New month, new banner: Otherwise known as, my husband will be so proud

I suck when trying to use Photoshop to do even the most simple tasks. That's why updating the banner this month is such a feat. I created the canvas, resized the photos, and added the text ALL BY MYSELF. And I did it while caring for a baby.

Stuff white people like

Click HERE to read the greatest blog about white people.
Sweet Zeus, this is funny sh*t.

(Many thanks to my husband for sharing.)

Leap years and common years

I had no idea years sans Leap Day are considered "common". Poor years. How uninteresting is that? Here's the scoop on Leap Years according to my favorite internet research site, Wikipedia.

"Seasons and astronomical events do not repeat at an exact number of full days, so a calendar which had the same number of days in each year would over time drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting (or intercalating) an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected."

I'm excited for Henry's first Leap Day experience as we've got a busy day planned. He'll look back on it and groan, I'm sure, because I'm Baby Bjorning his cute babyness to the Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Convention at the Oregon Convention Center in the morning (we're meeting cousin Miss Amelia Jane and Aunt Megan) and then we've got to finish a dessert we're making to take to our friends, the Herzings, for a celebratory Leap Day dinner, more challenging than it sounds with our stupid oven acting up. (Dang F7-E0 error.) A bonus, H will be able to meet Rocco and Hobbes.

News: Holy crap, he rolled over!

We noticed last night that Monsieur Henry was a wee bit more active and slightly closer to possibly turning over unassisted and this morning it happened, at 10:42A.M. Here's proof.
We were in the midst of getting dressed. I left to go and grab some clothes for myself - 'cuz moms can't be running around in their skivvies, unless they're nudist moms, which I am not, and even then we have laws dictating when this is acceptable - and when I came out, I found this (see photo above). On his way to get the bunny toy, Henry flipped over trapping his left arm and succeeding in moving further away from his intended target.

I agree with Roger Clemens

I'm perusing the NY Times and there's a link to an article about Roger Clemens, some baseball player guy who was accused by a former somebody of taking sports-enhancing drugs and then lying about it to the grand jury or something - I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention. Anyway, Roger Clemens told reporters to "get a life". I agree. Does anybody really care that he might have lied about taking drugs? And so what if he did. Aren't there more worthy crimes the Justice Department could/should be concerning themselves with, like going after this administration for taking our country into war under false pretenses? Firing U.S. district attorneys for dubious reasons? Warrantless wiretapping? Argh.

Thoughts of it all by a friend of a friend

This was sent to me by a friend who has another friend who has been involved with politics as of late. Her name is Hannah. These are her thoughts. I found them interesting.

"I've been a turbo politics junkie lately, and living in Seattle has only fueled the fire: the week before the caucuses, I went to see both Clinton and Obama speak, and then I got to caucus (for the first time in my life) where, of course, I talked a lot and ended up elected as a delegate (for Clinton) to the next round.

Frankly, I like both of them and would happily vote for and campaign for Obama if he gets the nomination, but Clinton's my top choice. There's something a little too "I'm charming, I'm good looking, I'm a golden boy" about Obama. I like Clinton's specifics, her practicality, and, despite popular opinion to the contrary, I think she'd stand a better chance against McCain. I think too much has been made of her polarizing effect--I actually think that, against McCain, Clinton would be able to convincingly cast herself as a centrist (thus appealing to independent, moderate voters), pushing McCain to the right. Against Obama, I think McCain will be able to take the centrist position, because all his campaign has to do is focus on Obama's "most liberal voting record in the Senate" title and the public will grasp onto their favorite L-word and brand Obama as a left-wing wacko. I don't know--it may not play out that way at all, but that's my theory. I also think that, for all of her so-called (and somewhat substantiated) "polarizing effect," she's also been thoroughly vetted in the media, by Republican campaigns, etc. There's not much more they can dig up on her. It makes me nervous, though, that Obama's been given pretty much a free pass--that won't last when he gets to the general.

