Some place sunny (28 weeks, 5 days)

About Sprout is going on a brief hiatus this week. Now that I am loosed from the shackles of full-time employment, we are driving to Florida so that the baby can meet my mother, grandmother, sister, sister's family, and Diane. Expect pictures to ensue.

While we are gone, here are some pictures for you to enjoy from last September when we lived different lives. These are pictures from our trip to St. John in the Virgin Islands. That was such a wonderful trip. I was just starting the second trimester, and I think that just about everyone knew about the pregnancy by then. I didn't look like a giant pregnant lady by then, but the situation did require some maternity bathing suits. I had been feeling pretty good and we kept very active during our week long trip. We spent everyday trekking around and snorkeling. That's Aaron snorkeling on one of our last days when we went to the British Virgin Islands. Here I am snorkeling off of the coral reef around Maho Bay with a hawksbill turtle on the second day.


We saw all sorts of amazing creatures in the water, including these reef squid.

You can see how they changed color when we got close by. We also saw rays, colorful fish, coral, barracuda, and starfish. On land we saw deer, donkeys, birds, and mongooses (or mongeese?).

This was the view from the open air restaurant at the eco-resort where we stayed. St. Thomas is one of the islands in the picture.
We didn't take nearly enough pictures and only have a few of us together, including this self portrait on an island cruise.
Here we are in the British Virgin Islands, taking touristy pictures. Whenever we were in the water, I wondered about the Sprout and thought about him swimming around.
I look forward to being able to take Zeke on trips like this and exploring the world together in the future.

Some new things

Zeke is sitting up by himself for longer and longer periods of time. It's fun to let him play while sitting up now. This weekend, I took out a bunch of toys I'd been storing, including the pop up toy with Sesame Street characters. He also likes to play the "knock over the blocks that Mom stacked for me" game. He also sits up in his baby bathtub now which gives him a much better vantage place for vigorous splashing. He really started that last night with Aaron, and then I got my soaking tonight.

Zeke's new food today was sweet potatoes. He appears to like it, but he still made a face this morning when he first tasted it. I think he will do that everytime he tastes something new. He is a good eater and eats more than I expected he would. He now eats rice cereal and then a portion of two other foods (i.e., bananas and apples for the past few days or today apples and sweet potatoes) at breakfast and at dinner. He also really gets the idea that the whole process goes faster if he doesn't try and grab the food (he holds his arms out at his side) and opens his mouth wide. We hardly make a mess. However, I think Maggie is going to start understanding what is going on. Zeke got some cereal on his hand and, before I could stop him, he held out his hand to Maggie who promptly cleaned it for him. I'm sure it will help him build up a good immune system. I think in the few weeks that we have been feeding solids, he has really chunked up. His little cheeks look a little pudgier and he is getting those chubby baby thighs I love. Our scale says that he is 17 pounds now, but it always says heavier than the doctor's office scale.

Zeke is also exceptionally vocal and screeches and sings, especially when in public. Aaron had to tell him to use his "inside voice" today!

What We Like (28 weeks, 1 day)

This weekend we went to this baby expo event....basically you pay an entrance fee to have a horde of people try to entice you into buying things you probably don't need. The lure is the unlikely hope of winning the gift basket or raffle at each booth. Despite the crass commercialism veiled as an education event, we had a nice Sunday afternoon of family time. We even saw the kind proprietor of karmababy.com where Aaron bought his sling (that you have seen so often on this blog). Apparently, a couple of her customers told her that they were referred by a "man with a brown sling". Yessir, that's the Sprout Daddy. She also said that she remembered Zeke because he made a loud bodily function noise while we were there. (If any of you go to get a sling, please tell them that Aaron referred you...if we continue to refer people, we will get a kick-back!)

I further stoked my carrier craze by buying another one that will let me carry Zeke on my back. We are now up to a total of four carriers: Aaron's sling, the Bjorn, a ring sling that I never got the hang of using and now the Ergo. This is becoming an addiction.

