Bean's a year old now, which is the time frame I'd always had in my mind for weaning. Add to it that he has 8 teeth and my production has dropped dramatically, and it would seem that nature agrees. He does a great job with solids - opening his mouth like a little bird and trying everything - so I don't think this will pose a problem. I'm just not sure of the exact logistics for doing this successfully. What I *am* sure of is my desire to have my boobs back and to no longer feel like a dairy.

Ode to Weaning
Oh how I miss my old boobies
Due to gravity and the work of Bean's mouth
What once so proudly pointed northward
Alas have begun to head south

Labels: Bean

Yesterday, Skatcat said the day's post wasn't very saccharin. Today, I'm probably gonna break that. Bean is ONE today. Sweet jumping jeebus. How is it that a year of this kid's life has gone by so freakishly fast? Two seconds ago he was rolling over for the first time. Now he's almost walking. And he is so effing smart. And has a great sense of humor. I am endlessly grateful that he's a part of our lives.


Happy birthday, Beanie. Your mommies love you more than anything!

Labels: Bean, monthly recap

One year ago today, I was in very active labor. The doctor had warned that if I didn't go into labor on my own, then by Friday he was going to induce. I'd already had a few false starts, so an induction and potential C-section were looming.

I'm sure you've heard all the "surefire" ways of naturally inducing labor. There's nipple stimulation (nope, just annoying); "The Salad" from Caioti Pizza (yummy, but no dice - though one woman's account that it induced a massive fart at 4:00 in the morning made me giggle); sex (for lesbians, this doesn't work at all - it's not the nookie, but the...um... "man juice" shall we say? that does it); an enema (I'll spare you that); long walks (nope) and finally castor oil. It was down to the end. So I went to the drug store... and bought... castor oil. (Cue dramatic organ music.)

I had been warned to have a glass of OJ to cut the ooze that was going to make its way down my throat. Very. Good. Advice. Chug-a-lug... Taste-wise, not too nasty, but imagine thick oil coating your entire mouth and you'll understand why that OJ was sage advice.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the intended effect of castor oil, it's supposed to make you poop. I guess the thinking is that if everything below your boobs is intent on expelling something, then your uterus may as well join the party. Take a crap and out pops a baby!

As advertised, the castor oil worked. Contractions began and this time they didn't stop. In the wee hours of October 23rd, Bean entered the world.

And tomorrow he turns one.

I may just crap myself all over again.

Labels: Bean

Saturday was Bean's 7-month birthiversary. We celebrated by going to this park and playing on the swings (big hit) and chilling out in the shade (bigger hit).


On the blanket, Bean practiced his crawling, which is _thisclose_ to being a full-on crawl. Depending on the surface, he'll either do what we call "scrabbling" or he'll use his head as a means of locomotion. On a smooth surface (like wood floors) he'll scrabble, which is a cross between a dog paddle stroke and actual crawling. He revs his engines and all 4 limbs work like mad to propel him a foot or two. It's grossly inefficient, but he can get from point A to B with surprising speed. On a softer surface (like our bed), his butt goes up in the air and pulls himself forward by putting his forehead down and bending his neck. Talk about using your head...

On the flip side, his periods of inactivity (sleep) are changing. From time to time he'll go down for a monster nap. Rather than his typical 45-minute jobbie, he'll crash for 2 hours. When these long naps happen during the week, it's fantastic. Sweetie can get a whole mess of work done without interruption. When they happen on the weekend, they usually torpedo any social plans we may have had. But a nap's a nap so I'll take it!

Labels: Bean, monthly recap

I'm a bit of a font dork. (Actually, I'm a dork in general, but that's a different post for another day.) I like looking at signage and seeing if I recognize the font. One of my favorite signs in LA is on the no-longer-in-business House of a Thousand Fabrics. I love the mid-century script they used:


Given this, it should come as no surprise that I decided to create an alphabet series for Bean. I used 26 fonts; each font name begins with the letter of the alphabet it's representing. I still don't know what I want to do with it - wallpaper border? Framed art? Big poster?


Any ideas?


The fonts - in case you're as big a dork as me (in which case: hi! drop me a line!) - are:

Aardvark Cafe
Bauhaus 93
Caitlyn
Daly Hand
Eco-Files
Farang
Giddyup
Halbstarke
Informal Roman
Jester
Kawoszeh
Larabie
Madfont
Nickelodeon
Old English Text
Patrick
Quixotte
RaggMopp
Sala de Fiestas
Transformers
Ultima Campagnoli
Vendetta
Weirdmojo
XenoWort
Yellow Submarine
Zebrra

Labels: Bean, time wasters

I know, I know... I haven't posted in forever and you are sick of seeing Sarah (funny though she may be). So how about a video of our favorite Bean instead? The video quality is crap, but that's what you get from a cell phone. Rather than focusing on the quality, enjoy the subject matter. It's his first time at the beach and his first time in a baby swing. Summer fun times ahead!

Labels: Bean

We call this series "Crap on Bean's Head Because A) It's Funny and B) Mommy is (Really) Easily Amused."








The upshot is the mouse ears that Nona bought at Christmas are getting use!

Labels: Bean

Hi, remember me? The one who is supposed to man this ship and actually post stuff? Turns out these things don't write themselves, so I thought I'd actually dust off the keyboard and get y'all up to speed.

Today marks Bean's big half year mark. Six months and we've managed to keep some semblance of sanity - woo! Not only that, but it seems we're doing a decent job. At his six-month check-up, the doctor confirmed that he's in the 50th percentile - for a 9-month-old. Yup, we grow 'em big here.

