Prepared for Peruvian Travels

Another new hat for when Renee's feeling 'Peruvian', which is often.

Strike a pose! She's a good model isn't she? Must make more hats. Must make more hats. It is, after all, the only time I get to put her in almost anything without her protesting: funny hats, cute bunny outfits, whatever--Now's the time.

babysitter?

I asked Charles to watch Renee so I could go to the grocery store and buy 'nappies' (that's what they call diapers here). This is how I found them. I think Renee's on to him.

a new bum / hat

I knitted Renee a hat from the Stitch n' Bitch book. It's the umbilical cord hat. I think she likes it. Of course, she has to love it since her mommy knitted it special for her. I think the orange and red background of her chair affects its appearance but Renee didn't want to get up : )

I had one of those life-slapping moments while I was knitting this hat though. A life-slapping moment is when you stop for a moment and say---'how did I get here? not sure if this is good or bad...' Now, this moment had little to do with Renee. I blame Charles because its his fault I found myself with my bum on the couch, eating fudge and knitting. AHHHHH! If that's not a recipe for disaster, I don't know what is. And he's the one that bought the fudge and I don't even like fudge, its not that good really. Without the fudge I wouldn't have had an unpleasant moment where my life flashed before me and starred a really fat bum. What else are you gonna get if you spend your days knitting and eating fudge?

cheeky monkey

That's what they say here when someone's being 'cheeky' which I suppose is equivalent to ornery (pronounced 'awnry'). I like it because I think babies are like little monkeys. Here, in England, they also often refer affectionately to babies as "chicken" as in, "allright chicken, I'll be right there." Or, "how's my little chicken?" Lil' chicken, cheeky monkey, whatever you call 'em they're cute.

I forget how little Renee is still until I try to put her into some toy intended for bigger babies such as her door bouncer or her new bumbo seat. The door bouncer just swallowed the poor little thing. And here she is in her baby bumbo trying to control her little baby head. I dunno why I put her in these things, I don't want my little monkey to grow up any faster.

cute outfit courtesy of Gigi : )

baby travolta

what is this?

This is Renee's friend, our ceiling light. She loves it. She smiles at it, laughs at it, really engages with it. It, being a ceiling light, doesn't really respond but that doesn't keep her from loving it. It makes it kinda hard for me to feel special if she laughs and smiles at me because, well, she does the same thing to the ceiling light.




I'll also throw a picture of Renee in because I think she's way cuter than the ceiling light. She's eleven weeks old today. That's almost 3 months! Happy birthweekday, Renee!

the things we do

...to our children.



Can you find Renee in these photos? If you're anything like me, then before you have a baby, they all tend to look same-ish. Renee is here with her little "play group." Of course, they're all too young to play really and the group is more for the benefit (read: sanity) of the moms (or mums if your in England). We, the moms, thought it was a great idea to take a picture of the babies all together. As you can see, a few of the babies disagreed...Renee was one of them. Once one baby starts crying they all get going and you have a baby crying chorus. A very interesting experience--not sure I'd recommend it though.

Fair Warning

Renee lets us know when she's had enough. This video was taken prior to a screaming fest. Since many of you may need brushing up on your baby talk, I will translate for you. This is what she is trying to tell me:

"Mommy, I don't like the mall, it is loud and bright and you made me hang around there today for too long. I don't like watching you try on dresses. I don't care whose wedding it's for. I am tired and I don't want to take a bath. I will scream if you try to make me take a bath. I want to be left alone to go to sleep. Stop bothering me and dragging me all over town. Feed me and put me to bed. Stop messing around, woman. I'm not kidding with you. This is your fair warning, I have been more than cooperative. Things are going to get nasty. Take me to bed, now!"

gloria, gloria i think i gotcha numba, gloria

Many of you already know this but, when I was a little girl I instructed my mom to call me by the name "Princess Gloria." Now, I have no idea how I came up with the name Gloria. I guess it sounded regal to me. Here, in England, they call a girl that makes such demands a 'little madam.' And, the midwives and health visitors here were calling Renee 'a little madam' a few days after she was born. "Quite a strong personality," they would say. Time will tell, but my mom--Ms. Gigi, may have had her oft repeated wish, "I hope you have a child just like you one day," fulfilled. Of course, she usually said this when I was being difficult, and I'm sure that wasn't very often : ) So, here's to all the little girls everywhere. I am likely to be eating my words on this one, but let it be said that I think all of us deserve to be 'little madams.'

Aside from fulfilling my mom's wish, having a little girl will be lots of fun. We really still don't know what kind of girl Renee will be but, I recently heard about this book on the BBC morning news, and it has a little bit of everything to suit all kinds of little girls. Whether they like climbing trees, concocting magical potions, baking mud pies, or reading all day, there's a little something for everyone, even grandma.


