sweetest boy

i found the best sitter!

2006-09-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

one of my mom friends offered to watch royce in our house.

after the trauma we all experienced from his visits to the latina daycare lady with six kids (why did i think that was a good idea?) i decided this was a much better option.

it went great! like better than i could possibly imagine great.

she had them for the whole day. they napped together (that's them in the photo). she layed down with both of them for naptime. the boy was happy and even when he wasn't it was not any kind of major crisis like in his earlier babysitting situations.

i am so happy to find something good for me, royce, the sitter, and her baby all at once. it is good for the sitter because she just lost her place, is having a miserable time keeping a job b/c she wants to stay with her baby, and is now living at her mom's in a house full of fragile glass curios that she is constantly keeping her son away from. so how perfect, right. don't you love that feeling of finally getting a good fit after a struggle?

what's the best for you?

2006-09-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

good to see that mr. nice guy is in a similar (but 100000 times more dramatic) situation when it comes to childcare.

i swear, if you aren't looking for M-F help, but are looking for a dependable schedule, it is freakin' hard to set something up. doubly hard if you want it to be a good match for your kid.

what i've been up to

2006-08-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

i discovered the idea of panoramic photos of babies online, and have been experimenting with making them myself
note: i actually did make these. thanks to sb reader, awesome journalist and blogger rebecca eckler for getting me to clarify.

nap weaning?

2006-08-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

can i just say, these crazy alphabet cards bring me back, and i have been amused by them for almost a day now. thanks to daddytypes for turning me on to them.

in other sweetest boy news: i have been trying to get the boy to sleep better during the day now. he has gotten used to sleeping with my boob in his mouth. (sound familiar?) it doesn't sound bad, but it gets really hard to just lay there for hours on end so that your kid can sleep. the worst part is, because that is what he is used to, he gets especially upset when i am not there for his naptimes. i am tackling this battle once again, wish me luck!

getting paid to blog?

2006-08-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

one of the major downsides to being a SAHM, ive decided, is that you don't get to blog on the company dime. i post on my own time. working stiffs get paid while doing it. until now, bwa ha ha...

i am sitting in the imaging office of the local/regional newspaper and makig a few (well, very few, let's be honest) bucks right now. bwa ha ha HA!

for the next few weeks i am doing work for them from 6-11 at night. perfect hours for an attachment parenting mama. i only miss two hours in the evening with the B and it is totally novel.

i have come to terms with the fact that i really love doing what i do (being a photographer and working in the visual media) and am unwilling to give it up entirely. Maybe tomorrow night i will tell more about my experience finding a sitter for the B

baby sign language

2006-07-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

yum.
Originally uploaded by gisarah.

...she has some encouraging success stories, like the one about the mother who went into her crying 13-month-old at night and the child signed that she was scared. A car alarm was blaring outside and when the window was closed the child went back to sleep....

says the reuters article today.

Almost enough anecdotal motivation to get me to take a sign language class with the B

via regular sb reader kristal

snarky parent/writers

2006-07-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

gay-love
Originally uploaded by arthur156_nl Amsterdam.

mr. nice guy had it out with a columnist writing generalities aboutthe kiddie playground in his hometown of Park Slope, Brooklyn. (hey, isn't that every parent's hometown who works within 100 miles of there? but i digress.) The following is an excerpt of Sohn's texxt and Mr. Nice Guy's reply.

amy sohn (snarky columnist): I suspect it is the husbands who discourage them from working. Because it's the social equivalent of taking Viagra. "What does your wife do for a living?" asks Jeff, the squash partner at the Racquet Club. "Oh, she's at home with our son," says Michael, and then boasts.

mr. nice guy (snarky blogger): dude. the next time i talk to my squash partner Jeff at the Racquet Club i am totally going to try this line because it's like Viagra ... and ... i really want ... to fuck him.

say my name, B

2006-07-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

happy mama's day...
Originally uploaded by less like math.

"ma ma" was the word of the day yesterday. all day. during lunch, the aquarium, the long car rides to and from, dinner, bedtime, in his sleep (just kidding). it was great! and its over now. today the B is all about "ba ba" which the manny is pretending is his name (papa), i am thinking is his name (baby), and know is not for bottle b/c he hasn't taken one of those in months.

pampers bait and switch

2006-07-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

has anyone else had the misfortune of buying a pack of papers cruisers with the crappy mesh lining? seems there's a lot of talk about the swaddlers having two versions. For the record, if you buy cruisers, you run the risk of getting a meshy, leaky, poorly constructed substitue. (mine came in the jumbo $26 box from target)

I have already written and complained to pampers, we'll see if they offer any explanation or comps.

DTBBC: over

2006-07-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

coh vintage childrens books
Originally uploaded by jek in the box.

have i told you how happy i am that the daddytype's bizarre book contest has come to an end? i mean, learning about new books is great, publishing seemingly every entry on your blog gets a little tiresome...(coincidence that this ended when boy's sleep troubles ended? i don't think so)

night weaning: well slept baby and mama

2006-07-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Baby
Originally uploaded by di_collins.

the boy has slept alll night in his own room, in his own bed, without boob in his mouth nad i have never been so grateful for anything in my entire life. i was scared to post about it until i was sure it would stick. but it is, and it has, and we never had to make him cry it out.

the formula for success turned out to be:

-a stomach flu which prevented me from putting him down at the breast for a night and made me lose my milk for a few days (it came back, don't worry!)
-changing his routine dramitically during the day to totally mess him up
-reading him stories until he fell asleep in his bed
-and now, just pretending like we are asleep in the same room

it is the best thing ever. thank you to the readers who sent their support during one of the longest, hardest periods of my entire life.

night weaning: giving up

2006-06-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

#1) a failed night weaning experiement: the person who i first heard the term night weaning from confessed to me that she had given up on it and that it was unsuccessful.

