February saw Piper hit her six month “birthday”. It’s been a wild ride for everyone involved, but I have to preface anything I say by pointing out that Pipsqueak is seriously the best.baby.ever. When she’s on Mom’s schedule she sleeps, eats, poops and plays like clockwork. We found out about the “E.A.S.Y.” method through a Baby Whisperer book, and we’ve been converts ever since. The long and short of it is that she Eats, has Activity time, Sleeps, and while she sleeps we get “You time”. It works quite well for all of us. And the very idea of a schedule is comforting to Mom and baby alike. She’s kept us busy, for sure. And there are times when we have no idea what the hell we’re doing. But we resigned ourselves to be OK with that early on…we know we’re noobs.
We’ve shared Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve. We’ve witnessed first roll-overs, first laughs, first babbles, first temper tantrums. She came out of the swaddle (I was scared to death that she’d never sleep without it). We’ve successfully mastered cloth diapers (a big post on this subject later, I promise), dream feeding and so much more. I’m proud of us, and every damn day I’m proud of her. We’ve been through some real rough times as a family in the past six months too…but through it all love prevails.
I put together this video the other day, and I’ve yet to watch it without getting a little misty. It’s simply unbelievable how much shes grown, and how far we’ve come as a family. I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any questions about what Piper’s been up to, please do ask in the comments. I’ll try and post again real soon, but you know how it goes…
The dimming of the light makes the picture clearer
It’s just an old photograph, there’s nothing to hide
When the world was just beginning.
I memorized her face so it’s not forgotten
I hear the wind whistling “come back anytime”
And we’ll mix our lives together
Heaven knows, what keeps mankind alive
Every hand goes searching for its partner in crime
Under chairs and behind tables
Connecting to places we have known
I’m looking for a home, where the wheels are turning
Home, why I keep returning
Home, where my world is breaking in two
Home, with the neighbors fighting
Home, always so exciting
Home, were my parents telling the truth?
Home, such a funny feeling
Home, no one ever speaking
Home, with our bodies touching
Home, and the cameras watching
Home, will infect whatever you do
Where home, comes to life from out of the blue
Tiny little boats on a beach at sunset
I took a drink from a jar and into my head
Familiar smells and flavours
Vehicles are stuck on the plains of heaven
I’ve seen their wheels spinnin’ round
And everywhere I can hear those people saying
That the eye is the measure of the man
You can fly from the stuff that still surrounds you
Where home and the band keeps marching on
Connecting to every living soul
Compassion for things I’ll never know.
I don’t know how people did it twenty years ago. We’re so fortunate to live in an era of open information and access to tools for raising a child. Here’s some of my picks for the curious or soon-to-be parent dad.
The Internet & YouTube: Seriously…people had babies before the Internet? How did they know that their kid had milk tongue, not thrush? How did they figure out how to put on a cloth diaper? How, how??? A an important side note, the geekily inclined can find lots of pregnancy and baby movie torrents.
The Miracle Blanket. Swaddling is a Very Important Tactic in keeping your sanity at night for many parents. We’re big Karp believers, but trying to keep one of those tiny receiving blankets wrapped up tight on Piper was simply impossible once she was one hour old. Miracle Blankets make you feel like your straightjacketing your kid, but man alive, do they work.
DIODER lights at IKEA. I’m saddened that I can’t find the link for these at IKEA, because they’re one of the neatest things I’ve bought for baby. It’s a 10 inch long strip of directionally focused LED’s, running on a few AAA batteries, that light up when you open the drawer. They shut off 20 seconds later. Every night when I slog into the nursery to change a diaper at 4 AM, I have no need to turn on the light and ruin our half asleep state. I open the drawer, can see what I need, and move on. Seriously….awesome. DIODER is a line of products, it appears, so beware…you want this one.
A nice drill. I highly recommend DeWalt gear..it feels great, lasts forever, and the other dads will know you mean business. Why a drill? Trust me, you’re going to start noticing things that need fixed. It’s the male equivalent of nesting. Not to mention all the furniture assembling you’ll be doing. And things you will be attaching to the wall because your wife told you to that’s why. And oh, did you know that battery compartments on kids toys are secured with at least 48 tiny, recessed, Phillips screws? Cause they are. And nothing sucks worse that a shitty drill. This is mine, and I do love it oh so much.