After all seeing all those thousands of things one might need as a parent, I thought I would share the results of a recent conversation of ours about the baby gear that we have appreciated the most as new parents. Now, that we are well experienced parents, here's what we have really depended on (in no particular order and discounting obvious needs like diapers and carseat):

* Gumdrop pacifier
* Sling
* 42 x 42 blanket for swaddling for good sleeping
* Ocean Sounds CD for any sleeping
* Medela Pump in Style breast pump
* Nursing pillows (My Brest Friend at first and then the Boppy)
* Mobiles (particularly the wind-up one on the co-sleeper with bears)
* Co-sleeper (for sleeping, changing, baby corral)
* Swing at first and now the exersaucer
* A good camera! (I wish we would have gotten it sooner)

Names

Sprout, Mr. Baby, Doc, Buddy, Little Buddy, Button, Nibbler

Monkey Baby, Monkey, Little Monkey, Mr. Monkey, Baby Bear

Snufflebear, Sweet Pea, Sweetie Pie, Peanut, Little Bug, Baby Bird

The care and feeding of the Sprout (27 weeks, 5 days)

Culinary adventures continue. Despite the less than warm reception for bananas on Sunday, the kitchen kept mashing them up and Sprout kept getting them. Turns out they have to be perfectly ripe for them to be enjoyed. Zeke ate them up all week and we have the photographic evidence. When the bananas I brought home were a little green in the middle of the week, we took the opportunity to skip ahead to apple sauce. It is very good apple sauce, but Zeke was not convinced. I think it is a little tart and that might just be too new of a taste. Cereal continues to be a popular offering, but it is mainly breast milk that is thick enough to eat on a spoon. May not sound like an appetizing menu, but for Zeke, who has a deep and meaningful relationship with my bosom, it is awesome.

The chef has not decided what is next. I have a nice avocado I could mash up, but I am considering pears for digestive reasons. Not to be too yucky, but I miss my exclusively breast fed baby. That baby only pooped twice a week and it was hardly a stink. This new baby I have? Mr. Yucky Pants? Wow. On the plus side, the baby seems to be returning back to his habit of sleeping for 5-7 hours in a row, which he hasn't done in weeks. It could be coincidence, but I wouldn't bet on that. (On another sleeping note, Zeke has started rolling over in his sleep AND not waking up. We've caught him sleeping on his tummy a few times, something I tried to encourage him to do earlier. That may also contribute to his return to better sleeping.)

I'm looking forward to making baby food and will be taking out the food processor this weekend to start on that task. For Zeke, I will give up my year long food preparation/cooking hiatus.

That Face, That Face (27 weeks, 4 days)

Penguins and Bananas (26 weeks, 6 days)

What do these two things have in common? Zeke is not a fan of either.

Brunch this morning was rice cereal and mashed banana. The cereal was gone in a snap with the Sprout crying for more after the last spoonful. I thought he would like the banana I'd mashed. He took a few bites, turned his head, and frowned. We'll try it again later.


Penguins? We spent yesterday afternoon at the aquarium. The last time we were there, Zeke didn't have such a good view not having been born yet and all. Yesterday, he was a such good baby. He sat calmly and napped when we ate lunch and then looked with rapt attention at the people and exhibits. At the end of the afternoon, we went to the penguin habitat. I knew he might not like the part where I crawled into the little observation bubble, but the risks didn't outweigh the photo opportunity. It wasn't the picture perfect opportunity I expected. Darn penguins.

About Sprout Mommy

What a great day I had yesterday! Zeke turned six months old, the Georgia summer seems to have been broken, and I feel great about the direction things are going for me.

First, you have to know that I am in the process of weaning myself from work. I am actually still working this week, though not full-time. People in my office want to know when I will really be leaving! While looking forward to leaving my job, I have been anxious about where a lot of my work is and I just hadn't seemed to make a lot of progress on some things. I felt like I might never leave there in the way I wanted. Yesterday, though, I got a big project done and then had a good follow up meeting about it. People, there is light at the end of the tunnel finally. A thoughtful co-worker also gave me some teething toys for Zeke because I told her the other day that we think he is teething. How kind!

Even while I did work yesterday, I did take advantage of my new employment status. When I woke up and it was a cool and rainy fall morning, Sprout and I snuggled up in bed an extra hour talking and listening to the rain. It was time that was just for me and the baby and I really cherish that I could do that.

I also got positive feedback on my new business cards. Yes, even while I have quit my job, I am still going to be doing some work. I am going to some contract writing and consulting for my office for about 120 hours over the next six months. I am also getting some offers to do freelance work for other groups -- it has been quite a boost to my self-esteem and I feel really emboldened. I hadn't anticipated the way that leaving my job to be a stay at home mom might be a launching pad to new work.

I also had a great conversation with a scholar who is doing some work with my project and just got named as the dean of education at a prominent university. Yes, I do pay her, but she was really encouraging me to consider going back to school to get a doctorate in education policy. She gave me lots of great advice and it got me fired up about going back to school. I have toyed with the idea of going back to school numerous times over the past few years and have been too scared/lazy/tired to think about it seriously, but she seemed to think I could really handle it. As a warning, if I ever do get a doctorate, I will use the title. Do you think Sprout might be willing to call me "Dr. Mommy"?

