October 30th, 2010

Mom Stuff:
Well, I'm still working on the work-life balance thing, but I improved a little bit this week by taking my first sick day ever. Don't get me wrong - I have been out of school before, but always in a planned and prepared way, and usually as part of a trip, professional development event, etc. This week I was sick over the weekend, not fully recovered on Monday, so I called in sick on Tuesday. I have to say, it was much easier to justify when it wasn't just about me - I needed to be able to help with baby care, and I couldn't do that if I had a lingering cold for two weeks (which is usually what happens to me when I get sick). So, I stayed home, I rested, and, lo and behold, I felt better. In fact, I am pretty much cold free. The G-man, who has been trying to get me to take an actual sick day for years, has thoroughly enjoyed saying "I told you so."

The G-man is continuing to cook delightful vegan fare, and this week he made some amazing falafel. He used the recipe from The Vegan Table, but he used the food processor to really mash up all of the ingredients, which resulted in falafel that held together much better. Paired with the cucumber/dill yogurt sauce, it was delish!

LP's Stuff:
Our little man is doing very well and still crawling like a maniac. He seems to be way more into talking in the past couple weeks, although his goos and cries sound a bit like he is imitating the cat when she is mewing for her dinner. He can now stand on his own for about 10 seconds, and seems to enjoy pulling himself up on anything he can get a handle on. He also has developed a love of baths. He could play in the water with all of his toys all night, and he is especially cute while he is doing this!! LP continues to sleep well at night, and he still loves his food - especially cheerios (well, Trader Joe's brand) and vanilla soy yogurt. This morning he shared a blueberry muffin with mom, much to his delight.

Pictures:

October 16th, 2010

Mom's Stuff:
Fall is easily my favorite time of year, and I have always loved going for walks on fall afternoons. Now I've decided that fall walks with a baby are even better! It is nice to take LP out on a brisk day in the Ergo carrier since he and I can snuggle on the way to wherever we are going. While the baby carriers made me (and baby) hot and sticky in the summer, they just add to the snuggly nature of fall. To top it off LP has an adorable red and grey hat I made him before he was born (and finished after he was due!) and he is super cute when wearing it. When we were at the store today several people said "that hat is so cute!" and one woman came up and asked me where I got it since she was looking for one just like it. I got a little kick out of saying "I made it." I just hope to get a few more beautiful and rain-free weekends like this before winter sets in.

LP's Stuff:
Food is a huge part of LP's day (and therefore Dad's day). I personally think he is also enjoying the contrast between the way mom handles food and the way dad handles food. Let me give some examples.

How to prepare the baby for feeding:
Dad: make sure the food is all prepared and ready to go, and the baby has his bib on.
Mom: (half-way through) "Oh shit! I forgot the bib! Guess this outfit is done for the day."

How to serve the baby tofu:
Dad: gives him one piece at a time and try and get him to pick it up using the pincher grasp.
Mom: throws 3-5 chunks of tofu on the tray and then eats her own food while she watches LP go at it. If you want I want to know how much he ate, I start with the number of cubes I gave him and subtract the number that ended up on the floor.

How to decide which new foods to introduce:
Dad: "Let's look at the list of what he has eaten. Now, lets consider the nutritional value of the foods we want him to eat and gradually introduce him."
Mom: "Hey, I'm eating something. It doesn't have nuts in it. Let's try mushing it up and giving it to the baby."

How to feed mush (of various sorts) to the baby. Dad: Spoon the food in the baby's mouth. Inevitably some of it will get on his face. When you remove the spoon use it to scrape off this excess food and feed it to the baby. This prevents food build-up on the face.
Mom: "Ha ha!! He got green goop up his nose!"

Its good for a baby to have variety in life, right?

Food and Fitness:
I'm not going to talk about fitness right now, because the lack of it in my life depresses me. However, I have been eating very well thanks to my awesome hubby (the aforementioned "dad"). He is quite the cooking machine, and we have been having some wonderful bean dishes (like Snow Chili and Leek and White Bean Cassoulet) as well as lentils (Red Lentil Artichoke Stew - yum!). And since LP has just started to try and stand on his own I think he is thriving on our vegan diet!

