For Sale
Precious, 6 year old beagle.
Very smart.
Loves people, lots of attention and cookies.
Free to good home.
Actually, any home will do just fine.
Contact Kim or Kevin for details.

Baby Prozac?

Who would have expected that a tiny speck of fiber could bring such joy to a child's life?
Harry had his first Cheerio just a few weeks ago. Soon he had teeth and could crunch them. Then he learned how to feed himself. Sure, at first it was handfuls tossed at his face, but now he gets quite a few in his mouth!
With the help of Cheerios, Harry even made it through a very long holiday tour of NJ and PA.
We packed a container that we thought would last through the holiday, but it ended up only making it through lunch on the 23rd.
Thanks to Cheerios, Harry made it through an entire lunch with smiles to spare. Over an hour and a half! He even shared, offering quite a few to Dominic's forehead!
The next day we had run out, but luckily Harry's Aunt Meghan picked up a box for Harry to enjoy while we all enjoyed our morning coffee. Tried to put in a Baby Einstein DVD, but the player was broken. Didn't matter. Harry had Cheerios! Later, on a visit to meet my friend Lisa's 9 month old, Christian, we walked in to see her pouring from the yellow box onto his high chair. It's not just us. It's rampant! I even heard a friend of my mother's mention that she has often heard Cheerios reffered to as Baby Prozac, since nothing perks them up like a daily dose!
Christmas Eve at Shrimp Fest 2004, Harry opened his first gift to find, you guessed it, A BOX OF CHEERIOS! Best gift ever…with a book about Cheerios to go along with it. There are even places in the book to put them!
More Cheerios for Christmas dinner. A sprinkle on the counter led to a relaxing, enjoyable meal. More Cheerios on Sunday for brunch. Harry shared some with his friends, and we actually had a small gathering of children gobbling up Cheerios off of the floor. For those of you still single and/or childless, it was like pretzels at the bar!
When we left on Sunday, Harry pretty much passed out the second he was strapped into the carseat, but traffic was a bit heavy so he woke up before we got home. He was not happy to be stuck in the car again…but, alas, Kevin opened one of the many boxes of Cheerios we now have stashed in the car, and once again we heard the happy "Um!Um!Um!" of a satisfied little guy.

http://www.southflorida.com/events/sfl-scaredsanta,0,2245506.photogallery?coll=sfe-events-headlines&index=43
43 reasons why Harry is not visiting Santa. Check out the scared of Santa pics!

Did we mention Harry has been crawling wind up toy style?

It's official. Harry can now get the Cheerios in his mouth all by himself! His pincer grasp is not yet perfected, but he gets them in his mouth, and can crunch them with his teeth once he does! This may not sound that exciting, but it allows for the three of us to eat dinner together (the pizza arrived early on the very day Harry learned to feed himself. What luck!). He seems very determined to perfect his grasp, commentating all the while.
Commentating? Yes, he gives a play by play. No, we don't know what he is saying, but apparently the other kids in his class do. They don't, however, seem to know enough to get away from him as he reaches for their cookies. We did discuss this with him, but in all fairness, these kids are twice his age. And they can walk! It is possible he is just teaching them how to survive with a puppy in the house. You have to hang on to your cookies!
We have aided Harry's own cookie defense buy installing a swing gate in the kitchen. You can imagine how happy Bailey is to sit on the wrong side of the gate while the new kid gets the cookie!

8 teeth! Can you believe it???
Well...at least three are coming in, but we are hoping the 4th is just hard to see.
Kevin spotted two up top and I saw one on the bottom while we brushed his teeth.
That's right---Harry had his first tooth brushing today!
All of those teeth, we had to do something.
We have been wiping them off with a cloth, but it has really started to get dangerous.
Harry has yet to draw blood, but it is obvious he is not a big fan of the washcloth.
The toothbrush worked well. Maybe it reminded him of a cookie...

Leggo my Eggo!

The little bugger ate my yogurt! Not just a bite or two. That would have been cute! No, he ate the whole thing. Blueberry soy. The entire cup. He sat on the floor like a mini Pacman. When that was finished, he helped feed himself some Cheerios. He seems to be able to work his pincer grasp now and get them into his mouth. He has some trouble letting go at the right point, so they tend to fall out, but he is able to push them back in. You should have seen the results though! Good thing he is washable!

Scarred for life ...a Christmas story

By this point, many of you of you may have realized that Kevin and I are different. We are not different in a bad way, or different from the entire rest of the world. We are just a little bit less mainstream than other people. We have tried to share this little by little with many of you (at our wedding, at Harry's Wiccaning...)but I suspect some of you thought we might change once we had a baby at holiday time, that we might "grow out of it." Naturally, some of the questions we get this time of year from the most well-meaning of people include:

• Did you take Harry to see Santa?
• Did you guys put up your tree yet?
• What did you get Harry for Christmas?

I know my dad thinks that Harry will be scarred for life, but we chose not to force our 8 month old to wait in a long line full of runny noses to have his picture taken with the scary giant elf in the bright red suit. It is true, we will not have a picture to compare to the one of me at 12 months, screaming my head off as I sat on the giant elf's lap, my face matching his suit. Also, we figured it might confuse the little guy to sit on his lap and then not receive any gifts from him...Although, I suspect my little elf of a father is out hunting for red suits now. In response to "what if Santa visits Harry at my house?"---well, we have already explained to Harry that we head to New Jersey at Christmas to experience other cultures. Maybe he will grow up to be an anthropologist! :-)

As for the tree...Well, my official take on this (for as long as Kevin will leave it posted) is that I am against the senseless slaughter of innocent trees or the representation thereof. I cringe each year when I see them laying in the gutter every January 2nd, like so many dead bodies. It is just too sad! Kevin does not feel this strongly about it, but is happy not to have to deal with the mess. We will, however, put lights up to celebrate the longest night of the year and the return of the sun. And, if I can find one, there will be a yule log. We are not Grinches or Scrooges, we are just not Christian. Plus, we have a small home and we are not in it for the majority of the holiday season. (I secretly still like to lok at the pretty trees all decorated though...shhhh!)

Okay, I hear gasps already when responding to this one: we are not getting Harry anything for Christmas. Harry has plenty of things. Kevin and I also do not exchange gifts. This may really confuse those of you who received your holiday cards from us on December 1st! We think the holidays are about seeing our freinds and spending time with family. I like to buy what I hope are menaingful gifts that people do not expect to receive. Something that makes people happy. After many selfish years of being miserable over gifts that I did not like, and pouting that people didn't care or didn't know me well enough, I decided to turn things around and be more excited about buying gifts for other people. This does not mean we don't like gifts! We just want to teach Harry more about the spirit of giving, and making memories that are important. When you think back on holidays past, it is not usually the gifts that matter, but being together and reflecting on the memories of the past year. We will still make sure the holidays are magical for Harry. And he will still have the tooth fairy (of course half of his sale will have to go towards charity).

Instead of buying gifts for each other, Kevin and I exchange "the can." This will be our 9th year of exchanging our gift can, which is really just an old popcorn tin. Inside we put one item that represents something from the past year. It is something that we did not buy for the can, but that we held onto. One year Kevin had to go back to his mechanic and actually dig through the vacuum for a red lobster pick! That summer we had driven to New England to eat lobster at picnic tables, something I had never done before. So, each year we get to reflect on our most memorable event of the year. This year, Harry will have his own can. I have been saving his little mittened T-shirt from the hospital just for the occasion!

CHRISTMAS IS MORE THAN JUST PRESENTS

Kevin and I hope to teach Harry that the holidays aren't about presents. However, we understand this might be a challenge. We know this is the harder path for us to follow. We know he will receive many presents, and we know there will be talk of Santa. We will not be the first to deal with these questions. We just want Harry to associate the holidays with family, traditions, and charity, and not with lots and lots of presents. We hope that by focusing on family traditions now, it will be the special moments, and not the material things, that Harry looks forward to most each holiday season.

On the Sesame Street newsletter that I receive in my inbox, I came across an article entitled The Best Gift My Parents Ever Gave Me...
Here is an excerpt:

Famous people share their favorite gifts.A handmade sweater. A dreamed-of bike. An attitude to take through life. Decades later, we still remember gifts like these. When we asked famous people to share with us the most precious gift they ever received from their families, they offered these warm, funny, and inspiring responses. And now we offer them as a gift to you.

Derek JeterShortstop for the New York Yankees
My parents have given me support throughout my life. Knowing that your family supports your dreams gives you reassurance when you're trying to reach your goals.