The other thing that struck me, seeing both of them speak in Seattle, was the stark contrast between their rallies. Granted, some of this is because Clinton's campaign stop here was pretty much last-minute, but here's my take: Clinton's rally was in a Port of Seattle warehouse on a pier in the industrial district. 5000 people in attendance (more outside who couldn't get in), and very bare-bones. Just her on a stage speaking, some speakers set up so that those of us in the overflow room (with only a peek-a-boo view of her) could hear. Some crappy music playing softly through the speakers as we waited for her to take the stage. The next day, at Obama's rally, 20,000 people filled Key Arena (where the Sonics play), with another 3000 outside who couldn't get in. As we waited for Obama to arrive, there was loud music playing, all of which was campaign-themed ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough," etc.), and then, at pretty regular intervals, an Obama campaign video would play on the video screen. There was even a music video that had been made for Obama. I really felt like I was at one of those creepy evangelical youth revivals, where they pump up the young people for Jesus by playing Jesus-themed rock music, etc. I'd already made that comparison on my own, but a couple of days ago, I heard a funny joke about Obama on NPR (Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!): "Critics say that his campaign is turning into a kind of cult, with his rallies seeming more like religious revival meetings. Supporters say that's ridiculous because religious revival meetings usually don't feature speeches by Jesus himself."

This was also funny: "The Obama camp is starting to talk like he's unstoppable. They cite wide-spread approval of his policy platforms, which include calling for hope, renewal, change, perkiness, and a 50% increase in our gross national positivity."

I realize that my comment about Obama's rally sounds snarky--I know that it wasn't really a religious revival meeting, and I am by no means using that as a reason for preferring Clinton. It just felt weird, especially after having seen Clinton the night before. The other (and much more important contrast) was that Clinton's speech focused primarily on solutions, i.e., she would briefly discuss a problem and then spend a lot of time detailing her specific solution. Obama, on the other hand, spent the first part of his speech talking about how awesome he is (okay, I'm paraphrasing), then spent the majority of the time talking about the problems in detail, then spent a much shorter amount of time discussing (somewhat vaguely, and sounding a lot like Clinton when he was specific) solutions, and then ended his speech by defending himself against claims that he's "too hopeful," "too inexperienced," etc. This seemed like an important difference in focus, substance, and style to me. "

Monsieur Henry swings

Monsieur Henry swings from Christie on Vimeo.

Star Wars According to a Three Year Old

Darr showed this to me and I thought it blog worthy so here you go. You're welcome.

A Saturday Story

Dude, it was so nice this morning that my parents took me and da dog to Marsee Baking for some coffee. Dad had to help me not drink it. Two more months to go before real human food.

It was really great outside. Sort of cold, but lots of blue sky and sunshine and stuff. My mom loaded me up with sunscreen so as to avoid any burning of the baby (a.k.a. moi).

We walked around the neighborhood for a long time, stopping by Johnson Creek park to play with Beauts. Pops let me help him.

Mommy and pops took a gazillion photos of me because they said I am "really cute". (I use the quotes so I don't come off looking like a pompous butt even though it is what they said. Several times.) I have aspirations to be a photographer myself so I tried to take control of the camera but they were having none of that.

I also met my shadow. He's pretty nice. Doesn't say much but he does follow me wherever I go, which is kinda cool.

By the time we headed for home I was plum tuckered out. Luckily the sling is fairly comfortable and I was able to get some shut-eye.

For more photos of our day outside, click here.

Henry Finn, Charismatic Speaker

Henry's latest thing is to become Mr. Vocal about an hour before midnight. We've done the nightly routine, sort of, and brought him into the bedroom. The lights are off, the house is quiet, everything is screaming SLEEP. But Henry ain't getting the message. Or he's misinterpreting it, 'cuz during this time he's all sorts of talkative man. His speeches are belted out with such passion and gusto that I can only deduce his subjects of choice are of utmost importance to the world.

Quote of the week

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Ben Franklin

Anybody got an oven I can borrow?

Wanted: Use of an oven for approximately 32-37 minutes, plus time needed to achieve proper baking temp of 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yeah, our oven threw us an error (F7-E0) this evening right as I had finished pouring the batter of a new spice cake recipe I'm trying into the cake pan. Ugh. It took us about half an hour and we had, I am ashamed to admit, given up hope but then I did a Google search for the error and found that several people had experienced a similar problem. And so I sent Darr the link and he did his own search and found a manual with answers (or something of this nature) and we both scurried back out into the kitchen to see if we could fix the dang oven ourselves. Fix probably isn't the proper word but we have managed to bring the oven to the correct temperature and are forging ahead with our cake baking.

