Friday, December 25, 2009

Crawling toward Christmas

December was busy as we prepared to spend the holidays with family. J and I worked hard to finish out the semester and get our little home ready for guests and H spent much of his free time either tagging along on errands or working out.

H's December workouts focused on lots of squats, pull-ups, bicep curls, and some light weight lifting. He has become quiet adept at these various exercises after spending endless amounts of time perfecting each motion.

H found the easiest place to do bicep curls was with his bedroom door. He spent hours pulling the door open and then pushing it closed. When he was looking to take it up a notch he would angle his body in such a way as to get a good crunch going with his abs while doing his curls.

Pull-up and squats have been some of my favorite exercises to watch. At the beginning, each pull up was accompanied by lots of grunts and then a shriek of joy once H was standing. Then we would watch up as he slowly and deliberately squatted down to a sitting position. Sometimes you would see H very slowly lower himself but then abort the mission before sitting because he decided it was not going to work. He would quickly stand back up again and then start the whole process of sitting all over again. Pull up, stand, shriek, squat, sit, swim to a new piece of furniture and do the whole routine again.


Despite all of this strength training H was still swimming around the floors as opposed to crawling. It wasn't until Christmas day that he decided that crawling could be useful. So, H worked out all December and then finally crawled into Christmas.


Saturday, December 12, 2009

A tree in the living room


I am running woefully behind in our blog updates but I still want to mark events as time passes. The first weekend in December we went to get our Christmas tree. The past few years we have gone down to a wonderful little family farm near Pescadero to cut down our own tree but this year we did not have that much free time, so we purchased a tree precut. H has been very respectful of the tree in our living room. Occasionally he will swim over and stroke the tree or gently pull the Christmas lights but for the most part our tree seems to be a totally normal fixture for H. We will see how he feels once it is removed in January.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Crunch, crunch, crunch


Crunch, crunch, crackle. The sound of dry leaves is everywhere and H loves it. It is fall here in California (yes, it feels like fall for those of us who grew up elsewhere in the country). This means lots of nice walks outside and frequent trips to the totpark near our home. Often our park visits start on a blanket on the grass where H gently picks up and examines fallen leaves before crunching them up in his little hands. I am always surprised at the fact that they leaves rarely make it into his mouth since almost everything else does.

After the leaf exploration there is time for H to look up at the trees and watch them sway. He simply love trees. He will watch them out the window of his room, he will smile at them at the park, he just loves trees.

Then H becomes adventurous enough to leave the blanket. He will pick his way across the blanket and onto the grass. It is so funny to watch his expression as he hits 'rougher' terrain. It is clear that he is a baby used to spending his days indoors as he tries to navigate the subtle bumps in the landscape. Eventually he makes it to the sidwalk and we head over to the swings.

With each trip on the swing H becomes more brave. On his first turn on the swing several weeks ago now, he was rather anxious and gripped the handles as hard as he could. The next time he gripped the seat as hard as he could, and so on until our last trip to the park when H got into the swing and just leaned back 'no hands' and enjoyed the ride.

Monday, November 30, 2009

H loves...

...to eat food in order of preference. H is able to feed himself now so we have a serving plate full of different foods and we give him a few pieces of each food on his own plate. He loves cheese and meat more than green veggies. Squash and sweet potatoes come after cheese and meat. But he loves above all else...banana.

...to look at trees.  When we are on a walk or at the park, H will spend a good portion of his time with his head back looking at the trees. He likes to look at the different types of trees and watch them sway in the wind. Often he will give a small smile while he tree watches.

...to play ball games. H will swim up to a ball and pick it up and then toss it. Once the ball has rolled away he eagrly swims after the ball and then does the whole thing over again.

...to play crawling games. We will get down on the floor and pretend to crawl away from him and then turn around and crawl toward him and kiss and tickle him. This is a hugely popular past time.

...books. He loves to read them and eat them. One of his favorites right now is "One Duck Stuck". If you ask him if he wants to read "One Duck Stuck" you actually get an audible "yes" sound as he starts to look around for the book.

...bath time. No matter what H's mood pre-bath time as soon as his little body hits the water he is smiling and as happy as a clam.

...music. Whenever we turn on music during a meal or during playtime H will stop and find the source of the music and then start bopping along and smiling. He loves to watch us dance and try to move as well.

...his parents. Whenever he is hungry, sleepy, or wanting comfort, H will search us out. He is a wonderful little person to snuggle with.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Where did it go?