#2) more drama: the manny again said "i'll take care of him" last night only ot wake him up and make him highly agitated until i put him down by the breast. i was heartbroken. he had just gotten back from three peaceful days away from home and i thought he would be committed for once.

#3) an outsider's perspecive: my friend jana said she had never seen the boy so clingy and upset during the day or night and that something was really the matter with him because he was acting frightened and troubled.

#4) facing up: i am having to face up to the reality that i am on my own in helping the boy to be settled and calm and off the boob at night. i am coming to understand that "i've got it" when spoken in the middle of the night is a bold-faced lie. i don't want that to be the case. i don't want to keep doing something that doesn't work. i have to help my son.

#5) making changes: all of royce's stuff is in the guest room as of this morning. i (not my husband) will be transitioning him into his own room for the sake of his and my survival. nights are going to be hard around here, but easier than our mangled attempt at night weaning.

ruining the moment (if ever there was one)

2006-06-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

what words offer a verbal cold shower in the heat of the moment between two parents, mr nice guy asks?

some of the best answers are in the comments:
-episiotomy tear
-cheney colonoscopy
-baby's awake
-is it in?

night weaning: whats really going on

2006-06-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

i am having a lot of trouble:

the manny is sabotaging my night weaning efforts. he offers to put the B down only to get impatient, try to "force" him to sleep before he is ready, gets him all upset, starts fights with me over an upset baby and leaves me to deal with the mess i am talking about this happening four times in the last two weeks and it is very upsetting.

very upsetting indeed. the kind of upsetting that left me bawling on my neighbors doorstep this morning, confused with destructive and depressive thoughts. basically torn apart with dissappointment, contempt, and a feeling of being trapped.

we have been in counseling the last two weeks to get some new tools to deal with the problems we are having, and have not gotten any help there.

yesterday we finally decided that despite the manny's interest in being an "involved dad", it was in everyone's best interests if he stops putting the boy down. it was actually a relief to know that tonight would be different than the last two weeks b/c the manny couldn't fuck it up again. even worse, he couldn't use our innocent baby as a tool to mess with me anymore.

wha'd he do? intentionally wake me and the boy up as he went to bed, the fucker.

long time gone...

2006-06-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

aDSC_0019.jpg
Originally uploaded by lokepuf.

i've been super busy!

i got a parttime job and have been shooting like crazy each weekend. i am the new photographer and public relations rep for new directions for women, a drug and alcohol treatment center for women, pregnant women, and women with kids. how perfect, right?

we have gone back to nightweaning the boy who has been trying to suckle for 12 hours straight at night.

but i did manage to do this shoot of the two of us, and this photo i love the most of any of us.

bad news goes good (i hope)

2006-05-31T21:54:00.000-07:00

our health insurance is up in the air for the ten brazilianth time since the B was concieved. this time because our carrier was bought out by a more expensive plan (read: 25% rate hike) and the rates went up a lot on top of that (read: another 50% hike for a total of 75%.) WTF!!!

i am committed to turning this into a good thing by finding a great individual plan a a better price. but our current insurance is pretty nice, we paid only $100 to have a baby. i don't think that's even possible outside group coverage.

internets: what individual coverage has worked for your family?

three armed boy

2006-05-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

seems that the specialists are unable to determine which of the two left arms is the better developed because both of them are so well formed.

sfgate via daddytypes

back home (phew!)

2006-05-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

the greyhound: the bus ride wasn't bad, except for having to sit next to my husband at times. the B did quite well, even taking his midnight snack in the sports book in downtown vegas.

the trip: seeing family was awesome!!!

the cold: the B and the manny caught the sniffles

the latest photo gig: i am shooting a wedding with sb reader kristal in june. (thanks to her for the wacky food photography, well her and this russian guy)

going on vacation

2006-05-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

i'll be gone until monday, we are going to steamboat springs, colorado. (by greyhound!)

robbing the cradle (of good taste)

2006-05-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

my first Q and A! (with an extra helping of links)

2006-05-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

rebecca eckler has asked me about suburban LA. turns out we are both big "Curb Your Enthusiasm" fans, and, well, being from canada and all, she is a little far from southern cal in all its glory. here is my response to her:

i live in a suburb of L.A., but it's a good place, not like one of those scary suburbs, not like the ones in neghboring orange county. nope.

I live in suburban LA county, a little different from suburban LA, but my town (Claremont) is known to some as the poor man's westwood (Westwood is a town where a lot of movies and TV series are shot, including "Curb Your Enthusiasm".)

we actually have a little bit of character, a little bit of route 66, a little bit of ghetto, a little bit of academia, a little bit of open space, and a little bit of a music scene. amazing, right?

but don't tell anyone, we are trying to keep it a secret...

night weaning update #6

2006-05-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

arrg. we are losing direction with the whole night weaning thing. every early morning (think, 4 a.m.) this week the B has either been fully awake, or sleeping peacefully with my boob in his mouth. neither one of those are good.

the manny is getting worn out. its been more than a month. i am having creeping sensations of guilt (what if i am teaching him not to need me?), the B is increasingly fighting sleep and rarely goes down by the breast anymore.

these are the avenues we (finally!) talked about:
-offering him a nighttime water bottle
-feeding more solids/encouraging more evening nursing sessions

wish us luck...more to come

what a sweet weekend!