Pictures:

October 11th, 2010

Mom's Stuff:
First off, my sincerest apologies for taking over a month to post. September was a whirlwind of getting back to work while the G-man and LP settled into a routine. This weekend we had grandparents and LP's aunt here to help us, so the G-man and I have gotten a chance to breathe (and sleep!!) This is also the first weekend where I haven't brought oodles of work home, and it is nice to have a chance to just focus on baby and family for a few days. The shift from stay-at-home mom to "working" mom has been easier than I might have thought, mostly thanks to the G-man for taking over the home duties. Dinner's get cooked, baby is taken care of and laundry gets done, all of which throughly impresses me. However, there have been several adjustments I have had to make both to adjust to my mom-away-from-baby role and in the teacher-with-a-child-role. One of the biggest adjustments has been the fact that the school year started the same way it always has - things are crazy, busy and I spend a lot of time at (and on) work. None of this is a total shock, but what is bizzare to me is the fact that school proceeds as normal while my life is completely different than it was just a year ago. Don't get me wrong; every co-worker, student and parent is supportive of the fact that I am a new parent. But it is strange to be in the same enviroment I have always been in as a teacher, but to have totally different home responsiblities. My sense of what it means to be a good teacher has always included building in time for reflection, staying late at work both to help students and to avoid bringing my work home during the week and taking time to talk to and collaborate with collegues, as well as to complete all the other day-to-day responsiblities of a teacher such as lesson planning, grading, calling families, etc. My home life and relationships with my spouse and family has always been important to me, but I am now realizing that I also was able to put those responsibilities in the backseat for the first part of the school year. Well, no longer. LP can't go in the backseat, nor do I want him there. He is growing up too fast for me to miss out on a week with him because I stay at work late. Even if I wanted to stay later, I couldn't because I am still trying to nurse him whenever possible, and that means I have to be home by 5:30 at the absolute latest. Between that and the fact that I have to pump whenever I have spare time and space, I have barely seen some of my closest work friends this year and I certainly haven't had the ability to collaborate with them. I spend at least fifteen minutes a day trying to figure out which work to take home (since I don't want to have to carry too much on my bike) and I save up all my grading for the weekend. Added into this is the fact that, in the back of my mind, I know that I am now providing the sole income for my family. I'm not really worried about it, but it does change my perspective on my job, and it is a bit of an added weight on my shoulders. All of this is not said to complain, but instead to attempt to articulate the sort of bizzare world I find myself in at work, where everyone and everything is just the same as I when I left - it's me who has changed so dramatically.

LP's Stuff:
LP has been doing all kinds of crazy stuff since my last post, and I'm determined to start posting again every week because that is the ONLY way I can keep up with him! He is both crawling and pulling himself up to standing whenever he gets a chance. We recently opened up his "area" and now our living room has been converted to the baby room. He has toys, puzzles and books to play with and he will entertain himself for quite a while on his own, and even longer when he has an auidence in the room. This has really helped the G-man since he is no longer stuck in baby-jail all day! LP is still doing well with naps, all though he has been out of sorts a bit this weekend. But, we think this might because of an exciting new development - LP's first baby tooth! He is a sharp little tooth coming in on the front of his bottom gums, and he is using it to chew on all things, including mom and dad. He still enjoys chewing our apple cores, but now he is able to scrape off some yummy fruit! LP has also expanded his dining repetroie quite a bit. He is enjoying new textures, especially when we put crumbled tofu in with his baby mush. He sometimes gets to eat what mom and dad eat when it can be mushed, like sweet potatoe fries, tofu scramble (his personal favorite) and quinoa. He definitely likes added spices to things, like tofu scramble with cumin and allspice in his sweet potatoes. He also drinks water from a cup and he lets you know when he is done by blowing bubbles. We are all enjoying him developing his palate, and we are really looking forward to the day when most of the tofu we put on his plate ends up in his mouth instead in his hair.

Pictures:
LP and his cousin
It doesn't get cuter than a baby in a hat and pants!
Giddy-up!
Baby Paparazzi
Yummy apple!

