Ice, ice, baby

My hands are cold. So cold, in fact, that they could be used as evidence global warming isn't occurring. Think the planet is getting warmer, my friend. I could interject whenever coming across rational discussions of the Earth's temperature. Feel these bad boys. At which time I could offer up my frozen mitts for examination. Surely nothing this cold could exist in a place that is getting warmer. I don't know why but these babies have lost their heat-retaining properties and are now merely frozen appendages at the ends of my arms. Sometimes I shove them under Henry's shirt to warm them on his tiny toddler belly. Sure, he thinks it's a game of Crazy Tickle Time from his abnormally cold-handed mother, but really I'm just trying to get some heat on these ice cubed paws of mine. I'd swear I was suffering from Marine turtle poisoning if I'd gone anywhere near Southeast Asia and eaten turtles recently.

It Sucked and then I Cried

I took a night off from mommying and went to Powell's to see Heather Armstrong, world-renowned blogger extraordinaire of Dooce.com, who has just published It Sucked and then I Cried, a book in which she explains her first pregnancy and the subsequent breakdown she experienced. And, yes, that is one helluva run-on sentence. 

In a word, Mrs. Armstrong is awesome. She came in wearing a tight red shirt and black slacks that accentuated her seven-month pregnant frame, and with ultra curly hair she apologized for - apparently she went a little curling iron happy as she was prepping for the night. Her Tennessean drawl is up front and personal and, in case you're wondering, her arms are quite long and gangly - she mentions this whenever she blogs about dancing.

She read two passages out of the book - one on boobs, the other on sex. She was witty and delightful and open and honest, which is probably why she is so frickin' popular. 

If it had rained yesterday, I would have missed this...

Spring fancy from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.

A day with Miss Amels

Breakfast at Cousin's

Monsieur Henry and I are visiting Miss Amels today. Much like these folks the videos have been plentiful as of late. I expect this trend to continue until the newness of the video camera wears off. That or if the kid suddenly grows a second head and becomes a freak of nature.


Feeding Two Yutes from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.

The current babysitting stats are as follows:
Diapers changed: 2
Food consumed: 1 organic cereal bar, 6 oz honey flavored Greek yogurt, one waffle
Puzzles completed: 1

Chicken vs. Duck

Rainy Day Competition from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.

Republicans: The Stupid Party

I realize that the numbers coming out of D.C. recently have been pretty scary, but I'm not sure that "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" is really the way to approach the problem:

"It Does Not Have, In the Sense of a Traditional Budget, Numbers." -- MSNBC

Read Paul Krugman

Blog | Column

The Little Gym

Yesterday Monsieur Henry and I went to The Little Gym and invited Miss Avery and Megan to join us*. It was AWESOME. (If you watch How I Met Your Mother, you should know I'm channeling Barney Stinson when I type the word "AWESOME".) Anyway, the gym is a big open room with mats galore and those big climbable foam pieces and at least one balance beam that is mere inches off the ground. It's bright and cheery and an all-around pleasant place to be. The 45-minute session begins and ends with a quick song. And yes, there was singing throughout but it wasn't annoying singing, it was cute toddler singing. I didn't have a watch on me but it felt like we had approximately 15 minutes of structured play time. The free trial session we attended focused on upper arm/body strength and so for a short while we were all wheelbarrowing our kids around the mat. The rest of the time the kids were free to roam about the gym as they pleased. For Henry this meant dashing to and fro with quirky toddler abandon. And then came the BBPs. It began with bubbles. Our instructor used one of those multi-bubble blowers that kick out a gazillion bubbles at a time and Henry finangled his way to the front, where he stood before her signing more more more more more more more more more in the frantic manner of an addict in need of another fix. This was followed by two giant containers full of BALLS. Balls. Balls. Balls. Yellow, green, red, purple, orange. Balls. Balls. Balls. Bouncing here and there and every other direction. I only saw Henry try and steal a ball from one kid so I'm considering that a parental victory. Given his love of all things ball, I'm frankly surprised he didn't round them all up and hoard them in a corner. When the time came for the balls to be returned to their container, there was the slightest hint of disappointment and then Henry was off and running again and all ball-related angst evaporated into the bright and cheery air. And finally, the parachute. This was Henry's first parachute experience. And it was so cool to watch because I loved the rainbow-colored parachute play time when I was in school. It's a rainbow-colored parachute, what's not to love, eh? Henry was standing tall under the parachute and reaching for the fabric as it dropped down around him. He had an absolute blast. Needless to say, we're going back. 

Whispers from the couch

Darren, tapping me on the shoulder after a small sound escaped Henry's room: I hope he goes to sleep. 

Christie: Me, too. I'm praying for it. I'll believe in Jesus if he does. 

