Today's Food: French fries

Oh, Canada - The long drive north

Driving to Canada from Portland takes about six hours. It takes even longer when you are driving with a baby. Henry did surprisingly well during the long trek north. And he did even better when we were finally in Canada and could escape the confines of the car. We got settled into our room and then met up with my friend, Jessica, to tour the neighborhood, hop the ferry to Granville Island, and get some dinner. The place, Vera's Burger Shack. Ordinarily this would not be news. People eat burgers all the time. Except me. I tried my first burger about two years ago. Darren made one on the grill for me. At home. I had complete assembly control, which means no condiments, no crazy lettuce or tomatoes (I don't understand why someone would put cold veggies on a hot bun, makes no sense!) - just meat, cheese, and bun. Anyway, it was good and I have since consumed nearly ten burgers. Vera's is a new experience because in order to eat a burger from that establishment I had to give up complete assembly control and trust the people constructing said hamburger wouldn't just throw some mayonnaise or (god forbid) mustard on it. Ewww. This was a rather long winded way of saying I enjoyed the burger but was somewhat dismayed when Darren told me it was exceptionally good as far as burgers go and that he knew of no such place in Portland for us to get tasty burgers. If anyone has suggestions, feel free to share them with us so I may continue this burger-eating trend. Darr and Jessica consumed a huge tray of poutine. This is a rather odd culinary masterpiece. Comprised of French fries, cheese curds, and gravy, poutine brings you one step closer to a heart attack. I had a bite and it wasn't bad but I don't know if I have the stomach to eat this dish on a regular basis. Henry munched on some French fries, too. He seemed rather fond of them, further proof that he is, indeed, my child. Not that that whole birthing experience left any real doubt. Toward the end of the evening Darr took Henry down to our room so Jess and I could chat about girlie stuff that holds little interest for a baby. The little guy was so tuckered out from his first day in Canada he was asleep when I showed up.

Just the essentials

Items packed for Henry's trip to downtown Canada:

1 diaper bag equipped with normal diaper-bag accountrements
1 package of diapers (size 3)
1 package of wipes
1 jacket
2 pairs of jeans
1 pair of sweats
1 pair of shorts
2 pairs of pajamas
6 pairs of socks
1 long-sleeve dress shirt
1 polo shirt
6 onesies
1 tee-shirt
1 hat
1 baseball cap
2 bibs
4 spoons
1 container of applesauce
1 container of pureed carrots
1 baby blanket
2 binkies (but he really only uses one)
1 washcloth
4 board books
countless toys

Rest in peace, Mr. Spud

J.R. Simplot, developer of the first frozen French fry and fry supplier to McDonald's, died on Sunday. He was 99.

Click here for the full story of this amazing man.

An inconvenient back seat

Well, the new car seat has been installed. And I have realized how much the new car seat is going to suck. Gone are the days when we could quickly pull Henry out of the back with one tug. Here's the new method of extraction:

1. Open driver's side door.
2. Flip up seat.
3. Climb in back seat.
4. Unbuckle Henry from car seat.
5. Pick Henry up.
6. Hold Henry while climbing out of back seat of car. (This is more challenging than it sounds.)

It might be time for Darr to step up his shopping for a second car.

Ninth Wordless Wednesday requires a car

A Mail Story

Today I got some mail. It came from Louisiana. My honorary Aunt Monika sent it to me. I haven't met her yet but I hope to soon.Inside the mail was a letter and a present and really cool beads. I got to try the beads on. And I tried to eat them because I try to eat everything.
Then it was time to open the present. I like presents. Mom says I get that from her 'cuz dad doesn't like presents at all.
I haven't shopped at the Bayou Booksellers before but I bet I would like it.
Sweet! A book for my collection! It's called Babies in the Bayou. Mom read it to me. I don't know how to read by myself. The story was very interesting. It was about all of these babies in the bayou and there is one alligator mom who has alligator babies with rows of sharp teeth. Watch out for those!

Operation Vacation 2008

If all goes well and we can book the dates, my friend, Ann, and Henry and I will be leaving for Utah to go here and here at the end of July. It's a vacation, baby! More details to follow.

Football is funny stuff

Monsieur Henry, Future Soccer Star from Christie on Vimeo.