August 29th, 2010

Mom's Stuff:
Well, tomorrow I'm officially back to work. I'm incredibly lucky to be leaving L-P with the best daycare imaginable - his Dad-extraordinaire! I think my two dudes are going to have a great time together, and I already am looking forward to getting home to them every day. While I am totally going to miss my little guy during the day, I am also looking forward to going back to work. Since I started working a bit last week I have realized how much I really, truly missed the intellectual rigor of my job as a teacher. I loved the time I got to sit around and lesson plan last week, and I had a couple meetings with colleagues that were both enjoyable and useful. I keep saying that I have missed grown-ups while staying home with LP, but really that's not the whole story. I got to see a lot of friends (and even made some new ones) when I was a full-time mom but I'm realizing I need a bit more than that. My job as a teacher gives me lots of problems to solve, time to play with language and some purpose to life that I really value. Its not a comparison with the purpose my son gives to my life - the two are so different that you really can't compare or rate them. But my work is part of my life, just as my son is, and, though society might sometimes expect otherwise, I'm O.K. with that.

LP's Stuff:
This baby can really haul! LP is a crawling, standing, jail-breaking, sweet-potato eating machine!! He continues to enjoy pulling himself up to standing, as well as playing with his myriad of toys in his baby pen. Lately he has been pulling himself up in his crib, so when we go in there after naps or in the morning, he is standing up with his arms over the sides, looking expectantly at the door. Time for dad to lower the crib mattress as low as it can go!! LP has also now fully mastered the sippy-cup, which is a good thing because it is how he is going to get his mom milk three times a day now!! He is also fully into his solid food - so much so that he actually keeps his hands down and lets us feed him without getting in the way too much. He still ends up messy (and so do we sometimes) but at least its not a battle!

Food and Fitness:
We are all eating healthier now that dad is in charge. The G-man is an amazing cook - much better than me and also more detail-oriented. Last night he made a wonderful dinner of jerk-spiced portabello mushrooms and sauteed spinach and tomatoes. We have also been making homemade food for LP. By far his favorite is sweet potatoes, but he also likes apples and pears. About a year ago the G-man decided it was worth it for us to get a Vita-mix - the same kind of blender that they have in smoothie places. It was ridiculously expensive for a blender, but we use it everyday for smoothies, and we use it to make our own hummus, soups, and now baby food!! Two sweet potatoes costs $1.40, and we can very easily get the equivalent of 14 baby food jars (at 60 cents a piece) using our Vita-mix to puree it. So, LP will continue to get homemade organic baby food, often from the farmer's market, which should make him quite a happy vegan baby!

Pictures:
LP and mom at Wright's Pond after a little swim
LP - playing with is toys
I can feed myself (the Levey side rears its ugly head!)

August 20th 2010

Mom's Stuff:
I'll be the first to admit it - I'm a control freak. Most of the challenges in my life stem from my "need" to have control over things I have no actual command over. In high school I had a complete meltdown when I broke my hand and couldn't play basketball, although I had been able to fight through the pain of the broken hand just fine before I knew the full extent of my injury. At work I have broken up fights between teenage boys, (or worse, teenage girls), been cussed out and yelled at by co-workers, all of which I have dealt with rather well. But if my free-period gets taken away by a last-minute subbing emergency? Chaos!! Crisis!!! Needless to say, having a baby has been a lesson in how to chill out. LP doesn't really care what my plans were - if he needs something he needs it now. While we have a schedule that he generally follows (he is really a very awesome baby) I am often reminded that I'm not actually the one in charge. And now, just when I was getting used to the idea that this little, cute, innocent being was actually the person who decides when I wake up, when I sit and feed him, when I leave the house, I have to get used to the fact that I will no longer be in charge of the house the way I have been for the last six months. My husband (already the best dad ever!) is taking over baby duty starting next week, and he is going be LP's primary caregiver. He is so much more relaxed and logical about dealing with baby stuff, and he will also have our house, if not spotless, at least well-organized. We have also tried to divvy up housework in a way that makes sense, which means he will continue to be in charge of laundry (because I usually forget to check pockets) and will start to be in charge of dinners (which has usually been my job). We are incredibly happy to have the financial ability to be in this situation, but it is going to be a big adjustment for both of us. I'm lucky to now have two guys in my life that keep me sane and remind me that the curve-balls that disrupt my sense of order not only can be dealt with but can also be the best moments in life.

