Doctor Pistachio

Where did J-Funk go?

2012-01-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure, actually, just that for about 5 months I couldn't get myself to blog. I think it had to do with the massive load of work I was buried under since being sick most of the year last year and a death in the family that I'm so broken up over I still can't even talk about. But, I've been getting caught up on work (2 papers submitted this week!) and subsequently catching up at home and I'm hoping now I can get back on track with the blog. So, hopefully I'll see you around more now!

Layla update

2012-01-26T20:04:00.000-08:00

Layla is a big 22 months old now, and has changed a TON since I last posted an update. I don't even know where to start.

Mainly what we've noticed, is that she's been sassing at us constantly with ever longer and longer strings of words. Half the time we don't understand her at all and the rest of it is stuff we're pretty sure she picked up from us or from daycare, which she now uses mostly for evil. We started putting her in time-outs, then the other day she put her daddy in a time-out. We tell her to sit on her butt at dinner, and she doesn't, but then tells all the other kids at daycare to sit on their butts. So, at least she's listening. She's also telling us about her day ('play with Emmy!' 'row-row with Mimi!' 'Kiwi CRIED'), her thoughts ('is Kiwi ok?', 'where did the kitty go?'), what she wants to do ('HUGH'S HOUSE!' 'PIZZA!!' 'HIDE!!!'). She's tired of playing with the little toddlers in her classroom at school and is about to move up into the 2-3 yr old room... and I'm not sure I'm ready for that! Mostly, we're all really enjoying hanging out with each other, and finding Layla likes all the same stuff we do, which is making the weekends a lot more fun than they used to be. These days we spend a lot of time connecting with friends for playdates, lounging around the house, and going shopping at the farmer's market or in the neighborhood.

The big Seattle Snowpocalypse

2012-01-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

We got buried by snow last week. Buried! We couldn't even get out our door. Actually, it was about 8 inches total, over 3 days. And we had LOTS of warning (schools were cancelled before the storm even started).

But, in Seattle's defense, 8 inches of snow is a lot to take in a city with only 48 snow plows, no sanders, no salters, and LOTS of HUGE hills. Many of them were simply blocked off, by the city, or, mostly, by people in the neighborhoods that didn't want their street-parked cars getting hit. In our neighborhood, some of those streets had a lot of sledding and even some skiing and snowboarding going on.

The Snowpocalypse lasted 3 days. I was sick the day before it started (Tuesday) and Monday was a holiday, so I took the entire week off, mostly. The Studly Hubby and I both had big deadlines the weekend before, so we really really enjoyed it. But actually, the best part was that Layla started sleeping LATE that week, several days she even slept until 8:45 am!!! This was the first time we experienced this (without any interruptions at night) since she was born!! We lived it up by staying up past 10 pm watching movies and eating popcorn. One night we even had some wine. What a party!

So, we really enjoyed our snow holiday week. Layla and I shoveled the walk (we were one of two families on our block that bothered) and we all played in the snow quite a bit, although Layla thought it was a little overwhelming especially at first.

We also cuddled in bed a lot, and stayed warm and cozy under the covers. If you're wondering why I look so sleepy, I think it's because I was still a little sick when this picture was taken.

We also dressed in crazy clothes and jumped all over each other. Mostly, this was at the end of the week when the snow had turned to disgusting slushy rain and we were getting a bit of cabin fever.

Other things we did: Skyped with everyone who was available, cleaned out and organized closets, the bathroom, the basement, and Layla's dresser, baked up some stuff (Layla and Derek really got into cooking together), built forts, put up a tent inside, did some art projects, had some playdates with neighbors that were within walking distance, ventured out to see the Big Sled Hill at Gasworks Park (spectacular!), and listened to a lot of music. Layla only started getting bored on Friday, when the pretty snow had turned to slushy rain and we were running out of stuff to do. Fortunately by Saturday the roads were clear again and we, like everyone else in Seattle, spent the entire weekend out on the town.

Crazy toddler weekend

2011-08-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Layla took us on a crazy adventure this weekend - her baby group decided to rent a house out on Orcas Island (about a 1 hr ferry trip from Seattle) and stay together for the weekend. 7 babies (toddlers now! they are 18 months) went. Us parents thought it was a pretty crazy idea.

It turned out it was not so bad, if you don't mind not sleeping much. The house was fantastic, a large 4 bedroom with huge windows overlooking Puget Sound and a gigantic porch and yard. It had lots of great amenities for a large group like big comfy couches and two tables and a huge kitchen. It also had lots of extra beds and space. 5 babies and their families stayed in the house, one in a tent in the yard, and another got a separate cabin because his mom just had a little-tiny baby and he thought they'd want some privacy.

We learned a lot about our babies this weekend. They are all very happy kids, willing to do just about anything, go any amount of time without sleep, and play with any kind of toy. They are also very possessive right now, and want just about everything they see. A lot of the weekend was spent running interference on the best toys (a toddler-sized bike and a transformer car). They are also very good at screeching, but they understand a lot more than we think.

The favorite activity of the weekend was hanging out at the small lake in the middle of the island, which has a sandy beach and a playground and a very shallow swim hole. Layla thought it was way too shallow and demanded we go out as far as we could, as often as she could. The other babies were content to play in the sand and make sand castles. At night after the babies went to bed the moms and dads had a really good time and got to know each other better. Some of us even went to a clothing-optional hot tub nearby where there were lots and lots of naked people. We were not brave and opted for the clothing.

We took a few pictures which I will try to post if I get a chance.

Layla's new favorite books

2011-08-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Layla has a new list of favorite books to share with you.

Layla's new most favorite book in the whole wide world is '10 little babies.' She LOVES babies, and loves to do all the things they do in the book (drink milk, play with dogs and cats, drive around tricycles, look at fish, throw big fits, etc). She insists I read her this book at least three times a day, usually multiple times. Fortunately it's a really cute book and I don't mind.

The next book was loaned to me by another my in our baby group - her son LOVES this book and now, unfortunately, Layla does too.

This is seriously one of the hardest books I've ever read in my life. It is all about Elmo's balls. He likes big balls and small balls and footballs and juggling balls. How can you read a book like this, over and over, and 1) maintain enthusiasm and 2) maintain a straight face?? Oh Elmo, I already hate you!

The mom who introduced Layla to Elmo's Balls redeemed herself somewhat by also loaning us this book:

This book is hysterical, very simple, and somehow captivates Layla at the same level that it captivates both me and her daddy. It's about a pigeon, who wants to drive a bus, and throws a big gigantic fit when he can't. I think we can all relate to that. Mo Willems, the author, drew very cute pictures and has a lot of good dialogue in it. This is one of many awesome books he has written, and we've tried some of the others, but this is Layla's favorite.

17-month update

2011-08-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

On August 11, Layla will be 17 months. Wow!!

Here is an update:

Eating and growing: she is growing like a weed (esp in the last two weeks, she is now as tall as almost all the older boys in her baby group!) but somehow she is eating less, or at at least it seems like it - she has become pretty picky the last two months and went from eating and loving everything to carefully tasting (she sticks her tongue out to taste) and then choosing only the stuff that suits her. It's not a diverse range but it is mostly healthy stuff, like almost all fruit, peas and some other veggies, eggs, and almost anything with pasta. So, it's not so bad. But, we've started making a lot of separate meals for her to try to get her to eat more, especially if she's not eating much because she doesn't feel very well.

Talking and interacting: she's got a lot of words down now, including apple, bike, ball, car, whoa!, mine, book, eye, nose, mouth (and pointing at the parts), Layla (Yay-ya!), and she can associate animal sounds with dog ('woof! woof!), cow (moo!) and she's almost got duck (ga! ga!). She's still working on a lot of consonant sounds like "L", "S", "T", and there are a lot of words and phrases that pop out that she doesn't repeat regularly (like 'hey you guys!' 'who's that?' and 'help please!'). She can understand a LOT and I keep reminding myself to make sure to explain things to her and be careful what words I use now - she's paying close attention!

Mobility: She's almost running now, and has really gotten into CLIMBING - she climbs up everything including the jungle gym at the playground, our book cases and dressers, kitchen chairs, and anything lying around. So far she has had only had a few big falls including one from a chair that was kind of scary. She climbs boldly higher and higher though and has been giving us mini-heart attacks on a regular basis.

Favorite activities: Layla still LOVES daycare and wears herself out completely every day she's there. She has developed a great relationship with each of her teachers and even knows the teachers of the other classes so I suspect she's become quite a social butterfly there. Outside of daycare she likes everything we do as long as we keep doing different things throughout the day - our house gets way boring by about 10 am. So we spend a lot of our weekends going to park playgrounds and various social events with other kids, farmer's markets, playing with the neighbor kids, a little shopping here and there, a zoo or aquarium trip now and then, and lots of time in the backyard. Fortunately that's all pretty easy since it's so nice outside right now. The winter will be a whole new game though - and we're already starting to brainstorm some ideas for indoor fun for our little Adventurer when it gets dark and cold out.

A real Bee-mergency

2011-07-25T18:30:00.001-07:00

So, it's not such a big deal having chickens and goats and bees in your neighbors' yard, as was pointed out on my post below, except when they escape into your yard and you have a 1 and a 1/2 year old that loves getting into anything new and interesting.

But guess which one it was that got into our yard?

It was the BEES.

That's right, bees are like an adventurous dog that won't stay at home - sometimes they wander off and you have to go find them and bring them back!!

So, the Studly Hubby was at home on Friday innocently eating his lunch when he looked outside to find 10,000 bees swarming in the front yard. They were lost, and didn't know what to do! Eventually they took up residence in a tree next door.

This is a picture of the bee swarm in the tree.

That evening, a mysterious 'bee-catcher' showed up and collected most of the bees and disappeared. Later the next day, the rest of the bees disappeared.

What the heck, we wondered?

Well, a little internet research and asking around led to an unexpected story about bees and, well, babies.

Our neighbors just had a baby, and with a new baby comes a loosening of all that was once controlled, including their pet bees. When a bee hive gets too large, a new queen bee is raised and the old queen splits off with about half the workers and finds a new location. As the bees look for a new location, they don't sting and pose no threat, but they swarm together with their queen in the center and can actually easily be 10,000 bees thick. In Seattle, when your pet bees get loose, you call a 'swarm-catcher', of which there are about 20 in the city, who don't get paid but come catch the bees and take them off somewhere that needs them. Bee-catchers perform their services with a general 'save-the-bees' mentality, and obviously, we should all appreciate them more now that we know who they are!

We definitely appreciate the swarm-catchers!!

Goats or chickens anyone?

2011-07-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

There are a few things about Seattle that have taken some getting used to (from a Midwestern girl's perspective.

First, there is water everywhere. It rains all the time, we are surrounded by lakes, ocean inlets, canals, etc (every direction from our house will lead you to water within 5 miles, and in the north or south direction within about 10 blocks). Plus, it's super hilly here so you can SEE the water from everywhere too (and mountains!!). Where I come from, this sort of thing is very unusual.

Second, you can parallel park your car in any direction on the street. This is one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. Back home, if you didn't park in the direction of traffic you would be heavily fined. Here, they don't want people jamming up traffic trying to do tight U-turns to park so they just let you park on the wrong side in the wrong direction, no problem. It looks to me like everyone in the city was drunk when they parked their car, all the time. So strange!

Third, you can walk out in traffic any time you want. The cars will stop for you in the crosswalk, out of the crosswalk, no matter what, even if you just look like you might be thinking about walking out in traffic. I suspect this stems from a combination of the threat of heavy fines to any car that violates a pedestrian's right-of-way and a culture of extremely polite drivers. I've gotten dangerously used to this, and I'm not sure it's a good thing.

Fourth, and most bizarre: you can keep chickens, goats and bees in your backyard anywhere in the city. This means that all three of these are right in our very neighborhood - and I often see them as I walk around the block (chickens mostly, as the others are less popular and less visible). Our neighborhood has a 'neighborhood walk' tomorrow to get people out to see the bees, chickens and goats that people keep around the neighborhood - how exciting! Layla and I will have to miss, though - we already have plans to go see milk carton races up at Green Lake.

I hope everyone is having a fun July!

Summer in Seattle

2011-07-15T21:27:00.001-07:00

Everyone says summer here starts on July 5, and that is SOOOOO true. It will be cool and in the '60s until about mid-July, then you get about a month of sort-of warm weather, and then fall is here in September. A lot of people get upset about this. I am not one of them.

But, we do try to get out and enjoy the summer weather when it's here.

Last weekend we went over to a friend's house who has a fabulous back yard (rare in Seattle) complete with an above-ground heated pool (exceptionally rare in Seattle) - and a toddler's fantasy land of toys and animals. Layla almost exploded with excitement when she got there. She played with the slide and playhouse in the backyard, the dog ('Thor'), the rabbit, and their two little girls that were happy to entertain her all afternoon. But the pool was a little scary I think - she much preferred to run around the deck screaming something that sounded a lot like 'HEY YOU GUYS!!' over and over. We finally coaxed her in by letting her ride their blow-up seal around while her daddy held her tight (her feet were the only part of her that actually got wet) and when she was done she wanted right back out again. Maybe next time...