881 books to read before I die

There's an article in the New York Times that discusses a book titled, "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die". Apparently you are an educated reader if you've made it through half of them. I am not an educated reader. With my paltry 120 books read, I fall into the "limp wrist" category. So, I've got another goal, on top of raising a child, baking good pies, succeeding in law school, and being a worthy partner - I now have to finish 881 books before I leave this earthly sphere for whatever awaits beyond. Interested to know where you fall? Click here to see the list.

Here's what I've read so far:
1. Saturday - Ian McEwan
2. The Sea - John Banville
3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Mark Haddon
4. The Double - José Saramago
5. Unless - Carol Shields
6. Youth - J.M. Coetzee
7. Atonement - Ian McEwan
8. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
9. Disgrace - J.M. Coetzee
10. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
11. The Hours - Michael Cunningham
12. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
13. The Reader - Bernhard Schlink
14. The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx
15. Possession - A.S. Byatt
16. Beloved - Toni Morrison
17. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
18. The Lover - Marguerite Duras
19. The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
20. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
21. Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
22. The World According to Garp - John Irving
23. The Shining - Stephen King
24. Fear of Flying - Erica Jong
25. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou
26. Slaughterhouse-five - Kurt Vonnegut
27. Them - Joyce Carol Oates
28. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
29. Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger
30. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
31. Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
32. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
33. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
34. The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow
35. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
36. The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
37. The Outsider - Albert Camus
38. Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell
39. Animal Farm - George Orwell
40. Embers - Sandor Marai
41. Between the Acts - Virginia Woolf
42. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
43. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
44. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
45. The Years - Virginia Woolf
46. To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway
47. Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
48. Absalom, Absalom! - William Faulkner
49. Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald
50. The Waves - Virginia Woolf
51. A Farewell To Arms - Ernest Hemingway
52. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
53. The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
54. Orlando - Virginia Woolf
55. Lady Chatterly's Lover - D. H. Lawrence
56. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf
57. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway
58. Blindness - Henry Green
59. Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
60. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
61. The Professor's House - Willa Cather
62. Jacob's Room - Virginia Woolf
63. The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
64. Women in Love - D. H. Lawrence
65. Summer - Edith Wharton
66. The Good Soldier - Ford Maddox Ford
67. Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton
68. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
69. The Hound of Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
70. Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad
71. The Awakening - Kate Chopin
72. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
73. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
74. A Woman's Life - Guy de Maupassant
75. The Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
76. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
77. Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There - Lewis Carroll
78. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
79. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
80. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
81. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
82. Fathers and Sons - Ivan Turgenev
83. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
84. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
87. The House of Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne
88. Moby-Dick - Herman Melville
89. The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
90. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
91. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
92. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
93. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
94. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
95. The Charterhouse of Parma - Stendhal
96. The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allan Poe
97. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens
98. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
99. Le Pere Goriot - Honore de Balzac
100. The Red and the Black - Stendhal
101. Last of the Mohicans - James Fenimore Cooper
102. Frankenstein - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
103. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
104. Persuasion - Jane Austen
105. Emma - Jane Austen
106. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
107. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
108. The Adventures of Caleb Williams - William Godwin
109. The Castle of Otranto - Horace Walpole
110. Emile, or, On Education - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
111. Candide - Voltaire
112. Tom Jones - Henry Fielding
113. Pamela - Samuel Richardson
114. Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
115. Moll Flanders - Daniel DeFoe
116. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel DeFoe
117. Oroonoko - Aphra Behn
118. The Princesse of Cleves - Marie-Madelaine Pioche de Lavergne
119. Metamorphoses - Ovid
120. The Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdie*


*Out of chronological order

Today's Food: Cauliflower and spaghetti noodles

Methinks he likes it.

Embracing the little Italian in him.

Online winnings!

Knock on wood this continues... I'm on a winning streak. So far in the past few years I've won an energy-efficient washing machine (Whirlpool) from Seventh Generation, two pairs of BabyLegs, an iTunes gift certificate for writing a caption to a photo, and now, a cookbook from Erin Cooks. Sweet.