Oh...there it is!

Swimming...


I am trying to get some video footage of H swimming but until then these still shots will have to do. You can see how happy he is about his recently aquired skill. He saw the camera and instantly started moving toward it.

New Shoes!


Hendrick got his first pair of shoes last weekend! Since he is now swimming around from room to room he finds it frustrating to be in socks because he doesn't get enough traction. Unfortunately we are not able to keep our apartment at a toasty, sock free, seventy-five degrees like the Nido, so we must settle for leather shoes that provide a little traction. As you can see by the photo as soon as they were on H's feet, he started sucking on them. There is nothing that does not end up in his mouth right now! With shoes on, H is happily swimming around our home regularly pushing off with his feet. He looks like he is doing a cross between the breaststroke and the butterfly. I can't wait to see what he will be like when he is crawling!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween!



H experienced his first Halloween today and although he will not remember it, we had lots of fun. The day started with a Halloween hike up in Tilden. H was planning to wear his skeleton costume but peed in it before we had a chance to hit the trail. Then we spent the afternoon moving around and playing (and doing laundry) while Daddy worked at the office. (H is really moving around these days. Imagine a large inchworm...) Then after we picked up Daddy at work we got down to the real Halloween fun. H got to "carve" his first pumpkin this evening. It was a lot of fun to watch him squeezing the guts and trying to eat everything in sight.




Seeing how much fun we were having, our neighbor came out to say hello and offered us the rare treat of taking a family photo. 



Then a fun Halloween flying session with Daddy.


And to cap off the evening, H went trick or treating for the first time and he knew just what to do.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

The Infamous Water Bottle

Hi All,

Hendrick asked me to make this posting for him...

"It was a normal enough afternoon. Warm and sunny, like most days in the world. My friends Eleanor and Amy had already collected their parents and gone home for the day. I did what I do most days at that time. I had my teacher plant me squarely on my bottom—a firm base on which to bob, weave, smile, bob, weave, smile.

My fried Ivan was crawling about me with ferocious speed and energy. He is quite the mobile baby, if you haven’t seen him. An impressive sight. We all have our talents. Ivan moves. I eat and drink. I do have five teeth now—the most of any baby at my school. What can I say, it’s my gift. Of course, as with any gift, I well know that it my responsibility to develop and hone it. And I do. I make a point, three times a day, to have the tall people around me seat me at a small table, where I communicate with articulate noises, as well as careful body language (there are multiple forms of communication, you know), that I am ready for my feeding. I gesture to pureed apples, glance at peas and sweet potatoes, sometimes call out to banana rice pudding, and they each come to me, in turn. It is wonderful to be so powerful, so independent. And these are just the solid foods I work with. I also am quite able when it comes to liquids. As we all know, there are two in existence. First, there is that sweet, white, creamy liquid, often called “milk” by the tall ones. Whatever you call it, it is simply delicious. It is produced in two ways, one far preferable to the other, but both fully serviceable: my mama and my bottle. The second liquid is clear and less viscous, but perhaps best described as what it is not, i.e., milk, than what it is. It more or less the anti-milk, if you will—though I have never heard it called that. Again the tall people have their own way: they call it “water.” It is mainly used to cleanse my palate between solid foods—something I appreciate. There is a time for mixed foods, to be sure, but who can dispute that sweet unadulterated fruits, roots, and vegetables are best. But I digress. The long and short of it is that I am quite capable when it comes to eating and do so with a sophisticated palate.

So there I was, sitting on a mat, Ivan sprinting about me. I think I was working on my gross and fine motor skills, perhaps with ball, perhaps a bell. Perhaps it was a wooden ring or fish. No matter. Whatever I was doing, suddenly, but predictably, daddy arrived, tall, lanky, hairy, boxy glasses propped on nose (his most distinguishing feature), atop his head a baseball cap (perhaps his transitional object, mine being a burp cloth—again we all have our preferences). My afternoon teacher asked me what she always asks upon his arrival: “Quien es?” (“Who is it?”) I gently reminded her.

At any rate, I locked eyes with daddy. Never underestimate the power of the gaze. Some ancients used to think that to cast your eyes upon something was akin to actually, physically touching it—an explanation perhaps largely dispensed with today, but one that nevertheless seems true at some level of human experience.

