Bright Eyes

Merry Christmas!

Audrey has plenty of smiles to share with Mom and Dad - the best xmas present ever!

Audrey opened her gifts from Jean with a little help from Mom. Her, she models a new onesie.

Audrey was kind enough to sleep through dinner so we could enjoy an unhurried meal together for a change.

Audrey hosts an exclusive crib party for her buddy, Bethiah

When Kris and Rebecca get together, Audrey and Bethiah get a chance to visit as well. Not like they have any choice. But still, they appear to enjoy each other's company, don't they? And they are cute as buttons.

Super-Size Me-- It's Christmas!

Welcome to the Extra-Large Holiday Edition of ChickpeaCentral. I would like to dedicate this posting to my mommy friends who received my "S.O.S." e-mail yesterday with my plea for help with sleep issues and just general parenting burnout. Thanks for your calls and e-mails. This morning, we're all feeling a lot better. Good to know you're out there.

Piglet becomes her.

All of a sudden, the 3-month size clothes fit her, and I sort of thought they never would. Like this Piglet snowsuit from her Great Aunt Jane. Pa Skip and Nanu will note that they new toy they sent is hanging from the handle of her carseat, where it keeps her distracted during "strap in for take-off" time.

The Latest of the Infernal Contraptions

Scott decided that Audrey should have at least one real Christmas gift from her parents (I thought that living here rent-free was enough, but he disagreed) so he got her a Baby Einstein play mat, and let her open it early. Later that same day, friends Jason and Elizabeth brought by a bouncy seat that their daughter Alice has outgrown; this one is really great because you can keep a nice bounce going with just one foot while doing something else!

We are ignoring the recent news reports that the Baby Einstein play mats actually reduce I.Q. because they overstimulate. As evidenced below, the best toy is still Dad anyway-- and he requires fewer double AA batteries.

We all get the blues, sometimes.

Okay, truth in advertising. Audrey sometimes cries. And screams. And leaves angry correspondence at the front desk. We do our best, but sometimes our kid-- like all kids-- is hard to decipher, and even harder to please. Yesterday was one of those days. But we made it through, and she did reward us with a few smiles here and there. We decided not to evict her afterall.

All those in favor of milk for lunch, please indicate by a show of hands.

You can't really see it here, but I was trying to take a picutre of the dress that she's wearing-- the first time she's worn one.

T.V. watching buddies.

Dear Readers...

The true identity of the ChickpeaCentral blogger is revealed. It's her blog, we just do the typing.

We are tired. So very, very tired.

Last night, for reasons we cannot explain, we thought it would be just hysterical if we put the boppy pillow on our heads. Loss of brain functioning? I think so.

Toys: An Epiphany

Nanu and Pa Skip send some new toys from Cashmere and she digs them!

Not quite ready for the back pack, but getting there...

She did well for the first couple of minutes, and then her head sagged forward and she couldn't pick it back up again. Rides in the pack will have to wait for a little while.

Hat Hair.

Thin at the back, long on top, and fluffy all over. Now that the air is winter-dry in our house, everyone's hair is electric and we have to be careful not to give Audrey a shock when kiss her. It makes her really mad.

At the risk of jinxing a good thing, I want to report that Audrey had her most excellent night of sleep so far last night: six hours, a quick meal, then back to sleep for three more hours! And of course, instead of sleeping peacefully through it, Scott and I were lying there thinking, "Oh, no- is she all right? Did she leave? What's going on?" We know better now than to expect a repeat tonight, but, you know, a couple steps in the right direction... I'm sure we are just days away from Audrey bringing us breakfast in bed. (Actually, I can't wait to be served breakfast in bed by Audrey, perhaps on Mother's Day one of these years. A messy tray of sloshed orange juice and toast crumbs everywhere, and a card signed in crayon. Scott will help her carry it up the stairs. It'll be fantastic.)

Sunday morning smiles

Scott caught these elusive smiles on camera this morning while I was catching a few extra zzzzz's upstairs. Last night we went to two holiday parties and Audrey slept through much of the evening, but was up way way WAY past her usual bedtime, so our Sunday is off to a slow start. It's noon and we just ate breakfast.

Audrey hopes to trigger a return of the 80's shoulder-padded look with this new sleeper ensemble. Thanks, as always, to Bethiah, whose hand-me-downs are keeping our kid clothed.

You will be shocked to discover what has just happened in my diaper.

No, seriously mom. Photo shoot's over. I mean it. I need clean pants.

The view from up here, several months later

I took this picture to compare to the one I took early in my pregnancy when I could look down and just start to see a baby bump. Now, when I look down I often see Audrey asleep in her sling. I love how she crosses her hands in there. So sweetly civilized.

