Cup Cuddle

I've posted before about how cute it is when the baby cuddles her dolls and stuffed animals.  She tucks them under her chin, pats their back, and gives them kisses. Sometimes she even rocks them and sings a "song."  Sometimes she asks us to cuddle her baby too.  We didn't specifically teach her to play this way; she must have just picked up the idea based on the way we take care of her.  However it happened, she's one sweet little "mama" to her dolls.

Then the other morning she decided to cuddle her cup.  There she was sitting her high chair and enjoying some breakfast.  Suddenly she tucked her little sippy cup under her chin and started to pat.  Soon the singing began.  In between kisses she was taking nips of milk!  As if that wasn't odd enough, she wanted us to cuddle the cup too, and she wouldn't take "no" for an answer.  Generalizing skills is supposed to be a good thing in the developmental game, but this is taking things a bit far.  What might she be trying to cuddle next?

Baby Names 2010

After all my posting of famous baby names, I thought it my duty to link to the top baby names of 2010.  According to the Social Security Administration, who keeps track of all these brand new people, the top baby names of the  year were:

Girls-

Isabella
Sophia
Emma

Boys-

Jacob
Ethan
Michael

Of course that isn't the whole list, so if you're interested you can see at least the top 1000 names for each gender.  Having picked a baby name in 2010, I was not surprised to find that it was one that increased in popularity.  It seems that people of my generation prefer classic names that have not been popular in a long time.  While I tried to choose a name that was not in the top 100 list, I was ultimately unsuccessful. 

Why, might you ask, would I care about my child having a popular name?  Because in my other life I was a teacher.  I once had a class with five children named Alex, both boys and girls, and it was a headache for me and for them.  A co-worker had a class with six boys named Jacob.  It meant that half the boys in his class had the same name.  Oy vey!  If I may be allowed to borrow the phrase!

Hooray for Gay Marriage in NY

Over the weekend, the first legal gay marriages took place in New York state! Such an incredible range of sweet stories from young couples with small kids to elderly brides and grooms some of whom had been engaged for decades. What a fantastic step for NY and for the country as a whole. Can you imagine falling in love with someone, and then being officially told "No, sorry, YOU are not allowed"? Now we just have to work on the other 44 states.


BTW, did you know that Mormons were one of the single largest factors in the proposition eight battle in California? I didn't realize they'd poured quite so much money and organizing into that issue. Now there's a new movie about their sometimes covert participation. It seems the church even had to pay a fine for failing to report the extent of their involvement. Public opinion just keeps moving left on this issue, and eventually the time will come when full legalization will simply not be blocked. I just keep thinking of all the white churches who fought so hard against the civil rights movement in the '50's and '60's. You can't hold out forever.

Chairs for All

The baby's latest trick is climbing up on chairs.  Actually, she's not able to get on all chairs (yet!) just a few extra low ones we happen to have in the family room.  She starts by laying her upper body on the seat, and then she tries, tries, tries until she gets a knee up as well.  After that, it's just a matter of scrambling the rest of the way.  It takes huge effort on her part, but she's happy to do it over and over again.  The squeals of satisfaction are proof of her success.  Fortunately, I was also able to teach her to come down again backwards.  That had to happen since she was trying to dive off nose first. 

Just to add cuteness to cuteness, she's also realized that you can pile up a great big stack of books on the chair BEFORE you climb up.  Then they're up there waiting for you when you finally arrive!  She cheerfully sits and reads her books like a big girl for minutes on end.  The only part I've left out of all this is the screams of frustrations (and one or two bonks) we all had to endure as she learned how to do it by herself.  I believe we're getting another early look at toddlerhood, and it is noisy.   

Peanut Sauce!

Wow!  Finally a recipe for peanut sauce that actually tastes like the real thing.  I made it with the noodles and tofu the first time, but the truth is that you could serve this on 101 different meals.  Veggie stirfry with this sauce is on the menu for tonight.  I have ambitions to try fresh roles with this sauce too.  I discovered that you can make a double batch and it keeps very well for at least a week.  All you have to do is add a little more warm water to soften it when it comes out of the fridge.  Happy summer!

