Whitney & Ryan & Julian & Scarlett

Monkey see, monkey do

2009-06-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

We have lots of teeth.

2009-06-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Bike-go-round

2009-05-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

At the MakerFaire this weekend, Julian got to sit on an oversized swing set, enjoy a private concert of kids music, decorate a chocolate-covered Oreo, and ride this merry-go-round made of bikes.

Scarlett did these activities as well, minus the Oreo, but probably won't remember them next year.

The cool thing about this ride is that the inventor just made it for fun. No business model here; just the smile it puts on the faces of the riders.

No use crying over it

2009-05-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

Scarlett helped herself to a half-gallon of milk that was sitting on the table. Yes, pretty much the entire half-gallon.

As a result, we have ditched the dining room rug. FLOR tiles, maybe we'll try you again in a few years.

Then she and her cousin had a pretty good laugh over it.

It's Birthday Week

2009-05-14T13:32:00.001-07:00

1973 part 1
Originally uploaded by small fry

Just when I was thinking of quitting this blog, I was inspired by my own birthday.

I am going to be 36, the age my mom was when I was 13. I remember her being this age and sometimes feel that I'm imitating her, borrowing her voice and way of talking, her handwriting and her style. But I also keep in mind that I'm now double the years she was when she married my dad. So maybe I'm actually becoming my grandmother. I'm not sure.

Looking at these pictures of 1973, most of them not mine, is a blast from someone's past. The art and home furnishings are terrific. Or are they terrifying?

Picture from a Swedish magazine Husmodern 33/1973

Inside of a 1973 BMW

Datsun (I had one of these...)

Me and my dad, plus me in my crib with the plastic bumpers

So, what do you think? 1973 is the year of awesome, right?

Paradise Found

2009-03-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

We just spent 3 days at Paradise Point in San Diego. We tired Julian out by providing nonstop activity and stimulation such that he fell asleep at 6 pm the day after we returned.

("How did he sleep after falling asleep so early?" you might ask. No worse than usual. He came in our room at 3.30 am to gleefully announce that he just had a dream in which he and Scarlett were chasing Boots and Dora. Um, go back to your room and don't make any noise until 7 am, please.)

The cousins got some time together, and I read a book, not a magazine, for the first time in almost a year. I was reminded that down time is really more "down" outside of my own house. I must seek out more of this.

More pics of the weekend are here.

40-year old fuses

2009-02-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

Ryan just found these in our garage. The previous owner had written a date with pencil on one of the packages. That date is 9/20/68.

I didn't even know they had pencils back then.

Why these new pics are brought to you by Facebook

2009-02-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

Through Facebook, I recently hooked up with an old friend from gymnastics/jr high, Sharon Montrose. I learned that she is a professional photographer in LA and I instantly fell in love with her work. She specializes in animals, especially dogs, but also shoots kids for various parenting publications. I don't even love dogs (I only like them okay), but Sharon makes them look so charming.

(You can buy this piece from Sharon on Etsy.)

So, I asked her to write up some tips for RookieMoms.com, which she did. Now we have a delightful photo tips page.

I was myself inspired to take a different approach to snapping pictures of my kids by looking at Sharon's work. I just took a bunch of pics of Scarlett in the tub where I focused more on capturing the event and the aesthetics of the bathroom setting as a backdrop to a toddler's exuberance in the tub. I dropped the obsession with capturing her eye contact and smile. I think I got some great shots in terms of composition. (They are a bit grainy due to the lighting challenges of the bathroom.)

Tell me which ones you like.

Skeleton Veggies

2009-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

Better late than never.

I took a picture of the veggie plate at Julian's birthday party because I wanted to share with the world the cuteness of this crudite skeleton I ordered my brother to make for our Halloweenish fiesta.

He did an excellent job and I thank him. Now. In January.

Cycle For Survival

2009-01-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that Jen Goodman Linn, a friend of ours, has been fighting a rare cancer for several years now. Recent news that her cancer has returned is a disappointment to us all. Jen has let us know how we can help and Ryan and I are taking action.

Jen and Dave Linn created an event called Spin4Survival, an indoor team cycling fundraiser held in January 2007. She envisioned an event that would “reward and challenge the mind, body, and soul” — one that would eventually become national in scope. The inaugural event was an inspiration for all who attended. The second annual fundraiser far surpassed projected goals, with more than 120 teams “geared up to battle cancer,” including worldwide satellite teams. In total, the event has raised more than $800,000 and has grown into the fundraiser now known as Cycle for Survival.

“The fact that this event has directly benefited patients motivates me to keep going,” Jen said. “We’ve gained momentum, and we’ve already changed the way we’re fighting this illness. I have great hope that this will ultimately lead to more treatment breakthroughs and higher survival rates for those with rare cancers, so that more of us will live to tell our unique tales.”

This month, we'll ride as part of a satellite team in the Bay Area. It would mean a lot to us and to the Linn and Goodman families to have your support. (That means dollars.) Click here to donate and stay tuned to find out how we did.

Merry Christmas Day 2008

2008-12-25T14:57:00.001-08:00

Julian and Scarlett love them some christmas!

Bubblicious

2008-12-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

Why 4-year olds are weird:

They make up languages
They wear rain boots in the dry summer
They stick their fingers in their noses absentmindedly
They come in your room at 3 am to invite you to come into their rooms
They want to eat rice with their fingers
They don't believe it is wonderful to be invited to lay down for an hour in the middle of the day
They make 5 or 10 horizontal lines in their capital "E"
They say "nipples!" and giggle when their shirts are off

Or maybe it's just ours.

Genetic study

2008-12-01T14:47:00.001-08:00

On the left, I am pictured in the tub, circa 1974. On the right, a printout of Scarlett earlier this year. Comments?

Birthday 4.0

2008-10-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today, I was sitting on the couch, 11 days past my due date, barely able to breathe due to all the space my fetus was taking up in my torso. And two days later, Julian arrived, making us parents.

On Wednesday he'll have his third birthday party of the season. His first was with my cousins and his second was this weekend with his friends. Dinosaur digging in the sand table, mini-pumpkin hunting, and cupcake eating were enjoyed by all the kids. See all the pictures if you need proof.