I then pulled him in. He shuffled my way, smiled, said, “Hey baby,” and then bent down to my level. He kindly acknowledged Ivan and my teacher—something I approve of, as long as it doesn’t drag on for too long. Finally, he placed his hands under my arms and I experienced a rapid liftoff from the ground. Always a rush—particularly this time since the acceleration was more rapid, followed by a momentary release from daddy’s hands and a brief moment of infantile freefall. Exhilarating; I recommend it.

What immediately followed was, once more, quite predictable—and pleasingly so; we babies have a very strong sense of order. Daddy checked the clipboard to review my daily accomplishments: good disposition, play with balls and mirror, 4oz morning bottle + lunch of pear and butternut squash + 5oz afternoon bottle, and 15min nap + 15min nap + 1.5hr nap. As often, he particularly scrutinized my diaper report card. A slight smile and nod revealed his pleasure, perhaps even relief, with the results: four straight W’s and one solid BM. Next he made a bee-line for the changing table. He laid me on it, took off my diaper, made a fart noise on my belly (something he calls a “raspberry”), lathered me in a substance he says I’ll enjoy more later in life (whatever that means), and wrapped me up in a warm dry diaper and pair of pants. Then he gathered up all my many non-plastic food containers (“a must,” he tells me, “in Berkeley”) and raced me out the door to our mode of transportation: one of those old, large, blue, self-moving strollers called a “Ford F-150.” For babies unfamiliar with this model stroller, it is just slightly larger than the popular Bugaboo Cameleon. Daddy strapped me in, the stroller roared to life, and he began to sing the first of several songs. The sun burning my face and eyes, I had daddy pull down my canopy, and I resigned myself to the experience.

Fastforward to home—where we diverge from the normal. To be sure, at first things seemed perfectly fine. We came in our door, and daddy put me down, while he moved in and out of the room with various objects, a bag, toys, blanket, etc. This game I sometimes find entertaining, but mostly not. Then I noticed that he was in the kitchen a little longer than normal—bizarre. I sensed danger and immediately called out. He entered the room and relief washed over me, followed by pure joy. Daddy had a bottle! Where he found one at this time of day, not long before mama would come home, is totally unknown. As we all know, bottles generally do not produce milk in the late afternoon. But the fact is he had it. I brought him in with my gaze. He picked me up. I directed him to the rocking chair in my room. He obeyed. We sat. I raised my hands, grasped the bottle, and lined up the nipple for precise insertion in my mouth. Three, two, one, contact! (A polymath baby like myself can count.) I sucked and prepared myself for the sweet release of milk, only to discover that milk there was not. My discriminating taste revealed the unmistakable and unimaginable: it was the anti-milk! I paused, frowned, and then took out the bottle. Sure enough, it was clear, not viscous. I shook it in my hand to watch the fluid in action to make sure. I was correct. I then put it back in my mouth—surely my first experience with what the tall call “denial.” It was still the anti-milk. I took it out again. Admittedly, I was perplexed, but who wouldn’t be in my situation. Just then I noticed daddy smiling—and it hit me. I had had my first joke bottle. Many babies (like two or three) had told me about the existence of such bottles—bottles that should produce milk, but instead perversely produce something else, in this case the anti-milk. I doubted their existence. But lo and behold, here one was, in the safety and predictability of my own home. I took a deep breath and did what I always do in these situations: I used daddy as an emotional tool. He found it funny. So then would I. I smiled. But in case it would help to avoid the joke bottle again, I threw it on the ground. A single experience with a joke bottle can be enjoyed, but multiple ones I simply cannot tolerate.

Subsequent events rounded out the learning experience. Daddy next took me over to my table, sat me down, and tried to give me something slightly more normal, at least under the proper circumstances: anti-milk in a cup. But I refused outright and threw the cup on the table. Perhaps the joke bottle was not daddy’s fault. Surely he was initially unaware of the whole thing—an ignorant vessel of unknown evil. But to offer me anti-milk so soon after my experience with the joke bottle was too much. Perhaps it added insult to injury. In the end, while I realized the extreme vicissitudes of fortune in life, daddy came to a truth of equal importance. Babies have principle, too.

Nota Bene: I have changed all names to protect the identities of my baby friends."

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Moooo!





Two weeks ago some friends invited us up to Tilden for a picnic and walk about the visitor's center and farm. It was so much fun that Jason, Hendrick and I returned this past Sunday. The second time, we came prepared with celery for the various animals.