Vaccinations suck

Monsieur Henry had his four month checkup today. His stats are as follows:

Weight: 13.12 lbs
Height: 26.5 in

Head Circumference: 16 in

Doc says we should begin baby-proofing the house immediately as H is quite strong and she expects he will be mobile soon. She mentioned some babies will use their feet on hardwood floors to scootch along, which we tried as soon as we got home. The silly little bean made it around an inch and a half without assistance before he got tired of hanging out on the uncomfortable surface. He did fine until the fever hit around bedtime. We tagged his temperature at 102.7. Poor kid.

Stealing the goose

Since the McMillers didn't pass it on we are left to steal the goose.

The rules:

• Turn to page 123 in the nearest book
  
• Find the fifth sentence
• Post the three sentences that follow the fifth sentence

Nearest book: The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
"He was drawing his opponents towards him so that his punch, when it came, struck the harder. The punch, of course, was Darwin's effortless explanation of exactly how the eye evolved by gradual degrees. Darwin may not have used the phrase 'irreducible complexity', or 'the smooth gradient up Mount Improbable', but he clearly understood the principle of both."

Month Four

Dear Henry,

Yesterday you turned four months old. I'd list all of the changes that have taken place the last month if I wasn't still suffering from baby brain. What I can remember, I often cannot find the words to express. So when your dad comes home from work he often has to listen to something like this as I tell him about our day: "Oh my God, it was so cute, Henry picked up the thing <point to nearby toy> and then he tried to cram it into his <point to your mouth>, and by then those things <point to cats> came over to investigate so I grabbed the, uh, picture-taking device <point to camera> and took some photos." Enjoy your testosterone, son, it means never having the hormones that cause this disintegration of basic vocabulary.

Your new best baby feature is that you are ticklish. It is an extension of the giggles that started last month and is so incredibly adorable I want to record it and throw it up on YouTube so the entire internet-utilizing world can access it and laugh along with you. Your laughter is infectious and now that I can facilitate its production I expect to hear it daily, perhaps hourly, if you'll oblige. To activate said tickles I remove your socks and torture the bottoms of your feet. Then I attack your rib cage from the front and the sides. Both under the chin and the armpits are areas of extreme ticklishness so caution must be used. I don't want to cause spontaneous combustion from an unexpected surge of tickles.
About a week ago your father walked into the spare bathroom where your burping cloths are kept and was surprised to find a stack of cloths available. I, too, noticed a decrease in the daily washings of said cloths. I'm not sure I believed your doctor when she told us your puking was normal and would abate over time but it does appear as if this is turning out to be true. That being said, as soon as we were patting ourselves on the back for making it through the vomit phase of raising a kid, you let loose a stream of spit up that covered the front of your shirt, the front of mine, the side of my shirt, and down one of my pant legs. Baby, one. Parents, zero.

Your arms are in constant motion. If one hand isn't helping the other hand get to your mouth, they are both swinging in the air or grabbing for whatever nearby object has captured your attention. When changing your clothes we have to work quickly to avoid keeping your arms stationary for too long. Thankfully, you have found your vocal chords and are quite adept at choosing these moments to use them to spur us along in our task so that you may be reunited with your hands once again. You don't yet realize that sliding hands into a shirtsleeve is not a permanent disappearing act but rather a quick and nearly painless exercise in dressing.
Certainly your eyesight is improving as you watch everything with a concentrated gaze. Just a few days ago I was drinking from a water bottle, something you found infinitely entertaining as your eyes followed my movements. When the bottle was empty I handed it to you and your eager hands grabbed the bottle, tipped it as you had seen me do, and made a beeline for your mouth. You missed, hitting your cheekbone instead. And then your ear. And then your other ear. The point is, of course, that you notice what we are doing and are already trying to imitate our actions. This is nowhere more evident than when we eat. Your little mouth opens and closes in a preliminary chewing motion. I fear trying to keep food at bay for another two months (per doc's recommendation) might not be possible. Although, given what I've heard about food poos, I'd almost rather keep you on breast milk indefinitely.