In the past month Bean has finessed the art of rolling over rapidly. Good for motor development, bad for leaving him in bed alone. Nap time is now accompanied by a mountain of pillows. He's also vocalizing like crazy and it's hi-freaking-larious to watch. Big facial expressions accompanied by a barrage of sounds. So cute. And he knows it, too. To celebrate, he claps and waits until we join in with the applause. Though the talk is meaningless, he does know how to use sign to communicate. So far, he's got "all done," "milk," and "more" in his arsenal. You have to watch closely, though, lest "milk" be signed very near bare skin and you get raked by 5 tiny daggers. Given his size, you can tell that "milk" is one of his faves.

He's been eating a lot, which makes me eat like a pig. (Thanks for that, Bean.) We've decided that we're going to have to put him to work before he eats us out of house and home:

Best to get started early.

Labels: Bean, monthly recap

Picture it: a late night and a family getting ready for bed. Mama is brushing her teeth, Mommy is changing the baby's diaper on the bed. Mama finishes brushing just in time to hear, "OOP! Shoot! Quick - grab me a towel!"

The scene in the bedroom looks like this: semi-nude boy child with his nether regions exposed and his Mommy (quite unsuccessfully) trying to catch and hold his pee. Seems someone forgot to A) put Bean down on his changing pad and B) put a fresh diaper underneath. Since it's so late, the mommies briefly consider not changing the sheets. (Oh, hush - it's warm for a moment and it was late! Plus it was a MOMENT.) Before the decision can even be debated, the youngest amongst us decided to decide for us.

By peeing AGAIN. Without a diaper.

We never learn.

Labels: Bean, misc

You know how you can tell it's been a while since posting? Because our amazing Bean has gone from hating a bottle to loving a sippy cup. It's like he's telling us there's no use in shining him on with as-close-to-boob-as-possible warmed milk in a boobie-like nippled bottle. Cut the crap, Mommy. Now he takes cold milk in a cup. Such a big boy - and low maintenance, too!


And did I mention cute as the dickens?

Labels: Bean

...it must be the glasses.

Labels: Bean

I'll just barely squeeze this recap in before Bean's 5 month mark is officially over. As I type, he's asleep beside me on the couch, having squirmed himself into a REALLY uncomfortable looking position. (I tried to move him a few times, and he keeps going back to that position, so I guess he likes it. Ouch.) This position really shows how big he's become in the last month. According to his pediatrician, he's in the 97th percentile across the board. Not that I hold much stock in that, but at least he's proportioned well and not like he has a 97th percentile body and 4th percentile head.

If you didn't know better, you'd swear Bean's a 6-month-old. Not only does his size lead you to believe that, but sporting 2 cutie teeth and sitting up unassisted drive that point home. And if you watch carefully, he's started using his first sign - all done - with some regularity. If you don't know sign, no matter, he'll chatter to you all day long. It's the cutest thing in the world and is endlessly amusing. I love coming home from work and having him turn and greet me with a huge grin. Then we sit down and he tells me all about his day. I don't understand a single bit of it, nor do I care.

Complete validation provided by a 5-month-old. Gotta love it.

Labels: Bean, monthly recap

Yesterday was my first day back at work and Bean was not impressed. I met him and his mommy at the grocery store immediately after work. When he first saw me, his look was all, "Woman, it is about daggone time! This other lady has been trying to foist off these so-called 'nummies' on me all day. I KNOW nummies, and that bottle crap was not. it."

From 7:15 to 8:15 last night he ate three times. Full feedings each time. This from a boy who typically eats roughly 8 times in an entire day. Oof. My boobs are hoping we settle into a less frantic feeding schedule soon.

Labels: Bean

There was a line from either "Look Who's Talking" or its sequel where John Travolta and the baby are looking at a woman with big bazoombas. John asks, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" and the baby says, "Yeah, LUNCH!" Babies see the world through different eyes.

According to Bean, there are a few changes that I should make to my body to be more accommodating. With the following changes I may look silly, but Bean's life would be made a whole lot easier. (At least, that's what I'm lead to believe, given the frequency with which he makes the requests.)

• LASIK surgery - So he won't have to keep taking my pesky glasses off. Who knew they got in his way so much?


• Lip plates - I have tiny lips, which Bean does his best to make bigger through pulling. I don't know that I'll ever hit this kind of stretch, but that won't be for a lack of trying on his part.


• Stretched earlobes - Ditto.


• No nipples - While this may hinder his food delivery, I am guessing from the yanking and biting that this is his intention.


• Saggy boobs - Ditto.

To sum up, I'd have boobs, lips and ears all dragging on the ground, but my eyesight would be perfect! Sexxxxy....

Labels: Bean

"If you must take my picture, fine, but no autographs!"

Labels: Bean

Yesterday was a momentous day. At just over 4 months old, our little guy cut his first tooth. He's so good natured, though, that we didn't even suspect it. We just figured that something I had eaten earlier didn't agree with him. Wrong-o, sports fans. That mild fussiness and upset belly were because of the tooth. When you consider that getting teeth in is sort of a series of compound fractures (bony protuberances through skin, right?) it's even more amazing that he's not completely losing it. If roles were reversed, I doubt I'd be as easy going. Of course, the fact that we're dosing him heavily with these natural teething tablets probably doesn't hurt.

Speaking of losing it, I can't wait for this to enter into our breastfeeding routine. (Smell that? That's sarcasm.) Even before teeth, Bean was doing the suck-chomp-yank thing on my nipples, so I can only imagine how much fun that will be with sharp baby teeth in the mix. I think I'm going to begin with this bit of advice from Dr. Sears: "As soon as you feel him begin to bite, draw him in very close to your breast, covering his nose in the process, so that he'll have to stop biting to be able to open his mouth and breathe."

Spare the bod, smother the child - isn't that how the saying goes?

