Remember the whole upside down, foot first thing? HARBINGER!

You guys. 

This kid is something else, oy vey. 

My parents don't know what hit them. 

Remember how I had the whole give-birth-at-home-in-a-pool-no-drugs-for-me-thank-you-very-much plan?  How at 35 weeks Bunting was head down and spine forward and we were a-okay, good to go?  And then I felt a mega wiggle and whooomp! and thought that he had settled into my pelvis and was ready to make his debut?  And spent a week patting his bum, but really that was his head, because ACTUALLY he was doing a 180 and getting all nice and comfy in a breech position, feet down?  And so I had a c-section, the very thing I dreaded almost more than anything else in the world (though it ended being not too terrible, except for the hospital/surgery part)? 

Well.  As my friend Pilar warned, this was evidently merely the first example of our son's proclivity for doing things HIS WAY.  We are shocked!!  I mean, his parents are such easygoing people, so content to join the pack, to do things the "normal" way without comment...

Exhibit A: 



No boring,  tummy down, "hey, let's look where we're going!" crawling for our boy. 

No longer can we put him in the middle of the floor, secure in the knowledge that he will remain there until a time of our choosing. Oh no. The other day I was on the phone with Mepher, discussing wedding stuff; Bunting was on the floor no more than 6 feet away from me.  I Googled something, looked back over, and he was gone. Startled, I went to investigate, and discovered that he enjoys doing this: 

When I located him, only his chubby little feet were peeking out, a la the Wicked Witch of the West. He does the Upside Down Inchworm until he is completely underneath the chair. Whilst he is inchworm-ing, he shrieks and chortles, keeping up a constant stream of sound to go with his motion. 


All at once, he has cast off stationary baby-hood. He is a mini man with a plan. 

I will lay here for a moment. Then- global domination. 

We have bade farewell to our early morning snugglefests in bed.  Previously he would wake, FRK or I would fetch him from his room, and then we would get back in bed, nurse, and then drowse for a bit, all three of us cozy in bed.  

Bunting has decided drowsing is for suckers. He is totally untrustworthy on our bed, he is a wiggling, scootching, maniac. 

We must be ever vigilant.  If there is a seatbelt, we use it.  If he must be unsupervised for a moment, we put him in the Command Center, or in his crib. He is grabby and fast, and like all babies he has an unerring instinct for THE most dangerous/sharp/potentially lethal item within his line of sight. 

While we are in a constant state of alert, hovering at around DEFCON 2, he is engaged in the serious business of exploring this world, tasting everything he can, keenly observing his environs. He scratches his fingers against everything, investigating the texture and sound.  He pushes things deliberately under pieces of furniture, and then peers at the object with great interest.  He turns toward any unusual noise, raising his eyebrows as if to say "now what was that!?". 

All the while, he remains a happy, chatty boy. His every waking moment is filled with smiles and opinions. 

June has been a very busy and fun filled month for Bunting. He figured out how to sit up on his own-

Met beloved cousin Libby (technically his first cousin twice removed), who came to visit all the way from New York City. Libby's mom is Gigi's younger sister Ruth, who passed away many years ago. Bunting was born on his Great Aunt Ruth's birthday. 



Got to hang out with new cousin Kira (technically his step-second cousin)-

and had a several lovely visits with Uncles Steven (below) and Jim, who travelled all the way from Taiwan for a family wedding. FRK and Jim have been friends since they were five years old. 30 years later, we have a baby boy and he lives on the other side of the globe, but we are all close, and try to get together as often as possible. 

As if that wasn't enough, he somehow found the time last week to sprout THREE new teeth (the top two in the middle, and then another directly to the left), bringing the tooth count to five!  Yet again, he suffered very little angst as he was teething; copious amounts of drool, a few brief wake ups at midnight (nothing a little nursing couldn't fix), then suddenly one day a hint of white peeking out of his gums, and voila! three new teeth. 

We take oral hygiene seriously around here. I (touch wood) have never had a cavity, so of course now that he has real teeth, Bunting is on a strict regimen of brushing and flossing.

oral hygiene is fundamental

Bunting goes to bed at 8pm every evening. And every night at about 11 or so, FRK and I look at each other and begin to grin like fools, full of wonder at how amazing and hilarious our boy is, how we never could have anticipated how much we love him.  Then we begin to miss him, so we sneak into his room to watch him sleep. 

