thanks for the xmas pressies #1

G got a lot of really neat stuff for xmas this year, and he's already having fun with them. Thanks to you all for being so generous. It was a great time opening them with G. He even helped with the unwrapping by holding onto the paper while we pulled.

Adonis and Rali got him these great ear protector thingies, just like the dudes and dudettes at the airport wear. He looks really cute in them, and like sunglasses, doesn't mind wearing them at all. Now he can go to an occasional band practice or big political rallies without fear of hearing damage. Also featured in these pictures are a favorite new sleeper from Grams & Pawpaw that has alien feet (very cute).


Next, Allen, Suzanne, Adrian & Jacob got G this awesome little dj set-up. It's supposed to be for older kids, but it's really a great toy for a little dude who's just learning about cause & effect and how to work his hands. It's totally rad (I confess, A and I have had fun playing with it ourselves.)

thanks for the nice visit, Grams & Pawpaw!

We're happy you spent xmas with us. Sorry for the nasty weather. We'll see you soon!

the silver present on xmas eve

there was a silver package under the tree that G was just fascinated by. The tree is a good attention getter and we've been encouraging G to stand up in front of it (since the couch is right up by it, and it's in the picture window). While he was standing he reached for several things, but the one that he liked the most was the silver present with crinkly paper.

snow, the sound & presents on xmas eve day

happy 50th anniversary mom & dad

Fifty years ago tonight on a cold and snowy night (much like the one we're having in Seattle tonight) my mom and dad got married. I hope they have many more years together, and I'm happy they're here to spend it with us.

Because of the horrible snow we had to cancel or reservations at the Palace Kitchen, but Amos and I are cooking for them instead. Even though we're snowed in we're lucky we have lots of food and a cute baby to entertain us.

Here's a picture from that night 50 years ago. I love you guys!

li'l g's li'l xmas tree

we put up a tree a couple of days ago, but I forgot to post a picture. G likes the lights.

6 months old

Happy half birthday to G, happy half birthday to G, happy half birthday to Gee-eeeeee. happy half birthday to G. G went to the doctor today. He's growing like a weed. He weighs 17 lbs 5 oz (about 50th percentile), is 27 inches tall (about 70th percentile), and has a big head (is about the 80th percentile). Because he's grown so much he's almost grown out of his laryngomalacia. He makes noise when breathing very infrequently. Dr. O. thought he looked great all around--he turned on the charm for her and showed off his raspberries. (We really like her a lot--I really feel good about our doctor choice.) To celebrate we went out to Jak's for dinner with 1/2 of his grandparents. Oh, and his head has this nice downy covering now, it's nice and fuzzy.

wakey wakey snow flakey

Tonight it's snowing in Seattle. We took G out to have a look.

hiccups

I had this hiccups this morning, and Garrison thought it was hilarious.

santa sunday at cupcake royale

today we went to the junction in west seattle (I love our neighborhood). They have all kinds of things going on there for xmas. Last night was the tree lighting and some performances before the lighting (we didn't go, maybe next year). Today and the next 2 sundays santa is at the cupcake royale. For a donation of $10 a professional photographer took pictures of G on Santa's lap (the donations go to some great west seattle charities, like westside baby, a great organization that helps make sure babies in our area have the basic necessities). The photog spent a good 5 minutes trying to get him to crack a smile, but he was a tough customer--at least there was not screaming or crying. I think there was too much going on for smiling, so I had to resort to the tickle (cruel, I know). Eventually, I think she got a good one. We'll get to see them on Tuesday, when she posts them to her website. Much better than waiting in line at the mall! The little boy who went after G was a cutie. He was born on June 1, and his middle name is Garrison too. It's funny. I never realized how popular that name is! This is the third kid, including our G that we've encountered with the name Garrison. Anyway, the crappy picture that I took will have to stand-in for the real deal. Oh, and that's his "reindeer jumper" (Bridget Jones reference) that my sweet mom sent to him. (he didn't wear the matching hat for the picture).