Holiday Burnout Claims Another Victim

Audrey was pretty worn out by our shopping trip this morning. I got both of us all ready to go in under an hour-- no small feat for a new mom. Diaper bag stocked and ready? Check! Stroller assembled with carseat safetly snapped in? I'm on it! Baby freshly diapered, recently fed and appropriately dressed for the cold? Done! Purse in hand? Got it! We made out way through the ice and snow all the way to the shops in Arlington Center (a distance of about 1/4 mile, but hard going with a stroller and un-shoveled sidewalks) when I discovered that I had left my wallet on the kitchen table. Oh, well. At least I remembered my house key...

Ah, sweet sleep!

A more experienced mother than I would probably say that sneaking into the baby's room to snap a picture of her during her morning nap, and using the camera flash, is probably a really dumb thing to do, but I couldn't resist. Luckily for me, she didn't stir and I was able to sneak back downstairs to post this picture while she's still up there dreaming about buckets of warm milk, or whatever it is that a two-month old dreams about. She is actually taking naps, most days! We wrap her up in one of her cotton swaddlers, a mode which we call "Farewell to Arms." Swaddling works so well I think will be keep trying to do it until she's ten.

A demure half-grin, just like Mother's

Am I being egotistical if I think that all the ways in which Audrey resembles me are also her most adorable qualities? Surely this is just coincidence. Look at her: doesn't she just redefine cuteness?

Baby's First Opera

Parents are always bragging about their children's early accomplishments. But in our case, we want you to know that our Chickpea really is a freakin' genious. Here she is making her recent debut at Teatro La Scala in Milan, where she conducted a piece by Poo-cini. You can see her passion for the music in her eyes. We're so proud of her.

Things I swore I'd never do as a parent...

1. Allow baby to grow accustomed to falling asleep in my arms or splayed across my body. So much for that plan. But it's awfully sweet, isn't it?
2. Discuss the contents of my child's diapers with others. At least I can say that I mostly keep this kind of conversation to friends who also have children... and have seen a few thousand diapers in their time. And I try to avoid using nicknames like "Poopy McPoops-a-lot" when we are outside the house.
3. Carry and/or wear the baby almost continuously. Your correspondent is currently wearing a sleeping baby. And eating her words.
4. Make that drinking her words-- I also swore I would never drink caffinated coffee while breastfeeding and even gave my mom a hard time about having done this. I mean, it's just common sense, right?! And yet here I am, six in the morning, enjoying every last caffinated drop. But it's only one cup a day. And I can quit any time I want.

Thanksgiving kitchen staff, asleep on the job.

Scott is making pie dough here while Audrey hangs lifelessly in the baby bjorn... She now has enough neck control that she can ride in the facing-out position, which she seems to find totally facinating. There's a lot of drool flowing these days, so we have to put a wash cloth in front of her face to absorb some of it. And every day she's a little bit better at reaching for things, so the baby-bjorn wearer must be watchful. At the time of this posting, she is back in her traditional facing-in position, fast asleep on Mom. And drooling buckets.

Thanksgiving dinner was eaten at Kate, Michael and Sam's home in Dorchester. A good time was had by all.

Look deeply into my eyes... you are getting very tired...

Or not. Okay, looks like you're wide awake. Like me. Can I get a hand getting out of this crib?

Puttin' the dogs up

Could someone hand me the remote?

Baby slings: not just for the baby anymore!

Now that Scott spends much of his time managing a domestic empire at home, he can apply his sharply honed engineering skills to real-life problems such as: how do I get all the groceries into the house with only two hands and this empty sling? Here is his ingenious solution, patent pending.

In the fall leaves with Nanu

This was taken outside in our "backyard," a 10 x 10 patch of grass at the end of the driveway. Joyce, if you are reading this: we will mail your white fleece jacket back to Cashmere, soon as we can get down to the post office!

Pa Skip and Audrey (inside the babybjorn) at Walden Pond

Pa Skip finally visits the site of Thoreau's year in the wilderness, Walden Pond out in Concord, MA. Audrey doesn't really care for philosophers yet, she just wants someone to walk her in the baby bjorn. And walk, and walk and walk...

Daddy's girl

Hmmm... if I can perfect this cuteness strategy, I can get all kinds of things from Dad. Extra time in the sling, later bedtimes, perhaps a car for my sweet sixteen. The possibilities are endless. Dad is putty in my hands.

Disguised as a marshmallow peep.

Aaaaaawwwwwww. How cute is this??!!



We are not amused.

First on-camera smile!

Gramma Jean has dubbed this one, "The Mona Lisa Smile."

It's subtle, but that's definitely a smile. The toy on her head is from friends Laurisa and Arnie.