Moment of rest

Henry took his first trial run at day care today. We went to get our paperwork yesterday and while there we stopped by the infant room to meet the caregivers. This morning when I dropped him off, Henry hardly noticed when I left he was so busy checking out the new peoples and environment. The idea was I would get a small break from baby to just relax but in reality this isn't even close to what happened. I drove home and completed the following list of chores:

clean cat box
start load of laundry
fold load of laundry
put clean laundry away
change light bulb in kitchen
wash dishes
unload clean dishes and put away
load dishwasher
make bed
pick up toys
find recipe for tonight's dinner
go to grocery store for ingredients
pump for milk to beef up our freezer supply (4.5oz - woohoo!)
stop by video store to rent movie to watch while relaxing

Henry was playing on the floor when I arrived to pick him up. When I called his name, he turned toward the sound of my voice with the HUGEST grin on his face. A grin that said, "Hey mom, thanks for remembering you have a kid 'cuz while I had a good time here today I am very happy and relieved to see you and would very much like to go home now."

Henry's day was about as busy as mine. He had two diaper changes (both wet, which unfortunately means Darr or I will be blessed with a visit from the poo fairy this evening. Ewww.), one bottle (consuming 4oz.), a couple of "sad" times (read: your baby cried), several conversations with another infant in the room, and lots of tummy time and crawling. He took no naps. No naps. And he only slept for thirty minutes or so in the car on the ride home. This baby should be butt tired but instead he seems energized. If this isn't a clear indication of early onset infant ADHD, I don't know what is. Here's hoping there is an early bedtime tonight. I'm exhausted.

Partnership for a Cauliflower-free America

Cauliflower from Christie on Vimeo.

Missed nap negotiation

Me: You're going to try and put him down?

Darr: Yeah.

Me: Why don't you take him outside for a walk with the dog, bring him back, I'll give him a bath, and then we can put him down for good.

Darr: Here's what I'll do. I'll put him down and leave during the five minutes he's quiet so you can pick up the mess?

Me: I don't think that's a good idea.

Darr: No?

Me: No. If you do, here's what I'll do...

News: Holy crap, he crawls!

Monsieur Henry crawls from Christie on Vimeo.

Today's Food: Applesauce

So, I'm noticing all of these pictures are starting to look the same. Baby, bibs, food on face. I suppose this'll get old soon enough but until then I'm going to keep on posting the pics when Henry tries new foods.

Today's Food: Avocado

You've got to admire the passion

About walking out of a movie:

Perhaps if I were to say that the film is utterly pathetic vapid stiff moronic pig-ignorant boring pretentious ridiculous patronizing slop, it might stir in you some dim inkling of the depth of uselessness of this toxic piece of cinematographic excrement. But that would be understatement, and I hate to understate. This movie has a badness value that cries out for new numbers to be invented. Ten on a scale of ten is nowhere near enough.

More here at Language Log

Last movie Christie and I walked out of was ... uh ... something with Marky Mark ... 'Fear!'. That was it. eeeew.

The drool, the blur, and the green

Dear Pops, 

Here is what you missed today while at work.

Cousin Amelia Jane with her drool.

Blurry me reaching for the camera. (I didn't get it.)

And, um, very green poo.