Our sweet boy, almost 7 months old. 

Half a year!

Welcome friends! 

C'mere. I have something to tell you. 

Our Bunting Boy, the artist formerly known in utero as The Tic Tac and The Parasite (lovingly, but of course), currently known as Smith, Smithy, Scribbs, Scribbalicous, Scribbtastic, Baby Boy, Doodlebug, NuNu, Bunting Bean... (the volume of nicknames is ridiculous, but that's just our way) is SIX MONTHS OLD. We cannot believe so much time has passed.  Before we had Bunting, people often said to us "you won't even remember what life was like before you had a kid".  For us, this is not true.  We do remember, and think of that time with great fondness and nostalgia, while simultaneously enjoying to the hilt our new life as parents to this magical boy.

Ah yes. I remember when I was a wee lad, only weeks old...

Stats: 

19 lbs, 2 ozs (83rd percentile)

27.75 inches long (91st)

46 centimeter noggin (98th) 

This baby is ridiculously sunny and happy.  He absolutely loves socializing, put him in a social situation and he is content, and has become a giant flirt. Last week he met our nanny's mom at the park, and spent the visit alternately hiding his face in V's shoulder, and then turning to her mom and giggling and beaming. 

Last weekend we spent the night with Papa T and Mamaji in Elkhorn, and evidently Bunting was feeling ignored by the adults, because he debuted a little fake cough. He made a sad "eh-eh" sound, and when I turned my full attention to him he just beamed and his cough magically disappeared. Look away- cough; pay attention to him- totally fine. Stinkerbug! 

Snuggling with Grandpa Tom

He is growing and developing at a dizzying pace. Every day his distinct personality becomes clearer and clearer, and it is so very fun to watch. He loves music in any form. We all sing to him, and he loves to listen to the stereo with Daddy. I am going to have to acquire a sound-proofed reading room at some point. I do believe there is going to be a lot of loud music in my future. 

FRK has also introduced him to the world of iPhone, and he is mesmerized:

His grabby little hands want to explore everything within reach; we must clear a radius when he is near, or he will lunge and grab and have the item in his mouth lickety split. 

The fools left a spoon on the table. It's mine now! 

He continues to love the world of solid foods.  When I returned home from work the other day, this is what I saw: 

Sweet potatoes + a giant mess + Daddy being silly = A very happy Bunting 

He continues to love playing with his feet-

-and has recently discovered the joys of sucking on his big toe.  

Really, who needs toys, when you have feet and hands?

He has also decided that being vertical is where it's at, and as a concession to this new development, we have made peace with our fate, and purchased our first, large, brightly colored plastic baby thing. The Boy's legs are very strong (no surprise there; FRK has tree trunks for legs, and I have the legs of a Turkish weight lifter, unfortunately) and he bounces around in the thing with such vigor that he may actually wear the thing out.

We're not sure if he likes it. We'll keep you posted. 

FRK was less than thrilled when he first laid eyes on what he instantly dubbed "The Command Center", but when he saw how much Bunting loves this thing, he became a convert.

As you will see in the video below, running The Command Center is a very active endeavor. 

He sleeps happily in his crib every night, though recently he has begun to periodically wake in the middle of the night, discover that he is on his stomach, and get vewwwwwy angry. We just go in and flip him over, give him his froggie, and then he falls right back asleep. When awake he can roll from front to back, and back to front with great ease.

Daytime tummy time= thumbs up. Night time= boo hiss.

His room used to be our TV room; we finally moved it out of there, and now his room is all his. There is a lovely view of the trees from his window, and it is the coolest room in the house during the summer.

In real life, the room does not list to the right

His room is filled with little gifts from the people who love him.

Clockwise:

- the lovely throw pillow on the glider is from DRD Richard and Grandma J

- the glider is from our friends the Richmonds

- Snow globe on the table is from Auntie Jen

- the piggy bank is from the Sheths

- Gigi purchased the sheep on the spur of the moment, and it is wonderful.
It plays several types of white noise.