We have discovered you prefer showers to baths, which, besides the Y chromosome, is one thing that without a doubt you get from your father. You respond well to George Michael lyrics so I belt out Faith and Freedom, along with such shower favorites as Rubber Ducky and Tesla's What You Give. OK. Arguably Tesla is not a shower band favorite but it's still a great song for you to know so I'm happy to introduce you to it a cappella-style. Showers are a bit trickier than baths, I think, as there is this whole slippery-baby element that is far more precarious in showers. Perhaps due to the height at which showers take place and the potential for deadly falls, eh? (Note the Canadian usage of "eh?". That comes from your father as well.) We try to make the transition from warm shower to cold world less traumatic by heating your towel in the dryer and having your pajamas ready. Pops comes to your aid, whisking you away to the changing table to dry you off and get your diaper attached before anything untoward can take place. We are not current EC (Elimination Communication) enthusiasts.
We are teaching you how to be gentle with the cats, who have not only attracted your attention but are now subjected to your little hands, little hands that reach out to grab fur. So far, so good. In return, you have constant companions when you nap.
Thank you for being a good baby. Your parents appreciate it. A lot.

Love,
Mom

Dressing baby procedure

Use the following steps to dress baby in the morning.

1. Collect baby and place in Clothing Removal Area (CRA). Unbutton pajamas to begin removal process.

2. Remove pajamas from baby. (If notice unpleasant smell from baby, take baby to Diaper Replacement Center (DRC), change diaper, and return to CRA.)

3. Contemplate clothing options for baby and make selection.

4. Place socks on baby.

5. Place leg warmers on baby and allow baby time to suck on fingers.
Note: Leg warmers are optional depending on temperature outside. Also, baby may suck on items other than fingers.

6. Try pants on baby.
Note: If pants are too big because baby is in between sizes, remove large pants and select pants that fit. Continue with step 7.

7. Place onesie on baby.
Note: If baby objects to selected onesie, try to soothe baby before removing onesie. Baby is too small to be nonpartison.

8. Place pants and shoes on baby and remove baby from CRA.

Babies for Clinton

I went searching online today for campaign gear to dress up the wee one. Not surprising there is any number of hate-Hillary options. Some might be considered clever, some are stupid, and others are downright offensive. Here's a sampling:
Starting from top left: OK. Communism. Hillary's a communist. Not sure why the person who came up with this design thinks this but certainly we're supposed to believe this is bad. Perhaps it's Hillary's stance on universal health care. Because, you know, providing health care to everyone is indeed a bad thing. A bad communist thing. On to Mad Cow. Near as I can tell, this one is either likening the potential leader of our country to a cow or to the slowly progressive, degenerative, fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of a cow. Either way, it falls flat as far as an insult is concerned. Moving on to Hillary as OJ's wife, ground that is rather offensive when you consider what happened to OJ's wife. The person who thought this up apparently wants another woman to be mutilated by multiple stab wounds, including one that nearly severs her head from her body. Really? What's she done to you? More importantly, is this ever acceptable behavior? Da Bitch - perhaps the most uninspired of the bunch. No Penis, No Problems. I want to order this one for myself solely because it uses the word "penis". It ain't every day you see that word being worn. And finally...comparing Hillary to Hitler. Wow. I don't even know how to respond to this one other than by uttering "You've got to be fucking kidding me." Shame on whoever came up with that. Shame. Shame. Shame.

Now, because I don't want to leave you on that note, here are some examples of the lighter side. I think they are all funny but I guess if you hail from the other side of the aisle, it might be considered rude. My apologies.

Let them eat cake

Once again we hooked up with Ms. A and Mademoiselle E.B. yesterday afternoon to go and sample desserts. The weather was nice enough we were able to meet at the condo and head up stroller-style to Piece of Cake. Yes, Darr and I just happened to move to a neighborhood that has the best cake in Oregon. Coincidence?