An exercise ball. These things are great for two reasons…babies love to bounce and your back is going to be screwed. Bouncing is a soother…babies like to be reminded of the womb, and believe it or not, it was pretty bouncy in there. Imagine floating in a pool, tethered to the top, while someone jostles the pool all day. You get the picture. Your back is going to be hurting due to all the dropped binkys, unrestful nights of sleep and baby carrying, not to mention the ten extra pounds you’ll gain. The ball builds core strength, and you’re gonna need it.
Baby Bjorn carrier. I know she’ll outgrow this quickly, and I’m sure attachment parents everywhere will think less of me for not using some complicated, woven, organic hemp sling. But the fact is, this thing works well for small babies, looks OK on me, and is easy to use. I love it, and she does too.
Baby Bjorn Baby Sitter. My favorite thing about the Baby Sitter? No batteries. She bounces herself in it a little, but it gets most of it’s motion from my big toe. There are times when I can get her calm in this contraption and actually use two hands for stuff. That is a victory in my book. It also folds quite flat and travels well.
Mam Paci’s. I don’t know why she likes these, but she does. I like the fact that they have no handle, so I can hold her tight into my chest while she’s sucking.
iPhone. I can’t say enough about it. I can’t imagine living without it, much less parenting. It’s a portable speaker, packed with Beatles, Jerry and Boards Of Canada for her. It’s the answer to a question in a flash, where ever I am (See “The Internet”, above). It’s the sound of grandma’s voice when she’s far away. It’s entertainment for me when Tori has to nurse at a Macy’s. I timed contractions with it, post photos to Facebook, count wet/dirty diapers, take voice notes when I’m sleep deprived…the list goes on. You should get one free if you have a child. But you don’t, so pony up those three Benjamins.
Wow…seven weeks in, and boy has it been a ride. I think it goes without saying that any time not filled with playing, calming, loving or visiting has been spent sleeping, not blogging. I’ve been taking lots of pictures with my new camera, and hope to get a gallery installed here soon. I dont even know how to begin writing about what has happened already, so lets dtick with the present for now. Recent developments:
Piper is totally sick of sleeping in the bassinet/playpen thing for more than a half second. She now spends nights with us in bed, nestled in a sleep positioner. I love spending the extra bit of time with her in the mornings! She also sleeps longer and calmer between us.
This week has marked the beginning of a new era…she can now be quite content just laying on her back and watching stuff. Especially if the stuff in question is her crib mobile, AKA Piper’s very Best Friends In The Whole World. While Mr. Bee makes great conversation and Ms. ladybug has seen the world, she really prefers talking with Mr. Caterpiller. That guy rocks.
Physically, she’s continuing to fill out a bit and taking on a more feminine facial shape. In my opinion, anyway.
In the past week, she has had her first:
Wedding
Road Trip
Cloth Diaper (more on that another day…)
I’ll try to blog more soon, but don’t forget where you are, buddy!
After fiddling around with numerous photoblogging plugins for Wordpress, and dealing with a one month old baby, I’ve found a pretty good solution for getting pictures on here. I use Picasa to organize and retouch my pics at home, and theres a swell Facebook plugin that lets me upload right from the Picasa library. So getting lots of pictures on Facebook is easy.
But you’re not on facebook? Or you dispise me, but adore my child? Well, have I got some links for you…
After reading so many contemporary books about the labor process and HOW MUCH GIVING BIRTH IN A HOSPITAL IS BAD BAD BAD FOR MOM AND BABY I was pleasantly surprised to find a progressive, woman-focused maternity center. While we’re not necessarily focused on having a “natural” (read: drug free) birth, the maternity pavilion at St. Ann’s is incredibly receptive and supportive of the idea. The labor rooms (especially the ones with tubs) are big and seem focused on making the process as comfortable for mom AND dad as possible. Most equipment is hidden in furniture, and lighting is soft and calming. The books (and to a lesserdegree, our birth classes at CHOICE) really make you think that you will have to fight to keep the baby near us after labor, at St. Ann’s the protocol is kangaroo care. We wrote our birth plan not knowing what to expect, and almost everything we requested is standad at the hospital!
Oh, and there’s a Tim Hortons in the lobby. Flippin’ sweet.
It was a reassuring and comforting tour, and even though I looked everywhere, I couldn’t find this:
Well, the last pregnancy-centric post i can find is from 28 weeks. We’ve done so much in that time, and while I’ll be cranking out some posts that are event specific, I also feel the need to play catch up for those of you that come here for the sweet, sweet baby news.