2006-05-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

aDSC_0157
Originally uploaded by lokepuf.

a burning man regional event and mother's day!- who could ask for more?

thanks to nym for getting me out of the house

thanks to the manny for watching the sweetest boy for 30 hours straight

thanks to my breastpump for holding up under extreme heat, wind, and sand.

thanks to my camera for taking awesome photos (like this one)

note: thanks to sb reader mama cha for asking about the context of this crazy photograph. my buddy nym writes a blog about cyborgs, robotics, and other electronic goodies that people wear to theoretically enhance their lives. the legs in the forground belong to a cyborg statue. we did a whole love/hate shoot of him with the cyborg.

flaming baby legs!

2006-05-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

flaming baby legs? according to dutch's post, they have satisfied in him a deep seeded need for the tacky and garish by dressing his baby in clothes he was too hip to wear himself.

but it all left me wondering, how does one wear baby legs exactly? with pants? without? are there sizes? the sweetest boy has monster thighs, can he wear them? is it more of a girl thing.

after staying up sleepless nights pondering the meaning of baby legs, CBB came to the rescue. seems to me, the offer all the style of pants, while diaper changing has the ease of a onesie

sit here- for longer

2006-05-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

a nice high chair that turns into something else at a much better price than a lot of other transitional chairs.combi transition highchair via parenthacks

photographer mommy

2006-05-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

two very different shoots. one very nice day getting a break from being "mommy". funny how my gigs are becoming more child-oriented

i feel lucky to have work that i can still do and enjoy after having the B. and that i don't have to choose between being a mom and a photographer...

realistic mommy makeover

2006-05-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

My neghbor's newest role in my life is that of fashion stylist! After six months, i was still wearing maternity clothes, no makeup, and generally looking bad.

well, i am in the process of getting a makeover, thanks to an unexpected paycheck that arrived in the mail last week.

Elayne, my neighbor, had been doing my eyebrows and hair for some time, in exchange for photos of her family. (isn't bartering great?) now we have entered into new territory, makeup and clothes.

it has been such a boost to me to start looking good after giving up on my appearance during my pregnancy, then starting to care again, only to find out how outdated my style had become.

She has helped me to look nice by spending under $100 and less than five minutes a day

my best advice to new moms: once you've caught up on your sleep, buy a new lipstick, a few new shirts, and get your eyebrows waxed. you can do all this stuff with your baby!

note: the lipstick pictured is the new one i have, mac myth

goodbye, queen

2006-05-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite, if slightly obscure blogs is ending. the queen mama is saying goodbye. it soundsl ike she is just over doint the whole blogging thing, and doesn't really want to keep opening up her life to the public eye.

she is an ex-news columnist and her writing will be missed

breastfeeding terms

2006-04-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

noodads had a great dictionary of breasfeeding terms for the -er new dad. irreverant definitions and sentences like:

"Used in context: "Dammit honey! You left that newspaper hanging off the table and I walked past and it grazed my engorged breast. Now I will kill you." make it a funny and educational read.
noodad via blogging baby

night weaning update #5

2006-04-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

the B slept peacefully from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. last night....hard to beleive what we went through a few short weeks ago

yes, i work too

2006-04-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

in completely unrelated news, these are the photos from this weekend i am happiest with. i worked all day from 8-6, had a day off from being mommy, had all kinds of fiascos (no working memory card, lost subjects' names, arrived too late for an assignment) and somehow, even though i am so rusty, everything still worked out!

night weaning update #4

2006-04-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Guess who's been sleeping without boob in his mouth??

thanks to the things i have learned from other people's struggles and reflections. thanks to la leche league for the links they sent. thanks to friends, family, and readers for listening and being genuinely interested.

I know it's only been two days, but his whole experience on this planet has changed thanks to the night weaning. He is back to singing to us in the mornings, is as happy as ever, yet takes more independent naps and really sleeps at night. he's not getting up all the time! yay!

buy me things!

2006-04-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

For any of you that are interested (dad, hint! hint!) these are the books and toys that i am drooling over right now for the sweetest boy.

and don't forget the sweet fisher price deal where if you spend $20 you get another $20 free!

night weaning update #3

2006-04-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

i am having major guilty feelings about what we are doing.

the boy used to sing us a song, happily babbling away every morning before we started. now he doesn't do the "morning song of boy" anymore. he generally seems a little more agitated during the day too. i think it is because we are nightweaning *sniff*

it might just be because his bottom two teeth are just under the surface. we have been dosing him with tylenol and homeopathic remedies to help with the pain, but we don't want for him to be sad too.

my brain tells me that this is important to do and get it over with and that he does not need to eat every forty five minutes at night

my resentment is motivating me to find a schedule that works for all of us.

i tried to go back into the bed for a few nights b/c he was down to waking up once or twice, and as soon as i came back into the picture, he was sleep eating all night all over again.

my guilt is making me question if i shouldn't just throw in the towel and stay up all night with him every night until he grows out of it himself. i am even scared that i am doing something that is not in accord with "attachemnt parenting" and that he won't be as attached to me anymore.

placenta for hipsters

2006-04-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

thanks to tom cruise for making placenta, and eating placenta, a topic on everybody's mind.

it even made hipster-bible vice magazine with lines like:The placenta preparation was one of the most ungodly rituals in which I have ever engaged...To the list of achievements on my résumé, I proudly added Cannibalism.
how can you resist reading it?

