Reaching Out

Little RR has started to make crawling movements, but so far the resulting motion has only been backwards or turning in circles. Consequently, toys dropped out of reach tend to remain that way, although she is better at reaching for things. A few times she has pulled herself up to standing against the side of her crib. She has better dexterity, handling toys more easily, turning pages, and feeling each fuzzy and textured area in her touch-feel books. Her diet has become more varied, now including oatmeal and several varieties of veggies (fruits are so far not as appetizing). She listens attentively to classical music for short periods. Her currently vocabulary is mostly "Ooooo", "Auugh" and "Booof", but she will take turns in conversation making them. She responds to certain words such as mirror, bouncer, bye-bye and be right back.

Christmas this year was a low-key affair, with both parents down with a cold all week. Thank goodness for D.G. (the Doting Grandmother) who spent many hours with RR and running errands, as mom & dad rested. So far the younger and older generations have escaped the bug. Meanwhile, RR has been enjoying all of her new toys.

A Taste of Paste

My last post mentioned no teeth visible yet, but that has now changed. At little RR's 6-month checkup, Dr. B pointed out her first tooth just starting to poke through. She is growing well, coming in at the 82nd percentile for weight (17 lbs 12 oz) and 90th for length (27"). One consequence of this is that we will need to get a new car seat soon!

Now having considered the multifarious signs and portents, and finding the planets moved to their appointed positions, we decided it was time to try solid food. The recommended cuisine in this case is rice cereal, which we duly procured, along with some colored baby spoons which turn white if the food is too hot.

The cereal box was labeled "Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain Rice Cereal", presumably because "papier-mâché paste" doesn't sound so appetizing. I demonstrated the proper procedure for RR and had a few bites myself, and verified that paste is definitely what it is.

In any event, we mixed some up and doled it out, assuring her in the process that this was really super-yummy food. Somewhat to our surprise, she managed to get some of it inside, and she didn't even seem to mind too much. Another testament to the power of advertising, I suppose.

Six Months Old

It's a bit hard to believe that our little baby will be six months old tomorrow. Time has apparently passed right by while we were busy with other things! It was impressive to me to see how much she has already outgrown, including every item in the photo at right (not counting her mommy.) She is now over twice her birth weight. She still isn't wild about "tummy time" but this week she did manage to accidentally work her way backwards about a foot. Not quite a genuine crawl, admittedly, but I think you can see it from here.

With both parents working during the day, she's been enjoying her time with Nanny G. In the past her attention would quickly wander when we read books to her, but now she usually follows along. Her favorites are the "baby faces" books, and she enjoys playing "peek a boo" with them. No teeth visible yet, but she's been watching us intently as we eat so I'm guessing it's time to try solid (well, mushy) foods. She plays more with toys, and I think it's easier to get her to smile now. Her favorite activity is hopping up and down, in her bouncy chair or any convenient set of arms- her uncle's, in this photo.

Everywhere a Moo-Moo

Has it really been almost a month since my last post? Time has rushed by. The new job is fine, but with the 35 mile commute each way, it is an adjustment to be getting home just as RR is going to bed each day. She is doing well with the nanny we have to cover the time that both of us are gone. During the weekend, I get to slow down enough to notice how much RR has grown- she's up to 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs), often able to sit up without support, and can (briefly) hold her own bottle. She seems more aware of things, and enjoyed a game of "peek a boo" with T this evening.


One of T's friends donated an activity center with several different distractions for the curious baby. One of these is a set of five buttons which make different animal sounds when pressed. If pressed often or long enough they also play a little melody. Four of these melodies are short pieces of familiar classical music, though the fifth one (under the "cow" label) is for some reason "Old MacDonald had a Farm". That button is on the inner side and apparently, by far the most easily pressed. So there's one tune that we've been hearing a very great deal of recently.... E-I-E-I-O.