From G at 5 months old

OH-LEE-OH-LEE-OHS

That's what I used to call bananas when I was just a wee girl. Apparently I loved them. Now, I'm not a big fan, but Amos is and so I gave him the task of trying them out on G (didn't want to subconsciously influence the boy). You can see in the pictures below he was not a fan either. He had this look on his face that said, "why would you do this to me? do you hate me? why are you putting that nasty stuff in my mouth?" I thought he was going to cry. Like mother, like son, in this case, unfortunately. Oh, and the super cute computer keyboard bib is from our lovely friends, Brian & Christina (they got us 3 super cute handmade ones from etsy--such a great place for handmade gifts!)

what's new in G-town--HIGH CHAIR

Today we finally got G's high chair. It's a Chicco Polly that folds up very flat (essential feature for people with a tiny house). I'm really happy with it--it looks perfect in our crazy clown house. The tray is HUGE! G tried it out after I put it together and seemed pretty happy in it.

what we're thankful for, among other things.

how 'bout them apples?

I'm not the first parent I know who has tried making her own food. Sabrina did for Maddie, and she told me a lot about doing it. It's not a realistic thing if you're going to make food every day, but if you make a big batch and freeze it it's not too bad, in fact it's kind of fun. And, you can (a) make it with locally grown organic produce and (b) save $ over the cost of stuff you can buy in jars (especially when you compare the cost of the organic baby food at the grocery store, not the normal gerber stuff) and (c) have a little fun cooking stuff. My inner cheapskate is very happy about the whole thing.

As with most things I turned to the internet to get some instructions and tips for the whole process. There are lots of people who have written stuff about doing this, and one can buy books. I found the site wholesomebabyfood.com really informative.

My first attempt was to bake and puree one yam. It made a couple of servings for the frigand I was able to freeze 8 more servings in an ice cube tray. After they were frozen I popped them out of the tray and put them in a ziploc in the freezer. I just have to remember to take them out the night before I want to use them.

Today Amos went to the local food coop, the PCC, (Eddie Vedder is known to shop there from time to time) and picked up another batch of stuff for us to cook up for G. He got apples, butternut squash and more yams. Tonight I started on the apples, since the root vegetables should keep longer. I peeled and cut them up and put them in a steamer on the stove. I cooked them until they got soft and then pureed them smooth. 6 apples made 17 servings and cost $8.61, or about $.50/serving (Amos even bought expensive apples). We got 4 yams for $3.50, and I should get about 30 servings out of that or about $.12/serving. And the squash was $2.15, and I have no idea how much that will make. So for the apples and yams my average cost is .25/serving. Compare those costs to the cost of 6 jars of earth's best organic baby food, which online is $4.14 or $.69/serving.

sweet potatoes for the sweet

Apparently G thinks sweet potatoes are tasty--they're his first non-cereal food. He opens his mouth for the spoon. He gums them and moves them around a lot with his tongue and finally he'll swallow. Amos compared him to a dog who has been given peanut butter.

5 months, 1 day

G was 5 months old yesterday. The day passed without fanfare, and we actually forgot about it until today. (Terrible parents!)
Here's what G is up to these days.

He's getting big. I weighed him on the Wii Fit a couple of days ago and it said he was 15.8 pounds.
He is having a little trouble with naps.
He has to have prune juice (1 tsp) with every bottle to stay "regular."
He likes to grab hair when you're carrying him around.
He still isn't great at eating the cereal yet, but he thinks it's funny, so we do it for kicks.
He like standing more than sitting, and can hang onto the little activity center by himself for a minute or so (amos just setting him up in the picture below).
He's can't wear 3-6 month baby gap jeans. His tummy is a little too big for them, they snap but look uncomfortable.
He has a great laugh. He tosses his head back when he's really tickled, which I find irresistible.
He still has two dimples--one on each cheek.
Still hates tummy time, so can't turn over. He is pathetic when we do it.
He's starting to enjoy time in the ergo more. Today he was in for an hour while I did stuff around the house.
He's constantly slobbery...his hands, his cheeks, his chin...
I think he's starting to get afraid of people who are not us.
I think his noisy breathing is better. He does it less during a day than he did at 3 months old.
And, he just gets sweeter every day. It's been a great 5 months.

mom, dad, joe and barack

Here's a great picture of my mom and dad from the announcement of Obama picking Joe Biden (or Joey B! as we like to call him around here) in springfield this summer. It was apparently a very hot day and there was no water to be had anywhere. But my super awesome parents braved the heat to go see it. I think it's awesome that I'll able to tell G they were there. That's the old state capital in the background, and a bit of Lari trivia-- I worked at a soup restaurant right there on the square the summer before I started taking education classes.

Mom and dad are the origins of my political views. I grew up in a house where old skool crossfire was on at the dinner table and we had lots of conversations about politics. I think they are two of the most generous people I know, and it is reflected greatly in their political beliefs. I love you, mom and dad!

happy birthday, rali!

