Monthly Archives: September 2008

Forgive Me Blog For I Have Sinned

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Dear Blog,

Please forgive me my sins. I have not blogged in eight days…
I have doubted my writing ability and the quality of my posts that I thought I might write about.
I have doubted that anyone cares or even reads this blog.
I have not reached out to the blogging community to foster dialogue and to see what else is going on out there.
I have held my baby or rested with my baby for far more than I used to.

Wait, that last one sounds like a good one.
I read that the more skin on skin contact you have with your baby the better weight gain they have and the more milk production you have. There are other benefits as well but they escape me at the moment. You can find out more at sites like Dr Sears I think it is a wonderful reason to spend more time with baby and to feel good about it. I have felt like I need to get things done when baby is sleeping but now I have upped the amount of time I hold my sleeping baby in my arms. It feels great.

When I hold baby I can do “one handed typing” but it is slow and frustrating. When I put baby down I tend to do things like make something to eat or laundry. Priorities.

Anyway, a lot has gone on since I last wrote. I foresee some of those topic as being my upcoming blog posts.

As for now, baby is stirring like he means to wake up. I hope you will forgive me as I take my leave.

9 Weeks

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Will is 9 weeks old today. He is getting big and chubby – hooray!

He began smiling last Friday but has since not done it as much as that first time. We do catch a little smile from time to time though.

Today I called my mom when Will had a cooing session while chilling out on our bed. I just chatted lightly with her while Will talked in his own little language on and off. So sweet. She misses him dearly (as does his other grandma). This weekend my family will reunite in South Dakota for my oldest brother’s wedding. This will be our first travel with Will and on a fairly long 2 flight plane ride. Oh my. He will be just shy of 10 weeks when we leave. (I just had to help myself to a deep breath.) This will be a very short trip. I don’t really feel up to traveling just yet but it is my brother’s wedding so I can’t miss it. It will be nice to see everyone and to have them meet the newest addition to the family.

Will’s First Smile!

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For a few days now Will has been almost smiling. People told me that I will “know” when it is a full on smile and not just about gas.

Well, today he smiled for sure! Such a big grin and so much like his daddy! :D

I was giddy, so happy to be there with him, watching him in his delight.

We were at my OB/GYN for my “2 month visit” when it happened. He was so alert and was checking out all the things on the walls, all of the shadows and lights. So much stimulus. We were at the doctor’s office for about three hours. First there was the wait, then I talked with my doctor, then she sent in a case worker to help me work through some of the things I am going through, then the doctor came back to examine me. When the doctor stepped out to let me don my paper examination skirt I had to put will in the stroller. (I had been holding him the entire visit and nursing him up until that point.) So there we were looking at each other (well mostly I watched him look around at stuff) when all of the sudden BOOM! Will is a smiling little boy cooing away. I scrambled for the camera and fired of shots of my cute little boy with his wide toothless grin.

He had such a good day! And so did I. We both felt very loved and supported.

Raising Dough for Obama

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Last night Billy told me that he wanted to donate money to the Obama campaign but he also realized that we need that money too what with the baby and me not working. He was very concerned. So my brain went to storming and I presented him with the aftermath:

Ideas to help fund change via Obama:

* have a fundraiser
* invest in Obama even though we can’t afford it because that is an investment in our future.
* (oops, I forgot the third idea I had. It was late and I am sleep deprived… do you, dear reader, have an idea to insert here?)

Then I had another thought. Hmm… what if we took the money from the bike rack we are trying to sell and donate it to Obama’s campaign? Yes! He liked that idea. Wonderful! So, today I re-posted our bike rack to craigslist with the headline: “Bike Rack for Obama”.

Take a look at the posting.

What things do you have that you aren’t using anymore, you know, those things that are taking up valuable space, that you could sell to fund Obama? Join us in aiding and abetting change.

Side note: space clearing is powerful stuff. Try it and watch it change your life for the better.

love,
~Christine

The Wee One

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When Will and I are out and about in the world we often get the question that starts with “aww”, then follows with “how old is he?” Today he is just over 8 weeks old. When I told that to the lady in line at Whole Foods she replied “you don’t see ones that young out much”. I have gotten comments similar to this now and then. When Will was about 6 weeks old one sagely woman at the Berkeley Cafe Gratitude told me that I should be with Will in the sanctuary of my home. I said back something like “really?” even though I agreed with her. I felt like I just wanted to be home and resting and recuperating and nurturing Will. Ideally I would have liked to have been nurtured too by my family and friends and she said as much. She said that traditionally women did not leave the home for 40 days after delivery. When I asked how these women did not get “cabin fever” she told me that the mother and babe were cared for by the family and that they were with her which allowed her not to feel the strain of being isolated.