The thing that trips me out the most about eating one's placenta is all the chatter about it being a vegan food

and hey, if placenta posts have an effective way of raising readership according to GGC, so be it!

smart stroller spotting

2006-04-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

I saw this stroller at the doctor's office on monday. It is the first intelligent tandem stroller i have ever seen that is not a behemoth or gracosaur. The bigger kid rides facing mom on a bench, while baby sits in front stroller or infant seat. it is called Joovy and it sells for under $200 and fits in the trunk of a small car. why is everyone not using these?

joovy tandem stroller

online shopping bargains

2006-04-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

the first of a few shopping posts.

amazon.com has a killer fisher price deal right now.

spend $19.99 get a free toy up to $19.99

there is also a pretty good deal on seventh generation (diapers, wipes, paper towels, whatever)

spend $99 get a $30 gift certificate

preggo photo

2006-04-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

37.5wks
Originally uploaded by lynanne.

draw a face on momma's belly and you've got an awesome pregnancy photo. wish i'd tthought of it!

night weaning part #2

2006-04-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Some of the (good and bad) advice i've gotten about the boy's terrible sleep habits:
-must be teething
-must need to start solids
-must have gas
-must be time to switch to formula
-must let him cry by himself
-must let him cry with the manny
-must stop co-sleeping
-must get him into his crib
-must actually be hungry

phew! everyone's got their $0.2, nobody has to deal with it like I do.

We decided to go with some gentle night weaning, where the manny is responsible for him between 12-6am and not to get me unless it is a crisis. He is getting tricked by the boy that he actually needs to eat. So he is bringing him into the guest room (where i am hiding out) which makes it so much worse because then the B can smell me and see me.

I am scared we are teaching him to cry to eat at night instead of eliminating feedings. i am scared that it is unfair for the manny to have this responsibility even though he knows he has to get up in the morning and go to work.

Last night was just a rough night. The good news is that the first two nights, he didn't do more than stir, snuggle with daddy and fall back asleeep.

night weaning

2006-04-08T04:18:00.000-07:00

written in recent email to my doula:

ok. i admit. i have been really relaxed about putting the boy down to bed and naps. (want a breast? sure! pacifier? no problem!) and i have pretty much thought all the advice about getting those things out of his mouth as he's falling asleep was a bunch of malarkey. i mean, why not give him what he wants?

well, i think i'm paying the price now. the boy was up every 45 minutes ALL of last night. not up exactly, but crying and looking for boob and won't even accept the pacifier, only the breast. the past week or so hasn't been much better. last night was so bad that every time i got up i was cursing like a sailor, and the last hour i just straight refused to feed him and left boomer to console a hungry( hungry? how could he be he'd been gorging himself all night?) baby.

is this my doing? how do i undo it? do i just wait it out? does it have to do with starting solids? is this a clue that it's time to practice night weaning? (when boomer takes the boy, and lets him cry, but stays with him and consoles him minus the breast all night) what's the best (and kindest to mom and baby) thing to do?

looks like we're in for a rough spot with the whole night nursing thing.

moms gone bad

2006-04-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

apparently an all out brawl broke outat a babyshower in massachusetts.

via daddytypes

babysitting: woooo hoooo!!

2006-04-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

good news: i found a woman through my mommy and me class who babysits. she does it out of her own home, is very nice, and her home is neat and clean.

better news: she charges $5 an hour.

best news: she is down to arrange a barter for family portrats!!!!

i am so stoked.

oily and crying

2006-04-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

"end times" by photographer Jill Greenberg is a series on oiled-up kids hysterically crying

to hear some of why this might not be a good thing, see the post on daddytypes

update: turns out she doesn't oil down her subjects. a great article on how greenberg achieves this effect can be found on her website

what i did wrong this week

2006-04-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

what i did wrong this week:

-started the B on solids before six months (gasp!)

-let him eat in front of baby einstein (shock!)

-gave him rice cereal mixed with water instead of breast milk (double gasp!)

-let him suck on apple and orange slices (minor cardiac arrest!)

-gave him a taste of our smoothie before remembering that it had yogurt in it (major heart failure!)

and through all of it, he turned out okay, even if we did have a minor scare with constipation

am i crazy? did he roll over? or is it both?

2006-03-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

The B rolled over for the first time yesterday, and we are all very happy for him.

when you spend all day with a non-verbal being, your first reaction isn't "wow, he just hit a developmental milestone (its about time)" its "did i just see that? did i help him? i must be imagining things!"

it took until he did it again for me to believe it, isn't that weird?

yupster parenting

2006-03-29T03:39:00.000-08:00

hip gen X-er author adam sternbergh, writes a hip piece, about hipster, -er yupster parents and the tastes that define them. -and gets it pretty much to a "T" -and makes me glad i'm too young to fit into his definition. (gen Y, baby!)

As a result, says Hirschorn, “some of the older parents I know who have teenagers claim that there’s no generation gap anymore. They say they get along perfectly with their kids. They listen to the same music. To me, that seems somewhat laughable. But I do remember when I was young, trying to explain the Beatles to my dad, and he didn’t even know who they were. I don’t think that’s possible today.

new york metro article its worth checking out just for the photo shoot. via daddytypes

the mommy and me photoshoot

2006-03-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

aDSC_0366
Originally uploaded by lokepuf.

the photos are going up, you can see them here

to the pointy hook in my husband's car: an open letter

2006-03-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

dear pointy hook,

why do you continually poke my infant son in the head and make him cry? and why do you allude to the convenience you offer by existing? oh sure, someone could put hangers on you, someone who wears suits instead of pajamas like me.

and why is it that your design suggests that you can be removed? clearly you can't, or i would have succeeded in doing it by now.

so, pointy hook, let's call a truce. b/c we all know you win. if you like the sweetest boy, and the smiles he gives in your direction in spite of the harm you have done to his developing brain, please try to avoid his fontanel.

thanks,
the sweetest mom

mommy and me report

2006-03-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

did i tell you all that i religiously go to mommy and me each week?

well, this week sb reader kristal (and photography buddy) and i talked to the class about shooting babies' portraits.

oh yeah, and we did one other thing too. we shot every. single. mom. and. baby. who attended class that day. which of course happened to be double the amount of people there are usually in class.

i am putting the photos up on flickr in a few days. i am pretty happy with them

american inventor "tizzy tube"

2006-03-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

used to isolate only children even further and protect siblings as they careen into each other blindly, sb reader nym alerted me to the tizzy tube segment on the first episode of american inventor.

note: blogger's photo upload is working not so good. photo to come later

fetus in fetu

2006-03-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

ever heard of fetus in fetu? me neither until a discussion with sb reader kristal. turns out, it is a case of a parasitic twin living inside a baby

might be one of the craziest things i've ever heard of.

see also the wikipedia article

are you going to my sex party?