The flying diaper change

2011-07-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

We have really been around the block with Layla's diaper changes. Before she could roll over, she was a sweet little girl who would coo at you happily while you changed her diaper. Then she learned how to roll over and the fanstasy came to a screeching halt. Soon she would take off down the table and across the dresser at light speed towards the 5-foot drop off beyond. After a few close calls we decided to move her to the floor where she was at first a little better (something new!) and then even worse especially once she could walk because she would tear off through the house buck naked while you chased her down with the diaper.

This is dangerous on many levels.

Apparently the daycare has had some trouble too, so it makes me feel better that even trained professionals are finding Layla's diaper changes quite difficult.

We discovered about a month ago that some of her diaper disposition some bad rashes and she really seems to appreciate it when we make an extra effort to wipe her fanny very delicately (I am ashamed to admit we even bought a wipes warmer in the hope that this would help - it didn't, but it makes the wipes more accessible when you're in a rush so we kept it). Unfortunately anything delicate is impossible when her fanny is covered in poo and she's aiming for a quick escape across the living room.

So, we had to start doing all the diaper changes in her bedroom with the door closed, with a towel on the floor and a second parent nearby. It did the trick although both of us were exhausted after, sometimes we had to do almost a full load of laundry and on one occasion I had to go get my ear plugs from all the screaming. A diaper change in public almost landed us all a spot on the evening news.

But, I'm happy to report that she has gotten a tiny bit better in the past few weeks. Perhaps she is becoming wiser as she gets on in months and she is starting to better understand the business of the diaper change. Whatever it is, hopefully it is here to stay and we can breathe a little easier at the thought of all the diaper changing we have to do over the long 3-day weekend.

15 month update

2011-07-01T20:34:00.000-07:00

Layla is a big 15 months now!!! What a big girl.

15 month update:

- she is TALKING to us! She can say so many useful words, like 'cracker' and 'crayon' and 'Alex' (her buddy at school) and 'flower' and 'bottle'... wow!! We're pretty sure she even said 'bucket' and 'elephant' which seems very advanced to me. There are a few sounds she still hasn't learned yet, like "S" and "L" so she's still working hard on those. Her favorite word this week is 'car' which she says at every single opportunity.

- she is finally starting to like daycare again, after a very traumatic transition to the toddler room a few months ago. One of the staff told me that he thought part of her trauma was associated with a bad mauling on the playground on her first day in the toddler room (an older girl ran her over and she got scraped up pretty badly) - how scary! (they told me at the time but I hadn't thought about the lasting effects). Poor thing! But, he told me this because he thought she was finally over it and starting to trust him and the other staff again, and he was really glad to see that happen finally.

- at the Doctor's office last week, she weighed in at the 50th percentile but is now in the 90th percentile for height - a total reversal from six months ago. So now she is tall and lean, and I officially miss her former chunky baby self. She still has very pudgy legs though which I squeeze as much as possible. She also got vaccinated for measles which didn't sit well with her - she got an awful rash and a fever and we had to take her back in 3 days later so she could complain to them for a while about how bad she felt. They noted it and told us to be wary when she gets the booster in 4 years (ugh!). She started to feel better the next day, thankfully.

- she crawled up on the couch tonight for the first time! holy moley, we are in trouble now!

- after a few months of hating her stroller, she is really starting to like it again, although only for short-ish rides. It's a nice change, and because of that and her generally improved mood these days we feel a little more like we can take her out again. Last weekend we actually went SHOPPING and it went fairly well (although it was super quick!). I bought some much-needed new jeans.

Baby book!!

2011-07-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

After a year and a half, I finally finished the alleged baby book, which is now just 'the baby book'

Whew!!
That was a lot of work.

Actually, it wasn't super bad - it's just that anything is way hard when you have a 15-month old running around the house. I had to really hunker down at night and work even when I was super tired.

The great thing was, I had a deadline - I had a coupon from the company I bought the digital scrapbook software (Creative Memories) but it expired June 30, so I was gunning to finish by then and use the coupon to print the book (made it, just barely!). Another great thing - I really had gotten a lot done over the past year, I had to only finish about half (and about half of the remaining pictures were edited - the Studly Hubby really stepped up for this). And the third great thing - I got really fast at it! After about 15 pages or so I finally got a nice quick rhythm and really mastered the software. Now I think I could whip out another book pretty easily - so hopefully I will! I plan to try to make one every year or so.

Here are two example pages so you can oooooh and aaaaaahhhh and make me feel all gooey inside:

CAKE!!

2011-07-01T20:19:00.001-07:00

Last night, I had a bad craving for chocolate cake. I asked, 'do we happen to have any chocolate cake lying around anywhere?' and my husband poked around a bit and replied with, 'nope! sorry.' I was disappointed but then had some tapioca pudding and forgot all about it. But then later that night, I had a dream that we actually HAD chocolate cake, and the Studly Hubby was keeping it from me... in the dream I found it and was super excited.

I told the Studly Hubby about the dream this morning and then came home from work today to find... he made a chocolate cake! What a dream (no pun intended)!!

New words

2011-06-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

Layla's vocabulary is increasing and I thought I'd try to sum it up for the record.

She most consistently uses sign language, and now she knows 'eat,' in addition to the words she used before - 'milk,' 'all done,' 'please,' and 'hungry.' She used to know 'more' but seems to have forgotten it.

She has a few words she says quite a lot, and these are: mama, papa, hi, dog, ruff! ruff!, ball and uh-oh! She also loves the song 'row row row your boat!' and can sing the first part (rowrow!!).

These are the words she says less often: apple, bird, water, milk, go, bath

We're pretty sure she understands a LOT of other words, and these are some of the ones we agree on: banana, orange, shoes, nose, no!, and baby. She also knows all the gestures for patty-cake! and understands when we say, "where is daddy?", "go get your milk!" and "your milk is on your stool!" Fortunately she hasn't figured out "let's go change your diaper!" or "time for bed!" although we say those a lot and probably shouldn't because she'll start to catch on sooner or later. We've also noticed her mimicking a LOT of stuff we do, like putting toothpaste on our toothbrush, stepping into our shoes, washing our hands and the dishes, unlocking the car and house (and she knows where to find our keys!), putting earbuds in her ear, dancing to music, and exclaiming in delight (the last two she does on her own but she will also copy us exactly if one of us is doing it too).

Toddler chairs!

2011-05-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Layla is a big toddler now so we bought her some toddler chairs when we were garage sale shopping this weekend. The first time she saw them she exploded with screams of excitement, and immediately climbed up onto one chair and then another and another.

She likes to get on the chair and sit, or get on her knees and rock it back and forth (with Mom and Dad making sure the chair doesn't tip over) and she also likes to stand up - she's very brave. Last night as she was getting ready for bed I stacked all the chairs up and when she saw them like that she got mad at me and insisted I unstack them immediately. She said, "don't mess with my chairs!!" and since it wasn't going to ruin my night to unstack the chairs I obliged. The nice thing for us is that the chairs are entertaining her for a lot longer than any of her toys do these days - and provided some much-needed exercise on our rainy weekend.

New cookbook excitement!!

2011-05-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

Our house is abuzz with the arrival (from the Amazon fairy) of a new cookbook, 'Deceptively Delicious' by Jessica Seinfeld. Yes, this is the famous Jerry Seinfeld's wife - but it stands well enough on its own. The book was pretty popular when it was released and I can see why - it's laid out very nicely and has a lot of amazingly easy and yummy-looking recipes in it.

The idea behind the book is that you can 'hide' vegetable purees in all kinds of regular food (in particular butternut squash and carrots, which I think are in about 50% of her recipes). Fortunately Layla LOVES vegetables so we haven't had any trouble getting her to eat them. But, she doesn't like every entree we give her and I felt like we might fall into a rut with the 5 or so things we know she'll like (spaghetti, pizza, mac & cheese, quinoa and bean salad, and pulled pork). So, we've been trying some new recipe books geared towards kids - or rather, the Amazing Studly Hubby, who does all the cooking in our house, has been trying new recipe books.

I've discovered that the recipes in this book are so easy I can even follow them. And some of the recipes are so simple you can't believe you've never heard of it. Tonight for dinner, I added butternut squash to our usual box mac & cheese and it was delicious (there is also a home-made mac & cheese recipe but who needs that?). I never would have thought of that! So, the the J & D household gives this recipe book 6 thumbs up.

D.O. - update

2011-05-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today Layla and I both had follow-up appointments with the D.O., which I have posted about before. I wanted to update on how it's going.

It's going great!! After seeing the D.O., Layla has gotten her full range of motion back in her neck. It took a few months of regular visits, in which she behaved progressively worse and worse... but the doctor was tolerant of her increasingly loud screaming and managed to work his magic anyway. Now, finally, we don't have to take her back until the end of the summer! I have been going pretty regularly too, and since I behave much better than Layla we made a lot of progress on my problems in a short time. My low back has a lot of issues - mostly it's mad about some bad posture and tight hip problems I have - but it has released it's reign of terror on my knees and I've been able to start back up running pretty regularly again. The great thing about the D.O., I've realized, is that the adjustments hold really well. After many years of chronic problems, I am finally seeing some results. I'm so lucky to have found this guy!

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:27:00.005-07:00

Today I celebrated my 2nd Mother's Day. This year, I wanted to spend some time with the little lady so after breakfast (pancakes, not in bed, but in my robe), the Studly Hubby took me and our little lady out to a spring plant/bake sale in our neighborhood near a spectacular playground and let me spend our last dollar on cookies and pie (don't worry, there's more in the bank, we just haven't had time to go!).

We also got some really good-quality nap time today, since Layla was exhausted from transitioning to the toddler room last week. She slept an amazing 90 minutes this morning and another 2 hours this afternoon. It was mind blowing - although on Friday she had a 4-hour nap at daycare, which altered our reality. We actually came home Friday wondering if we still lived in the same house and were the same people as before. With awesome napping comes awesome free time and I took advantage. In the morning I took a nap of my own, and then in the afternoon I sat on the deck and soaked up the sun and read my favorite magazine, the Oprah magazine. That was a rare opportunity even before Miss Layla took over our lives, and I really enjoyed it.

We took some pictures today but they haven't made their way from the camera to the computer yet. So, I will leave you with another picture of an equally fun time we had last weekend hiking around Discovery Park with some friends.

ORNERY little girl!!!

2011-05-08T19:59:00.001-07:00

We have an ornery child on our hands. She was sweet as a sweet pea until about 3 weeks ago, when she started showing her ornery side. Here are some of the wonderful ways our child now expresses herself:

- hollering at the top of her lungs from Green Lake back to our place (~1 mile) because she wanted to WALK HOME BY HERSELF (except, in the wrong direction, and in the street, and with frequent stops at every parked or moving car she saw to try to open the car door).

- shoving a 3-year old friend off of a slide - her friend's slide, at her friend's house. Clearly making friends isn't as important as going down the slide.

- stealing another friend's hat, binki, socks, snacks, and bottle when he was nice enough to share his red wagon with her. Fortunately he was quite tolerant and didn't kick her out of his wagon.

- making quick escapes out from under us while getting her diaper changed - very risky business for her, us, and the floor (we abandoned the changing table due to the height hazard).

- throwing fits over everything, especially anything we say 'no' to... which led to us having to leave a restaurant before ordering food for the first time today.

- refusing to ride in the stroller, the baby-carrier, or in the car in preference for WALKING everywhere, except in unusual circumstances (fortunately she's still good if we're going someplace interesting, or we give her lots of her favorite snacks).

While I find it a bit overwhelming, the Studly Hubby actually likes this new stage because while Layla is getting more ornery she is also developing into a more interactive little person. She can understand and respond to a lot more, and seems to be making a more real emotional connection with us - she even every once in a while will give us some hugs and kisses, all on her own. She has also gotten to be a much better sleeper, both at night (mainly because she hasn't been sick in a whole 3 weeks), and also during the day (she's switched over to 1 nap a day and often sleeps a marathon 90 minutes or more... a drastic increase from her previous 30-min naps). So, I guess it's a trade-off.

Best baby books

2011-04-30T19:43:00.001-07:00

In our baby group meeting today, the subject of baby books came up.

There are a lot of books out there, but each baby seems to have favorites (and the parents too), so after a few million reads you start looking for some new book ideas.

Here are Layla's favorites:

This book was given to Layla by Grandpa M., and has a lot of fun stuff to play with

This was a shower present, and I thought it was goofy but it ended up being great for little tots who like to touch and feel and appreciate a (very) simple story

This was a present from Layla's cousin B, who I think loved this book as a child growing up in England. It's extremely cute and has a nice rhyme and very busy pictures that will capture her short attention span for many many reads.

This was also a gift from cousin B, and is also extremely cute. It has a short simple story with lots of pretty drawings of babies laughing and playing and one baby at the end gets kisses which Layla likes to contribute to.

This is another book about babies, given to Layla by her Grandpa L. She LOVES the baby pictures and I like to sing her the song and go through all the body parts (which she is starting to get).

Layla is no literary snob, and loves baby elmo as much as the rest of them. This is actually full of all the things she's been doing and thinking about (it's supposed to be for 6-12 months, but I think it's more like 6-15 months). Baby Elmo eats a banana, plays peek-a-boo, points to his nose, and at the end there's a big pop-out Baby Elmo surprise, which is her absolute favorite part.