Love,

Huck

Month Seven

Dear Henry,

I can sum up this past month in three words: food, teeth, crib. This does not mean, of course, that other things of importance didn't occur but rather that they pale in comparison to food, teeth, crib.It has been fun to introduce you to such culinary masterpieces as steamed and pureed carrots and steamed and mashed sweet potatoes. You are very adept at using your utensils, even if it means the wrong end of the spoon goes in your mouth or that the right end of the spoon goes into your mouth upside down ensuring that the food drops down the front of your shirt. Your first bites are the best because your reaction is priceless. You move your head and upper body back just a touch, as if positioning yourself away from the offensive new food. Then you do what can only be described as an upper body head wiggle, which is usually accompanied by a weird look on your face. A look that says quite clearly, "What the heck was that?" And then you dive forward to take another bite. You don't hesitate to give us signs when you are done. Your attention shifts from what we're offering on the spoon to anything else within reach. When you start to nibble on your placemat, we know you are finished for the night.
The act of teething must be the reason why babies don't form long-term memories and why parents become so forgetful. This was not a fun process. There are some yahoos out there who claim the actual act of teething takes place over a day but I'm now certain they are lying bastards, sent to convince us of such so that people will continue to procreate. Oh that it had been one solitary day, would not that have been easier? No, for us this took many days. Several days. Very long days. Days where nothing could be done to help you feel better. Days that were filled with a fussier-than-normal baby (i.e., you) and a clueless mom (i.e., me) and a pops (i.e., pops) who would return from work to find us both on edge. We managed to survive but it was a tough one. In the future when you start asking for a baby sister, prepare to hear this response when you ask why you can't have one, "Because babies get teeth. I can't handle teething again. You nearly killed me, son." From all of this, though, is the presence of two bottom teeth. Congratulations.
Your dad and I sort of decided early on that we'd try to transition you out of our bed and into your own crib after six months. I can't recall how or why we came up with this timeframe (see previous paragraph for explanation of memory loss) but that's where we were. The problem arose when you did not accept our proposal. Let's forget for the moment that your crib is currently parked less than two feet from our bed, you weren't interested in sleeping anywhere other than where you had been. When we tried, you cried. And it didn't matter how tired you were because if there is one thing we've learned to date, it's that you aren't entirely reasonable about these things. You might be tired and want sleep more than anything else in the world but that doesn't mean you will go to sleep.One night, during an attempt to put you down in your crib, your dad consulted his parenting book, which advised leaving you alone in the room, while I perused my parenting book, which stated unequivocally not to leave you alone in the room. Talk about confusing, son. We opted to rescue you after three minutes of uninterrupted cry time. Those three minutes felt like an eternity. Need I say that you were asleep with me in the big bed beside your crib in no time at all.And then you changed your mind. You have been sleeping in your crib the past three nights. Tonight makes night number four. We have wondered about this sudden change. Are you becoming an independent person? Does the hot weather make it too uncomfortable to sleep next to two warm adult bodies? Do you like your crib? We miss you being right next to us but appreciate the extra room not having you in bed affords us. We weren't thinking clearly when we bought the queen-sized bed a few years ago. Well, that, and it never would have occurred to me to have you sleep in our bed if it wasn't for all of those hippie parenting books on attachment parenting I've been reading.You have ventured to the mountain to have your first snow experience and felt the hot sun of summer approaching. I can't say you're a fan of either. Perhaps it is the extremes that are upsetting. You might just go through life longing for 70-degree days, complete with a smattering of clouds in the sky and a pleasant light rainfall at night.
You spent your first evening with a babysitter so your parents could go out and feel like real humans, even if it only lasted for about three hours before we realized we missed you terribly. And you participated in your first race of the season, I carried you the whole six plus miles. On the course we received cheers for breastfeeding and support for diaper changing. The Portland metro area in which you live is mighty cool. Many women stopped to tell me that I should write to you about this day - so you would know what we accomplished. You are my super baby.

Love,
Mom

Can't believe it's taken us this long

An Outside Story

I spent most of my time today outside. My day began with a playdate over at Jackson's. I got to play with some of his toys and swing and hang out in the park. But not for long because it was very hot.
Jackson has a cool car and I got to ride in it. He's nice that way.
Then it was home for a bit of a nap before the warm weather drove my mom nuts enough to go to Target and buy me a pool. Dad says he's full of hot air and mom says that today that came in handy but I'm not quite sure what either of them are talking about.
I do know they thought it was funny when they read this:
And then, to top off my evening after trying a bunch of new foods we went for a bike ride. I got the idea when I heard that my friend Miss Erin Beatrix went riding today, too. It's a good day for a ride, my friends.

Today's Food: Perogi and lemon granita

potato and cheese perogi

lemon granita

Quotes of the week

So, yeah, we don't really post quotes every week but this is the one I've found for this week. I read it in Al Gore's Assault on Reason but it is actually a declaration from a treaty approved by the U.S. Senate and signed by President John Adams in 1797. It states the following:

"The United States is not a Christian nation any more than it is a Jewish or Mohammedan Nation."

I wish people who so vehemently profess otherwise would take a few moments to review history.

And this humdinger is from Benjamin Franklin, on extending the right to vote to people without property:

"Today a man owns a jackass worth fifty dollars and he is entitled to vote; but before the next election the jackass dies. The man in the meantime has become more experienced, his knowledge of the principles of government, and his acquaintance with mankind, are more extensive, and he is therefore better qualified to make a proper selection of rulers--but the jackass is dead and the man cannot vote. Now, gentlemen, pray inform me, in whom is the right of suffrage? In the man or in the jackass?"

Huck Finn & Friends: The making of a movie short

The director of March of the Penguin and Baby and Babies Meet Jaws: When Jaws returns to the Willamette met with us to discuss her latest projects as the filming for Babies Meet Jaws wrapped. Here's what she had to say.