Coming Changes

A good opportunity has come along, and I have accepted a full-time job starting next week. So it's back to engineering, and away from video and photography, at least as the main gig. With T working also, that means we are suddenly in the market for child care in the very near future! We are quickly learning about the various options. The thought of handing over our darling baby into someone else's care is a bit daunting, but of course it's just the same for so many other parents as well.

In other news, little RR had her 4-month checkup today and seems to be doing just fine (apart from not liking the shots very much). When the doctor asked about tummy time, we tried to show how RR hates that exercise, fussing within moments of being put on her tummy. So we set her down, as she smiled up at us.... and smiled... and smiled... The doctor laughed and said this often happens.

Getting Organized

"Are you still on the computer?" T peered at me from the hallway. "It's getting late and I need to show you the new drawer layout." I thought foggily about what "drawer layout" might mean as I shuffled after her, mind still on the Very Important Web Surfing which I had until very recently been enjoying. Pulling me into the nursery, T opened a dresser drawer and explained.

"I had to rearrange some things here in the second drawer, but don't worry, it's only slightly different. Here in the middle are the onesies in three stacks, the one in the rear is the long-sleeved type. On the right in the back are the gown-type sleepers. In front of that are the bodysuit sleepers, and then long-sleeve daysuits. On the left are the sunsuits towards the front, and shorts in the back, moving right are the long pants in front and shirts behind those. Behind that are some jumpers-- I think, I wasn't sure how to categorize those..."

I blinked at the neatly stacked piles as T smoothed out a light pink dress on the changing table, eyeing it tragically. "Can you put her in this one tomorrow? She has so many cute outfits in the three-month size that she hasn't even worn yet, and she's getting too big for them..."*

I judged that now was probably not the time to explain again how my choice of clothing tended towards "nearest item in drawer", as long as it didn't have too many snaps, or some construction so complicated that I couldn't tell which end went where.

"Sure honey," I said, "not a problem. I'll take care of it."


*T would like to point out that there are no dresses in drawer #2,
all of the dresses are in drawer #3.

Not entirely accurate

Sometimes I get obsessed with details. Particularly when measurements are involved, I like to have things accurate. I suppose that's why I have a scale with more precision than anyone needs to weigh letters, even though that's mostly what I use it for. It came with a nice brass 200 g proof weight, which the scale reports to be 200.01 grams.

Just for fun, I measured the 5 oz Medela bottles that we have been using for feeding RR, and found that they are not so precise as one might like. In particular, "5 oz" of water is actually a bit over 5.3 oz. Now, we feed her as much as she wants anyway, so this makes no practical difference. I just think Medela could do better with their bottle markings. The 2 oz "snappie" bottle we got at the hospital, which looks like a graduated cylinder with a snap-top cap measures to be 1.9885 oz which seems pretty good to me. 5 oz in the Adiri 8 oz measures 5.217 oz and Dr. Brown's 4 oz reads 4.157 oz.

Forwards and Backwards

This past month, little RR has been doing well in sleeping through the night- so much so, that T avoided the subject at her weekly mom's group, to preclude the possible wrath of the other sleep-deprived moms. However the schedule has been changing, with her first feeding moving at least one hour earlier every day this week. Saturday morning started at 4:45 am, so I guess it's a potential conversation topic again.

In other news, she is able to hold her head up much better than before, and her legs show signs of being able to support her 6 kg weight fairly soon, if not managing actual balance. She pulls at the edge of her bib (maybe not on purpose) and will hold small items briefly. In the vocal department, she seems to be working hard on her Gkkkth sounds, which I'm sure are key elements of some language... possibly Klingon. Gkkkth.mp3

Some Assembly Required

When I had a sewing project and borrowed a machine from DG (the Doting Grandmother) I realized my sewing experience was pretty minimal, and I had to rediscover how to use it. It was fun to play around with the different stitch settings on some scraps of fabric, finding many different wrong ways to sew a hem, along with a workable one. I found myself noticing the various stitches and embroidery on the baby clothing. The edges are mostly overlock which of course requires a serger, but it was fun to find out what is possible with what I had.

