Bathing Beauty

We celebrated Memorial Day with baby's first trip to the pool! This was especially fun for me as it's the pool where I grew up swimming with my besties, and they're also unveiling a new facelift this summer, so we enjoyed seeing what was new. Like the "zero-entry" baby pool, which is one of those things I guess I care about now. Also, that's just a fancy architect way of saying "it slopes." See below.

I will strategically place this baby so I can pretend that I didn't just put a picture of my postpartum self in a bathing suit on the internet.

And I don't know why he looks like he's melting.

There's also a new cabana, playground, and bar, all of which will be useful in different ways in the future.

We've already been back to the pool once this week with friendbabies Brooks and Harrison, and it was warm enough that we can get all the way in now. I'd say he loved it, but it wasn't so much a day of happy splashing, just more like he just sort of entered a Zen mode and was totally happy to just chill in the water forever. Harrison splashed gleefully enough for all of us and any other babies within a six-mile radius. Brooks entertained us with his new Beyonce impression, which has nothing to do with the pool but is too funny not to mention. 

It's a little bit of a process to get all the gear and I'm still mystified by swim diapers (they don't absorb anything?!?), but I think it's a good activity and we'll log some good pool hours over the summer. I'm also glad we brilliantly timed the baby to be born in February (nice work) so that he was big enough to go places and I am functional enough to do things by the time summer rolled around. He's still littler than his friends (I mean, obviously he always will be, but a few months makes a big difference at this age), and it's a challenge that he can't wear sunscreen until 6 months so I have to learn whole new sun-protection things, but we can make it work. 

Welcome, summer! I am ever so glad to see you.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Sara!

In Which The Baby Gets Dunked

Mr. C is no longer a Pagan baby, having cast out Satan and all his pomps when he received the Sacrament of Baptism this past Sunday.

While it is WAY too long of a service for little babies, he did the best a little guy can do and powered through in his baptism jersey (don't call it a gown). Such a champ. He only whimpered a little in surprise when he got Holy Water'd--with much more gusto than a "sprinkle."

In all seriousness, it was a very special day. I wouldn't get up and go to church for very many people (unless it's a wedding), so I was truly very touched at all the people who came to celebrate with us--either at the service or at brunch afterwards. Or EVEN via the live webcast, in the latest installment of "Ain't Technology Grand?". So thanks be to you.

So holy with my prayer hands

C wore my paternal grandfather's christening gown. Gramps was born in 1892, so the gown is over 120 years old. He's the fourth generation to wear it (I also wore it when I was christened in a vineyard, setting the stage for a life of wine). It is delicate--I only buttoned a few of the buttons in the back so as not to over-handle it--but still in good shape. 

We also have my maternal grandfather's gown, and I wanted him to wear that for a little while or a photo as well, given that he's named for that branch of the family. As it turns out, there are only so many costume changes one can impose on a tired baby, so that one will just have to wait. 

For those who might find themselves in the baptismal way: C is about 3.5 months and I think that was a pretty good age for this. Our church (so I suppose Episcopal churches in general) offers four dates per year. I think he would have been too little/in a crying phase at the Easter service. If he were much older, he'd need to be entertained a lot more. The other babies being baptized were about a year old, and needed a lot more wiggling and exiting and such. So if you can hit this age window, it works about as well as it can given the entirely developmentally-inappropriate nature of the rite. 

his general feelings after about an hour and 15 minutes of incense and pentecosting

and then a crash

followed by a delicious brunch

which would not have been complete without caramel cake (it's in disguise)

Citrus Lane

For a while, I wanted to be cool enough to sign up for a subscription box like Birchbox, where you get a delivery of goodies every month. Now I'm not cool anymore and I never did Birchbox, but there is of course a whole world of baby and kid sample boxes.

I looked at reviews of several (overview at the bottom of the post) and ultimately decided to sign up for Citrus Lane because the boxes are designed around your child's age as opposed to a theme or project. He's not really old enough to understand any of that yet, so I just wanted to try good products.

Our first box came yesterday--a few weeks after I signed up--and I thought I'd share a peek in to the contents if you wanted to see what it's all about.  They'd probably make a great gift, too, if you've got kiddos in your life (especially the project boxes for older kids). There are, of course, also the ones for grown ups and even dogs (BarkBox).