Oh my. I loved what she said. I realized that my longing for a tribe (community) to be with me and love and care for me was not unfounded. Yes, I am a modern woman but I am also a human and I believe that humans have a natural instinct to live as this woman suggested caring for each other, protecting and celebrating their young, and each other.

I feel sad and like I am missing something by not having this rich tribe. My family and friends are scattered about the globe (mostly located in Portland). Also, it seems that in these modern times or, at least in this first world country that our ties with our family are not as strong as they would have been at a time in the past or in another culture.

I am thankful that my mom did come and stay for a week to be there for us. I am also thankful that Billy’s mom came to help and be with us too. Then, about a week and a half ago, my friend Rebecca called me up and asked if she could come by with some homemade soup! Of course! She and her boyfriend came by with not only soup but groceries from Whole Foods! Lots of organic, fresh goodies. She had been traveling to places such a Egypt so was unable to come sooner.

I want to reclaim some of those seemly less and less common values. Friends and family are a treasure to be tended to and like a garden, grow.

I love you my dear family and friends.

Happy 2 Month Birthday, Will!

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Today Will is 2 months old (8 weeks). He is getting heavy! Last time I weighed him (last Friday) he was about 10 lbs. He has gained 2 lbs since his August 15th Pediatrician visit. I am told that is excellent weight gain. I have had to alter the way I pick him up and how I hold him because my right wrist and hand have burned out. I was instructed by a cranio-sacral therapist to lift his head with my right hand then slide my left forearm under his neck. To support his lower half I slide my right forearm under his bum then lift with both arms. This helps me be ergonmic about it all and is supposedly supposed to be nice for his spine. If it is in need of a “release” it would do so when I pick him up like that. This method has been helping me. I started up with the yoga again to help matters. I haven’t been active enough so my body is suffering in more ways then one.

I thought I saw Will smile the other day but I wasn’t absolutely sure and, they say, “you will know”. Hmm. I don’t know. He is due to begin smiling any day now. But because he was born a bit on the early side he could be a bit “behind” on hitting milestones.

I felt a few weeks ago that the bonding between me and Will was really solidifying but now I feel it on another level. It is hard to explain and really cool. I feel as if we are dancing together and figuring out each other’s rhythm.

His head is getting so big. His neck muscles are developing and he his bobbing his head around quite a lot these days. But he still needs to develop the fine tuned control of his head so Billy and I have to watch out not to get headbutted by the little guy as well as ensuring his cranial safety.

His coos are adorable. I LOVE the cooing. I mimic him because 1) I think it is sweet and fun and 2) I read that this amuses them and that they like hearing it and it will encourage them to do it even more.

Our little son is adorable and we are totally in love with him. 2 months, wow.

2 months of so little sleep. 2 months of so much joy. I tell him often that he is splendid, fabulous, wonderful, and adorable.

Happy 2 months, Will. I love you.

Baby Sling

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I started wearing Will in a baby sling today. I had actually tried it before with little success and confidence but since I have started reading up on the benefits of it I decided to give it another try.

The sling we are using is the HotSling. My boss’ wife handed it down to us. It is reversible. Billy uses the all black side, I use the floral side. There are several ways you can “hold” your baby in the sling. But newborns have limited options. Once Will can hold up his own head (more than now and then) we can take advantage of the other options. This sling seems to barely fit Will, I can’t image holding a toddler in there (which you are supposed to be able to do). Wow.

Will liked the sling once I got more comfortable with it. We even nursed in it. That didn’t go so well. He is too squished up to be able to get good swallows and breathing in… at least that is my take.

I have more to learn about “babywearing” as it is called. I will keep you posed.

Daddy Baby Bath time

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My friend Dulcinea sent me an article that shows that babies who have bath time with daddy are more socially confident. Findings are based on a 14 year study.

Billy started taking over bath time after we read this article. They seems to have gotten into a nice groove now that they have done this about 3-4 times. Billy has got baby floating (with head supported by dad) in the water after watching a video about babies learning to tread water and/or swim. Now, now, don’t worry, we are not teaching will to tread water or to swim. He is simply floating with head supported.

After the exciting time baby has with dad in the bath & shower he is wide-eyed and takes in the world at full speed. Daddy-baby bath time seems to super stimulate his brain.