We have a lot of books and advice and even classes but the whole baby-raising process also seems to be learning as you go, finding things out by trial and error. Things like our baby currently being a morning person (unlike her parents), that canned formula seems to cause more gas than powdered type, that spinning around in circles is calming, and that lying flat on mommy was restful in month one but not month two.

Meanwhile, if I'm not imagining things, little RR is piecing together some things on her own. For example, she has gone from mad-orchestra-conductor mode with no hand control, to something like intentional movement, sometimes holding her shirt or bib. Now at 11 weeks she also sounds different, at least to me. What had been random squeaks are now more like babbles, with some definite syllables showing up. Hear for yourself: Babble-July17.mp3

That's Entertainment!

After seeing the remarkable power of the hairdryer to calm down little RR, I made a "greatest hits" CD featuring a hairdryer solo, plus a duet with the vacuum cleaner. It wasn't long before we had occasion to play this back and it was quite amazing; the recorded sound is just as effective as the original! My own preference for relaxing music runs more towards Vivaldi, but as they say, there's no accounting for taste.

Just as I was leaving a recent video shoot for a local dance group, the director D. kindly gave us a present for RR: a beautiful yellow paper lantern decorated with butterflies. I hung it from the ceiling and she has been quite captivated by it, staring intently at it for some time on many different occasions.

There is no one panacea though, as all of these distractions seem to have effect for a relatively short time. T has found that playing the video of a dance show from last year holds her attention for quite a stretch. I assume the key factor is all the brightly colored costumes in motion- she actually cooed at one piece nicknamed the "stoplight dance" which has red, yellow and green dresses. She waves her arms almost as if keeping time, especially to the more uptempo pieces. T pointed out that this video was the last project I edited before she was born, and no doubt she became accustomed to the music in utero. (We'll try not to let the American Academy of Pediatrics know about all this, since they apparently counsel against any TV viewing for newborns.)

My first baby-related craft project was assembling two stuffed toys into a mobile, and hanging it from a small motor that turns it slowly. Like the other diversions, this usually holds her interest for a few minutes at least. She seems to like the yellow smiley face the best, and sometimes greets it with a happy sort of squawk each time it comes around.

      (click play button above to see video)

Of Quiet and Noise

Little RR was (mostly) well behaved at her very first play-date this afternoon with two other babies, but this evening was a different story- not her usual quiet self at all. She was really mad, judging by her tone of voice, and trotting out our usual suspects of feeding, burping, changing and rocking failed to interrupt her single-minded attention to perfecting the art of the cry.

As it happens, there is a hair dryer attached to the end of the changing table, which we use to dry off a damp posterior in between application of the baby wipe and the diaper. The mere sound of this device from across the room had an immediate and profound calming effect, quite unlike all of our parental ministrations.

Several people have mentioned using hair dryer noise as a pacifier, and we have noticed its effects before, but this time was more dramatic. The "sleep sheep" as mentioned previously was not as useful this go-round... perhaps she has built up a certain sheep immunity by this point.

One does wonder what curious mechanism is working inside her head, to which the magic key is apparently a hair dryer.

T's Top Ten

The delights of parenthood are many, but the end of pregnancy deserves its own recognition. Here is T's list of Top Ten Postpartum Pleasures:

10. Farewell to due date calculators and baby name lists, and hello to the new-to-us world of parenting blogs and instructional DVDs (how many ways are there to fasten a sling or swaddle?)