Labels: Bean

Most of Bean's advances come quickly. Others are more slowly improved upon. Take, for example, going to sleep. Without being all hippy dippy about it, we tend to fall in line with attachment parenting. (It's more because I'm loathe to put him down than anything else. Plus, a sleeping baby is a really cute thing to (be)hold.) As such, Bean falls asleep in our arms probably 80% of the time. However, working from home means that you have to actually do work. On the computer. Over top a sleeping Bean. Yes, I love my chiropractor, but no, I don't think seeing him weekly is the way to go.

All of this is the long way of explaining what we call his nest. We take one of the cushions off the back of the couch, put his nursing pillow in the void, and prop him up. He can sit there and keep himself happy for quite some time. Teething toys are his favorite (and by "teething toys" I mean anything that fits in his mouth), but he's equally entertained by the view through the window or by talking with us. But the best thing about his nest is that he now falls asleep there. On his own. Nice, long naps without the requirement of Mama's lap. Ahhhh...

Labels: Bean

They say a baby develops more rapidly in the first year of life than they ever will. I totally get it. I do these recaps monthly, but I swear Bean is learning new stuff daily. It's an amazing thing to watch a kid's brain at work. And it's fast. When he figures something out, it's almost like you can see the tiny cogs shift into place and then he's off to the races with that new skill.

This past month it's his feet. Bean is absolutely entranced by them. (And who can blame him? They are the cutest piggies I've ever seen!) Every second he can, he's grabbing them, talking to them, studying them... The other night, I changed his diaper in the wee hours (ha! "wee" hours... diaper change... I kill me) and he wasn't even awake, but as soon as his feet were freed from his PJs, *pop!* up they went into his hands. Same m.o. while having tummy time. The rolling over that was beginning last month is now just a means of getting to his feet. It goes something like this:

• On tummy - squirm, stick butt up in air, push legs in semi-crawling pattern (which is another new skill this month)


• Get bored and rest


• Decide that you haven't seen feet in more than a minute


• Roooolllllll over


• Land on back


• *POP!* feet in hands

It's quite charming. It also means that socks don't stand a chance.

Labels: Bean, monthly recap

Bean was snoozing in the wrap today. In the not-too-distant past, he was just a tiny thing, grunting away in his sleep. Fast forward to now and his grunting has become full on snoring.


I feel for his future bed partners...

Labels: Bean

Anyone with kids will tell you how quickly time flies. I am here to tell you that is no joke. Looking at Bean as a newborn versus him now is a wonder. He's twice as big, but I never saw him grow. Before you go saying I'm crazy (which I am, but that's not the point), think about a clock. Provided your clock has a decent set of inner workings, you can't really see the minute hand move. The movements only register if you have a jump or (forgive the pun) time-lapse shots. Putting up images this past week as your voting bribe has been a little like that.

It's hard for me to believe that this blog began 100 posts ago (whoo - milestone!) and the little guy above is the same one who has these nudie chubbins now. The newborn cries are now squeals of delight. The feet pulled up instinctively are now grabbed purposefully. And the amount of love I felt when he was born has magnified each and every day. If I could bottle up this time... well, that would just make me a chronic huffer later.

(Oh, and those diapers above? Size one and roomy. Now size three are looking a bit snug.)

Labels: Bean

"He had a blow out."

"Again? He just pooped ten minutes ago!"

"Well, then what's that spot on his pants?"

"I dunno - is it poop juice? Here - smell it."

If you can go through this scenario AND you actually smell the spot, then you've officially passed the parent test. A world of wonder and excrement are in store for you.

(Yeah, I smelled it. It was poop juice.)

Labels: Bean, misc

While I'll admit this whole mom thing is still pretty new, I'd also like to think I'm a fairly quick study. Over the course of these past few months I've learned all kinds of fun things like: make sure the clean diaper is ready right away so we don't all get (ahem) showered; never leave the house without at least one set of nipple pads in place; holding the phone up to Bean so the grandmothers can hear him rarely works (even if he'd been talking a blue streak only moments earlier)... New to the game is the realization we had last night about my diet.

Yesterday's intake included black bean soup for lunch and bean nachos for dinner. Yeah.... COLOSSALLY BAD IDEA. Last night, none of us got sleep as our little guy cried constantly, writhing in pain from his poor gassy belly. Already we've changed three explosive diapers since 3am.

NEW HOUSEHOLD RULE: Beans for Bean is a shitty idea.

Labels: Bean

I haven't had much to say, but a friend's email this morning has changed that. The original email was sent to us and another friend (Sara C) who just had twins a month ago. Rather than comment on our thread, I thought I'd just post it here.


-------- Original Message --------
From: Sara W
Subject: relax & enjoy
To: KarenSeeta, Sara C
Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 9:58 AM



seriously guys -- what the hell are you doing all day??

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: relax & enjoy
From: Sara C
Date: Mon, February 02, 2009 10:13 am
To: KarenSeeta, Sara W

Sorry, I couldn't get past the headline. I tried to read it, but Jayna had to be fed, then Zan spit up on the dog, then he started wailing while Jayna needed to be changed, then Zan needed to be fed, then Jayna had to go the doctor and then it was midnight. I'm typing this with one hand while trying to drink cold tea I made 2 hours ago.

So what was the article about? :-)

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Re: relax & enjoy
From: KarenSeeta
Date: Mon, February 02, 2009 10:48 am
To: Sara C, Sara W

I'm just now getting to reading this. In my bathrobe. Because I just got out of the bedroom for the first time today. At 10:30 (and this is one of my work from home days). Last night's "let's try a 9pm bedtime so we can unwind after he's down" became "or not" as we bounced, comforted, fed, fed again (and we wonder why Bean's as big as he is...), burped, changed, entertained and FINALLY saw our little one off to a sound sleep - at midnight. The night progressed thusly: dream feed before we went to sleep, proceed to feed approximately every 2 hours (Special note to Bean's pediatrician: yes, I know he's big enough to sleep through the night, and yes, I'm on board with that. A child crying every two hours next to my head leads me to believe he isn't on board.), then the chronic feedings produced a symphony of farts, which in turn became productive and created a poop barely contained by the confines of his diaper. After changing, I gave up on the idea of making up for lost sleep and stumbled out here.