It is great to watch Hendrick looking at the animals. His eyes get huge! Feeding the animals added a whole new element to the trip. Everything was going well until we stopped to feed the last animal...a cow. The cow was huge and it was clear that Hendrick was a little nervous about the enormity of this beast. We feed the cow some celery and all was good until the cow let out a low moo. Hendrick's whole body shook but he held his ground. Then the second low moo came and H did OK, but then the third moo came around. This time the cow mooed louder and longer and as soon as the cow reached a new decible, Hendrick responded with his own, "Muaawww!" His entire face crumped and he let out a big cry. We retreated and regrouped. Before heading home we went back to see the cow one last time so H could face his fear before going home. Just another day at the farm.


Sunday, October 11, 2009

On...Off




There is a light in our new apartment which is perfect for Hendrick. It has a little handle and the pull chain is just the right tension for Hendrick to pull and get results.

Jason recently showed H how to make the light go on and off and so now every so often they go and try it out. It is so cute to watch H absorb the concept of the light going on and off. He is completely focused on that little chain and the lightbulb. He pulls and then pauses. Pulls and pauses. On...off...on...off.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Eating laundry

This morning while we were getting ready for the day Hendrick sat on the living room floor. He was thrilled to discover a basket of clean laundry within reach. He spent the next ten minutes pulling his clean clothes out of the basket one by one, tasting each piece, and then putting it on the ground to get another one from the basket.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Visiting Daddy



Recently, Jason has had to spend most of his weekend time working. Since Hendrick can be wonderfully distracting that means Jason goes to his office to get things done. Today, Hendrick and I decided to go visit Jason for lunch on campus. We braved game day at Berkeley for a few minutes with daddy and it was totally worth it.


It is a gorgeous fall day here in Berkeley and so Hendrick and I packed up some supplies, pulled out our trusty stroller (a good stroller makes life a million times better in my opinion), and headed to campus. We braved Top Dog and then went to find Jason in his office. After being reunited we found a shady spot to sit and enjoy our lunch outdoors. Jason was kind enough to share his apple with Hendrick who found it very interesting. It was clear from his expressions that he did not like the taste of the skin at all, but he just kept trying to bite it anyway.

Our lunch date finished with a little time exploring the grass with our feet (which produced another furrowed brow moment) and some time touching a pine tree. Hendrick is always very excited to touch things, especially outdoors. We are trying expose H. to nature as much as possible. Part of that is because we love being outdoors and part of it is due to the research being done about children and the need for time in nature. Regardless of the reasons, it makes for cute photos.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Falling Short

 Disclaimer: This posting is somewhat of a divergence from the general thoughts I like to share on this blog. Really this is my place to enjoy all the wonders of my lovely little family but it this is just not quite one of those posts.

So, it is Monday night and it is one of those Mondays where you don't feel the weekend went particularly well. You enter Monday still tired from last week and you have an entirely new week to get through.

This weekend I had one emotional meltdown, missed a party that I wanted to attend by arriving after it was essentially over, and spent the rest of my time either washing a week's worth of dishes or a month's worth of laundry. Every time I tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour to start chipping away at the hours of sleep deprivation something got in my way leaving me yet again wondering, "Can it really be that late?"

By Sunday night I realized for the umpteenth time that I am trying to do many things right now and so it feels like I am not doing any of them particularly well. This is aided by the fact that Jason is in the same boat. It is never easy when both of us are stretched a bit thin.

So, to try to resurrect this post and remind myself of the good in my little world - we are here again on Monday. I had a day. I won't talk about majority of the day but instead tell you about the evening. With a butternut squash in the oven for H's next gastronomic adventure, Hendrick and I went on a walk. I was still trying to unwind from the day and Hendrick was tired and enjoying having to do nothing in particular with his body except lay there wrapped up in his baby carrier. As I kept being preoccupied by all of the things I thought I should be taking care of Hendrick kept leaning his head all the way back in his carrier to see the leaves overhead. He would just sway backwards totally relaxed and watch the sunlight playing in the trees. God it was beautiful. I couldn't help but just watch him and enjoy his discovery of the sunlight in the leaves. There is nothing quite like that feeling, when I just get to watch him process.

After that, we came home, pureed the squash, ate dinner, and then H had nightcap of milk and passed out in his dad's arms while listening to his lullaby. Now, I am going to back to wash more dishes and in a few hours say yet again, "Can it really be that late?"