Jan and Stan BerenstainCreators of the classic Berenstain Bears book series
Stan: I was given a set of six novels by Horatio Alger for Christmas. I was 7 years old and the gift was special because I was already an avid reader. The stories were about the achievement of success against great odds. The two titles I remember were Strive and Succeed and Sink or Swim. They gave me a sense of possibility and great hope, given that we were in the midst of the Great Depression.
Jan: My parents gave me a copy of A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. Although I couldn't read, I was so inspired by the illustrations that I learned to read all the verses by the end of first grade (and to draw pictures, too).

Bob McGrath"Bob" on Sesame Street
The best gift my parents ever gave me was their sense of fun and lightheartedness. Even though money was short on the Illinois farm where I grew up in the thirties, creativity was plentiful. My parents invented wonderful adventures for their five children. They would leave Easter bunny footprints all over the windowsill or knock a fence down on Christmas Eve and blame it on Santa's sleigh. My parents taught us not to rely on material things to be happy. They taught us how to be content in just being together.

Bill Nye
The Science Guy on PBSI got a red Schwinn bicycle for Christmas when I was 11. It was great because I didn't expect it! In giving it to me, my parents let me know that they realized I was getting older and that they were proud of me.

George W. Bush
The best gift my parents ever gave me was the gift of unconditional love. Mother and Dad raised five children. Yet despite the daily demands of five little egos and energies competing for their time and attention, they always let us know that, first and foremost, we were the most important people in their lives.No job, no title, mattered more to them than being a good mom and dad to each of us. Even when Dad became president of the United States, he was never too busy to take a call from one of his children. Their consistent message was: You can be anything you want to be if you aim high and work hard. They encouraged us to strive to be good and decent people, to set goals and to work to achieve them, and to help make a difference in the world.Over the years my parents have given me many material things, but the gift that endures is one that was free: their unconditional love.

Cheryl Henson
Vice President of the Jim Henson Company
For my third birthday my father built a dollhouse that looked like the house where we lived in a 300-year-old farmhouse. I loved that gift because my father made it himself. It was cool having a house for our dolls that so closely resembled our own house. My sister Lisa and I played with our favorite dolls in that dollhouse. My father made a film for Sesame Street featuring the dollhouse and the number 2. The film included two little girls, two little dolls, and two little cats in a little dollhouse.

As for explaining the tree, here is one story we can tell Harry while he is young, and hopefully he will understand that it is better to experience nature in his true form:

Once upon a time, there was a Baby Bear, a Mama Bear, and a Daddy Bear. They lived in a beautiful forest. In the middle of their forest there was a meadow with a tiny old cottage. Baby Bear loved to go look into the window of the cottage, for there were always beautiful, magical things to see and smell in the cottage.
One cold snowy evening, Baby Bear looked into the cottage window and he saw the most amazing thing he had ever seen. It was a short, fat little pine tree that sparkled with red, blue, and gold. It was covered in candles and strands of cranberries,popcorn, and cinnamon sticks.
Baby Bear ran home to Mama and Daddy Bear, and told them all about what he had seen. The next day, the family of bears decided to make their own Yule tree in the forest. They searched and searched until they found the perfect short, fat little pine tree.They worked hard gathering berries and moss, pine cones, and nuts. They hung the berries, pinecones, moss, and nuts on their Yule tree. When they finished decorating the little pine tree in the forest, they stood back to take a good look. Baby Bear said, "It's not sparkling like the one in the cottage."
The Bears were disappointed. They all went to bed feeling a bit sad. They cuddled together and slept through the long, cold, dark night.
The next morning when they woke up, Baby Bear ran to his little Yule tree in the forest. It was sparkling! There were icicles hanging from the needles of the tree and the morning sun shining on the icicles sent out rays of sunshine everywhere. All the animals in the forest came to admire Baby Bear's Beautiful little Yule tree. Baby Bear said, "Let's all have a feast!"
So they feasted on the delicious nuts and berries from Baby Bear's Yule tree. The End.


I will leave you with one final article:

Midwinter's Eve:YULE
by Mike Nichols

Our Christian friends are often quite surprised at how enthusiastically we Pagans celebrate the 'Christmas' season. Even though we prefer to use the word 'Yule', and our celebrations may peak a few days before the 25th, we nonetheless follow many of the traditional customs of the season: decorated trees, carolling, presents, Yule logs, and mistletoe. We might even go so far as putting up a 'Nativity set', though for us the three central characters are likely to be interpreted as Mother Nature, Father Time, and the Baby Sun-God. None of this will come as a surprise to anyone who knows the true history of the holiday, of course.
In fact, if truth be known, the holiday of Christmas has always been more Pagan than Christian, with it's associations of Nordic divination, Celtic fertility rites, and Roman Mithraism. That is why John Calvin and other leaders of the Reformation abhorred it, why the Puritans refused to acknowledge it, much less celebrate it (to them, no day of the year could be more holy than the Sabbath), and why it was even made illegal in Boston! The holiday was already too closely associated with the birth of older Pagan gods and heroes. And many of them (like Oedipus, Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Dionysus, Apollo, Mithra, Horus and even Arthur) possessed a narrative of birth, death, and resurrection that was uncomfortably close to that of Jesus. And to make matters worse, many of them pre-dated the Christian Savior.
Ultimately, of course, the holiday is rooted deeply in the cycle of the year. It is the Winter Solstice that is being celebrated, seed-time of the year, the longest night and shortest day. It is the birthday of the new Sun King, the Son of God -- by whatever name you choose to call him. On this darkest of nights, the Goddess becomes the Great Mother and once again gives birth. And it makes perfect poetic sense that on the longest night of the winter, 'the dark night of our souls', there springs the new spark of hope, the Sacred Fire, the Light of the World, the Coel Coeth.
That is why Pagans have as much right to claim this holiday as Christians. Perhaps even more so, as the Christians were rather late in laying claim to it, and tried more than once to reject it. There had been a tradition in the West that Mary bore the child Jesus on the twenty-fifth day, but no one could seem to decide on the month. Finally, in 320 C.E., the Catholic Fathers in Rome decided to make it December, in an effort to co-opt the Mithraic celebration of the Romans and the Yule celebrations of the Celts and Saxons.
There was never much pretense that the date they finally chose was historically accurate. Shepherds just don't 'tend their flocks by night' in the high pastures in the dead of winter! But if one wishes to use the New Testament as historical evidence, this reference may point to sometime in the spring as the time of Jesus's birth. This is because the lambing season occurs in the spring and that is the only time when shepherds are likely to 'watch their flocks by night' -- to make sure the lambing goes well. Knowing this, the Eastern half of the Church continued to reject December 25, preferring a 'movable date' fixed by their astrologers according to the moon.
Thus, despite its shaky start (for over three centuries, no one knew when Jesus was supposed to have been born!), December 25 finally began to catch on. By 529, it was a civic holiday, and all work or public business (except that of cooks, bakers, or any that contributed to the delight of the holiday) was prohibited by the Emperor Justinian. In 563, the Council of Braga forbade fasting on Christmas Day, and four years later the Council of Tours proclaimed the twelve days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season. This last point is perhaps the hardest to impress upon the modern reader, who is lucky to get a single day off work. Christmas, in the Middle Ages, was not a single day, but rather a period of twelve days, from December 25 to January 6. The Twelve Days of Christmas, in fact. It is certainly lamentable that the modern world has abandoned this approach, along with the popular Twelfth Night celebrations.
Of course, the Christian version of the holiday spread to many countries no faster than Christianity itself, which means that 'Christmas' wasn't celebrated in Ireland until the late fifth century; in England, Switzerland, and Austria until the seventh; in Germany until the eighth; and in the Slavic lands until the ninth and tenth. Not that these countries lacked their own mid-winter celebrations of Yuletide. Long before the world had heard of Jesus, Pagans had been observing the season by bringing in the Yule log, wishing on it, and lighting it from the remains of last year's log. Riddles were posed and answered, magic and rituals were practiced, wild boars were sacrificed and consumed along with large quantities of liquor, corn dollies were carried from house to house while carolling, fertility rites were practiced (girls standing under a sprig of mistletoe were subject to a bit more than a kiss), and divinations were cast for the coming Spring. Many of these Pagan customs, in an appropriately watered-down form, have entered the mainstream of Christian celebration, though most celebrants do not realize (or do not mention it, if they do) their origins.
For modern Witches, Yule (from the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning 'wheel' of the year) is usually celebrated on the actual Winter Solstice, which may vary by a few days, though it usually occurs on or around December 21st. It is a Lesser Sabbat or Lower Holiday in the modern Pagan calendar, one of the four quarter-days of the year, but a very important one. Pagan customs are still enthusiastically followed. Once, the Yule log had been the center of the celebration. It was lighted on the eve of the solstice (it should light on the first try) and must be kept burning for twelve hours, for good luck. It should be made of ash. Later, the Yule log was replaced by the Yule tree but, instead of burning it, burning candles were placed on it. In Christianity, Protestants might claim that Martin Luther invented the custom, and Catholics might grant St. Boniface the honor, but the custom can demonstrably be traced back through the Roman Saturnalia all the way to ancient Egypt. Needless to say, such a tree should be cut down rather than purchased, and should be disposed of by burning, the proper way to dispatch any sacred object.
Along with the evergreen, the holly and the ivy and the mistletoe were important plants of the season, all symbolizing fertility and everlasting life. Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic Druids, who cut it with a golden sickle on the sixth night of the moon, and believed it to be an aphrodisiac. (Magically -- not medicinally! It's highly toxic!) But aphrodisiacs must have been the smallest part of the Yuletide menu in ancient times, as contemporary reports indicate that the tables fairly creaked under the strain of every type of good food. And drink! The most popular of which was the 'wassail cup' deriving its name from the Anglo-Saxon term 'waes hael' (be whole or hale).
Medieval Christmas folklore seems endless: that animals will all kneel down as the Holy Night arrives, that bees hum the '100th psalm' on Christmas Eve, that a windy Christmas will bring good luck, that a person born on Christmas Day can see the Little People, that a cricket on the hearth brings good luck, that if one opens all the doors of the house at midnight all the evil spirits will depart, that you will have one lucky month for each Christmas pudding you sample, that the tree must be taken down by Twelfth Night or bad luck is sure to follow, that 'if Christmas on a Sunday be, a windy winter we shall see', that 'hours of sun on Christmas Day, so many frosts in the month of May', that one can use the Twelve Days of Christmas to predict the weather for each of the twelve months of the coming year, and so on.
Remembering that most Christmas customs are ultimately based upon older Pagan customs, it only remains for modern Pagans to reclaim their lost traditions. In doing so, we can share many common customs with our Christian friends, albeit with a slightly different interpretation. And thus we all share in the beauty of this most magical of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth to the baby Sun-God and sets the wheel in motion again. To conclude with a long-overdue paraphrase, 'Goddess bless us, every one!'