2006-03-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

this terrible composition is what the manny and i have been singing to the B lately"

will you go to my sex party?
will you come at my sex party?

they'll be girls at my sex party
not like last time at my sex party

there'll be lube at my sex party
ass and boob at my sex party

no regrets at my sex party
please no pets at my sex party

what are we going to do when he starts talking??

baby rapz

2006-03-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

multi-talented as she is, Girl's Gone Child put out the GGC rapz complete with illustrated links for each line. it makes for click-happy entertainment

last week it was the crib(z)! this week the rapz, i am loving it!

(and no, this has nothing to do with the fact that the sweetest boy listens to KDAY commercial hip-hop station every day, ok, actually, it has a lot to do with it...)

organic infant formula!

2006-03-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

touted as being"produced without the use of antibiotics, no genetically engineered ingredients and no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, Hain's" organic infant formula will be hitting the shelves.

which leads me to wonder, does the current, non-organic formula use GMO ingredients? i mean, that's a lot different than making sure thee cow's food came from a charming organic ranch in utah...

note: i guess there is actually an organic infant formula on the market under the name of baby's only

sunday baby news roundup

2006-03-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

wrongful birth in the new york times

infant heart transplant in the los angeles times

bad mommy club

2006-03-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

i confess, i forgot to feed boy after coming home from a trip running errands. when i went online just to *see* how bad i really was, i stumled upon this excellent website, bad mommy club

the list is chock full o' confessions of the selfish and ignorant organized by category- a few of my favorites:

-Last night...she had 4 popsicles and no dinner.
-Taught our child how to turn on the TV at the tender age of 10 months.
-I tell her that our TV doesn't get Barney
-I used to play "Poke the Foot" with her for as long as she'd play in utero.
-I tell my daughter "I'm working" when I'm really posting on the bulletin boards.

an apple-ogy

2006-03-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

Though you hurt me, I still love you.
I appleogize for waking the boy, taking a dump and irritating my love.
I hope you had a better afternoon.
I will try and die like you told me to.

the manny's words after he messed up pretty bad at lunchtime. i have had to suffer with an irritable boy all afternoon b/c of his boneheadedness, but his email makes me laugh every time.

men's right to choose?

2006-03-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

If a pregnant woman can choose among abortion, adoption or raising a child, a man involved in an unintended pregnancy should have the choice of declining the financial responsibilities of fatherhood. The activists involved hope to spark discussion even if they lose.

that is the gist of the argument for men's rights according to a new suit being brought to the district court in michigan

its a good question even though the case will undoubtedly lose: if a man is assured by his partner that she has a physical condition that prevents her from getting pregnant (as in this case), does that somehow exempt the man from paying child support? if a man was not intending to pass along genetic material (as in this case) is he exempt?

note: these questions brought up by the case are much different than just getting out of a regular-old accidental pregnancy. but supposing that it won, it would get men off the hook from that, too. hmmmm.

more details on the case via yahoo news and the national center for men

Infantile- well named tshirt company

2006-03-07T10:08:00.000-08:00

GGC directed me to where to get the shirt with the gold chains and some other cool stuff like the "super diaper tee" from infantile

your child + 10,000 = fine art

2006-03-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

famous photographer william wegman is auctioning off a shoot of your baby (estimated 10,000-15,000) note: there might be a weimeraner or two involved. pretty cool idea, to commission a piece of fine art that just happens to include your child.

phillips de pury charity auciton via daddytypes

danger! shopping carts

2006-03-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

a baby and her infant seat tipped over off the cart at trader joes tonight while her parents were checking out. somebody caught it before a real catastrophe struck, but still, i was really troubled by the whole thing.

me: if that happened to the sweetest boy, i would just shit out my entire insides, organs and all, right there on the floor of trader joes.

the manny: i would say we better get started making a new one and proceed to take off my pants

i mean, why don't the car seats really fasten to the carts instead of just resting on top? i have a graco snugride, read, the most common manufacturer of these things, and even mine does not connect safely to the top of a cart. instead a top heavy baby seat rests tenuously atop a rickety cart. it is a recepie for disaster!

i googled this problem, and only came up with one relevant hit.

i wonder, is this a common occurence?

profound mommyblogging

2006-03-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

an awesome post by Blog antagonist

It's all right here in front of me right now. This is what its all about. These kids are happy. They will grow up knowing they are somebody's sun and moon. They will bloom because they had everything they needed to nourish them heart and soul. They will know, now and forever, that they can do anything...Self-confidence. Check. Autonomy. Check.