Partying with Scarlett

2008-10-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Untitled from whitneymoss on Vimeo.

Preschool field trip

2008-10-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Julian and Zenaida

From Monterey Market

Scarlett at home

2008-09-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Underwear Do's and Don'ts

2008-09-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today children's book author Todd Parr came to Julian's preschool. I was very excited about this, since we are big fans of his colorful books. We own two: This Is Your Hair and Funny Faces. I even wrote my own board book, inspired by This Is Your Hair a couple of years ago.

This morning when Julian got ready for school, he put on two pairs of plain white underwear, one atop the other. Both backwards. This is really not a battle worth fighting, so I said nothing.

Interestingly, one of the books Todd gave to the school was Underwear Do's and Don'ts which has a page that explains how one should not wear multiple pairs of underwear at the same time. When I picked Julian up from school, there was one pair of plain white undies in his cubby.

I sent Julian to school with his well-worn copy of Funny Faces. I hoped that someone would facilitate Julian getting it signed by the author and I explained this to Julian last night when I told him to bring the book to school. Tonight, from the bathtub, when Ryan questioned J about his experience with Todd, Julian reported that he did indeed get his book signed. "He wrote my name and a heart because Todd loves me," he explained confidently. "When I am bigger than a grandpa," he continued, "will I be the author of Funny Faces?"

"No," Ryan had to tell him. "Todd Parr already wrote Funny Faces. You'll have to come up with your own book."

I really hope he does.

Liveblogging a vacation

2008-08-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

We are at the mid-point of our Santa Cruz summer vacation. So far, excellent.

We arrived in the late afternoon on Monday and were delighted by the location of the hotel, The Dream Inn. (Oh, and the first lovely part of the day was that we had our babysitter come and watch the kids for 5 hours while we took our time preparing for the trip. So worth it!) We upacked at the hotel, had poolside drinks and then went to a vegetarian restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz called Malabar. Delicious.

Tuesday we floated from beach to pool to the Boardwalk where Julian enjoyed carnival rides and a Chinese acrobat performance and Ryan and I DID NOT enjoy the food. We had dinner outside at the hotel pool and it was far more relaxing than the restaurant. Julian danced in place while he ate, and that went over just fine. Scarlett is a total maniac and you don't even want to know what she was doing while we ate. "What wasn't she doing?" is a more appropriate question.

Wednesday was more pooltime and rides and then downtown for dinner. The Taco Bar in The Palomar restaurant was perfect for our overtired little people. I was feeling a little fuzzy after only 1/3 of my pina colada, so I poured the rest in a sippy cup and drank it on the way home. Classy.

More details later, and more pictures are here.

The dress up box has been in use

2008-08-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

An uncommonly mischevious adventure

2008-08-05T15:20:00.001-07:00

A couple of years ago, we made an "instrument" out of a small tin. We filled it with brown rice - uncooked - duh - and closed it, sealing it with packaging tape. Julian decorated it with stickers and it became a shaker. It was durable and got tossed around in our large bin of musical instruments, surfacing every now and then to remind me that we should make things together more often.

Now let me say that as the parents of Julian, we haven't yet experienced much in the way of the classic naughty preschooler tales you hear. There have been no markers on the wall, DIY haircuts, or snakes, snails or puppy dog tails in my purse.

Yesterday, however, I was treated to a little trouble making. Of course this is entirely my fault for leaving three-and-three-quarter-year olds unsupervised in the house for more than 10 seconds, but live and learn, right?

You can guess where this is going, I'm sure. I looked up from the backyard and see that Julian and his playmate Lila are gleefully screaming something to me from the window of his bedroom. They are very excited and seem to want my attention. I go upstairs where I can hear them saying "Magic seeds! We're eating magic seeds! There are magic seeds everywhere!"

And indeed there were. Brown rice - at least three years old - was everywhere in Julian's room. And pieces of brown rice were on and around the shiny wet lips of the hyperactive preschoolers.

"Stop! Don't eat that rice!" I said.
With full eye contact, they both picked more rice from the carpet and put it in their mouths.
"It's magic seeds!" they said.

After some explanation about how you should not eat things that might not be food, like what you find inside an instrument or a stuffed animals, the twosome was persuaded to come downstairs where their moms could watch them better. We left a storm of brown rice behind in Julian's room which facilitated a more productive conversation after Lila left about what kinds of things are safe to put in one's mouth.

I was annoyed at the mess, but I could not stop laughing on the inside, of course. Plus, no worries about lack of whole grains in this kid's diet today.

Being Savvy

2008-07-31T13:55:00.001-07:00

I am blogging for Savvy Source, a preschool directory, about activities to do with preschoolers in the East Bay. East Bay parents, check it out!

Baby in the sky -- with diamonds

2008-07-29T14:48:00.001-07:00

This post sponsored by Sony

2008-07-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Sony gave me a new camera since I am an "influential mommyblogger" who will blog about it. It is a Cybershot and it has smile detection. A cool idea, but I haven't tested it out completely, so I can't say if it works as promised. It did capture the smile in the above picture.

We took pictures for Scarlett's birthday party and our mini-vacation in Tahoe with the new camera and now I will share them.
Take a look >

We're baaaack

2008-06-22T21:28:00.001-07:00

After 4.5 months in a rental, we are back home. Sure there are still boxes in the office (totally my responsibility) and the trim is not entirely painted (because I freaked out about the color and told them to stop painting), but it's nice to be here. Really, it's more than nice. It's delightful. I love our neighborhood and I especially love parking in my own driveway. I love that Julian can play in his room while Scarlett is napping in her own room. I love that we have tons of light, a closet large enough for our clothes, a toilet for each person who uses toilets around here, and a dishwasher and garbage disposal. I'd say we did fine without all these things, but it is incredibly relaxing to have them all.

In order to take nice pictures of the new space, I would have to put away all my clothes and things, and since that's never going to happen, I will leave you with a taste of the paint colors.

I love them so much that I can't think of a title for this post

2008-06-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

Summertime

2008-05-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

The one where Julian was a frat boy

2008-05-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today, in celebration of the launch of my book, the Parent Bloggers Network is hosting a blog blast. This means that anyone who wants to should blog on the chosen topic and then send them the link. They post all the links so that everyone can enjoy each other's post on the topic. And today the topic is... activities for a mom's rookie year.