Anyway, the kids were adorable in their respective transportation devices, and were equally cute when we got to the bakery and sat down to enjoy our cake. For me, Chantilly cake. For Ms. A, Fantasy cake, part cheesecake, part chocolate cake, for those moments when you really can't decide. The kids were content for the most part to lay on the makeshift play area on the floor that we created by lying down some blankets and toys. Most interesting was the size comparison. Henry definitely has the height advantage. The kids didn't seem overly aware of each other, occasionally glancing in the direction of the other person before returning to play with whatever toy held their interest. In a bold move, E.B. grabbed for Henry's arm and was left clutching his shirt. I went back and found a picture we had taken of the two kids together a little over a month ago. It'll be interesting to track their progress. If that means we have to continue to meet and eat dessert, so be it.

January 2008

February 2008

Cacao: Where drinking chocolate is possible

I have now been to Cacao twice and am nearly certain - perhaps another venture there is in order to be sure - that drinkable chocolate is a good, nay, fantastically great thing. Happy, melted, drinkable chocolate should be available everywhere. Go to DMV to renew your license - drinkable chocolate. Hit the doctor's office for your annual checkup - how'd you like some drinkable chocolate to go with that pap sm--...wait. OK. Maybe not everywhere.

Monsieur Henry and I met up with Mademoiselle E. B. and Ms. A to nibble on tasty delights and drink chocolate earlier this week. (Wednesday but because I was participating in Wordless Wednesday I couldn't post an entry about it.) Per usual, the babies did a wonderful job of being cute and relatively quiet. This is much appreciated by their parents and the other patrons.

The Product:
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. The chocolate lover is presented with myriads of chocolate opportunities at Cacao. Dark chocolate, very dark chocolate, extremely, very dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate nibs, chocolates in fancy packaging, chocolate wrapped in wax paper, chocolate in boxes, chocolate for eating, drinking, absorbing by slowly allowing it to melt on the tongue, and chocolates from all over the globe. Have I mentioned there is chocolate? We each got a large cup o' creamy drinking chocolate and then partook of some of the chocolatey goodness of the edible variety. For me, one bacon caramel chocolate, one salted caramel chocolate, and one peanut butter and jelly chocolate. For Ms. A, one salted caramel chocolate, one cheese chocolate, and one Earl Grey chocolate. The bacon and caramel was weird. (I think Darr referred to it as "gross".) The PB & J chocolate was surprisingly refreshing, meaning I liked it and would definitely order it again. And the salted caramel was my favorite. Yum.

The Atmosphere:
Cacao is a little chocolate-filled shop with a few scattered tables providing folks places to sit. Shelves along one side wall and along half the back wall are filled with an assortment of chocolates. Watch for the step just inside the door. We saw a little girl trip and go flying out the door before hitting the ground. Ouch. The drinking chocolate is behind the counter, which displays individual chocolates for sale. The owners appeared to enjoy our little ones - I caught one guy behind the counter smiling at the babies a few times - and also seemed comfortable when we fed them, so I'm tagging Cacao as a breast feeding-friendly establishment. For chocolate cravings, this is the place to go.

(Left to right: Mademoiselle E.B., chocolates, Monsieur Henry)

Henry's first Valentine's Day

How do you introduce a holiday like Valentine's Day to a baby? You don't. You celebrate and your baby comes along for the ride. Today was a busy day for Monsieur Henry. We delivered a Valentine for cousin Amelia Jane to Aunt Megan in Tigard, picked up some enlarged photos from downtown, which we later hung in the hallway and master bedroom, grabbed a cake and most excellent retro cake container from Piece of Cake (see pic below), walked Beauty the wonder dog at the park, shopped for groceries, and still managed to get in a nap. It was exhausting. After a rather romantic dinner of pizza and water (for me) and beer (for Darr) we took turns watching the little one until story time came around. Then, it was all hands on deck - meaning mom, dad, baby, cats (2), and dog were present - for an enthralling reading of three very important literary pieces of our time. There's an Animal Strike at the Zoo, The Belly Button Book, and The Pigeon Has Feelings Too. With much glee, Darr and I placed Henry in his crib and pulled the cow tail a few times until he drifted off to sleep. While having H around at all times is fantastic, we're hoping this first attempt at putting him to bed will last long enough for us to enjoy the movie We Own the Night. In a surprise move, D showed up with champagne truffles from Teuscher. The best thing, he hates 'em so I don't have to worry about him pilfering sweets from the box. They are all mine. My own. My precious. Sorry...channeling Gollum. But these are great truffles.