We were incredibly fortunate to have family and friends throw three showers for us. I was kinda surprised that we knew that many people, much less that so many actually liked us. And by us I mean me. I attended two, missing one in Indiana that wasn’t really co-ed anyway. I think two showers is more than enough for any dude to attend, so I’m not crying about missing one. DARE YOU CHALLENGE ME?!? Our dear friends threw one hell of a party here in Columbus, complete with real-deal barbeque and an Elvis impersonator in honor of Tiny E. Friends came from out of town, and so many wonderful people we’ve met in our few years in C-bus turned out as well. Tori went solo to southern Indiana for her family’s shindig, and most recently we traveled with the k9’s to Buffalo where my family got their chance to let us know how much they love us.
We started childbirth class two weeks ago. We debated between having class at St. Anne’s, where we would get a good overview of how things are done at that hospital specifically, or at CHOICE where we would get a wider range of opinions and thoughts about birth. Our classes started six weeks before the EDD, so we ended up begining with class 6 of 6, and participating in class 1 next. So far the classes have been informative and fun. It turns out that I had been following the midwife who teaches the class on Twitter for a while without knowing it! She gave her email address to the class; “you can contact me at amazonmidwife at…” and I kind of babbled out “I follow you on Twitter!” recognizing her @amazonmidwife handle. Ahh, to be a socially networking expectant daddy…
The nursery is all but complete. Artwork hung, furniture assembled, bedding laundered and bed made.
I posted a couple of weeks ago that our friends had their baby, Esther. We visited at the hospital, of course, but it’s been rewarding to see how they have transitioned back to their house. It has been inspiring, as well as making me incredibly anxious about the logistical problems we may face having a newborn in a small Clintonville house with one bathroom. But then again, I’m getting anxious about everything at this point.
Tori is looking as good as ever, and I have nothing to share from her recent visits to the OB. All is well and progressing nicely. The last few weeks, the fatigue has set in. She’s usually in bed by 10 at the latest, although she’ll fight it till midnight now and then. Tiny E just goes CRAZY in there now…rolling and kicking and punching, all visible to the naked eye if you watch her belly for a few minutes. This has led to more peeing, more uncomfortable nights and every once in a while, pain in her abdomen from the movement. Sleep is challenging these days.
We’re in a really good place with names (no, dude…we’re not sharing) for either sex. We’ve had a few in mind for most of the pregnancy, and it’s looking like it’ll be an easy choice when the time comes. We’re both still in love with them after having 7 months to mull them over, and we think that’s a good sign.
We met with our doula again at 32 weeks, and had a good open conversation about how we see things going at the hospital. The birth plan was the focus of the conversation, and we decided it would be best to wait for our first few classes before we put anything on paper. Right now all we really have is the idea that we want to be kept informed and have the right to consent to any procedural diversions.
Just this week, we had our initall consultation with the doctor who will be our new family doc. We know her through some mutual friends, and she showed an ability to be our kind of doc…not an alarmist, able to deal with my incestant questions, and a good sense of humor. She’ll be Tiny E’s pediatrician as well.
That’s really all I can think of for now. We have just over a month to go until our estimated due date (I found out this week that Tori’s mom was a week late with Tori and her sister, so we’re expecting Tiny E a little late as well). We’ve been slacking on pictures of Tori’s belly, but I’ll leave you with a photo I took today at the water park:
Weird, but not too unusual. Now I’m starting to think something is up.
Not long after returning from the market today, I noticed a smallish (adolescent?) Blue Jay in the yard. He obviously couldn’t fly, and seemed really calm considering he was probably a goner soon. I couldn’t conceive a way to help it other than keeping an eye out for kittykittykittys, so I photographed and observed before leaving it alone for a few minutes. When I came back…it was gone. I sure do hope it’s OK…with parenthood looming I’m becoming ever more sensitive to these matters. You should really click on the photos to get the experience, I got some nice macro shots in.
Incidentally, I think this may be his dad. I snapped it last week when I was obsessing over the bird feeder.
Today is our first baby shower! This is the fun one, thrown by friends, without any weird goo-goo gah-gah talk. Super excited to see some old friends, drink some drinks and listen to some God Damn Grateful Dead. Pictures later……