Keeping this short, the story is that Heather and I put both of our sons in her car and tried to go to a kid-centric cafe in a neighborhood a little outside our familiarity. We do such things just because we like a good challenge. If you don't get the challenge here, you probably haven't tried to install a rear-facing car seat in someone else's car while your baby climbs on you. It turned out the cafe was closed, so we decided what we needed was a beer.

Knowing that any place that serves food with their beer probably has high chairs, we went to a family restaurant/sports bar and plopped the babes in two high chairs and ordered two beers.

Then Julian puked. But only on his own shirt.

I grabbed him out of the high chair and ran out the door of the pub. I held him over the gutter where he puked again. Classy.

Then he was fine. He seemed unbothered by having just emptied his stomach. So, I cleaned him up, put him back in his high chair, and finished my beer. I think this is known amongst the fraternity set as "boot and rally", but I went to a women's college on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, so I am not totally sure.

And that, my friends, is just one of many adventures on which I took Julian during his early days. To read more from other parents reflecting on their rookie year, check out the blog blast write up on the Parent Bloggers Network. If you have a blog, share your best, bizarrest, coolest, whatever rookie mom year outing and win some prizes (all weekend long).

Fairyland

2008-04-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

This morning, Julian woke up in a terrible mood. He whined and tantrumed and I wanted to make him go away.

Instead, I took him to Fairyland.

We met H & H there, and it was the first time in a very long time that just the rookie babies were brought on a double date.

I think we all loved it. (No offense to the younger sibs.)

There's really no end or punchline to this story. Just a really nice Sunday.

Jimmy Crackcorn

2008-04-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

If you don't find this hilarious, you must not be three years old.

Untitled from whitneymoss on Vimeo.

We've heard this song at least 642 times this weekend.

Spring in San Luis Obispo

2008-03-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Every year we get together with Stephanie and Hope, my two best friends from Junior High. That's what we called it before Middle Schoool came to LA. Now we have husbands and hecka kids.

Here we are.

And here are the seven reasons our Sunday mornings together start at 6.30 AM.

More pictures from March are here >

The fashion police live here

2008-03-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ryan came home from downtown San Francisco with about five new items of clothing for each of his kids. Dresses, sunglasses, headbands. You get the idea.

+++

This morning, Julian pulled a pink and white-striped shirt out of Scarlett's drawer and said, "Mommy, when Scarlett comes to pick me up from school today, I want her to wear this."

I wonder where he gets it.

+++

I'm off to preschool pick-up now, and Scarlett is dressed as ordered.

The meaning of Zero

2008-02-28T21:27:00.000-08:00

Julian is interested in "none", "nobody", "zero" and "nothing". This is a recent conversation we had:

Julian: Scarlett only has a little hair. Mommy, does Scarlett have no hair?
Me: Scarlett does have some hair.
Julian: Who has no hair?
Me: I guess Milo has no hair.
Julian: Milo has no hair.

I remember something.

Me: Julian, you know who really has no hair? Wayne.
Julian: Yeah! Wayne has ZERO hair!

Wayne and the woman who would become Milo's mom, September 2001

Scarlett swings

2008-02-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

Untitled from whitneymoss on Vimeo.

Five things that don't suck about our short-term rental

2008-02-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

5. The kids' room. They have plenty of space for their beds and a large play area in between them. Most importantly, they can both cry out in the night and not wake each other up. This feature is actually undergoing rigorous testing this week.

4. Instant Hot. Heather has been telling me how wonderful it is for about a year, but now, thanks to our landlord's Japanese water heater, we have 200-degree water on demand. Effortless tea all day long and warm baby food in a jiffy.

3. Proximity to our home and preschool. While we're not exactly in our own neighborhood, it could have been much worse. We talked about San Rafael. It takes about 10 minutes to drive to our house from this condo.

2. The shower. When I saw the clawfoot tub and not-new showerhead, I knew it was likely to deliver a less-than satisfying stream of water. To my delight, the water is forceful and hot for plenty of time. Again, what I'm after is for it not to suck. I'll head over to the Claremont when I need a real spa day.

1. The view. We could not ask for more. I took this picture from the deck of our rental the other night. A clear night reveals even more detail.

Picture of the day

2008-02-07T15:16:00.001-08:00

Shameless self-promotion

2008-01-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

If you are as anxious to get your hands on a copy of my book as thousands of first-time moms must be (ha!), go ahead and pre-order it on Amazon!

Heather and I got our advanced copies in the mail yesterday and we are super duper excited! The illustrations, by Amy Saidens who we have never met, are really cute, and Ryan even has a credit as the photographer of the author photo in the back jacket.

Wish us luck with sales!

Quiz: Name that swinging baby

2008-01-06T15:59:00.000-08:00

Study the pictures below. Use the comments link to identify which baby (Julian or Scarlett) is in each picture A-D.
More new pictures are posted from this holiday season. (click here.)

Having a daughter means...

2007-12-17T11:06:00.001-08:00

...dressing her however I want.

See Scarlett in action.

Eight Crazy Nights

2007-12-08T20:46:00.001-08:00

Lighting the candles.
Opening presents.
Monkey slippers for everyone!
Sweater for me!

Note that we spent the fifth night of Hanukkah putting up our tree.

The one where Julian has just returned from Mardi Gras

2007-11-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

Little green lies

2007-11-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

Ryan has just popped a few Jelly Bellies into his mouth. Enter Julian, stage right.

Julian: Daddy, what are you eating?
Ryan: Asparagus.

Paci, RIP

2007-10-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

Do you know about Halloween Magic? Well, I'll tell you. You put your candy right outside your bedroom door on Halloween night. In the morning, your candy will have magically disappeared and turned into a present! Perhaps it will be a Fisher-Price medical kit. Or maybe a child-sized musical instrument. You don't know yet because it's a surprise!

This lie is the first of many that we'll be telling Julian. It feels wrong to me, but I know we'll be talking all about Santa over the next couple of months, so I decided we should just jump in and get started with all the myth-making.