I have been given a very short time in which I get to play the female lead in the lives of my boys. One day very soon it will be that cute girl with the dimples who sits next to him in class. Then it will be the one that takes his virginity, the one that bears him a child, the one with whom he chooses to grow old. My time is almost up, and I intend to make every moment count...Serial Killer avoidance protocol. Check.

yo! baby cribs

2006-03-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

dressed in a black tee adorned with (silkscreened) gold chains little archer sage shows us his crib

First of all, dis my favorite place to chill....And lastly, the most important part of my crib would probably have to be MY CRIB.

you'll have to go to Girls gone child to read everything in between

and could somebody tell me where that tshirt came from?

more on mommyblogging

2006-03-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

some non-moms enjoy disuading themselves from having kids by reading mommy blogs

the B began making raspberries today with his lips. it warmed my heart to hear him acquire a sound that gave him so much delight.

cliche? yes says blogging baby's report on the dialoge from the most recent blogher conference. the value of a mommyblog is to not feel isolated by all the challenges pf parenthood. either that or to convince yourself that everone cares about the exact sleep patterns of their child over 24 months.

parenting behind bars

2006-03-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

a few states have alternative sentancing to keep mom and baby together.
details are here

making childbirth even more fun

2006-03-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

female inmates in most states are kept shackled during labor and delivery.

as if they've picked that time to escape, right?

and why is she not breastfeeding? how long does an inmate mother keep her infant for? deserves looking into

nyt via blogging baby

a few things about blogging baby

2006-03-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

blogging baby left a bad taste in my mouth yesterday from the comments i recieved from a comment i left.

it all began with a post from brian seriously acknowledging the plight of the GTWD: a sensitive involved father who wants to be equally involved yet also is responsible for bringing home the bacon.

I wish I could find words to tell you how incredible Miles is....if you knew these things, you'd know that it is not easy going to work every day, knowing that I might not see him, not even once, awake, smiling, pointing, walking like frankenstein.

basically, i listed a few of the things the manny personally misses out on by being a GTWD (go to work dad)
-baths
-car trips alone
-used a public changing table
-does not intuit the boys cries as well as me

ok, maybe some better examples would have been that he has never been there for any of his physicals (after his initial leave) never seen the sweetest boy get a shot. but the commenters basically ripped the manny a new one- saying he is not as involved as he could be.

it just is not possible. there are not enough hours in the day to be a full time employee and a full time dad. the manny's job is less demanding than most (he can only work 40hrs/wk) but still, he is gone for those forty hours that i am alone with boy. and i feel bad for him that he has not gotten to experience everything that i have. and i am jealous (sometimes) that he gets to get away.

[as a side not the commenting feature on blogging baby doesn't work very well. i commented four times and only had one attempt actually make it onto the page. do they choose which comments to post?]

speaking of boogers...

2006-02-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

thanks to sb reader nym: this is the manny picking his nose while holding the sweetest boy from feb 11.

new feature: parentblogging

2006-02-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

i have been kicking around the idea of turning this into a blog about blogging about parentblogging

very post-modern, i know, but 10,000 blogs about kids and parenting are estimated to be created every day.

besides, what do bloggers like better than to explore their purpose on this planet? other than mucophagy, of course

custom mommyblogging tshirt

2006-02-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

snapshirts scans your blog and makes a t-shirt out of it. a pretty sweet idea

(for those using blogger) it scans the bar at the top so words like "flag objectionable content" will be included until you take them out or replace them

The great (size three) diaper test!

2006-02-26T11:51:00.000-08:00

the sweetest boy is quickly becoming a giant and needs a new diaper. the best diaper he has been using when not in cloth is pampers swaddlers. they only go up to size two. gasp!

swaddlers appeal is all about the stretchy side tabs. they fit and grow with boy, hold everything in, and generally resemble a pair of human underpants.

we bought a brick of every type of diaper, eight in all. here are the results, as the sweetest boy tested them with various fluids and semisolids, ranking in order of worst to best:

only if it was the last diaper on earth, honey:
pampers baby dry-like trying to use a piece of loose leaf paper as a diaper. no stretchyness whatsoever. nowhere.your child will end up with plenty of damp, yellow-stained clothes. 25 cents per diaper.

cheap - and performs that way:
target brand- weird tissue paper tabs flap out to the side of each leg like strange wings. minor elastic along the back, zero on side tabs. scratchy and noisy. pity the poor baby's rump.however, price is appealing at 14 cents per diaper

albertsons brand- looks identical, feels identical, sucks just as much, and for identical reasons. 15 cents per diaper

known brand, pricey, and not that good:
huggies baby shaped fit- on sale (buy $99 get a $30 gift certificate) -has elastic band going all the way across to *trick* parents into thinking there is stretchyness. actually the elastic is quite brittle by the side tabs. 25 cents each

huggies supreme- on sale (buy $99 get a $30 gift certificate) short tabs with an underwhelming stretch factor. an excess of elastic by the leg, three leg gussets. they don't fit well. (after all that baby shaped fit marketing!) very thick. I get the impression that Huggies just doesn't get it. 27 cents each

two worth checking out:
pampers cruisers-the premium pampers line- very stretchy side tabs-quiet but not all that soft compared to swaddlers. 27 cents each

kirkland- stretchy in the back and side tabs. not as stretchy as swaddlers on side tabs but the back is extremely elastic. side tabs will tear if handled too roughly. feels thick. 16 cent/diaper

THE EXTENDED TEST:
boy wore pampers cruisers and kirkland.

the cruisers are all around good diaper, fit, comfort, blowout resistant. another benefit is that they are sold in any store in a range of sizes. the only negative is the high price at .27 each

kirklands are comparable in fit, comfort and resistance. they are only sold in a box of 182 and only at costco, which would be a negative if he was close to outgrowing the size. they get a bit hard once wet, and the fragrance seems to be industrial strength because it caused some diaper rash on the sweetest boy's bottom. the price is the lure of the kirklands at .16 each

the B was exhausted and a bit perplexed from so many successive diaper changes!

lactivism merchandise: it's nipple lickin' good

2006-02-23T20:16:00.000-08:00

clever, appealing, repulsive, in your face, lovable, all depending on your orientation: the lactivist offers bibs, tees and onesies with some interesting slogans. to name a few:

nip/suck
open mouth insert nipple
eat at moms
boob man
i'm no weaner

more on the SIDS thing

2006-02-23T20:09:00.000-08:00

sb reader mom101 steered me to an interesting new zealand study regarding conventional mattress offgassing and SIDS. [they call it crib death over there, g'day mate]

according to the study mattresses release toxic gas when a common fungus reacts with the chemicals inside a mattress.