Bear Takes a Trip
A cute little board book. I've not seen this series (am I missing something?) but it's a cute little rhyming book with a story about Bear's trip to the mountains.
Use code DISCOVER for 20% off at barefootbooks.com

Rattle Keys from Green Toys
I think these are going to be a hit. They're made in the US from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs and are dishwasher safe.
Use code CLSPRING13GT for 10% at shop.greentoys.com through 6/30/13

Gripe Water from Mommy's Bliss
Some people swear by this for upset tummies. It's billed as a remedy for colic, hiccups, teething, and gas. If you're a devotee, this is a good one because it's all natural. Personally, it made my baby vomit when we first tried it, so we'll probably pass. He was littler then (I had bought a bottle on my own), so maybe it would be better now, but we no longer have the gas issues. So basically I have an unopened bottle of this that I'll give you for free if you want it.

Dish Liquid from Dapple
A "green" detergent for baby feeding items. I'll try it out.
dapplebaby.com

The Mommy Hook
Stupid name, pretty smart product. Just a giant carabiner that can hook to the stroller or grocery cart and hold your purse, shopping bags, etc.
themommyhook.com

I found varied prices online, but it looks like the total value of the items in the box was $35 or so, which I think is pretty decent. Boxes are $25/month for 1-month and 3-month subscriptions, and $21/month for a 6-month subscription.

If you want to explore more, here's a little overview. I don't know much about the others except what I've read on the internet, so you might have additional insight. I am not going to link to all of these because I am lazy, but I'm sure you are a good enough Googler. Also, some blog people are brave (or boring) and have reviewed all or some of these boxes, so you can search for reviews if you want to know more.

BabbaBox - theme-based "learning-oriented" boxes for older kids

BirchBox - for grown-up ladies. Samples of beauty, grooming, and lifestyle products. You can also review the product samples to receive "points." Less expensive at about $10/month.

BirchBox Man - you get the idea

bluum - samples for moms and babies (and, more recently, toddlers)

Cravebox - not a monthly subscription; more like a themed grab bag (for grown ups), e.g., Summer Beauty, Coffee Lovers, etc.

Glossybox - luxury-sized cosmetic samples

The Honest Company - Jessica Alba's line of green/organic baby and home products. A full-service site in addition to the subscription boxes

Julep Maven - nail polishes and nail products

Kiwi Crate - craft projects for kids ages 3-7. People like this one.

Stork Stack - for babies

Wittlebee - kids' clothing

Have you done any of these? What did you think? Did I miss any? Let me know...

Jam Sesh

on my Kick & Play Piano.

#Lambstand

Oh Ceiling Fan

Don't tell Lamp, but I love you too. 

Stronger Than Yesterday

I'm working so hard! 

Outtakes

Too sleepy, mom.

I can REACH for the camera!

Ehhh....

I'm a wild and crazy guy! Do you know any swinging American foxes?

Oh. I found Light Fixture. Be back never. 

Yeahhhh, I'm just gonna hang out right here and look at Light Fixture. 

Hey ladies. 

{I did not pose this.]

Draw me like one of your French girls. 

Hans or Franz

Is here to PUMP (clap) you up! 

Three Months

Well, bud...we made it. The end of the much-maligned fourth trimester. I would say you "settled" around 10 or 11 weeks, and it seems like things got much easier after that. You are generally full of smiles and like hanging out with everyone.

You're still eating well. Those little thighs are chunkin' up for sure. Some mornings when we get up I think you look bigger than just the day before. Maybe it's the 3-month growth spurt. During the day, you eat every 2.5-3 hours but have gotten much more efficient and predictable. It's still definitely a limiting factor in our ability to go do things, but nursing is now very well established and I think there are many elements of it that are now easier than the alternative. Somewhere in the last month or so, you just sort of figured out how to take the bottle. It's not your favorite, and you're not great at it, but it makes me feel better to know that you can, if needed. So my advice to anyone who's struggling with the same dilemma is to just keep trying (even with bottles or nipples you've already tried) and, somehow, through the magic of development, babies might just figure it out.

I would say that (according to the technical definition of 6+ hours) you are sleeping through the night. It was actually much more settled until about a week ago, when you shook it up for some reason I can't identify. We thought you were moving your bedtime earlier, but now I'm not sure. Generally you sleep from about 10-5, at least. The past few nights we've seen some middle-of-the-night feedings again, but you pushed them back by exactly an hour each night (2am one night, then 3 the next, then 4). I wonder if this has something to do with the fact that I got sick--I'm not sure you were getting as full before bedtime as you were used to--or is just a weird 3-month thing.

Our next goal is to get you sleeping in the crib full time. Many to most naps are now in the crib, as it's easier for me to predict them and so build a routine around them. A few still happen in the swing or you might fall asleep while eating.

Not gonna mess with this.

