Mama Kisses

And this is how it is.

2009-02-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

Chase is at this moment moving water from the dog's water bowl to the dog's food bowl, using the dog's food scoop. Luckily, there is no food in the food bowl, but since he has in the past moved food from the food bowl to the water bowl, I know the dog actually prefers dog food soup.

A little over an hour ago, he locked himself in the bedroom. The bedroom to which we have no key. Luckily, he also UNlocked himself in the bedroom, while Mama was frantically trying every key in our odd-key box and calling our-neighbor-the-carpenter.

In between locking himself in the bedroom and creating his own water toys, he had me make a plastic bottle and dried bean shaker..which he opened and ate at least one dried bean and put the rest goodness-knows-where; he tripped over the babygate threshold rushing to say "hi" to Dada (who was on the phone); he amused himself by pushing the stroller in circles in the garage; he got mad at me for folding laundry instead of eating the mushy waffle he was pushing in my face; and he took all the pillows out of the laundry cupboard.

This is life with a toddler.

This is how it is nearly every day. Granted, this day held a bit more drama than most; I don't usually worry about how much of my house I'm going to have to take apart to "save" my son. But the busyness, the swing of emotions? That's there, always.

It's a wonderful thing to be able to stay home with my toddler, to hear him say, "Oh no! Oh no! Mommeee? Momeee? Oh no!" when something doesn't work the way he wants (like just now, when he got his pants wet). He changes so much. Every day. New words, new skills, new behavior...same amazing little boy.

New skills

2008-07-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

For all those who asked, Chase climbed IN the dog door for the first time the other afternoon. He crawls out because he really wants to be outside, and usually we scoop him up and bring him back inside. Or we go out with him, but use the screen door instead of the glass one, and he can open the screen door. But the other afternoon, I sat out with him for a while when it was too hot to leave the screen open. At some point, he must have had enough, because he climbed back in! He came straight back out again, then five or so minutes later, he climbed inside to stay. Such a smart and clever boy!

Speaking of smart and clever, he's getting faster on his feet, though not actually running yet. One interesting thing we've noticed is that his "talking" has really increased since he started to walk. He chatters and babbles all the time, but nowhere is he more loquacious than on the changing table! We have quite the conversation there a couple of times a day.

He has started trying to climb on furniture, but he's still too little to actually get on the couch or anything tall. He has taken an interest in pens and other writing implements; I guess we'll need to buy some crayons and BIG paper soon.

Best of all, for Mama anyway, is that he now nods his head "yes". He's been shaking his head "no" for a while, so now I can ask him YES/NO questions. What a world of communication this opens! "Chase, do you want a banana? No? How about blueberries? Yes? OK, here are blueberries." It is SO much nicer than the old grunt-and-point!

Proof!

2008-07-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

I know you are all DYING to see Chase crawl through the dog door, right? Well, here ya go!

Escape Artist

2008-07-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

We kinda sorta thought he could, but now we know for sure.

Chase can - and will! - crawl through the dog door.

I saw him do it twice today. Or rather, once today, I saw him half in/half out, pajama-striped leg sticking up in the air as he slithered to the ground outside. And later he went from being in the kitchen to being in the porch in the blink of an eye (or the time it takes to read half an article in Sunset - you choose).

----

We had a lovely and successful family outing this afternoon, and took some great photos. Unfortunately, I can not find my camera cable and James is putting Chase to bed and likely to stay there himself. So I'll say no more, and write all about it when it can be a proper photo-essay and not just some rambly text.

The cuteness never ends

2008-07-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

Chase is growing and changing SO MUCH. Every week, he is a different kid. And truly a toddler now that he is (occasionally) walking on his own.

His understanding of the world increases by leaps and bounds, and I'm constantly amazed at what he knows. Last night I had a great example of what he truly understands about the way the world works.

We've been having hot weather, and Chase took a late nap yesterday, so he was up later than usual. Up after dark, in fact, which is saying something since it doesn't get truly dark here until sometime between 9:30 and 10:00 at night. I'd been out knitting last night, and dumped everything - keys included - on the chair when I got home and realized the Boy was still awake.

Chase climbed on the chair just enough to get the keys. The he held up his hand and grunted - his way of letting me know he wanted to go walking. Keys in one hand and my finger in the other, he led the way out the front door and down the driveway. At the bottom of the driveway, he let go of my hand, sank to the ground, pointed the remote at the car and started pushing buttons. When nothing happened, he asked to walk again, and we moved forward about two feet. Again, he sank to the ground and started pushing buttons. Nothing. Forward again, each time a bit closer to Daddy's car.

Ah! This time something happened! He managed to pop open the hatch above the tailgate. He kept pushing the same button, and nothing more happened, of course. So I encouraged him to push one of the other buttons. Eventually, he unlocked all the doors, and popped the hatch several more times (with Mama closing it in between).

Now, I could have been annoyed at this. After all, he was up way past his bedtime, I was tired, it was dark out, we should have been winding down. But instead I simply watched in awe as he showed an understanding far beyond what I thought he possessed - he not only went to the car that matched the keys, he seemed to know that he had to be close to the car in order for the remote to work.

Kids really do pick up on EVERYTHING that you do. Everything. Chase will mimic behaviors I'm not even aware of until I see him copy them. The learning capacity of the toddler brain is truly astounding.

Fun with Flash

2008-06-10T08:30:00.001-07:00

OK, so I really need to do a photo dump soon...in the meantime, here's a nice cartoon version of the "Mama Kisses" family :-D

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Sometimes, we need a 2nd bath

2008-05-29T12:48:00.001-07:00

Chase had a pretty long day yesterday - his first visit to the dentist, lunch at Daddy's school, and a late nap. So we were pretty sure bedtime would be easy. But Chase had other plans.