Best Baby Carseats

Many new parents feel they must obtain the best, newest, safest, and often most expensive goodies for their kids.  Car seats are a prime example.  The reflexive reaction is to spend a boatload of money because this is our child we're talking about here!  I've actually witnessed this debate in more than one baby store as one tearful parent (not always the mother!) argues with another.  Brands such as Britax, Recaro Como, and Combi all offer seats that go for more than $300 or even $400!  Double that if you plan to have one in each parent's car, and you are looking at a serious financial hardship.  Given that we aren't supposed to reuse seats, what is a parent (or grandma or auntie or nanny) to do?

The good news is that the pricey seats are not necessarily the best ones.  A well known consumer group tests seats every year, and their top picks are almost never the most expensive ones.  Sure, many of those high-end seats rate well, but sometimes they don't.  I checked one of my favorite sites recently and found that the top rated product was a $60 one from Sears!  On this same site I noticed that several very "snooty" brands of seat were on the watch list for saftey PROBLEMS.  In the end, price does not always equal quality, so it's best to read some ratings before you buy.

After doing our research, we ended up buying the Graco Snugride infant seat (this is a bucket seat which means it can be used to carry the baby when not in the car too) and the Britax Roundabout for when she got bigger.  We've been very happy with both, and I think we spent about $250 for the pair of them.  Still not a small purchase, but much more managable than some.  Plus we got a free stroller with the Graco, but that's another story.

More Famous Baby Names

Long before I ever had a child of my own, I became fascinated by the process of naming.  It is one of the single greatest choices a new parent has to make, and it will most likely stick with the child for the rest of their life.  How many people have been shaped by the name they were given?  Many girls of my generation were given the vastly unfortunate name Crystal because their parents were interested in the supposed supernatural aspects of the stone.  However, in a world now awash with crystal meth, I bet many of those girls either changed their names or went by nicknames just to avoid the association.  I'm sure the same thing happened time and time again. 

I'm all for trying to be unique and unusual (who wants to be one of five Jacobs or six Madison's in a class?) but it is possible to go too far.  Here are some of the most, um, creative names from the famous baby boom that seems to be occuring this summer:

Natalie Portman's son --- Aleph (first letter of the Hebrew alphabet)
Mariah Carey's Twins --- Moroccan Scott and Monroe ? (!!!)
Kate Hudson --- Bingham (or BING for short!)
Jewel --- Kase Townes (well she always was more than a little bit country)
Jennifer Connolly --- Agnes Lark (my favorite of the bunch)

Annoying Food Words

I love, love, love the food website CHOW which is a fun combination of recipes and articles about everything cooking.  They recently featured a discussion about food words that must be banned from menus and reviews due to their chronic over use.  Some are fussy and over the top such as "annealed" and "eponymous" and "revelatory."  Others are simply too stupid for, well words.  Examples include "bad boy" and "sammie" and any form of "yummy."  Last are those words that are just dreadfully trendy including "locavore" and "gastropub" and "sustainable."  What in the world would the restaurant review section of the paper be without all of those?  Every industry has its own vocabulary, but it never hurts to avoid the trite and cliched.   

Baby Books: Fifteen Months

For as long as she could focus her eyes, our baby has enjoyed books.  The first one she noticed was soft, quilted, and made many different animal noises.  Ever since then, she's been fascinated.  She will sit for half an hour at a stretch just turning pages and admiring the pictures.  Then there are the several times a day when she demands that we read to her.  At first it would be one book that would catch her eye, but now she's figured out that you can make a pile of books, and then the parental reading session will last longer.  I love, love, love that she is a book fan, but sometimes I do have to struggle a bit when she want to hear the same book for literally the ninth or tenth time that day.  Here are a few of her current favorites:

1. Mr. Brown Can Moo by Suess
2. The Little White Rabbit by Henkes
3. The Bunny Book by Scarry
4. The Potty Book by Patricelli
5. The Ox-Cart Man by Hall
6. Bunny My Honey by Jeram
7. Knuffle Bunny Too by Willems
8. No, David by Shannon
9. David Gets in Trouble by Shannon
10. Neighborhood Mother Goose by Crews

Honorable mention goes to those books that used to be huge favorites when she was younger:

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
2. Mimi, Mimi Look and See
3. I Am a Bunny
4. Goodnight Gorilla
5. Elmo's Valentine Book
6. The Monster at the End of this Book
7. That's Not My Monster
8. Two Little Gardeners
9. Great Day for Up
10. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

Pre-School Preview - Not

At the farmers' market the other day, Delphinium and I spotted a booth for a local pre-school. I would like to find something that she can attend next year for just a very few hours because I know she would have a ball playing with other kids. I'd heard good things about this particular place from a friend of a friend, so I thought I'd go over and take a look. This was in spite of the fact that the school is housed in a church. I screwed up my courage (I am not so good at this type of thing) and went to chat with the very shiny director.