I think our group is going to do a favorite book exchange, so hopefully we can mix it up some more soon and I will have some more recommendations. I feel like my knowledge of baby books at the moment is very limited. Maybe some trips to the library are on the horizon as well.

Our big toddler

2011-04-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

We found out yesterday that Layla will be moving up to the toddler room at her daycare next week. They spend two weeks transitioning (she's already 'visited' quite a few times) and then she's a big toddler!! We can hardly believe it. I'm very conflicted - on the one hand, it's nice to have her grow out of some of the things that are hard, like waking up super early, drinking from bottles (so many bottles!), unpredictable napping, etc. But on the other hand, I'm going to miss her being my BABY!!!

At home, she's making big toddler changes too. She's becoming VERY demanding and throws fits all the time. Today she threw a fit because we wouldn't let her wander around outside all evening (it was raining! and cold!!). She LOVES going outside because when it's nice out we do all sorts of fun things.
Here she is driving her 'car' that we inherited with our rented house. She LOVES this car. I love it because it's tall and easy to push around.

She is also learning new big toddler things like how to get dressed. She can't really put on pants or a shirt yet but she can put things around her neck and over her head. She is particularly attached to my old YWCA staff badge which she wears around the house all the time. It makes her look like she's about to go to work. She also found my old heart monitor and likes to put that around her neck too, and her binki strap. Below she's got all three.

In the toddler room, they wear outdoor shoes and play on the playground, they follow a schedule for eating and napping, and they have a whole new set of toys and activities for big toddlers. I think Layla will love it, although she will miss her friends from the baby room. She likes to cuddle the babies and tell the daycare staff when they need milk or a binki (which she often steals). We might go visit the baby room and say hi for a while until she gets used to her new big toddler room.

Sleep!

2011-04-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

We've been struggling a lot with sleep, especially since about last November... the onset of the worst of all our colds this year. When Layla's sick, she doesn't sleep well, and if there are good nights between the colds we aren't always well ourselves. Plus she's been waking up SUPER EARLY (5 am ish) which may have been because of the colds or may have just been her insane internal clock. The 5 am wake-ups were the worst - I've learned that my 'power hours' at night are from 4-6 am, and constant 5 am wake-ups really wrecked me. Plus, our house is small so it was difficult to sleep while Layla tore the house apart under the care of the other parent in her early-morning vigor.

Well I'm tentatively excited because Layla's been sleeping a little later lately, even sometimes until 7 or 7:30. So far the Studly Hubby and I have been ecstatic and sleeping in to better enjoy the amazing and sublime change of schedule. And we're still going to bed quite early (9:30) so that means we're getting LOTS of sleep... which is SOOO wonderful. I think I could do this for another 2 weeks or more before I finally got caught up on all the sleep we've lost over the past year. Already after just a week of this I feel like a new person - I make sense when I talk, can walk in a straight line again, and I think I'm standing up straighter. Wow!

Layla on the stairs

2011-04-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Layla has been practicing going up and down stairs lately. Actually, until today, she just sat on the bottom step and cried, wanting to go up but not knowing how. But today, she completely figured it out - and crawled all the way up the deck stairs!! Here she is right before the big adventure.

Layla finds the skill very useful. After her bath tonight, she crawled out of the tub (with a little help from her dad) using the very same skills. And at the park, she will now be able to crawl up the stairs to the slide, which she has been dreaming about lately.

We don't have a fence around our backyard and I can't help but worry that my little girl is going to escape me and run someplace dangerous (and fall down the steps to the backdoor, or get knocked over by the neighbor's dog, or find a thorny vine in the driveway...). So, I hover over her like a worried hen and make her hold my hand all the time. Probably as the summer sets in I'll have to work out a better plan and baby-proof the yard. Or maybe I'll just make her keep holding my hand as long as she's willing, because it's so darn cute when she does.

Layla in the park!

2011-04-18T19:54:00.001-07:00

After a wild night of pole dancing (see below), we had an early-morning park date. It was a rare and beautiful sunny day in Seattle and we went to an amazing park overlooking the water. Seattle has no shortage of those, and Layla had a fantastic time.

Whenever we go to the park, or anywhere new, it always takes Layla a little while to 'warm up' - she spends a bit of time hugging my leg first before she ventures out on her own.

As you can see, it's incredibly cute. Sometimes, when we go to particularly crowded parks, she wants to just sit in my lap the whole time and watch everyone. She never does this at home so it's a rare opportunity for me to cuddle with her.

We've been going to a lot of parks lately, to distract her from all her various illnesses. It works very well, but we're running into some trouble at home now - she always wants to go out! She tries to put on her shoes, goes to the door and reaches for the doorknob, sneaks out the back door if we have it open, and constantly points out the windows. When we start putting on our jackets and shoes she is beside herself with excitement. So, what can you do but oblige, and spend the weekend at the park? Thank goodness it's spring!

Pole dancing class!!

2011-04-18T19:26:00.001-07:00

Even though I'm still sick, I couldn't turn down an invite to a pole dancing class at a local pole dancing studio - pole for the soul. I didn't know what to expect but thought it seemed like the sort of thing a stressed-out mom like me might enjoy.

It was pretty fun!! They really focused on 'sexy' - and also showed us some moves that I never would have thought I could do (it helps to have some upper body strength from lugging the baby around). When we arrived, we were told to take down our hair, and the room was lit with dim red lights, so everyone looked extra-sexy - even though I had forgotten to shave my legs and most of us had gym shorts on (there were 15 of us at an evening 'pole party' as part of a bachelorette party).

The teacher, who I'm pretty sure is also a stripper, started us off by teaching us how to 'sexy walk' in a large circle. Then we 'sexy walked' around our pole. Then we started learning the moves. For the most part, the moves were pretty easy (step-spin and turn with your back to the pole and then slide on one leg to the floor and then turn around and get back up, etc). It required some coordination and a lot of butt-wiggling and for the most part we were all so focused on the moves that we weren't being very sexy - but every once in a while someone would really get it right and we would all cheer wildly.

This is a picture from the Pole for the Soul website - we took pictures while we were there but I haven't seen them yet and I'm not sure I'd want to share them anyway.

There was one move, at the end, where we jumped up and spun around the pole, and it was a real taste for what pole dancing can be - my arms were wrenched from their sockets, my legs were bruised, my adrenaline was pumped - and I was assured it was sexy (hmmm really??). I did it a few times and then had to quit for fear I was going to cause permanent damage to something.

One thing of note was their 'sexy' approach - they were TEACHING us how to be sexy!! You're probably thinking, well duh, it's a pole-dancing class - but I have never been taught how to be sexy and I thought it was really neat. Seriously, it's not easy or natural for someone like me to coordinately wiggle my butt and chest and walk in a straight line at the same time - and it really helped to have some instruction and encouragement!! I think I would need about 6 months solid of serious training to be able to do it with any sort of real talent though.

First birthday gifts!

2011-04-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Layla got a lot of good loot for her birthday.

Here's what she got:

- A talking dog named Violet, that knows her name and sings songs to her about her favorite things like bears and cheese

- A tupperware ball with plastic shapes she can put inside it, which is finds extremely fascinating

- A giant tigger, and a soft doll, and a baby Elmo, all of which she LOVES to cuddle

- An amazing little banjo music box, and a Baby Einstein iPod that importantly provides Layla a toy like those her mommy and daddy are always playing with (our phones)

- A red wagon, which Mommy and Daddy still haven't put together

- An awesome spring outfit and gorgeous warm Seattle sweater, and a shopping spree at Hannah Anderson, where she got to pick out some colorful spring tank tops and shorts and a beautiful dress

We owe great thanks to the many wonderful people that sent us gifts for Layla (thank you cards are still on their way). You would not believe how helpful all these great gifts were during our long days at home with a cranky kid over the past few weeks.

GERMAGEDDON 2011

2011-04-13T19:15:00.001-07:00

We have experienced nothing less than Germageddon this month.

First, Layla got a nasty cold that lasted something like 3 weeks (I got it too). During the cold, about 3 weeks ago, she got a horrible diaper rash, like nothing we'd ever seen before (she doesn't usually get rashes) - it turned out to be a yeast infection and cleared up quickly once we used the right treatment. Before that was over, she popped out another molar (#2) and started working on #3 and #4. Then she rolled right into the nasty horrible stomach bug (see below), which we all got. There was lots of puking, and way too much pooping, and the Studly Hubby missed the entire week of work (I fared better, but just barely). There was one day, a Saturday, when everybody felt ok and we went to the park.

Then, before the end of the day, the next thing - pinkeye (see below) - hit us like a ton of bricks and we were up all night with a screaming baby again. We went to the doctor Monday, she got booted out of daycare for another week, but by Tuesday she seemed to be doing better. Then out of nowhere, on Wednesday and Thursday she screamed all night again (Wednesday night, and all day Thursday, she only slept about 6 hours total). We were about to head back to the doctor, or import a relative to help out, or pay a stranger just to give us both two hours to sleep (seriously, I was on the phone trying to find someone), when suddenly she slept all night on Thursday night.

We were flabbergasted. Especially when she slept all night Friday, and Saturday, and Sunday too (and even Monday and Tuesday!). This is the longest run she has had since sometime in October.

Then I got hit. But not with pinkeye - our sneaky little girl went and caught another cold WHILE SHE HAD PINKEYE (probably at the doctor's, since we hadn't been out much other than that) - and as I went through two nights of the aches and the chills and a horrible sore throat and an extremely short lived but very high fever (on my birthday!) I realized our little girl was actually enduring it all quite well.

Thankfully when the week ended Layla hadn't had a chance to catch anything new and we were finally germ-free for the first time in probably five months... hence the amazing run of all-night sleeping.

So now, time for a recount (the old numbers are here):

Layla -
Total: 22, 1 rash, 1 pinkeye, 1 stomach bug, 19 colds
Fevers: 3
Days home from daycare: 12

Me:
Total: 17, 1 sinus infection, 1 stomach bug, 15 colds
Fevers: 4
Days home from work: 11.5 (including 7 half-days)

Derek:
Total: 10, 1 stomach bug, 9 colds
Fevers: 0
Days home work: 9.5 (including 7 half-days)

The whole year has been hard, but the last week surpassed my Worst Parental Experience So Far (sleep training, last July) by about two-fold. But, alas, most parents I have talked to (in Seattle) have had similar experiences - one other father said his kid was sick 24 times the first year, and he was sick 22 (amazingly, his wife was sick only a mere 7 times - likely a testament to how genetics might influence your chances of getting sick - although he's biased, since that's what he studies for his career).

Ugh, what a nightmare. Hopefully spring will bring a new beginning and lots of health to our household! We really need it.

Pink Eye!!

2011-04-05T19:55:00.001-07:00

Poor Layla! Just as she was recovering from the stomach bug last week, she came down with pink eye. She was only in daycare for 2 days and she caught it the second it came through (they sent the other baby home as soon as they realized but... it was too late).

The Studly Hubby and I haven't caught it from her yet, thankfully - we all really took a pounding last week from the stomach bug and the sleep deprivation that comes with having a sick 1 yr old, so we needed a few days' break! But now we're ready. Today Layla looks like she's been hit by a train so by the weekend I'm expecting our whole family to be really scary looking. Maybe we can figure out a way to take advantage of it. I think Zombiefest is going to be in town...

Meanwhile Layla was kicked out of daycare for the week due to her contagion and we are juggling our work schedules and each staying home with her. And since she's sick, and it's cold out, we are really staying home - which could be rough. Fortunately Layla has been mostly good, and I bought a People magazine pre-emptively over the weekend, and the Studly Hubby has figured out all the good daytime shows to watch on TV (his favorite is Ellen) - so we aren't having too bad of a time, although I do miss work a lot (seriously).

The silver lining is that we are seeing a lot of Layla, and she's even in surprisingly good spirits most of the time. She's really trying to learn how to do things for herself. She wants to dress herself (without much luck yet), eat with a spoon, brush her own hair, carry around her own snacks, put her dirty laundry in the hamper (and everything else), pick out her own books (she's REALLY gotten into reading), and decide what to play with. She's also started 'taking care' of her stuffed animals, including a little baby her Grandma C sent her that she carries around the house, wraps up with a blanky, rocks, hugs, kisses, and reads books with, and a giant Tigger doll her Grandma and Grandpa A brought that she gently puts down for a nap with a pillow and blanket. I'm thinking she may have been paying very close attention at daycare... wow! She's also really communicating - she knows sign language for 'milk' and 'hungry' and is pretty clear about wanting to go down for a nap, all of which is super helpful. She also points at things and can clearly indicate when she wants something out of reach, and she's been keeping track of where some things are and where they go (like her binki, which is very important to her). She's also walking with no problem except when she's tired and stumbles around like she's been drinking a little too much (milk, of course). I feel like she's been making big leaps in her development over the past month, it's a little dizzying!

Here's one of my all-time favorite pictures of Layla and her Daddy. She's feeding him a banana in this picture, which is one of both of their favorite snacks. It was taken right before Germageddon.

Stomach bug!