Things started out easy enough - he ate a lot at dinner, and was happy to splash in the bath. We brushed teeth, got into PJs, had some milkies. But then he noticed something on the table. Daddy had brought home notes and presents from last week's "Teacher Appreciation Week." So we let Chase help Daddy open the notes. Ripping paper is a lot of fun for 15-month-olds!

Among the gifts was a small bag of foil wrapped chocolate hearts. Chase is in a phase where he loves to take things out of containers and put them back, or into other containers. These hearts were great fun for him to play with - first he took them out of the bag, then he put them back in. Then he took some out and put them on the table. Then put them back in the bag. Then he took them out of the bag one-by-one and handed them to Daddy. Who wisely hid them under a sweatshirt. That last heart, though? He wouldn't let it go, even when both Mama and Daddy emphatically insisted it was bedtime and time to let go of all toys and similar items.

Oh, well, though Daddy. At least I'll know when he's asleep because he'll drop it. So off to the bedroom they went. Daddy began to rock Chase to sleep and Mama settled into her chair with her knitting. Ah, peace!

Then, a plaintive cry from the other room. "Mama? We could use some help in here...and you might want to bring the camera." So I grabbed the camera and went off to Chase's room. Where I found this:

As you might have suspected by now, that is melted chocolate in his hair. And all over his hands. And in his ear. And on Daddy's shirt. Oh, my!

Mama tried not to laugh too hard while she undressed Chase. We plopped him into the kitchen sink, which has a sprayer - easier to get the chocolate-covered portions of the baby while not completely redoing bath-time or refilling the tub.

Chase fell asleep pretty quickly the second time. No less sweet for being covered not with chocolate but with mama kisses instead.

I love my guys!

2008-05-06T12:00:00.001-07:00

This post might be better suited for the week before Father's Day, instead of the week before Mother's Day, but I really don't care :-D

In talking to other moms, I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to have married such and Involved (and evolved!) Husband and Father. James has often commented on how he wants to be able to do it all; but, alas, the Universe did not bestow the power of lactation upon men, and so he can only do mostly all. And he does - he plays with, diapers, bathes, reads to, and rocks Chase any chance he can get. Watching them together just melts my heart. Just look at some of the moments I captured on film in the past month.

Here they are at the park. James is holding out raisins for Chase to eat.

And here at the top of Mt. Tabor, looking toward downtown Portland. James often wears Chase on our walks, or carries him when we go shopping. Although lately, Chase sometimes prefers to be on the ground, exploring.

Last weekend, James kept Chase busy while I baked and made dinner in the kitchen. I was busy, busy, busy, and bopping away to the radio when it was break time - dinner on the stove, muffins in the oven. I went in the other room to see my guys, wondering why it was so quiet. This is what I found.

Look at how cute Chase is, lovingly snuggled in Daddy's arms!

Earlier that day, we had moved the couch in front of the window. Now Chase can look outside without my having to hold him up. And Daddy can look, too. Isn't this a sweet moment?

There are moments like this every day, but I can't always get my camera out in time to capture them. I knew before I married him that James would be a fantastic father, but I didn't realize how seeing father and child together would so often make me want to smother them both with mama kisses.

First Blood

2008-04-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

It had to happen sometime, and I guess I really should be happy it hadn't happened yet.

Chase had his first bleeding owie today.

I was in the garage, with the door to the house open, and Chase was amusing himself by banging on the keyboard of my laptop. I don't know when he realized I wasn't in the room, but I heard him coming - he is very loud when he crawls fast!

I expected him to crawl to the edge of the step and babble and gesture for me to come get him, the way he always does. But either he was going to fast to stop, or he wasn't watching where he was going, because by the time I looked up he was face down on the door mat.

He started crying, so I swept him up and spoke to him the way I do after any tumble. "Oh, baby, are you OK? That must have been surprising, to fall like that. And I bet it hurt, too." I thought at most he'd have a goose egg on whatever part of his face he'd landed on, but when he finally let me look, all I saw was blood. I cleaned it off while he cried (and cried, and cried...) and finally figured out it wasn't a bloody nose as I thought.

It doesn't look like much in this photo, but there's a nasty scrape under his nose. It looks like road rash from the rough scrape-your-boots door mat. Poor little fellow.

I held him and cuddled him and kissed him while he cried, and then put him down for a long and recuperative nap. This afternoon he seemed just fine, although at least one woman at the coffee shop thought he had a bloody nose.

I'm sure we're in for a lot more bumps and scrapes through his life. I just hope they are all as easily cured with mama kisses.

Two cute

2008-04-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

I have a backlog of photos I want to share, but I'm too tired tonight to do that. Instead, I'm posting because I want to remember these two really cute and incredible things Chase did today.

First, we were in the living room and he was standing with one hand on his little walker-wagon and one hand on my leg. He'd been trying to get to my cell phone - and becoming very upset when I wouldn't hand it over - so I handed him his cell (an old inactive one we had in the garage). he was so excited to grab it, he did so with TWO hands - letting go of both of his supports. I don't think he really noticed; he was intent on opening the cell, standing wide legged and only a bit wobbly while I grinned for ear to ear and shouted (in my head) "Look at you! You're STANDING!!!" After about 10 seconds, he started to wobble, and rested his hand on my leg while he sank to kneeling. He did it again this evening, just letting go and standing for a few seconds. I don't think he'll be walking by his 14-month birthday (another week), but it won't be long now.

