Sittin' Pretty

Benjamin still can't sit independently, but he is making strides. Thanks to Leslie, Cathy, and Connie, Benjamin has a Bebepod to practice with!

Check out the difference from this attempt...




and this one...




...to this one.

It's a difference of four weeks.

Hide-and-Go-Seek Teeth

I am totally confused. A few weeks ago, Benjamin started acting like he was beginning to get teeth - crying, drooling all over, chomping away on my finger. About that time a little white bump appeared on his lower gums. Though he seemed young for it, all the evidence pointed to teething.

Well, yesterday I discovered that the white bump is gone! No bumps anywhere!

So what's up with that?! Mommies, have you experienced this with your children?

*We have a doctor's appointment in two weeks, so I will check with him. In the mean time...

Benjamin Anwel - Three Months Old

The entire series (including the family and mommy portraits) can be downloaded here. Note that none of these have had final color corrections. If you need an image in near-perfect form, please email me.

Mother and Son - Three Months Together

The Family - Three Months Together

During our latest visit to our family in Escondido, my parents did some portraits of us. These are the lovely results.

Fresh, Fancy, Fabulous Feet

Benjamin is a foot guy. His little feet reach out for surfaces to touch, his tiny toes groping until they find some- thing to grasp. When he feels blue, he can often be calmed by a foot massage or a firm grip encompassing his entire foot. Maybe Mama needs to take a reflexology class!

Baby Talk is more than Goo

Last night Brent showed me this "news" video (which actually ends up sounding like a commercial for something called LENA). This is great news for Benjamin. In a nutshell, research has shown that babies need to hear 9 million unique words before the age of three in order to do well in school (and life, supposedly). The way to get all those words in is to constantly narrate what you are doing with the child, to sing to him, to read a variety of books. And, every word heard before the age of three packs some percentage more punch than words heard after that age.

Well, in the P-Pod we are off to a good start. I have this ridiculous urge to talk to Benjamin about everything that is going on. Since viewing this video, however, I am going to be more cognizent of the variety of words I say. What do you think: Benjamin, are you feeling ecstatic today? Are you experiencing a bit of flatulance? What a gregarious boy you are!

15 pounds!

Yes! It's true...Benjamin has crossed the 15 pound mark. He is strong and healthy and he exercises (probably more than I do). I read about these baby exercises you can do with an infant, so we do them several times a day. Basically they include light activities to help him loosen up, stretch, and relax. It's quite cute - Benjamin knows the routine now and actually tries to do it on his own sometimes. Infants can be smart!

I'm coming to take you away...

So on my last visit to the Hidden Valley (in California), my mother and sisters took over for me in caring for Benjamin. And here's a story that came out of it, via my middle sister's mouth. (Mom, you may correct any inaccuracies in the comment section.)

My dad and I were playing cribbage in the wine cellar and I was not attending to Benjamin because there were practically fights over who got to put him to bed. (OK, not really...please, if you don't know me or my family, understand that we are quite dramatic storytellers when we want to be, and we have a big sense of humor, especially when it comes to harassing each other - ask one of us about the hippos in the Zambezi some time. No, none of the individuals named, including myself, are really jerks. End of personal explanation.)

After some 20 minutes or so, Rosie returns to the cellar with a long face and says that Mom/Grandma booted her out of the baby room. Well, why? I ask. For singing him a bed time song, she says.

That clearly sounds unreasonable. Mean old Grandma.

So what exactly happened? I ask.

It turns out that after changing Benjamin's diaper and dressing him in his sleeping gown, my mom recalled that I sing to him before I put him in bed. This is the part where Mommy sings to him, she announced to my two sisters. But Grandma could not recall "Dona Nobis Pacem" and queried the girls as to an appropriate tune. Rosie, in her most gravelly, nightmare-inspiring voice responded, "We're coming to take you away, hee-hee, ho-ho, ha-ha, to the funny farm, where life is beautiful all the time..."

"Ack! Be quiet!" Grandma hissed. "Get out!" (Nevermind that when we were children, Grandma-Mom used to sneak up behind us singing that song and wiggle her fingers on the ticklish parts of our necks and shoulders giving us the chills.)

