2008, how I loved you so.

At a restaurant in Solvang New Year's Eve Day

Colten James, Mountain Man.

On Papa's back

Christmas Dinner

Christmas Morn

Okay, okay. I'm finally blogging. I haven't written anything since Thanksgiving, and it's been much too long of a break. I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll just start with Colten. He is now six months old! (Christmas is his half birthday, incidentally). He weighs well over 20 pounds now, has two bottom teeth poking up out of his gums, and can finally roll over by himself (sometimes). His first Christmas was great -- he got tons of clothes and a few good toys from Grandma and Grandpa and Great Grandma Hutchins. He especially likes things that make noise when you hit them on other things. I think he's going to be stoked on my piano when I finally get it to our new place (it's been at Tim's sister's for forever). Oh, and this is interesting: Tim and I think he may be left handed. He uses his left hand for reaching and grabbing and even sucking his thumb. So we'll see about that one. We're also just barely beginning to give him solid food here and there. I don't believe he actually needs it yet for nutrients - it's more just about getting him used to new tastes. He is just so much fun right now. He laughs hysterically at the strangest things (like when people sneeze), he flirts with strange women in retaurants, and he still prefers being held by me more than anything else. Today, New Years Eve, Tim and the baby and me took a drive out to the Santa Ynez Valley and walked around Solvang all afternoon. We decided it would be easier to wear Colten in his carrier rather than use the stroller, and he was stoked! Tim wore him for the first time on his back and Colten loved it. Tonight we're just hanging out around the house...we've attempted a fire in the fireplace but can't seem to keep it lit. It's nearly 9pm and people are already texting me Happy New Years messages like crazy. The baby's passed out on the couch, and I think Tim and I may play an exciting game of Scrabble here soon. I've got a number of good resolutions written out for 2009...they include things like maybe trying to plant a garden, going surfing sometimes, and spending more time in the backyard doing nothing. I've already got myself wildly over-committed for this next year. No need to make myself crazy trying to lose thirty pounds or anything as equally rash. Wow, I'm suddenly realizing how quickly 2008 went. I didn't do a whole lot...besides have a baby. And move. And I got to see some friends get married. And I guess we also did that whole aerospace certification thing for work. I also started tutoring again. And we went camping a few times. And I gained and then lost something like, I don't know, 70 pounds. So now that I think about it, maybe I did do a lot. And now that I'm really thinking about it, I'm sad to see 2008 go. What am I saying? 2008 has been the greatest year of my life. 2008 was the year that Colten came.

Big Sur, Pre-Thanksgiving, and the Firewood Fairy

Lots to write about!


First of all, we spent last weekend camping up in Big Sur in celebration of the birthdays of two of our friends. We have a "new" cabover camper that we picked up a few weeks back, and we got to use it for the very first time. We had SUCH a good time. Colten is a great little camper. He's pretty much always stoked to be outdoors. Being in the carseat for hours on end, however, is another story. We sort of try to plan our biggest driving stretches for when we know he'll be ready to nap. I ended up spending much of the car ride in the backseat attempting to entertain a four month old. On another note, it was the first time that we've experienced clear weather in Big Sur - and the coastline up there is absolutely breathtaking. We were also just super stoked on all the friends and friends of friends that we camped with. I'm continually impressed with how open and down-to-earth this group is.


Our other big news is that we hosted our third annual Pre-Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday night (we actually skipped last year's, so can we still say third annual?). We literally had something like 40 people over for dinner. And I absolutely cannot believe how wonderfully it turned out! I'm so very happy to have such a diverse, amazing group (maybe I should say groups) of friends. There were three other new babies, so the front room turned into baby-landia. Then in the backyard we had four six-foot tables laid out end to end to make one long dining area, and chairs encircling the fireplace in the grass. Everyone brought food, which we squeezed onto the dining room and kitchen tables. I think I had to wait in line something like twenty minutes before I got to serve myself. When I finally got my food and walked outside, there were nearly thirty people all seated, eating at candlelit tables under the white twinkly lights in the avocado tree above. I really enjoy hosting parties, even though it means that I don't get to sit much and rarely end up talking to anyone for very long. It just cool to bring everyone together and to see how people I never would have imagined having anything in common turn out to have grown up in the same neighborhood or end up having mutal interests or even friends. After all that, I'm now feeling fully prepared to host "real" Thanksgiving dinner with family on Thursday. Compared to 40, 18 for dinner seems like nothing.


Just one more thing before I go. This morning I was thinking about how we really need firewood for our outdoor fireplace and how I should have thought to have people bring extra wood, and how I should ask family to bring wood on Thanksgiving because I hate spending money to buy crappy wood at the grocery store. So our gardener, Temo, shows up this morning, and I'm outside chatting it up and showing off the baby when he suddenly looks up and says, "hey, do you want some firewood?". It turns out he has a tree cutting business (as well as a yardcare business) and has lots of extra wood. So he's bringing me a cord of firewood this week. I love it when that happens. So anyways, I could really use some extra money...