A little later, we were sitting on the kitchen floor, where he was insisting on drinking a strawberry smoothie from a "big boy cup" without any help from Mama. We both had our legs out in front of us and we were facing each other, with Chase between my knees. Well, he must have gotten frustrated with how I kept helping him and reminding him to hold the cup steady (and then reminding him to "tip it a little more" when he was trying to drink) - he suddenly pushed on the floor with his heels and spun around, facing away from me! This made him giggle. He took another sip of smoothie (and dribbled a little on the floor), then did it again, ending up facing me. Another giggle, another sip, more spinning. Soon he was just spinning himself around and around, stopping every once in a while to giggle and sip more smoothie. :-D OMG, I about died holding in my own laughter.

By the time he was done, there were plops of strawberry smoothie all over the floor, a dab of strawberry in his hair, and several dribbles of strawberry down his shirt. Addie (our dog) and I both took a stab at cleaning the floor, then Chase got a bath to wash off all the sticky. (He did more cute stuff in the bath, but I said I'd talk about two things...)

Gosh, I love my boy!

Rock on, baby!

2008-04-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

My baby loves his keyboard, yes he does.

A boy and his..er..giraffe

2008-04-10T20:32:00.001-07:00

Chase has had a giraffe "thing" for quite a while - his favorite toy off his play mat was a giraffe, and we used to make sure it came with us everywhere. Then someone gave us a second play mat giraffe and that lived on the dining table for a while. And who can forget the giraffe costume at Hallowe'en time?

But the giraffe of all giraffes came to us at Chase's birthday, courtesy of his paternal grandmother. At first, I was a bit skeptical; Chase has many stuffed toys and barely pays attention to any of them. Plus, this one was HUGE. OK , it could have been bigger - we saw one at Goodnight Room that came up to my chin. But still, I admit thinking, "What are we going to do with this??"

Then one morning - and I have no idea why - I decided to make the giraffe talk to Chase. I took hold of it under the "chin", wiggled it's head, and said, "Good morning, Chase. How are you today?" What a smile the giraffe got in response! I couldn't stop. "It's so nice to see you today," the giraffe said. "Can I give you nuzzles?" And the giraffe rubbed his face against Chase's. More smiles!

I've done this for a few weeks now, though not every day. Chase now smiles when the giraffe turns to face him, and I've seen him pet it once or twice. Today, though...well, today, he actually PLAYED with the giraffe.

He pulled it's feet. He rubbed it's tummy.

And he even lay down on it as though to go to sleep.

The trick was on me, though, when I took this position to mean he was ready for a nap. No, my guess is he just wanted to love on this special giraffe a little bit more. Sometimes giraffe "kisses" trump mama kisses, even if they both come from the same place.

A better day

2008-04-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

Well, there was no baby insomnia last night. Thank goodness! So, despite the drizzly weather outside, I'm feeling much better this morning. Plus, I get to go to Pilates! Hooray. Then grocery shopping. Not so hooray, except I am making new-to-us meals this week; there's a touch of adventure in that.

Feeling a little blah

2008-04-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

As if the title wasn't enough, here's another warning. This isn't a feel-good post.

It seems my desire and creativity for blogging just don't exist anymore. I guess I'm in a waning cycle with blogging, writing, and the Internet.

Blame Chase, I guess. He is very busy, which keeps me busy. If I try to get on the computer while he is awake, he does what he can to reach the keyboard and pound away. Makes it hard to do more than get in quick snatches of reading or commenting. And I'm using the computer for other things, as well - making mothering connections, finding recipes for creative and cheap dinners, figuring out how to better manage my house ('cause I'm terribly disorganized and the house is getting downright dirty), making "green" cleansers at home, and figuring out what to do with my garden.

I try to get online when Chase is napping, as he is now. But there are other things I'd like to do when he's napping, things that are also difficult to do when he's awake. Exercise, cook, clean, knit, read. Some days, it's like I'm cramming seven or eight hours worth of stuff into two, and hoping he doesn't wake up early! Other days, I think "Oh, why bother!" and just watch Martha and the noon news.

The past couple of nights have been Not Good. They haven't been horrible, and certainly not as bad as some of my friends' regular nights with teething toddlers. But they've been Not Good by our standards. Chase has been cutting a molar for two weeks, in addition to an incisor that is still only halfway in (those two appeared within days of each other). On Saturday, I noticed he has another molar popping through. Molars are really terrible. Really. They will be so useful once they are fully in, but in the meantime? Awful.

Knock wood we are healthy, financially secure, and reasonably happy. I'd like four straight hours of sleep and some sunshine, but all in all life is good.

It just hardly seems worth blogging about.

Where's my baby??

2008-03-28T10:45:00.001-07:00

Look at this cute little baby...dimpled hands, cheeks so adorable you can't help but pinch them, and long wispy hair.

Someone took this sweet little baby and turned him into a little boy. See?

I know his hair was too long and in his eyes. I know it looks neater this way. But oh! my baby! He looks like such a little boy, now! Luckily, he still acts like my baby ;-)

But even that is changing. And so quickly. Just last week Chase figured out how to move from the coffee table to the couch without sitting down first. He would only "cruise" a step or two along the edge of the table or couch. Then at IKEA on Tuesday, we bought him a little pushcart and all of a sudden he's taking long walks from one side of the living room to another!

We were lucky and James caught his first lock-steps on video.

Chase types!

2008-03-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

Finally, FINALLY, Mama let me get on the computer so that I can blog. ALAH!