Anyway, I printed some new business cards so that I could take them to this United Way program I got accepted into recently. Participants in the program meet one afternoon a week for ten weeks and receive training on how to be a board member for a non-profit. After completing the program, participants are matched with a non-profit and serve for at least one term. The program started yesterday, and I really enjoyed networking with the 30 or so other participants (some of whom may need my writing and consulting services!). I feel like I will learn a lot that will be useful to me whatever I do in the future. Better yet, the program ended early so I had some more time to be with Aaron and Zeke at home where Aaron had made a great dinner.

Now, back to About Sprout....

An Early Halloween

We have a few costumes for Zeke and, despite my early predictions (see post from November 1, 2005), I have not made him wear any yet. That all changed tonight. Here is the turtle costume Sprout Daddy bought before Zeke was born....still a little big on Zeke, but you get the idea. And, as seen in these pictures, Zeke does really seem to turn on the Sprout charm for the camera....he's really willing to come out of his shell, if you will. He certainly doesn't get that from his folks, though after all these photos, I seem to working towards a serious avocation of being a hand model.

Ten Little Reasons (26 weeks, 3 days)

As of yesterday, the Sprout was six months old. Yay, Zeke! For this occasion, I present a list of 10 little things I love about that kid right now:

1. That face...that face....that face.
2. The toothless grin.
3. The way he chews on his bottom lip -- Mommy does that, too!
4. His panda bear is the thing that makes him laugh this week.
5. He is fascinated by the dog and cats and watches them so intently.
6. He fits just right when he sits on my hip now.
7. He likes playing with toys and tonight discovered the joys of his wooden bead maze/coaster.
8. He has gotten the hang of eating in just a few days.
9. He works so hard at moving around and can really get some distance without even crawling.
10. He reaches out his arms when he sees me.

(Inspiration courtesy of Jen and her MommyBlog about Ewan -- Thanks!)

First Feeding (25 weeks, 6 days)

Today marked a big day in Zeke growing up and becoming his own self.

Zeke will be six months old this week -- quite a milestone. In anticipation of his six month birthday, Zeke had his first taste of food. This was really as much a milestone for us as it was for Zeke. As mentioned below, we decided to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics guideline of delaying solids for six months AND feeding breast milk exclusively.


It wasn't easy and maybe it wasn't necessary, but it is what we wanted to do for Zeke. Aaron played a big role in this feat -- he was encouraging and managed daytime feedings so that we could make it on what I pumped.

We'd been getting ready for this moment for awhile. I've been "watching the baby, not the calendar" to see if he was ready. He's been showing some signs of being ready to eat. He can hold himself up well (though still not sitting), he likes putting everything in his mouth, and has been watching us with interest when we eat. We got spoons for Zeke to play with and he enjoys them. He also has sipped water from a cup and he drank from his sippy cup last week.

For his first taste of food, Zeke got a mix of rice cereal and breast milk at dinner. I toyed with skipping cereal and just going to mashed bananas or avocado, maybe just because I'm contrary. I'd heard that a lot of babies aren't crazy for plain cereal. I decided that we would go with cereal, though. The good doctor recommended it, I believe, because the cereal is iron fortified and some babies deplete their stores of iron by six months.

Zeke seemed to get the hang of it and he hardly wore any of it. He seemed to enjoy the experience overall.



"Oh no, I couldn't possibly... well, maybe just another bite."







"Mmmmm, the bowl tastes good, too." Zeke couldn't keep his mouth off the bowl, making feeding a little awkward.

I almost spilled the bowl a few times and had a hard time getting the spoon to his mouth. In the end, I only fed him part of what I mixed up and put the rest in a bottle. Tomorrow, I'll put a little bit more cereal in the mix and use another bowl and see if it is any easier.

"Check, please!" Next feeding time tomorrow....

Made in the Shade (25 weeks, 2 days)

Here's some more catching up. We had a great weekend last weekend. First, I had a terrific birthday: thoughtful gifts from Aaron (a nursing necklace and a Hooter Hider -- I'll add links later), a care package and card from Zeke (my baby can't sit by himself yet, but he can pick out nice greeting cards), cake and ice cream at work (of course, I missed out on the ice cream), and then a terrific dinner at the same veggie restaurant where we had Mother's Day Dinner. Great birthday.