The point , just because there are traditions that we will not celebrate, it doesn't mean there are not others that we will share. The most important one, however, remains spending time with our loved ones.

Blessed Be!

Today in Harry's World...

Harry attended the Scottish Christmas Walk in Alexandria, VA. While technically this was his first parade, we explained that it would be similar to the MC Marathon, except the people would be moving by more slowly. Also, some would be in costume, similar to the Rennaisance Festival. His response was to go to sleep. Bagpipes didn't wake him. Barking Deerhounds didn't wake him. THE MUSKETS FIRING DID NOT MAKE HIM FLINCH! Amazing!

From the parade we moved on to Gymboree. You may recall, we mentioned Harry crawls towards his direction of choice now. Well, we got him to crawl through the 8 foot, rainbow tunnel! Kevin put him in one end, and he crawled right towards me at the other end. It is amazing to see all of the new things he can do!

The crawling continued at home. He crawls to the loose leaves Bailey tracks in, and crunches them in his hand. He crawls towards his toys. And he crawls over to all of the cabinets to open them. So, if you don't hear from us for a while, it is because we are baby proofing!

Guess who comes to you when you call him?????
That's right! Harrison!
He crawls across the floor now when you call his name!
Well, when I say crawl, I mean, he uses one arm, with the other tucked under, to pull himself while his legs lay flat but his feet push off---you know, commando style. He's been doing it, but has never crawled to us before! It is so exciting! he is pretty quick, too! He even crawled over to give Bailey a kiss! (Very cute, but scary for all three of us when he is that close to her face. Bailey seems to know we will kill her if he pokes her in the eye and she snaps at him. She seems more panicked then we are. These interactions are CLOSELY supervised!)

Tonight he also pooped in the potty for the second time. He got that look on his face while in the tub (I think you are all familiar with it), so Kevin sat him on the toilet and he used it like a big boy. He's just so advanced :-) Hope this is not too much information for ya!

Bedtime stories

Finally! Our sweet little baby boy allows us to rock him to sleep (or, only partially asleep as the books instruct). Sure, the chair moves so fast it leaves the ground, and you have to go "wheeeeeeeeeeee" instead of hush as he feels the wind in his hair, but somehow, it works. He is such a sweet little soul!
Harry is also very into reading. Some may disagree, but he seems to hand me his two favorite books (Hey! Wake Up! by Sandra Boynton and Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Pictures by Clement Hurd). We keep them in a basket with his toys on the floor. He crawls over to it and dumps it out and picks up a book and pushes it over to us. Then he sits up (with our help) and quietly looks at the pictures as we read. He definitely reacts to some parts (Shout out loud: Good Morning Sun! Happy Morning Everyone!---we are required to shout) more than others.
Along with looking at the pictures in the book, for some time now, I have to show him the back of the camera after I take his pictures on the digital. After having posed for so many hours, he must have figured this out pretty easily. He also seems to recognize his own picture. I had a dream last night that his first words came out in a sentence: Is that a picture of me? although, to be fair, he does like other pictures of babies, particularly the screaming baby on my Official Seal of the Democratic Party mug.
I also never mentioned much about Harry's Thanksgiving. He was such a trooper over our travels to NJ and PA. He used to be rather unhappy in crowds, such as at our dinner table, but he does rather well now. Filling his cheeks with turkey helped, but when things get overwhelming, he puts himself in time out. We go to a quiet room and he just sits, for about 5 minutes. He then has energy again and can happily re-join the group. It is really very cute.He seems to have done this at home, in his swing, since he was a newborn. His swing has always been his happy place. He likes to sit back and gaze at the fish swimming overhead. I think it is great that he has his own little healthy coping mechanism. What a genius!
We realized yesterday that Harry's swing is the only item he has really had since he was born. He grew out of the car seat, the cradle, the bouncy seat...His stroller used the car seat in the beginning, and it took a while to use the Baby Bjorn. Sadly, he will likely be outgrowing the swing soon. I guess we will finally need to invest in a hammock!

Time to play Single Dad again...

Kim's back on the road today, off on another trip to the lovely wintry city of Boston to deal with all of her new friends at Mass General.

I get the little guy all to myself!

This should be interesting for a couple of reasons. Lately, he's gotten a bit clingy, mostly to Kim. Understandable... As has been noted in previous posts, she's the one getting him ready in the morning, and picking him up from Daycare in the afternoon, which usually follows into his evening meal (thanks to the lovely DC Traffic). Most of the time I see him, it's driving the bus to daycare in the morning, literally the middle of the night, or in the tub and on the way to bed.

So now, he gets ME. Just me. Well, me and Bailey. Which brings us to point of interest number 2... As Magoo so eloquently puts it, "The Hound." Bailey's got some issues of her own to deal with lately. Not that she's acting out or anything, and rest assured, she and Harry seem to get along very well (note: he's started dropping real food from his highchair). It's with Kim and me that she's not doing so well with.

Now that the food has begun to drop, and it is apparent to her that food on the floor has become (like it ever wasn't?) hers and hers alone. However, with the speed and deadly accuracy that she's suddenly become aware of, you'd think there were 15 other dogs competing for that very Cheerio?!?!

Okay, so she's a dog, and she's getting food off the floor... Not so big a deal right? But now she's decided that WE are supposed to drop food for her from our plates too. And if we don't, well why wouldn't we? So she sits, incredibly anxious, to that point that she gets the shakes from the adrenaline of waiting to pounce on that 1 grain of rice that's sure to drop from the Chinese food.

So the viscous circle begins. Bailey drives us nuts, which drives Harry Bonkers, which makes Bailey skiddish and whiney, which makes us nuts... Ah the joy of it.

But I digress... Kim's back on the road, and Harry and I get some quality time.

He's had quite a month. Travelling all over the last few weekends, and a trooper throughout. Just about finished battling his first cold (how does such a little nose produce so much snot?), and gearing up for his first ShrimpFest (well, first outside the womb), and I can see him now being infatuated with all of the wrapping papaer - he LOVES crinkly crunchy paper-type stuff!

My apologies for going so long between posts, but as I'm sure any parent can attest to, the time & mental capacity has become re-assigned now that more energy, attention & concentration is required.

Official congratulations are in order to a few folks:

Stephanie Boyer and Joe McWilliams on the birth of their daughter Emma Grace on 10/30/2004...

Charlene and Amir Barnes on their recently announced pregnancy (2nd child) due right around Harry's birthday...

Cooper Lemieux Wagner for making his first (hopefully of many) successful trip East from Ohio for the 2004 Turkey Day weekend...

Gobble Gobble Giggle

After a long and festive weekend, I am a bit too tired to write very much, but I wanted to let you all know, Harry did, indeed, have his first turkey!

Journalistic integrity

Kevin had a little too much time on his hands, so I guess he started googling people. Check out the results for me in this article:
http://www.atlantasportsmag.com/story.cfm?story_id=1975
I swear I was completely honest when I was interviewed!
This is not the first time I have personally been mis-quoted by a reporter or taken out of context. I thought it would be a good idea to remember this the next time the media sensationalizes something.