Life has been pretty good for me lately. Did you know I have two more teeth now? One in front on the bottom, so that makes three there. And one in the back on top. Mama says it's a molar and it will help me chew tough things like chicken and carrots. I hope it finishes coming in soon, 'cause I don't like it when Mama doesn't share ALL her food with me.

Speaking of food, I found a new favorite. At my buddy Kiran's birthday party, my buddy Liam and I shared beans that his mama made. They were easy to pick up, and easy to chew, and TASTY. My mama made some yesterday and we ate them today with leftover steel-cut oatmeal and chopped tomatoes. It was yummy :-D

Ooo, my favoritist new game is so much fun! maybe you do this too? I love to take things out of drawers and boxes. And I like to put them in, too! Only sometimes I think it's funner to put them in something else, like the black cylinder with the cool lid in my room [Mama says: it's the garbage pail for disposable diapers, and mostly what he likes to put in there are his shoes or Duplo blocks].

Doggy is getting friendlier. She almost lets me pet her twice in a row now, although sometimes I forget I'm only supposed to pat and I end up with her hair in my hand. When that happens, I always show Mama. Oh, and doggie ate out of my hand the other day! It was so cool I didn't even mind that I had meant to eat that Cheerio myself.

I've discovered all these cool things in my room called "books". I love to take them off the shelf and put them on the floor, or hand them one at a time to Mama or Daddy. There are a couple that I even ask Mama or Daddy to read to me...it's so much fun to hear the same one 10 times in a row! Some of them have flaps and things I can touch and turn myself, and some have pictures of other babies. My favorite is a picture of a laughing baby. I make Mama go to that page over and over again and it never fails to make me smile.

Uh oh! mama says it is time for a nap. She might be right, because my eyes keep needing rubbing, but I really don't wanna. Oo, but naptime means I get milkies and to snuggle with Mama! All right, Mama, let's go!

My first for my first on his first

2008-03-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

...sweater...child...birthday...

I started this sweater in what I thought was plenty of time to have it done - wrapped up with a bow, even - for Chase's first birthday. But life intervened, as it does, and on his birthday I was a sleeve-and-a-half short of completion.

No matter. At one year of age, a child does not know what day his birthday is, or that there is anything special in having been in the world for an entire year. He might notice the extra attention, the visit from relatives, or the appearance of new toys. But he doesn't notice the absence of The Birthday Sweater.

It is done now, just a couple of weeks late. In Portland, there is plenty of time for sweater wearing into spring and even early summer. With any luck, the sweater will still be wearable next fall.

Item notes:
PATTERN: An adaptation of Double Scoop from Knitty.com
YARN: Shine from KnitPicks.com in Grass (3+ skeins) and Cream (~0.5 skein)
NEEDLES: Harmony Options from KnitPicks.com in sizes 7 and 5
CHANGES: Letter instead of ice cream cone; two colors instead of three. I worked the neckband and sleeves in the round rather than flat.
MISTAKES: One three-row stripe in cream at top of sleeves. Turned it from a "bug" into a "feature" by repeating it on the second sleeve ;-)

Sunny days

2008-02-27T13:54:00.001-08:00

Chase fell asleep after music class today. This has become a routine for us due to the timing of class clashing with the usual nap time. But today I decided it was far too sunny to sit in the garage while he slept. Instead, I stopped it at home quickly to grab some magazines (that I rarely have time to read) and headed to Sellwood Riverfront Park. I sat in the parking lot with a view of the river and read my latest Sunset while Chase napped.

And then the inevitable happened - someone noisy parked next to us and Chase woke up. Instead of going home, I popped him into the Ergo and we went for a walk along the river. We also walked along the dock, and I let Chase out to crawl around. He loved it, despite the rough wood. Well, how would he not? We were practically IN the water :-)
It was so peaceful, and wonderful to be out in nature. It made me feel so ready for spring! I'm loving these sunny days.

One Year Old!

2008-02-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

Dear Chase -

It is hard to believe that it's been a whole year since I stood next to a hospital bed push, push, pushing you out of my body. Though you were small and slippery, it wasn't an easy task, and I was very tired when you finally arrived. But oh! what a thrill it was to finally see your face! You looked at me with such amazement and wonder, and I'm sure I looked back the same. It seems the three of us - you, me, and Daddy - couldn't take our eyes off each other for days after you joined our family. Your little fingers curled around Daddy's big one; your tiny mouth latched onto my giant-seeming breast. We both thrilled to hold you skin to skin, feel your breath, feel your heart.

You have grown so much since then, and not just in size. You can do so many things now that I had a hard time picturing you accomplishing back then - you can crawl like a speed demon, babble like your Grandma Lonnie, and hit the high notes of an opera diva. Though you only have 6 teeth, you like to munch on whole apples, love carrots, potatoes, and green beans, and have start "demanding" that you eat exactly what Daddy and I do.

Every day now it seems you do something you couldn't or didn't do the day before. This week, you have started "offering" us items (or are you merely showing them to us?) - holding them out in your hand, putting them into our hands, then taking them back. One day soon, you will walk. You will utter your first words. You will draw, drum, and continue to delight us just by being you.

We love you with all of our hearts, Chaser. Like we never thought possible.

Love, Mama and Daddy

Chase at one week:

Chase at (almost) one year:

Chop chop!

2008-02-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

I knew it would happen one day - the mom hair. I got to where I could no longer stand Chase tugging on it while he nursed, so one night last week, I asked the hairdresser to chop it off. What I hadn't entirely counted on was losing the last of my blonde hair. I've always been blonde, from my days as a towheaded toddler, through gloriously golden teenaged years, and finally into my highlighted 30's. Now? Mouse brown. ugh.