 Part of this transition and age is also to start weaning off the swaddle, so we are now the proud owners of Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit. We're starting it at naps and will move to nighttime when that's established. Or when you outgrow the current swaddlesack, which is imminent. So for naps we usually get into the suit and then the crib. Sometimes you want to rock or walk a little bit, but sometimes you just want me to put you down. You can pretty much put yourself to sleep if you have the pacifier (I'm trading one problem for another, I know, but we'll just deal with that as it comes). You generally only sleep about 30 minutes in the crib, but we do what we can.

Perhaps it's because you know I'm laughing at you on the other side of the monitor.

At night, you're still in the bassinet by our bed, but you're almost too big for it, so your move is coming regardless of whether you (and I) are ready. Typically we did bath, lotion, jammies, sleepsack, nurse, bed, but I think you're mixing that up as well. Last night you didn't really want to eat much before bed--maybe you were still full from an earlier feeding--so I just went ahead and put you in the bassinet and you went to sleep. I don't know what it all means. But basically as soon as something levels out, it changes again. We'll see. All in all, you're really a good sleeper, especially at night, so we are profoundly grateful and not complaining.


Overall, you're just a content and smiley baby. Sometimes when I'm trying to get you to nap, the pacifier keeps falling out of your mouth because you keep smiling. I'd say it's frustrating, but how can I be mad about that? You like eating, bathtime, looking at things, being around people...all good stuff. We can still go out for family dinner and such, and you're generally pretty quiet. You don't sleep through all the action anymore, but if you're sitting on someone's lap or take a short walk, you just chill all through the grownup dinner. At the Derby party, you just hung out with Sara and looked around for hours. I know these days are numbered, as soon you'll need to be entertained, but for now you just go with our flow. Even Doc is impressed. You just like looking around with your big blue eyes and long eyelashes and taking it all in.

Likes:

• lying on a mat in the nursery and looking at Light Fixture 

• any and all other light fixtures, and also a nice ceiling fan from time to time
• bathtime
• chatting on the changing table
• monkey seat and its friend at Doc & Jules's house, rainforest seat
• looking at people
• the birdies on your swing
• a few books
• the Baby Bjorn
• your hands in your mouth

Dislikes:

• you still sometimes have tough wakeups, usually in the afternoon. Time and snuggles seem to be the cure
• sometimes something is just not right--usually during an outfit or diaper change--and you suddenly cry as if you are on fire. This is increasingly rare but certainly makes us move fast

Milestones:

• No major new discrete milestones. You are wanting to move your hands intentionally to reach and grab or bat things, but I think it's not quiiiiite there
• Good head and neck control
• Overall, just increasingly alert and aware of your environment
• Beginnings of self-soothing
• "Talking" back and forth with people, and seeming to start to understand that you can "talk" to get someone's attention. Playing with your voice and noises (different sounds, blowing bubbles or raspberries, etc.)
• Standing on your legs when held in position

Stats:

• 14+ lbs and growing fast

Diapers: size 2. But given the increasing frequency of blowouts, I think it's time to size up. Again.

Nicknames: Mister Man, Smiles Davis, Guy Smiley, The Baby, Sugar Booger, and the Chunkamunk

Really, you're just a little muffin and we love you. It's fun to be more and more interactive and feel like you know us and actually kind of like us. I'm not sure what we both ever did to end up with such a sweet baby, but I'll take it.

Happy Mother's Day

The first thing I did when I got up this morning was change an unholy blowout. Happy Mother's Day to all of those who have been there, will be, or would give anything to be.

And special wishes as well to all the aunties of the world...moms couldn't do it without you.

xo

Notice

The 3-month photo shoot has been postponed due to C's face being on the losing end of an encounter with his fingernails (seriously, I JUST cut them). Post coming soon.

Down & Derby

Baby's first Derby! The holiday most exciting two minutes in sports has always been an event for us, with racing connections on both sides of my family. I started hosting a Derby party about 8 years ago (to show those Yankees how it's done) and we've had an annual event ever since. This year I just could not get it together...Mr C is very cute but makes a very poor sous-chef. I was sad to not be hosting, but it worked out serendipitously that we were invited to a friend's 30th birthday party that day. So we got to celebrate in style without having to host. I'm hoping we'll be back at it next year, because I do really enjoy having the party. There will just be a lot more little ones in tow now!

Hangin' with Aunt Sara--he loved it!

It was a chilly day, so he had to put on a sweater over his special Derby outfit.

Reassuring his pal Oliver

Ladies and babies

Party favors for your enjoyMINT. Bonus points for a very special bow tie!

Hey! Let's do that again next year!

True Love

He says "You light up my life"

Way To Greet The Day

His morning farts just sounded like tuba practice.