After declining to make a Froot Loop necklace (keep that away from my kid!) we were handed a brochure. Upon first glance at their materials, it seemed like a nice, friendly kind of place. I liked the focus on play and stories, and the pictures of the outdoor area seemed promising as well. When you throw in the part where they have a brief (two day per week) schedule for kids younger than three, it seemed like a real possibility. It was also quite close to our house (not quite walkable, but still), and the price was reasonable. What could be wrong? Where's the waiting list?

I almost just walked away to think about things further, but I realized that would be counter productive. I needed to address the main concern and there was no easy way to bring it up. I screwed up my courage even tighter (I hate conflict!) and asked what role religion plays in their program. The shiny lady practically began to sparkle as she told me all about chapel time that she herself got to teach (it is her ministry!) for twenty minutes each day. It was a place for the kids to learn about the love that Jesus has for each of us, and how we are the most special in His eyes. I could feel my smile growing fixed.

I know, I know, you go chat with a church school and you are likely to get churchy answers. In my defense, I've known more than one pre-school that was housed in a church, but did not espouse anything more than play-dough and sandboxes. I guess this is not one of those. Nevertheless, if this place offers an older two class, then another, less theist, school may offer it as well. I will be sure to not pray on this matter.

EA Games Sucks

Okay I'm dragging out the soapbox again.  I recently purchased The Sims Medieval anticipating many happy hours of child naptime being used to play with my favorite digital dollhouse.  Imagine my chagrin when the stupid thing wouldn't auto-start or manual start, or start in any form at all.  Our experience (and total inability to ge the thing to work) are summed up very neatly by this blogger.  It turns out EA Games is burning people left and right (in a desperate desire to avoid pirates?).  We will be returning our copy for  a full refund. 

Beckham Baby Name #4

Seriously!? Harper Seven?!  What did the poor little child do to deserve that?  Oh yes, I hear she was born at the 7th hour of the 7th day of the 7th month, but that doesn't mean they had to actually call her seven.  Why didn't they work in the year and the name of the hospital too?  Imagine a cute little Hailey Mary-Queen-of-Peace-Women's-Health-Center-of-Greater-Williminton Smith or a Sarah 2011 Ross.  Harper is really not so bad though when you consider that her brothers are named Brooklyn, Romeo (!), and Cruz.  Still I wound't be surprised if one day she, or any of her brothers, went the route of a certain rock star's child who changed his name from Zowie Bowie to Duncan Jones. 

U.S. Women's Soccer Team

Wow!  Exciting news in the world of women's sports!  It seems that the American team is actually going to play in the finals after their victory over France earlier today.  Normally I'm not a huge fan of sports, but the fact that it's the women's team combined with my eldest niece being a big soccer player herself, make this important news.  I might even (gasp!) have to watch the final game.

Summer Writing Activity: The Plot Chickens

I'm always trying to think of way to help kids practice their school skills without letting it feel too much like work.  On a recent trip to the library, I happened across a wonderful way to sneak in a little reading and writing practice.  The Plot Chickens is a cute and quirky picture book by Mary Jane and Herm Auch, and it is all about a chicken who decides to write something of her own. 

She follows eight simple rules to make up her story, and the results are amusing and inspiring for kids.  It would be a simple task to read the book together, and then use the writing rules to do something creative.  Younger kids would need more help, of course, but older kids might be quite capable with only a little parental encouragement.  The perfect antidote for a hot summer afternoon when your family just wants to lay low. 

Green Laundry

My mom has always been one to hang her laundry outside when the weather is clear.  I think she did it because she likes the way it smells, and it reminds her of how her grandmother used to hang things outside too.  As a result, I am always excited to see the weather improve to the point where I can string up my line.  I also love the way the clothes smell, full of sunshine it seems to me, and I even enjoy the faint scratchiness of air dried laundry. 

However, it turns out that happy memories and good smells are not the only reasons for doing things the old-fashioned way.  One of the single biggest energy hogs in our homes is the dryer.  Because of the amount of heat it must produce over and extended time, these machines are very expensive.  The make and model (and repair reccord!) of your dryer determine exactly how much energy is used, but it's safe to say that if you did not machine dry clothes all summer you could save quite a bundle. 