2011-03-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Our house is afflicted again, this time with an evil stomach bug. Layla got it first, on Sunday night. She threw up in her crib, and again the next day, and was a little fussy but not too bad. The Studly Hubby stayed home with her most of the day Monday and then of course he caught it next. Now he's on the couch moaning and looking totally miserable. As usual we are both really surprised at what a trooper Layla must have been through all these miserable symptoms. I haven't caught it yet, but I suspect it's coming.

Today, Layla is feeling a ton better. I came home early to take over when the Studly Hubby got sick, and she cuddled with me and helped me put blankets and give get-well kisses to the Studly Hubby to help him get better. Hopefully he will be over it just as fast as she was.

Whenever I am at work worrying about my baby at home, the Studly Hubby will send pictures to make me feel better. Today he sent me this picture during snack time.

Layla in the cart!

2011-03-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Now that Layla is a big 1-year old, she really likes running errands with us. Yesterday we took her to the mall and did a little shopping, which included a stop at Storables to look at locking garbage cans. While we were there we let Layla ride around in the cart for the first time.

Before this we rarely ever took Layla to the grocery store. We order a lot of our groceries from Amazon Fresh, we get a fresh veggie box twice a month, and the few times we go to the grocery store we either leave Layla at home or take her in a baby carrier or the stroller. After she had so much fun in the cart at Storables on Saturday, we decided to take her with us to the grocery store today and she had a blast. We had her ride around in the front part. It was a full grocery run with a full cart and by the end she really wanted to get at all the stuff we had piled up in the cart. Fortunately we were done right when she start really getting upset!

1-year photos

2011-03-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

The Studly Hubby and I, and the Studly Hubby's Studly Parents, took Baby Layla to the photographer's new studio in Belltown to get photos taken for the last of our pre-paid 1-yr photo package. Here are a few - more will be posted later when we get the full set, including much-coveted pics with the Studly Hubby's parents and another very beautiful new quilt made by the Studly Hubby's Studly Grandmother.

The last six months have been particularly rough, since we've all been sick so many times. Pictures not only preserve memories but also make you see yourself from a different perspective, which was exactly what I needed. In these pictures we all look very happy and healthy, and it was a good reminder to me that when we are well we ARE happy and healthy. Since the pictures were taken we had one more cold pass through but this weekend we seem to be doing better again, so hopefully soon we will have more healthy days than sick ones.

The D.O.

2011-03-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

I reported earlier that Layla has been visiting a Doctor of Osteopathy that is working on her neck (so she can turn better to the left). He's doing such a wonderful job I made an appointment for myself and went in today.

Here is a picture of him from his website (I've fallen off the wagon with pictures but wanted to throw out a bone).

My totally awesome physical therapist AND my chiropractor AND our doula are all in love with this guy. They all think it is SO helpful for babies to get this kind of treatment (birth is traumatic!). At my physical therapy appointment last week, we spent a great deal of time discussing this and an equally important topic: just how old is this guy?

He looks 22. My physical therapist argued that he must be at least 45, from how long he has had his practice and how old his children are (he has a 10-year old, and by Seattle standards, that makes him at least 45). Today, he let slip an important reference date so I could solve the mystery; he is 37. I tried not to act totally surprised, but I think I did. The funny thing is, I didn't know if I should be surprised at how young he is or how old he is.

I'm happy to report that the appointment was really helpful. He found all my problem areas and worked to make them feel better. He didn't lecture me about my bad posture, instead he problem-solved on how to make my posture better. I think it was a success!

Our shy girl

2011-03-06T11:24:00.001-08:00

As a couple more baby-colds passed through our house, I've had to duck out of everything non-essential again so I can maintain the basics - work, sleep, eat, take care of Layla. Although that sounds really boring it has given me a lot of time to watch all of Seasons 1-3 of Celebrity Rehab (and Season 1 of the follow-up, Sober House), which is AWESOME. So, it hasn't been all bad. Plus, the Studly Hubby as always has been super-supportive.

But before I get hit again with another baby-cold I wanted to report in on the latest of Layla's developments; she has gotten SUPER SHY!!!

It started a few weeks ago at a baby-group meeting - even though she knew everyone there, when one of the other moms came over to say hi to us Layla tucked her chin down and blushed... but ten minutes later she was in the other mom's arms telling her all about her day, so we were back to normal.

Then, last weekend a friend of ours stopped by to drop off a red wagon we bought from him and Layla actually CRIED... but we decided she must have been tired and our friend, a large guy with lots of facial hair, maybe looked kinda of scary from a baby's perspective. But, two days later another friend came by, Layla wasn't tired, the friend wasn't scary by any stretch of the imagination, and Layla cried, again!

Then yesterday Layla turned on the shyness full-force. All the babies in our baby group are turning a big 1 year this month so we rented out the Gymboree gym and had a big birthday party. Even though Layla knew everyone there, and there was CAKE, she sat in my lap for about an hour before she finally got up the nerve to venture out and explore. In the last 20 minutes she finally started visiting with other moms and dads so she did warm up eventually... but how weird!

Especially knowing her mother, who is NOT shy, and never was!

Clearly she got this from the other side of the family...

Learning to cluck

2011-02-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

Layla loves to make mouth sounds. Each one takes her a bit to figure out, then when she gets it she does it for a few days, then moves on to the next. Most of them I don't know how to describe and we haven't caught on camera. This weekend she started clucking, and here it is.

Layla learns to walk!

2011-02-13T19:31:00.001-08:00

Layla has been working on walking.

She's gotten really good at using her walker, which she really loves. She would probably be happy to walk around all day with her walker.

She is also really getting good at walking with our help. It's super fun!!

And tonight, she walked ALL ON HER OWN!! We caught it the second time on video. So exciting!!

The D.O. Adventure!!

2011-02-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

Layla made a special trip to a D.O. last week (Doctor of Osteopathy) to have her neck worked on. She has a mild tightness on the left side and trouble turning her head that direction, which the chiropractor has been hassling me to do something about. Although the doctor (M.D.) was unconcerned, the chiropractor was persistent and used scare tactics like 'this will be easier to fix now than later' and 'it's going to get worse!' accompanied by a stern face and a card for a well-known pediatric D.O. in town (who my highly esteemed physical therapist AND my beloved doula recommends).

So, I made the call and set up the appointment and took Layla in last week. I was totally worried Layla would be difficult and hard to treat but it wasn't so bad. The doc spent about 20 min talking to me about her history while she played with all his toys (she was particularly excited about a plastic bear, who she gave kisses to, it was very cute). Then I worked on distracting her while the doc gently released tension that was causing a mild twist along her spine, tightness in her neck and a flat spot on the back of her head. She was actually really good and he made a lot of progress - you could immediately see more balance in the way she held her head and I noticed a couple days later she was turning more easily to the left. Wow! We will have to go back a few more times to follow up but I was so impressed I made an appointment for myself too.

And I learned a few good tricks for distracting a baby - spinning super-interesting mobiles on the ceiling (particularly helpful during the five minutes she had to lie on her back, which we can never get her to do anymore), playing 'peekaboo' with her toys, singing songs and clapping together, showing her pictures, the 'binki game' (handing her binki to her, then taking it back, which she really likes for some reason), and of course, reading books. The doc was obviously a seasoned professional and knew every kids song (and more) and even had a lovely singing voice. He kept gushing about how BIG and STRONG Layla is and told her a long story about a crab that she seemed very interested in, all of which offered helpful distraction despite my deep suspicion that she doesn't totally understand English yet. Maybe even babies are wooed by obvious shameless flattery from doctor-types.

Update

2011-02-10T19:55:00.001-08:00

We've decided Layla is not longer a little baby anymore. In fact, I think the progression goes something like this:

0-4 months: Little-little baby (or was she ever a little-little baby?)
4-8 months: Little baby
Now (10 months): BIG baby!!!

Layla is growing like a WEED. We like to call her 'Layla bean' because she is sprouting like a bean (actually it started when we saw her for the first time on the ultrasound and she looked like a kidney bean). Now she looks like a football player. Last weekend, we went to a Superbowl party at a friend's house with a lot of even BIGGER babies (almost 2 yrs) and Layla gave them a run for their money (or toys and binkis, as the case may be). She doesn't let anyone push her around!! Also, she really liked clapping and cheering for the game.

Our house is still slow due to all the colds Layla brings home. Here are the current stats:

Layla -
Total: 17, all colds
Fevers: 2
Days home from daycare: 4

Me:
Total: 11, all colds
Fevers: 3
Days home from work: 5

Derek:
Total: 9, all colds
Fevers: 0
Days home work: 1

Derek is clearly winning. We are all very grateful that none of the germs she brings home amount to much more than a runny nose, congestion, and coughing. Unfortunately that also means a lot of waking up at night, which is hard on us, but no ER trips or antibiotics so far, thank goodness. Meanwhile all our mom-friends keep promising it will get better in a year, and when cold and flu season is over, both of which is happening soon, so I'm hoping for the best.

Even with all the colds, Layla is generally a good baby. She still likes to play with all her toys (which were recently upgraded to big-baby toys, thanks to major donations by a local friend), she is very sweet to us, eats like a champ, and when she's not sick she sleeps really great at night. We feel very lucky! Especially during the 3 days a month when we are all healthy...

Caspar BabyPants

2011-01-24T20:08:00.000-08:00

Layla's new favorite rock band is Caspar BabyPants.

Caspar BabyPants is a local band that sprung from another local band you may have heard of, The Presidents of the United States of America... the lead singer, Chris Ballew, created Caspar Babypants. They have good music and lots of local shows. Layla and I are going to try to go to a show but I hear they are often sold out and the baby mosh pits can get really scary, so we are going to proceed with caution. Meanwhile Layla listens to their CD all the time and boogies down every time she hears it.

She also likes her FisherPrice singing table (which sings the Number Song, her number one favorite song in the world).

Layla's new favorite food is Kiwi.

At first she thought it was kind of weird, but after a few tries she started to really dig it and now if she sees some on the table she throws a fit until she can have it.

And Layla's new favorite second cousin is...

Lydia!!!

Layla and I agree that Lydia is the cutest second cousin she could ever have imagined, and Layla can't wait to meet her and steal her binki. She has been practicing on the other babies at daycare. Lydia is probably so sweet she won't even mind when Layla steals her binki, because sharing binkis is what second cousins are supposed to do!!

'Christmas' Newsletter

2011-01-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

This is the first time in 8 years that I haven't written and mailed out our famous Onion-style newsletter at Christmas-time. Well, thanks to these two awful colds and all the chaos that comes with a 9-month old baby I completely missed the boat. But I don't give up! After everything finally calmed down and I felt better I finally wrote up that newsletter. But I've decided not to mail it out - I prefer that, but it's so far past Christmas, and I've got so much other stuff to do, that I thought I'd let it go this year. So I'm posting it here and on Facebook, where hopefully most of our friends and family will see, and electronically wishing you all the best New Year you have ever had.

So here it is, the 8th annual J&D (&L) Christmas Newsletter.

Parainfluenza!!

2011-01-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

Found out today from a pediatrician at my work that what Layla and I had at the beginning of December was most likely parainfluenza (shown above in an electron micrograph), which is like the flu but not quite as bad (so our vaccine didn't cover it). Apparently, it's nastier than most colds, often causes croup, and sent a lot of kids packing off to the Seattle children's hospital in December. So, we fared through it pretty well but it made me feel better to know that we got taken out by something more nasty than your average cold. Ugh.

Update

2011-01-02T12:44:00.000-08:00

What happened to December?

This is what happened - Layla and I were sick with TWO HORRIBLE COLDS!! Just as we were recovering from the first one (on Christmas - we were both sick for about two weeks) we came down with the second one, which knocked us out over New Years. Thankfully we weren't sick on Christmas Day but we were very tired.

Being sick as a parent is a whole new ball game. First, you get sick all the time (this is the 10th cold for me and the 15th for Layla). Under normal circumstances, it's tough to be sick. But when you have a baby in the house it's a whole new deal. When Layla is sick she wakes up a lot at night, needs to come home early from daycare (or gets sent home, as she did for both of these colds), and is generally fussy (although also cuddly). Add to that one parent down who also got sick, and suddenly it is an overwhelming amount of work for the other parent. Thankfully we haven't both been sick at the same time. If that happens, we may need to call in backup. I was way too sick to take care of a baby during both of these rounds.

Big Kudos to the Studly Hubby who managed to take care of both of his sick ladies AND keep the house pretty orderly AND host guests for Christmas AND deal with a flooded basement AND keep working for the past 3 weeks... unbelievable!!

Christmas!

2011-01-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas was low-key this year, partly because Layla and I were still getting over bad colds and partly because we stayed in Seattle (and our family is in the midwest). My mom and brother came out to visit and we had small piles of presents for everybody to open on Christmas morning, then the Studly Hubby made an amazing Christmas Day dinner of a roast chicken and mashed potatoes with some yummy deserts.

From her Grandma, Layla got some fuzzy bunny slippers that we all adored.