It's taken me a week, but I like it now. Or maybe I've just gotten used to it. Either way, I no longer bash my neck when brushing my hair, and I've figured out the right amount (much less!) of shampoo to use. Still working on the styling. I figure by the time I figure that out, it will be time to cut it again!

One of those days

2008-02-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

I'm having one of those days. Chase is getting new teeth, which makes him an Unhappy Boy.

At least, I think that's why he's unhappy. He was restless last night - I woke up once to find him wrong-side 'round in the bed - and woke up early. He keeps shaking his head and tugging at his ear, but he has no fever, no snotty nose, none of the things that would otherwise signify an illness. So, by default, teeth.

He was up early and now refuses to nap. When we try, he ends up climbing all over the bed, and me. I gave up. Just now he is very happily busying himself with the dog door and the curtains across the sliding glass.

I got so tired of him tugging on my hair all the time that I cut it off on Monday night. Or rather, my hairdresser did. No pictures yet, but everyone tells me it looks good. The strangest difference to me isn't the length but the color. I stopped coloring my hair when I got pregnant, and lost the last of my blonde with this cut. I have never NOT been blonde, first naturally, then highlights, then full-on artificial color. It's strange to have dark hair, but I can be satisfied at least that I have no grey hairs as yet.

Very Busy Boy is now playing one of his favorite new games - Open and Close. He's using the baby gate right now, but he often plays it with a kitchen drawer, the bathroom door, or someone's dresser.

Meanwhile, I've been knitting him a sweater for his birthday. Today, I did up the shoulder seams, and if I get a chance I'll start on the neck/collar. It gets striped sleeves to finish it up. I hope he likes it when it's done!

Leaping forward by sliding back

2008-02-04T09:57:00.001-08:00

I think everyone knows babies go through growth spurts - where clothes seem to get too tight or too short overnight. I suppose it makes sense that they would go through a similar process mentally, but I hadn't really noticed that with Chase. Every new skill was preceded by weeks - sometimes months - of trying and practicing.

Until recently...

One day last week, I was sitting on the couch with Chase and he started scooting backward toward the edge. "Careful, baby, " I said, as I have said many times before. "If you get too close to the edge you might fall." Usually, this was enough to stop him, at least breifly. Not this time! This time he kept going, bracing his hands on the cushion and letting his legs, then his torso, slide down the front of the couch until he was on his feet. What??!! "I didn't know you could do that!" I said, as he grinned up at me.

A couple of days later, he tried the same thing off the bed, which is much taller. I nearly stopped him, then decided to just "spot" him as he slid (just enough to keep him from banging his head on the hardwood floor!). My spot wasn't needed, though. He had a tight grip on the comforter and used it like a rope to "repel" down. And although he managed it just fine, landing solidly on his feet, I think the distance to the floor surprised him a bit. He had a shocked look on his face instead of the "I did it!" grin.

What was so surprising to me about this is that I've only shown him a couple of times, and not at all recently, how to back down off of things. Actually, I can only remember doing it once, and it was definitely before Christmas, maybe longer ago than that. So, did he remember that lesson once he'd acquired the physical skills to achieve it? Or did he somehow figure it own of his own accord?

Either way, I'm looking forward to what my baby can show me next.

All about Mama

2008-01-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

Oh, noes! I've been tagged! (For those of you unfamiliar with the blogosphere, "tagging" is what happens when someone completes a meme [quiz or questionnaire, usually] and then asks another blogger to complete the same meme on their blog.) I'm going to refrain from tagging anyone else, though. 'Cause I think everyone who reads this has already been tagged.

The Rules: Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours.

1) I used to be a cowgirl. I have a degree in Agricultural Business and spent time on a cattle station in Australia and a feedlot in Idaho. I loved the work - being outdoors, riding a horse, even building or repairing fence had a satisfaction to it that I never got from an office job. But I didn't like the people or (most of their) attitudes, esp. when it came to the environment.

2) I am a twin. That won't be news to most of you :-) I am second born by 10 minutes. There are two parts to the family folklore: a) Mom didn't know she was pregnant with twins, and only found out after my sister was born; and b) I kicked her out so as to have the womb to myself. Well, here she is getting me back by hitting me in the butt with a hammer when we were about two years old.

3) If my upper back and the back of my neck are cold, then I am cold. You'd think this would translate to a love of turtlenecks, but alas, I hate things close around the front of my neck - it makes me feel as if I am choking. Instead, I love any sweatshirt or sweater that covers the back of my neck, like hoodies or funnel necks. Before I had Chase, my favorites were half-zip sweaters, but now I need/like things that zip all the way open so that my lower back doesn't get cold when I nurse. And wow this makes me sound really picky, doesn't it??

4) I have always wanted kids, and when I was about 12, I decided my daughter (because I was NOT having a boy!) would be named Katharine Anne. Oh, to be mother to cute little Katie, who would grow up to be sharp and sophisticated Kate! But when I got pregnant, even before I found out that I was, indeed, having a boy, the name never crossed my mind. Because by then, the world - or at least elementary schools - was full of Katies and Kaitlyns. Instead, my chosen girl name was Claire Elizabeth.

