled) Smuttynose Brewing Company, so needless to say I was excited. There was not much of a wait for the patio so we decided to take in the salty evening air on their enclosed patio.

What a great idea! The ambiance was perfect, and Pumpkin was able to sit comfortably in the Bjorn during our stay. I tried the Altbier first — a great choice for a hot summer’s day. H had the Cream Ale and enjoyed it as well. We both chose some decent pub fare (burger for me, salad & chowder for H) and relaxed in the evening. Since I wasn’t driving back, I enjoyed a Saison with my meal. Not as good as Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series Saison, but delicious nonetheless. It was a great ending to a great day. I picked up a pair of pint glasses to add to my collection — a Portsmouth and a Smutty!
One thing that I realized on this trip is just how much time babies add to your travel time. They need to be fed, burped, coddled, and changed. They will not always sleep when you want them to, and often times they will just freak out for no reason. We had fed her pretty well before leaving Portsmouth but she still had a meltdown between there and Hooksett (about a 45 minute drive). We pulled off at Target in Hooksett and performed some quick diaper changing (in my favorite spot — on the hood of the car!) and even though she bopped her head on the car door while I was holding her, she ended up okay. She’s become quite the squrimer in recent days — we bought her a handy-wrap swaddling blanket so she’d stay in it — not bloody likely. The EZ Swaddler works better than a blanket, but she still manages to pull a Houdini and get her feet and arms out of the blanket.

The other thing I realized on this trip is how much crap babies need — diapers, pumps, bottle equipment, clothes, swings, you name it. We decided to take the “travel swing” — what an oxymoron. That thing is so awkward, so cumbersome, it’s only worth travelling from your living room to the other side of the living room. It can’t easily fold up into a good shape to fit into a car unless you have a Gigandor SUV…oh wait, there’s our problem. Our car isn’t big enough to hold more crap.

It was a good thing we had this little getaway because we are now able to assess this and see how we can further streamline our travel before our upcoming trip to California!

new look, new title, new info… July 25, 2006

…and one other thing…hmm…what was it again? Oh yes, new baby! She was born on June 10 and came out healthy (8lb 9oz, 21″) and is doing just great. She is certainly a wonder to behold! Right now she’s about six weeks old and is already holding up her head and looking around, grasping whatever she can get her little paws on. For now, we’ll call her Lil Pumpkin, or P for short. She certainly is a cute little pumpkin!

This blog is going to do a slight shift of gears and maintain gain focus as I attempt to corral the topics of entries into This Life Domestic I’ve been given. I find myself having a passion for growing things: children, vegetables, fruits (tomatoes are fruits?), bread, and a sense of wonder and amazement at the out-of-doors. I look forward to sharing my experiences through good and bad with these obstacles and achievements, be it a good crop of zucchini or the cursed wasp’s nest that I have to get down from the eves of the house.

So on that note, I will be attempting to update daily, which I realize is a daunting task with work, school, and parenting, but I am determined this time. I will be uploading photos through flickr.com and showing off the results of my growing abilities! Check out the flickr feed in the sidebar, if you like what you see you can join up, get an account and see more!

baby, baby June 7, 2006

Not the Amy Grant song, but there's one coming! Possibly tomorrow! We've checked in to the hospital and will know more in the AM. Keep your fingers crossed!