Fifth Wordless Wednesday requires a flower with atmospheric vapor condensation

Wtf?

Clearly I haven't been cursing enough around here lately.

Although, in reviewing Henry's photos last night, someone (i.e., Darren) has been teaching Monsieur dirty sign language. Not even four months old and already the kid can flip off other drivers on the road. Sweet.

Henry Finn, World Traveler

Henry's First Passport Photo

Taken at Kinko's on Barbur Blvd at approximately 10:40A.M. this morning.
How it was captured - A large sheet of white paper was laid on the floor by the counter. Henry was placed in the middle of said paper. The Kinko's employee then stood over Henry and snapped several photos with a special digital camera used for this purpose. There are certain requirements that have to be met when taking pictures for U.S. passports, such as the individual has to be looking at the camera, both ears must be visible, etc. I'm supposed to fill out Henry's eye color but I don't think we've determined what that is yet. Right now it sort of looks like one eye is brown and the other eye is blue. Plus, I'm sure by the time they process the application, Henry's weight and height will no longer be valid. I'm amazed that the passport we get for him now will last for five years as the kid will undoubtedly change quite a bit between now and the future expiration date. Where are we thinking of going? I'm currently trying to convince Darr a trip to Ireland is in order, that we should head overseas now before I start school and before Henry is a slightly larger, harder to control individual.

Amazing Adventures: Epicurean Feast

One more reason I love Krugman

Here are some excerpts from his latest piece of brilliance that you can read in its entirety by clicking here.

"The bitterness of the fight for the Democratic nomination is, on the face of it, bizarre. Both candidates still standing are smart and appealing. Both have progressive agendas (although I believe that Hillary Clinton is more serious about achieving universal health care, and that Barack Obama has staked out positions that will undermine his own efforts). Both have broad support among the party’s grass roots and are favorably viewed by Democratic voters...

I won’t try for fake evenhandedness here: most of the venom I see is coming from supporters of Mr. Obama, who want their hero or nobody. I’m not the first to point out that the Obama campaign seems dangerously close to becoming a cult of personality. We’ve already had that from the Bush administration — remember Operation Flight Suit? We really don’t want to go there again...

I call it Clinton rules, but it’s a pattern that goes well beyond the Clintons. For example, Al Gore was subjected to Clinton rules during the 2000 campaign: anything he said, and some things he didn’t say (no, he never claimed to have invented the Internet), was held up as proof of his alleged character flaws.

For now, Clinton rules are working in Mr. Obama’s favor. But his supporters should not take comfort in that fact.

For one thing, Mrs. Clinton may yet be the nominee — and if Obama supporters care about anything beyond hero worship, they should want to see her win in November.

For another, if history is any guide, if Mr. Obama wins the nomination, he will quickly find himself being subjected to Clinton rules. Democrats always do."

Books, books, and more books

Saying I've only finished two books since Henry was born is a bit misleading. I've finished two entertainment books, but I've read a bunch more. Baby books, parenting books, baby and parenting books, books on parenting babies, how to speak to your baby, how you get your baby to talk back - you get the point. I have never researched anything this much before and I probably won't again until I get ready to take the OBE (Oregon bar exam). The thing is, I'm still not done. Here are my stats so far:

Before Monsieur Henry was born I read:

• The Baby Name Wizard - 'cuz you don't just come up with an inventive name like Henry without some help
• Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
• The Happiest Baby on the Block
• The Baby Owner's Manual - for fun
  
• The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy
• Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth - some love this one but I hated it...about as much as I hated Howard Stern's book, and I love him so that is saying a lot about how much that book sucked
• The Attachment Parenting Book - turned me into a believer in co-sleeping
  
• Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads
  
• The No-Cry Sleep Solution - thought the author was a wee bit rude and judgmental in the early chapters
  

I finished the following set after Henry was born:

• Babytalk: A Guide to using Basic Sign Language to Communicate with Your Baby - Darr dubbed this one the "Baby Signing for Dummies" because of the frequency of cartoonish drawings
  