So you'll forgive me if I sit here in my robe, with my oh-so-lovely bedhead, mainlining caffeine.

Labels: Bean, misc

A few days ago we took Bean in for his two-month check-up. (Those of you quick with the math will realize that we were about 3.5 weeks late on that. Whoopsie!) Anyway, the doctor confirmed our nagging suspicions: Bean really and truly is a beefcake - in the 95th percentile across the board. I want to get him a onesie that says "Body By Boobie."

Despite his manly proportions, he's still our little Bean. About a week ago he discovered the trick to getting his thumb to land in his mouth. Mind you, he'll still attempt the whole fist, but gets great delight in just thumb sucking. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune if he's still at it in some years, but for now he's as cute as the dickens doing it. And who am I to discourage my son's motor development?

Also filed under "be careful what you wish for" is his newly acquired ability to roll over. I know it's not a huge deal, but it means his mobility has begun. On the one hand, it'll be really fun to watch our little dude take off. On the other, I want him to stay my little Bean. It's bittersweet.

Damn this parenting anyway...

Labels: Bean, monthly recap

As I was lying awake this morning, I got to thinking about the passage of time (by "this morning" I mean 3:00, so you'll forgive the way my mind wanders at that hour). A lot has happened in the past year. One year ago we made a drive to Pasadena for two reasons. To adopt our dog, which turned out to be a great decoy for the big reason: getting pregnant. We had told family and friends that we were going to kick off the baby business in the beginning of 2008. Prior to even doing anything, we were fielding questions about starting. "Did you start? No? How about now?"

On Saturday January 13, 2008 we went to the doctor's office to get the first round of insemination. A teeny tiny vial of the important stuff, a syringe and a 5-minute wait later, and we were back in the car on our way to the Humane Society. There we got Finn and went home to give our families the big news of the day.

"We got a dog!"

See, by getting a dog the same weekend, we neatly avoided having to talk about the insemination process - I mean, what kind of crazyhead goes and gets knocked up at the same time she gets a new pet? It's not at all that we weren't excited by the prospect, in fact it was quite the opposite. The news was an amazing little jewel that we wanted to keep between us. Plus, if nothing came of it, then we didn't want to repeat the calls and tell everyone we'd be trying again the next month.

The next day (one year ago exactly) we went back for another round with the tiny vials. Though we can never be sure which vial held the winning swimmer, we both feel like that Sunday was the day I got pregnant. Don't ask me why, it just felt like that was the day.

We've spent the last 365 days reveling in the creation and birth of our absolutely amazing baby boy. Ain't it amazing how time flies?

Labels: Bean

A friend asked how many different names we have for Bean. It's funny that she asked, because we have all kinds of nicknames: Smooshie, Doodle, Boo Boo Kiddie, a hundred variations on Bean, and Buddha. The last one may seem the oddest, until you look at an image of a laughing Buddha. Bean looks way cuter, but the way he gets his whole face involved in a grin is - like the Buddha - infectious. The kicker is that he will wake up like this. It's a lesson I could stand to learn. I typically wake up thinking that getting up is stupid. Bean, on the other hand, wakes and looks around like the whole world is a joke and he's one of the few people in on it. He's eleven weeks old and he already has the answer to life figured out. I am in constant awe.

I think it's a trick he picked up from his cousin:


(Believe it or not, that little baby turned 8 today. I can't believe it. It seems like only yesterday my sister sent this photo and said it was her laughing pooper face. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISS J!!)

Labels: Bean

Yesterday marked Bean's second month. Only two months into the recaps and I'm already behind. I blame Christmas. Or the terrorists - take your pick.

In the past month, Bean has discovered his hands. Judging by the way he's typically holding them, I'm thinking about setting him up with golf clubs. His interlocking golf grip is great. And after all, if Tiger can get such an early start, why not Bean? I mean, parents whore out their kids all over the place, and it's about time Bean starts contributing to this household's bottom line.

(Kidding - sheesh.)

Since the last recap, Bean has taken even greater delight in the world around him. He's so inquisitive that he's rubbed the back of his head bald from turning to look at things. Not that he had much hair to begin with, but now there's even less. To make up for that, his eyelashes have really grown. It's like the baby equivalent of balding men growing ponytails. ("If I can't grow it on top, then I'll just grow it long. No one will notice the shine on top!")

In other exciting news, his eating schedule is starting to stretch. Night feedings were every 2 hours and sometimes less. Last night he went 4.5 hours before his first feeding and then 3+ hours before his next. Pretty soon, we'll all get a complete night's sleep and I won't know what to do with myself. I figure this luxury will happen right around the time that I have to return to my regular work schedule and have to be in the office at a certain time. It'll happen this way because nature is evil. And God hates me.

Anyway, tomorrow is Bean's first Christmas and we're all very excited. We have family in town from now until the end of the year, so posting will be (even more) light. To make up for it, I'll leave you with a photo of our semi-smiling cutie:


(Special thanks to Sara for knitting the awesome sweater!)
Happy holidaze and a safe, happy new year to all. See you in 2009.

Labels: Bean, monthly recap

... a furious magician

... opposed to the big 3 bailout - mostly because Bush has his hands in it

... practicing to be a backup dancer for Beyonce

... looking to sell a Senate seat

... rolling down Sunset on a riding mower

... a BEEFCAKE!