Interesting article about Julie Aigner-Clark, the creator of Baby Einstein.
http://www.bluesuitmom.com/career/womenbiz/babyeinstein.html

Happy Laughing Baby

I ask you, how do you clear your mind when they give yoga poses names like Happy Laughing Baby? I was minding my own business today at Pure Prana, http://www.pureprana.com, hands holding my feet, trying to focus, when the Yogi translates the Sanskrit name for the pose to be "Happy Laughing Baby." The pose is known in some circles as Dead Bug, but I digress. Next thing you know, I can't wait to get out of there and pick Harry up.
First thing I saw when I woke up this morning was a happy, laughing baby. Harry was chatting away in his crib for at least half an hour this morning before I made my way in to say hello. I think he is getting used to this AM routine and knew I was coming. He was quietly laying on his back with the biggest smile on his face you have ever seen. At 6:20 AM! This brightens my whole day. His father, I think, is frightened by it---assuming he notices.
This is not to say Kevin neglects him. Kevin just does not wake up until 9:30 (so he says...I would push it back to at least 11). Sure, he is walking around, driving even, just not awake. I, on the other hand, am in about the same shape at 9PM. Once I am up in the morning though, I am up. Somehow we have managed to be compatible.
It has become pretty obvious at this point that Harry is also a morning person. He wakes up happy as can be, and can entertain himself for quite some time. 7PM is a different story. If he is not within 3 feet of his crib at this time...yikes!
So, after a bit of discussion, and some help from the Toddler Whisperer, Kevin and I are reconsidering our wake up patterns. See, in Secrets of The Baby Whisperer, Tracy Hogg explains how to read babies cues. It is not too hard to do. I think I am pretty good at it---except at night. If Harry wakes up while Kevin is at hockey, I can put myself into a near panic, while Kevin is as calm as can be in teh middle of the night. Kevin feeding Harry breakfast however...that can be interesting. But I seriously think the combination of Harry being awake at night and me being awake at night, and then the two of us trying to deal with each other---well, it is a rather difficult situation. This is, of course, when I even realize that he is screaming. I finally realized I just lose the ability to read Harry's cues- his thoughts and emotions, at night, just as Kevin has trouble at 7 AM (though, I have to say Harry himself is a little bit easier to deal with then...athough, I guess if you do not have the energy to deal with the little ball of energy...that could be a problem too).
Anyway, I think we are compatible because of our different abilities. It may be too eralyto put this in writing, butI think I may not have to get up for Harry's 3 AM feeding anymore! I suppose I will never again be sleeping in on weekends...but, for a morning person, this seems worth it to me!

Cheerio!

Let me start off with a big shout out to Casey's Dad. Casey's Dad always provides us with such thoughtful comments at the bottom of our blogs. Or rather, my blogs. Never Kevin's blogs. Anyway, thanks Casey's dad!

In other news, our little one has started finger foods! He is fascinated by them, but he can not put them in his mouth himself yet, but he likes it when we do. I am still a little worried about Cheerios, but Gerber makes little puffy things that dissolve more easily. Harry's Aunt Toni suggested he may be less likely to choke on those. Even though he makes faces, he likes them a lot. He seems to be getting used to the new texture on his tongue. He makes monkey faces while he eats them.

Harry also was able to get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth. He has not been crawling wind up toy style yet, but if you hold a slice of pizza in front of him, he can move pretty quickly! I think he has been taking pointers from Bailey!

Harry also made it to his first big birthday party- his cousin Dominic's 4th! It was a very loud soccer party, and he had a blast! His last big party, his Wiccaning, was rather traumatic for him. I think he is finally getting used to social events. He was okay with getting passed around he had a blast running around the field with his dad (who, by the way, needed to buy himself a new shirt after having so much fun he sweated through the first!).

I think with all of Harry's new skills, he will be in good spirits come holiday time!

Okay, Okay, Okay. Before you read any further, I know I promised to not say another word about breastfeeding...but it keeps coming up!
My college roommate, Leanne, sent me this link today:

Dennis Prager: Breast-feeding as religion
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/dp20031111.shtml
Thought you might enjoy reading this article. Dennis Prager is a conservative Jewish
speaker and radio show host that I listen to on occassion. I can't say I agree with everything
he says but he does make me think.

It is a short article, and sort of explains why the issue gets under my skin. So, read it or don't read it. I am just glad my own comments are encouraging people to think (not that any of you don't...I just mean that it is something I never thought much about, until I had to). So, thanks to those of you who are paying attention! :-)

For those interested, Jenn and Kris Wagner have posted some of their own pictures of Harry during some of their many encounters... enjoy.

JennAndKrisWagner.com

The wheels on the bus...on the way to Gymboree

Harry went to his first Gymboree class on Saturday! http://www.gymboree.com
I have not been that interested in the Mommy and Me classes. And I figured since Harry was at daycare, he was singing songs and meeting kids and Gymboree would not be necessary. But, we had a free coupon, so we went. It was SO much fun! For all of us, I think!

There were 4 other kids in the class. One was there with his mom only, but he was almost 1, and had an older brother who had been through Gymboree. The other three had both parents, and Kate also brought her grandparents and their video camera (Kevin said I could not bring a camera,and grandparents did not count).

The set up is great! Teh room is brightly colored and fille dwith mats and balls and slides. They have short activities, and then free play. They alternate for the full 45 minutes of class. I admit, Harry did not like many of the tummy time activities. He was having so much fun just walking around the room (holding our hands, of course). He also happened to be the only one talking in class. I hope this is not a sign of things to come. Right now it is cute.

He did like bouncing up and down on the log. The bubbles truly impressed him. The slide was kind of fun. The parachute...laying on his back was not his cup of tea. SO, he rolled over while we were walking around in circles with the kids on top like. He definitely was not a wall flower.

Harry does not seem to be the least bit shy. Separation anxiety should be setting in soon, but my freind Sandra's mom, who we had lunch with after the class, said that not all kids get it. She siad this while Harry was giggling and bouncing up and down on this stangers lap. Sandra did not have problems with strangers either. (Sandra is a recruiter now, so her personality was obviously set very early). I remember being pretty shy as a kid, and I would bet money that Kevin was. I am pleasantly surprised that Harry just seems so confidant already. Even without breast feeding! (Sorry, had to through that in there. LAST TIME! I promise!).

The songs at class were annoying, but they grew on you. Sadly, they have continued to grow ...like mold. I cannot stop singing them. Especially the one about "pound and pound and pound that axel." I may remember this because one of the kids in the class was named Axel. Something to keep in mind when you are naming your kids, though I guess you cannot cover all bases. Personally, I would not have seen that one coming! I definitely felt uncomfortable singing it though!

SO, I think we will sign up. It IS pricey, but I really think it is worth it. At this point, he is in daycare with only two other kids. They are never even all there at the same time. Susanna and Sid are old hat. Time to branch out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday Harry got to go swimming. He stayed in the pool for an hour and we only got out because he was rubbbing his eyes. Even with an actual nap beforehand (a rarity), he was still exahsuted from his swim. So much so that he fell asleep while eating lunch. I'll be sure to post those photos ASAP!

Ode to Jenny McCarthy

Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth is the best pregnancy book ever and the only one worth reading.

From Publishers Weekly- McCarthy, 1994 Playmate of the Year, actress (Scream 3; Baywatch; etc.) and former host of MTV's Singled Out, gave birth to her first child in 2002. Her pregnancy wasn't pretty—and she wants to tell readers all about it. At the outset, she tells them, "If you bought this book, you are already aware of my frankness when it comes to certain things—anatomy and bodily functions among them. If someone gave this book to you as a gift and you've never heard of me, apologies to you!" She goes on to recount the nitty-gritty of pregnancy in all its gory detail, covering morning sickness, hormonal rage, cravings, hemorrhoids, "engorged" breasts, gas, hot flashes, fainting spells, weight gain, acne, water retention and, finally, labor. McCarthy is undeniably crass but funny, and her candor and self-deprecation are refreshing. Each brief, chatty chapter focuses on a different—and awful—facet of pregnancy, with McCarthy relating personal anecdotes and usually winding down by reassuring women they're not alone. McCarthy's tales are, for the most part, a hoot, though they may offend more uptight readers. For example, in the beginning of McCarthy's pregnancy, she was constipated, so she visited a specialist. In the waiting room, the assistant called her name, and "everyone... looked up in surprise, and I knew what they were thinking: 'Jenny McCarthy has butt hole problems?' I was so embarrassed, until I realized that they had no right to be smirking: Those assholes were also there because of their own assholes. I felt better already."Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

I guess I have always found Jenny mildly amusing, though raunchy (image: Jenny sitting on teh toilet with her underpants down for a Candies shoes ad) at the very least because she seems free to be herself. I think I appreciate her more after reading this book. For all of her crudeness, she seems to be a better person than many celebrities (better morals somehow). But, back to the book..she discusses such things as fat arms, not wanting hemorrhoids, gaining 60 pounds, 36D boobs in the second month not being a Godsend (many books think you should do back flips) and she spends a whole lot of time watching TV. I could really identify with this book. I did not identify at all with The Girlfriends Guide (also written by a Playmate, coincidentally) and found the author to be vain and whiny and silly and annoying. Ironically, this book was referred to me with rave reviews by people who I do not find to be vain, silly or annoying.