First Halloween

We can't keep his fingers out of his mouth these days

All the moms and babies

Colten had a great first Halloween. We met my Mamatoto group (a mothers' circle) at the Lane Farms pumpkin patch out in Goleta. There's not much for little babies to do at a pumpkin patch, so we mainly just propped them up against pumpkins and took lots of pictures. It was actually really fun. In the afternoon Tim and I took Colten in his stroller and walked Linden Ave in Carp, where all the local businesses were handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. We saw lots of little Harry Potters, a couple of UPS boxes, and a dirty laundry basket, my personal favorite. When we got home, we lit a fire in the fireplace (yay!), watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and handed out candy to kids (and one strange old lady) who came to the door. We had a good number of trick-or-treaters come by -- better than I expected. My favorite costume was a highschool kid dressed as a member of the Black Panthers.

This morning it's raining outside, so I got another fire going and am just hanging around the house with Colten. I love rainy-day schedule!

Colten's Room

I've been working on Colten's room the past few days, and I'm finally happy enough with it to share pictures. I still need window coverings of some sort, but other than that, I'm pretty stoked with how it's turned out. Just today I added the little fish decals to the walls (thanks Aunt Sandi!).

Silly hair, a long week, and a good dinner

(The picture is of boss-man Mike with Colten while I'm working at the beach!)

So Colten has the most ridiculous hair right now. RIDICULOUS. His head keeps growing and his hair just can't keep up. The result is really long hair in the front middle and sides, with a sort of bald looking patch right in the center. I think I'm going to have to trim around his ears to make the ridiculousness stop. So sad. I keep saying I'm going to do it, but I keep not doing it. Tomorrow...

Anyways. We just got back from too many days up at El Capitan Canyon, working for the Adventure Company. I wanted to work this trip so badly, but it ended up being so much more work than one small person can handle. It wasn't the Adventure Co. part that was so difficult...it was that combined with not being able to see Colten all day, not being able to pump for hours, then trying to pump leaned up against a tree off a trail somewhere, then trying to squeeze in nursing Colten in the few minutes I had between working, cooking, eating and cleaning; then sitting in a dark cabin and trying to pump again for the next day while watching my baby and my husband sleep. I'm still tired from it.

Tonight our friends John and Toni came over for dinner. They brought salmon...and it was goood. I made persimmon bread for the first time, and it was just ok. A little too sweet, maybe. But now I know. Someone a few houses down from us has a persimmon tree, so I'll try again real soon.

Colten is good, good, good. He really is great. Tomorrow he'll be four months old!! Yikes! how did that happen?! He's getting really big and very active. He hasn't quite figured out how to roll over yet, but he started working on it for the first time today. He's babbling more and more, and he enjoys batting at things and chewing on anything that comes within reach. I don't have any new pictures at the moment, so I'll have to take some tomorrow and add them later.

Guess that's all for now. I'll be sure to write when he finally figures out how to roll.

I...CAN'T...TAKE...the CRYING!!

I just got Colten down for the night...I hope. I don't know why, but every once in a great while he has these crazy evenings (or afternoons. Or sometimes middle-of-the-nights) where he just cries like a maniac for no apparent reason. It really doesn't happen very often at all, but for some reason he's been doing it all evening. Tim's dad is in the hospital up in Bakersfield right now, so we've been doing a lot of driving back and forth this week. Colten has been SO good when we're up there. And in the car, too. Maybe he's finally just had enough. Well, he'll be with Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow -- I've got to help Tim at the shop. He is suddenly so very busy. He's taken on some of the jobs his dad had left open, and then his own work is picking up as well. It's good, just hard right now because we're so up in the air as far as his dad's situation...we're really just waiting for the next phone call. I'm supposed to work this coming week, and feel awful because I had to tell my boss that I can't commit now...even though I'd already commited. He understands...I just feel bad about it. Everyone's stressed and upset. Maybe that's affecting Colten as well.

Other than that, though, Colten is great. We had some great photos taken of him the other day by my friend Dara's friend, Meg Fish (http://www.megfishphotography.com/). I'm pretty sure now that Colten is the cutest baby ever made. I just checked, and he, Tim and Strider are snoring away in bed together. I'm sure the cat will join us later as well. I'm super tired too, so I guess I'll go.

The Three Month Update

I'm writing another post today since the first didn't have much meat to it.

Colten is three months old now, and doing so very, very good. He just gets cuter and more active and alert every single day. Right now he's really into chewing on his fists and he's babbling more than ever. He smiles and laughs a lot, which is fun. He's still pretty easy to take places, thanks to our slings and baby wrap (which are the greatest things ever). As he's getting heavier we've actually started using the stroller a little more, but nothing calms him down like being worn by one of us.