As if that were not enough, there a third important reason to line dry.  My friend pointed out that she line dries her clothes simply because she hates having her house heat up on already hot summer days.  Why would you want to turn on a major heat source when you're already trying to stay cool?  Worse yet, I imagine some people crank up the air-conditioning to combat the effects of the clothes dryer!  Get yourself some clothes pins, stay cool, and then enjoy the reward of sun-scented sheets.

Cherry Season

The market is full of the most plump and glossy cherries!  Around here they come in several varieties from nearly black to pink-cheeked yellow.  They all taste wonderful if you find a really ripe batch.  The baby has been going mad for them for a few weeks now, and I really have to be careful that she doesn't get too many or the consequences could be dire (har!)  I really want to try out this tart recipe that can be found on Joy of Baking.  Another delicious use of cherries that I've never tried to make is clafoutis.  Just mind the pits!

Ditch the Diet Soda

Oh noes!  It seems that my mother was right!  She always claimed that diet soda was even worse for you than the regular kind.  I've always stayed away from the stuff as a result, but I felt a little silly since there wasn't any clear evidence either way.  Now a new study has come out in support of Mother's diet soda ban.  In a large study over more than a decade, scientists found that diet soda drinkers' waists grew 70% more than those who did not imbibe.  Even worse, those who drank a lot of diet soda, more than a few per day, had a much larger increase in girth.  Perhaps this helps to explain why a certain segment of the population continues to reach new highs (or lows?) in the weight department.  It seems clear that soda (both kinds if you ask me) really must go.

Monkey Shirt

Our little girl is, as I'm always repeating, getting bigger at quite an astounding rate.  It seems like she's more of a toddler and less of a baby all the time.  Practicing with having an opinion is something she does all the time too.  It used to be that I could pretty much choose her food, toys, and surroundings without much complaint.  These days, however she wants to eat THOSE berries, play with THOSE blocks, and GO OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW! 

One major symbol of her independence is her passion about clothes.  Some mornings I still get to grab something quickly, put it on her, and be out the door.  Most of the time this is not the case.  She wants to pick, she wants to take her time at it, and she doesn't really understand the concept of "dirty" or "too small."  A perfect example is the monkey shirt.  It really is a cute little onesie in blue and purple polka dot with a girl monkey on the front.  It says "introducing me" which seems just right for our girl.  She loves this shirt, and any time she spies it, there is a major to-do over putting it on.  Once on, she can happily spend the day pointing out the monkey and making tiny little "ooo! ooo! eee! eee!" noises. 

The only trouble is that the shirt is a nine month size.  The snaps barely meet, and the neck is too tight.  It's time for the beloved monkey to go, but how can this be managed?  Should I get an embroidery hoop and frame the monkey for her wall?  Should it just disappear all of a sudden and hope for out of sight out of mind?  I've already checked on a replacement, but that monkey (and all like her!) are only found on baby clothes (up to nine months).  Oh dear, oh dear.

4th of July '11

Happy 4th everyone!  Here's to liberty and equality and the glow of higher ideals.  Let's take today to see the best in ourselves and be proud of it.  Enjoy those fireworks!

Summer Dangers

Our little family was lucky enough to attend a very special first birthday party the other day.  It was beautiful outside, they'd opted for a bbq in the park, and oh what a park they picked.  Right on the lake with a real sand beach, it also had the classic green fields, shady nooks, and play areas for kids.  Delicious foods were eaten, bubbles were blown, and many, many small sandals filled up with sand.  In short, it was a picture perfect day.  Then, just as everyone was standing near their cars to go home it happened. 

The little three year-old riding on someone's shoulders slipped somehow and tumbled, headfirst, onto the concrete.  The sound was the most sickening thing I think I've ever heard, and it actually made me feel like I was going to throw up for a moment.  Ambulances were called, and all the rest of us could do was stand around gripping our own kids for all we were worth.  It was one of those moments that really makes you think about the possibilities, and not the nice kind. 

The good news is that the little girl seems to have escaped any harm from her fall.  Her poor mother will probably never be the same.  It serves as such an incredible lesson about becoming too comfortable and trusting that nothing bad will happen.  We let our guards down and stop being careful, and that is when accidents rear their nasty heads.  Now if we can just figure out how to do this without going mad from worry, we will be in great shape.