Moving on, What to Expect When You're Expecting was written by two prison warden types who expect you to gain 15 pounds and eat a balanced diet. I'll stop there.

Fed up with most of the books for women, I started reading Kevin's Books (I skipped his first one entitle My Boys Can Swim, which was about 17 pages long), if for no other reason then they had cartoons. The Expectant Father was pretty realistic actually, and also gives a week by week account of what to expect, but the second book about after the baby is born (The New Father) is mostly about the importance of nursing. And it is written by a guy! Many peopel have asked me where my hostility stems from when it comes to nursing. To be honest, these books could be where I got my complex from (with the exception of Secrets of the Baby Whisperer which is also worth reading). Jenny doesn't nurse either. And she was super obsessed about having a healthy baby. So there is another person out there who did not find these two things mutually exclusive.

Seriously, I am done ranting about breastfeeding. The book is good for other reasons. Lots of them. It's just a great book. And a quick read. Buy it. No, actually, don't buy it. If I know you and you are pregnant, I will be buying it for you. SO, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!!! But, if you are not pregant and o not plan to be in the future, but have been or know peopel who are, pick up a copy. It is super funny. I flew back from Boston first class the other night (I have plenty of miles, that's why) and was literally laughing hysterically amdist the uptight crowd.

***I am aware this blog sounds awfully rambling. Free wine in first class. Just by the book!

As usual, Harry is as cute as can be. He now giggles when you tickle him under his armpits. He giggles so much that I literally fell on the floor laughing the first time I heard it. I think he does it on purpose. He has that goofy, hoarse little giggle. I can not emphasize enough how funny it is.
He is also able to hold his cookies, his sippy cup, and most of his toys with two hands. Apparently this is a big baby milestone, but I do not remember why. He is now able to pass things from one hand to the other.
He has been sitting up for a while now, which I read last night in one magazine should not happen until 8 months. I think that was the only place I saw that though. Maybe it is by 8 months…In any case, while he is sitting up, he can lift his head now to actually drink from his sippy cup. He can hold his bottle up now and then too, but gradually he lowers it until he cannot drink anything out of it. Must be heavy.
He still only crawls on his belly, but yesterday he lifted his butt up and propelled himself forward to reach some toys. He is super focused on walking. It is all he wants to do. He likes to hold onto our hands with both of his (he prefers two hands) and will walk all over the house, up and down the driveway...He squeals and starts to pull himself up when he is not walking.
As Kevin already noted, Harry had lots of other firsts this weekend too. He was introduced to rocks (for his later rock climbing adventures). He was not impressed with the rocks, but we will keep working on this. He took his first metro ride. He was also unimpressed by this. He likes to play things cool. For example, when he falls alseep in his car seat, he likes to pretend he was not sleeping ("What? I'm awake!"). Hopefully this is not practice fro falling asleep in class or in meetings.
First marathon was also this weekend. He got a few high fives for the monkey suit. Perhaps 20 years from now he can run teh marathon himself dressed as a monkey. He will blend in well with Kermit, Captain America, all of the Superman... He can be a local celebrity like the running Kermit, who runs every year in a full Kermit suit, including felt head. I don't know how the guy breathes!
Finally, this was also Harry's first Halloween. He did not make it for the official trick or treating, but made out quite nicely with his dentist friendly treats: Eeyore & banana (Wagners), $5 cash (Wileys) and some previous treats of Halloween socks (Kim & John) and a pumpkin bib (Grandmom)---and also three cards from the Wileys, K&J and Aunt Anna & Uncle Bryan. He love shis treats and says thank you to everyone!

Harry had quite a weekend...

Well, let's back up a bit. Originally, this weekend was to have been another first, but a first for Kim & I. We had planned to go on a little getaway of our own for the Halloween weekend at an estate called Allenberry just outside of Harrisburg, PA. Harry and Bailey were going to spend the weekend with Becky in NJ. However, at something vaguely resembling the last minute, I wimped out. I'm just not ready to leave the boy for the entire weekend at someone else's house without one of us with him.

So instead, the four of us, yes including Bailey, got to spend a nice family weekend together at home and around DC.

We all took a nice ride in the new ride up the GW Parkway to Great Falls, MD. On the way, we decided to swing through Glen Echo Park. That was a bit of a weird diversion... The Park is actually an old amusement park from the early 1900s that really doesn't look like it's that much different from when it closed in 1968, which is odd, as it's held & controlled by the National Park Service... You'd think it'd be in better shape.

So, not much of a hike, which is what Harry & Bailey were up for, so on we headed to Great Falls to hit the C&O Canal Towpath... Harry's first Nature Outing. He was enamored with the crunching of the leaves underfoot, all of the bikers cruising by, and mirrored water. He was quite a hit with many of the other hikers, and seemed to have a blast. Completely tuckered out, he slept most of the way home.

Sunday, Halloween, Harry got himself dressed up in his new Monkey Suit, and we headed downtown for the Marine Corps Marathon. Kim had a few friends running, and it turned out to be a really gorgeous day (better for spectating than for running IMHO). We literally bumped into Tara while at the race, so we got to hang with her for a bit, and found out that I actually knew someone running as well, and was even lucky enough to pick her out of the crowd around Mile 20.

Back in the car for a spin down to Kris & Jenn's for Harry's first tricks & treats... For his trick, he showed everyone how easy it was NOT to eat his banana (a difficult trick for a monkey to pull off) and his treat was an Eeyore with dancing ears!

All this action without a nap, and coupled with the end of Daylight Savings made for an early bedtime tonight.

A wonderful weekend of firsts, including this, my first post in quite some time. Needless to say, I've been catching plenty from all sides on my lack of submissions. It's funny, with the new job and limited hours, I thought I'd have all of this extra time on my hands to do so much more with. I've got to say, I really don't know what I would have done if I was still with the Caps and the NHL wasn't locked out... Would've made for some loooooooong nights.

I know this is Harry's World, and I feel it is important that we keep this website about him. SO, on that note, Harry's mom can fit into her size 2 Bananna Republic Tuxedo pants. Woo-Hoo!!!!

Harry’s ½ year birthday was the 22nd!
I took the day off to take him in for his checkup, and we got to spend the whole day together.
He is the greatest little boy.
He was very brave to get shots, and then very cuddly afterwards.
Everyone at the doctors office loved his hair (the way it sticks up).

Had lunch with Lisa and Jake afterwards at Faccia Luna. Harry smiled the whole time (to my relief!). The boys looked adorable in their side by side highchairs (Jake will be 2 in December).

Played outside later and literally took 100 pictures.

Harry went with me to packet pick up for the Army Ten Miler on Saturday. Again, very well behaved in the Baby Bjorn. He got to hang out with Tara and Sydney at Starbucks, and then we headed back home to see Pop pop.

After his busy day, he slep 11 hours (7PM-6AM) which seriously helped me to prepare for my first race since Labor Day 2003. I am not ashamed to admit, I cheated. I ran 8 miles. BUT- it was mostly because I did not want to hold people up at the end. I have not run in a long time and am rather slow. None of us trained for this marathon. I did okay and am looking forward to pounding the pavement again. Probably not as many miles though. That C-section scar STUNG like crazy afterwards!

So, now the Harry facts:
Height: 27" (75%! He is catching up to his weight!)
Weight: 20# 4.6oz. (still 95%)
Head: 18"
He is currently wearing 12-18 month clothes.
He is not crawling yet, but can move forward commando style.
He sits up by himself and can sit in a highchair, on the floor and at the little table at the doctors with the chair pushed all the way in.
His current favorite toy is his Leap Frog Block from Linda Reis that plays nursery rhymes when you turn it. He turns it after each song. He also still loves his Baby Einstein Lullabye Classics book and Hey! Wake Up!
New foods include plain soy yogurt and organic, wheat free, dairy free, sugar free (relax, not taste free!) maple syrup biscuits, which he quickly learned can not go in his mouth side ways. He can not feed himself with both hands and seems to prefer the left, but he can make quite a little mess with that cookie, which Bailey is happy to take off of his hands when he is through!

We are very lucky to have such a great little guy in our lives!

Control!