• The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby From Birth to Age Two - this one is HUGE (700+ pages), I expect to revisit the potty training section in another couple of years
  
• Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five

What I'm currently reading:

• What to Expect the First Year - consulting it to read about each specific month
  
• Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk
• Baby Owner's Games and Activities Book
• The Lull-a-Baby Sleep Plan
• The Complete and Authoritative Guide: Caring for Your Baby and Child Birth to Age 5
• The Complete Book of Breastfeeding: The Classic Guide for Every Nursing Mother
  

Coming attractions:

• The Happiest Toddler on the Block
• Kid-Wrangling
• Out and About with Kids
  

If anyone has the titles of more books I should be reading to help prepare me for the journey that is parenthood, send them over and I'll add them to my list. I've got a few more months to go before all "pleasure" reading grinds to a halt.

Cousins

I haven't seen my cousins on my mom's side of the family in years, decades even, so today was quite a treat as I was able to meet them for an early brunch downtown. My cousin Stephanie has a brand new baby of her own (Monsieur Cameron - born July 22nd (I hope I remembered that correctly)). But I gotta say it's a touch embarrassing to show up and say "Um, hi, uh, whatcha been doin' for the last 20 years." We had a conversation that led to my researching exactly what type of cousins Cameron and Henry are - answer, second cousins. Apparently, the type of cousin you are is linked to which grandparents/great-grandparents/etc. you share. For more info, click here. We made sure to get a picture of the two kids before heading home. Trying to get two babies to look in the same general direction at the same time can be challenging, as evidenced below.

Recipe Corner: Orange and Radish Salad with Arugula

OK, yes. We left the Dijon mustard out of our salad because mustard makes me queasy, but this was still a surprisingly refreshing salad. Plus, and you have my apologies for not taking a picture, the green arugula, red and white radishes, and orange, well, oranges make this a very colorful dish. I highly recommend making this when oranges are in season to reap the full benefits of the citrus flavor.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups prepared oranges from 3 medium oranges (see note at bottom of post for cutting instructions)
5 teaspoons juice from 1 to 2 limes
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, toasted in small dry skillet until fragrant, about 30 seconds
1/8 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 radishes, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch slices (about 1 1/3 cups)
4 ounces baby arugula (about 4 cups)

Directions:
Place orange pieces in nonreactive mesh strainer over bowl and let stand to drain excess juice. Whisk lime juice, mustard, coriander, salt, and pepper to taste in large bowl until combined. Whisking constantly, gradually add oil.

Add oranges, radishes, and arugula to bowl and toss gently to combine. Divide arugula among individual plates, place a portion of oranges and radishes over arugula, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Note: Use the following instructions to cut the oranges for this salad. 1. Cut thin slice from top and bottom, stand on end, and slice away rind and white pith. 2. Cut in half from end to end, remove stringy pith, cute each half into three wedges, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces.

Pincher Martin

I finally finished another book. Pincher Martin, by Lord of the Flies author William Golding, is a fascinating read. I'd love to write more about it but the lil' one has gone to bed and we have prep work to do for the dinner we're hosting tomorrow evening for our friends the McMillers and the Wagners Three (of the Wagners Five but two of the older kids won't be attending).

Our menu, should all ingredients be readily available, will consist of orange, radish, and arugula salad, mushroom risotto, turkey confit (perhaps served with kale - we're still deciding), and both coconut cream pie (Darr's request) and Key lime pie. It's my first attempt at both pies but the crusts are already baked and cooling on the counter so that alleviates much of the stress.

Goldthwait's question

You ever see that movie One Crazy Summer with Demi Moore, John Cusack, and Bob Goldthwait? There is one section where Bob is telling a story about some fat kid (it is, in fact, himself) in school who is picked on and how he just wanted to shake him and say "Why are you so fat?" Well, tonight, operating on about three hours of sleep and after dealing with a fussy baby ALL DAY LONG, it occurred to me that I thought of doing the same thing to Monsieur Henry except my question would be "Why are you so fussy?" and the shaking would be more like bouncing since we want to avoid Shaken Baby Syndrome at all costs. The transition was rather abrupt - I should have asked not demanded assistance - but now H is with his dad and I am going to try and get a few hours of sleep. We're nearing four months. As far as I can tell from what I've read, H is either teething or going through a growth spurt. Ugh.