You've recently completed two projects with Henry Finn. Where do you find the time?
That can be tricky. But being a stay-at-home mom-director helps. For the most part I'm able to work around Henry Finn's schedule. On the rare occasion we have to shoot into nap time, well, you saw the result of that in March of the Penguin and Baby.

Are you referring to the general crankiness exhibited by Henry Finn on that shoot?
Yes. He was certainly unhappy. Consider the extreme temperature, the fact that he had to eat ice cubes for sustenance during the project, and that his costar was an uncommunicative penguin. That would make the best of us a little cranky.
Your latest project introduces the first of perhaps many leading ladies for Henry Finn. What was it like working with two babies?
A blast. I enjoy Henry, of course, but working with Avery was a dream. I believe she's a student of method acting and it showed in her performance. I'd love to work with her again.

Both babies seemed genuinely happy to be on set and working with each other. Were there any fireworks between the two?
There really was chemistry on the set. From the beginning, they were casting shy glances at each other and reaching out to one another. It was sweet.
What about the sun? Were there any concerns about sun damage due to the long shooting schedule?
Unlike Henry's previous movie shorts, this project did require shooting over a period of two days. We took the appropriate steps to ensure both babies were well protected against the elements. I believe Miss Avery was wearing California Baby sunscreen and Henry was using sunscreen from the Mustela line. We worked as fast as we could to get the shots needed and get the kids back under cover. And, as you saw in the film, when not in the shade both babies were wearing hats.
And how was it working with a Hank Toothsome on the Jaws remake?
Hank is a really great shark. Absolutely professional. He's been staying with us since signing on to do this project and he and Henry have formed a great bond. He doesn't mind pitching in to help. With Beauty the wonder dog walking alongside him and Hank pushing the stroller, there aren't many dangers that could come to Henry when he goes for a walk in the park.
We actually have a clip of three of you when you finished wrapping. Here's what Hank had to say about his day on set.

Hank Toothsome Interview from Christie on Vimeo.

Movie Short: Monsieur Henry, KickyBaby & Jaws

Huck Finn Meets His Doom (again) from Christie on Vimeo.

Good weather and movie making

Today felt like the kind of day that leads to other great days. Perfect weather, amenable baby, and hanging out with friends. Megan and Avery came over and we started a movie project that will require a couple of days to complete. I will post it when it is done. And when the work was over we strolled up to Staccato Gelato, a new shop in our neighborhood, for some very tasty cool treats. And then, um, we strolled over to Piece of Cake for cake. So, yeah, the strolling around was very labor intensive and the only way to persevere was to pump our bodies full of sugar and chocolate. Mmmm...

In other news, it is 9:37P.M. as I type this and Monsieur Henry is sleeping in his crib. In his crib, people.

Seems like it was just 208 days ago

Hey, that's my building!

Last year the residents in our condo building got a notice that a movie crew was going to shoot on our property. Outside shots only but some of us had to move our cars the day of filming. Apparently Hollywood doesn't like old Nissan Sentras that are considered dog cars by their owners. Anyway, I'm watching Untraceable this evening, a Diane Lane flick that came out on video today, and I noticed something familiar about 59 minutes into the movie. And then I saw the office building next door and it totally clicked. Hey, that's my building! Mr. Colin Hanks walks down the path on the east side of the building near the entrances and then heads up the steps Darr and I trek up on a daily basis.

Shopping for the family

I am in the mood to shop.

Etsy is one of the coolest places on the internet. You can find some of the cutest handmade items. Tonight, I purchased the polka dot tie for Monsieur Henry. Is this frakken* cute or what?
And because my boy is up on all things green, I got him one of these tees from Tiny Revolutionary. Awesome.
Darren roasts under the weight of the feather comfortable so I have been looking for a replacement bedspread. I found one. A quilt from Sundance. I absolutely love the colors.
*Battlestar Galactica-style curse word.

iTunes movie rentals

Forget the video store. Forget Netflix. Now, you can rent movies from iTunes. And this option rocks. Here's why. With traditional video stores you have to journey to the video store and if you don't get the video back to the store in time, you're slammed with a late fee. Late fees suck. Enter Netflix. Netflix has its upside, mainly no late fees. But if you aren't diligent about watching the movies and getting them back to the mailbox in time, you end up spending $14.99 a month to watch two movies. (I know this because it's what happened to me shortly after Henry was born. It's surprising how difficult it is to travel as far as the mailbox with an infant.) Plus, you have to keep up with your queue. And if there is a movie in high demand, it could be a week or two before you get your hands on the one you want. In the meantime, you might have felt like a romantic comedy but ended up with an action flick or thriller.