I was going to wait until Friday to blog, after Harry’s 6 month check up, to post his vitals, but he was so cute this morning!
He is really in control of his body now.
I have had “the flu” for a couple of days and have been trying to avoid him (very painful). Instead of breathing germs on him while Kevin was in the shower this morning, I plopped him in his portable highchair and put it up on the bed in front of the TV so he could watch Baby Galileo. He literally watched it on the edge of his seat. Why is this impressive, you ask? Well, I know you are all aware how much he loves his Baby Einstein DVDs, but I said literally on the edge of his seat. His high chair reclines, but he used his little muskles to hold himself upright the whole time. It was so cute. He is such a little person.
It is so hard to believe he is already six months old! Yet, when you look at him, it is hard to believe he is only six months! His cousins are over a year old and both are smaller than him. Some friends of ours are concerned that their baby is 22 pounds at 7 months (even though he is their third child, and the first was the biggest) but I am guessing Harry is 22 or 23 pounds. He has definitely gotten taller too. Length-wise he fits in 18 month jeans. And he is doing so much lately. Menike calls it “monkey see monkey do” (my little monkey!) but he wants to be just like Sid, his friend at daycare, who is about16 months old. Sid can walk now and Harry is just enthralled by everything he does. Apparently Sid is the coolest. But, I have to admit, it is super cool to see Harry, Sid and Susanna all sitting in a circle singing songs and playing piano. Harry insists that Menike clap the whole time. He is very insistent.
Harry is also very fond of life size Elmo and the airplane swing at Menike’s. The boy definitely has his likes and dislikes…though it is mostly the things he likes that he is insistent upon. His only dislikes so far seem to be sweet things. He would much rather have peas than apples, squash than bananas…certainly does not take after his dear old dad, or anyone in my family other than myself. He also does not like sitting still. He likes to move at all times. Oh, and now that he has learned the international signal for “pick me up” (you know, arms raised) we no longer have an excuse to pretend that is not what he wants. Things are about to get busy! But, as long as it burns off those last ten pounds, I am all for it!

On the Road Again…

Been traveling a lot lately. A bit more than I expected or remembered, but after over a month spent mostly at home, I am not complaining.

I had a few days in Minnesota for CRA Days back in August, and within the past two weeks a few days in North Jersey for computer training, filled in for a site visit in Tulsa for 2 days (not as bad a place as you might think. In fact, it’s OK) and am on my way to Miami until Tuesday night. I missed a lot of Harry time this week. But, with 6 weeks of vacation (soon to be 7, and 8 in 2007) I have Wednesday off to spend the day with him. I try to take a day with Harry whenever I am gone too long.

Lately I have also been trying very hard to recognize that people have their own parenting styles. That is a hard thing to do when so many of us are so passionate about raising our kids a certain way, based on how we were raised, what we read, what we see around us---all for better or worse. I know I think my way is the best way, but, in my own defense, I have a Masters degree is Psychology that includes many hours of Early Childhood Development and Family Counseling. I have also been studying the world around me for as long as I remember. And I talk to people that I think are doing a good job, or have done a good job, and ask their advice. And I know I can get arrogant at times…but I think that would happen less often if I didn’t feel that my every move was made under a microscope- a very public one. I think most people feel it is their right to evaluate your techniques and present you with a full critique. It doesn’t matter if they are a pediatrician and parent of 10 or a high school football player with nothing but an opinion And everyone has an opinion.

So, in hopes of encouraging myself to respect other peoples methods of child rearing and to ease some of my own defensiveness, I thought I would explain a few things about life in Harry’s world.

1. Yes. I work outside of the home. I went to school for…I don’t know…do we count nursery school? Post high school, it was 7.5 years. I paid for school myself and I worked at least part time for all of it. I wanted an education. I like to work. My career is fulfilling. I think this is a good example to set for Harry: that he can work hard to grow up and achieve whatever it is he wants to achieve. With hard work, anything is possible. I would say that this example would be especially important for a girl, but I think that would be an unnecessary statement. No offense to my own mother, but she stayed home with me until I was 8, and had a flexible job thereafter, and I don’t think it defined my life. Sure, I remember her being home, and I am grateful to have had a happy childhood, but what I remember of my mom being home is that I would play with legos or play-doh by myself while she talked on the phone or did the cooking or cleaning. Hardly quality time. My friends’ homes were exactly the same way.

2. Next topic: daycare. Gasp, Harry has someone else to take care of him during the day! This is true. He has a wonderful care giver who knows a lot about babies and takes excellent care of him. He gets lots of tummy time while he watches the 3 other kids, Susanna, Sid and Nate. No one is more excited than Menike when Harry does something new, such as crawling backwards. Well, maybe Menike’s husband, Danny. This man goes to work early so he can see the kids in the afternoon. He often sounds like he takes childcare courses himself. Great people. And great little kids that Harry just adores. And Harry seems to get the same amount of quality time from me whether I am home with him or he is at daycare. It is about 6 hours. The boy weighs about 22 pounds. I can’t possibly lug him around all day, especially with the condition my body is in after gaining and almost losing 60 pounds in a year. And since we don’t get the sleep we’d like, I just don’t have any more energy for him. This way, he gets quality time from another person for 8 hours a day. He gets 14 hours of quality time instead of 6, and has more people to love him. How could that be a bad thing?

3. My job takes me away on business and I am not home every night. Hey, if you have to work, this is a great way to do it. Nurses have similar schedules when they concentrate their work week to spend more time with their kids. And nursing is thought to be an ideal job if you have kids and “have” to work. On a side note, I think it is sad that some people thing working is something that “has” to be done by some people when in fact there are some people out there who enjoy their jobs. But, back to the subject at hand. I might not get to kiss him goodnight every day, but on the days that I am home, I can pick him up at 4 instead of being stuck in Beltway traffic until 7:30. People often ask me who takes care of him while I am gone. Well, Harry’s dad. Kevin. Remember him? He knows as much as I do. He held and fed and diapered and swaddled Harry before I did. I know both of our dads call to check in on him and see “how he does” when I am away. I think this is hilarious. Except for the occasion when Harry is sent to school in sweatpants, he does awesome. No interruption whatsoever. And how lucky is Harry to get to know his dad as well as his mom? I am so glad that society has changed so much that men are encouraged to spend time with their little ones. And I am so lucky to have someone who is up to the challenge!

4. Another one I hear a lot: How do I nurse when I am traveling? Well, I don’t. Harry has formula, just like most of us did. And it is even better for him than what existed back in the 70s. Feel free to argue with me that he won’t be as healthy or as bright as other kids. Bring it on! I’ve got lots of examples of the opposite being true. But the point is, people have their own choices for not nursing, so listen up college guys. I had blinding migraines and nausea for 8 months of my pregnancy. How could anyone take care of a baby in that condition? When you nurse, your hormones do not return to normal. Mine have, and I am healthy again. Harry is well cared for, alert, and knock on wood has never had a cold. Other people have other reasons for wanting to nurse or not wanting to nurse. BOTH WAYS ARE FINE AND NO ONE SHOULD BE MADE TO FEEL INADEQUATE OR A WORSE PARENT FOR THEIR CHOICE! And that goes to all of the chicks out there who are in agony over all of the peer pressure around them. Been there. Over it. La Leche League is worse than Michael Moore.

5. Harry started eating at 4 months? Yes! He was consuming 40 ounces a day of formula. He almost tripled his birth weight. He had teeth! Yes, he eats solid foods, and he loves it. They are all organic, most of them home made from live, organic foods. Why should he not receive extra nutrients? Even if he was breast fed, why would giving him food have been bad? (this is rhetorical. I am familiar with the arguments). And why is there so little talk about the importance of a healthy diet rich in preservative-free, pesticide-free foods full of vitamins and minerals? After thee emphasis of breast feeding, I guess they are set for life.

I hope my latest of rants has not offended anyone. I have the utmost respect for people who stay home with their kids, those who nurse every two hours and those who give over their lives to their children. I think it is great that these people are so self-less and attentive to their children’s needs and to do what they feel is best for them. But, just be cause that is how they do things, that does not mean that their way is better. And I hope these people all make their choices because it is their choice, and not someone else’s. I think we all need to look at the big picture. If our goals are to raise happy, bright, well-adjusted kids, we need to evaluate our situations and go from there. Extreme views are often not the best ones.