- The quilt on the wall and pillow on the rocker are from Mepher and Joshua

- On the wall are prints from Mexico, the Frida Kahlo-esque cat from Gigi, and the horse from Mamaji

- The plate on the wall is an antique "Baby Bunting" plate from Uncle Tim and Aunt Melissa

"Baby Bunting and little dog Bunch, go ahunting and take their lunch"

Adorable, no? There is a matching bowl as well, I need to figure out how to mount it.

Every child who has ever laid eyes on the big brown bear (from Gigi) has loved it. The blue and red blankie was crocheted by Bunting's paternal great-great-great grandmother. Mamaji had it professional repaired and refurbished.  


Anyone who knows me knows that I was baby crazed long before I had my own.
As true evidence of how mind-bogglingly quickly time passes, behold: 

These are the two who started it all.
My love affair with Brian began when he was 3 months old, I was his nanny for 3 wonderful years. I have loved Marie since she was in utero (the day she was born I showed up at their house at 5:15 am, dancing with excitement- those who have seen me in the morning know just how jazzed I must have been to be fully awake and in a good mood that early in the morn). And now they are 10 and 8!


I loved, loved, loved being their nanny. And it was my time with them that has made the transition to motherhood so relatively easy for me. 


I can remember their babyhood so very clearly, like it was yesterday. The pure delirium and chaos that reigned the day that Brian walked for the first time (clever boy waited for Mommy to be home, and on his parent's anniversary no less!), the look of pure glee on Marie's face when I would fetch her after her nap. They are growing up in the blink of an eye. And so every day I look at my beautiful boy and just try to slow down, relax and drink it in.

Where to Begin!?!

Welcome, Gentle Readers! 

Greeting and salutations

Our Bunting Bean is 5 months old. Though still a baby, he has become a pretty accomplished dude. 

Really? Do tell! 

To wit: 

I. The Debut of Teeth

When we returned from our trip back East, Bunting was a bit out of sorts.  We were not surprised; being away from home, a different time zone, airplane rides- all can cause grown ups to be cranky and out of sorts, it certainly would not be unreasonable for a baby to take a while to recover as well. 

48 hours after our return, he was all better. Jet lag be gone! Or so we thought. Instead, these had appeared:

Teeth! Two bottom baby bunny teeth. He is like a little shark now- he will gnaw on your finger, and it is ticklish and very cute until suddenly CHOMP! it is no longer ticklish, but rather painful. We can't believe he has teeth. Already?! Really?! 

II. Food, glorious food

We got the go ahead from Dr. H to begin solids, and he has taken to it like a duckling to water.

Very first taste of  solid food

I have fed lots of babies, and usually the first week or so of solid food is pretty messy; as much comes out as goes in, it's like spackling a hole in drywall. Apply, scrape, reapply, scrape... Not our boy. Eating is serious business, as evidenced in the video below. 

So far he has tried oatmeal, rice, peas, green beans, pears, apples, bananas, yams. He endorses them all. Mamaji and Papa T bought us this marvelous steamer/blender (The Beaba Babycook) that makes it easy to whip up fresh baby food puree in a jiffy. It literally takes about 10 minutes to make him food, which I find infinitely preferable to buying little jars of pre-made stuff. And to my palate it tastes much, much better.

He still loves to nurse, much to my delight. I can't put into words how transcendent and wonderful I find nursing him to be.

III. Feet

He has found his feet. After months of seeming to not realize he even had feet, they are now the center of his recreational life. It is so hilarious to see him curl his body up like a sowbug, and then go to town noshing on his toes.

Mmmm. Feet + Naked time = Bliss

They are in motion every waking moment. It's tiring just watching him.

IV. Sleep and Swings
No longer does our Bean sleep flat on his back. We have ditched the swaddle, and he now boogies all over his crib in his sleep. We made the heartrending (for me, not for the fellas) transition from co-sleeper (which was next to our bed) to crib. I became so sensitive to Bunting's sleep cycle that even if he woke and was quiet and happily content, I would wake as well. Also, he takes after me and makes a lot of noise when he sleeps. I would then lie in bed, gnashing my teeth with disbelief that I was awake, but not really needed. Gah! Despite my hand wringing, the transition was a non-issue. He sleeps in his crib every night from 8 to 7. I am sleeping through the night as well, which is good for everyone involved. And we can once again read in bed and chat in a normal tone of voice. Win-win!