LP's Stuff:
In the almost four weeks since I last blogged (yikes!) LP has advanced leaps and bounds. During our west coast tour he quickly moved from scooting to crawling, to be followed by sitting up. Now, when you put something he wants away from him, he goes right for it, quick as lightning. At one friend's house we used a yoga mat as a baby treadmill and just lifted him and brought him back to the beginning when he reached the end of the mat. He just got faster and faster every time. Now, at home, we have set up a baby play area that is penned in. LP can just sit and entertain himself for quite a while with all his new toys (most of which were obtained from his Nana and Papa on the aforementioned trip). But then, every once in a while he realizes he is in a pen, and goes to the gate and pulls himself up to standing. He doesn't have the strength to knock down the gate . . . yet. After a week at home he got back to his usual schedule of napping 2-3 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon and he is finally back to sleeping through the night (from 7:30 - 5:30 - other parent friends, don't hate us!) He still loves being around people and he really enjoyed a trip to a local pond today where he got a chance to "swim" (i.e. float with mom!) Our other big accomplishment this week is getting LP to use a sippy cup since he just would not deal with a bottle. We figure that we now, at least, have a way for dad to feed him when I head back to work next week.

Food and Fitness:
Well, I've been somewhat lax about working out, even though I have no excuse with the G-man being home. I'm going to try and get more into next week now that LP is back to a more normal eating schedule. We have been pretty good about cooking, especially with our farmer's market fare. The G-man made some amazing pesto from our basil garden, and I tried a really yummy recipe for spicy italian tempeh and broccoli from Veganomicon. On the menu tonight is tempeh BLT's and salad for mom and dad and "homemade" (i.e. home-blended) sweet potatoes for LP.

Pictures:
Four generations! LP says "Mi italiano!"
LP and his Uncle
Picnic in the park
Baby playpen or baby jail?

July 29th, 2010

Mom Stuff:
It has now been two weeks since the G-man has been home with me and LP and we are loving it. It is so much easier having two people around. I don't have to take the baby with me everywhere I go, when we go grocery shopping, or out to lunch, or really anywhere its not a complicated safari - its just going out. It is also nice to be able to get things done during the day and not be completely at the mercy of LP's moods because someone else is always there to help! I'm starting to be a little sad about leaving both my guys during the day when I go back to work, but we are incredibly lucky to have our time as a family this summer and I am determined to make the most of it, even if it just means chilling out around the house and helping LP with his crawling!

LP's Stuff:
LP has been a really busy guy, and he has become quite the traveling baby. He has already flown more in his first five months than I did in my first five years, and he has become quite adept at getting used to new places. I love that he is still really friendly with people, and loves to be around them. Taking him on the bus, or into the airport, is really funny because he just stares at people. People usually stare back and start talking to him (which of course makes him smile) even though they only rarely talk to me. LP is pretty much on a solid schedule now, with some variation. He goes to bed between 7-8 and gets up between 5-6 (sometimes between 6-7, which is AWESOME!) He is naps for about 2-3 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon, and still eats at standard three hour intervals during the day. He also has been having solid food at dinner time with us. He recently graduated to real food (not just rice cereal). I'm proud to say that his first non-rice cereal food was pureed organic carrots from the farmer's market. All this food will be even more necessary soon since LP is totally on the brink of crawling. While he still can't really sit up on his own he now routinely pulls himself up on his hands and knees and moves/flops himself forward. If we put something that he wants out of his reach, he can go get it, albeit slowly (which is helpful!) I figure he will be pretty fast and mobile just about the time I go back to work (ha ha Dad - your turn!)

Pictures:
LP at the beach!

Yummy yummy food

LP and his Auntie Alicia!

Look at me Mom!