Common sense and genetics would tell us that kids end up being a lot like their parents. I just learned this weekend that Kevin’s hair stuck up just like Harry’s, and he also was not happy at noisy parties. Harry is the same way. Maybe what we feel would have been the best way for us to be raised really is the best for our kids. And maybe we also need to pay attention to what works for them once we try something out and be open to suggestions. If you are home all day, exhausted, lonely, tired and resentful, why is it better for your kids to be with you? Likewise, if Harry is miserable at daycare, maybe we will need to re-evaluate. Additionally, why is it okay for a dad to be away from their kids but not a mom? Why is it better to work locally and be gone more hours? Why is nursing every two hours better than having the energy to stimulate your child’s mind? And why is it okay to give kids chocolate, Fritos, juice, crackers…blah, blah. blah once they stop nursing? It takes me back to the issue of sterilization. For years we have been over using antibiotics, anti-microbials, super cleaning everything to the point that illnesses like allergies, asthma and Kevin’s mom tells me, Chrone’s Disease have sky rocketed. With our kids’ best interests in mind, we have inadvertently caused them harm.

I hope that if we do something that we believe in that inadvertently harms Harry, we will recognize it and make some changes. Right now, he is as happy as can be.

Before I left, we spent the entire day giggling and laughing and getting tickles and kisses. He is working on perfecting his waving, which he started last week at the baseball game and used appropriately to wave bye to Grandma Patty today. He loves to offer his bananas and oatmeal to Bailey at breakfast (from his mouth). Elmo’s YMCA routine (or E-L-M-O rather) makes him smile. He is really getting into reading and grabbed for “Hey! Wake Up!” by Sandra Boynton this morning after breakfast. That is his routine. Since most days I do not have to be dressed and at an office, I can spend the morning with him making fresh food, reading books, and rolling around on his race car rug. Every night his is in bed by 7. During the day, he gets to experience life.

This is how we do things. My hope is that every one else out there, our friends, their friends- the people we care about- will do what is best for their families. I hope they will think rationally and clearly and make decisions on their own families needs, themselves included, and not listen to the extremists.

Kimberly

Harry's Dad turned 32 yesterday.

Harry got a new schoolbus out of the deal. He was slated to get one soon anyway, but after the old one had recently been unsatisfactorily returned from the Body Shop, and not running very well at all, the timing was impeccable.

So now instead of the vintage, temperamental but character-laden BMW that Harry had been riding just about everywhere he and his Dad went, he'll now be riding in style in the Subaru Forrester of his dreams.

Now many of you seem to be quite distraught with this purchase, as these are surely signs that the apocalypse must be upon us:

1. The year of the car doesn't start with a "1980-something"
2. The car wasn't made in Europe (specifically Germany)
3. The brand isn't represented by 3 letters that many claim stand for "Break My Window"
4. The car has functioning A/C and heat (more importantly you don't get one when you ask for the other)
5. The car can be classified as an SUV or a station wagon... Pick your poison

So whatever your opinion, hold it in high regard, but remember this... Now that we can all fit in a car we're pretty certain will make it to the intended destination and home again, we're all better off.

See you soon, in the new McD Family Truckster!

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0929043limeade1.html
One place we will not be sending Harry to school!

On a side note...Harry attended his first sporting event this weekend! O's vs. Red Sox. He wore his orange pants, but we were definitely in the Red Sox section. Seems the Red Sox section was difficult to avoid. Though we are not really baseball fans, it is somewhat appropriate that Harry's first event be at Camden Yards, since one of our first dates was also there, way back in 1995! Yikes! We are old!

Promise to post photos soon! Harry had a great time, though the applause was a bit overwhelming. Or maybe he was just embarrassed to be wearing orange. "Everyone thinks I'm cheering for the bad team!"

Harry has his second tooth! :-)

Harry's 5 months old today.

It feels like it's been that long since my last post, so hat's off to Kim for keeping things going.

To say that she's been "keeping it going" is THE understatement of the year. Thanks to her, Harry has made it through learning how to roll himself over, sprout his first tooth, and has begun a wonderful campaign into the world of solid food (all organic and predominantly homemade I might add).

Kim is the best mom in the world.

It's also blatantly obvious that Harry's going to continue to be the coolest kid in the world...

We're also quite pumped to know that Bryan & Anna are on their way to parenthood as well! Congrats to them both, and we can't wait for everyone to meet!

It has been a very eventful 5 months, plenty of changes in the McDermott household, but there are certainly more to come.

We'll do our best to keep you all included!

Reefer Madness

We are realizing early that as hard as you try to protect your kids from the evils of the world, you can not always be with them. It is important to teach them good moral values, and to learn right from wrong, and then we must trust them to make the best choices.
Yesterday I picked Harry up from "school" and there it was, right out in the open. Just lying there in his bouncy seat. Barney.
We have done our best to keep Barney out of our home. Those lyrics he sings are maddening. MADDENING! Hopefully Harry will realize on his own that this is not the sort of thing we want him involved with. But then we have another dilemma- do we want him to come to us for things, and be comfortable to not hide them, or do we want to make sure certain things stay out of our home?
And what about escalation? If we allow Barney, what is next? That horrid Fischer Price karaoke machine that his cousin Dominic carries with him?
Or that eerie little bunny of Ledi's that keeps "hop, hop, hopping"?
We welcome your comments.

For more information please see
http://www.jihad.net/
http://pbskids.org/barney/

Today Harry was served home-made, organic bananas for breakfast. It took about 4 seconds to make. His pears were organic, too, but from a jar. I think it took me over a minute to get the jar open. There goes the argument for pre-packaged food being a time saver!

As far as the argument for affordability goes, the pears cost $.59 a jar at My Organic Market. Not sure what the bananas actually cost. More than $.59.
He’ll start avocados on Wednesday and those are $1.25 a pop. But well worth it.

http://www.avocado.org/health-nutrition/scientific-findings.php states the following:

· New Research Shows Avocados Act As Nutrient Booster
· Larger Avocado Serving Recommended For Those With Diabetes
· Avocados: Top-Ranking Fruit Rich In Flavor And Phytochemicals
· Study Reveals Avocados Highest Fruit Source Of Vitamin E
· Incorporating Color to Diet May Add Vitality, Years to Life
· Leading Nutrition Scientists Uncover Additional Benefits of California Avocados
· California Avocados Promote ‘Green Envy’ with Disease-Fighting Phytochemicals and Nutrients
· Phytochemicals Found in Avocados May Help Fight Heart Disease and Cancer
· Avocados Recommended in Latest Diabetes Guidelines
· Lutein In Avocados And Green Vegetables Can Help Prevent Prostate Cancer

Avocados, not just for babies anymore! Check the site for tips on how to store and prepare avocados as well.
One drawback- avocados help with good cholesterol. I read last week that the better your cholesterol, the more mosquitoes love you. Consider yourself warned!

Peek-a-boo! "Where's Harry?---There he is!"

This little game started early on when we were changing Harry's shirts and onesies.
Since we made a game of it, this kid actually likes having clothes pulled over his head!
By the time the shirt comes off, we get to see both dimples.

After I went back to work at PRA 8/17, I had more time to pick Harry up early. With the extra hours gained, I had to find ways to entertain the little guy. He liked to watch his little cloth diapers (or any other blanket) dance around in the air. Soon we would cover his face and Harry would giggle at this peek-a-boo game.

Much to my surprise, when I came home from Krav Maga today (Sunday 9/12) Kevin told me Harry was playing peek-a-boo by himself in his swing. I figured he was just covering his face with his teething blanket. No big deal. But later, I learned this was true- he now initiates "peek-a-boo"! His version is slightly faster than mine, but the game is the same. Harry covers his face and I say "Where's Ha---There he i---Where's Ha---There he---Where's Ha---There he is!" and he giggles as he raises and lowers the cloth. Turns out while he was in his swing he would raise the cloth, then lower it and giggle, then repeat. Kevin was in the kitchen watching him as he entertained himself.

This kid is so fun!

In other news: Pears were started on Thursday. Yum! He gobbles his food down now. May start bananas tomorrow, since I have some good ones. Would prefer avocados or sweet potatoes, but don't want to waste the nice, ripe, organic bananas we have.
New high chair put together. He looks so little in it! But with the mess he is making now, it is much better to use the full size chair. And he is comfy.
Doorway jumper also installed. He doesn't so much jump yet as move in circles and check out the scene---and clean the floor. His little sock was filthy! We may need to increase our Swiffing a bit!

The Sippy Cup.

Harry must have seen these in action. The second the lid closed on his shiny, new, blue and green Gerber sippy cup.gif, Harry grabbed a handle and held the cup to his mouth and began to drink. Ending with a big "Ah!" as though he had just had his first drink after a long race.

He's an old soul. Carl Jung would call it collective unconsciuos. The premise behind a collective unconscious is that we are born with an inherent knowledge gained from those who traveled before us. Perhaps sippy cup ability was not what Jung had in mind, but how else did Harry learn how to do this?

After a water break, we headed outside in the Baby Bjorn to play tag with Bailey- Harry's new favorite thing. When the mood strikes, Bailey runs around like a crazy person, barking and moving in circles. Harry and I chase her, and there is nothing funnier fro him than when Bailey barks. That gets you a big belly laugh! There is nothing funnier for me than when Harry gives you a hoarse little belly laugh, followed up with some giggles.

