Three Months & Lots of Breast Milk Later

The Forgotten Object

Babies need a lot of stuff.   We were told this over and over as we prepared for our new life with an infant.   The more we heard this, the more Amanda and I became concerned that we were going to acquire a house-full of baby things we mistakenly thought we would need.  So, we spent much of the 9 months of Amanda’s pregnancy researching, debating, and choosing the “necessary” tools and equipment that would fit our values and our planned parenting lifestyle.  We wanted items that help attachment parenting, items that are environmentally friendly, items that outlast infancy (I plan to send Ezra to college wearing BabyLegs), items that we would use on a daily basis, and - to point out that we are also superficial – items that would look nice in our single room house. We skipped the Bumpo, the nursery decorations and furnishings, the bottle drying rack, and the baby swing. A stroller appeared and disappeared several times on our registries.  We finally decided that if we were unsure if we would need something, we probably would not.

Thanks to many generous family members and friends we received pretty much everything on our short (but not necessarily inexpensive) gift registries.  Four months into parenting, I think we did a good job.   We use almost everything daily, do not feel like anything we selected was miscellaneous, and we do not feel like we left anything important off our list.  Except for one item. 

We really underestimated the desire of a parent to archive every detail of their new baby’s life.  We insisted we didn’t need a camcorder.  We joked about gadget happy parents taping every new developmental milestone and special event, and then forcing friends to view their adorable home “movies.” (Can a two year old eating his birthday cake really be described as a movie?).  We scoffed at the suggestion that we would want to videotape the new baby. “We already have a really nice camera.  We think still photography better captures memories because it is a less definitive medium that allows more freedom of interpretation by the viewer.  You watch a video, but you relive a photograph.  It takes you back to that time not just that situation . . .” we would blather on and on.  Within in a month of Ezra’s birth we bought a camcorder.  We underestimated our desire to watch (over and over again) Ezra’s face break into a smile, his practicing newly discovered vocalization, his development of new motor skills.  So, friends, you can now watch our adorable home “movies” on YouTube.  Here is one of my favorites. 

Week in Review: February 8-14

Ezra was four months old Tuesday and is continuing to learn new things everyday (or week - since this is Week in Review). Since he has been sitting up on his own we decided to introduce him to his Svan high chair. Though initially reluctant and skeptical of this unfamiliar piece of furniture, he soon discovered how fun it is to sit independently and play with his plush fruits and vegetables, Sophie the Giraffe, or his favorite toy – a Tupperware bowl. This new development has made mornings even more fun. Rather than lying in his playard while we get ready, Ezra now sits in his chair and plays with his toys, listens to music, and watches us as we go through our morning routine.

So what has Ezra been listening to in the morning? The same album that has been in heavy rotation at our household: Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants. It rocks! Check out the title tune, “Science is Real.” It was our anthem for Darwin Day on February 12th.

Friday ended with an appointment at the pediatrician’s office. Ezra weighs 15 lbs., 14 oz. and is 23.5 in. long. His measurements are more than a tad disproportionate - he’s in the 75th percentile for weight, between the 5th and 10th percentiles for height. He’s a healthy breastfed boy!

In the aftermath of his vaccinations, Ezra had his worst day ever! But, he felt much better by Saturday afternoon. We went into Bloomington and spent some time at the frame shop, visited a couple galleries on the courthouse square, and walked at Flatwoods Park.

The word of the week was: SNOW!

As always, follow Postilius' photos and videos on YouTube and Picasa. Want to know more about our week? Follow us on Twitter too!

happy 

valentine's 

day

love, postilius

Week in Review: February 1-7

This was a rough week for our house, both our physical dwelling and our inhabitants. Our hot water heater broke on Tuesday evening. It wasn't repaired until Friday, but thankfully was an easy fix - for a plumber that is. Garry diagnosed the problem (a faulty thermocouple), but we didn't have the means or skill to repair it ourselves. Unfortunately for Amanda, she unwisely chose not to shower Monday or Tuesday mornings. By Wednesday evening, Amanda was so desperate she showered on campus and found herself in a shower also occupied by a bottle of medicated soap. Luckily we have remained fungus free . . . so far. Friday evening one leg of our sleeper sofa fell through a soft spot in the wood flooring. We have a hole in our floor! We've covered it with a box for now. Garry and Ezra rounded out the week by catching a cold, but Ezra fared better than Garry. The antimicrobial properties in breastmilk seemed to keep his cold at bay. In retrospect, Garry should have had some breastmilk too.

It was a big week for Ezra! He started using high-pitched vocalizations (a.k.a. shrieking). He now sounds like a monkey much of the time. He also can sit up on his own when placed in a sitting position.

Saturday we met friends at Upland to belatedly celebrate Amanda's 35th birthday. It was a lot of fun, and we'd like to make seeing friends a more regular occasion. The birthday celebrations aren't complete though! We still need to get a salt caramel sundae at BLU Boy Chocolate Cafe and go on a hot air balloon ride.

Sunday we had brunch at Roots and then attended Bloomington Area Birth Services' first-ever Baby Fair at the Bloomington Convention Center. We avoided most of the vendor booths. In fact we primarily only visited booths featuring photos of Ezra. These included the doula booth and the Kinsey Institute booth. We chatted with friends, took in another baby music class, and attended Amy Makice's seminar "Positive Parenting." See more photos of us at the Baby Fair here and here.

As always, follow Postilius' photos and videos on YouTube and Picasa. Want to know more about our week? Follow us on Twitter too!

Crying Over Spilled Milk

Yesterday I brought home two days worth of pumped milk and forgot to put it away. This morning I had to dump it down the sink - 27 ounces of milk from 1.25 hours of pumping. I told myself all morning that it's nothing to get upset about, but I couldn't stop crying about it. This all made me wonder about the origins of the phrase "Don’t cry over spilt milk." The literal meaning of the phrase never made much sense to me, it seemed to be such an overreaction to a minor accident. As a breastfeeding mother it gains new meaning. If you've made that milk yourself (and felt tired and dehydrated while doing it) and spent so much time pumping it (all the while not being able to actually nurse your baby, which is far, far better than pumping), losing a little, let alone 27 ounces, is heartbreaking.

Read more about the history of this old English proverb, which dates to at least the 17th century and etymology of the word “spill” at The Grammarphobia Blog.