By the numbers

9 emails to respond to 10 thank-you notes to write 3 phone calls to make 786 blog posts to read in my Google Reader 5 (or more) blog posts to write Too many errands to count All of the above is certainly adding up, and I'm not sure how long the "new mom" excuse will be viable. If anyone gives me any grief, though, I'll just point to: 1 very important baby. "Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep." - Fran Lebowitz

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

A few of my favorite things Fleur de Sel Caramel ice cream - When Brent went grocery shopping for the first time post-Em, he brought back this delightful concoction. He and I both enjoy pairings of sweet and savory, especially when the savory is salt. We've gone through a few cartons of this flavor as it certainly doesn't last long in our house. Cupcake onesies - How cute is this onesie gift set from our pal Nicole? Simply adorable! Pumpkin blended drinks from Coffee Bean - It's the most wonderful time of the year, my friend. Johnson's Bedtime line - This stuff is designed to help babies sleep better via aromatherapy. It smells so nice and I look forward to putting it on Em. I like to give her mini massages, joking with her to tell me what kind of pressure she prefers, much like when her mommy goes for massages. Homedics Sound Spa Lullaby Machine - Known on the baby message boards I frequent as "Baby Crack," this white noise machine/wall projector is lovely. Em sleeps in our room, so Brent and I are getting used to falling asleep to the sound of rain or the ocean. (The heartbeat option freaks me out a bit.) When Em starts sleeping in her own room and is old enough to focus on the picture projection, I'm sure that feature will be put to good use. Monday Mommy Movies - A local movie theater offers special weekly screenings, designed especially for moms and their young children. The lights are kept up and the volume is lower than usual. They have a changing table up front, as well as a special area to park strollers. And if your baby cries, it's perfectly fine! On Monday, CaliGirl, who had her beautiful baby girl ONE DAY BEFORE I HAD EM via a c-section IN THE SAME HOSPITAL as us, joined us for a screening of Role Models. (I thought it was hilarious, though it was hard to tell if the rest of the audience felt the same way. Babies are picky about jokes.) It was so nice to see CaliGirl and the amazingly cute Maya. It was also nice to get out of the house. Em's weight - I weighed her at yesterday's new moms group. She's 5 1/2 weeks and weighs approximately 10 lbs., 6 ozs, which means she's growing just as she should be! Babies her age should gain about an ounce a day, and she's right on track based on her last weigh-in at the pediatrician's. "Stop talking" cards - I don't have these, but I'm sure I could find plenty of uses for them! "Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels. Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles. Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings. These are a few of my favorite things." - My Favorite Things

I wanna get with ya and take your picture

It's no secret how much I loved/love our wedding photographers, Cat and Adi of Next Exit Photography. In addition to being super cool peeps, they take AMAZING pictures. (I'd be lying if I told you that I still don't ooooh and ahhh over our wedding pics on a regular basis.) I, on the other hand, am not so great at taking pictures. When Brent and I got our swanky new camera and lens earlier this year, I tried to search for some local photography classes so I could get a handle on using our camera beyond the "auto" mode, as well as to help me develop a better eye for composition. Not a lot out there, lemme tell ya. So imagine my delight when my worlds collided and I saw this message from Next Exit's recent newsletter: Time to reserve your spot in Cat’s class “How to Take Good Pikchas of Your Kids and Other People, Level 1.” In this 2-hour class, you will learn simple secrets for: · Taking great pictures with a point-and-shoot or an SLR · When to flash (other than during college homecoming games) · Composition · Using F-stops, shutter speeds, ISO, and all that mumbo jumbo · Shooting into the sun · Using night settings The class will include a homework assignment graded and evaluated by Cat. Two sessions remain: · November 19, 2008: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. · November 20, 2008: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Prepare to capture great memories this holiday season for just $99. Mention the code “November Newsletter,” and pay just $79! Oh, yeah. I'm soooo there! Now I can learn to take better pics of Em! You local wanna be shutterbugs might want to do yourself a favor and sign up for one of Cat's sessions, too. She's an absolute doll and I'm sure a fabulous teacher. Tell her Nanette sent ya! "Photography's an art. You gotta have the right film, you gotta have the right exposure, and you gotta scream just before they get the food to their mouth." - Gonzo, The Great Muppet Caper