Halloween was a big hit at our house. We put decorations in the window that provided hours and hours of discussion and entertainment for the three talking members of the household. Julian was perfectly happy with his hand-me-down skeleton costume. He kept telling me that although it came from Lucas, Grandma Marilyn was the one who gave it to Lucas. I don't know where he got such an idea, but I went with it.

Scarlett celebrated her first Halloween as a Jazzercise queen. When we showed her off to our friends, instead of "That's so cute," we heard, "That's just wrong." If dressing my daughter as a Flashdance extra is wrong, I don't want to be right.

And final news for the month: We acknowledged Birthday 3.0 with a small party in our backyard and then we said goodbye to Julian's pacifiers. There was no myth involved. "Paci", as it was known, did not get taken by the Easter Bunny or mailed off to a new baby, nor did it "break". It is simply sitting on a shelf unused. Perhaps it is me or Ryan who is mourning the loss and unable to just throw them away. Paci, you were a good friend. We miss you already.

I'm a pirate! With bad teeth! Wearing Arrrrgh-yle!

2007-10-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

Helmet hair

2007-10-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

Julian and Paxton had a blast at a block party in front of Paxton's house this weekend. Julian sat on Paxton's grandpa's steps and strummed a guitar along with some actual musicians for so long that he got a blister on his finger. They cruised around on their tricycles, ate potlucked food, and socialized to the best of their abilities.

If you've seen the movie SuperBad, and can remember the scene where the two high school buddies tell each other that they love each other and want to shout it from the top of the roofs, you understand how Julian and Paxton feel about each other.

Seeing the picture my mom took of them on their bikes reminded me of a picture I took exactly two years ago. They are a couple of weeks away from turning three years old right now, and a couple of weeks away from their first birthdays in the other picture.

Three Monkeys ... or ... two J-Dogs and a monkey in my parent's family room in August

2007-10-03T13:51:00.001-07:00

It's Wordless Wednesday in the blogosphere.

Wassup, Cuz?

2007-10-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

Calvin, Scarlett's older cousin, shows her how to play with a Gymini.

Bonus Julian story

Ryan: We have to go pick up the Honda.
Julian: It's too heavy, silly! We have to drive it.

> More family photos

Scarlett pushes 11 weeks

2007-09-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

See more pictures from this week.

Timothy Hutton: Milkman?

2007-09-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

A playground friend told us that Julian looks like Timothy Hutton. Thoughts?

Siblings without Rivalry

2007-09-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Of course you should not compare your children. Of course you shouldn't.

Julian's first shave

2007-09-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

A pretend one, of course.

Namaste

2007-09-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Since my parents always delight in hearing about the baby-centric adventures I have in Berkeley, I have to post this picture of Scarlett at her first yoga class, at five and a half weeks old. For $14, you spend two hours in a yoga studio with your baby, doing poses for your own well being and performing infant massage on your baby. Babysitters are on hand to cuddle your baby should she become bored with the spa-like experience she's receiving.

At this particular post-natal massage class, each student's station has a yoga mat for Mom and a cozy pillowy bed for baby. A bottle of massage oil, a clean washcloth, and a soft toy are set up, right next to your yoga brick and strap. When Scarlett got fussy, I was offered my preferred brand of swaddling blanket, and once she was calmed, an extra set of arms to rock her to sleep while I downwarded my dog and saluted my sun. At some point during the class, the instructor says something about how special your baby is. One mom was told that she looked like she needed a hug, and given one.

I'd love to go to yoga class tomorrow, but I have an appointment for another Berkeley baby task, a fitting with the Nursing Bra Nazi at Cotton and Company.

A glimpse of the future

2007-08-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of time with my mom this week. Now that I have a daughter, I think it makes us both think about the past, when I was a baby and she was a young adult, and also about the future-- what will it be like when my children are grown?

The more Julian talks to us, the more hypotheses we are able to make about what his future profession might be.

Used Car Salesman
Walking by a full parking lot.
Julian: That's a Honda, that's another Honda, that's a Lexus. That's a Prius. A Prius is a Toyota.

Lactation Consultant
I sit down to nurse Scarlett.
Julian: Take out your breast for her. There you go. Now, you need a pillow?

Advertising Creative
I am wearing a thick, red bathrobe, but decide I don't have time to shower, so I begin dressing.
Me: I changed my mind. I'm not going to take a shower now.
Julian: You still have your red towel on.
Me: Actually, it's called a bathrobe.
Julian: Actually, it's called a shower robe.

Executive Recruiter or Matchmaker
He has been whining.
Ryan: I don't like whining and Mommy doesn't like whining.
Julian: Does Scarlett like whining?

Psychologist
A moment of silence passes.
Julian: What do you think, Mommy?

And in the seventh week, she smiled.

2007-08-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Auntie Em

2007-08-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

Emily stayed here for a few days last week. Thank god. She woke up in the morning with Julian for three mornings in a row. Anyone who wants to do that is welcome to come stay with us.

When my friend Mary stopped by and met Emily, she remarked that we talk alike. We believe this because we've heard it before, but it's a funny thing since we are almost nine years apart and have never lived together. Other notable similarities between us: picky eating, not very tall, and a strong affinity for customizing t-shirts.

Apparently my dad carries the DIY gene.

Less a leader than a follower

2007-08-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

Since Julian has gotten old enough to socialize, we've noticed that he's more often found imitating his friends than recruiting them to get into any two year-old-style mischief that he's come up with on his own. If one of them starts rolling around on the grass, he'll roll around on the grass. If someone else blows bubbles in their milk, he'll blow bubbles in his milk. However, if we go to the park and he doesn't see any friends there, it's quite likely that he'll just sit on my lap for twenty minutes before engaging with the playground. And now, he has started a phase of being completely unable to make a decision.

Me: Do you want water, juice, or milk?
Julian: Can you pick for me, Mommy?

Since my dream for him is to become a rock star of the indie or punk variety, I was hoping he'd have some charismatic leader qualities. But I'm starting to think he is unlikely to be the front man.

Me: What color sticker do you want, Julian?
Julian: Which color YOU want, Mommy?

Perhaps the overwhelming responsibility of big brotherhood is burning him out.

Julian: I'm going to sing now.
Me: Ok, what song are we going to hear?
Julian: Can you make a request?