Layla actually really enjoyed Christmas and all her presents (I was surprised by this - I was also surprised at how much fun I had buying presents for her, what a good excuse to get a bunch of stuff you want but don't need!). Her favorite presents were all the books she got (a big pile!), a drum from her daddy, and a Winnie the Pooh from her Grandpa M, which she bonded with immediately.
My favorite present for Layla was a pair of musical notes Baby Legwarmers for Layla from her Grandpa L. My favorite present for me was a SERGER, which is so complicated I can't even plug it in... but hopefully I will figure it out.

After we opened presents we had Christmas dinner. Layla was exhausted from playing with all her new presents so took a nap for the first half which was nice for the Studly Hubby and I, then she joined us for the second half and got to try some of the delicious food the Studly Hubby had made. Her favorite was a quinoa salad side dish. Everyone else's favorite was the mashed potatoes (from America's Test Kitchen). The windows are all steamed up from cooking all day!

We got to use some fancy new china our neighbors gave us, which has tiny roses on it. It was really nice to have some fancy china, although the Studly Hubby thought my excitement over fancy china was rather girly.

Our neighbors also graciously let my mom and brother stay at their place, since they were gone the entire time. It worked out great for all parties involved. They have a spectacular house and are incredibly nice people.

Cupcake skirt!

2011-01-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

9 months!

2011-01-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

layla was 9 months in December. Stats:

18 lbs, 15.6 oz (slowing down, finally!)

Food progress:
She eats EVERYTHING, except meat. She LOVES just about everything too, which makes things easy on us, especially bananas, eggs, spaghetti, oatmeal, and cheerios. She still drinks mommy's milk, especially when she's sick, but is becoming less interested as more food gets put in front of her.

Mobility progress:
She can crawl like a speed-demon, 'cruises' around furniture and 'hops' from one piece to another (not without letting go), and loves to use her walker (one you push while walking).

Playing progress:
She's recently started to really enjoy 'reading books', and going through all of our books too.
She is also very happy to entertain herself, which has been a dramatic change in our house. She will play with her own toys, or with the pots and pans, or 'cruise' around the kitchen, or do 'inventory' on the bottom drawers of her dresser (pull everything out and examine it all) - all while one of us is nearby but not necessarily involved. It gives us a chance to get housework done WHILE watching her, which has been great.

Picking favorites:
Although she continues to be a momma's girl, her momma has been sick a lot in December which means her daddy has been almost exclusively taking care of her - and she is starting to get used to, and like, all the stuff she does with him. Now when she sees her daddy get ready to give her a bath, or get the high chair out, she gets excited and heads over to him, and she is starting to let him know as much as me when she's ready for a nap.

Communication:
As always, Layla is an excellent communicator and has been telling us quite clearly (sometimes with sign language!) when she's hungry, all done, ready for bed, wants to be cuddled, and wants something she's not supposed to have (which is often the best thing to have). Her newest thing is to clap - when she's happy (because you give her something she wants or someone she's excited about just came in the room), when you sing a good song (and she dances too!), or just to indicate 'yes!' (like when offer a banana).

Layla's excellent communication skills have earned her top marks at daycare.

Layla especially loves to get into the cabinet under the sink, and be NAUGHTY

Cupcake skirt!

2010-12-06T08:11:00.001-08:00

This is the baby skirt I made in November. Layla wore it for her second Iowa debut, and her first Illinois debut.
The ladies in my sewing class helped me pick out the fabric combinations and my sewing teacher gave me confidence in my ability to follow the pattern (which was not as hard as I expected).

New videos!

2010-12-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

Here are two new videos that highlight what Layla has been up to.

First, she is crawling super fast and getting into even more stuff around the house! I think she's an inch taller since we got back from the Motherland too, which means she can be even more NAUGHTY! Here she is getting into things and then zipping across the room to come visit me.

Second, she is becoming really interactive with us. Here she is copying the Studly Hubby as he teaches her how to roar. Get ready for super-cuteness.

Update

2010-12-04T07:46:00.001-08:00

I've been skimping on the blog lately, but I hope to post more this weekend. Meanwhile, I thought I'd fill you in on what I've been up to:

- In October and November I hunkered down and finished a HUGE project at work that I've been working hard on since I came back from maternity leave. Hooray! Even though I was hoping to finish it in August... oh well. Now all the experiments are now finished and the manuscript is on the boss' desk.

- In October I took a sewing class and made a SKIRT! I didn't quite finish it so had to finish on my own but it turned out beautifully. I wore it home for Thanksgiving but didn't get a picture. I will try to do so this weekend and post it here. My sewing teacher says I need to take a picture of everything I make and put it in my 'sewing portfolio' which may end up being my blog.

- In November I sewed my first official piece of clothing from a pattern on my own - a super-cute cupcake pattern baby skirt. It was surprisingly easy but took some hours. I am starting to find sewing to be the perfect thing to do in the evening after a long day on my computer at work. Good thing Baby Layla goes to bed at 6 pm! Again, a picture will be posted on the blog ASAP.

- In November we had the first snow storm in Seattle! Layla thought it was pretty cool. Our daycare closed for 2.5 days (and another one the next week due to heat problems) and the Studly Hubby graciously baby-sat while I wrapped up my project the day before we left town for Thanksgiving.

- For Thanksgiving the family went to the 'Motherland' for the second time since Layla was born for a long week of visiting. It went off very well, and we got to see EVERYONE (well, almost everyone! - there was a rogue aunt and uncle who took off for DC right before we got there, and my dad's extended family who we saw at a reunion in August).

- Layla is busting out all over the place! She can crawl at top speed, has learned how to play peek-a-boo, can stand almost unassisted, has gotten a little taller (time to move the bookshelves!), and is eating up all the food in the house.

Pictures soon!

Tagged!

2010-11-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

I got tagged! I was just thinking, boy, all I ever do is post about Layla, so I'm going to take this as a challenge to post about the rest of my life for a change.

Here are the questions:

1. What is one of your fondest childhood memories?

I had three pets I was crazy about - my horse Rocky, my other horse Silk, and my dog Archimedes. Most of my really fond memories revolved around them.

2. What do you love most about your spouse/significant other?

This is hard! I have too many things to say in a short post. What I love most, I guess, is that he is so dang attractive - he IS the Studly Hubby, after all. But I also love that he is constantly seeking new adventures and wants to grow as a person and husband and father - which he really has done! And he is also so dang attractive, did I mention that?

3. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully still married, with another kid (or 5, see below), and a good job that I like in a city I approve of. And most important, I want to be somewhere that I will STAY - I'm tired of never being sure where I will end up.

4. What is your favorite book?

This is hard too. The Harry Potter series is definitely in the top 10. When I was in high school, it was 'the World According to Garp', but I haven't read it in so long now I don't even recall what it was about. My favorite book from recent times is 'The Poisonwood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver. My two favorite book club books (I've been in a library book club since I moved to Seattle) are 'Bel Canto' by Ann Patchett and 'the Color of Water' by James McBride.

5. Who is someone you look up to, and why?

My Ph.D. boss and my post-doc boss are both really amazing people and really amazing at what they do. I was very very lucky to have been placed in the hands of such great people. I also look up to my mother and father, and my grandparents on both sides, because they have all led really amazing lives and they have each done things that inspire me.

6. If you had unlimited funds and could plan a dream vacation, where would you go & what would you do?

Recently we have been wanting to go to Hawaii because it's close and seems relaxing. But really if I had unlimited funds (and unlimited vacation time) I would either bike around Europe or go build a house (or hut) in a developing country - preferably one that speaks English, since I am horrible at learning foreign languages.

7. What character traits do you have that are most like your mother? What ones are like your father?

I worry a lot, which both of my parents do. I am like my mom in that I worry out loud, and always want feedback about it - but then we both usually end up making decisions we are very happy about. I am like my dad in that I am baby crazy!! My dad had 5 kids and wishes he had more, I never understood it until I had my first and now I want 5 more.

8. What has been the biggest challenge you've faced this year?

Juggling a baby that I'm crazy about with a crazy career.

8 months!!

2010-11-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

Layla is a big 8 months today!! Here are some of the things she's been up to:

EATING! She loves to eat, and gets a lot of variety at daycare (they have an in-house chef and provide 'baby-food' versions of all their meals to the baby room). At home, she LOVES cheerios, which we introduced this week, and bananas, and she's still fond of oatmeal, sweet potato, squash, and carrots. She's decided she dislikes avocado and really, really hates quinoa, unless she gets it at daycare (she loves everything to do with daycare).

PLAYING!! She plays so hard at daycare she hardly pauses to take a nap, and when she's at home with us she plays hard too, until it's bedtime (6 pm, see below).

SLEEPING! Layla takes bedtime very seriously. If she isn't heading to bed at 6 pm, she throws a huge fit until she's happily sleeping in her crib, and then she stays in her crib until 5 or 6 am the next morning... she is a BIG sleeper.

COMMUNICATING!! Layla is communicating all over the place. At daycare, she is learning baby sign language and practices words with her friends (yesterday Layla and another girl told the daycare worker 'no! no! no! no! no!'). At home, she tries to tell us about her big days at daycare, her likes (cheerios) and dislikes (avocado), and every once in a while she says something intelligible. Her first real word was 'mama', her second was 'hi!', her third was 'dada', and her fourth, 'no!' (the last two are less frequent and I'm not sure if she really means 'no' or just discovered the new sound). Today she spoke her first sentence, which was 'hi dada!' - except it was to an empty, dark room (when I took her in to show her dada, she was stunned into silence). She is also showing lots of emotions - she hugs and has been known to give kisses, apparently she consoled an upset daycare worker the other day, she asks to be picked up and held, gets excited when she sees her mom and dad, hates getting dressed, and LOVES daycare.

GROWING!! She is still growing fast, although not as fast as when she was a little-little baby. I am very happy that she has worn the same size pants for over a month now, although she just outgrew all of her 6-month size onesies.

So there's Layla's 8-month review. I'm still working on an alleged baby book, so these are some of my notes that I will use for it. It's easy to forget some things when everything changes so fast!

The amazing 12-hour sleep

2010-11-08T20:35:00.001-08:00

Layla has become a reliably good sleeper since about 4 months, when we officially 'sleep trained' her (out of necessity). Now, she sleeps from about 6 pm until about 6 am. Everyone says we are very lucky, and I feel very lucky, but this does come with a little trouble that we are still working around.

First, going to bed at 6 pm is fine as long as your parents managed to get home from work, pick you up, feed you and bathe you and get you in your pajamas by then. If not, then we have to deal with an insane mad tantrum (she says 'GET ME TO BED RIGHT NOW!!!' and throws a mega-fit over it). We have tried with all our might to change her bedtime to a little later, but it seems we are working against some sort of internal clock that can't be changed.

Second, it is actually about a million times harder to get up at 6 am than to get up at 7 or even 6:30 am. At 6 am I am totally wrecked. And she often gets up even earlier, like at 5:30. And for a week she got up at 5:15. It almost killed us. Our house is small, so even if one of us gets up with her to let the other one sleep, it's not very good sleep. And when she gets up at 5:15 or 5:30 she demands to go back down for a nap at 7:30 which is right when I want to pack her up and head off to the daycare (and when you've been up since 5:15 you really want to just go back to bed at 7:30 which I did one morning but it wasn't really helpful).

And third, the time just changed so now she wants to go to bed at 5 and get up at 5, which is much much worse. So while everyone else is saying 'yay! I get to sleep in an extra hour!' I am grinding my teeth and worrying how I'm going to accommodate our little sleep monster's super-sleep schedule.

Fortunately, the first day of the time change (today) she slept until 7 (which is now 6) and stayed up until 7 (which is now 6) so maybe she's adjusting herself and it won't be so bad. I have always wondered if her internal clock is actually responding to external things like when she gets home from daycare and when the neighbor starts up his car early in the morning. If so perhaps this will not be so bad after all. Nevertheless, I've convinced the Studly Hubby to go to bed at 8:30 at night for a few nights just in case. It's weird but the extra sleep has been soooooo nice...

"HI!"

2010-11-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

Layla has had a big new development over the last two weeks - she's started talking!!! I mean, really communicating!! There was no 'hey mom and dad, I'd like a sandwich' but rather a particular sound ('mama') that she started to use more and more when she wanted something (especially when I am nearby), along with an obvious understanding that I am her mama (she looks at me when someone says 'where is your mama?' - on that note, she also seems to know her own name now too). So after a week of debating we finally decided over the weekend that 'mama' is definitely her first real word. Then, very surprisingly, they reported at the daycare today that 'Hi!' is her second word!! She turned around to one of the daycare workers today, waved at them, and said 'Hi!', completely surprising everyone. Then she did it all afternoon, but of course she didn't do it when we came to pick her up. Fortunately, we actually heard her first 'Hi!' last week but we didn't think it was real (we were still debating 'mama').

So it's pretty obvious now that Layla is a baby genius. I am going to try not to be surprised when she actually does request a sandwich next week. They told us at daycare that she must have smart parents but I denied all possibility of it - it takes me three full days just to write a paragraph of a paper I'm writing for work so I'm not feeling 'genius' at all right now - and I don't think I was a genius as a baby either (although I must say I was pretty darn cute). But it's nice to revel in my baby's genius. And probably the rest of her family should revel too because if it didn't come from me it had to come from one of the rest of you all and you might as well take credit for it (while you can - baby genius may not directly translate into adult genius).