Darren: You're such a liar.

The Geithner Plan FAQ

Q: What is the Geithner Plan?

A: The Geithner Plan is a trillion-dollar operation by which the U.S. acts as the world's largest hedge fund investor, committing its money to funds to buy up risky and distressed but probably fundamentally undervalued assets and, as patient capital, holding them either until maturity or until markets recover so that risk discounts are normal and it can sell them off--in either case at an immense profit.

Q: What if markets never recover, the assets are not fundamentally undervalued, and even when held to maturity the government doesn't make back its money?

A: Then we have worse things to worry about than government losses on TARP-program money--for we are then in a world in which the only things that have value are bottled water, sewing needles, and ammunition.

Please read the rest by Brad Delong

Update: Krugman Disagrees

After midnight math

Recommended number of uninterrupted hours of sleep per night for adults = 7 to 8
Number of days Henry has been on the planet = 520

If I was getting the recommended number of uninterrupted hours of sleep per night since Henry's birth I would have slept a total of 3640 to 4160 hours.

On average, I'd say I get about five hours of uninterrupted sleep. This means I have a sleep deficit of approximately 1040 to 1560 hours. (Even more since during those first few weeks/months I was lucky to get three hours of uninterrupted sleep.)

No wonder I'm so Goddamned tired.

Admittedly I am very bad about getting to bed at a reasonable hour. I could sleep more if I hit the sack when Henry went to sleep. But to semi-function as a human, I need some downtime in which I'm not taking care of Huck. So, I often get to sleep about the same time Henry decides to wake up because he's hungry or wants to play or just needs to move into our bed.

Here's what the Mayo Clinic had to say on the subject:

Although some people feel rested on as few as five hours of sleep a night, recent studies call this notion into question. Researchers have found that people who sleep so little over many nights don't perform as well on complex mental tasks as do people who get closer to seven hours of sleep a night. Additionally, researchers have found that adults who get much more or less than seven hours of sleep a night have a higher mortality rate than do adults who sleep about seven hours a night. ...

At any age, getting enough sleep boosts your immune system. Sleep also helps your nervous system work properly. Likewise, too little sleep can leave you drowsy and unable to concentrate. Lack of sleep also impairs memory and physical performance.

It's no great surprise that my mental acuity is slipping. I just sort of expected this would happen to me when I was nearing my 80th birthday.

Flip

We bought a Flip! We bought a Flip! This magical wonder is teeny tiny and as lightweight as a cotton ball. Also, we grabbed it at Costco for about $30 less than the online price. Score! The packaging is reminiscent of an Apple product, which only brings it closer to my heart. Simple and beautiful. Did I mention it films in high-def? And it couldn't be easier to use. I took Flip out of the box on the way home from shopping and shot our first video in the car within seconds. To ensure there weren't any compatibility issues we uploaded the video to my computer when we got home. The only hitch in that process is that you have to import the video, it doesn't automatically open in iMovie. I'm not even irritated enough by this to complain. Now, I just have to figure out a way to keep Henry's grabby little fingers from snagging it. 


High Definition from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.

Mona Henry

OMSI has a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit open right now and the other day, after wasting some morning time at the Science Playground, Henry and I walked through it. Well, we sort of sprinted because much of the exhibit is hands off and that isn't really attractive to a very-hands-on toddler. At the exit, there was a poster set up that passersby could stand behind to transform themselves into the face of his most famous painting. How could we not partake of that fun? 

From the vault

Audition for Powell's new marketing campaign from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.

I came across this piece when compiling all Henry-related video from the archives. 

Month Seventeen

Dear Henry,

Today we walked up to the grocery store to get some onions for dinner. You waved hello to every bicyclist we passed on the path by the house. You climbed steps. You stomped through puddles. And you held my hand when cracks in the sidewalk were too large to traverse without some assistance. You crawled. You sat. You pet Beauty the wonder dog. It took us nearly one and a half hours to get there and back. For two onions. The trip would normally take us forty minutes. Such is life with a full blown toddler.

You run. A lot. It shouldn't be a surprise given your penchant for speedy crawling but it is shocking how quick you already are. Is this indicative of future track star greatness? Perhaps. As much as I like to see your little independent steps take you away, it is the most awesome thing in the world to watch you run back to us. Particularly when you are running to give and receive hugs. Hugging is very big with you right now. I'll take as many as I can get because I know it won't be long before you're asking me to drop you off a block away from school to avoid any potentially embarrassing parental embrace in front of your friends. Parents are so lame.

Your communication skills continue to improve, like now you can tell us when you need a diaper change. It's not as if the smell doesn't clue us in to this fact. It does quite effectively. But you can tell us this from across the room before the smell wafts in our direction. The quicker we can get the poo off you, the better. And help is not something you're afraid to ask for, which is great. If we start this help thing off right, we might be able to prevent you from falling into the 'never ask for directions' trap that seems to ensnare so many young men these days. 