5) I never outgrew phases. I think every kid and teenager goes through phases, but I feel like I went through quite a few as an adult. First there was the cowgirl phase, really an extention of teenagedom. Then I entered my soccer phase, where I was crazy about all things "futbol" - I started playing soccer when I was 24, I practically lived at the local British pub, I dated soccer players, and I fanatically followed the USA Women's team. OK, not too fanatically. But there was a time I knew all the players, knew when the matches were, etc. etc. I've attended both men's and women's World Cup matches, several NCAA finals games, and of course many San Jose Earthquakes games. Need I say the soccer phase also incorporated a wild party phase? Well, it did. Eventually, I grew out of that and entered my writer phase. And now I'm in my stay-at-home-mom phase, which I am enjoying very much, thank you. I wonder what will come next? Will I go back to the writer phase, find something new (knitting, anyone??), or outgrow phases altogether and find balance by incorporating all my loves into one glorious life?

6) I can trace my ancestry back to the Mayflower. That's on one side (my mother's). On the other side, my grandfather emigrated from Germany just prior to WWII. I'd say close to 75% of my genes are British (with the rest Irish, German, and Swedish), but I look very German - so much so that when I went to Europe in 1998, nearly everyone spoke to me in German.

7) I wish I were more Bohemian, that I were one of those people who wears flowy skirts, has purple hair or dreads, and lives in a loft. But I've never felt comfortable when I tried those things. Perhaps it's just that the lifestyle is better in fantasy in reality. But I guess at heart, I'm just a jeans-and-a-t-shirt, drivin' my Subaru kind of girl. :-)

I missed it by a day

2008-01-25T13:49:00.001-08:00

Dear Chase,

You were 11 months old yesterday. Perhaps if I were a more organized mama, I would have remembered to make this post then, instead of doing it a day late. Well, you can't have everything, I suppose.

Dada and I have been looking back through photos of your life, getting ready for your first birthday. I can't believe it's only 30 days away! I also can't believe how small you once were, or how much things have changed.

I mean, bathtime sure isn't like THIS anymore. You like it a lot more now, that's for certain. You crawl around and play with the bath toys. And you love it when we lay you on your back. Oh, then you become what Dada calls "The Kick Kick Kid"! With a big grin on your face, you kick at the water and make lots of noise and splashes.

You don't sleep like this anymore, either. Although you are sleeping soundly right now, which is how I have time for this post. Your new routine is to take VERY long naps, and you only need me there to get you to sleep. So you are on your own, and I am able to blog, or read, or knit, or even clean (not that I make that choice often!). You still sometimes sleep in my lap, and I'm grateful you haven't outgrown that yet. And you still sleep in our bed with us most of the night. Although I am not always appreciative of your feet in my chest, I love feeling you snuggled up to me, and I love your first-thing-in-the-morning smiles.

You still like to chew on this remote, too, although now that you have six teeth, perhaps it isn't such a good idea. You have lots of other toys that you actually play with now. Blocks and balls, shakers and tambourines, and a rainstick your daddy
just got you. You also play with the curtains, and my slippers, and the coasters on the coffee table. We got rid of one of the TVs so you wouldn't play with that so much, and today you spent a bit of time teaching yourself how the doggie door works. Oh, that's another of your favorites - trying to pet the dog. It is difficult when she moves as soon as she sees you coming, but the grin on your face when you succeed is just priceless!

There is lots more to tell you about, but I will save the rest for your big ONE YEAR post.

For now, here's a big kiss, baby {MWAH!} Sleep well. Mama loves you!

Keeping promises

2008-01-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

James just came in an reminded me that I haven't posted in over a week. And I promised I would post a couple of times a week. So, here is an entry ;-)

First Christmas Snow

I think I mentioned that we had snow on Christmas Day, right around noon. It was very wet, and didn't stick around for long, but the huge soft flakes were very pretty! Mama bundled Chase up and took him outside to experience it. He doesn't look very thrilled, does he? But we were thrilled our across-the-street neighbor, Jeff, was outside with his very nice camera and took this photo to preserve the experience for posterity.

These may not need to be preserved for posterity, but they ARE the first pair of socks I've ever knit. Also, so far, the only pair. It was hard getting a photo of them in action. Chase was far too interested in something else - trying to catch the dog, probably - to pose for Mama. That's OK. I have since made him a pair of matching mittens, and those don't stay on too well, either.

Before and After

Chase has great gobs of hair. We don't know where he gets it from; goodness knows neither of his parents are particularly blessed with loads of hair. But Chase was born with a head-full, and somewhere around 6 or 7 months old, he started getting more, and what he had already started getting long. Eventually those long bits started getting in his eyes all the time. Much as I hated to do it, we had to cut them. Mama did it in the kitchen with her old haircutting scissors (the ones she used to use on Auntie Greta in the backyard) with Chase sitting in his Tripp-trapp chair. Do you think he knows this kind of tending is just another type of Mama kisses?

Eats

2008-01-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

I had a post all written earlier, in my head. When I was unable to get anywhere near the computer. Maybe it was in the wee hours of the morning, when Chase was nursing, and I couldn't sleep? I don't remember now, just a few hours later, and that should give you some idea of what happens to a mama's brain in the first year of parenting!

I do remember the post was going to be about food, and eating, and Chase. Always about Chase ;-)

I've been baking lately. It started at Christmas time, when I made some cookies for a "craft" swap. I promised 3 dozen cookies, and I didn't feel right giving the person 3 dozen of the SAME cookies, so I made three different kinds. Well, four kinds, actually, but one didn't turn out. I've been trying my hand at bread, too, but not very successfuly. And yesterday I made scones.