... in negotiations to bump Conan (because he has way better hair, natch)

... wondering if Amanda Peet was really serious about the rope - she seemed convincing

... feeling sorry for Knut

... transfixed by the biggest full moon in 15 years

... the Mad Grunter

... anxiously awaiting The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Mmmm... Cate Blanchett....

... still irked with Time Warner (and computers in general - more on that later)


... currently fighting sleep. Again. Now you know why I'm posting at this hour on a Friday night. Don't tell me I don't know how to have fun!

Labels: Bean

As of today, Bean's a month old. In the past month, we've learned a lot of new things. Stuff like: bendy straws are indispensable, Ecover stain remover works great, wool diaper covers aren't worth a shit (ha!) and sleep is for suckers.

It's been a great month. Our little guy is getting less and less little and is stronger every day. He's already standing up (with assistance, of course) and his neck strength is rivaling that of a 3-month-old... beefcake! Bean smiles readily and gurgles, grunts and coos. From his little piggies to his chicky fuzz head, he's a little slice of heaven.

A lot of people have asked if motherhood is what I thought it would be. In the same breath it's everything I thought it'd be, and nothing at all like I'd imagined. And when you consider that I've wanted a baby pretty much my entire life (I'm really not exaggerating on that), you figure I've had a good number of years to mentally prepare. In the end, I think Bean has been placed on this planet to teach me two key points: that nothing will ever be like I planned it, and the amount of love I can hold for one creature is boundless.

I love you, Beanlicious. Thank you for ruining my life in the most delightful way.

Labels: Bean, monthly recap

Today Bean's wearing his "World's Cutest Baby" onesie. It was given to him by his Nona and - I may be a bit biased here - it's truth in advertising. This is all to say that he looks cute as a bug.

Looking slightly less cute is me. We gave Bean some gripe water to settle his stomach a little while ago. I think we were a bit late. He still looks adorable and me? I'm now wearing a new shirt.



Who knew A) such a tiny stomach could hold so much milk and B) he could get that kind of propulsion?

I should also point out that after shellacking his Mama, Bean's now cooing and is quite happy. Natch.

Labels: Bean, misc

I told you Bean's a grunty little bugger. Here's the proof:



In this video he's in the Moby wrap, sound asleep. By the time I recorded it, he had been doing this steadily for 10-15 minutes or so. Mind you, when he does it, it's not a sign of distress. He's perfectly content and will happily snooze for a good chunk of time. It kind of rocks.

Labels: Bean

We've taken loads of photos of Bean, none of which capture what he's like. To try and describe him, I've decided to break it down by the senses.

SIGHT
According to Mom (and I have to agree), he looks kind of like a cross between Winston Churchill and the Gerber baby... but cuter. It all depends on the angle and what he's doing. Pooping or pondering = Churchill. Cooing and smiling = Gerber baby.


SOUND
He's a grunty little bugger. Especially when he's being held he sounds rather piglet-ish. It's very endearing and makes for interesting phone calls. The other day, I was on the phone with Radio Shack and the employee heard Bean grunting away. The employee said to me, "You sound, um.... tired." I thought it was hilarious not only that he thought it was me grunting but that "tired" was the most polite term he could come up with. Sort of "Hey, it sounds like you're taking a dump - just a heads up that I can hear you."

SMELL
Is there anything like the smell of a baby's head? It's warm and sweet. Unlike the smell of a baby's neck creases which smell like sour milk and trapped fuzzy bits.

TOUCH
Bean's skin is so soft (no shit, right?) and I can make both of us fall asleep by rubbing his little back. He's like my woobie.

TASTE
Um. I may have painted myself into a corner here. Taste. Hmm. Well, I can tell you that Nat has determined that the best place to give Bean kisses is on the bridge of his nose. It's safe - no spit up remnants or weird baby byproducts to encounter.

To truly appreciate all that is Bean, you have to meet him. He's pretty awesome.

Labels: Bean

Today was Bean's first non-sponge bath (his belly button has finally healed enough to submerge him). But do you remember that old college trick about the hand in the bowl of warm water? Yeah... it was like that. He was nice and relaxed, and had just been in warm water. I had him all wrapped up in his hooded towel and - I can say this in retrospect - I waited just a tad too long. I suddenly realized that the warmth I was feeling was NOT from his bath. Good thing we hadn't drained the sink.

Labels: Bean

Here's a quick quiz. When changing a baby's diaper, what sort of things do you double check? If it's that you wipe front to back, then you're changing a girl. However, if you feel like you have to slap that new diaper on before you and/or baby get doused, then you're dealing with a little boy.

Bean proved he's a boy by not only peeing on himself, but by peeing in his own eye. Not only is that beyond classy, but it shows some kind of mad skillz. That's my boy.

Labels: Bean

So, they don't tell you about belly buttons. And they don't tell you what a colossal sexpot you'll be. But what they really don't tell you is that you cannot leave the house for any period of time and still look presentable.

We went to pick my mom up from the airport the other night. (It's about a 30-45 minute trip.) Most parents will regale you with stories of how they dressed their little darlings in a great outfit, only to have them poop or spit up or somehow ruin the outfit. And this always seems to happen moments before meeting the grandparents for the first time.

But not us. No siree. I took one for the team. Bean looked like a little cherub. I, on the other hand, looked like I had a hard time working out the logistics of a glass of water.



Notice the semi circle of dryness? Yeah, that's where one nipple pad (of the three I was wearing per boob) took a stand. Figures...

