Wildlife at Stow Lake

Mather and her Dad took a walk to Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park today. The resemblances are uncanny!

Tug of War

Mather has been working hard on her grip. First, we've started playing Tug of War with her favorite toy, the "Quintapus". Once she's got one of her little mitts wrapped around one leg I'll tug on the other just hard enough that she has to tug back in order to hang on. She's also started to develop a hand-eye coordination: if her Binky is a few inches away, she'll roll up onto her side, reach out, and pick it up. Sometimes she can then manage to get it in her mouth, but it's 50/50 that it will actually be facing the right direction!

She's trying to communicate

We're in trouble now...

Mather's first typing:

l, mm n/lol n., N


Translation, courtesy of Auntastasia and Momily:

Idiots, I'm not laughing out loud... natally yours, Noodle

The Kitchen Sink Spa

While she is still young and a "pre-crawler", Mather gets a bath once a week (maybe twice if we've got a hot playdate). Bathtime is usually over the weekend, during the middle of the day when the sun is coming through the kitchen window to keep her warm. Her little infant bath fits perfectly inside our kitchen sink. We fill the tub with warm (not hot) water, undress the little one, and plop her in!

The spa treatment begins with the cool cucumber eye mask (also known as a face wipe-down with a non-soapy washcloth). Then we ease our way into the salt scrub treatment with our sudsy washcloth heading for the grubbiest bits... the folds of her neck and her armpits. We finish up the full body rejuvenation with the not-so-grubby bits, make a pit stop for some foot reflexology and a quick wash of the backside, pictured above. Then it's off to the hair salon...

Mather indulges herself with the torso body wrap (that's playing with her washcloth, to the novice eye) while Momily provides a follicle-stimulating scalp massage with a soft-bristled brush. The "wet" treatment ends with a thorough rinse and drip dry, pictured below. Then it's time for a plush robe, and a stroll down the hall to the massage room.

The massage oil of choice is avocado - it is edible with a low chance of allergic reaction (unlike nut oils). The massage begins with the littlest toe, then heads to the feet, up the legs, lingers at the hips with some thai massage inspired stretches, continues onto the belly, into the armpits, and down the arms to her little pinkie fingers. Next comes a gentle face massage - sweeping across the brow, heading down the cheeks, along the jaw and out to the ears. Then we ease our way into the big flip-a-roo... as I slide my hands under her shoulder, she starts to roll over...

... in anticipatation of the ultimate in relaxation... the butt massage!

Ahhh, the luxury of babyhood!

My New Steed

My trusty commute bike

Having stepped away from rugby this year, I've been in dire need of some exercise (baby curls notwithstanding). Since I am already a commute cyclist, it seemed the obvious choice to go all "Lance Armstrong" and start road riding. With Marin a few miles away, we live in the perfect place for me to cycle for fitness. My commute bike is an old Cannondale hybrid, a beat up black draft horse that I love dearly. It does a great job of moving me door to door. But to get into serious road riding, you need the proper mount. Towards that end, my loving and lovely parents got me a new Masi road bike for Christmas. She's a beaut -- red, and silver, and black -- and fast.

With the seasons turning towards the sun, I've been able recently to climb aboard and challenge myself. My first "difficult" ride was a few weeks ago; the weather was great and I took off for the Golden Gate Bridge and beyond. Once across, I took the famous lookout road that winds up along the Southern bluff of hills overlooking the bridge. Every view was a postcard, but I am definitely not accustomed to an endless climb. However, once you've reached the top of Hawk Hill, with the perfect view of the city and bridge behind you, all the work uphill is worth the effort.

And then you get the descent. It's a rip-roaring roller coaster all the way to the beach at Fort Cronkhite. Since bicycles get to use the Barry-Baker Tunnel, the work on the way out (although still uphill) isn't nearly as overwhelming as the climb up to Hawk Hill. That's a good thing -- I was already exhausted!