The greatest upset in the past few weeks is that you are having issues getting to sleep at night. As in you don't want to go to sleep. Ever. And, really, you don't seem that upset by this development but your pops and I are losing our minds, son. You see, we need the few short hours allotted to us in the evening to recharge so we can keep up with you the next day. Without some time to ourselves we are cranky, bean. And no one likes a cranky parent, particularly not a cute and cuddly toddler named Henry Finn. 

In the past month you've taken to chasing Ellie and Mabel around the house. We interpret their lying down and playful batting at you as a sign that they are okay with the torture that you inflict upon them. If they weren't, they could just climb higher than you or scoot further under the furniture until they were out of harm's reach. You have also been sitting on the dog. I think this is your payback for every time she has accidentally knocked you down on her way out the front door. Wait, have I mentioned the climbing? We need to get you to the rock gym, kid, because you LOVE to climb. Last week, I turned around from washing my hands after a diaper change to find you had climbed back up on the changing station. You were perched there hanging out looking at me like, "What? Dude, I can totally climb this thang." For as toddle-y as you can sometimes be, you have balance that belies your parentage.

In a word, bean, you are awesome. Happy seventeen months.

Love, 

Mom

A Shamrock Story

I participated in my first race today. It's called the Leprechaun Lap. It's a full 1K. I don't know what 1K is but we sure had to get up early to get there.

Luckily I have a cool friend who doesn't mind meeting me downtown for races. And that cool friend is Miss Erin Beatrix. Riding in a canopied Radio Flyer is how she rolls.

I had a good time waving at people on the course. Hello, America! 

'Cuz we're so speedy, we finished pretty quick. And yes, mom made Brian take a picture of me and her at the finish line. It's my first official finish line crossing so I guess that's a momentous event.

We celebrated by going to Zell's and having bacon. Yummy, delicious bacon.

Mom even took a little video, which I'll share with you here
Leprechauns Amok from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.

Baby sprinkle

Yesterday I had the honor of hosting Sara's baby sprinkle for her son, Colin*. It's a smaller version of a baby shower celebrating the arrival of the second, third, fourth, etc., addition to the family. Since most parents tend to get all of the big ticket items - car seat, crib, high chair, etc. - with their first kid, the idea is you sprinkle the expectant mother with gifts for the new one on the way. But really, it just gives you yet another reason to get together with friends and eat cake. Monsieur Ollie* received a wide variety of items, including an Earth Friendly Log Cabin set, an Uglydoll keychain, some handmade burping cloths, a fluffy white bathrobe, a cd of Johnny Cash lullaby renditions, Mustela soap, and lots of super cute clothes. The airplane onesie was particularly awesome as that is what Josh has selected to decorate little Jameson's* room with. During breakfast many of us recounted bits of our birthing processes and I, once again, trumpeted the glories of the epidural. Ah sweet, sweet pain blocker. Anyway, should you see that one glowing pregnant Dutch lady walking in downtown Portland, that's Sara. We all can't wait to welcome her little one to earth. 

Of course there was food...

The menu:

fruit salad (grapes, oranges, strawberries, and blackberries)

spinach and gruyère strata

bacon (because you can't not have bacon, people)

blueberry muffins

orange juice

coffee

et le pièce de résistance, Chantilly cake from Piece of Cake

And there were pictures...

*Baby Steenhuis-Bickel is currently untitled. This name is not known to currently be on the list of potential baby names held by either mom or dad.

Future job prospect #119: Florist

PBS Update

Okay, so there are some things that I love about PaperBackSwap. Mainly that I'm able to get my used books to people who want them. Books and sharing books makes me happy. But since we don't have a printer at la maison de Gilroy-Glynn, I'm forced to take part in a rather laborious process to get these books out the door. And it goes a little something like this...

1. Book request is received and I click the necessary button to get the label to print to pdf.
2. I gather all book request pdfs and transfer them to a jump drive.
3. I drive to the nearest FedEx Kinko's office with jump drive and baby in tow and have the dude behind the counter print out the documents.
4. I return home and use label when wrapping up books to be sent. Baby wishes to help but is sidetracked by indoor ball throwing and mention of cars.
5. I grab baby, books, keys, and wallet, and take the elevator downstairs where I get back in my car and drive to the post office. Baby has to come in with me.
6. I stand in line at the post office (not as bad as the DMV, for which I am infinitely grateful), and try to keep baby entertained.
7. I pay to have the items sent out (usually around $2 per book).
8. I take baby and go home exhausted.
9. Repeat process as often as necessary.