Labels: Bean, misc

In the last week or so we've tried to follow Bean's schedule. Sleeping and feeding have been especially interesting. Actually, to be more precise, sleeping and feeding at night have been interesting. Bean's pattern was to snooze from around 9-11 at night, and then the fun began. He'd wake after 4-5 hours, hungry as hell, he'd eat, poop and then become inconsolable. So we'd feed him again, change a diaper, and then walk/bounce/rock Bean to calm him down. Only he wouldn't sleep. So eat, change, walk/bounce/rock became eat, change, walk/bounce/rock, eat, change, walk/bounce/rock, eat, change, walk/bounce/rock, eat, change, walk/bounce/rock, eat, change, walk/bounce/rock until around 6 in the morning. Fun! Fun! This is what a new baby's all about, right?

We're both smart women, so we thought we'd beat Bean at his game. When he went down at 9, we'd go to sleep, too. We'd leave the house in a not-quite-closed-up-for-the-night state, have a movie ready to watch, and prepared for a late night movie time with Bean. We figured this would leave us well rested and able to weather the witching hours more readily.

We implemented it and for that first night it was great. True, it was a bizarre sleep schedule, but we felt better the next day. The next night, we were all set. Movie queued up, a light on in the living room - good to go. And once again we were rewarded with a decent night. Then Bean copped onto the fact that we had cracked the code and decided to change things up.

I don't think it bodes well that we are already being duped by a 10-day-old...

Labels: Bean

So you say you want pictures, huh? Well, I'm here to tease please. One for now. More to come later.

Labels: Bean

Ok, I know he's brand new, so pretty much every day is a day of firsts. Just hush it. Nobody's making you read this.

Anyway, today Bean had his first bath. It was a successful endeavor and now he looks even cuter than ever. He also had his first visit to the pediatrician. After four days, he's only down 5 ounces. Way to go, Chunka Munka! The last first of the day involved Bean, his Mommy and an overly full diaper. Suffice it to say, Nat is going to be washing those jeans she was wearing...

(p.s. This is a super-short post to make up for yesterday's tome - I figured I'd balance it for you. You're welcome.)

Labels: Bean

I promised the details, and here they are (as well as my sleep-deprived brain can remember them). Some parts may be TMI. Also, this is gonna be a loooong post. Consider yourselves warned.

IT BEGINS
On Tuesday night around 11:30, I started having contractions. Since I'd had contractions like this before, and had them peter out into nothing, we decided to walk them into something more productive. After two hours of walking up and down the block, we thought it'd be best to go home, get some sleep and see what would develop. By 3:00 I was awake. The contractions were becoming more regular. (About time!) The barometer for calling our midwife, Diane, was 4-1-1: contractions four minutes apart, lasting for a minute each and continuing for an hour. By 4:00 am, we made the call.

Diane lives in Pasadena and I think it's some kind of impressive that she was wakened from a sound sleep, figured out that this was the real deal, explained where she was going, etc. to her husband, got dressed, got her gear together, and still made it here in less time than it takes to get a pizza delivered. She's effing amazing.

After setting up (don't ever make the mistake of thinking midwives don't have their bases covered - Diane had about 6 duffel bags of gear and medical equipment), she left us to continue laboring. The plan was to have Diane's backup midwife come check us around lunchtime.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was in full swing. It seemed a lot of progress had been made. Notice I said seemed. Remember that for later. Not only was I in active labor, but it looked like I was on my way to the next stage of labor. This was heralded by a quick run to the bathroom to barf. Yum. (Side note - I never puke, so this was especially fun.) Diane had returned by this time, so she did an exam and then the fun really began.

Remember that part where I said "seemed?" Yeah. About that.

CHANGE OF PLANS
So, I was in the next-to-last stage of labor, my contractions were enough to make me want to die, I'd been in labor for about 15 hours at this point, but I was only 4-5cm dilated. Mother puss bucket. Diane did a non-stress test on the baby and it looked like things were not going well for him either. Though she didn't say it at the time, she suspected that the cord was either around Bean's neck or being pinched. Coupled with the fact that I was thoroughly exhausted, she suggested we change plans.

We talked about our options and it boiled down to this: continue at home for the next hour or two and see where we stood, or go to the hospital. If we went the first route, it didn't look like anything would really change in those next few hours, save for the fact that I'd have approximately 40 more 'holy fuck' contractions. Diane was also fairly certain I had at least 12 more hours of labor to go. The second route offered the prospect of pitocin to move things along and - this part's important - an epidural. Nat flipped at the word hospital, picturing a slippery slope of epidural and pitocin leading to a C-section... or worse. Diane explained that both would be given in very low doses, that this was the kind of labor where intervention is a good thing, and that I'd still be able to feel everything I wanted to by the time Bean was born.

I should point out some things here. A) I have a pretty high pain threshold, B) I was prepared that labor was going to hurt, but C) my contractions were unbearable - really, really unbearable, and D) things didn't really look like they were going to change. So guess which route we took?

THE ACTUAL DELIVERY
By 4:30 or so, we were at Cedars Sinai. Diane had already spoken with our OB/GYN and the hospital, so they were ready for us. We did some admissions paperwork and - glory of glories - I was given an epidural. Those. Suckers. ROCK. That, along with the pitocin, and we were really off to the races this time. Dilation continued at a decent clip and I was set up to begin pushing around 10:30. (For those of you playing along at home, this means I was just getting ready to push in my 23rd hour of labor.)

Pushing was underway and the doctor and Diane were monitoring my progress. Unfortunately, they weren't happy. By the look on the doctor's face, I could tell he was thinking C-section. This much work would typically have produced a baby by now. Thankfully, that's not how he rolls. Dr. Kline prides himself on a high rate of vaginal births, and he was determined to make this no different (we weren't surprised to find out later that he was trained by midwives).

We changed the bed setup and my pushing position, and tried some more. Success! Bean moved along rapidly and with one final push that was the whole kit and kaboodle, he was delivered into his Mommy's waiting hands. Nat put Bean on my chest and it was a minute or two of rubbing him and warming him up before we looked to even see if Bean was a boy or girl. The remainder of the morning was spent doing all of the regular postnatal stuff and then we came home.