Of course, this guy thinks this ride is just "not really long enough to do on its own". Well, I've got some work to do.

I did challenge myself a bit further the next weekend. I rode up through Sausalito to Mill Valley, climbed up from a redwood grove to the Panoramic Highway, and then down Highway 1 back into Marin City before biking back home in the Haight.

I'm hoping to continue riding longer and hillier routes until I can eventually achieve my own "century" -- a one hundred mile ride.

So here is the challenge to you, dear readers: name my new bike! I have two, so it needs a name. My dad has a Masi, so it can't just be "Masi". Now accepting your suggestions!

What should I call her?

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

Blowing Raspberries #2

Run time - 0:21

Same dress, different picture

Em's been on my case the past couple days because she really doesn't like the picture I posted of Mather in her white dress in the prior post. She does like this other picture I took the same day -- so, which picture do you all like more?

Mather dressed up!

Momily has egged our friends at Lil Chimpy to put little Isabel in her "Sunday Best" dresses. They've promised a "Four Picture Friday" of Izzy all dressed up. We thought it'd be best to show our support by subjecting Mather to this strange treatment as well! Here is Mather in her two favorite dresses:

Sleeping like a baby

Here is the promised sleep update...

You may recall previous mention of Mather's sleep habits. Here is a sleep diary for Mather's first four months (loosely recalled, due to Momily's sleep deprevation):

Week one: Sleeping like a baby. She'll fall asleep whenever, wherever, and however she chooses.

Weeks two-four: Increasing need for help falling asleep - must be rocked, held, or nursed to sleep. Eats a lot during the night. Momily sleeps sitting up in bed, with My BreastFriend nursing pillow attached for hours on end. Mather sleeps most of the night on the pillow, most attempts to move her result in crying that can only be consoled by more eating.

Months two and three: Still needs help falling asleep. Not too interested in staying asleep for long periods. Too excited about exploring the world around her. Daytime crankiness gets progressively worse. Mather and Momily perfect the side-lying nursing position. Mather is officially co-sleeping through most of the night. Again, attempts to move her into her Moses Basket are often unsuccessful.


Month four: Continuing on the same pattern. Momily is getting increasingly uncomfortable with the decreased mobility during the night. Mather seems to get disrupted by the tossing and turning. The once or twice nightly crying spells can no longer be soothed by the breast, she must be held and rocked - oftentimes for 30 minutes or more.

Which brings us to Friday... the turning point!

The two big catalysts for change:

1) Confirmation from the doctor that Mather can go 8-10 hours without eating at night. We were concerned that because of her smaller size, she still needed to eat every 2-3 hours day and night.

2) At four months old, babies start building habits. We did not want Mather to co-sleep, nor did we want her to rely on us rocking and holding her in order to fall asleep.


So, the doctor suggests the following plan: Pick a bedtime and stick to it. Design a bedtime routine - books, lullabyes, bath, massage, etc. Put the baby down when she is tired but not yet asleep, it is o.k. to let her cry - Mather will not hate us. When she is crying, make a plan of how often she gets checked on and consoled. Also make a plan of when she will be fed - once or twice during the night. We decide on "sometime after midnight" and then "no sooner than 4 hours after she eats the first time".

Following are Friday's results:

7:10pm Mather eats dinner.
7:25pm Massage, disposable diaper (she's in cloth during the day), pajamas, one poem, one book.
7:40pm Wrapped into swaddle blanket (dubbed 'straight jacket' by friends) and put down in her crib, lights out, door closed.
7:41pm Crying begins. We wait 5 minutes.
7:46pm Dan checks and consoles - places a hand firmly on her chest to let her know that she's not alone and tells her that she's o.k. - then he leaves the room, crying continues. We wait 10 minutes.
7:57pm Same routine - check and console. Now we wait 20 minutes.
8:20pm 20 minutes is up. Mather has been quiet for about 2-3 minutes, we're not going in to check on her. It only took 40 minutes!! We were expecting hours.
10:30pm Light fussing. Dan assures her that all is o.k. She quiets back down quickly.
11:45pm Light fussing. Dan re-assures her. Again, a quick recovery.
1:15am Light fussing, time to eat. Momily feeds Mather while sitting up in bed, no nursing pillow. Momily must stay awake to move Mather back into the crib. She eats for 10 minutes and goes down smoothly in her crib.
3:30am Light fussing. Dan soothes her. Once again, a quick recovery.
5:30am Light fussing, time to eat. Remainder of the night is spent co-sleeping since the sun is coming up soon.
8:00am Everyone is awake... it wasn't so bad!!