Layla's enthusiasm

2010-10-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

Layla likes a lot of weird things. She LOVES her sippy cup like it's the long-lost friend she just discovered.

She also loves her monkey chair and now that she's mobile she doesn't even need to be in it - she just wants to go over and shake it a bunch.

Other things she finds fascinating:

Shoelaces
Furniture hardware (particularly the coffee table drawer knobs)
Remote controls
Computer keyboards (early evidence she is leaning towards geekdom)
Cups (not just sippy cups - any kind of cup)
Zippers and buttons and straps
Strings and cords
Coasters - especially our bamboo ones (although we let her have those so she is quickly losing interest)

As you can see in the video, we have one enthusiastic kid on our hands. It's fun to rediscover the joy of things like shoelaces as you watch her delight in them.

Waving!

2010-10-31T20:13:00.000-07:00

Layla is waving! She is also, as I mentioned before, using sign language to tell us 'more' and 'milk'. Unfortunately she still gets all these confused (and sometimes just generically smacks her hand on something), but we've been able to pick out some definite intentional gestures in between all the others. Below she turns a generic hand-smacking into a wave, and waves at me, then her dad, then at me some more, then decides she's done and exits.

You may notice at the end of the video I say 'you're so cute' - I say this a lot in videos and I suspect I might say this a lot in general. I guess it's good positive reinforcement for Layla but I didn't even realize I was doing it so often until i was going through all these videos tonight. Well I guess at least it's clear to you all how I feel about her!!

A day in the life

2010-10-31T20:03:00.001-07:00

This is our little Layla, cruising all around the place and working on her motor development skills. They say that the reason babies start to get more lean as they pass the 6-month mark is because they become so active - if that is true then Layla will become as skinny as a string bean soon!

Two notes: 1. Her extreme drive to play is very clear in this video - she doesn't stop just to cry about a little old bump! 2. In the background you can see the consequence of her new mobility - stuff is everywhere! She pulls things down from anywhere she can and it all ends up on the floor. Usually she doesn't pay any attention to it after she pulls it down but every once in a while she finds something so interesting she lets go of whatever she is holding onto and falls on her butt. Poor Layla!

Stroller coma

2010-10-20T23:07:00.001-07:00

Whenever we take Layla out in her fancy-pants new stroller she immediately goes into 'stroller coma' - she gets a glazed look, gets really quiet, and stays totally still for however long you are out. I take this to mean she likes the stroller. The Studly Hubby claims she has stayed in 'stroller coma' for over an hour while he was out running, on several occasions!!

Now that it's getting cold we have to make sure we get a hat on her (the knit hat my friend B made is now too small! But we liked it so much we went out and got another knit hat). We are also looking for some baby-mittens to buy and we put little socks and soft-soled shoes on her. Here we were only out for a bit so we just tucked a warm blanket around her.

She is getting very big for the Moby wrap (front-carrier) but I still use it a lot especially to take her to daycare while I walk my bike with all of our bags of stuff for the day. We both love the Moby, and Layla will cheer up every time she is in it even when she's super mad at me for not getting her to the daycare fast enough in the morning. I think one of the things she likes best is being right in front and center so she can say hello to all the patrons of the coffee shop that is on our way. They all think she is super cute and often stop to tell her that. It's very fun for her - and it's pretty fun for me too!!

More 6 month photos!

2010-10-20T22:41:00.001-07:00

Here are the rest of Layla's 6-month photos!!

First pony ride!!

2010-10-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

Layla sat on a pony for the first time last weekend at Biringer Pumpkin Farm near Edmonds WA. We were extremely excited about it; she was indifferent. For the record, the pony was also indifferent (he was eating grass the entire time).

New Layla video!

2010-10-17T20:56:00.001-07:00

We finally caught the elusive Layla crawling on video - which actually took a while.\

While we had the video camera out we also caught her 'crazy happy' mood, which seems to be induced by nothing in particular. Here she is extremely excited about the couch.

And here she is watching her crazy daddy (the one and only Studly Hubby) tearing back and forth down the hallway. I'm not sure what he was trying to do but it was pretty funny watching her while he did it.

COMMUNICATING with Layla...!

2010-10-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Layla 'spoke' to me yesterday for the first time! She used baby sign language for 'milk' when I came to pick her up. It was amazing! I realized this was our 'first contact' from Layla... in fact, it was the first time she has responded to us in general other than earlier this week when I think she was trying to clap her hands while I sang "if you're happy and you know it" - another thing I think she learned at daycare. Thank goodness for daycare! it would never have occurred to me that we could teach her sign language and that she would USE it.

Layla has also started communicating affection towards me. First she crawled to me when I came home after work (and today she asked to be picked up for the first time by reaching up towards me). Then she HUGGED me after I picked her up - how neat is that! Unfortunately, this is all very new and she hasn't crawled to or hugged her daddy yet, and I think he's excitedly waiting for that. But he gets a different kind of affection - Layla laughs whenever he comes in the room!! I wonder why she does that... I'm starting to feel like Layla is my special buddy. Not only does she willingly go with me wherever I want to go (the Farmer's Market, the fabric store, my friend's house, etc), but she LOVES me too!! I'm such a lucky mom.

Layla's Progress

2010-10-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

It seems like as soon as Layla masters something new, she starts working on the next thing. It's dizzying! Also petrifying - last week, she kept falling as she tried to pull herself up onto furniture, and were convinced it would land us in the ER. This week, she can pull herself up and stand without falling, but she falls when she tried to move from one piece of furniture to the next. We are going to have to cover the house in foam!

Here is what she has mastered:
-crawling: she is off! she can crawl all over the place now!
-pulling herself up to standing

This is what she is working on:
-Pulling herself up from lying down to sitting (especially during diaper changes)
-Sitting back down after standing
-Letting go while she's standing - hopefully Mom or Dad is nearby to catch her!
-COMMUNICATION!!! See above

Daddy plays!

2010-10-10T09:04:00.001-07:00

I think all daddies can't wait until their baby is old enough to play. So it was no surprise that the Studly Hubby was pretty excited when Layla started responded to things and giggling delightedly at things that make her happy. The Studly Hubby has been finding all sorts of great ways to play with Layla. Sometimes they just sit together and work on a toy or book, or one of her many new developments (she's standing now!). But other times they roll around on the floor together or Layla gets to fly through the air like an airplane... how much fun is that! Good thing for daddies!!

New baby dress masterpiece!!

2010-10-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

A brave friend of mine just had baby #3, a baby girl. I was so inspired I ventured out of my monkey-pants routine and made her a baby dress. Then midstream through the dress I thought I should take it up a notch from the last one and try to make it reversible. Reversible dresses are so much better because they are lined with clean seams AND you get to pick out TWO sets of fabric.

So this is the finished masterpiece. I am proud of the result but felt like I could have made some of the seams straighter - and I've already bought fabric to try again for a fall baby dress for Layla.

But most important, hopefully my friend's baby #3 likes it and can wear it to the Baby Grand Ball this winter when it finally fits her!! I can't wait to see what she looks like in it!

Skirt update!

2010-10-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Bought fabric for the skirt I'm making in sewing class!

is it the sky? or a flower? hmmm...

ZomBCon

2010-10-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

Apparently Seattle is the Zombie Capital of the World. And as such, we are going to be hosting ZomBCon in October. Excellent!

If you are a big Zombie fan you really should check out this article on mathematical modeling of a zombie outbreak. A sentence from the abstract: 'Mathematical models were created to establish the speed of zombie infection and evaluate potential scenarios for intervention, mainly because mathematicians don't have anything better to do with their time.' Clearly! I hope the authors are at ZomBCon so I can hear an update on their progress!

The Studly Hubby tells me he is getting a little sick of zombies. He is NOT planning to go to ZomBCon. Oh well, I will just have to take Layla!!

Sewing class!

2010-10-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

I signed up for a sewing class, and it starts next week!! We are going to sew a skirt (below). I need to go pick out fabric this weekend. I will of course make a matching baby dress for my daughter Miss Layla.

Even though I have been on a sewing kick recently, I realized I really don't know much about sewing. I can barely follow a pattern (which makes the range of possibilities very limited), I can't cut a straight line of fabric, and the things I make keep having problems that I don't know how to solve. So, hopefully this class will be a big step forward. And I will be able to make a really neat-o skirt in it!!

The class is in the early evening in our neighborhood. It starts just before Miss Layla goes to bed, so that means the Studly Hubby will have to put her to bed at night. He normally doesn't do this, since I have the Power of the Boob which is very effective at bedtime. But on the rare occasion that he has to step in he doesn't seem to have much of a problem, so hopefully all will go smoothly. It is a 3-week class (one evening a week).

In addition to picking out fabric, I have to buy a page-long list of supplies (like going back to school) and take my own sewing machine. So this weekend I am going to get myself into Sewing Mode. Maybe I'll make another baby dress in the process!!

Cute little-little babies

2010-10-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

We have been subjected to a few little-little babies lately, and it's really taking a toll on my Baby Resistance Mechanisms. They get you in all sorts of weird ways, and now that I have an almost-7 month old I find I am having even more trouble than ever.

First, little-little babies have a very weak-sounding cry that reminds me of a cat meow. When Layla was a little-little baby, I wasn't used to her cry so when she cried, I thought the world was going to end. But, now that she's a little older and cries all the time, and LOUDLY, the cries of a little-little baby are NOTHING to me. In fact, I am astonished to find myself actually saying, 'oh, how CUTE...'

Second, they are light as a feather. I could carry one around all day long.

Third, they have such cute little heads. I don't know why this gets me, but it does.

I have to remind myself that having a little-little baby is not all sliding down rainbows and eating ice cream (although I did eat a lot of ice cream). They wake you up at night, they demand food and bouncing and swaddling and all kinds of maintenance that you can't predict, and they can't hold up their heads so you have to be extra-careful (this was particularly stressful for me). Plus they grow out of their cute little clothes in less than a day, which requires constant wardrobe upgrades, and they can't play fun games with you like 'peek-a-boo.' But they are so CUTE!!! The Studly Hubby and I will need another one someday. But not too soon, as the slightly-older little baby we have now is still quite the handful.

My new friend Farro

2010-10-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

I've got a new addiction - Farro. It's a grain. I guess there is some debate about what farro is, so I'm talking about the kind that is also called Emmer. It's an old-world grain that is low in gluten and DELICIOUS.

I discovered farro at the Ballard Market. I am a big fan of hot cereal, especially in the fall when it starts to get chilly outside. When I was a kid, my mom used to make 'Little Bear' hot cereal on the weekends and it was delicious. So now that I have a kid, I guess I'm trying to find my way back into that tradition. Except I have no idea what 'Little Bear' cereal actually was (a special blend made by our local coop). I bought some hot cereal from Red Mill a while ago that was just not right. Then I stopped by a booth at the Farmer's Market and got talked into trying their farro.

The farro is grown by Blue Bird Grain Farms in WA. It's fresh and organic, and a family-run farm, so it's a feel-good food. But most important, it's delicious. It's nutty and high in protein and has a nice chewy texture and is just what I was looking for. Unfortunately, after I discovered it, I also discovered that Blue Bird Grain Farms seems to have a monopoly on farro. Other than them, you can only buy expensive imported stuff from Italy. And it seems to also be a yuppie food. A bunch of fancy-pants restaurants in Seattle have started buying farro from Blue Bird Grain Farms and using it in their fancy-pants dishes to impress their fancy-pants clientele. Somehow I am always attracted to the fancy-pants variety of products. So now I am addicted and I am stuck. I will have to be a yuppie. But at least I can buy it at the Farmer's Market (is this also a yuppie thing to do? I can't decide).

Also we have started eating quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) and we really love it. It's also high in protein, totally gluten-free (so good for babies) and cooks super fast. Thanks Aunt Margot for getting us hooked!

Layla is on the move

2010-10-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

We tried to videotape Layla's new crawling habit this weekend but missed it again and again. But we did get some cute video of her sort-of crawling and then distracting herself.

6-month stats and 6-month developments

2010-10-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

Layla was 6 months old almost 3 weeks ago and I've been so preoccupied I didn't get a chance to post about it - and since then she's made some serious progress on her mobility.

First, I have to report that at her 6-month checkup she was a whopping 17.5 lbs and 26.5 inches tall, which is the 75th percentile for both (down from 90th percentile at her last checkup - I guess it is common for breast-fed babies to be big in their first 6 months and slow down in the second 6 months). She also took the vaccinations very well this time, only cried for a minute, and tore up the paper on the doctor's table in record speed.

But the really big news around our house is that as of this morning LAYLA IS CRAWLING!!! She succeeded in putting one knee forward, then the other, over and over, for about 5 steps (up from 2 on Wednesday). Unfortunately her balance is still very bad and she face-plants often, but usually doesn't mind. We got a video of it and I'll try to post it tomorrow.

Another big new development is that she is pulling herself up to standing, although she usually falls over immediately so we have been keeping a very close eye on her. In the picture above she is about to pull herself up in her crib, which is her favorite place to do this (and the best padded). She got her first 'incident report' at the daycare this week from a big face-plant that led to a bump on her noggin and some ice treatment. We were proud parents when we saw that first incident report in our mailbox.