So, yeah, that is time consuming and inconvenient. But what is cool is that I've already ordered one book for myself - pure pulp fiction entertainment happiness in the form of Shopaholic Takes Manhattan - and several additions to Henry's library, including Holes, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, and Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid.

When all is said and done I like PBS but a trip to Powell's is a far more enjoyable experience.

The interview the networks were afraid to show

Fun with baby and a faux microphone from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.

Recipe Corner: Lemon-Sour Cream Pound Cake

This is one of my favorite cake recipes because it's relatively easy to make and it has a superb lemon flavor. My sister has been hounding me for the recipe for years. So, this one's for you, sis.

Ingredients:

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 2 lemons

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Glaze

zest of 1 lemon

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

Directions:

Cake

Position oven rake on middle rack and preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour a 10" Bundt pan, and tap out excess flour.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and zest. On low speed, add the flour in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Spread evenly in the pan.

Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours.

Glaze

Make the glaze while the cake is cooling. Bring the lemon juice, zest, water, and sugar to a boil over high heat and cook until it is reduced to 1/2 cup. Allow glaze to cool before drizzling onto cake.

Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle half of glaze over cake. Invert onto the rack and brush with remaining glaze. Cool completely.

Serves 12

Deficit Financing

Hat Tip: Across The Street via Greg Mankiw

A Weekend Story

To get a start on the weekend my mum and I went for a walk in the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. My mama carried me over the muddy parts and had to work to keep me out of the puddles because I like puddles. Puddles are fun.

On the way home I got to check out the train tracks. I loves me some choo-choos. It's good parenting to let your kids play on the tracks, people.

On Saturday I attended a birthday party for my friend Anneke. She's one like me. But I'm an older one because I have been one for many many days.

Sometimes I really enjoy car rides. I had just finished drinking my milks when my mom took my picture. She said I had a milk beard, which is like a milk mustache but different 'cause it is a beard.

And on Sunday morning we headed over to the McMillers' for brunch. Brunch is yummy. I got to nibble on the hugest piece of bacon ever.

And me and Miss Erin Beatrix got to play with a heavy green duck. Miss Erin gave him a kiss but I'm not jealous because she gave me one too. Also, it's not the first time we've kissed.

Like me mum (by 11%)

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Vintage pictures - Family origins

Why? Because the McMillers did it. And then I got another blog update that they did it again, going back to the first hour of Miss E.B.'s life to see who she looked like then. Note: The facial recognition technology couldn't recognize a human face in any of the pics I tried for Henry during his first days on the planet. I'm not surprised given his resident alien status during production.

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Our blog's personality

I found this over at Mr. Dave Caolo's blog. (I've been reading his blog for several years now. He used to have a parenting blog but now he focuses on his love of geeky things and Apple products.) Anyway, the tool is called Typealyzer and it "...calculates your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator based on the content of your blog". Here's what it had to say about Life at the condo with baby.

The Mechanics
The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.

PaperBack Swap

After reading about PaperBack Swap on Megan's blog I went momentarily insane pulling all the books off our shelves to sort through them. A Herculean task to be sure. There were quite a few that I was willing to part with and PaperBack Swap offers an interesting method of recycling. Basically, you enter the info for the books you want to swap on their site (this involves using the ISBN number). A person checks out your list, finds a book that he/she likes, and sends a request. You print out the handy label, wrap up said book, and send it to the person. Once that person receives the book, you receive a credit that you can then use to get a new book from some other member. (You get two free credits after entering ten of your own books.) Tonight I entered in over 60 books. I've already received two requests and there are another eight on hold while PBS confirms those folks have enough credits. For now, membership is free but when I signed up it did mention in the future there would likely be a yearly fee (somewhere in the $10-$20 range). Oh, and the books you get you can keep forever or swap again. I'll reserve my final judgment for a few weeks so the books I requested have time to make their way here. 

Pics of a kid who has been on the planet 500 days

Henry 500

Henry - 500 days old

Top Five Things You Don't Know About Henry

1. He has so little body fat he can't retain his body heat. This means that when exiting the tub after bath time his little hands and feet turn a slight pale bluish color and sometimes his teeth chatter. (Note: He's immediately wrapped in a large towel, dried off, and clothed in his pajamas and socks. We keep the thermostat set between 68 and 70.)
2. When he wants to read a book, he will drag one to wherever you are, plop down, and wait for you to sit down beside him and begin reading. We have read books all over the condo, including the kitchen and the hallway by the spare bathroom.
3. He giggles if you honk his kneecaps.
4. He does a great impersonation of a firetruck siren.
5. He has a gentle disposition and an unending curiosity.

Future job prospect #37: Amazing Race contestants

Stepping up from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.

Welcoming spring with a new banner