G just wanted to tell you Chestit Rojden Den!! (see he does listen to you when you talk in Bulgarian to him!) He thinks you're a rad baby sitter and is resting up for when he gets to see you again. He also said he hopes he'll get extra "tummy bubbles" this week.

what's new in G-town--TRYING NEW FOOD

At G's 4 month appointment our doctor told us that we could start getting him to try some food. I have a list of stuff that we should start with, and one of the first things on my list was rice cereal. We haven't been rushing the whole food thing, but yesterday we decided to try some, kind of as dessert. We don't yet have a high chair (gotta get one of those), so I tried it while he was sitting in the activity center that cousin Lucy let us borrow. a book I have suggests that you try it and see if the baby spits it out or not. If he spits it out, he's not ready. Well, there was a little confusion, and a kind of bewildered look on his face when I put food in his mouth. Then he kind of let it drool out of his mouth. I guess we'll try next week.

Wow. Just wow.

I'm speechless. Pictures will have to suffice. G stayed up late to wait for the returns.

li'l g's election challenge

I thought I'd challenge you all to pick the outcome of the elections. Maybe I'll even give the winner a prize. I'll use the rules from Daily Kos' challenge. If you want to play along fill out the form below and I'll keep track in the google spreadsheet and post the results wednesday or thursday. (Washington Post has a handy tool where you click on the states and it calculates the electoral votes.)
Here's mine.


57 Democratic Senate seats
41 Republican Senate seats
258 Democratic House seats
177 Republican House seats
390 Obama Electoral Votes
148 McCain Electoral Votes
52.4 Obama Popular Vote Percentage
47.6 McCain Popular Vote Percentage

the blue eyed brown bear

so I didn't get G a Halloween costume, because I didn't think it was a necessary expense. But, I did see this brown fuzzy thing with ears at costco last time I was there getting the important family stuff, like diaper wipes and diet coke. I had to get it, because really, if we go out in the stroller we pretty much have to put him in a sleeper and put some blankets on him. I figured he needed something a little more substantial. I don't think Seattle winters merit a baby snow suit or anything drastic like that, but something warm and fuzzy would be good. I know it's bordering on the "pink nightmare" of a bunny suit from A Christmas Story, and someday G will be embarrassed of pictures of him in this, BUT how could I resist?

So, happy halloween.

'tis the season to be voting

Monday we took the G-man to the King County elections office and did our early voting. Amos and I have always voted the day of since we moved here, but this time we decided to just be safe and get the votes banked. G decided it would be a good time to poop his pants (AWESOME!)

There was a modest line relative to the stories you hear about in Florida and other parts of the country. I suppose it's because nearly everyone votes by mail. Oregon does it all like that, but there are two counties in Washington that still vote at the polls (at least for this election, but this is the last). So, we're kind of the freaks voting at the polls in these parts. I don't know, I think all of the people that like it are transplants from the midwest and east who like that feeling of "going to vote." (not saying all transplants like it, just that those who like it are transplants).

Anyway, it felt good to darken those bubbles for Barack. We also got to vote on the Assisted Suicide thing (just like Oregon's is how it is billed--we were pro). Then there was another thing to raise some money to fix the Public Market. And, a couple of other road & public transportations initiatives/tax measures.

Oh, and then there was the superintendent of public schools. I had mixed emotions on this one. I heard the two candidates have a discussion on NPR here, and I just wasn't impressed with the challenger, but the incumbent has really pushed this state testing thing (not necessarily all her fault) so she is unpopular. The challenger talked about math as "calculation" and that bugged me. I think that's a pretty narrow view of what math is all about. But, I always check the state education associations endorsements, because it's always good to go with the teachers. They endorsed the challenger. I was torn about which to support. On the one hand I felt like this guy sounded like he was running on an anti-incumbent platform. He didn't really talk too much about his own ideas, he spent more time attacking hers. It reminded me of an Obama McCain debate. I had to check a paper's endorsement to see what they thought as a tie-breaker.

Anyway, it's kind of hard to be an informed voter some times. Do you all have any interesting places you check for endorsements that you trust? Oh, we also look at the local indie paper's recs when we go to vote, because they're so liberal!

update! BTW, the campaign is giving away a cool shirt with every donation over $5 (they've done this a lot, but this is a NEW one, it's has a nice message.)

cool chilean knits for g

Friday night we got to go over to dinner at Adonis and Rali's. Adonis' mom, Libby, is in town for a month or so visiting from Chile and we always love getting to see her. When you meet her you see right away where Adonis gets his personality--she's witty, warm and very generous. She brought back some cool knits for G. He has a lovely sweater with a hood and zipper, that he will need to grow into a bit. I'm so excited for him to be able to wear it, because it is so darn cute. Its hood has a tassel on it. It will be perfect for a fall jacket and is very warm. He will look so cute in it.

