Happy New Year!

I'd like to share a few of my favorite Christmas pictures as the holiday season comes to a close...

Christmas Eve party girls

Working on musical skills with Dad

Our little elf bundled up for Christmas Day

All of these presents are so exhausting!

Happy Birthday Momily!

We may be celebrating Mather's birth all the time, but today we celebrate Emily's as well. Happy birthday Em!

Merry Christmas!!!

(Mather's hanging out in her brand new Christmas stocking, hand made by Emily and our friend Adriane.)

Tree decorating

The family gathered around the Ransom homestead for tree decorating Friday night. Things started off well, but Elsa and Mather lost interest and decided to nap instead.

Tummy time!

Because of the very legitimate fear of SIDS, Mather always has to sleep on her back. However, in order to develop her neck muscles and stimulate the crawling instincts, she needs supervised play time on her belly. We call this Tummy Time!

Daddy time

Even though I've been going to work everyday, I still get plenty of quality time with Mather. When I get home we sit together and sometimes read!

Cabbage Patch Kid

We got this HUGE cabbage in our farm box today. I couldn't resist...

Fashion Show

Mather wanted to show off all of the hats that people have made for her!

Emily's co-worker Mardi asked her sister Georgie to make Mather a hat.

Daniel's co-worker Julia Gardiner made this stylish number.

The mother of Grandmather's friend Dorothy crocheted this hat and a blanket.

Meghan Ritchie crafted this adorable hat and matching blanket.

One month!... and she slept on her own!

Today is Mather's first lunaversary!

The big development of the day (so far) was a solo nap. You may say to yourself, "A solo nap, why the heck is that a big development?!"


For the past two weeks, Mather has only been able to sleep while settled into the Moby Wrap (daytime naps) or nuzzled against my chest after nursing (nighttime snoozing). Occassionally, she has been willing to sleep next to me on the bed after nursing, nestled into the crook of my arm.

This routine started when we'd get Mather to fall asleep in our arms and then try to transfer her over to her basket (after waiting the recommended 20 minutes so that she was more deeply sleeping) and within 2-3 minutes she'd start crying in protest of her perceived abandonment. We are not big fans of the "Cry It Out" approach to sleep training. So, we'd pick up our crying (yet tired) baby and try myriad soothing techniques to no avail. Eventually, we'd give in and I'd nurse her back to sleep, even though she wasn't technically hungry. At that point, instead of trying to move her to the basket, I'd just let her lay on me until she woke up for the next meal (2-3 hours).

After about two nights of that routinue, we cut out the attempt to get her to sleep in her basket. Now I just feed her while sitting up in bed, then she and I fall asleep. Needless to say, this means I'm not sleeping very well.

So, the solo nap this morning is a very big development. I am encouraged that Mather is taking the first step towards a more independent sleep habit.

Before we know it, she'll be sleeping through the night all by herself and these days will be a distant memory!

Four weeks!

I cannot believe that Mather is now four weeks old! The time has flown by.

Mather has grown a lot. She was born weighing 7 lbs, 2 oz. - yesterday she tipped the scales at 7 lbs., 15 oz. She has also grown an inch and a half taller.

Mather is beginning to mimic the funny faces that we make at her and she listens attentively when we read to her. She also seems to be smiling with intention (not just on accident!).

I thought I'd share my favorite pictures, one for each week, to celebrate.

Happy Birth Day!

Snuggled up for one of her first outings.

Fussing with Papasan.

Thanksgiving milk-coma with Momily.

Happy girl today!

Dad Pretends to be Mom

So thanks to the miracle of the "breast pump", I can feed Mather her mother's milk even when her mother isn't in the room! For me, it's a very fun bonding moment.

There's a womb in the room!

We have re-gained the use of our hands with our recent acquisition of a Moby Wrap! It takes a lot of work to soothe a fussing baby. The rocking, swinging and bouncing can take its toll on your arms. Now all we do is tuck Mather into the Moby Wrap, walk around the room a bit, and she quiets right down. Mather seems to really enjoy snuggling close to us just like her many months in the womb.

Mom can do it...

Dad can do it...

Grandma can do it, too!

Mather's first playdate

Mather met her first friend today when everyone's favorite lil' chimp, Isabel, came over (along with her parents Kristen and Jerrold).

Isabel seemed pretty amused to see a smaller human for the first time in her life. At four months old, she's about twice Mather's weight.

Bath Time!

Now that Mather's umbilical cord stump has cleanly fallen off, we can give her a proper bath*. Into the kitchen sink with her!

*Please note: baby not thrown out with bathwater.

November 16

On November 16, 1996 Emily and I first kissed. We have been together ever since.

On November 16, 2001 I proposed to Emily and she accepted.

On November 16, 2002 we were wed.

Today, November 16, 2006 we've been together for ten years, and parents for 16 days. Our baby is just a reflection of our love and commitment made visible.

All is right in the world

After 9+ months without my favorite food, we finally had the opportunity to indulge! Grandparents Julie and David brought us a beautiful sushi tray on Friday night to celebrate.

Mather settles in for a marathon feeding while Momily digs into the sushi feast!

With mom and babe satisfied, all is right in the world!

Visitors! Pt. 4

Our friends Sarah and Jim came by the other night to introduce themselves to our daughter. Sarah is a great cook, and they came heavily laden with ratatouille, roast chicken, and apple cake. Not only did they feed us, they also did the dishes! What great friends.

Sarah regaled us with stories of her home-made cheese experiments and cheese-making internships in England. You can check out her stories at The Cheese Chronicles.

Down in the Mission

We managed to get out the door and visit Mather's piece of public art in the heart of the Mission, an alley just around the corner from Mission & 16th. Thanks Uncle Freedom!

The Mini-Em?

A lot of talk in the Comments about how much Emily and Mather resemble each other. What do you think?

Monkey and Mather

So I'm sure a lot of people were wondering what Monkey would think of the newest member of our household. For those who haven't met her, Monkey is our mercurial calico, a little sweet and a little sour.

While of course we remain viligant when the two are close, so far the verdict is pretty good. Monkey has shown a little curiousity, sniffing a bit around Mather, but otherwise she steers clear. Her main jealousy centered around Mather's comfy sleeping basket -- it's clear she wanted one. So we put a nice little basket of her own out on the floor, in a sunny spot, and you can see the result in the picture.

Tonight, as we watched a movie, Mather took a nap on Emily's chest while Monkey took a nap on mine. A comfortable family.

Uncle Freedom's Gift

All I can say is wow. Chris Pape is a world-known grafitti artist with an important legacy in Manhattan. Now he's left a tribute to Mather in San Francisco*. How many kids have something like this?

*Yes, he knows the building owner.

Whooo Me?

Homecoming Queen

On Monday, November 6th we finally came home from the hospital with Mather. The following is a series of photos from the day...Uncle Freedom shot a video of the trip home, but Mather chose to cry for most of the trip, so I've opted for this non-audible presentation of the day.

Mather gets her own clothes for the first time.

It's a good idea to check the diaper before traveling.

Is that foot ticklish?

Momma approves the new outfit.

It takes three hands to get her in the carseat.

Ready to go!

The Homecoming Queen herself.

Coming up the stairs!

Hanging out on the couch.

It didn't take long for Mather to get comfy.

A good sleep after a long day.