Monday, September 14, 2009

Cute photos....what more needs to be said



I want to touch it...

Bath toys are fun, but the faucet is even better...

Teething fun in the bathtub...does it get any better?

Family photo

Trying to figure it all out...

 
 In keeping with the Montessori method, Hendrick is learning how to drink from a glass that is just his size. He finishes off each meal with a little glass of water. It is beyond cute. I love watching as he tries to figure out how to drink out of a cup. It generally involves a lot of water on his bib and a lot of "nursing" the cup as opposed to drinking. My favorite is when his thumb gets in the way and so he just starts sucking it. Then he realizes what is going on and tries to fix it.

Baby vs. Ball

Hendrick is now happily in his sixth month of life and is rolling, squirming, and practicing sitting. At this point in his development it is suggested that you introduce a ball if you have not already. The ball's motion encourages a desire to crawl. (The ball moves, the baby wants to get the ball.) Ideally the ball would be made of cloth so that it could not roll away too fast or far, just enough to keep H. interested. But on grandma's recent visit she gave H. a non-cloth ball and he seems to be enjoying it quite a bit. Sure enough when he first saw the ball rolling toward him and reached out to touch it it rolled away and he started working on getting his butt in the air and limbs moving. He has yet to figure out what to do with all of his limbs in order to crawl, but I am confident that he will figure it out eventually.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Culprits


We are in full on teething mode here and I would be lying if I said we were loving every minute of it. All of these teeth are definitely causing H some discomfort during the days. It has led to shorter naps and some serious meltdowns. And H is gnawing on everything. If you look closely you can see teeth marks on all of his toys. (This is a big reason we have been going with natural wooden toys as much as possible. So I don't freak out about the toxins he is consuming. Paranoid...perhaps. I never said I wasn't paranoid.)

So what is all the fuss about? See for yourself! H has two glorious teeth on the bottom and he is getting some seriously large front teeth on the top. I fear we are entering the beaver stage of our photographs.

If you want a real close up just click on the photo and you will get a larger than life experience.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Moonlit nights...

Recently, I have been tip-toeing into H's room at night before I go to bed. I lay next to him and watch him sleeping. It is during this time of day that I let all of the worries and preoccupations fall away and I am just left in a dark room looking at my son in amazement. That Jason and I brought this little being into the world is still awe inspiring to me. At times, it is hard for me to believe that the little boy sleeping in that bed is the same baby we gave birth to at the beginning of March. Time passes so quickly right now. I guess my night time visits are my way of trying to slow things down...even if just for a moment.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Avocado!

The most recent new food for Hendrick was avocado. We selected some absolutely beautiful avocados at Berkeley Bowl this Sunday and went home, made a lovely puree and then Hendrick got his first mouthful for dinner. I appreciate his complete trust in us. He greeted the new food with an open mouth and great enthusiasm. Once the avocado was in a look of confusion crossed his face. "What is this?" Jason and I were wondering if this was going to be the first food Hendrick didn't like. Not so. After swallowing his first bite he finished off the bowl like a champ.

Monday, August 24, 2009

A Day with Daddy

While H's school has been closed the past few weeks he and I have been spending lots of time together. It has been a such a blast to get to spend all day with him. But today, in order to let me get a chunk of work done at work, Jason stayed home with Hendrick. I think initially H was a little miffed as to why he was back on the bottle but he readjusted quickly.

I love watching Jay and H together. They get such a kick out of each other. Jason will make different noises and Hendrick will just giggle over and over. Every day when I come home from work I can't wait to get in the door and see how they are doing. The best days are when I come in and they are hanging out together and making each other laugh. Jason intentionally and Hendrick unintentionally. There is nothing quite like the uninhibited laugh of a baby. H just chortles out of sheer delight at the simplest things. It makes me smile and all that I was worried about just drifts away in that moment.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Meet Me in St. Louis: The Visit

It was really exciting to have Hendrick get to meet Jason's side of the family. In addition to grandma and grandpa, there were lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends, ready to hold Hen and play with him. I am very thankful that we had six days to spend with people because it allowed us lots of time to just hang out at various houses and catch up with people.

Hendrick spent his days sleeping, playing, and eating. Not all that different from home except for the larger number of people who wanted to hold him and play with him. There were moments when he got a little over stimulated, but nothing that a nap couldn't fix. I was amazed at how easily H. went down for a nap. Once he was tired it took him about ten seconds to fall asleep once he was in his little travel crib. (By the way, I am in love with the travel crib we have. We didn't plan to purchase one and received this as a gift. Easy to travel with, super easy to put together, and packs up very small.)

