Super Benjamin's First Year

Jul 29, 2011

Does this
Still
Work? Testing testing

SuperDaddy

Brian logged his last good night of sleep while babe and I recovered at hospital, and then became the comforting arms to our vocal wriggler. 14 months later, we three are interconnected. Babe care has so much uncertainty - especially with itchy skin adding an undercurrent of agitation to otherwise simple acts. Even now, molars and canines pushing through the gum complexify our ability to tell if his skin is getting better. It's a lot of noise, trying to distract from the sweet, joyful, silly nature of ben. Enter dad - after work each day, he is on full duty.
(found this post in my draft folders, so now I can only recall his Herculean efforts). I

In the sweeter calm of walking toddlerhood, I think back to those first months-- at any point in the night, during one of the bi-hourly wakeups, ben would enter a screaming fit that could not be calmed bynursing. At this point, Brian would rock, bounce, or sing to ben for up to 3 hours until our little one passed out. Then somehow Brian would make it into work day after day.

It wasn't until bens skin started to heal (at 15 or 16 months?) that he could return to sleep peacefully, and we got an emotional break at night.

There are so many things to be grateful for now. Sleeping more peacefully, joyful play, undistracted exploration. No itching![

Most families are tested by their teenagers, but we have been tempered by our battle with eczema and sleep deprivation. I remain impressed that Brian could log a day at work and weather the emotional and physical hardships that came with the first 1.5 years. Hurrah for endurance and the power of love to get us through.

Book warrior returns

I took the suv stroller out today, loaded up with zojirushi bento thermos, ergo carrier, and snuggly blanket. The slow molar arrivals have added an unpleasant twist to every day, making a second nap impossible unless babes in arms. StAying inside makes for a stir crazy duo, so we just have to roll downhill and hope for the best.
Some parts of motherhood are easier on foot - there's no traffic, you can pull over anywhere for a picnic., surf the web during a slow walk or benchstop. Obvious problems relate to limited range, the inevitable uphill return, low fuel (me) or meltdown ( babe). And now the molars have sabotaged our peaceful return ride, sometimes resulting in me pushing a stroller and carrying a baby, othertimes hopping on a bus
Bens comfort items remain plastic spoons. A few weeks back he chose a favorite color. When a purple is in view, An orange or blue is chucked on the ground and a baby lunges for purple. Today he leaves the house with plastic in each palm, clacking them together.
It was serenely foggy. The sky was cool white, spiderwebs revealed by moisture. Not so distant trees fuzzed out.
We walked for over an hour before babe stirred and we headed for the library. North Berkeley is a fun spot - with long benches to crawl along and lots of early readers for ben to stare at and crawl towards. A couple days have passed and I've already forgotten what was so cool about your behaviour, but I recall you dropping o's on the ground, laughing then dropping down to pick them up and eat them. I read "little blue and little yellow" and "a pig is big" and you halfway paid attention.

Apr 25, 2010

After the baby, closest I've gotten to making new paintings is to destroy old inventory.

Apr 25, 2010

After the baby, closest I've gotten to making new paintings is to destroy old inventory.

Apr 25, 2010

Hours of play atthe water table, rolling in the wagon, bubble blowing, and ball throwing.
This week, your daytime is active and playful. You are excited to practice walking, still holding onto one parent finger. You wake happier and fall back asleep more easily.
At nearly 16 months, i am grateful for every moment that you express joy undistracted by the itchies.

Mar 3, 2010

Sweet snoozer - pictured
Recent highlights:
- blew first bubbles
- turned on tv remote control
- can hit big button on iPhone
- walks along long wall of living room and rounds corners.

We've started watching babysigns DVD together to reinforce the sporadic signing we do. You continue trying new ways of communication and talk a lot more while playing. Lots of gu gu gu's, du du du's, and mu mu mu's with the occasional buh and kuh thrown in their. Also you seem to say "up" a lot.