9. Fitting behind the steering wheel

8. Ibuprofen, the wonder drug

7. Carrying laundry baskets, grocery bags and the like, All By Myself. Hooray for independence!

6. A wedding ring that fits again - yes, I am actually married

5. Being able to turn over in bed on my own (forklift not required)

4. Stairs, not elevators, and walking without conscious effort and a cheering squad

3. The freedom to eat whenever I want. Fasting before & after iron pills is SO last trimester

2. The (very occasional) well-timed splurge of a dark, delicious coca-cola

1. Belly-down back rubs. Heavenly!

Parties and Celebrations

Saturday was the combination baby shower and farewell party for a dance friend. During the busy past month, I admit my self-centered vision had narrowed to the point of wondering how I could be going to another baby shower now... after all, we had already had our baby, and that was pretty much the last word on the subject of babies, surely? At any rate I set off to this event all footloose and fancy-free and trying not to think of T's travails at home with our little milk-fountain (who by day's end would soak her way through seven outfits.)

The party was a well-organized event replete with food and games, and included several other not-seen-for-months friends with their new babies in tow! Beyond all expectation, it seems the outside world has kept turning after all.

We were asked to choose some pattern, design or words of wisdom to decorate a quilt square in honor of the baby-to-be. With the guest of honor being a skilled dancer, my first thought was some dancing figure, but my best attempts at a sketch only suggested the extreme opposite of grace and poise. I decided that a repeating pattern of baby steps were a better match for my drawing skills. If they might double as some kind of riff on the Arthur Murray dance footprints from the 1920s, so much the better.

The other weekend event was T's birthday on Sunday, in honor of which her aunt treated us to a fine brunch while we enjoyed a visit with T's grandmother. Fortunately, RR was on her best behavior for the day, and reduced her earlier impressive output down to comparatively minor spit-up incidents. It was a pleasant day with enough smiles and hugs and pancakes and strawberries to keep everyone happy.

Sheep, that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care...

Our baby is 5 weeks old today, hooray! We've been told that around 3-6 weeks old they become more fussy. We've had good luck with our even-tempered little girl... up until about a week ago, when things started coming unglued. We discovered that a sustained, loud "SHHHHH" right up close to her ear had a surprisingly rapid and salubrious effect. I was unable to maintain my steam-kettle impression indefinitely, but fortunately the sleep sheep (white noise generator in the shape of a sheep) cranked all the way up, was able to take over for me. The hair dryer works too, but I don't want to leave it running.

This has not been a paid commercial endorsement. Unless someone would like to fork over some cash, in which case we can talk. Also, a radio tuned to static between stations is less cute but worked just as well.

Terra Incognita

It is certainly true that a baby offers many novel experiences for a new dad. Here's a few:

Interactive TV. She'd had a tummy upset earlier, but was happy enough now so I changed into a clean shirt and we settled down in front of the TV. It was a PBS documentary on the explosion of Krakatoa in 1883. After some initial mid-size explosions there were some months of calm, when people assumed the worst was over. We sat on the sofa and RR worked quietly on finishing the bottle. Then came loud explosions on Aug. 26th, and on the 27, suddenly... Kerblooie! With precise timing, an unexpected and powerful volcano erupted right in my lap. Quite stunning, TV was never like this before. Full change of clothing for both of us, this time. (photo from wikipedia)

New social situations. With T at home taking care of the baby, the resupply mission was up to me. I ventured boldly into that grocery store aisle that men seldom tread. There was one other person in the aisle too. I hung around a bit, looked up and down. Are they going to leave? ...no, they are not. At last, I muttered quietly into the cell phone. "No, sweetie, all I'm seeing here is ultra-thin and maxi, there doesn't seem to be a 'normal' size. ...and looks like they're all scented... no wait, here's one that isn't, but it's only available in the special thong shape."

After a long pause, the man standing next to me muttered into his cell phone. "Honey, I can't find any like that, it looks like all of them have the wings."

Waking Up is Hard To Do

The idea was, with RR in the same room as us at night, we would be able to wake up along with her and prepare the bottle before mild annoyance evolved into really upset. The problem with that scheme is interpreting the collection of snorts, squeaks, and odd birdlike chirps that signal her transition from blissfully asleep to ever-so-awake. For example last night, when the chorus of sound effects started around 2:30 am but an actual waking state did not pull into the station until 3:20 am.