I guess he's just not very independent at the moment. Perhaps he'll get by on his looks.

Scarlett meets her great-grandfather, Papa Bob

2007-08-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Your Scarlett fix for the day

2007-07-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

Something for which I am thankful

2007-07-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'll be attending a memorial service for someone who really mattered to me, even though I didn't know her very well. Sherry Reinhardt was the founder of the support groups for new moms in Berkeley, and more than 6000 of us were lucky enough to be helped out by her over the past twenty years.

I wanted to write a really great explanation about how much my mom's group means to me, but the words are not coming. I am moved to tears and overwhelmed by the love and camaraderie I get from this group (and of course, my private parts hurt, I haven't slept through the night for two weeks, I have two children under three, and a manuscript to review by next week, so I am overwhelmed by everything around me.)

During the group meetings where we all met, Sherry led us through discussing issues of sleep, extended family, sex, and self-esteem. She helped us find coping techniques. She coached us to go on outings, taking our brand new babies out in the world, even when it rained. She told us to go to each other's houses in order to keep each other company and combat the isolation that comes with having a newborn, but that cleaning up for your guests and providing snacks was not expected.

The coping techniques I learned from my sessions with her have become the foundation for the book I'm writing: The Rookie Mom's Handbook. I will be eternally grateful to Sherry for that. My creative spin on her ideas ultimately led me to take a chance on writing this book, and it's actually being published next Spring.

I feel lucky to have known her, and sorry for those who missed the experience. I can't imagine my life right now without having met the women in my group.

After the memorial service, there will be a potluck, in true Sherry-style. I mentioned to my group that I didn't plan to bring anything and would have to bring Scarlett with me. I know Mary was right when she said, "Whitney, Sherry would think that it's totally appropriate for you to come with your two-week old and bring nothing."

Read more about Sherry on her website or in her obituary on SF Gate.

Meeting of the Cousins

2007-07-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Big brother Julian shows off his soothing skills, telling baby Calvin that "it's okay".

Scarlett enjoys a minute of happiness

2007-07-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

It's pretty quiet around here

2007-07-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

Born on the Fourth of July

2007-07-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

She was three days early! Thank you, Scarlett! And, at just under seven pounds, she was able to exit the Southern route as hoped for. I am feeling pretty good. More details another day. For now... pictures.

Nine Months and One Day

2007-07-02T20:08:00.001-07:00

We are 5 days from the 07/07/07 due date. Ryan and I have put our money on ten days past due as the birthday. If you care to wager, please comment here.

New photos

2007-06-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since the gallery was updated. Here you go.

Does this shirt make me look fat?

2007-06-18T18:19:00.001-07:00

36 weeks, 8.25 months.

Kiss me. I'm punk.

2007-06-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

Julian asked for this ponytail. When I put it in, he said, "I'm a girl now!"

I reminded him of a dad he knows who has a ponytail. He was not convinced. When we took the rubberband out, he said, "Now I'm not a girl anymore."

These booties are not made for walking

2007-06-09T15:13:00.001-07:00

Stephanie, my BFF from junior high, just sent me these booties she made. Jealous?

Julian and Holden play "doctor"

2007-05-24T11:30:00.001-07:00

Naked Folk Singer Appears in Berkeley

2007-05-16T20:48:00.001-07:00

Scraphappy

2007-05-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

What could you possibly need less than a cozy for a travel pack of tissue? I'm not sure, but perhaps an oversized Tupperware storage container full of fabric scraps.

As such, I am on a mission to turn my haphazard collection of fabric scraps into something (slightly) useful, if not charming.

And I'm not alone. There are 132 tissue-holder pictures posted on flickr.

Make that 134. I just made two of these.

Pattern inspired by WhipUp.net.

Backstory on the three fabric scraps used above:

1) Outside khaki silk brought from Japan by my mom
2) Inside mod cotton canvas left over from Amanda's birthday apron.
3) Trim made of quilting cotton purchased for a never-to-be made quilt

Backstory on the three fabric scraps used above:

1) Outside green quilting cotton purchased for late-90s Halloween costume "Material Girl"
2) Inside (not shown) dark blue denim left over from purses made when we lived in Oakland (pre-2002)
3) Polka-dot trim from fabric used on my own every-day tote bag, made about a year ago.

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

32 weeks (7+ months)

Sippin' smoothies with Theo

2007-05-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Julian is very much in love with his friend "Fee-o" who has the following admirable attributes:

1. A train table at his house.
2. A baby sister who is still small enough to be held by Julian.
3. A relatively new, super tough scar across his nose.
4. A mom who is happy to hang out with me as much as possible.
5. Unbridled enthusiasm for chasing after lemons from the tree in our back yard.

His passion for Theo does not mean that Julian did not spend half of their time together yesterday whimpering in my arms. However, he did greet Theo warmly at the door with a smoothie that we made especially for them to share.

Can't get enough of me?

2007-05-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

An interview with me has been posted at Peekaboo Picks, an online magazine.

Check it out.

Ryan, the Almighty

2007-05-03T10:34:00.001-07:00

Driving in the car yesterday afternoon, Julian said "Where's my rainboots?"

"I left them at home. We don't need them anymore today 'cause it stopped raining," I told him.

"Daddy turned the rain off."

Four jobs I have had

2007-05-03T07:30:00.001-07:00

When you are a woman my age, and have a kid or some kids, you suddenly have access to an employment status that would not have previously been acceptable: unemployed. I'm not saying it's acceptable for YOUR household-- that's between you and your partner-- but, in society at large, no one seems to be thinking I'm a loser even though I don't have a steady paycheck. Now people ask me IF I work, not WHERE I work. And, if we've just met, and they ask WHERE I work, I say that I have a kid and I'm writing a book. I don't know if I'm adequately explaining the weirdness of this, but what's happening is that I am trying to get used to my work situation and the uncertainty of what it will be over the next year.

My friend Sunny sent me an email asking me to list four jobs I've had in the past. This is not my resume, but a more interesting random assortment of jobs, none of them related to the $8 million slice of LeapFrog's business that I worked on most recently.