Fourth Wordless Wednesday requires a trip to Vienna for apfelstrudel

Two little lovebirds

Sitting on the couch,
t-y-p-i-n-g...

Darr, holding his laptop: Look at us, like two little lovebirds.
Me, holding my laptop: Yeah, we really need to put these up and spend some quality time together.
Darr: We do?
Me: Yeah.
Darr: Will we remember how?
Me: Probably not. Maybe you should Google that.

First shower

Monsieur Henry's first shower included the following:

1 mom
1 shower
Mustela Dermo-Cleansing
warm water
three rousing song numbers: Faith - courtesy of George Michael, Danke Schoen à la Ferris Bueller, & Mele Kalikimaka - 'cuz I know the words

Go Hillary Go!

Woot! Woot! Woot!

photo courtesy of nytimes.com

BabyLegs

When I wear Monsieur Henry in a sling his little pant legs inevitably pull up to the point that a teeny bit of bare skin is exposed to the freezing cold air. For this reason, I picked up a pair of BabyLegs to use whenever we venture outside. Reminiscent of the 1980s, these ultra cute leg warmers are a perfect way to keep little baby legs warm. For fun we put these on H for an evening when he just wanted to be a naked baby. BabyLegs offers a huge selection of colors and motifs, including a new organic line. They even have a daily contest, the first e-mail received every day gets a free pair. (To enter, click on the link above, scroll down to the bottom of the Home page, click "E-mail us," and send an e-mail. The second day I entered, I won. WOOT!)

Obama bama bo bama

I saw this mentioned in the NYTimes, so I checked it out. It's pretty great. Yes, I get my youtube links from the NYTimes. See how totally hip I am? Oh, and excuse the totally unoriginal title. Go HILLARY 2008!

6 more weeks of winter

Did y'all forget about Groundhog's Day? We didn't. It came as no surprise that Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow because Henry saw his shadow as well. In the evening, as we were finishing up a diaper change and another rousing game of let's-stare-at-these-fishies.

Have a boy: One way to control spending

Upon learning I was having a boy, besides my initial reaction that went something like this:

"Oh fuck, it's a boy,"

I had to grieve over not being able to buy lovely and cute pink things for my kid.* It didn't help that I already have five nephews, ranging in age from nearly nine to almost two. For the past nine years I have purchased a plethora of clothing articles in the rather limited green, blue, red, and sometimes yellow color schemes with one of the take-your-pick themes - creatures (animals, bugs, dinosaurs, and the like), transportation (cars, boats, bikes, trains, planes, spaceships, etc.) or sports (ugh.). To make matters worse, my one and only niece was rapidly approaching the age at which it would no longer be acceptable or "cool" for me to send clothes her way. Clothing for boys sucks in a way that clothing for girls doesn't. The selection just isn't there. What's a mom of boys to do? Shop harder. Following are photos of some of the outfits I've found that offer a touch of cuteness that extends beyond the boring choo-choo shirts and embroidered dino jeans. It still isn't pink but thankfully Brother Nick and his wife Megan added a little baby girl (Miss Amelia Jane-born 40 days after Monsieur Henry) to the mix so I can now get my pink-buying fix satisfied through them.

Hanna Andersson - Yeah, this has lambs on it but they are totally cute pajama lambs so it's okay.

Petit Bateau onesie with brown yoga pants from Speesees. Oh, and bright socks by Trumpette.

Knitted ADO(RED) outfit from Gap. Half the profits from Gap (PRODUCT) RED sales go to the Global Fund to help women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Daily Tea. The wave depicted on the front of the shirt is a welcome change.

Another Daily Tea shirt and another pair of pants from Speesees. What I'm really trying to highlight, although someday Henry might be upset with me for doing so, is the awesome leg warmers we purchased to help keep H's legs warm when he is worn in the sling, which tends to pull up his pants to the point that some bare skin is exposed.

*OK. You're right. Nothing is physically preventing me from buying pink for Henry. Unless you count the societal pressure of an entire nation.