All of this play was followed up with a new treat: pears! We knew Harry was ready for solids. He can swallow them, he watches us eat our food...alll the stuff he is supposed to do (certainly, he has doubled his birth weight, so that criteria is checked off!). Rice cereal and otameal just were not big hits with him. Honestly, can you blame him? With the introduction of pears to his now less runny cereal, he finished off his whole bowl, this time angry when the spoon was too slow, as opposed to the previous problem of too fast.

They say they grow up fast. Again, harry must have caught wind of this from that whoel collective unconsciuos thing.

I'd like to thank everyone who's been calling, emailing, etc. to ask about the new job. I started at AT&T Government Solutions on Tuesday, and to say the least, it's quite a bit different from my previous endeavors.

For starters, I've gone from what I consider to be one of the smarter, more tech savvy employees of the office, to one more face in the crowd... nature of the beast I guess.

Funny story, one of my college roommates also works in the same building, and even knows my boss... Found that out the Friday before my first day, so it was nice to see a familiar face in the lobby, even though we haven't really seen each other since 1998.

It's been strange going to a new place, meeting all new people, and working on a project that doesn't remotely resemble anything sporting, but I suppose there comes a time when we all have to grow up and, as Ted Leonsis so profoundly noted in one of the last Caps' staff meetings that I attended, "go out and get a real job."

To those of you who remain in the un-real world of sports, just remember... I'll be calling you for comps!


Back to Harry... As this is of course his World.

Talk about development. I swear he's going to be sitting up on his own by this weekend. We've been working on what Kim refers to as "open-leg rockers" where while he's laying on his back, he grabs his feet out in front, and rolls into a seated position (with some help of course). This evening, he decided to practice on his own, but seems not yet to have figured out that he needs to hold on when pushing his feet down.

But he's getting it... Just preparing myself for when I go into his room to check on him, and he's sitting upright.

Can't wait!!!!

Harry got his first tooth!!!

Today is Kevin's last day with the Capitals. I know leaving was not an entirely easy decision for him. Hopefully this decision will be for the best. He has met a lot of fascinating people during his stint with Washington Sports and made many wonderful friends. As have I. And even Bailey for that matter! Where would Bailey be without Festus, Kody, Cooper, little Casey... ? I personally have shared many a happy hour, 4th of July BBQ, marathon (2!), Krav Maga Boot camp, baby shower, bridal shower, cab ride, a couple of 25th birthdays for Aidan, BNL concerts, DMB shows, ...and more weddings than we can count on two hands. Our own wedding would not have been as successful without all of the help and support from everyone who has ever "worked for or been fired by" Susan O'Malley. We've gotten to see people's kids grow up, and will hopefully get to see more of that in the future. We look forward to Harry growing up with them. I know we have led richer, fuller lives because of all of these people. The best part is, most of them do not even work there anymore either, yet we are still close.
At the very least, this will allow him more time with Harry. Speaking of Harry, people always ask how he does at daycare...if this guy could talk...or rather, if we knew for sure what he was actually saying, because he certainly has plenty to say, I am sure he would tell us how happy he is there. His face lights up in the morning when he sees Menike. Her husband goes to work at 4 AM so he can come home early and see the kids. When I went to pick Harry up yesterday, he was sitting on the sofa smiling at me. He was happy to see me, but not desperate to leave. The look on his face said he was the life of the party, and I should come sit on the sofa next to him and hang out. We play and cuddle and laugh when he is home. He is a happy kid. And I am glad he is happy at daycare. He loves to watch the other kids and is more happy when everyone is there (up to 4 of them). We are happy he has other people who care about him so much.
So, on that note, things are going well. And I hope they continue to go well for Kevin at his new job!

A lot of people ask us whether Harry is sleeping through the night. The fact is, he has slept well at night almost from the start. Just luck I guess, or Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. AT this point, he goes to sleep usually by 8, wakes up around 4, and goes back to sleep until we wake him up for "school." The fact that he is sleeping from 8-4 (and has his last bottle slightly before bedtime) may also have a bit to do with his age, the new rice cereal he has been eating, or maybe the new chamomile and lavender bath soap. Or that he sleeps on his tummy now, which I find scary. The SIDS Alliance can give Michael Moore a run for his money when it comes to propaganda. But, since our rooms are so close together (literally, two feet), I can usually hear him making sounds, grunting, kicking the toys in his crib and making the toy dogs bark. This morning I spent a half hour listening to him "singing" from 4:30-5. It was pretty sweet actually. I do have a feeling, though, that once this guy starts talking he's never going to stop!

He has also found both of his feet. They are just the most amazing toy ever. I try to mix things up a bit by putting bright socks on him, or his little mouse rattles. He has also found his hands. They seem to be even more fascinating then his feet. Ever see a cat on catnip? Same thing.

I still have not bothered to learn how to upload the photos from our camera, but I will have Kevin post some of the new cereal shots and the "Roll like a ball/Seal" poses (for you Pilates fans out there!).

As you can see from the photo, Harry turned 4 months old on Sunday!
He had 4 shots at the doctor's on Monday (DTaP, HIB, IPOL and HBV),
he weighed in at 18# 7oz (which I think was 93rd percentile) and is 24 1/2 inches tall (45%).
Obvioulsy his weight is a bit beyond his height, but the doctor is not worried. He is eating appropriately for his age. I stand by the fact that he is just a muscular, solid kid already. He holds his head well, and can hold himself in a standing position for a few minutes. Speaking of eating, he gets to start rice cereal today. I am sure we will have plenty of photos to post! Within the next month, he will get to start fruits and veggies. That should make for more exciting diaper changes!

For a little guy, Harry takes up a lot of room. When the 4 of us travel, it is no easy task. Now that he is in his bigger car seat, it will not even be possible for the 4 of us to travel together. Well, I guess Bailey could share the front seat with someone....
Harry's seat takes up my whole back seat, and Bailey forgets she can't step on him, so she cannot sit in the back. We used to let her sit up front, and I would sit with Harry.
We usually do not drive far with Kevin's car, since it is older than all of us. But, it does have space. VWs, not so much.
So, we need a bigger car. We'd prefer German engineering. We'd also like to not use a lot of gas, and still be able to find parking in the city. We'd like to access the car seat easily. I'd love a whole row for Bailey. Oh, and we need room for the stroller, possibly the jogger, pack and play, luggage, Bailey's bed, a case of water, dry cleaning, a bike rack...And not spend too much money. Oh, and no mini vans, please.
Any suggestions?
If we can get a hybrid, we can use the HOV lanes, for now, even if Harry is not in the car...
Speaking of HOV lanes, I used to feel guilty for counting Harry as my second person. AFter being stuck in traffic with a kid in a rear facing car seat, I now realize they were designed specifically for babies!

And so it goes...

For those of you who haven't heard already, I've officially tendered my resignation with the Washington Capitals after spending just over eight years with the organization. I'll be moving on to become a Systems Administrator under contract to AT&T Government Solutions.

I'd like to thank everyone from Washington Sports & Entertainment, DC Arena Limited Partnership & MCI Center, and especially the Capitals for the amazing opportunities I've been afforded during my varied employment. Some of you have since moved on to bigger & better things, and now it's my turn to leave the nest.

Professionally, I'd like to point out: John Nash and Tara Greco for granting the internship with the Bullets that got me in the door... to Susan O'Malley for giving me a job, even after bearing witness to some embarrassing intern/mascot antics (some people will do ANYTHING to get a job)... to Gordon Armstrong and Ed Thompson for teaching me just about everything I know about computers & networks... to Ann Nicolaides for allowing me to be on her payroll long enough to find out that while I'm not cut out for Marketing, I can still contribute... to George Parr and Michelle Trostle for bringing me back on board to the Capitals Organization after the sale...

It's been an amazing time... my first full year was the first season the Bullets had been to the playoffs in longer than anyone had cared to remember. We got swept by the Bulls, but the energy was intense. Year two was marked by the Caps first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup finals. The NBA Draft, the NBA All-Star game, several NCAA tournaments... Almost too much fun. It doesn't seem like as much of a job when you're surrounded by that kind of excitement and the people who go along with it.

Thanks to my family and friends for putting up with my schedule... more times than I care to count, I'd have to return home early from Thanksgiving Dinner for a game, or work New Year's Eve and/or New Year's Day, but the time has come to move on. I remember thinking as a kid, "...What's it like to have to work on Christmas day?" when we'd watch the Lakers & Celtics play after opening gifts all morning. Who knew that I'd become that guy?

And so, by the end of the month, I will no longer be an employee of professional sports. For the first time in my career, I will have something that vaguely resembles a 40-hour work week...

now that's odd.