Four jobs I've had for more than four weeks

1. Sales girl at upscale sporting good store - GO Sport, in the Century City Shopping Center, where I learned about Gor-Tex and clothing that wicks, several years before Patagonia became all the rage. Fun because friends and celebrities would come in the store.

2. Gymnastics Teacher - I got this job about ten minutes after landing in the Bay Area and it paid about a dollar more than minimum wage. I am great at this job, but cannot support myself this way.

3. Receptionist - At the Salem Lutheran Home in Oakland, a multi-level care facility. Scariest moment - I almost had to say "grace" for about 100 residents at breakfast one morning, and I don't know the first thing about Jesus and appreciating his gifts for us. Finally the pastor arrived and saved me.

4. Copy Chief - At WineShopper.com, I was responsible for proofreading and editing two-sentence descriptions of wines. I sucked at this job and quit after six weeks.

If you leave a comment, please share four of your past jobs.

Smuggling a soccer ball... or something larger

2007-04-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

Self-portrait at 27 weeks, aka 6+ months

My son, the doctor

2007-04-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

After we showered together in Mexico, Julian was very serious and concerned about the state of Mommy’s penis: non-existent. We had a little chat about who has what type of body parts, and he definitely understood this new information.

A conversation later in the week:

Julian: Daddy, put sandals on.
Ryan: No, Daddy has an owie on his foot.
Julian: Mommy, put sandals on.
Whitney: I don’t want to put my shoes on right now.
Julian: Mommy has an owie?
Ryan: No, Mommy doesn't have an owie – just Daddy.

(Thoughtful pause)

Julian: Just mans have owies and penises. Not womans.

I quickly pointed out an owie that I had elsewhere on my body, and we were all once again clear about the major difference between “mans” and “womans”.

***

As all toddler parents know, there is nothing more fascinating to a kid in diapers than mom or dad using the toilet. Plus, due to safety reasons, it’s usually easiest to just let them stand next to you while you’re doing your business than to hope that they are playing independently and not about to eat poison or knock over something, forcing you to run from the bathroom with your pants around your ankles. And so, today, Julian stood directly in front of me while I sat on the toilet, armed with his new anatomical knowledge.

Julian: What’s that? (Pointing to my crotch)
Me: (Annoyed, but obligated to the truth) Remember? That’s my vagina. That’s where my pee comes out.
Julian: Mommies don’t have penises.
Me: That’s right.
Julian: And babies don’t have teeth!

***

As you can see, he's got it all figured out. I'm starting a fund for medical school.

Oh, Mexico

2007-03-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

We are back from five days in Sayulita, Mexico, where we did almost nothing all day. Unless you count napping, Sudoku, and People magazine as doing something, in which case, we were incredibly busy. My arms are completely exhausted from dipping all those chips into guacamole.

Here are the pictures.

People seem to be pretty interested in where we stayed. This year, since it was just the three of us, we got a two bedroom condo in the center of town. It is one block from the beach and the front door sits under a tree full of 24" long iguanas. The place was called Casa Siestas y Olas and having a separate bedroom for Julian was fantastic. Last year, we stayed in a huge house called Casa Bouganvillea with Doug and Sharon. There was tons of space for hanging out, and a gorgeous view, but it only slept four adults. We put Julian's crib in the bathroom, and we all slept horribly. Lesson learned.

Ryan surfed for about an hour each day. We tried to teach Julian to enjoy the sand and water, but he had to adapt to the setting at his own pace. Mostly he was distracted by how dirty his hands were getting, until the last couple of days when he finally got into it and acted the way we think a two-year old should act at the beach: delighted.

We also gave Julian his first ice cream cone. The next day, when we walked by the bench where he had eaten the cone, he sat on it and said, "I have a snack now." I pulled some crackers out of my purse and offered them to him. "No," he shouted, "I have ice cream cone!" Okaay.

Phonics lessons from Julian

2007-03-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the brilliant LeapFrog-produced DVD The Letter Factory, Julian knows all the sounds that letters make. This doesn't mean he's ready for Kindergarten or anything, he just has a faint notion that "D is for Daddy" has something to do with saying "Duh-duh-daddy." When I get tired of talking about Thomas the Train, sometimes I tell him about the initial letters of his favorite words.

Recently, he's schooled me on a few letter sounds that I was confused about. Direct quotes from Julian:

"Emily" starts with "M"
"Our house" starts with "R"
"Theo" starts with "O"

In other news, we are headed to Mexico for vacation where we'll see who understands more Spanish: Julian with five months of bilingual daycare and a two-year old's grasp of English or Whitney with a minor in Spanish Language and Literature and advanced fluency in English? Or, perhaps it will be Ryan who doesn't get tripped up by vocabulary and just looks at facial expressions and hand gestures.

Baby pants & hat made from t-shirt

2007-03-09T14:05:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help myself. After I made pants and a hat for Heather's boys out of a no-longer-a -favorite Banana Republic sweater of Ryan's, I just had to make something for our household, too. Starting with... this salmon-colored J.Crew shirt.
I posted a tutorial for making the hat on RookieMoms.com, and the pants -- well, they're just the sleeves of the same shirt sewn together with a button added.

So here they are - Baby Girl M-C's first handmade clothes. 100% recycled, to boot. How Berkeley can you be?
Excuse the hat model. We don't have any life-sized babydolls.

Back porch action

2007-03-07T13:19:00.001-08:00

Labor Day?

2007-02-25T14:48:00.000-08:00

No, not for me.

Last week, a guy in my neighborhood asked me if the baby is coming soon. Well, that is a relative question. If you think 4.5 months is soon, then absolutely, we are having a baby soon. In the world of pregnancy, however, I am just halfway there. "Soon" seems like a huge exaggeration.

Because of my height, I suppose, I am large for the second trimester, with plans to get much larger. I am preparing to be fielding that question for the next four months, until I can finally say, "Yes, soon."

For Heather (my writing partner and a bff), however, "soon" is the right word. Hours or days, we don't know, but for her it could not be soon enough.

Here we are at 20 and 39.5 weeks.