You continue to cruise and crawl, and prefer to stand over sitting. There's an exciting possibility that you may walk anyday

Feb 23, 2010 - babyvision take on academy of science

What started as an expensive membership to a toddler play room, has blossomed into a fun discovery zone. Sf recently reopened the California academy of sciences ad we joined so we'd have a place to play inside on rainy days. As a bonus, there are fish tunnels, a rainforest dome, huge walls of glass an light, and glowing informational touch screens. On our first visit, ben was freaked out by the hoards of field trippers, and stayed in my arms the whole time, only showing interest in a tv screen with a movie about whales on it. The next time, I carried him in te ergo to save my arms, and we found the toddler area, full of toys he's familiar with (wooden puzzles, toy kitchens carpeted stairs). The next time, we found penguins and the fish tunnel, a large walk thru plexi arch at the bottom of the rainforest exhibit. Our visit dovetailed with his enthusiasm for walking along walls. During his walking, he (finally!)registered that here were huge living things 2 babies long swimming gracefully near his flattened palms. He pointed smiled and smacked hands on plexi. Shorty after, he hopped to the ground and examined a ledge where a row of low wattage lighting ran underneath the bench. Rinse and repeat for an hour. Today, we visited our penguins, but the main attractions were pushing elevator buttons, trying to climb on faux rock in the Africa display, watching lizards claw at glass, walking along the glass wall of the rained out lunch area, hitting touch screens, and walking along benches and smooth cement walls. Oh yeah, and the metal sheeting over the fire extinguisher was a hit too. On a busy day like today (rain drives everyone inside) it was fun to get caught up in these less populated activities. The walls of glass light and ground stone are enticing regardless of whether or not there are critters on the other side.

Bens thoughts

V&opll

Dzk''

Book hound

Today was good.
We met parley and Kate at the zoo and did a lap through bamboo, fencing, and big animal exhibits. It was a relief to see so many animals that pop up in caricature format on crawling mats and abc books - crocodiles, leaping lemurs, monkeys, chimps, tigers, and the elusive elephant (whoch was somewhere -how did I miss such a big animal?) The otterwuarium was the closest we got to any beasties. They swim right u to the glass, twist and wiggle away.
I've never understood your baby signals. Around the croc exhibit, you start scratching and pulling hair (tired?)but we approach a fake oversized bug play area, so you come out of the stroller and pound the side of a tarantula with excitement.7 Parley drops to all fours and "ba ba ba's" away at speed. You start to climb-and I take off sox, so you can get traction. Hands grab for knobby joints in the spider legs, feet flex against the sloped edge of the sculpture. I help pushyour feet, a dnd at the top, you beat the bulbous back like a drum. You straddle more spider legs till you are. On the opposite side, tummy down, and you let go down the bumpy slope. Just a foot or two, but it's your first solo slide, and you are thrilled. "up up" I think you are saying. Your smile is full. You've forgotton about the itching to be done or hair to ve pulled. Huzzah!
Ingeneral, Lots of climbing is starting to happen. You climb over daddy,try to climb on chairs,beds, sofas, stairs, laps. You crawl quickly, walk with help, and occasionally stand alone.
After we returned home, you woke grouchy again (something I never understand... Grouchy, sleepy, but unable drift back off). I walked the block, changed your diaper, carried you, and finally packed back up in the stroller. Longer days means that we could catch a park pre sundown. We rode the swings side by side,played in the sand with sticks and leaves, and banged on this big plastic cylinder. Closeby, rockclimbers. Hung by anetwork of cables and hooks from a big outcropping. Dog walkers exercised their pooches for one last leg. You mimic a lot of actions now. I twist a leaf stem between forefinger and thumb and you try to do the same. I draw a bunch of stripes, an acorn for an eye and start singing "eye of the tiger". You pull a forfinger through the sand, and scratch at it with your stick. We finally leave, have a final meal in the stroller (picnic style) and roll on home.
I leave you alonein the living room, and hear pages flipong and talking. "advanced home plumbing" is open and you ate working your way through. We read a lot tonight. Every diaper change invokes a sad tantrum. But tonight it's dispelled when I set you in my lap and we read the foot book. Followed by "look look" "happy baby words" and "the going to bed book". I take your hands out of your mitted jammies and you turn pages on two books I'm tandem
Finally it's time for bed.
So much of this parenting business feels like a job, but when I am lucky to share things with you, play and laugh and chase you around the house or swing quietly at your side, it is perfect joy