After a tiring early morning, it is so wonderful to have the assistance of grandparents in taking care of things while the parents nap!

Mother's Day

It was so nice of Aunt K. to come by and in the blink of an eye, whisk away 2 weeks of debris on our table and replace it with an elegant serving of scones and tea for Mother's Day. Magic!

Then neighbor friends dropped by with muffins and an amazing pop-up Mother's Day card made by their 4-year old, and T's mother helped again, giving us a few priceless hours of sleep. The world is full of kindness today... thank you!

Bottle, Please! Bay Area

contributed by special guest writer Redowa Rose

As a new resident of the Bay Area I was excited to sample the local dining scene, but can so far only review one neighborhood mom & pop operation. While the menu options here are extremely limited, the food is satisfying. However, special off-menu requests are typically met with incomprehension, and sometimes the kitchen gets sloppy and the food does not arrive hot. The quality of service here varies: the wait staff is attentive, but orders at off hours (e.g., 4 am) are slower to arrive. In short, the house specialty remains my favorite and I'll be continuing to dine here, but am also looking forward to an expanded menu promised in the months to come. -RR

* inspired by the KQED dining show "Check, Please! Bay Area"

Taking the red eye

I've heard that Native American tribes used sleep deprivation to stimulate visions. The method was working for me the other night, although instead of the Great Bear leading me across the plains, I became convinced my pillow was the baby in her sleep sack, and I was probably crushing her. Fortunately, upon further examination the pillow turned out to be actually a pillow.

To reduce glare we keep a dim red light on at night. The bulb package reads "party light", matching the theme of a baby shirt one of T's co-workers gave us. It reads "Party Time! ...Place: my crib ...Time: 3:30 am".

You can keep your hat on... (?)

The baby wore a hospital-issue cotton fabric cap while we were there, and various selections from our sizable collection of baby caps since we've been home. One thing that the caps all have in common is that they don't stay on. I don't know if it's a size issue, or shape, or the smooth fine hair on her head, but no sooner are they adjusted than they pretty much just slide off. Are there any baby caps that actually stay put?

Stirred, not shaken

It appears my practical chemistry skills are sadly lacking. It had not occurred to me that mixing a powder with water just by vigorous shaking would produce a lot of trapped gas in the form of bubbles, which might, if served immediately to a newborn, eventually produce volcanic results. An eruption which a few feeble pats on the back do nothing to prevent. (Interestingly, the nurse recommends burping both before and after feeding.) The problem seems to be solved by careful slow stirring to mix, instead of shaking.

On another note, it is quite humbling to a previously independent-minded person to experience the practical demands of childcare. The invaluable support and assistance of T's mother and aunt are most gratefully acknowledged!

The big day

Our baby girl was born on April 27 2008. Everyone is home from the hospital now. We are exhausted and happy. I will be able to write more once our new daily routine has sorted itself out.

A bit of sewing

I was able to construct a side reinforcing piece to add to the bassinet today, using some heavy fabric left over from a tripod bag, and a sewing machine helpfully loaned by T's mom. I was actually surprised that I managed to thread it without referring to instructions. My sewing job wasn't so neat that I was inspired to take a photo, though, so no illustration for today. In other news, there is no other news. But all the preparations are done now, so there's no point in waiting to come out... hey in there, yes, I'm talking to you...

ADDENDUM: apparently this worked. Labor started 3 hours after I made this post and she was born later that day.

Another day, another checkup

Another checkup today, and I learned a little bit about the fetal monitor sensors: they use a doppler ultrasound to get fetal heartrate, and a spring-loaded pressure sensor to measure abdominal tension (= contractions). All indications remain good. I had not planned to perform tonight, but one of the dancers in the group was running a fever, so I filled in. I figured I could always run home if there was an urgent call, but it all worked out. So- back to waiting.