And with that, Auntie Rosie was banished from Benjamin's room to mope in front of me and Dad. We flashed her looks that indicated we already knew of Mom's madness, and consoled her by sharing some of Dad's secret stash of Godiva truffles.

Now readers, tell me, doesn't every kid need a creepy aunt? After all, someone's got to inspire his art!

Not New, Just Better

My updates have not been as frequent lately in part because Benjamin is not doing much that's new. But he is improving on a few things:

Sitting up - he has been sort of sitting for a long time, but now he is able to do it in his new BebePod where he is supported, while still strengthening the muscles needed to balance his head and upper body. Photos of this will be posted next week.

Laughing - Sadly, that first laugh has been the only one. I have tried to repeat what I was doing at the time, to no avail. Will let the gentle readers know when his laughter happens again.

Smiling - Benjamin is a man of extremes. He is either screaming his head off, or he is sitting around smiling and cooing. There's not much in between temperament. However, his smiling is so frequently now - during and after a bath, after a diaper change, after eating, while just hanging out with Mama or Papa, while riding in the stroller. He's a very proficient smiler.

Cooing/talking - We think this kid will talk earlier than most. He is already a chatterbox! He decided that laying in bed was not so bad when he could talk to the animals (the mobile). And he just loves to repeat "oh" for us for hours.

Staying awake - Benjamin is awake for much of the day now, and he usually sleeps from 10:30PM straight through to 4:00 AM. We are feeling a little better about the sleep we are getting.

Strength - This guy is strong. Always moving. Most of the time he looks like a beetle on his back, all appendages flailing madly. For this reason he has earned a new nickname: "Bug." Bug is going to be a strapping young lad, I am sure of it.

Music - He just loves music. The "Mother Earth Lullabies" CD can calm him from even the most uproarous wail. When I sing Dona Nobis Pacem, he gets all docile (it's his bedtime song, but I use it also when he's inexplicably upset). Reggae and calypso make him smile and kick excitedly.

I Got One Hand in my Pocket...

...and the other one is scratching my head.

What I can't figure out is: Why does anyone put pockets on infant pants? Benjamin has a pair of hand-me-down jeans. These jeans have two complete pockets atop both legs - not just fake pocket edges that are sewn shut. REAL POCKETS. When I try to pull them over his diaper, the inner pocket bunches up and I have to wrestle him and his pants to make it work. (He assists me by crying loudly and kicking his legs.) Now this pair also has the little inner pocket - the kind that is a mystery even on adult pants. (What is that flat little pocket for - a key?) I have to ask, why?

But it's not just jeans. I pulled out a pair of 6 month sweatpants today and guess what I found? Pockets on the bum! And the khakis - side pockets.

Now tell me, when's the last time you saw a kid who couldn't even crawl, hold an item, or shoo a fly off his face put his hands in his pockets? And just what does an infant put in his pockets? A spare sock? A binky? A thermometer? A handkerchief for the burp-ups?

Readers - Please comment. Why do YOU think there are actual pockets on infant pants? What do your infants keep in their pockets?

The Stoop

The B-Boys


It's stoop season again! On warm evenings, neighbors sit out on their stoops or walk around the neighborhood visiting with friends sitting on their stoops. We love this part of the culture here.

A Walk in the Park

With all the glorious weather we've had (OK, maybe just three days in the past two weeks), Benjamin and Buckley and I have hit the trails at the park again. Spring is definitely in the air now, so look for more pictures of all the outdoor fun we're having!

Daddy and Son

A few snaps of a man and his boy using natural light. Download the entire series here if you like.

The Sound of Laughter

Benjamin laughed today! A real, indisputable laugh! Brent and I both looked at each other like, is that really what we heard? And then he did it again. And again. And again. Oh, he's just so fun! (In between his bouts with teething pain).

Adventures in Black and White

For the entire series, click here.

What Brings Me Joy

My baby spontaneously smiling and "talking" to me.

My dog running free over the hills and through the woods.

My husband suddenly breaking into laughter.

The Sweetest Thing

The past two mornings I have awoken to Benjamin cooing in his bed. It is the cutest sound, and it cracks me up that he talks to the stuffed elephant heads hanging above him. This is one of the things I love the best about motherhood.