This is what the publishers have to say about it:

"Homemade scones, pom-poms, daisy chains. . . The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls will take women back to a time when we made cup cakes with our grandmothers, when girls weren't obsessed with all things pink, when they didn't wear ‘hot to trot’ t-shirts aged eight and when a bit of sticky-backed plastic and a tissue box could be the answer to your dreams.

Perfect for mothers, grandmothers, aunts and godmothers (as well as daughters, granddaughters, nieces and goddaughters, of course), this is a book for all women who secretly, or not so secretly, loved playing French elastics, dream of making elderflower cordial and need reminding of how to play cat’s cradle."

It does have a bit of an English flavor to it as in the States we don't make 'elderflower cordial' but those hints of Englishness will help Renee learn a bit about where she was born.

When I was a girl, I had a set of books a bit like the Big Glorious Book for Girls. My sisters will remember but my favorite was the 'Make and Do' book.


A bit dated and worn, I can assure you that this book was well loved. I remember making paper maché masks and drawing faces and all kinds of other things out of this book. It really did provide us with hours of entertainment. I am sure it also inspired us to make big messes but I don't remember that part, probably because I didn't have to clean them up. These books came in a set called Childcraft and I remember another one that was full of children's fairy tales. I especially remember a fairy tale that creeped me out a bit: The Three Billy Goat's Gruff. Here's a sample of this fairy tale just to remind you how creepy and scary children's fairy tales can be:

Once upon a time there were three billy goats, who were to go up to the hillside to make themselves fat, and the name of all three was "Gruff." On the way up was a bridge over a cascading stream they had to cross; and under the bridge lived a great ugly troll , with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a poker. So first of all came the youngest Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge. "Trip, trap, trip, trap! " went the bridge. "Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll . "Oh, it is only I, the tiniest Billy Goat Gruff , and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the billy goat, with such a small voice. "Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll. "Oh, no! pray don't take me. I'm too little, that I am," said the billy goat. "Wait a bit till the second Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger." "Well, be off with you," said the troll.

[we'll skip the second Billy Goat Gruff as it's very similar to the first]

But just then up came the Big Billy Goat Gruff . Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap! went the bridge, for the billy goat was so heavy that the bridge creaked and groaned under him. "Who's that tramping over my bridge?" roared the troll. "It's I! The big Billy Goat Gruff ," said the billy goat, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his own. "Now I 'm coming to gobble you up," roared the troll.

Well, come along! I've got two spears, And I'll poke your eyeballs out at your ears; I've got besides two curling-stones, And I'll crush you to bits, body and bones.

That was what the big billy goat said. And then he flew at the troll, and poked his eyes out with his horns, and crushed him to bits, body and bones, and tossed him out into the cascade, and after that he went up to the hillside. There the billy goats got so fat they were scarcely able to walk home again. And if the fat hasn't fallen off them, why, they're still fat; and so,

Snip, snap, snout.
This tale's told out

Roaring trolls, poking out eyes, smashing bones, a perfect story for our little ones? Of course, children's tales, like childhood, can also be sweet, sad and very profound as my mom recently pointed out with this quote from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams:

"Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Illustration by Donna Green

a delicate constitution

It's not just for those of us with older, slower bodies : ) If you have babies, you'll probably understand this post and a parent's mild obsession with their baby's poo. If you don't you'll probably think it's too much information, weird or, just plain boring. But--we had the worst day over here! Renee would not eat and just screamed and screamed and screamed. I figured out she was constipated and the doctor said to give her prune juice diluted with water. Well, after 4 hours, count them 4: 1, 2, 3, 4!! hours of screaming inconsolably she finally took some prune juice. Then, she crashed on my chest and drooled, trapping me on the couch. Oh, the joys of parenthood.

fancy baby accoutrement

Renee received a present in the mail today from her Auntie Amber. She was very excited. She laughs now and will laugh at you if you laugh at her, it's very cute. Video coming soon : )
Anyhoo, she received a fancy pants sling. At first, I was a bit intimidated as the instructions looked...complicated. The sling came with a DVD of demonstrations on how to use it. So, while Renee was napping, I watched it, a few times. I wasn't sure she would like the sling as we have a baby carrier that she will ride around in for a little while but then she gets fussy and its so hard to get her in and out of it. So, after preparing myself with multiple viewings of the DVD, I decided to give the sling a try.



Here we are! Mind you, at the time of this photo I had not yet brushed my teeth or hair so--be kind. What's important is I think Renee likes the sling and I managed to figure out how to put her in it safely. What's more important is that it looks cool : )

So, in order to get her and me used to the sling I kept practicing throughout the day. I managed to get her to sleep in it while I vacuumed! I think I was a bit overzealous though as I now feel a bit sore.

This sling is so much better than the backpack/front pack style baby carrier because its more versatile. She can be upright and as she gets tired I can slide her down into the pocket and she can snooze away. Plus, its very good for the late afternoon / early evening when she can't sleep or stay awake and is a little fussy. And, we can't forget how much more stylish it is.