EPILOGUE
It wasn't until a few days later that I heard the whole story from Diane. Those contractions I had weeks earlier actually were the start of labor. However, we had a few things not working in our favor that kept stopping labor. By "not working in our favor" I mean "potentially life-threatening." As it turns out, Bean was doing a good job of being head down and ready to go. Unfortunately, he did have the cord around his neck and his head was tipped to the side. Neither of which facilitate an easy entry into this world. In fact, the majority of such instances end up with a stillborn child, since that positioning makes it impossible for birth to happen spontaneously. As Diane put it, home birth is not the holy grail; you have to know when to call it.

In our case, we were extraordinarily lucky. Lucky to have chosen the most amazing midwife who would cop onto the issue and push for a hospital birth. Lucky enough to have a great hospital with wonderful staff so near and on the ball. Lucky enough to have a doctor who wouldn't give up and just go with an all-too-standard C-section. But most of all, lucky enough to be able to welcome this glorious little baby into our lives.

Labels: Bean

I just wanted to do a very abbreviated post to let you all know that our Bean finally arrived in the wee hours of yesterday. To be specific, he was born 10/23/08 at 2:38 am and weighed in at 9 pounds, 1 ounce. Squeezing out a nine pounder has left me a little tender if you catch me, so please be patient while we all settle in and I return to normal. Details to come...

Labels: anticipating, Bean

I had to call the OB to schedule an appointment for a biophysical profile. Basically, they just want to make sure there's still enough water in the pool for Bean. I've been to the office a few times and they're nice, but certainly not overly-effusive. My call to schedule the appointment was all the funnier as a result.

RECEPTIONIST
Doctor's office.

ME
Hi, I need to schedule a biophysical profile.

RECEPTIONIST
Have you been in before?

ME
Yes.

RECEPTIONIST
Name?

ME
Seeta. S-E-E-T-A

(keyboard clicking in background)

RECEPTIONIST
STILL??!?!?! Ohhh, honey!! How are you??


So even the receptionist is feeling me at this point. I don't know whether to be bolstered by the what? camaraderie? or depressed that near perfect strangers are pitying me.

Labels: anticipating, Bean

We took a break from email and phone yesterday. It's getting old to say "nope, nothing yet" every cotton-pickin' day. Once again, nothing to report. I'm torn between trying everything shy of pitocin (so far we've given acupuncture, foot rubs, blue cohosh, black cohosh, nipple stimulation, sex, membrane sweeping, walks, stairs and red wine a try - all to no avail) and just letting it be. As it stands, we have a firm eviction date of 10/24 before it's off to Cedars Sinai for us. I can't imagine Bean wouldn't make its grand entrance before Friday, but, then again, I never thought I'd be more than two weeks overdue, either.

Early on in the pregnancy our midwife told us she was taught to never say anything other than "You look fantastic!" to a pregnant woman. Sound advice. I'm now going to add to that. If a woman is 40+ weeks pregnant, then trust me nobody is more anxious than her to be done with the pregnancy. In such cases, you can say things like "I'm sorry - that must be making you insane," or perhaps fall back on "You look fantastic!" Questions like "Still no baby?" or "When are you going to induce?" will only serve to irritate and drive her deeper into a funk.

Since I know you all are kind and wouldn't try to make me even more depressed, let me beat you to the punch. Yes, it's making me insane and Nat says I look fantastic (dirty liar that she is). Thanks for asking.

Labels: anticipating, Bean

Whilst still in utero, Bean is proving to be part of the family. My family has been extraordinarily bull-headed for at least five generations. Seeing as it's now 11 days past my due date, Bean is showing himself/herself to be one of us. This is after at least 3 days at 80% effacement, a +1 station, 2-3 cm dilated, after membrane stripping, after acupuncture (which supposedly has success rates so high they're lucky to even get to the hospital in time after a treatment)... Notice a pattern here? Bean's so stubborn that Slime Warner won the race - who'd a thunk it?? (As of this morning, email's back, so I guess I should be thankful on at least one front!)

Looks like a few loooooong walks and maybe even this stupid salad are up for today.

Labels: anticipating, Bean

The stripping this morning was okay. As it turns out, I was pretty much ready to go on my own. We did it anyway to see if things would speed along. Here it is, 9 hours later, and there's nothing to report. Granted, our midwife said to expect something in 24-48 hours, but I'm an impatient bitch.

Like you didn't know.

Pregnancy-wise, I'm in a decent space. However, because it seems the pissed off quotient hadn't been met for the day, our email decided to quit working. Several calls to various support people has resulted in a promised solution in 24-48 hours. Gee, THANKS, Slime Warner! Luckily, web connectivity is still around, so keep checking here. If you sent an email in the last day and haven't heard back, you know why. We're not ignoring you. We're ignoring everybody. :)

Which do you think will win? Will we have a baby or working email first? The race is on!

Labels: anticipating, Bean, misc

Who me? Oh, I'm fine... still pregnant. And you?

Our midwife's sick today, so no stripping until tomorrow. I was talking with my mom about the process and she likened it to "scraping off that white bit of goo on a chicken breast." Not the most appealing thought, but (as I pointed out) you're not eating this anyway. Ick. What is appealing is the thought that, if the process works, Bean could be here 24 hours later. Wouldn't that be a loverly change of pace?

So, while I sit here with my thumb up my butt counting down the hours until then, it seems Ringo Starr is doing enough stuff to make up for my inertia. In fact, he's doing so much stuff that he just can't be bothered by fans any longer. Any fan mail postmarked after October 20 will be unceremoniously trashed, and Ringo will no longer be signing any autographs. Click here to hear the message straight from the horse's ass mouth. Because he's busy, busy, busy! Doing stuff! Can't be bothered!