The three of us went to a wedding over the weekend, and Colten was a hit! I can finally say that babies do make everything more fun. Until now, having the baby has just made everything more difficult. Still good...just difficult. But this weekend he was fun.

I'm including some pictures of us from an Adventure Company trip I worked at the end of September. We spent two nights in El Capitan Canyon running a trip for a school group, and Tim, Colten and I got our own cabin to stay in. Stoked! So Tim played superdad and watched the baby ALL day for three days straight. They were long days for me (being away from the baby), but I got to see Colten in the afternoons, and there's some photos of me wearing him while I cooked dinner for 80 highschoolers.

Avocados and Kevin

This weekend was the Avocado Festival here in Carpinteria. We were hanging out there this afternoon when lo and behold - we saw none other than our favorite famous neighbor, Kevin Costner, checking out the festival with his wife and son. With Colten in our newest sling (thanks Dara!), Tim posed in front of the Costners so I could get a picture. Check it out - that's him over Tim's right shoulder!

Just a blog

Nothing too exciting to report...I just feel like typing at the moment.

But let's see...Colten is 13 weeks now and so, so big. I think he may be 15 pounds (!). Is that possible?! He's such a good baby these days, sleeping well at night, going to bed easily, and spending lots of time just awake and happy. He's making all kinds of sounds lately and goes through a period each day where he tries to have a long conversation with whoever happens to be around. This evening he had a nice talk with Keri, our housemate.

He loves hanging out with his papa lately. Tim has a magic shoulder...Colten will be crying and fussing, but he'll chill out as soon as Tim puts him over his left shoulder. He's actually sleeping there right now while Tim watches Overboard. (I love that movie, by the way!). Tim's been doing some mega baby-watching lately while I'm away at work. On Wednesdays, I work from 1 to 7pm tutoring up at City College, and Tim's taken care of Colten all by himself for the past two weeks. I think sometimes it's easy for me to take it for granted that Tim's confident enough to watch him. After talking to other new moms, I've realized that not all men are so capable. It's been great for me - this morning I got to go surfing with friends for a few hours without even stressing over how long I'd be gone.

I can hear the baby fussing now...so I'd better be off.

Camping for Colten

We took Colten on his first camping trip this past weekend - just a long weekend (Thursday thru Sunday) at Lake Nacimiento. The trip was, ostensibly, for my birthday, but I think I've realized that now that I have a baby my birthdays no longer count. Besides, camping with a baby is not exactly a relaxing way to spend a birthday. Maybe next year I'll just ask for a day to be completely alone. I'm not completely alone very much anymore. I went by myself to pick blackberries the other day, and I couldn't believe the freedom. If only I didn't have that nagging feeling in the back of my head that I have to get back home...before the baby gets hungry, or starts crying, or Tim starts to worry. Because if it weren't for those things, I could have stayed all afternoon.

Anyways. So we took Colten camping, and he was good! My parents were there, and some friends came up for the last two nights, so there were lots of hands to pass the baby off to. Unfortunately, Colten's too small to go boating (just because I say so), so he had to stay up in camp with someone while everyone else went out skiing and tubing. He slept in the tent with me and Tim and Strider, and only cried one night, and not for very long. Changing diapers is fun in a tent.

Everyone told us, "You can't camp with a baby!" Well, we did. And hopefully we'll do it again soon!

10 Weeks

Colten is 10 and half weeks old now and weighs something like 13 pounds!! He's way more alert and active now, smiling and laughing in response to things he sees. He's also holding his head up really well (which must be difficult with that big ol' pumpkin head of his).

I started working again over the past two weeks - just some random Adventure Co. days and tutoring once a week up at City College. My parents have been coming up and watching the baby while I'm away and Tim's at work. I think they like it - they keep coming back. Colten's been pretty easy lately. I can pop him out of his sling now when we're out at restaurants and that sort of thing, and he'll just hang out all mellow in my lap. In fact, he's in my lap right now, just looking up at me and making funny baby noises. The thing is, as soon as I start telling people how mellow he is, he's going to prove me wrong by throwing a big fit in some public place. Ah well.

I'm so crafty...

I think this is wondeful.

Baby pals

Yesterday Colten and I hung out with my friend Dara and her little baby girl, Aliyah. Aliyah is just a week younger than Colt. The four of us went to the Cajun Kitchen for lunch and wandered the Carp famers' market. We must have looked cute, because people kept giving us free stuff!

Babies in the bed!

I just think this is really funny.

I do like to sleep with Colten in our bed, just not exactly like this. He's such a good little snuggler. He's been sleeping really well (no, not through the night - he still needs to nurse once or twice). And for the past few weeks now, he's been spending part of the night in his bassinet, which is kind of nice. But I really enjoy pulling him into bed to snuggle until it's time to get up.