As a first-time parent, it is FASCINATING to watch our baby develop. Over the past 2 weeks she has gone from totally immobile to totally mobile. She worked very hard to learn how to coordinate her knees, balance herself on all fours, and build the muscle strength in her arms and torso. Usually she was so frustrated at how hard it was she was actually crying while she was practicing. Then she got it! and now she is SO HAPPY. She was giggling and screeching all day today while she explored our living room for the first time. It was amazing to watch!!

This month, Octoboer, is NaBloPoMo, which I may or may not participate in. I guess I won't, since it's already Oct 2 and I didn't post yesterday. But, I will try to post more often this month in honor of it, which I think is worth something.

Grandma came to town, and we went to the Ballard Market

2010-09-26T19:58:00.001-07:00

On Friday Layla's Grandma L came to town to visit again, her first time back since her helpful visit last March when Layla was a little-little brand-new baby.

We have been having so much fun!! On Saturday we had pancakes at home and then walked around the neighborhood, up to the lake, to a garage sale (where we bought a pile of things) and then went to lunch in Fremont and Yellow Leaf Cupcakes. On the way to get the cupcakes we convinced ourselves to buy their famous Pancakes N Bacon cupcakes but when we got there they were out! So we settled for Orange Cake, Boston Cream, Snowball, and Chocolate-Toffee, which were all delicious.

Today we needed to let the Studly Hubby get some work done so Layla and Grandma L and I drove out to Ballard to go to the Farmer's Market, which I love but haven't been to in about a year.

I have made some really awesome discoveries at the Ballard Farmer's Market, including the Best Soap, Pie and Cheese in the World, and Layla discovered her favorite new band, That Family That Plays the Most Awesome Bluegrass at the Market. Even when she's tired and cranky she's still happy to watch bluegrass at the market.

Afterwards we went to Kerry Park in Queen Anne where you can take the most scenic pictures of Seattle, although we all three forgot our cameras. So, my mom and Layla slept in the car for a while and I played on my iPhone, then when they woke up we all checked out the view and headed back home.

At home, Layla worked on her mobility. She has really made progress this week. Last week, she was getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth and crying with the frustration of not being mobile. This week, she learned how to get from that position into a sitting-up position and then this weekend she learned how to combine sitting-up, rolling, and wiggling on all fours to actually get around the living room. So, I'm going to call it:

LAYLA IS MOBILE

So now we're chasing her around our living room keeping her from getting into all the stuff she can't wait to get into, like all the cords by the phone, the cabinets under the TV, the stuff on our shelves, and that intriguing space under the coffee table. Unfortunately, she bonked herself on the noggin a few times and we are learning how much dust we've been collecting behind the couch, but for the most part it's really exciting.

deals and steals

2010-09-18T21:32:00.001-07:00

I've become a huge fan of online shopping since I had a baby. You can do it late at night, there's no rush to figure out what you need, and everything gets delivered to your door. Also, I've found some AMAZING websites that have great deals or just a nice layout with everything you'd ever need. Here are some of them:

1. Diapers.com. Someone told me about this months ago and I ignored them until recently, when I realized they had 20% off of the carseats we were looking into buying (and then I found a lot of other stuff that was way cheaper than the other sources we were using). They deliver in 2 days too! If you use it let me know and I can give you my 'referral' code and get $10.

2. albeebaby.com I think this is like diapers.com but with different stuff on sale.

3. babysteals.com This is like 'groupon' but for babies, and laid out fancier so it makes you really want to buy the stuff.

4. zulily.com Just found out about this so haven't had time to check it out but it's basically like babysteals only for designer items.

Did I miss any good ones? Let me know!

Also Old Navy is having an awesome sale on baby stuff right now!

Baby group!

2010-09-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here are all the babies from our parent support group! Layla is in the middle, grabbing at the pacifier strap of the baby next to her. I can now say that lining up 8 6-month olds and taking a picture is not easy, but very entertaining.

Wallyhood blog

2010-09-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood has a blog! I love to check in every once in a while and read about garage sales, weird stuff people have on their lawns, church fundraisers, etc. This week the blog suddenly became useful, however, when we got a letter in the mail that a church near us is planning to be a site for an organized homeless group. What! There was a very heated discussion about this that we had to miss, and tomorrow is 'opening day'. So we both checked out all the details on the wallyhood blog, and found out that a lot of our neighbors were doing the same (the first blog post on this topic had 116 comments!). It turns out that for the most part, it should be ok - it's not a huge group (like the famous Seattle Tent City and Nickelsville groups). There will only be 15 people/night, they have to sign in and out, they will be supervised, and they have to be in by 9 pm and out by 7 am. But, unfortunately, an unregistered sex offender was hanging out in the last one for a while before he got caught (they don't have time to do background checks on everyone). And, weirdly, the church that is hosting this shelter happens to also host a daycare (not OUR daycare, thank goodness, but you can see why this is controversial).

But, what can we do? We have to try to help the homeless, right? And how can you help them if you don't let them sleep anywhere? This program keeps SO MANY people from sleeping outside. And problems in the nearby neighborhood are VERY RARE. So, I don't see any good solid reason to shut it down (other than the daycare issue, which as I said is very weird). But, I have to admit, I'll be a little nervous for a while as the neighborhood adjusts to its new neighbors.

6 month photos!!

2010-09-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

We have been looking forward to getting 6-month photos ever since we got our totally awesome newborn photos (when Layla was 5 days old!). In anticipation, we went on a shopping spree at Once Upon A Time in Queen Anne, a kids store with lots of fancy-pants locally handmade items. You can spend a lot of money fast at that store! But, it's good to get a couple of really really nice things every once in a while.

But one of the best things for our pictures - the 30-year quilt! We spread this out in the grass and took a bunch of photos on it, and it was really comfy AND beautiful!! And the photographer couldn't BELIEVE my dad made it.

Our photographer is really amazing, and as we expected she took some awesome shots of us, even though Miss Layla put on her crabby pants after only about 40 min.

These are just a few - I'll try to post more once we get the entire set.

Crawling!

2010-09-12T21:48:00.001-07:00

Layla is trying so hard to be mobile. She is getting up on her hands and knees and working really hard on moving around but still can't, and then gets really frustrated over it. We spent the entire weekend working with her on the floor because we really wanted to see her crawl for the first time (instead of the daycare workers getting to see it!). We each got down there and showed her how it's done, and we moved her knees for her, and we encouraged her by cheering her on and putting toys she wanted just out of reach. But, the end of the weekend came and she still isn't crawling yet. She is, however, scooting backwards (much to her irritation - she moves AWAY from the toy she wants instead of towards it), and she can also turn 180 degrees around now. So, we made some progress. We'll see what the week holds!

Crawling!

2010-09-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Two good quotes

2010-09-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

Quotes are changed slightly for clear context

"It's the beginning of mobility; the beginning of the long haul into adulthood where they will get a car and struggle to keep it running" - my dad, on Layla's recent first signs of crawling

"Wow, if my dad called to tell me he was sewing a quilt I would panic and board the next flight out to make sure he was ok" - our photographer, after hearing about the quilt my dad made for Layla

Silly Hospitals!

2010-09-09T20:29:00.001-07:00

The hospital where Layla was born was mostly good to us, but had a little trouble with the bill. First, they called me in the birthing suite to ask what insurance we had for Layla. Who is coherent enough to know anything about insurance at that point? Not me. Then, instead of asking again at a later time when I might actually know, they just billed the wrong insurance and charged us when insurance didn't pay. I was quite surprised that the part we owed for Layla was only about $50. The rest of the bill, for the birth and the recovery and all, was something like three million dollars. They charged $15,000 alone just to stay in the room I was in. What an expensive room! Note that I was only there for 36 hours total, and had no problems at all. Thank goodness I have good insurance! And thank goodness I have good backup insurance (my husband's insurance)! I am very lucky and didn't have to pay anything at all, except that $50 for Layla. Since I am a busy new mom, when I got the bill for $50 I thought it would be sufficient to write in the correct insurance info on the bill and send it back to the hospital. It turns out, that takes a few weeks to process, and meanwhile they started freaking out about their $50. Considering they just hawked three million dollars off my insurance company, I thought maybe they would let the $50 go for a little while until I got Layla's insurance information straightened out. But, no. So, after they called us and made some evil threats, I finally wrote them a check for $50. Then today, I came home to find... surprise! a reimbursement check from the hospital for $50. Yay!

Oh my goodness. I'm glad I don't have to deal with hospitals very often.

Teeth!!

2010-09-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl has teeth!!! Can you believe it?

I'd like to point out a few other things about this picture. First, Layla's hair is CHANGING COLOR - it used to be a very very dark brown (and quite wispy) and now the same hair is turning into a cute reddish color... much like mine!! It's also filling in and growing..! It's so pretty! Second, she STILL LOVES EYORE!! She has loved Eyore since she was a little tiny baby and it still holds. Luckily she has THREE Eyores, including one GIANT one waiting for her at Grandma's house in Iowa.

Camping Trip!

2010-09-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

We must be really crazy, and maybe a little delusional, because we took our 6-month baby on a camping trip this weekend. But, we survived to tell the tale, and even had a little fun (I got to eat TEN s'mores).

We weren't sure if Layla would like it, or at least like it more than playing with her toys on the kitchen floor, but it turns out she LOVED it. Especially the tents. Our friends had a giant tent and two little girls that were playing inside - and Layla fussed and fussed until I finally figured out she wanted to go IN the tent to play with everyone, which we did. She was SO HAPPY to get in there and be part of all the action. Tents are cool! And she was so motivated to crawl this weekend that she finally did! Although she is crawling backwards only, so far.

We also went on some neat hikes, which Layla really enjoyed, and ate a lot of bad camp food, which Layla did not seem to enjoy (good thing we brought a lot of diapers!), and we did some swimming in a cold lake and some hanging around the beach and some wandering around tide pools during low tide. Layla got to see a lot of neat stuff!! And the weather was perfect, as long as you weren't hoping for a long swim in the lake.

We came back a little early, to a quiet drizzly holiday in Seattle, and Layla and I napped all afternoon together to work on recovering from the big camping trip.

Some great headlines around Washington

2010-09-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

While we were on the ferry on the way back from our camping trip in the San Juan Islands, I saw a local newspaper with an awesome headline:

3 Local Orcas Missing

Do they really KNOW when orcas are missing? And where could they possibly go? Aren't they pretty big? I tried to dig out 75 cents to find out more but didn't have it, so when I got home I looked up the paper to read the article. It turns out they are presumed DEAD!! And the salmon are doing well this year, so it's not from a shortage of food. What a mystery.

While I was reading news headlines online, I found out there are a whole bunch of other good headlines out there, in the San Juan Islands and beyond. Here are a few more:

'EMT Response Time Hindered by Poor Cell Service' (proof that we really WERE roughing it where we were camping)

'Investigators track foot found in Green Bank' (it turns out there is a long history of feet washing up on shore in Western Washington - and nobody knows where they are coming from... good thing WE didn't find one! That would be so gross!)

'Public Masturbator Caught on Camera in Denny Park' (and there's a picture... but just of his face, I had to check. Again, glad none of us got to see this)

So it was really too bad I couldn't find 75 cents to buy that paper! That'll teach me to carry some change around next time!!

Sippy Cup!

2010-09-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

We got Layla a sippy cup, because she told us a while ago that she really wanted to drink out of a cup like a grown-up. She loves to play with it but hasn't quite gotten the hang of tipping it all the way up so she can actually drink what's in it. But it has nice big handles and doesn't spill or break so she can take her time.

Fangs!!

2010-08-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

I don't have pictures, but wanted to announce that miss Layla popped her two front bottom teeth this weekend!!

It was a big weekend! It was the 6 month anniversary of her due date (Feb 28 2010) so we had Yellow Leaf cupcakes (the best in town), and went on a shopping spree for her 6-month photo shoot coming up in two weeks. Boy, you can spend a lot of money fast on cute baby clothes!! She also ate her first solid food (see below) and popped her first teeth, all at once. What a big girl!!

Layla gets some avacado

2010-08-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

Layla has been ready for her first solid food for a while now, but the doctor recommended we wait until 6 months and we've been awful busy (first solid food requires lots of media attention) so we put it off until now.

We decided to start with avocado, because it's one of the first foods recommended on the helpful website www.wholesomebabyfood.com and by lots of other resources (FYI rice cereal, the first baby food of choice for many years, is now disputed and under review by the APA- it's bland and not very nutritious).

We blended up a super-ripe avocado with some fresh breastmilk to make a yummy-looking (sarcasm) 'avocado milkshake.' Then we stripped Layla down to her diaper, stuck her in her bumbo chair, and spooned some up. We were not surprised when she grabbed the spoon and stuck it in her mouth, and then grabbed a handful and stuck that in her mouth. What a smart girl! Then she grabbed the spoon and waved it all around, and took a handful and smeared it all over her chest, and very quickly there was avocado milkshake all over the place.

We're not sure which she liked more - the avocado milkshake or the big mess she got to make - but she had a blast! She was so worn out afterwards she couldn't wait for bed.