Then on Saturday we went to the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival. We put Zeke in the Baby Bjorn and walked around all the artists' booths. It was like a Baby Bjorn rally out there -- every few yards or so, there was a baby strapped to someone's chest like a hood ornament. I never even knew there were some many different styles of Baby Bjorns. There was indeed shade, but we still made Zeke wear a jaunty little blue chapeau that tied around the chin. Have to protect that baby! Embarrassing baby photos for the future are just a side benefit. I also started looking a little to the future and talking to some of the parents from the local preschool co-op at their booth. I think we might put in an application for Zeke next February when they start registration -- one year olds can attend for a few days a week.

Thus far I have not met any little girls that don't just think that Zeke is a doll and don't want to hold his hand. This little girl is Sara. I was just amazed because the last time I saw Sara, she was just a baby herself and now she is a four year old diva. Sara and her family live in the community where I work(ed), but I first met her mom 10 years ago. She was a staff member in my AmeriCorps program in South Carolina. We ran into each other a few years ago at a community meeting -- small world! It also makes me feel like I have been at my job a really long time -- she is so big now!

My New Boss

Here's my naughty baby who has been resistant to sleeping at night. Forget those seven hour stretches I wrote about a few months ago -- those seem like a distant fantasy. Zeke -- who is busy growing, learning and teething -- now only sleeps a few hours at a time. Instead of sleeping soundly, he whines, cries and rolls and rolls. This shot was taken by the Sprout Daddy at 2 in the morning. I try and have resolve that we will get Zeke to have better sleep habits, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised if two nightowls have a nightowl baby. Zeke (and Zeke's sleeping habits) control my life.

I will have some new time to experiment with Zeke's routines and habits, though. I have quit my job. This time next week, I will no longer have a regular paycheck and company-supported benefits. I've said goodbye to all that and to the work that I have known for the past 4 1/2 years and am going to spend more time with Zeke. I'm excited and I'm scared. Will I be good at my new job? How will the loss of my income affect us? Who am I without my work? Stay tuned for these answers and more.

I have been back at work for four months. I've been very proud of what we have done in that time. But I can't say that I loved it. I felt like I never gave enough to either my home or my job and I've just been worn around the edges and missing Zeke. I knew that I wouldn't leave until my project finished its original funding cycle June 30, but it wasn't until the beginning of August that Aaron and I started talking seriously about my leaving work.

I'm happy about this. Just look at that baby! How could I be away from him? More in an upcoming post!

Denise Crosby Talked to My Baby!! (25 weeks)

If you don't know who Denise Crosby is or why she was a guest of honor riding in convertible down Peachtree on Saturday morning, you just may not get as much from this post as some of my other readers. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

On Saturday morning, we got up and went downtown for the fifth annual Dragon*Con parade. Dragon*Con is the huge sci-fi/fantasy/comics/horror/all things geek "con"ference that takes over downtown Atlanta every Labor Day weekend. Apparently it is one of the largest in the world; Dragon*Con organizers expected 25,000 participants. Now, Aaron and I are geeks -- we know this and that is just a cross our child will have to bear. However, we aren't big enough geeks that we paid to get in the con to see all the costumes that attendees wear. We went to the free parade instead. In the pictures you can see Zeke and me in front of the 501st Legion of Storm Troopers and then a gang of Klingon biker chicks.

Denise Crosby was in a convertible right in front of the Klingons. She waved right at Zeke and said "Hi, Sweetie! Hi, Cutie!" So, Lieutenant Tasha Yar of Enterprise also seems to validate the universal cuteness of my baby.

Also in the parade (somewhat inexplicably to me) was Mickey Rooney and his latest wife. The parade also featured: Hogwarts wizards, Colonial Marines, Farscapers, Browncoats from Serenity, Cobra, Ghostbusters, pirates probably not from the Carribbean, superheroes, hobbits and elves, Wallace and Gromit, tons of denizens from a galaxy far far away, and a dozen Dr. Who's.

Zeke was very popular among the pirates who festooned him with beads and then gave him pirate coins and chocolate. He was really wide-eyed and paying attention to the parade. Afterwards we walked towards one of the three downtown hotels taken over by the event. I loved seeing all of the characters in the parade, on the street, in line at the restaurants....but as we had no event passes we just had to walk back. Next year we will take Zeke back and maybe let him wear a costume. We saw lots of teeny Spidermen, Little Mermaids, and fairies in the crowd enjoying an earlier Halloween.