Last night Dan and I went out to the opera and Grandma Julie was on babysitting duty. She agreed to abide by the new plan. Following is her diary:

7:15pm Bottle
7:30pm Diaper change, pajamas, swaddle, swaddle do-over, read a book (Mather is gurgly and smiley)
7:45pm Placed into the crib. Sang songs.
8:00pm Lights out!
10:45pm We return, fully expecting to come home to a crying baby. Nope! She never made a peep after Julie shut the door.

The middle of the night routine was the same as the previous night. The 3-4 o'clock stretch is a little tough. A little bit of fussing, a little bit of soothing, 2 meals, and a happy family wakes up around 8 o'clock!

Photographic Evidence:

Mather in the crib, asleep!

Blowing Raspberries

Mather has devised a new entertainment for herself. She'll purse her lips, puff up her cheeks, and spray her breath out making a loud noise. In other words, she's blowing raspberries. Since I've been blowing raspberries at her for about four months, I'll chalk this one up to nurture over nature.

She first starting doing this during today's morning walk at Crissy Field but has since continued it while awake in her carseat, while being carried around, and even during diaper changes (as seen below!).

Thbbbbbt!!!

A Day in the Short Life So Far

Yesterday on the phone my sister admonished me (rightly) for the lack of verbiage in this here blog lately. We've gone the easy route -- putting cute baby photos up for your consumption but little in the way of text, explanation or experiences. So in honor of Elsa, this post will be entirely sans image. You can always scroll down to find the pretty pictures.

I present to you Friday, March 2.

6:30 - 7:15: Momily was up and out of bed first, as usual, hitting the shower while Mather and I hang out in the bed together. Mather, also as usual, is awake by this point, and not very interested in my continued rest. She badgered me for attention, her wide blue eyes sharp and alert. I stumbled up to change her diaper and keep her calm while Momily gets her clothes and breakfast together. I jump in the shower while Mather gets a good, quick breakfast straight from the tap and Momily is off to work.

All of this is routine, a daily pattern. From that point on, just about every day differs -- depending on Mather's mood, my mood, and what chores need to happen.

7:15 - 8:00: Mather hung out in her "buzz buzz" chair while I ate breakfast. As soon as I was done eating, we spent the next half hour playing on the floor, using her mat to bat at toys and play our new "grab the flower" game. If she got lost in her toys for a moment, I would glance at email. By eight, Mather was getting a little tired and cranky.

8:00 - 9:30: Mather's first nap of the day. I changed her diaper, slapped on the Baby Bjorn, and she went right to sleep. Of course, I can't really sit wearing the Baby Bjorn, so I was doomed to pace the house for the duration of her nap. I cleaned up the kitchen a little, but mainly paced, listening to NPR.

9:30 - 10:00: More playtime! Mather is at a point in her development where she wants interaction. If she's awake, she expects attention -- she can't entertain herself. Or at least she pretends she can't -- she'll summon you with a short, sharp scream, and then smile broadly when you look. At that point, you're hooked, and whatever chore or entertainment you had devised for yourself is out the window and you're back to focusing on her.

10:00 - 11:00: Time for a tasty snack. Mather gets a bottle of Emily, Vintage March 1. Momily is pumping breastmilk at work and bringing it home. So far, she produces exactly as much as I need to give Mather in an average day. Mather sucks the bottle down in about five minutes, but she's content afterwards to hang out in my lap while I check email and so on.