His Longness

Another change Benjamin has undergone is lengthening. He is losing his buddha belly and looking less like a newborn. Bittersweet, it is. Bye-bye, Buddha.

His Monkness

I about freaked out the other day when Benjamin's hat fell off and I noticed it COVERED in hair. Baby hair, root and all, lining the interior. Yes, this boy who had really, really good-looking locks is entering the transition stage. Presently he has a bald spot that spreads from ear to ear. The hair on top is thinning, but he still has the curls around the nape of his neck. I wonder: when will the big boy hair arrive?

Look, Ma, no diaper rash!

Benjamin has remained diaper rash-free thus far in his young life. I think this can be attributed to the BumGenius cloth diapers I'm using. (Yes, I believe I could become a spokesperson for the company! Thanks, Melissa, for the recommendation!)

The concept is this - the liquid goes through a moisture-wicking fabric into an absorbant cotton-terry-microfiber insert. Basically, he can pee buckets and the fabric that is touching his tender skin barely feels wet. Good stuff! Great for overnight!

However, I also really like the plain ol' prefold diapers. These have no wicking properties and feel really uncomfortable to Benjamin after a pee or two. The benefit of this for his tushy is that he cries right away, I change him right away because I don't want to listen to crying (and I do care about his bum...but that's easier to ignore than crying), so he never really sits around in wetness. Yay for him!

Lastly, I've been avoiding the disposable wipes as much as possible. I still pull them out when the brown (or grayish-green) stuff shows up, but for regular diaper changes I use these little flannel cloths dipped in warm water (I bought a wipes warmer and just filled it with water, thanks Tara for the tip...). I have not read up on the controversy regarding commercial baby wipes - all I know if that I'm a "natural is best" gal and this is clearly working for Benjamin. Hint: If you want to try this, just grab an old flannel receiving blanket and cut it up in 5-inch squares. If you like the method, you can sew or serge them later, or buy pretty flannel if you want to put in the effort. Having the water in the room is key...as is having disposables for the icky diapers. You wash the flannel squares and reuse them.

The official verdict on cloth is this - I love the BumGenius (which are basically a really effective brand of pocket diaper...other pocket diapers might be just fine) and I love plain old pre-folds, using a Snappi instead of diaper pins. I also use the nylon Dappy diaper covers - they are not as crinkly as vinyl pants, nicer for the babe (breathable) and nicer to the environment. Plus, a vinyl cover slipped past my watchful eye and into the dryer - melted a hole in it. Poo! Dappies are two for $5.

Of course, if I fall behind on laundry, Benjamin gets a day of disposable diapers. We're flexible around here. I understand that life does not always allow the ideal to occur without interruption.

I guess now that I've been doing this for a while, I don't understand why more people don't cloth diaper. Seems cheaper in the long run, it's so much softer and dryer on the baby's backside, and they are so darn cute! This summer, he may not wear any proper clothes. I can foresee t-shirt and matching cloth diaper ensembles in his future...with colors like grasshopper green and butternut yellow, how can we resist?

Cardio-OK

This is now old news, but I never got it posted, so here goes...

Benjamin was born with VSD - ventricular septal defect. This is a hole in the wall that separates the left and right ventricles in the heart. The size and how quickly it closes up determine the severity of the condition. All babies are born with this hole, but in most cases the hole closes within 48 hours or less, so it is of no concern by the time the child is discharged from the hospital.

We were told before leaving the hospital that it was of moderate size (which could be a concern) but that it could easily close within a year (which would remove any concern). We were then advised to take him to a cardiologist in 4 to 6 weeks.

A few weeks ago we visited a pediatric cardiologist. Benjamin underwent a chest x-ray (Have you seen the restraint they stick a baby in to do that?!), an EKG, and an echocardiogram. The doctor said that the holes (three actually!) had become so tiny that even if they remain, they should pose no problem to him. However, even better, they are so small that they will likely close right up. We will follow up in a year just to be sure.

So we can rest easy, knowing that this will not cause him to keel over during high school basketball. Benjamin the lion-hearted. No tin man here!