Getting the lead out (or not)

After carefully collecting some paint chips from the nursery, leaching in white vinegar for 24 hours, and applying the indicator fluid per instructions, the home lead test kit indicates... that it is pretty much worthless. Paint results were negative (clear), but even the solution extracted from solder shavings of 40% lead by weight was only a faint smoggy yellow. The test solution (sodium sulfide, I'd guess by the smell) is supposed to turn brown or black with strong lead contamination. Well, so much for that idea.

So close, and yet so far

As T walked past me in the waiting room, she made an small gasp and her eyes went wide. She snatched up the magazine on the table with trembling hands. It featured a larger than life image of "Double Berry Pancakes" oozing with fresh fruit, butter and syrup, alluring in a way that only glossy magazine covers can be. Sitting beside me she could hardly contain herself as she turned to the recipe. Then came a cry of outrage and despair- all that remained of p.90-97 were a few ragged edges of paper, the merest hints of long-lost breakfast secrets.

At any rate, a "non-stress test" concluded all is well on the inside, and we got another (grainy and cryptic) peek via ultrasound. Dr. S says if there was an effective natural labor-inducer, he'd be selling it- so the waiting continues. Next checkup is this Friday.

And let us know if you have an intact copy of "Sunset Magazine", Jan. 2005. UPDATE: Found! Thanks LM40s!

On tiptoe

Today brought another walk, and some video viewing. Who might have expected a single piece of fabric (a baby sling) to come with a 1-hour instructional video?

The aforementioned pink foot balloon is now poised delicately on one toe in the living room, with occasional graceful hops and pirouettes as we walk by. Perhaps she will be a dancer.

A walk in the park

We went on two walks today; one to the post office, and then later another one in the park. T has a lot more energy now than she did three months ago, when even one block was fatiguing, so that is encouraging. We'll see if all the walking helps things along.

The pink balloon has now reached neutral buoyancy and was hovering about in the nursery when we looked in on it. A few minutes later, T noticed the balloon bobbing into the living room on its own! There was no noticeable draft, but Ms Baby Foot Balloon made it out the nursery door, down the hallway, and turned again through another doorway into the living room, giving us quite a surprise.

When the balloon drops...?

At her baby shower at work a month ago today, T's co-workers presented us with a number of presents. Included was a large pink mylar balloon in the shape of a foot, which came home with the other items. It has remained floating for a surprisingly long time- at first it clung flat against the ceiling, then the toes pointed gradually downwards. It is still floating up there tonight, but only... just... barely.

Stocking Up

T's due date is today, though there is no particular sign of it. A checkup at the doctor indicates all is well. We have another checkup scheduled for next Wednesday, assuming nothing happens before then. T has some guilty pleasures* she's been exercising great willpower to resist until after the baby arrives. We put one in the refrigerator today for consumption at the appointed time.

*for some definition of "guilt"... I think she overdoes that a bit, but that's just me.

Many Inquiries

At dinner with T's mother this evening, she advised us that she was constantly fielding inquiries, and that we should send out details as soon as available, since there were some 40 or more people she knew who were eagerly awaiting news of the (yet-to-be) birth. Perhaps it is just my inward and/or inanimate focus, but I had not realized what a social event these occasions are! Anyway it is good to hear that Baby B will have so many well-wishers.

Easier said than done.

Another day notable chiefly in the fact that it was not THE day. She felt something that might have been "real" contractions around 3 am, but they were apparently more of the same Braxton-Hicks type and subsequently faded away.

Once all the preparations are made, the universal advice is to get lots of rest ahead of time. That, of course, is sometimes easier said than done. T can't seem to get comfortable in any position for very long, and sleep is elusive. (At least for her... to add insult to injury, I'm still sleeping like a log.)

Real Soon Now

With T expecting Real Soon Now, it's hard to make definite plans that require me to be somewhere at a particular time. Of course, apart from that it's been smooth sailing for me, and she's had to put up with all the issues and inconveniences of pregnancy. Not much longer now!