31 days later

As Brent and I enjoyed last night's presidential election outcome, I turned to him and said, "Can you believe Em is going to be A MONTH OLD tomorrow?!?" He was just about as shocked as I was. I go back and forth from thinking that she JUST GOT HERE to feeling like she's been with us forever. She is such a sweet, sweet baby and hard not to fall in love with instantly. When she's sleeping, she smiles as if she knows something we don't. Perhaps someday she'll let us in on her little secret. When she's awake, her big, blue/grey eyes just soak up the world around her. (Yup, she has light-ish eyes. They are so freakin' cute although they'll likely darken to brown before she turns one unless the lighter-eyed genes keep hold.) She makes us laugh with her facial expressions, her movements, her reactions to what we're saying. She can lift her right eyebrow, which is something I can't do but her daddy can. And she does it at the most opportune times, like when we're discussing how funny it is that she can do that. And although a few of our recent visitors happened to stop by during her cluster feedings, when she cries if she's not eating or sleeping, she's generally a laid back baby. I took her to a New Moms group earlier this week. While 20+ new moms sat around, talking about challenges and asking the lactation consultant leading the group about common obstacles, Em spent the entire class passed out on my chest. The women on either side of me "awww"-ed each time she'd make her little baby noises while lifting her sleepy head to shift positions. Yup, that's our sweet baby girl. Brent and I spend so much time trying to soak her in. She's already changed and grown so much. We hold her close, shower her with hugs and kisses and constantly remind her that she is so very loved and that we're so excited that she's made us quite a family. "The smile. Those big, watery red eyes. I don't know how George Bush did it when Colin Powell left." - Michael, The Office

Solid as Barack

Em reminds you all to get out there and vote today!

Clothes minded

I just had to go through Em's entire wardrobe because of a recent discovery with Carter's clothing line. Apparently its Fall 07 line of tagless clothing (with solid square lables stamped on the fabric instead of separate cloth tags sewn on) has been linked to some nasty rashes on kids. Great. Just what any parent, especially new ones like us, need to worry about. The line isn't supposed to cause rashes on EVERY kid, but who wants to take the chance? And supposedly kids who are predisposed to rashes from those tagless pieces may get rashes from other tagless clothing lines, but Carter's seems to be the biggest culprit. Thankfully, out of the large collection of Carter's clothing in her wardrobe, only six pieces were from the "bad line." The company is not doing a "recall" but supposedly will accept all the clothing from that line and provide a refund. I'm waiting to hear back from its customer service department to find out how to make that happen. So, if you're a parent, you might want to go through your kids' clothes. And if you're a grandparent (hi Mom and Merridee!) or are buying baby gifts for friends/family, keep this in mind. Good tags: Bad tags: More info can be found on the Carter's site here. "Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The latest and greatest

- Em is likely going through a typical growth spurt (happens 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months -- more or less), so she's been having even more cluster feeds (constant feedings, starting an hour apart, which means a lot of boob time if you keep in mind that feedings typically last about a half hour, 45 minutes). Luckily my big boobs are serving me well and keeping up with Em's needs. - She had her first bath yesterday! She seemed ok with it up until we had to wash her hair. - Our baby girl is suffering through some baby acne, which is perfectly normal but still a bit sad. I took her to the pediatrician to make sure it wasn't a rash. (It's not.) Sadly she'll probably have it for a few more weeks. She's still super cute, with or without it. (New pics on Flickr, if you're a friend/family.) - We took her for her first stroll on the nearby beach bike/walk path yesterday. It was nice to get out in the fresh air and to get a bit of a workout, although Em was passed out the entire time. - I slipped away for a couple hours today to get a grossly needed pedicure and manicure. My hands and feet feel sooooo much better. Next up? A massage and facial, hopefully sooner rather than later. - Other than the above, it's baby business as usual around here. I'm hoping to venture out of the house a bit more this week with Em, so we'll see how she does. I'm also looking forward to introducing Em to some visitors over the next few days. We're continuing to learn our way around this whole parenthood thing, which isn't easy as things are constantly changing, but we're having fun. "Jack, you have issues. I'm trying to understand why you run around with a rubber boob strapped to your chest. I mean, were you ever breastfed? My guess is no." - Roz Focker, Meet the Fockers