One of the highlights of the trip was a chance for Jason to have a family birthday party. I really enjoyed seeing all of Jay's siblings, nieces and nephews, mom and dad, and H. get to celebrate with him.  It was a great day.

Sadly, although I took photos in St. Louis it was during this trip that my trusty point and shoot digital camera decided to go on the fritz, so I only have a few photos that turned out. If anyone has photos from our trip to St. Louis that they are willing to share, please e-mail me.

Meet Me in St. Louis: The Journey

Hendrick took his first plane trip to visit his family in St. Louis this August. It was the perfect opportunity for me to employ one of my lesser advertised skills - worrying. I wanted the trip to be as perfect as possible so that meant weeks of planning and trying to think of every possible scenario we may encounter in our journey. We needed enough outfits in case there was an emergency change needed, diapers, wipes, toys that would entertain Hendrick but not annoy those around us on the plane, blanket to lay down in the airport to let him stretch out before being held for 3.5 hours, etc. I will spare you all of the details that I obsessed over. What ever happened to the days where it was just "over the river and through the woods" to grandmother's house?

To make a long journey short. It went just fine. Getting through the SF airport was a breeze as it was very family friendly. We picked seats at the back of the plane so that we would disturb as few people as possible. But, despite our best efforts to look friendly we got a few sidelong glances as we settled in. I just smiled at as many people as possible and quietly hoped Hendrick wouldn't scream on the flight. (I love his loud, clear voice but I am his mom and wired to do so.)

Three and half hours later we landed in St. Louis. Hendrick slept for a grand total of 20 minutes during the flight and made lots of friends with the people around us. There was no screaming and although I was exhausted by the end of it, I feel that the plane ride was a success. After getting in our rental car and figuring out how to install the new car seat we brought with us, (note to readers: Don't bring a car seat you have never installed on a trip and try to figure it out at tail end of your journey. It is not fun.) we were comfortably at Grandma and Grandpa's house by 9:00pm. Hendrick had a bath to wash off as much of the various airport bathroom changing table experiences as possible and asleep by 10:00pm.

Note: There are no photos from this part of the trip to St. Louis. My focus was on keeping Hendrick entertained, fed, clean, and dry.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Food glorious food!



Hendrick has been watching us eat meals for weeks now and finally he got his turn to try some food. We figured he has two teeth and a keen interest in what we are eating so why not give him a taste. It started with a little watermelon. He found that very interesting. Soon I got paranoid about Hendrick managing to break off a chunk of watermelon and choke so we moved on to rice cereal.

Hendrick eats his rice cereal at a little table and chair just his size. (We are very thankful to Kate for giving us her daughter's weaning table. Hendrick loves it!) His meal is around dinner time because that is the time when my milk production is the lowest right now so it seemed a natural
time to introduce solids.

The first meal was a huge success! Hendrick loves food!



After a few weeks of rice cereal we have moved onto sweet potatoes. Once we have passed the 4-7 day waiting period (to make sure he has no allergic reaction) Hendrick will get to try bananas and then avocados. Jason and I have decided that we are going to try to make most if not all of Hendrick's food at home. So, we are employing the freeze food cube method. We make a batch of baby food and freeze it in cubes to be thawed when Hendrick is ready to eat. So far things are going well. I can't wait to see what his reaction is to the different foods he will get to try over the next several months.

Moving in...


So, this is where our blog has landed after the mac version was closed. We hope you enjoy following our little adventures and perhaps learn a few things with us as we go along. For those of you wondering about the origin of the blog title. One of the nicknames that Hendrick acquired is Brown Trout or Little Brown Trout so this blog documents the chronicles of Little B. and Family.

Adventures in floor beds


In keeping with the Montessori method, Hendrick sleeps on a floor bed as opposed to in a crib. He can look around the room and when he is mobile he will be able to get in and out of bed when he is ready to get up or go to bed. (For those concerned about safety, the floor bed method requires the room to be completely baby-proofed. We are in the process of baby-proofing so that the room will be ready when Hendrick starts to crawl.)

Up until recently there has not been much excitement around the floor bed but now that Hendrick can roll around there have been a few mornings when we find him on the floor in various positions. Regardless of the stance, we always find him chatting to himself and we get a big smile when we come into the room.