By the way, how is it that he already knows the difference between night and day? It's really amazing to me that he can be like, "hey, I'm going to sleep for six hours now, even though I don't take more than 30 minute naps all day long."

Babies are cool.

And for those who wonder about the babies in the bed thing:
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/sleep/mckenna.html

Yay for Cloth!

My Aunt Sandi just sent me the most wonderful gift: cloth diapers for Colt. He's wearing them in the pictures above. I have actualy been using cloth diapers since Colten was about two weeks old, and I really, really love them. I honestly believe that EVERYONE should be cloth diapering their babies. Disposables do come in handy sometimes, but man, what a diaster they are! Do you know that something like 10,000 TONS of disposable diapers are tossed into landfills each day, and that each one can take up to 500 years to decompose? Gross.

The thing with cloth diapers is that it's nice to have a lot of them. But you have to buy them. So if anyone was ever like, "hey, I need to buy Jessica (or Colten) a gift, but I don't know what to get her (or him)," well here you go.

Sandi gave me these wonderfully soft diapers made from bamboo (the fastest growing plant in the world, by the way!) from this woman's website:
http://www.mandismenagerie.com/

I have mainly purchased used (cheaper, you see) diaper covers from here:
http://www.thenaturallifestore.com/

Colten is quickly growing out of his Thirsties XS diaper covers. Time for size small.

Anyways, the point is this: cloth diapers = good

I like to wear my baby

So, I like to wear Colten. I have sling and a baby wrap, and I wear him as much as I can. It's pretty much the only way I'm able to get things done around the house. It's also how we go out to eat, and to the beach, and for walks, and pretty much everything that involves leaving the house. Colten likes it too...he usually passes out as soon as we get him in. Here's some fun pictures of me wearing him - at the fair, at the beach, at home, and (yes) at a bar. Heehee.

****Just thought I'd add this:

Claimed benefits of babywearing include:

Mothers' progesterone (mothering hormone) is increased through physical contact with the infant, leading to a more intimate maternal bond, easier breastfeeding and better care, thus lowering the incidence of postpartum depression and psychosomatic illness.

Infants who are carried are calmer because all of their primal/survival needs are met. The caregiver can be seen, heard, smelled, touched, tasted, provide feeding and the motion necessary for continuing neural development, gastrointestinal and respiratory health and to establish balance (inner ear development) and muscle tone is constant.

Infants are more organized. Parental rhythms (walking, heartbeat, etc.) have balancing and soothing effects on infants.

Infants are "humanized" earlier by developing socially. Babies are closer to people and can study facial expressions, learn languages faster and be familiar with body language.

Contrary to western cultural myths, independence is established earlier.

Attachment between child and caregiver is more secure.

Decreases risk of positional plagiocephaly ("flat head syndrome") caused by extended time spent in a car seat and by sleeping on the back.

Colten James' Birth Story

So Colten is two months old now, and I'm realizing how quickly this is all going to go. I'm going to make this attempt at blogging, but I have my doubts about how diligent I'm going to be about it. Anyways, the point is to share stuff about Colten for those of you who don't see him everyday - but I may share other things as well...depending on my mood.

I really want to share Colten's birth story...again. I've told it many, many times, but I hear that's a good thing to do. So here goes:

He was born June 25th at 9:35am, after many, many hours of labor. At some point during my pregnancy, it had become really important to both Tim and me to have a normal, natural birth. More than twenty weeks pregnant I decided to have the baby at the Goleta Valley birthing center rather than Cottage in Santa Barbara, and switched from a doctor in the Sansum medical group to Dr. Green, who is known for his midwife-like mentality and support of natural birth. Tim and I took a natural birthing class as well. It's difficult now for me to imagine doing it any other way. I wish I could explain why, but I can't seem to put it into words.

Anyways, I went into labor in the afternoon of Saturday, June 21st. Contractions were mild, about ten minutes apart, and basically stayed that way all of Saturday night, Sunday, and all day Monday. No sleep for me. Finally, Monday night we decided to head over to the birthing center with our doula. Contractions came and went for the next 36 hours. It was hard, but not unbearable. I think the support from Tim and the three doulas who took turns staying with us is what made it possible. And it also helped that I just kept thinking that the baby would come "any time now." I finally hit a wall early Wednesday morning when I could no longer see the light at the end of the tunnel. When I started to say "hey guys...I don't think I can do this much longer," they stayed positive and basically just reassured me that I'd be done when the baby came. Profound, I know. But it worked. They tell me I pushed for three and a half hours, but it didn't seem like it...the time just passed, and eventually Colten was born. 7 pounds 2 ounces, and as healthy as they come!

More soon...