Thanks Auntie Am.

do babies power nap?

If crankiness is any indication, I'd say, No, power naps don't work for babies. For a number of weeks now Renee has had 'nap troubles'. This means that some days she will only "power nap" for 45 minutes at a time. Now, this wouldn't be a problem except that as the day progresses her mood declines and, by bedtime she has become a baby monster. Lucky for me this is usually the time that daddy Charles arrives home to meet baby monster at the door. Lucky for both of us this doesn't happen every day, not yet, that is. So, what do you do when your baby has sleep troubles? Well, you turn to "the experts" of course. And "the experts" are there, waiting for you. They are waiting because nothing is more certain or more constant than babies having sleep "problems". Here's what the experts say:

Expert A: Your baby doesn't nap long enough because he isn't tired enough.
Expert B: Your baby doesn't nap very long because she's too tired.

Expert A: Give baby a pacifier.
Expert B: NO! Meet baby's needs first, cuddle her instead. Teach her to self-soothe. (??!@)

Expert A: Rock/cuddle baby to sleep.
Expert B: Never rock baby to sleep or he will not learn the art of self-soothing and you will have to rock him to sleep until college.

Expert A: Put baby on a routine.
Expert B: Don't force baby into a clock, let baby feed and sleep on demand.

Expert A: Put baby to sleep in his own room.
Expert B: It is best if baby sleeps in a room with a parent until six months of age.

Expert A: Soothe baby with a swing.
Expert B: NO! Baby doesn't rest properly in a swing.

Expert A: Let baby "cry it out."
Expert B: If you let baby cry it out he will lose trust in you and he stops crying because he no longer expects you to respond. (holy shamoly!)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! You get the idea. All of this conflicting advice just results in conflicted parents and a baby that grows into a child that needs lots of therapy. The first child, that is. After that, parents learn that there are very few "experts" when it comes to babies and they just stop listening.

Little Houdini

So, we call Renee Miss Houdini because she can get out of any swaddle you put her in. That wouldn't be a problem except that she needs to be swaddled so that she can sleep. Otherwise, she wakes herself up with her startle reflex and by scratching herself. Not pretty. We've tried the scratch mitts. They're off in seconds. So, I decided to try the Miracle Blanket. It has these extra arm flaps, as you can see on the picture. And, an extra long wrap. On their website they even say that it's for those of us with Baby Houdinis. And, well, parents who are desperate to get 8 straight hours of sleep will believe and buy almost anything. I say parents but Charles sleeps through the majority of her night wakings but that's another story.

The Miracle Blanket is pretty cool although I must admit it is a bit like a baby straitjacket. I think it has helped her start taking longer naps again. But, the last two mornings when I come into her room at 7am she has busted out of the darn thing! Now, if you have ever put a miracle blanket on a baby you would be as stunned as I am. How is she defying the powers of the miracle blanket?? I ask her how she does it but she just smiles up at me, like, "Me? I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't do anything...hee hee hee." It may have something to do with her no longer being fed at night. Maybe she's wriggling around thinking that if she could just get out of confinement she could find her way to food. So, she must not be sleeping either. All I know is that she isn't crying. So, at the very least the miracle blanket amuses her. She gets to practice being a little houdini and I get some sleep. Whatever works, right?

I am warning you all though, in case you ever babysit, her sweetness is a clever disguise. We've got a little athletic trickster--a wriggle monster on our hands. You won't be able to turn your back for a second!

My first conversation

When daddy gets home from work I tell him all about my day.

9 weeks old today

Hello everyone,

Renee turns 9 weeks old today. She had her shots yesterday. Here they call them 'jabs'. She screamed her little baby head off and then was cranky the rest of the day which is very unlike her. She also had her first dose of baby medicine. I don't know if it was the meds or feeling bad from the shots but, for the first time, she slept through from 10:30 pm to 7am! Her bed time is 7pm although she usually can't make it until 7p and is asleep by 6:30. Then she has what is called a "dream feed" around 10:30pm. Usually, she wakes up hungry again sometime between 3-4am and then sleeps through. That she managed to sleep from 10:30pm to 7am is really good news but I can't really be giving her jabs and baby tylenol every day now can I!

She may have slept through but I kept waking up thinking she would wake up any minute and/or wondering if she was all right. Apparently, she was just fine, sleeping the night away. Maybe the baby tylenol numbed her hunger pains?

Anyhow, little missy is growing so fast! She has to have another set of shots in a month's time. I really don't like going as the nurses have me hold her while the stick her! Its really not nice. I know its "for her own good" but that doesn't make it less unpleasant.

Oh. And miss Renee can now end tummy time all by herself. She just rolls over from her tummy to her back. Presto!

Love to you all,

Shannon