Yogi

Micah has been practicing yoga since a mere yolk sac. He particularly liked it, in utero, when I would do simple inversions, rolling around. He was most active, jumping around like a mexican jumping bean, when I would try to lie still and quiet in corpse pose (savasana) at the end of class. My yoga teacher and friend Jessica can attest to these acrobatics as she could visibly see my belly move from the front of the class.

Here Micah is in Pigeon pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
















And obviously, Happy Baby pose (Ananda Balasana)
photo forthcoming

And his latest, the classic Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is a tough one to capture on film....but I'm trying.

abcd...

efg! Micah likes to sing along--or so we think. He obviously can't actually SING along, but he tries. It is oh-so-sweet.

I swear he is singing here (listen real closely)

Thinking of Melodie

Sorry for the silence this week. I have been reeling from the most tragic news of a dear friend, Melodie. Perhaps you are familiar with Melodie's interest and comments on Micah's progress via this blog? She is due in about 5 weeks with her first child. Micah and I will make the trip down next weekend for the memorial service for Melodie's husband, Greg. I really don't have the words...

I take comfort in the constant motion Micah is in these days and the steady vigilence he requires. When he is still and sleeps, however, my mind travels to sadder thoughts of others' misfortune, profound grief and loss. We love you Mel.

almost crawling

So my friend Chrisy informed me yesterday that she predicts Micah will be crawling in two days. Given this is the woman who had to come over and teach me how to burp my own baby when he was a week old, I trust her completely. After quietly watching Micah play today I am even more convinced. He is getting pretty darn good at the backwards crawl--which of course frustrates him to no end given that he gets farther, not closer, to the object that he covets. But of course rolling to it is also apparently an option. I can see he is prepping those biceps and triceps for forward mobility every time he gets on all fours, sticks his bum in the air and revs back and forth. This motion has also enabled him to get from all fours back to a seated position. Which is great because I hear that incessant "I can't-get-up-whine" less and less. Of course instead of a whine I get silence...which unnerves me even more. I seriously need to baby proof. Oh crumb.

SNOW!

Micah hit the slopes in Tahoe this weekend. He ripped it up in the snow park on dad's back...those baby carriers are SO versatile, I tells ya. I swear they caught like, 2 feet of air on one of the ski jumps. Here he is with Mom (me), apres-ski.

Okay so all joking aside we spent a lovely weekend at die hutte with the newest Patri, plenty of cheese fondue and lots of chocolate. It was heaven. A big special thank you to all of Micah's tias who took care of him while Mom and Dad ripped it up in the gnar-gnar pow-pow (more like gnar-gnar ice-ice).

Out with the ladies

So last Monday Micah and I met up with some of the MPH ladies for lunch. After some yummy sopa de tortilla we strolled lovely 4th St. in Bezerkeley. Micah can't wait until his girlfriend, Lucy joins the world...as you can see by Karen's belly she's slated to join us sooner, rather than later.

ergo the ergo

So Micah hit the 20lb mark a while back and as much as I loved my gorgeous Guatemalan wrap (or as seen here), I had to move on. Micah weighed too much, therefore the Ergo! Or as Zack says Decartes would say, "Gravita ergo Ergo" --bonus points for anyone who gets that reference. My shoulders are much happier. The hip belt really absorbs his weight-- much like a backpacking pack does. We still have the front carry position where he can nestle into me and now the back position (which technically I could have done with the wrap too--I was just chicken to try slinging him on my back and tying him up properly in the fabric). I love wearing Micah on my back---waaaay better than carrying textbooks around in a backpack. And how cute is he!

7 months old today!!!

"LION! (Roar!!!)" --that was to be read aloud in the digital baby einstein caterpillar voice. We love this toy, really. Actually all sarcasm aside Micah has figured out how to push the buttons on the caterpillar to make it talk--which is very sweet to watch his little pudgey finger press just the right spot. Oh--and note the matching Lion shoes (Thanks aunty Sylly!)

muddling through parenthood

Self doubt is a troubling thing as a parent. Take sleep training for one. We are in a new era of sleep for Micah and well, the sleep whisperer isn't cuttin' it anymore. I must admit Ferber is sounding better and better. The thing is, I suspect that by picking Micah up to calm him--at this age--is just instilling this expectation in him that, "I cry=I get picked up." We never did move on to the not picking him up part and just soothing him with our voice, as the sleep whisperer advocates. Also Micah is in a whole new arena of self-awareness and stimulation--again a product of his older age. I strongly suspect picking him up actually makes his falling to sleep more difficult. The thing is, I am asking myself, "Is it teething?" "Is it the new development stage and new found mobility that is disrupting his sleep?" All of these questions don't make me any more confident into going into a new sleep training program...but I'm getting closer. I think to try any new method you have to be 100% first--otherwise you are destined to fail (particularly when letting your child cry and scream is involved). Micah is a really good boy--and by no means do I think we have it terribly bad--I just know I could be better, for him and us.