This is exactly how FRK sleeps.

My little friend Spencer is the best sleeper I have ever met. Once asleep, he is out until morning, regardless of light, noise, movement. I once went to check on him after putting him to bed for the night, and he was draped over the end of his bed, head almost touching the floor, legs and bum on the bed. I was afraid to wake him, but the position looked quite uncomfortable and a bit precarious. With baited breath I moved him back up onto the bed and rotated him 180 degrees- he remained sound asleep the whole time. 


His mom (my friend Pilar) once showed me a video that she had made, of him as a wee baby, sound asleep while the vacuum was running mere feet from him. I made a mental note then and there, that if I ever had a baby I would make sure that I did not condition him to need silence to sleep. 

Mission Accomplished. 
(music courtesy of Rick Springfield, foot courtesy of FRK)


SAPK tried out the swing for the first time last week with Vanessa (our nanny). He wasn't so sure about it the first time, but he has since decided that he is a fan.

He is an effervescent, sunshiny boy, full of joy and giant smiles. He loves sitting in his Bumbo, it makes it so much easier for our social boy to keep tabs on the goings on around him.

V. Mega-exciting news

Mepher and Josh got engaged!!! We are so very happy and excited to have Josh become an official member of the family. And of course I love my sister more than words can express, and am so elated that she is so happy.

2009 began in the most horrid, tragic and sad way possible, and ended in the most joyous and momentous way possible. We said goodbye to Mama, and met our sweet Bunting.


2010 has been full of more happiness and good fortune than we could have possibly dreamed.

Heaven on earth. Snuggling with my sweet boy.

A Super Duper Action Packed Update! Now with monster stats and travel!

Note: Click on any photo to make larger
I. Monster Stats

Are you ready? 

Our Bunting boy is 4 months old. FOUR!!!  I know this is becoming redundant, but really- officially we have barely crossed over the threshold into non-newborn status, yet daily we are stunned with how big and smart and competent our little muffin has become. But he's still a wee baby.  It's mind blowing, how quickly he has morphed from newborn to this chunk of yummy baby boy that seems to acquire a new skill daily.  

How may I assist you? Cooking, taxes, explaining the health care bill? 

At four months, here are the numbers: 

Weight: 17.5 lbs (90th percentile) 

Length: 26 inches (90th percentile)

Head Circumference: 45 cms (100th percentile, literally off the chart) 

It's true, my head is bigger than 100% of American babies my age. 

The head thing is really no surprise, for we are a big headed family.  My dad's head was huge (no off the rack hat ever fit him), my head is huge (baseball caps unfastened at the back often don't fit), Fritz's head is huge (ditto the hat thing). 

When Dr. H measured his noggin, she said "oh, that can't be right" and re-measured it.  When she obtained the same measurement, she went and got a different measuring tape.  Still big. His head has been big since the day he was born, so she was not worried, just shocked. 

Big headed-ness aside, he is healthy and developmentally on target. He flirted with and babbled at the nurse as she administered his oral rotavirus solution, and didn't make a peep when he received his DTP shot.  Our pediatrician is fantastic- she waits until he is nursing, then bam! gives the shot and he doesn't make a peep. He never sees and barely feels the needle, and as a result he thinks the doctor's office, with all the mobiles hanging from the ceiling, is a wonderland of fun (see photo at top of post). He is healthy, sleeps through the night, his antics have us in a constant state of glee.

He is teething big time, he wants something in his mouth to gnaw on every waking moment. 

He wakes every morning with the sun (oh no!), full of joy, pinwheeling his arms and pumping his legs. I pull him into bed with us, and he stares at his daddy, reaching out to grab his arm for a snuggle. Despite his giant head, he is increasingly able to raise it when on his tummy, and can now turn over (!!!) from front to back. 

Good morning, Daddy! 