These heavier-than-air gases are concentrated in a thin layer on the baby's mattress or are diffused away and dissipated into the surrounding atmosphere. If a baby breathes or absorbs a lethal dose of the gases, the central nervous system shuts down, stopping breathing and then heart function. These gases can fatally poison a baby, without waking the sleeping baby and without any struggle by the baby.

i find this theory believable b/c one of the first things i intuitively wanted for our own bed where the sweetest boy would sleep was a good mattress cover to protect him and the mattress from each other.

casting doubt on SIDS

2006-02-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

the manny says i should blog about this: neither of us believe in SIDS

SIDS is sudden infant death syndrome, all kids of definitions can be found out there

there are more than a few skeptics. says Dr. Mason:

Pediatricians may have been making a tragic mistake all these years. Waneta Hoyt was convicted of five counts of murder in 1995 for the deaths of her children. Dr. Jerold Lucey, editor of Pediatrics in 1972, now states, "We should never have published this article. . . . [S]ome physicians still believe SIDS runs in families. It doesn't—murder does." Some new studies estimate that 5-30% of SIDS cases are actually homicides. Because of the sporadic nature of SIDS, I doubt that anyone will ever know how many SIDS cases are actually more sinister.

But most skeptics like Roy Meadow link some cases of SIDS directly to murder. (it is too weird to get into here, but basically he said that parents would kill their babies for the attention and sympathy of the medical community aka MSbP)

The manny and i do not go that far, not even close. but as pretty dedicated attachment parents, we think that neglect, baby training and sheer ignorance is enough to kill a child.

example #1 (ignorance): the lactation consultant at my hospital says a number of new parents wonder why their newborns aren't gaining weight even though he/she has been taking three meals a day. newborns need 8-10 meals because their stomachs are so small. they will starve with so few meals.

example #2 (baby training) Ferberization, where a baby is left to "cry it out" is a widely applied parenting strategy, never mind that it has been recanted. it is also laregly misunderstood as an approach that advocates leaving the baby alone for longer and longer periods of time at night, regardless of their reaction, at any age. combine this with daytime parenting beliefs that holding a baby will somehow hurt or spoil it, and that doesn't leave any window for real human interaction between parent and child. i think that if my early days were this way, i would choose to die. doctors show that something changes in the brain of a SIDS victim that is visible by autopsy. maybe they have willed their own death because their lives are so miserably alone.

example #3(neglect) SIDS has been cut by 50% by having babies sleep on their back, so obviously suffocation has been a factor. next to go: those big padded crib bumpers...

i hope i get some comments on this

(close to) senior citizen is new mom

2006-02-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

aieeeee
a 62 year old mom gave birth to a healthy baby this week

technical difficulties

2006-02-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

the cat destroyed my blogging ability by knocking the computer off the table. no more posts until this here power adapterarrives

asking the experts

2006-02-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

mommymatic had an interesting post on asking the sleep experts the real questions- not the dubya-style republicans only in the town hall meeting- style ones presented in the books.

the best: Dear Dr. Sears: During the time you were raising your 8 children, when, exactly, did you get to have sex?

or mine: dear dr sears-do you offer anything to physically remove my lactating breast to give to the manny after he has woken up the sweetest boy in the middle of the night? that way he can stay up all night feeding him instead of me.

what is a bugaboo??

2006-02-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

sb reader mona asked, what exactly is a bugaboo.

the google definition is interesting, but not it.

a bugaboo is a wonderful, versatile, and expensive stroller favored by the bourgeios and celebrity moms. it is also favored by dads who prefer not to be seen surrounded by light green and plaid baby accessories.

a cheaper knockoff (for those that think $1000 is expensive for a stroller, so basically everyone) is available at target

mommy and me

2006-02-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

yes, i go to mommy and me class, thank what you will

target and toddlers

2006-02-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Gather up your purse, be sure to add a sippy cup, snacks, toys, blankey,binkie and the "Floppy" for when your kid will never agree to sit in the seat. Fight your child again as he's taken off all of his clothes this time. Go out to the car, try to push his rigid body down into the carseat

so goes a segment from target and toddlers: a primer

i think it is amazing that a sling has made all my shopping experiences pleasant ones (so far). just today, the sweetest boy's parents took him shopping all day and it was easy.

how bourgeois via blogging baby

"a brighter future"

2006-02-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

why is it that we find sick humor in stuff like this?

mommy knows worst started it with all the absurd ways people cared for their children in the last century

these bad idea toys take it to a whole new level

via daddytypes

digital electronics for kids

2006-02-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

"some assemply required" is about to get a lot more interesting

according to thenyt in the future, kids toys will resemble complex electronics for the parents -er, their children to play with.

and it won't be just batteies you need to put in, now your kids will need an entire music library installed in the toy they will either break or only use once

like a baby einstein rocking chair and mp3 player combined

via pasta and vinegar, and nyt

the smart way to do it

2006-02-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

from sb reader nym:
the folks at vicks are selling an oral thermometer/pacifier

i haven't tried it, but i have taken the sweetest boy's temp under his little arm, and i would never do it rectally. so it seems like a pretty good idea

milk banks/ feeding preemies

2006-02-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

on a completely less disgusting and more altruistic note, ive been thinking of donating to a milk bank

milk is made on a demand basis, so the sweetest boy would still get plenty, and i already have a freezer full of "backup" for when i go on assignment.