11:00 - 12:45: A surprisingly long morning walk! The sun has finally come out and actually brought some warmth to San Francisco. It is the most beautiful day we've had...in weeks, I think. It was warm enough to put little Miss Magoo in her stroller and take a long walk up and down the Panhandle, pausing to watch the toddlers playing in the playground and chat with friendly passers-by.

Mather loves being outside. If she's getting chippy inside, and you don't want to feed her, the best way to keep her calm is getting her to fresh air. Once she's outdoors, she's immediately calm and attentive, watching her surroundings and taking it all in. It is a near-magical effect. She was quiet for the entire walk, awake, aware, and content. Really a pleasure. And I meant it when I say it was a beautiful day -- the breeze was mild, only strong enough to invoke a gentle shimmer in the trees.

12:45 - 1:30: Back to the house for a quick feeding, change of clothes, and off to our pediatric appointment.

1:30 - 3:00: I got tons of great advice from our pediatrician on improving Mather's sleep cycle (more on that in a future post), resolving her little belly rash, and other tidbits of info. She also went for a weigh-in...

11 lbs, 10 oz.
23" tall

She is still a small baby (for instance, she's only a pound heavier now than my birth weight), but she's growing at the right scale for her own birth weight. After the checkup, it was time for immunizations. Mather took three shots bravely and even swallowed some nasty tasting goo. We've got to keep her healthy!

3:00 - 5:30: Mather promptly fell asleep as soon as I had loaded her in the car, so I didn't want to disturb her by going straight home. So we were off on a drive. We scooted out to the ocean and drove along the Great Highway south. The sun was dangling lower in the sky, painting the sea into a blurry gold and gilting the whitecaps. With my girl still dozing, I just kept driving, onto Skyline Boulevard out of San Francisco. I was no more than a hundred yards out of the city before I saw horses -- it doesn't take long to go from urban to rural around here. As the road climbed, I passed tall stands of Monterey Cypress and descended into valleys of that Australian interloper, Eucalyptus.

After a brief linkup with 280, Skyline climbed again to the spine of the Peninsular coast range. It is stunning how much open land is so close to one of America's densest cities; twenty minutes from the city limits I was driving through a redwood forest.

Few places feel as much like home to me than redwoods. It isn't just the trees themselves, it is what comes along with them; the rich, green moss that grows on the bark, the rocks, the ground; the umber carpet; the primordial ferns. Mather, of course, stayed asleep; no matter, she's seen redwoods -- both the Coastal Redwoods that grow in Golden Gate Park (she's even touched them) and their fatter cousins, the mighty Sequoia at the Mariposa Grove.

I drove back up to 92 and down into Half Moon Bay, and up the Pacific Coast Highway home. Along the way, I drove on the fabled Devil's Slide, recently reopened but soon to close -- the tunnel that will replace it is well underway. The view across the Ocean could not have been more breathtaking. No photos for you, though.

5:30 - 6:30: Once home, I kept the now-alert Mather happy with a bottle and bouncing on the bed until Momily came home from work.

All in all, it was a great day. While each element was pretty simple, we had plenty of fun: a long walk, a great drive, a good checkup. It's the sort of day I fantasized about when planning a paternity leave. Unfortunately, not all days are this good -- but it usually helps when we can get outdoors. Mather just gets tired of being cooped up at home, and she lets you know about it.

She's sleeping peacefully right now, in her crib. This is her first night in her crib...until now, she's slept in her basket or in our bed. But again, more on the new sleeping plan later!

Lunaversary #4

Mather has now been out and about for four whole months. In that time, she has outgrown clothes almost as quickly as she's outgrown sleeping patterns. I thought now would be a good time to post before and after shots: the first one is from when she was about 2 weeks old (it was in the Whooo Me? YouTube slideshow) and the second one was taken yesterday.

The pictures really speak for themselves.