Renting movies from iTunes has its limitations. The video library is teeny. And it does require that you use iTunes, which I know for some is a dreadful enterprise. iTunes also only gives you 24 hours, once you start watching the movie, to finish it. 24 hours. However, the upsides are fantastic. The second you have a craving for a movie, you can hop online and get it - assuming, of course, it's one of the few videos currently available. You only have to wait a few seconds to begin watching it. There are no late fees. You don't have to leave your house, not even to walk to the mailbox. Movie queues, fuhgeddaboudit. I also read that you can transfer the video to your iPod. Did I mention the price is the same as renting from the video store?

Watching videos on my laptop is not new to me. Heck, that's how I survived all those nights breastfeeding Henry in the early days. But if you are a t.v. person and the thought of watching movies on your computer is less than appealing, you can get iTV, which might require a bit more work but probably is still pretty easy once all is set up.

Race Day: The littlest human on the course

3:47a.m. - Look at the clock and imprint time on brain. Henry is up and has been for a while - ugh.

5:01a.m. - Henry finally goes back to sleep.

7:00a.m. - Alarm goes off.

7:06a.m. - Drag butt out of bed and get ready. Henry is sleeping soundly.

7:23a.m. - Wake up baby and get baby dressed.

7:32a.m. - Place baby in car, stow baby-related accoutrements in the boot, get in the driver's seat, and commence motoring.

7:35a.m. - Stop at Starbucks (ugh.) for an orange juice.

8:06a.m. - Arrive at Champoeg Park.

9:00a.m. - Start race.

11:23a.m. - Finish race.

It was a most excellent morning and a most excellent Hippie Chick race. Today, Henry was a hippie chick and he did splendidly. For starters, I think he may have been the only baby on the course. There was one lady who had her toddler with her for a bit but he was passed off to dad before too long. And I definitely think he was the only male participating in the race. I hope I didn't break any rules by having him there.

Around mile two, Henry became a little fussy so we pulled to the side of the road for some milk. I can't count how many ladies passed us by cheering, one more reason to love living here. The practice of breastfeeding would be infinitely more challenging if you felt the disapproving stares of the general public everywhere you went. Or if folks like Ashcroft were there to drape you with a cloth so as not to see the offensive boob. Luckily I had the foresight, since I wasn't carrying Huck's big old diaper bag with us during the event, to stuff a diaper and essential diaper-changing items in my jacket before the race. We were able to avert catastrophic diaper failure with a preemptive change before getting back to our walk. We were passed by the first half marathon runner right after the mile three sign. Shortly after that we took another break so Huck could have something to eat, and get a little relief from the Baby Björn, which must surely have been scrunching his poor little baby bits, if you know what I mean. Ouch.

By mile four, Henry was definitely ready for the race to be over. He had hit his limit in the sling and was letting me and all of the other race participants in the vicinity know it. Thankfully, Henry is easily distracted. We looked at, and he almost tasted, some leaves from plants bordering the trail, and he chewed on my hair, my fingers, the bills of his hat and my own, and one of the small cups I had taken from a water station along the course. A few tickles were in order by mile five to keep him happy. And then, finally, we were heading down the chute to the finish line. It was awesome. I had expected that it would take us three hours - giving us plenty of time for stops along the way, but we actually completed the race in just under two and a half hours. It's a ridiculously long amount of time for the six plus miles we trekked but I feel rather proud he was able to hang with me for the race in its entirety with relatively few complaints and zero mishaps. Throughout the race we were showered with love from all of the other moms, many of whom told me I should receive "bonus points" for hauling Henry the whole way.

Congrats to all of the hippie chicks who participated in this year's race. Happy Mother's Day, ladies.

Movie Short: Monsieur Henry & Penguin

The second of many to come. Look for the documentary on the making of the documentary to follow.

Sexism

A CNBC airport store in Washington D.C. was selling this. No equally offensive Obama doll was on sale.

Maple-scented pee

That's what you get when you take fenugreek to increase your milk production.