So, to answer your frequently asked questions:

1 - I feel great; thanks for asking.
2- The first half of July. Due to our previous experience, in this house, we don't focus on an actual day. 07/07/07 is a possibility, however.
3- A girl, according to the ultrasound technician.
4- Yes, Julian knows the words "mommy has baby in da tummy" but we don't think he necessarily knows what that means.
5- They will be 2 years and 8 months apart.
6- We do have some name ideas, but they are sealed in saran wrap, locked in an airtight vault, and will not be revealed before the end of the pregnancy.

UPDATE: Heather's baby, Milo Theodore Flibbs (not his real last name), was born 47 hours after this picture was taken.

While the boss* is away

2007-02-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

* Ryan's college nickname is "Boss". It does not mean he is actually the boss. Well, he is in fact the boss of a few people at his office, but around here, he's probably last in line for that title.

Recently, Ryan was away on a business trip. While he was gone, I succeeded in selling a piece of furniture from our living room. We want new furniture and agreed that this piece should go. When the nice craig's list people came and took the chair, it looked to me like our living room grew. There was a wonderful big empty space where there chair had been, and I felt like I could breathe more easily.

Ryan got home from Denver a few hours later. He didn't notice the new vacancy in the living room, and I didn't mention it to him. I wanted to see who would notice first between him and Julian.

We brought Julian home from school and he ran right through the formerly-occupied space as if he had been able to run that path his whole life.

And several more hours passed, and still Ryan did not notice. During that time, Julian asked about certain missing toy trains, missing puzzle pieces, but not a very large missing chair.

I am comforted, actually, because I was nervous about selling a perfectly good chair. I feel validated that none of us actually ever sat in it.

Take your guess: Did Ryan notice, but think it wasn't worth mentioning? Will Julian be the first to point out "where wocking chair go?" Will Ryan suddenly say, "Hey, you sold the chair!" Will Ryan read this post before that happens?

I'll be waiting.

To be or not to be

2007-01-28T13:03:00.000-08:00

As Julian has been adding more proper grammar to his sentences, I notice that it's usually one step forward, two steps back before we get any new verb usage smoothed out.

"To be" started out very well for us a few months ago, in the form of the contraction "That's" (pronounced "dat's") so that he could say "Dat's mommy's iPod" or "Dat's a fire truck!" instead of the babyish excuse for a sentence, "Fire truck!"

Current usage of the verb "to be", however, includes predicting the future without the use of the helping verb "will":

Me: I'm going to turn off the lights now.
Julian: It be dark.

Me: I'll eat one of your orange slices.
Julian: Dey be all gone!

And, of course, simple descriptions of how things "be":

Me: Your doll has no shirt now!
Julian: She be cold!

January M-C News

2007-01-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

1. Ryan posted new pictures.
2. Whitney is writing a book (with Heather) and has interest from a couple publishers.
3. Julian doesn't know it yet, but in July, he will become a big brother.

Happy New Year!

No one cares what you had for lunch

2006-12-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Maggie Mason, a well-known blogger in San Francisco, has written a book of 100 ideas for blog entries. She aims to provide inspiration for bloggers who are stuck on writing about their cats and other mundane details of their lives, and has titled it No One Cares What You Had For Lunch. I like the book, and have been using it, but today I will contradict the claim she makes.

Today you should care what I had for lunch, because it was leftover zucchini latkes made by Karen for our Hanukkah party. They are delicious themselves, but the best part is the yogurt sauce that goes with them. Here is the zucchini latke recipe. I encourage you to try it out, even if you're not celebrating Hannukah.

ZUCCHINI LATKES

- Grate on a microplane:
about 8 zucchini (unpeeled)
1/2 a red onion or 1 small one

- Mix together:
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 cup water

- Mix batter with veg. Add:
a big pinch of salt
about 1/2 cup chopped chives
a bit more flour or water to make a consistency like thick cake batter

- Heat oil and drop into pan- spread them out thin in the oil with the back of your spoon a little bit. Cook thru and drain on paper towels.

DIPPING SAUCE
for 1 pint whole milk plain yogurt, mix in to taste:
juice of 1 lemon
a couple big pinches of sea salt
a heavy dose of garam masala (around 2T)
a heavy dose of turmeric (around 1T)
a heavy dose of garlic powder (about 1T- could also use fresh minced garlic)
you could add other things like, chopped mint, chopped shallots (raw or pickled)
keep adding more spices until it tastes good. you need to put in a lot.
let it sit for a few hours in the fridge to marry all the flavors.

I Shpy

2006-12-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah (which you can spell however you want). We'll have the Flibbs over for dinner and light the candles in a couple of menorahs. Tomorrow my mom will come up from L.A. so that at our Hanukkah party on Sunday, I won't be the only Jewish mother in the house.

Julian is obsessed with playing "I Spy" whenever he sees a picture with lots of details. He has a subscription to Animal Baby magazine, and "I Spy" is a feature in each issue. So... I was excited when I saw this printable "I Shpy" activity on the Chabad web site. It's not really 2-year old appropriate, but we'll find other things in the picture to quiz him on.

At "school" this week, Julian made latkes, decorated a Jewish star, and painted a menorah, made out of blocks. Perfect timing because when these 8 days of Hanukkah are over, we can turn our attention to Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and giving. Oy, do I love December.

Talent that cannot be denied

2006-12-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

What’s he saying? Here is an approximate transcript:

ABCD. No, no ABCD. Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posie, ashes ashes all fall down.

I feel, I feel, I feel like a morning star. Shoefly don’t bother me.

This old man…

Good bye, so long, farewell my friends. Good bye, so long, farewell.

Bye bye to mommy, Bye bye to (points to self) Julian…

2shirt

2006-11-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

(Adding to this post... I quit my job at LeapFrog... I realized this was confusing if you didn't know that I'm not working there.) I've decided that I'm not trying to figure out what I'm doing with the rest of my life. Julian's schedule is going to change so much over the next few years, and I've volunteered myself as primary supporter of that schedule. So for now, I'm focused on the next six months. We'll see what the summer brings.

One of the things I want to try my hand at during the next six months is making, and possibly selling, clothing for children. Especially boys.

Today I took a plain light blue t-shirt, and sewed a numeral 2 into the inside, and then cut out the inner piece to reveal the dark blue fabric I had sewn in. Ever since Julian was born, I had looked forward to him wearing a big 2 when he turned two years old. And here we are.

Yes, I will take orders on this...