He also got the cutest hat, with ear flaps and ties for under the chin and a long tassel. We tried it on on Sunday when we were thinking about going to see Joe Biden. A bout of constipation kept us from going, but if we had, G would have been toasty warm in his cute new hat.

Adonis and Rali also had her pick up a charango for Amos. It is beautiful (I'll take a picture later, when Amos sets it down). He can already play it, because it is tuned like a uke that has an extra set of E strings. It's what he was playing in mom's birthday video. The instrument is made-to-order of a single piece of wood. These are not tourists' toy instruments like the tons of ukes you see in Hawaii--this is for musicians, and the craftsmanship is impressive. It has a great sound, but with 10 strings takes a while to tune. The wife of the man who makes the instruments also makes cases for each of them that he sells, so Amos has this cool little case that holds it when he's not strumming away.

Thanks for all the cool stuff, guys! We're lucky to have friends like you.

happy birthday, grandmom!

Today is my mom's birthday. One thing you should know about her is that she loves music and has a lovely voice. When I was growing up the two of us spent many hours sitting at the piano with a song book ("great songs of the sixties", or "hits of the seventies"). She would play any song I wanted and we would sing. It was so much fun, and I loved doing it. (She could play Bohemian Rhapsody, no problem.) Mom most definitely shared her love of music with me, and it is one of the most important things in my life. So, on her birthday, there is no more fitting tribute than a birthday song (albeit one that was recorded early in the morning with so-so singing). Amos is playing his newest instrument, a charango that Rali and Adonis had Adonis' mom, Libby bring back from Chile (more about it later). Garrison, is of course the star of the video, doing what he likes to do best these days, stand.

We hope you have a wonderful day, Mom! Thanks for all the sing-a-longs, shopping trips, long talks, sage advice, great meals, beautiful mom-sewn dresses, hugs and kisses, being there when G was born and all-around awesome life you've given me. I'm looking forward to many more years of sing-a-longs with you. (I love you sooooo much, and wish I could give you a big hug and kiss in person.)

baby in doggie sleeper eyes sleepy doggie

4 month doctor appt.

Today we took G in for his 4 month well baby appointment. This is our first appointment since we found out about the Lah-ring-o as Amos like to call G's laryngomalacia. HIs stats for today were impressive. Because of the laryngomalacia we have to watch his weight, As long as he's gaining well he won't have to have surgery. He weighed 13 lbs 12 oz and jumped to the 30th percentile in his weight (last time we went in, at 3 months, he was 11 lbs 8 oz and was in the 19th percentile). He was in the 33rd percentile when he was born, so he's getting back to where he started, which is good). To the right is a graph of his weight over time (in months).His head was 17" around, and he's about 24.5 inches long (I say about, because he's a squirmy guy and hard to get measured accurately). We'll go in every 2 weeks or so for weighings to make sure he's gaining well.

Dr. Okorn made a big fuss over him, and he was at his flirtiest. He got to do all his tricks for her to make sure he's developing well, and she said he looks great. His eye contact is excellent. No flat head, probably because he's held so much--he certainly doesn't want for attention. He also got some shots, and the nurse was really quick. He came home ate and decided to crash.

Here's a look at what G's up to these days.
+he's really into blankets and fabric. He scrunches them up and grabs onto clothes.
+he occasionally sucks his right thumb. The rest of his fingers wave around while he does it.
+no head lag on baby sit up
+hates tummy time, but loves to lay on his tummy on mom's or dad's chest.
+great head control, can almost use ergo without infant insert, just a little bit longer legs would help.
+he's into grabbing his ankles and calves.
+is into laughing.
+seems to be trying to figure out how to imitate mom and dad doing raspberries (can't quite get it).
+goes to bed sometime around 8:30 or 9 and sleeps to 3:30-4:30ish.
+is getting good at using his two hands together, but he's still a little stiff
+seems to be drooly, and likes to bite on your knuckle--teething?!
+can stand up with support (has hardly any remaining walking reflex, like they have as newborns).
+wants to try to hold his bottle
+is not too fond of baths
+cries with tears (oh, it's just agonizing to see!)
+fits into most 3-6 month clothes (although I'm sad to report that his dancing robots onesie, a 3-6 mos, is too small!!)