Peace and love, peace and love... Whatever.

Labels: anticipating, Bean, misc

It's time. Jumping jacks, long walks, spicy foods - anything. Tomorrow I have an appointment with our midwife to strip my membranes (an event which has me humming "Strip" ad nauseum). If that doesn't get things going, then it's off to the OB for a biophysical profile. Basically, he'll do an ultrasound and determine if an induction needs to be scheduled. This has two downsides. One, insurance only covers about a buck eighty (thanks for nothing!) and two, I don't want to be induced.

Cross your fingers that Bean takes our advice and comes out on its terms, not the doctor's.

Labels: anticipating, Bean

I've been reading some lesbian mommy blogs. On several they refer to the non-birth mom as the "other mother." This really bugs me. It diminishes the part that woman plays in the pregnancy, birth and rearing of that child. And what of couples like us? We are planning to each carry a child using the same donor. In doing so, we'll both be birth mothers, both "other mothers" and the kids will be biologically related.

Which got me thinking about how related relatives are. Since I'm (still!) carrying this child, is it somehow more related to my side of the family than my sweetie's? My answer would be a resounding hell no. When Nat gives birth to our second child, will that kid be tied any less closely to me or my side? Again, hell no.

Take this comparison. My aunt and uncle have two adopted sons and one biological daughter. I doubt anyone in our family gives a second thought to how they're related. I have three cousins, not one complete cousin and two "other" cousins. I mean, how effing ridiculous does that even sound?? To put it another way: If my sweetie was a man, but we ended up using a donor, would the baby be any less his? Would my mother-in-law have any less claim to that child? No and no. Shouldn't the same hold true for us? California recognizes Nat as the parent from the moment of conception, and why wouldn't they? She is a parent, not an "other" parent.

At the end of the day, our Bean has two mommies. Neither of us is more a mom than the other, and neither side of the family is more related to that kid than the other. My sister is just as related to Bean as Nat's brother. Today's mish-mosh, blended families have proven that "relative" has nothing to do with blood ties. Even the microcosm of my family has taught me that, and I think that we're a far more interesting brood as a result.

Labels: Bean, misc

I know I'm only a few days beyond my due date, but it's really starting to bum me out. Today's my sweetie's birthday. I didn't want her to share it with Bean, nor did I want to still be pregnant. I am so ready for this little bugger to be out. It's making me intensely moody and cranky - exactly the right environment to welcome a baby. I can't think straight, I'm not getting along with myself or others, and I wonder if I'm not going a little insane. Maybe if I'm really lucky this afternoon's midwife appointment will show that I'm 8 centimeters dilated and hours away from pushing. A girl can dream, after all.

Labels: anticipating, Bean

Today's the day. D-day. Bean's official due date. However, it seems Bean didn't get that memo. It's almost 2:30 in the afternoon, and I feel no twinges. Not that today is totally ruled out - after all, I could go into labor in the next two seconds.

Onnne Mississippi...

...

Twoooooo Mississippi...

...

Two and a hallllllf Mississippi...

Crapper.

Looks like walking the neighborhood whilst self-pleasuring is what I must do. The things you do for your kids...

Labels: anticipating, Bean

Groan... I officially still have a couple days before I'm due. Yes, I know that first-time moms often go late, but I'm finished. Does that count for anything? Bean's just getting fat and happy at this point, so is it okay for me to begin eviction proceedings?

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

To: __Bean___

The purpose of this letter is to ask you to LEAVE the premises now in your possession, situated in _Los Angeles____, California and known as __Mama's belly___. You are being asked to leave for the following reason: __Mama's finished____.

Your compliance with this notice within [___3____] days after its service will prevent any further eviction action against you. (But now's good too.)

YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO LEAVE THE PREMISES. IF YOU DO NOT LEAVE, AN EVICTION ACTION MAY BE INITIATED AGAINST YOU. IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT REGARDING YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS AS A TENANT, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU SEEK LEGAL ASSISTANCE.

Yours respectfully,

__Mama_____

According to the old wives tales, nipple massage and walking are great ways to get the ball rolling, too. Somehow I think I'd get more than a start to labor if I walked around the neighborhood tweaking my own boobies. Then again, this is L.A...

Labels: anticipating, Bean

I've had a great pregnancy. No morning sickness - not even any nausea - and very few complaints overall. But now I'm finished. The Sugar Nazis have me restricted: no refined sugars, flours or white rice. I've also become the proud owner of some kicking cankles and sleeping exclusively on my left has given me a wicked knot in my mid back. (For some good entertainment, make me try and roll from one side to the other, or try calling me when my cell phone's just out of reach. Good times.)

Most moms-to-be eagerly anticipate the arrival of their little ones. Don't get me wrong, I want to meet Bean really badly. However, I'm also anxiously awaiting the time that I can eat a donut, have a gin and tonic and sleep on my stomach. It's the simple things, really...

Labels: anticipating, Bean

As of today, I'm (officially) one week away from my due date. Although 99% of people think this is a boy, my sister and the waitress at Canter's think it's a girl. Melissa thinks we know and are keeping mum about it. Not true. It'll be interesting to see who's right. It'll also be interesting to see who in the baby pool has the closest date guess. The earliest was for today (sorry, Denise, it's not looking too promising for you) and the latest is for October 13 (and that one's not gonna be a winner either - jumping jacks will commence long before then).

In anticipation of the birth, we're making a big ol' pan of lasagna and a monster iTunes playlist. Don't tell me we aren't prepared!

Labels: anticipating, Bean

T-minus uh.... somethingteen days until Bean's arrival. Time to get this blog a-rollin'.

Labels: anticipating, Bean