II. Wherein our tiny hero flies the very friendly skies for the first time

My work calendar hews closely to the school district calendar, and so we decided that Spring Break was the perfect time to travel to the East Coast to introduce Bunting to his relatives in Virginia and Massachusetts. I was a wreck, worried that we would be those people, the ones with the shrieking child on the airplane. Once again, I fall to my knees in gratitude and can report that Bunting was PERFECT on all three flights.  He nursed, he napped, he stared in wonder at the windows, the lights, the buttons overhead, the latch for the tray table. He flirted with fellow passengers, and charmed all the flight attendants (who repeatedly offered to hold him, and could not have been friendlier or more helpful). 

Clockwise: at SFO; not impressed with the accommodations in Coach; on the shuttle at Dulles; safety is very important

4 hours and 15 minutes later (we had a nice brisk tailwind), we landed at Dulles Airport, and shortly thereafter were happily ensconced at DRD and Grandma J's house. The grandparents and Bunting quickly formed a mutual admiration society. 

Playtime with Grandpa; holding hands with Grandma; Mr. Smith goes to Washington; snuggles and naptime with Grandma J

We were busy busy while in Virginia; we visited the National Museum of American History, the Udvar Hazy Center, and went to several great restaurants, including a Korean BBQ place named "Honey Pig". Baby Boy was such a trouper, fantastic throughout.  Only one time did we push it too far, his poor little baby nerves were fried and he cried and cried on the car ride home.  It was wretched, watching my poor little boy sob from exhaustion. We learned our lesson, and thereafter were much more diligent about protecting his sleep and making sure he was able to nap properly every day. 

The Udvar Hazy is an extension of the Air and Space Museum, and is located at Dulles airport. If you are ever in the D.C. area, it is a MUST SEE.  It is a phenomenal collection. On display inside of a huge hangar are hundreds of aircraft, including The Space Shuttle Enterprise, a Concorde, an SR-71 Blackbird, the Enola Gay, and much more. 

The Shuttle 'Enterprise'

Baby gear side note: I had planned to rent a portable crib in Virginia, but Grandpa Richard found this ingenious travel crib online. It's called a PeaPod, and it is magic. Bunting loved it, slept through the night and napped without issue every day of our trip. Here it is in action: 

It folds up like a sunshade, into a compact circular package about 14 inches in diameter. Brilliant. 

One of the main reasons that we traveled to Virginia was to see F's grandparents. F spent many a happy hour in this house, and it brought him great joy to see Bunting there. 

Snuggles with Great-grandma Marion Gray


Also in Virginia are Aunt Melissa and Uncle Tim. As evidenced by the photo below, Uncle Tim has quite the touch with babies, and Bunting loved him.  Aunt Melissa (alas her back is turned, but she is on the left) is not such a fan of babies, however she and Bunting also had a very nice time together. So much so that she declared, sans duress or prompting, that as far as babies go he was very cute and well behaved. 

With Uncle Tim


From Virginia we headed to the Boston area, where Aunt Kathy and Uncle Marshall live. We did some sightseeing in Boston, but mostly we just relaxed and visited, and ate fantastic food- Bluefish (a delicious regional specialty not available in California), swordfish, gnocchi, fantastic locally made Italian sausage and cannoli. We were spoiled rotten.  Cousins Sarah and Ben were unable to make it down from Ithaca, where Cornell University is keeping their noses to the grindstone, however due to the amazing power of the Internet we were able to chat and see each other via our laptops. 

Red cheeks, post-sightseeing. Boston was cold and windy. 

Our flight home from Boston was looooong, two hours longer than the flight out.  F was unable to sit with us, fortunately Bunting and I sat next to a very nice man and his 10 year old son, who swapped seats with us so that we could have the aisle, which made everyone's life easier- I could easily get up to change diapers and take little strolls, and they didn't have to get up to let us out repeatedly. 

Mepher and Josh picked us up from the airport, which was wonderful. Fitting four adults, one baby, luggage and assorted gear into a Honda Accord was a challenge, but we made it work. Fortunately Mepher has a bike rack. I think Thule should seriously consider targeting a new market for their products: 

We arrived home exhausted but very content. It was wonderful to spend time with family that we don't have to opportunity to see very often, and to be able to introduce Bunting in person to family members who have loved him from afar from day one. I hope that it is the first of many. 

He absolutely loved this chair in Kathy and Marshall's living room