July 15th, 2010

Mom's Stuff:
No excuses - I've been slacking on the blog writing. I'd love to give some great reasons - like I have been working hard on school stuff, or writing articles or working out so much. But the reality is that the thought of engaging my brain sometimes just feels too hard. I think part of it is that summer is really in full swing. Many of my friends are teachers and that means two things - they are also in relaxation mode and have had more time to hang out. To be fair I also did spend five days (spread out over two weeks) with two other teachers on planning a writing class for next school year. However, after that I settled down to days spent reading, relaxing and planning and cooking meals (more about that in the food and fitness section below). What I have really enjoyed doing more of in the past week is hanging out with friends. I have a few mom friends with baby's about the same age as LP, so it has been nice to go on walks or just chill out with them. I really can't state clearly enough how having fellow parents to talk to makes a difference. I'm very lucky to have as many friends as I do, and they have all been so wonderful and supportive over the last year from the moment I told them I was pregnant. The support I have had from these amazing people (mostly moms) has ranged from suggestions about cloth diapering (borax seems to work better than baking soda) to showing up to "keep us company" at the hospital and then having to call the midwife when I swore I was ready to push (thanks Mandy!!). Just today I asked another friend for breastfeeding advice and I hope to get a few of these amazing mom's together next week when we can all go for a walk - the one activity that seems to keep all the kids chill :) And its not just my fellow moms (and dads) that have been there for me. We have had countless offers for help and babysitting support from other friends and neighbors, and my non-parent friends have been willing to accommodate my need (or rather LP's need) for flexibility. One of my best friends and I have had dinner dates once a week that we plan around LP's bedtime, and yesterday I thoroughly enjoyed meeting a work friend for a much needed beer where she was able to go with the flow according to baby's needs. Not to mention another work friend who came and entertained LP while I had to work a few weeks ago!! Truthfully we surrounded by amazing people in this home we have made for ourselves. Now that we have a child I find myself occasionally questioning our decision to settle so far from family. There are professional and economic reasons that make our decision sensible, and Skype helps a lot, but I still have many moments when I wonder if we did the right thing. I worry a lot about my son knowing his grandparents, great-grandparents, great-aunt and uncle and cousins and I know the concerns flow the other way too. But then I look at the life we have - we have a wonderful home, I have a job I love and we are able to be a one-income household. And, most importantly, we have family out here. True, its not our literal family, and nothing really can measure up to that. But we have family all the same. We have people who truly love us and our son. If I need help I have at least a dozen people I can call who will be here at the drop of a hat. We have people to laugh with, cry with and have fun with. These are people who we love unconditionally, and the feeling is mutual. So, while we will always, always, miss our families, and will visit as often as we possibly can, we are happy in the home we have created here, and, most importantly, we think our son will be too.

LP's Stuff:
Its been quite a while since I last posted, and LP has been up to a lot!! Like me he has been a social guy. He had two play dates recently, both with older ladies. I have to say the other babies seemed a bit more interested in him, especially the 7 month old who had fun playing with LP's feet. LP is still rolling over like a maniac, but he wants to crawl really, really bad. When he is on his stomach he kicks his legs like a frog and loves it if you put a toy in front of him that he can play with. He also is really into his books. Our nighttime routine includes reading "Goodnight Moon" and he likes to turn the pages, occasionally putting them in his mouth. He also really loves "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" - the kid has good taste. LP has also been sleeping well (this morning being a bit of an exception). He goes to be by 8pm and usually can sleep until 5:30. We are trying to stretch that to 6 am, but its not really a big deal at this point as long as we grownups get to bed early enough. The other big accomplishment is his eating habits - LP has started on solid food! Right now that just means a little bit of rice cereal when we sit down for our family dinner, but it is pretty exciting. He loves to play with the spoon itself, which can be hard when we are trying to feed him. When we first gave him food he got a confused look on his face, but he is learning to swallow. That actually seems to be the main use of the rice cereal since it has so little nutritional value - its really just a good "practice" food. So, solid food certainly isn't his main sustenance, but it is fun entertainment at dinner time!

Food and Fitness:
As mentioned earlier, I've been pretty lazy in the last few weeks, but I have manged to keep up my weight routine. I haven't been running as much as I would like since it has been really hot and humid here and I don't really want to bring LP out in that, even in the jogging stroller. I have been eating healthier. We have had more salads with dinner and I've been snacking on the delicious blueberries and raspberries that are in season. The last few weeks I have also done 90% of our produce shopping at the farmer's market which is really fun! Our recent dinners have included Caramelized Onion and Swiss Chard Pizza with Heirloom Tomatoes, Yellow lentil dal with Kale and a really good meal last night: Grilled Basil Polenta with Roasted Fennel and Beets. If I have time tonight I will be making sushi and hopefully will get to make a corn and black bean salad to have for late dinner tomorrow night.

Pictures and Video:
Our little literary guy!

"play" date




LP's new favorite play-time activity - we put it in the kitchen so that Mom can make dinner!



Food time!