Halloween confession

2006-11-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

It hurts to admit it, but Halloween was more fun when we went to the Castro, dressed in silly costumes, and drank a lot with our friends. Ah, the early '00s.

This year, I was witness to at least six tantrums, spent two hours being cold at a playground, and was put in the awkward position of comforting a frightened Julian who buried his head in my arm and cried while his smiling classmates sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Welcome to the terrific twos!

I have posted pictures from this holiday. And here's one for you from our last Halloween in San Francisco when we dressed up as my grandparents.

An Apron for Amanda

2006-10-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sounds like a children's book title, doesn't it?

It was Amanda's birthday last week, so I made her an apron. Her birthday party was an ice cream social, and the creative Miss Pxpxnikolas made the ice cream herself (her privacy is being protected from curious high school students who might be googling her). Since she's not typically a domestic goddess in the kitchen, I thought it would be nice to reward her efforts with a related gift. (This might not sound logical, but it makes sense to me.)

I bought fabric that I thought went with the ice cream theme, and here are the results.

Apron-making is sort of a trend right now among the craft bloggers, and you can see some amazing ones in this Flickr pool.

Giving handmade gifts is on my List of Things I Like To Do and Want To Do More Often. Amanda's birthday always inspires me.

P.S. My t-shirt in this picture is a handmade gift from my little sister.

Birthday 2.0: King for a month

2006-10-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

It's birthday month in this house, and I believe that one's birthday month should be packed with all kinds of special activities. Julian's really kicked off yesterday with a trip to the zoo and then a birthday party for him and all of his mom's group buddies. In the next 14 days, eight of them will hit the big 2.0.

We parents had a great time watching our nearly-twos bang into each other, bang into walls, and shovel chocolate cake into their mouths. Julian wore his fabulous purple crown to the party.

If J-dog really knew how to take advantage of his birthday month and act like royalty, here's what I think he'd decree:

All meals should consist of three courses: bunny crackers, scrambled eggs, and yogurt with infant cereal mixed in. Please stop presenting unfamiliar foods to me.
If we are getting in the car, the destination ought to be Totland. There is no reason for any other outing.
When I say "again," everyone will oblige my request. I might say "again" ad infinitum. The words "this is the last time" shall never be spoken to me.
Going to school every day is acceptable, however Mommy shall stay there with me the whole time. Daddy too, for that matter.
The ban on drawing on materials other than paper shall be lifted.
I will be allowed to watch videos of myself as a baby for many hours each day.
At all times, my comfort objects "Paci" and "Quackers" should be nearby. They are currently imprisoned in my crib, and I need unlimited access.

Since he cannot express himself in such terms yet, he's stuck with the choices I make for him. Such is the life of a two year old. Stay tuned for more birthday adventures.

Where credit is due

2006-09-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

As Ryan knows, I really like to get credit for things I do. I am not the anonymous donor type. I like to get credit for my ideas and accomplishments.

Julian is all about giving credit right now, to himself and even to me. If he does something, he will usually say, "Juja did it". If he jumps, he will say "Juja jump."

Yesterday, after a minor struggle, I located a song on a CD he was asking for. While I tried to find the right song, Ryan was quelling the whining, telling Julian that I was looking for it. When I started the song, he was satisfied and said, "Mama find Trot Old Joe*".

Today, I got unexpected credit for the same accomplishment. We were driving along, through Berkeley, and when the treasured song begin to play, he acknowledged without prompting "Mama fixed it."

Yes I did. I fixed it.

Wheels on the Bus

2006-09-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Julian gives a sneak peek into a piece of his repertoire.

Our unaware superstar

2006-09-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

When Julian was 10 months old, my colleagues on the LeapFrog Baby brand team asked me to bring him to a photo shoot since the other babies, actual models, were crying.

He was in a terrific mood and different photos from the shoot ended up on three LeapFrog products, plus some internal sales materials. The products are finally on the shelf, so if you are a collector of all things Julian, go order yourself a Learn & Groove Alphabet Drum.

He can sign it for you when he learns to control a Sharpie a little better.

In the eye of the beholder... or Sunset Magazine

2006-08-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, when Julian was a little baby, I responded to a post on the Berkeley Parents Network. The editor of Sunset Magazine's Great Baby Rooms book was looking for gender neutral nurseries to photograph for the next edition of the book.

Guess what? We made the cut.

There are two photos from J-dog's room in the book, which came out one year later. I am particularly proud of the first one because I planned and painted the stripes on his wall myself, and bought the monkey clock just before the photo shoot because it didn't seem quite finished. Who knew that "monkey clock" would become one of the first terms Julian recognized?

The upper right photo on the above page is from our house. The others are not.

I cannot find the book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It seems they only carry a previous edition. It is available at Allbookstores.net.

The lower right photo in the page above is from Julian's room.

(Paxton's room is also featured. But I am too lazy to deal with photos for sharing it with you.)

Subtitles required

2006-08-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

If you're up for a foreign film, watch this video of Julian performing one of his favorite numbers.

Dressing my dude

2006-08-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

Girl clothes are always cute. Boy clothes? You have to try a little harder.

I just discovered Jeeto (pictured here) and had to share. Here are some of my other favorite resources:

Tutti Bella | Little Boy Chic | Black Wagon

And, I must say, the current "School of Rock" collection at Old Navy is awesome. Julian was rocking his new "Rushmore" jacket this morning.

Mom-to-Mom Tutoring

2006-08-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the thrill of watching my friend Sarah learn a critical parenting technique: Underdog.

If you don't know, Underdog is when you push a child on a swing and then duck under the child and run underneath the swing. The child squeals and asks for more. If you live in Berkeley, your child might even throw in a Baby Sign for "more". We have no idea how a less-than-two-year-old even knows to ask for Underdog treatment, but Sarah's daughter, Gabriella, was definitely asking.

Sarah turned to the crowd and begged for help. Rachael stepped up and showed her what to do. She literally held Sarah's hands in the correct placement and physically moved her through the motion. It was like watching a dad teach his child how to ski on the mountain. Rachael was a masterful tutor. Sarah practiced her new skill with ease and comfort.

I felt like a witnessed an important event, this transfer of knowledge. Is this what the village is for? Underdog?