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.