I realized I approach baking and knitting in much the same way - I make little changes here and there to better suit my tastes and my talents. I guess I've been doing this with cooking for so long that it seemed a natural approach with knitting, but it sure freaking my knitting friend out when I talked aobut making changes to a pattern - my first real garment, and the changes weren't simple ones like substituting the yarn, either. Though I did that, too! Wait, this isn't supposed to be a post about knitting! Back on track.

Chase gnawing on an apple core.

We started Chase on solid food back in the summer by letting him lick and suck on the pears and apples I was eating. A month or two later, we introduced him to bits of banana, sweet potato, white potato, avocado (not a success), steamed carrots, grean beans and red bell pepper. Yes, all things he could pick up on his own and eat as he wished. No purees here - we are following a trend the Brits call "Baby Led Weaning", although it doesn't have to do with weaning the way Americans think of it. It has to do with letting the baby be in charge of his food, and with letting them explore the natural tastes and textures of food, something that doesn't really happen so much with the "baby food" you can buy at the grocery store.

Extra bonuses - (a) It costs less. He just gets bits from our plates most meals. (b) We get to eat! At the same time! All three of us! No one is stuck "feeding the baby" while the other parent eats, and we aren't feeding Chase at his own mealtime. We get to have meals as a family, all eating basically the same thing. And Chase is getting better and better at actually getting the food in his mouth, although he still gets the majority of his nutrition and calories from breastmilk, and he loves his "nursies."

Oh, right! That is how I'm writing this post today. See, I knew it started somewhere...I am going to a mama-baby blessing this afternoon, and leaving the boy home with Dada. So I am pumping, something I don't do oftehm. I can't do much else when I pump, as I'm stuck in the chair. But I can type! I can also knit.

Which is what I think I'm going to do now. 'Cause this entry is SO adrift, I have no idea how to wind it up except by saying, "The End."

Mama's been a bad, bad blogger!

2008-01-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Another month and more has gone by, and I've been ruminating on why I find it so hard to write here.

In part, it is because of limited time on the computer. That boy can crawl now, and it's much harder to let him do his own thing - I have to keep an eye out to make sure he isn't about to kill himself by chewing on a power cord or pulling a chair on top of himself.

But more it is due to one of my definitions of self. Although "writer" has been (happily) usurped by "mama" and "partner" at the top of my list of Who I Am, it is still a huge part of my identity. And I know too many of you - my family and friends - have that view of me as well. After all, I'm still the girl who took three years off to write novels. And shouldn't a writer have a well-written blog?

Perhaps, though, that it is better to have a poorly written blog than no blog at all. You'll have to let me know. Because I hereby resolve to write an entry at least twice a week. Even if that entry contains nothing but photos - no captions, even! - something will show up here.

What happened to October?

2007-11-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

No posts the entire month of October? How did that happen? *scratch head*

Well, it might have a little to do with the visitors we had. Uncle Rick and his girlfriend Carrie came for a visit. They played with me lots - kind of tuckered me out some days. And one night they sent Mama and Dada on a date while they stayed home and played with me and that was fun. When it came time to go to bed, though, I wanted Mama and milkies and I made sure to let them know. They went away for a couple of days after that; I hope they weren't upset by my demands! I like their sense of fun, though. And they like me, too. See?

Dada does better at putting me to sleep, esp. when we watch football together...

Then again, maybe the lack of posts has something to do with this new hobby Mama started? I'd like it a lot better if she'd let me play with the sticks and string, too, but she mostly keeps them away from me. She has taken things off the sticks once in a while and given them to me. They are nubby and feel interesting when I put them in my mouth, but Mama says they belong on my head and around my neck. They are warm, but I'm not sure I like them there.

See how much I like thing in my mouth? It's because I'm getting these sharp things in my mouth. I only have one so far, and it's still really little, but I can feel more trying to poke through, and it hurts...sometimes it hurts bad enough that I try to shake the pain away, but that doesn't work. The little white tablets Mama gives me make me feel a little better. (Mama's note: These are Hyland's teething tablets, a homeopathic remedy.)
And just a few days ago, Mama put me in this weird suit. I tried to like it, really I did, but what was that thing on my head?? I did smile at first...

So, I guess that was October. Mama says we are getting on a plane soon to go visit some people called "cousins." I hope they are nice.

Friends and laughter

2007-09-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

Chase is getting more "interactive" with his friends lately. A couple of weeks ago, when Grandpa T was visiting, our friend Rebekah stopped by with her daughter, Zel. Zel is a couple of weeks older than Chase, and has an older brother. She is mobile - crawling and pulling up on things, while Chase is still only going in circles and sometimes scooting backwards. He had enough momentum, though, to grab and "kiss" her, as seen in this video.

He gave Liam and Kiran (other baby-friends) much the same treatment when we saw them yesterday. It's so fun to see him interacting with other people; before he'd seemed pretty content to look at them and smile, but now he wants to touch.

Chase also finds weird things funny, like waving blankets and bouncing cloth blocks (again, see video). His favorite, though, are his dad's funny voices. James makes a stuffed giraffe "talk," uses different voices when he reads Chase stories, and sometimes just talks weird. This makes mama smile, too.

New Talents

2007-09-25T08:37:00.001-07:00

It is the nature of babies that every day they discover something new, a talent or ability they lacked only the day before - the ability to grasp a small object, or communicate a need, or assert their will.

Chase has lately been playing with his voice. He's done this for a while, actually, and usually it's cute and entertaining. But lately it's become, um, MORE. OK, he's been shrieking. Loudly. Loudly enough to echo off the ceiling! He can get into some high ranges now, and he seems to delight in seeing how loud and how high he can go. It's only truly annoying when Mama and Dada haven't had their coffee yet.