Layla helps herself!

2010-08-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Layla has always been a good communicator. When she's hungry, she opens her mouth and reaches for what she wants. Lately, that has been everything from a burrito to a flower. As her parents, we feel obligated to make sure what goes in her mouth is (mostly) good for her, so we have been following doctor's orders to keep her on breastmilk only until 6 months. But while we were in New Mexico, she decided she was done with that and helped herself to some water. We weren't surprised, since it was 100F every day we were there.

This was during her bath, which was in the kitchen sink since the place we were staying didn't have a bathtub. She also decided she was ready to drink out of a cup, and told us by reaching for the cup we were using to dump water on her and drinking from it. She had a hard time with it though, so we'll probably get her a sippy cup.

Sleeper

2010-08-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Now that Layla is being left alone in her crib more, and she can roll over and scoot herself all around, we've stopped using her swaddle so she doesn't get stuck somewhere she doesn't want to be. This means she gets to hang around in really cute sleepers and sleep sacks all the time.

In case you're wondering, what in the world is a sleep sack? I assure you we wondered the same thing, and now I can share our new knowledge. They are blankets for babies that have arm-holes and zip up so the babies can't get all tangled up in them. This is the cutest sleep sack we could find in town, it's by Aiden and Anais which is apparently all the rage in Hollywood. Also it is made out of a really lightweight material for summer.

The epic diaper journey comes to an end

2010-08-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

It seems like we are making so many big changes these days I hardly have time to document all of them. But the diaper journey is important.

We started out using ALL cloth diapers (with a service), because we thought it was the best for the environment (who knows if it really is, one can argue all over this one). Cloth diapers are easy in that you can blow through 10 without feeling too guilty about it (at 10 cents each) and use them for other stuff like burp cloths, wipes, etc. Which we did. The first few months we were getting 150 diapers PER WEEK and we used them all! They are hard, however, when you are out on the town (you always need a plastic bag to bring home the used ones) or if your kid pees 8 gallons at a time which happened to us frequently (mostly at night). So it may generate some extra laundry. Also something to consider is that diaper covers cost about $10 each and you have to buy new ones every time your kid growth spurts which in our case was way too often.

So after a while we started to modify, and used disposable diapers at night and sometimes when we went out, cloth diapers that fit larger size ranges (Thirsties are nice), and things got a lot easier. But then the kid started sleeping all the time, and is in daycare most of the rest of the time (they have their own cloth diapers), and on weekends we are partying down and using mostly disposables, so this week we decided to finally cancel the diaper service. What a change! I am reeling.

So that's our diaper journey. I am proud we made it almost to 6 months using mostly cloth diapers. And I am happy to report that we will continue to use cloth diapers at the daycare, and environmentally friendly disposables at home (whatever that means), so we aren't all bad. But the era of the cloth diaper service has come to an end.

Layla visits the Desert

2010-08-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Traveling to the Motherland wasn't hard enough, so we thought we'd challenge ourselves again with a trip out to New Mexico to visit another wing of our family (my dad's side).

We had a whole different set of challenges this time (1 month later). Since we went through sleep training, Layla's 'nap' and 'bedtime' routines are really different now. Essentially what used to work doesn't, and the thing that now works is to let her cry a bit and we really can't do that when we're on a plane or in a hotel (or senior community as the case may be). So we had a lot of struggle especially with naps which are always her big challenge these days (she HATES napping when interesting things are going on..!).
The easier parts this time were going through security, hanging out in the airport, packing, and take off and landing (no problem).

As before, Layla debuted in her super-cute mommy-made dress with the orange Etsy flower headband (didn't have time to put together another outfit, but she's almost outgrown this one so I will have to next time).
She saw LOTS of family and got lots of hugs and squeezes. She has a whole pile of uncles that couldn't wait to meet her, and my Dad had waited on pins and needles to finally get to hold her.

She was excited to meet him and by the end of the weekend definitely recognized he has that special 'grandpa' status. Notice that my dad is sporting a Seattle Sounders (soccer) hat... yay Sounders!

And my dad finally gave us the THIRTY YEAR QUILT!! I will post some pictures of that later.

Unfortunately it was 100F every day we were there and we didn't get out much (the mild Seattle climate has made us weak), but we did get a LOT of good visiting done.

Soap!

2010-08-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

While we were in New Mexico (more on that later) I found DIRT soap!! It smelled like dirt!! If you are super jealous and wish you had some you can get it at www.newmexicosoap.com.

Also while we are discussing soap I need to mention my all-time favorite soap, CAT POOP soap. Surprisingly, it smells like cappuccino. When I saw this I immediately thought of three of my favorite people: my Grandpa S., who is always up for a good poop joke, my great friend from grad school K, who is also always up for a good poop joke, and my brother J, who was in college and seemed like he just needed some poop soap. If you wish you had some you can get it here.

Layla's sleepy pants

2010-08-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

When Layla gets cranky, the Studly Hubby says she 'put her cranky-pants on.' And when she gets sleepy, she 'puts her sleepy-pants on.' The Studly Hubby picks her up from daycare and then gives me a report when I get home, and it usually goes something like this:

'She jumped in her monkey chair for a while, and then she put her cranky pants on, and I fed her, and then she put her sleepy pants on, and now she's ready for bed.'

The big thing Layla learned when she got sleeped trained was how to go to sleep on her own when she puts her sleepy pants on. Now, she likes sleeping so much that she is putting her sleepy pants on VERY EARLY - 6:30 pm!!! It is too early! I am working on shifting my work schedule earlier so I can get home before she is in bed. Amazingly, she is sleeping straight through until 6:30 am.

I have to admit, this complete turnaround in Layla's sleep pattern made us a little bit nervous at first. After she started sleeping through the night, we would wake up and then worry about her. One time the Studly Hubby went into her room to check on her and accidentally woke her up - and she made sure he was very VERY sorry he did that.

So we decided to get a video baby monitor. I can't believe I'm one of THOSE people that wants to spy on my kid while she sleeps. But I have to admit it's ridiculously fun. She's not super interesting but it IS really really nice to see what's going on in there. The video camera can see in the dark really well too (better than me)!

If you look on the screen you can see the live video of Layla sleeping in her crib. This was taken at about 8 pm, and she had already been asleep for an hour and a half!!

Kid's triathlon

2010-08-07T08:46:00.001-07:00

Kids can do triathlons too!!

Layla told me about this. She can't wait until she can walk so she can do one.

http://passiveparanoia.blogspot.com/

Jumping Bean!

2010-08-06T20:46:00.001-07:00

The Studly Hubby taught Miss Layla how to jump in her monkey chair!!

Now we're in BIG trouble - she wants to jump ALL THE TIME!!

Garden progress

2010-08-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

We haven't been getting much done lately, but one thing we kind of had to do was clean up our garden. In Seattle, gardens really only require two things: 1) lots and lots of weeding Sept-June and 2) lots and lots of watering in July and August (yes, it actually gets dry here in the summer).
Our garden hadn't gotten much weeding since March, and we had let all the plants in the planters die from drought, and the neighbor's dog had pooped all over our backyard and we hadn't even noticed, and there was some need to mow. Since we have a new baby and have been looking pretty exhausted lately, the neighbors decided to step in and help out. We were SO grateful. Our neighbor with the dog came over to clean up all the poop and mow the yard because she felt bad about the poop, and our other neighbor politely asked for permission to 'lend a hand' with the garden and then tore out all the weeds for us and bought a bunch of plants to put in the planters - it must have taken her two or three whole days. I barely managed to get out and buy her some chocolate and a bottle of wine as a thank-you when she continued helping out by watering all the new plants for us too. Last weekend at the tail end of all the work the Studly Hubby and I traded off watching the girl and went out to help out, but most of it was already done (plus we didn't really know what we were doing).

So, viola! Freshly beautified garden!

This is one of the four quadrants of our garden, the one we spent the most time on.

Layla approves of all the flowers!
Look at these hollyhocks! Aren't they huge??

We do some other things too!

2010-08-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

Even though we don't sleep much, every once in a while we get out and do something. To prove it, here is a picture of the Studly Hubby in a road race he ran last weekend with some friends.

A second note on sleep deprivation

2010-08-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

We're still sleep deprived!

So we decided it's time for a change.

I packed Layla up in the Moby and we went to Kids on 45th, a used kid store in our neighborhood, to look for some books on sleeping. Fortunately, sleep is a BIG issue so there were lots of books. I bought, "Healthy sleep habits, happy child" by Dr. Weissbluth, on a recommendation, but the book I really wanted, 'Solve your child's sleep problems' by Richard Ferber, was not there, which I've been told has the same general ideas but is better written.

I read 'Healthy sleep habits' and it was really informative.

Apparently babies make a big shift in their sleep patterns around 3-4 months (which we had noticed) and go from a random sleep pattern to one that is more routine and adult-like. Little babies like rocking and swaddling (outlined in the 'Happiest Baby on the Block' video, which any new parent MUST WATCH), but when they transition into an adult sleep pattern they need consistent bedtimes, a consistent sleeping 'nest' (isn't your bed the best place to sleep?) and some help making sure they get enough sleep (since life is exciting now, and sleep isn't).

I also learned that staying up late really screws you. You release nasty stress hormones that make you sleep poorly and wake up too early. So, it's much better if you want your baby to sleep well to make them go to bed early and be well rested in general (sleep begets sleep).

So, we made some changes. We also hired a 'sleep doula' to have a chat with us about our plans.

We decided to shift over to the new routine cold turkey. We set up a different bedtime ritual where we put Layla down awake instead of asleep so she could learn how to fall asleep by herself. When she cried at night we didn't go to her unless it was at one of the times that she's usually actually hungry.

It was a really hard transition, for her and for us. None of us got any sleep the first night, and not much more the second night. But the THIRD night, she slept ELEVEN hours..!! STRAIGHT!!!! We were relieved (and a little destroyed). I think she was relieved too. She is clearly learning how to sleep better, which is a very useful skill to have.

Now to get our lives back on track - and emerge from the fog of sleep deprivation..!

Giggles!!

2010-07-25T16:28:00.001-07:00

Discovering your feet

2010-07-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

Miss Layla Rose discovered her feet this week! This was a HUGE excitement. Of course since she is experiencing everything through taste these days that means she puts her feet in her mouth, and this is something easiest done without the diaper. So, during diaper changes, Layla usually has her feet in her mouth now.

AND we actually caught it on video!! This was the second time she put her feet in her mouth - she has socks on, so she technically put her sock in her mouth, but I assure you she is also quite happy to put bare feet in her mouth.

Some new videos!!

2010-07-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some new videos of Layla! You may or may not care to watch ALL of them...

LAYLA VS. EEYORE (Eyore was a gift from Grandpa M, thanks Grandpa M!)

Layla in her new Monkey Jungle Gym!!

A note on sleep deprivation

2010-07-24T14:07:00.001-07:00

One of my worst nightmares is to not get enough sleep - prior to having a baby I tested all my limits and found that I have a HARD limit of 7.5 hours per night (anything less and I am dysfunctional) and a critical limit of 3 nights of less than adequate sleep before my health is compromised.

It seems that having a baby changes something, because I've found I'm able to survive on much less now. Thank goodness, because I need to! After 2 months of great sleeping, Layla suddenly turned into a nocturnal sleepless monster at about 3 months. She wakes constantly, sleeps loudly (it sounds like she's fighting bears), is always hungry, and is often ready to party at 2 am. The Studly Hubby and I worked out a system so that we each would at least get 4 hours of sleep (split shifts, I stay up until 2 am and he takes over at 2 am). Even with this plan, we could only get about 4-5 hours each per night and it went on for almost three weeks. I don't have any idea how I managed to work a full day after all that. Thank goodness the Studly Hubby was on paternity leave, so he could take care of the house stuff and other things that came up. Otherwise our house would have totally fallen apart.

We looked into 'sleep training' (where you let the baby cry it out) but haven't started that yet because Layla's still pretty young. We talked to the doctor who gave us little more than sympathy. We talked to the doula who was encouraging that it wouldn't last long but told us this doesn't sound abnormal so there's not much that can be done (blah!). We were looking into paying someone to spend the night every once in a while so we could just get some sleep (the Studly Hubby goes back to work next week!) and then finally on Thursday night she mysteriously turned around and slept 10 hrs straight. Aaaaaaahhhhhhh, sweet sleep..!!! Fingers crossed the phase is over..!

Four month photos

2010-07-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

The Studly Hubby as usual is taking some great pictures of Layla. She makes a good subject! She hasn't gotten sick of the camera yet, but I'm sure she will someday.

Carseat photo! She's getting HUGE. The sweatshirt she's wearing is from her aunt W, and is a size 12 months!!

Sometimes after a bath Layla decides she wants a punk rock 'do (before her hair gets greasy from all of our baby kisses and pats). She wanted to show it off here while sitting in the rocking chair her aunt M got for her.
We are constantly on the lookout for cute hats, because we have no sun tolerance here in Seattle. Also, you aren't supposed to put sunscreen on baby's faces until they are a little older so we need to protect Layla, who unfortunately seems to have gotten her mommy's sun-shy skin. Fortunately there is no shortage of cute hats in Seattle!