most importantly, even a few ounces can feed a little premature newborn, if his or mother can't for some reason. i guess human milk can really make a difference in those first few critical days.

the bank i am going to doesn't do this, but human milk also helps people with cancer taking chemo and people with organ transplants b/c it is the most gentle food.

has anyone ever done this? what was your experience with a milk bank?

diaper fetish

2006-02-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

sb reader kristal "blue persuasion" points out that some people actually enjoy running around in diapers, well into adulthood

caution: you might not want to open this up at work

you can however purchase a matching footed sleeper for yourself to match your baby's

my most recent photo gig

2006-02-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

you'll have to read the story to find out why these happy newlyweds are posing by a giant chicken

adult breastfeeding

2006-02-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

turns out, this is a thing people do for fun

or as daddytypes pointed out today, for laughs

EC or early potty training

2006-02-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

There are times when i have considered putting the kid over the toilet for a number of reasons: cost, environment, a closer communication with the sweetest boy. even though i imagine it would be difficult, some authors swear by it

but i am happy to hear some pediatrician be skeptical of the practice, saying that the same thing can be accomplished by letting the kid run bare-assed in the yard. basically, that nobody loses the desire over time to exist in wet and smelly pants.

who knows? i may still try to catch a poo while the sweetest boy is at the optimum age.

yes, i sling my child.

2006-02-09T04:43:00.000-08:00

Today at mommy and me we had the founder of the company which makes this awesome sling come in and give us a demonstration. She took babies from 19 days to 12 months and slung them, and they were as happy as can be! I am so greatful to see her demonstration b/c i sling the boy every day, and now i know how to do it without ruining my back, breastfeed on both sides hands free, etc....

The best thing susan urban said was that her and her old neighbors's (william and martha sears!) practiced attachment parenting, and it was nice, but there was no way to know how succesful it would be back then. Now that their kids have grown up, she has seen attachment parenting produce really special and wonderful people, all the way into adulthood.

The britney debachle

2006-02-09T04:20:00.000-08:00

I never saw myself coming to Britney Spears's defense, but i think everyone has considered avoiding a carseat and just holding their kid, albeit maybe not behind the wheel. The thought has crossed my mind to keep the kid with me, and even to nurse, to get out of a place i didn't want to get stuck. only in my case it was a shitty part of L.A. as it was getting dark. Via the BBC

get your kids all germy

2006-02-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

GIANTmicrobes are thhe greatest stuffed animals i have ever seen! via Daddytypes

fake domestic dispute

2006-02-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

my case for the validity of my blog today went something like this:

sweetest mom:(wiping boy's ass, while being accused of doing nothing) hey its not like im blogging right now!

the manny:but you will be

sweetest mom:yeah, blogging about this. why don't we just talk shit to each other in the comments section of my blog?

the manny:i'll ask you why you didn't put away the laundry today

sweetest mom:and i'll say i folded it, even though you can't tell (gestures to a crib full of blankets and laundry)

i am awaiting the manny's witty rhetort. he is a writer professionally, so i am in all kinds of trouble now

baby swim training.

2006-02-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

AP's most emailed photo of the day is this crazy thing of baby swim training in China. Not that baby swim training is crazy, we dunked the sweetest boy in a lukewarm hottub at 7 weeks. And when i say dunked, i mean fully submurged and passed between parents, multiple times. the boy actually did quite well with it.

betty friedan, 85

2006-02-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

"For a great many women, choosing motherhood makes motherhood itself a liberating choice" says betty friedan, feminist author of the book feminine mystiqueand key figure in the 60's and 70's. She died saturday.

another good nyc blogger

2006-02-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Metrodad is one crazy dude, and a hell of an amusing read.
via the New York Times

why this blog began

2006-02-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

Adventuredad puts it best:"What we all have in common is of course that we are fathers of very young children. And we all want to be cool fathers. Cool fathers is perhaps the wrong word. We want to be great fathers but at the same time enjoy life and have something meaningful to do. That may sound easy but I don’t think it is."

I think in order to be a "cool parent" you have to be able to have independent interests, be creative, to love and nurture your family while also being able to find time for meaning outside the family structure.

or greg allen from daddytypes, way back when he started it, saying, "The other day on the radio, a retired general was talking about her early days in the army. Women couldn't wear the then-standard boots, she recalled, and so the army had to redesign them. Suddenly, the male soldiers were reporting far fewer foot problems; women were the catalyst for improving all the soldiers' experience."

I think that the male involvement in parenting has transformed my (and all non-single moms') experience for the better. thanks dads!

it scares the crap out of me to think of what moms forty years ago were expected to do. they were responsible for all the childcare, meals, be well groomed, and expected to make it all seem effortless. yipes! the new dads' interest in parenting allows for both parents to be "cool parents" b/c the joint division of labor equals a joint division of free time. although i hope the blogoshere can come up with a better word for it than "cool parenting"

super

2006-02-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

the boy completely melted down in the middle of the third quarter. the endless roar of the crowd on full volume and on hdtv was too much for him. now i have one more excuse not to watch the game

a rocker that rocks

2006-02-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

eq3 has a really decent rocker and glider

attachment parenting

2006-02-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

yes, i practice attachment parenting, co-sleeping, babywearing, etc. think what you will.

can't wait for boy to sit on these

2006-02-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

i am looking forward to the day when one of these, or these, or these will be graced by my sweet boy's bottom.