TROUBLE


So the other situation to date...diapers. I must thank my brother-in-law, Josh for an excellent website that reveals that perhaps cloth aren't all they're cracked up to be. I must admit I've suspected cloth had their shortcomings in the water-waste department but in my near-blind-faith that anything had to be better than disposable diapers I conveniently ignored what now is clear--at least here in water-scarce California. Josh said it best, "The Sierra Club (yes, the Sierra Club) no longer endorses the use of cloth diapers over disposable diapers. Their primary citation is a study (actually a survey of studies) by the Union of Concerned Scientists (http://www.ucsusa.org), a well-respected, very objective organization that uses science to "work for a healthy environment and a safer world." A brief summary of the study takes up a few pages in "The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists." They conclude that if one takes into account the total environmental impact (production, energy use, water use, frequency of changing, and disposal) there is no significant environmental advantage to using cloth diapers vs. disposables. Depending on the model one uses to account for the impact, disposable diapers may be a bit better or cloth diapers may be marginally better. They write, "This means that other decisions described in this book [about minimizing one's environmental impact] are much more important than what type of diaper to use." There are differences between different diapers options in the TYPE of impact they have. Disposables obviously generate more landfill waste. Cloth diapers washed at home are big energy hogs because of the inefficiency of home-washing. Cloth diapers from a service use a large amount of water (2.5 times more than even home washing). They say one can use these differences to make a decision based on LOCAL scarcities. For example, if one lives someplace where landfill is scarce (e.g. New York City) one might not want to use disposables. If one lives someplace where water is scarce, one might not want to use a diaper service. Anyway, the point is that the intention is good, so keep up the good work, but choose your battles, too.(BTW, we've had good results so far, using Seventh Generation diapers.) " So out of curiousity I went to the Sierra Club and couldn't find an official statement just that which ever you choose doesn't make a difference, "it's a wash," and a reference to this Mothering magazine site.

I think this is important info that can provide peace of mind (--or more confusion!) for a lot of us just trying to muddle through and do what's best for our families. I know I feel good about the gDiapers and after reading this, feel better about using Seventh Generation disposables at night. As parents we must weigh the considerations of what we deem best for our child, the earth from our local context, and our pocket books (ideally in that order) and we can rest assured that in some small way we are doing the right thing (and in some small way we are probably doing the wrong thing) with whatever diaper we choose.

Editor's note: While writing this Micah successfully fell asleep on his own after taking a tour of the crib. Of course he is sleeping on his stomach...but at least he is sleeping.

Teef

Not quite a foodie...yet

So Micah's culinary repertoire thus far includes brown rice cereal (aka wall paper paste), sweet potato/yams, banana and apple sauce (all home-prepared and all organic, naturally). Despite my best efforts in the kitchen, this (longish) video captures how successful we've been so far. Of course, attempting to introduce solids while your baby is in the razzing stage is an exercise in futility--or so I've learned.

Bounce with me

So this is a VERY tame version of Micah's latest pastime...bouncing. I actually don't think exersaucers were designed for this, but hopefully the shocks won't wear out(like those batteries--that song sounds pathetic, huh!).

Editor's note: Disregard our oven timer going off.

Going places (backwards)

Perhaps this would be easier without an elephant up my bum!

Booger boy

I swear my child perpetually has a booger. There was the Hanukkah booger that lasted almost the full eights days. The Christmas Booger. The New Years Eve booger. And here, the TGIF booger.

Someone really needs to invent something to get those suckers out! And don't try to tell me thay have already. Recall the nasal aspirator fiasco.

Sometimes I'm seriously tempted to play a game of "Operation" while Micah is asleep and I have my trusty tweezers in hand....don't touch the sides or....BUZZZZZ!!!!

The sound...of silence

So Zack and I have now entered what I term the "Third Stage of Silence." You see the initial stage of silence is when you can't relax when your baby is quiet--convinced he has stopped breathing or something you check on him every two minutes, "just to be sure." This first stage lasts approximately into the third month. Then there's the "Second Stage of Silence." This is the oh-thank-god-he-is-finally-asleep-I-can-get-stuff-done stage. This stage is also accompanied with a grimace when the silence is broken and you know your window of opportunity is gone.

This would bring us up to the present, "The Third Stage." You see we discovered we were in the third stage the other day when Zack heard noises from Micah's room. Micah was napping, and ordinarily when he wakes up we hear either a) cries or b) babbles & coos eminating from his room. No, this was an all together different sound. This was objects moving. This was one of patient concentration and laboring breath. This was the sound of...
Micah on his tummy in the crawl position reaching his arms up towards the railing of the crib! Anti-SIDS precautions clearly state, "back to sleep." Babies are meant to be on their backs in cribs...now perhaps you can appreciate the novelty of seeing Micah in this position.

You see, my friends, the "Third Stage of Silence" is also known as the, "What the hell is he up to?" stage.

Micah, looking innocent enough