At least he takes his fingers out of his mouth to do it.

He's also started making the quintessential baby gesture - raising his arms to be picked up. It is very cute. I like how it makes it really clear when he's done with something like playing on the floor or sitting in the high chair. Luckily, he never seems to be done with mama's arms or mama kisses.

Chase Plays Piano

2007-09-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

Chase and Daddy had a lovely duet on the piano the other day. Mama captured it on camera.

Making friends

2007-08-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant, I managed to hook up with a great group of local mamas. They have kids of all ages, but there happened to be a baby boom around the time of Chase's birth, with 10 (or maybe more) babies born within a month either side of his birth. Because of that, he's going to (hopefully) have a lot of friends to play with when he gets to the point of wanting to play around and then with other kids. In the meantime, I take him to "playgroups" mostly for me to spend time with other mamas. It can be tough trying to entertain a baby all day, and this week was especially hard since James went back to work.

Monday, we went to Urban Grind and hung out with the adorable Zel and her übercool mama, Rebekah. The mamas talked about jobs and writing and family while the babies tried to steal each other's toys and showed off their new sitting abilities.

Tuesday, we had a Mamilates class (pilates for new moms & their babes) at Zenana Spa, where we saw Liam and his mama, Savannah. Liam is SO strong! He can "fly" on his tummy for a really long time. And Chase covets his cool wooden rattle. After class, I put Chase in the Ergo carrier and we walked up to Mother Nature's so I could buy some new bumGenius diapers. Chase has outgrown his small FuzziBunz and we needed to replace them with something that fit. He fell asleep on the way back to the car, so I had time to buy some groceries, have a sandwich at the coffeeshop and even do part of the crossword before he woke up and we went home.

Wednesday, it was HOT. And not just for Portland. It got up to 94(f). Chase and I met up with a large group of mamas at Grant Park and sat in the shade. Some of the kids and even some of the mamas cooled off in the fountain. It was a nice respite. We sat next to Gracie and her mama, Summer. It was while we were measuring Chase against Gracie that the girl made her move. She hung onto Chase and didn't want to let go! He did try to slobber on her as well, but she really had the upper hand. Luckily another mama was there with her cell phone to make sure the moment was forever captured.

I wonder how many more pictures I'll have in years to come of Chase hugging a pretty girl?

...and then Mama kissed me!

2007-08-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today, I woke up snug and warm between Mama and Daddy. They were still sleeping, so I sucked on my fingers and played with and talked to my toes. I rolled over and patted Daddy on the cheek, just so he'd know I was awake. He smiled. I rolled the other way to do the same as Mama, but she was already smiling at me. I patted her cheek anyway, and she snuggled up to me, patted my back, tickled my cheek with her nose and then Mama kissed me.

Today, she gathered me up and took me into my room. She changed my diaper, said the Snap Rap* and kissed me.

Today, we had milkies in the glider chair. When we had finished, Daddy was there, fresh and clean from the shower. He gathered me up and hugged me. Mama stretched, told Daddy he smelled nice while she hugged us both, and then Mama kissed me.

Today, Daddy played with me before going to work. We cuddled on the floor and he held up Giraffe for me to chew on. He changed my diaper, and tickled my tummy, and then Daddy kissed me. Soon he had to leave, and I was alone with Mama and the doggy.

Today, Mama and I went to exercise class. I got to play with Liam while his mama and mine stretched all their muscles and waggled their toes above us. Sometimes Mama held me while she moved around, and for a while she was above me on her hands. She dipped down over and over again, and each time she did, Mama kissed me.

Today, we went shopping at the grocery store. I like shopping; Mama carries me in a pouch and I can see all the neat packages and different colors and even all the people who are also shopping.

Today, the clerk smiled at me and at Mama and told Mama how cute I am. I smiled and ducked my head when the clerk smiled back and then Mama kissed me.

Today, Mama and I took a nap together. And then we played on the floor. Mama put me on my tummy and I showed her what I've been working on. First, I worked my way around to my left until I was facing a bit away from Mama. Then, I pushed and pushed with my arms until I moved backwards all the way off the mat. This scared me a little; I'd never gone that far before. I cried, but only until Mama picked me up and cuddled me. I pulled her hair and put my nose in her neck, and then Mama kissed me.

Today, Daddy brought a drum home from work. He sat on the floor with me and showed me how to bang my hand on the top. I could do this already on the table, but it makes a better noise when I do it on the drum. Then he let me lie on my back, stretch my shoulders off the mat and make loud noises with my mouth. I think this is my favorite thing, aside from sucking my fingers.

Today, Mama gave me my own spoon while she and Daddy ate dinner. I played with it, banged in on the table, and even got it in my mouth a couple of times. I think I got it wrong at first, though, because Mama took it from me and then gave it back the other way 'round. She laughed when I got my cheek instead of my mouth. Daddy laughed, too, and then Mama kissed me.

Today, Mama rubbed me with oil and gave me a clean diaper and changed me into my pajamas. She read me a book, then I cuddled in Mama's arms while I had milkies and she rocked me, back and forth, and I fell into a deep sleep. She carried me gently into the other room and put me to bed. I rolled to my side, and she covered me with a cozy blanket.

And then Mama kissed me.

*The Snap Rap is a little patter Daddy made up to calm me down at the end of diaper changes, while he does up my Onsie. It goes like this: "Are you ready for snaps? (high voice)Snap One! (low voice)Snap! Snap Two! Snap! Snap Three! Snap! (high voice) Snaps all done!"