Funny Friday

Here are amos and g laughing together during A's lunch. The first time I heard him laugh was Sept. 19, but he didn't really laugh for an extended time, like when he giggles in this video. The giggling is probably a week-old trick.

what's new in G-town--BIG DIAPERS

My butt is officially too big for the little diapers!














So, we got the next size. They're much bigger. (see the old ones with the green stitching on top of the new ones).













And we had to get new covers to accommodate the big diapers.













now I can sleep longer. Everyone is happy about that. Oh, and check out my sweet socks. (thanks Kay and Jack!)


And, happy birthday Unkie Wes!

did you see that?! ILL 45 UMich 20

G and I had our doubts in the first quarter, but we looked good the rest of the game. First time since 1999 we've won in the BIG HOUSE. G says "Go Illinois!" (sorry Unkie Tom!)

G is serious...about eating.

From g's fourth month

laryngomalacia, or why G squeaks

I have suspected for some time that the cause of G's squeak is a condition called laryngomalacia. All of the symptoms just made sense. I first read about it in my Baby 411 book (which is probably the best book we have about parenting. It has calmed us many times and answered pretty much every question I've had.) the Pediatrician who co-wrote the book is married to an Ear/Nose/Throat doctor, so I am just guessing that she knows a lot about the condition. Anyway, in the book it says that if your baby makes noise when breathing that sounds like G's, then it is something called "floppy larynx" and that kids usually grow out of it. So, given my interest in research, I decided to wade into some of the literature and see what I could find out. It said pretty much the same thing that the book said, but added a few details, like sometimes kids need to have surgery to correct the problem (this is generally done when it is keeping a kid from "thriving"). So that was reassuring, still, I wanted my diagnosis confirmed, and wanted to make sure that G was being watched for this (in case it was or became a problem).

Well, we got a referral from our primary care giver's partner (it was a big PITA trying to get the right kind of referral) to go to Children's Hospital in Seattle. I was excited about going to Children's because one of the studies I read about laryngomalasia was actually written by the team at Children's, so I felt like G would be seeing great people. It was a long wait, because our referral started out getting sent to the wrong speciality clinic. There were many phone calls made to straighten it all out, and everyone was confused because G is not called Myles. (Why is that so hard?) Finally we got the call on Friday to make an appointment, and we got in today at 3. (very quick turn-around really once they got the right referral).

First of all, Children's is an amazing facility. If G needs emergency care, we're going there. The Gates have been generous donors, and it shows. We had a long wait, but they give you a beeper (like when you go to a busy restaurant) that buzzes you, so you can walk around the facility more. G was weighed and measured (we weren't sure if he was 6.1 kg or 6.5 kg) and we were taken to an exam room. The room was nice, and there was obviously a lot of attention paid to the details. For example, instead of chairs they had a couch thing kind of build into the room. It was designed for families. We had to wait again for the doctor to come in.

First we saw the resident. He asked us a lot of questions, and we told him what we'd observed. He confirmed my suspicion. He took a look at G and G smiled at him and kicked his feet. Then the doctor came in and said we were going to take a look in his throat. They put a scope in his nose and down his throat, so we could see what was going on. Of course, G was crying, which makes the throat open wide, so you couldn't really see it (G does not make his noise when crying, which is pretty typical for kids who have this.) Anyway, the doctor said that sometimes surgery is necessary, but that they did not think that G would need it, because he's gaining weight well. She suggested that we go in to our doc every week or two to check his weight to make sure that he stays on track weight-wise. But, we don't have to go back to Children's unless he stops gaining. They said that he'd likely stop doing it by the time he's 9-12 months, so we'll have a squeaky baby for the foreseeable future. The resident gave us a copy of the movie they made when they put the scope down his throat too. I think I'll put it in his baby book.

And as a reward for reading the whole post, here's some eye candy.

daddytainment

From g's fourth month

who does G look like?

here are some pictures of amos and me as babies. I've included the picture that shows the back of my head. Unfortunately this is exactly what the back of G's head looks like (his birthmark is lower on his head than mine, but it looks just like mine). (1) is that picture, me taking a bath. (2) me age? (mom, can you help out here?) (3) G about 4 days old. (4) G about 3 months old. (5) A at 2 months old (6) A just home from the hospital. (maybe next time I'll post the ugliest baby picture ever--my hospital picture.)