Mmm, mmm, good

Theo had his first taste of baby cereal today!



He did a great job considering the biomechanics of eating from a spoon are a lot different from eating from the breast. We're just doing breakfast for a few days to make sure he doesn't have any funny reactions and then we are moving on to evening feedings which will hopefully help him sleep longer during the night!

Baby friendly discoveries

I recently joined an online community of mothers (there may be some fathers in there but I don't know yet) that are based in downtown Manhattan (Tribeca, Battery Park City) and the West Village. Online there are discussions about getting kids to sleep, nannies, medications, etc., there is a classifieds section and there is a calendar of events like playgroups for different age groups, lectures, and free events in the area. Through this I was introduced to my local library which has an Early Childhood Resource Center. It's a huge room with the usual library components of books, movies and CDs, but they also have toys and play equipment for children from infants to toddlers. They have story time for kids and other fun activities and today was a "Baby's 1st Library Card" party. So, I took Theo over and he got his first library card. We checked out a couple of CDs and played in one of the exersaucers they had which he thoroughly enjoyed (time to get one of those. Now that he has good neck strength he's getting bored of lying on his back on his playmat and wants to stand all the time). So, I am happy to know there is a place to go that offers a change of scenery for us, it's about a 10-minute walk down the street and it's right next door to a playground that will be lots of fun when he gets older. All in all, joining this group was a smart move on my part. It's opened up the mysterious world of New York City parenting to me and will hopefully be a great resource. Oh, and the West Village group just started a book club. I'm going to miss the first meeting because I'll be in England but I am looking forward to checking it out. I miss my book club back in Seattle and I miss being held responsible for getting some reading done. I'm getting sucked into the world of parent magazines which has it's place but can be limiting for one's conversation skills!

Washington, DC

What better place to go for Presidents' Day weekend than Washington, DC? Theo and I took the train down on Thursday to visit some friends. The initial impetus was that some Seattle friends were in town so we wanted to see them while they were so close, but we also seized the opportunity to finally visit Tara and Kendrick and meet their little boy, Elliot who is about 6 weeks older than Theo. Here are the buddies:



Theo was terrific on the train and overall did a great job on the entire trip. He is such an easy going little man. When he cries he has damn good reason: tired, hungry, overwhelmed, upset tummy (that's the hardest because it's harder to determine). We did a few touristy things with the Seattle peeps. Here is Theo in front of the Washington Monument:
Sure, he was sound asleep and you can barely see him through all the bundling, but here's proof that he was there at the tender young age of 4 months. I look forward to going back when it's warmer, Rich is with us and we can do some more outdoor monuments and wandering. Downtown DC is really nice to just wander around in but not when it's 30 degrees outside.

We came home Sunday afternoon. Rich was waiting for us at the train station. He missed us and is dreading our 10-day trip to England next month (Theo and I are going with my mom).

I'm ready for winter to be over. It's supposed to be in the 40s today which seems downright balmy after barely being above freezing since the end of January. I am so, so ready for spring. It will be such a treat to not have to bundle Theo up everytime we want to go outside. Oh, and DC has such an awesome Metro subway system. I spent the weekend going up and down on escalators and elevators then yesterday we went to Williamsburg to visit Karen and had to carry Theo in his stroller up and down 8 million stairs and even had to go back up and go in a different entry because there was no attendant to open the gate that is big enough for strollers. Ugh. For as much as I love living in a place with so much public transportation, it's inaccessability can be a real pain in the ass making me yearn for a Suburu and the open road!

Green-eyed monster

"Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another."
Marquis de Condorcet (1743 - 1794)

This is something I have a hard time with. Yesterday was a hard day for me and I feel guilty even stating why. I started the day catching up on friends' blogs. Kelly's blog overflowed with the flush of her success in LA and the world of possibility and potential that she has opened up through her art. Kat's blog beamed with pride at the success of her friends who are being written up in national magazines and being nominated for Academy Awards. And me? While marveling at the wonderful worlds my friends are inhabiting, my own spirit felt a little diminished at what I have not done and am not doing, sad that I'm not one of Kat's friends getting an Oscar nomination and with each passing year watching that dream get further and further away rather than closer. Pessimistic? Perhaps. Realistic? I hate to say yes because it feels like giving up the dream and I'm not sure I'm ready to do that. It's a dream that is harder to pursue now that I'm a mother. Of course, then I ask myself "what kind of dream is that, anyway? What is it motivated by?" There have been days when I look at Theo and think, "He is by far my proudest accomplishment" and hopefully I will continue to do right by him and help him grow up to be a good, happy human being. What's more important than that? Speaking of which, he's waking up now so this post must be abbreviated.

Ode to my cats

I love my cats. Nathan, Jr. (ala Raising Arizona. When they go to kidnap one of the Arizona quintuplets Ed tells H.I. to bring her the best one and when he comes out she says "which one did you get?" and he says "I don't know. Nathan, Jr. I think." He's our orange boy. I have a special place in my heart for orange boy tabbies because of Sunshine, the cat I grew up with who lived to be 16 years old. I had him from the age of 3 until I was 19. I still cry when I think about that cat.

Then there is Lucy. Rich and I have a special place for grey tabbies ever since Julia.
Those of you who lived in Tallahassee when Kelly and I lived together will remember Julia. She's hopefully still alive but Kelly and John let her stay with a new family when they returned from their extended road trip and found that she was happy as a clam in her new environment being able to go outside as she pleased and, of course, was utterly doted upon by her new family because one can't help but love her. We think Lucy chose us because as we were trying to capture the kitten we thought we wanted and who had escaped from our arms, I heard another cat meeping (both Lucy and Nathan were adopted as part of a rescue from a cat horder) and when I looked, there was Lucy, on her hind legs, meeping at us. I said to Rich (who was the one who wanted to adopt a kitten instead of two full grown cats) "that one looks like Julia. Why don't we take her instead." Rich LOVED Julia so that was about all it took to convince him.

Now, we are all a happy family. Well, the cats haven't been so happy since Theo arrived. Nathan has always been a momma's boy so the fact that my lap is almost always occupied by another baby doesn't sit well with him. When the baby is asleep, Nathan is quick to try to grab some time with me and sadly, I often don't want him because I need some time to have my own space to myself. But when I'm ready for a good snuggle he is always there. Lucy has adapted a little easier and in fact, would position herself on the edge of our bed and watch Theo sleep when he was still in his bassinet in our room. Once Rich had a bad dream about a scary baby demon and he couldn't fall back asleep until Lucy assumed her position because he knew she would protect him from evil spirits. Most recently, Theo has discovered the top edge of his vocal range and screeches like a banshee from hell. It's awful. It send the cats running from the room and giving us the most incredulous looks as if to say "what have you people done?" Moments like that, I long for the days when I only had furry babies because they never, ever make noises like that.

So, as the baby sleeps and Nathan sits on my lap while I type, I just have to say how much I love and appreciate our furry companions. Some people forget about their pets once babies are born but I still find solace in them and look forward to the day when Theo loves them as much as we do.