TinyTerra

I am ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille

2009-05-06T22:00:00.001-04:00

Look who has finally managed to score two little bottom teeth. Even a few months back, she'd smile with her tongue over her gums, she is now happily hamming it up for the camera, bearing her tiny little crop of pearly whites. Yes, indeed, she is ready for her closeup. That, and her new little curly-ish head of hair, which blew in the wind when she was on the swing the other day, nearly squeezed a tear out of my eye, thinking it is only a matter of time before Pantene calls us up and asks her to be a spokesperson. The bald patch is almost gone now we will have to confess.

She actually can clap her hands, when spurred on by the Chinese cheer of "Ho Yeh!", she also knows the word for to go out "Gai gai" (literally translated to "street, street"), the word for airplane (because we live within the flight path of planes going to JFK), and tick-tock for clock. We are not sure how many more words she knows but these are the ones we figured out she knows.

And we have seen her go from oh so hating tummy time, to doing her Boomcha dance while standing on Aunty Helen's hands, to not wanting to crawl at all, to mastering the downward dog yogic pose in her crib, to crawling backwards, to actually crawling forwards (Whooo-hoo! Today!!). Hey, maybe I can finally get some help from her with stocking up her formula and diapers!

And of course, she is now so beyond the usual formula and stuff for her meals. She demands fresh baguettes from the city for her itchy little gums and who are we not to comply when it means she can actually give us 20 minutes of quiet when we eat? Sometimes our wonderful Aunty Angela even lops off the ends of her crusty Italian bread from dinner so Roan can have it.
Atkins diet, I don't think so. This girl is the Starch Queen of NYC.

And she has managed to actually like wearing shoes. And like her mom, dad, Aunty J, and Uncle Goober, she is a fan of Crocs! In her case, it is Mocs, 2 for $15 at The Children's Place, courtesy of grandma. Oh, we have come a long way since the days of her crying over her red Converses.

Well, I guess this is why I have been so delinquent in posting. It's like every day I am seeing this different kid who is mastering being a little human bean way too quickly and I am so super fascinated and awed I barely have time to get onto the computer and digest/expound on the coolness of it all. I feel like Darwin witnessing her little attempts at survival in the big wild world.

Manaolo Blahniks or Bust

2009-03-30T12:40:00.000-04:00

Well, these are officially the Bean's first pair of "shoes". I don't think I spent as much time deciding on shoes for my feet. But for her, thankfully, I had help from Aunty Ying, who looked for the right size, made sure the box contained both right and left shoe (we didn't want her being traumatized and wearing two left shoes which would have very well happened if left to my own devices), the proper shoe construction (Aunty Y scoffed at the Robeez loafers- flimsy she thought given how expensive it was, true.), practicality factor (Aunty Y suggested to go w/ the velcro straps but me being shallow wanted a happy color and the velcro ones only came in black), and value. But at last we chose the Converse All Stars in Red, for the Bean's first shoe. The cheapee in me was defeated and I did not wait till she was able to walk to get her shoes. Dr. Smith suggested the old Italian tradition of having whoever discovered her first tooth to buy her her first shoes....and told me to pretend to see nothing. Well, in true mommy fashion, I bought them 3 sizes too big, but what the heck, she can wear them for awhile. Now, not only is she wearing a jacket 2 sizes too big, she is now wearing big sneakers that makes her looks like she has clown feet. Ah well, all for the sake of being economical. The times we are living in.

Of course, the Bean wished she had gotten more girly shoes...and threw a bit of a tantrum. Or was it that she was so horrified at her softy little toes being forced into these hard canvas numbers? Well, I guess it is nothing like foot binding, as Aunty Y and I reminisced. True.

Eventually she got over it and is now sort of a fan of her little sneakers. Oh the things we will have to teach her....like tying her shoelaces. Well, who will do that depends strictly on whether she is a lefty or a righty.

The Big Sleep

2009-03-17T22:06:00.000-04:00

Saturday marks The Bean's 9th month anniversary. And I just had to dig out the picture of when she was still laying in the bed at NY Presbyterian with all her luggage tags, and hospital issued strait jacket and oversized newborn diapers still on and then one from this morning, with big girl clothes, white frilly socks and binky in place. Big difference...well, clearly her size these days, even as the dr said she was in the 50% in weight (15 lbs 8 oz) and 10% in height (27 1/4")...umm..duh (with us shorties as parents). The other big difference, these days, she prefers to sleep on her side, like some of us grownups. It is strange to see her now struggling to find a comfortable pose to sleep in. Who is this mini person who tosses and turns and looks like she is dreaming of far away lands of endless jars of BeechNut banana puree and a well of eternally available binkies?

Sail Away, Sail Away

2009-03-13T17:36:00.001-04:00

That Grandma Brown is a smart one. Her technique of leaving Roan in a dry bathtub has been a real help when I need to do some baby-free activity like posting a blog, or emailing.

The Bean now sits up contently for 10 minutes at a time and with all her favorite toys on board, she is sailing to all sorts of wonderful destinations...all on a plastic bathtub and on hardwood floors.
Sort of like her dad when he was a wee boy, sailing with the sea scouts on the North Sea. Oh, the adventures she will hopefully have.

Purty please

2009-03-12T09:41:00.001-04:00

Purty please with sugar on top.
Post a comment or two. It is just too sad writing stuff and not knowing who has been visiting or checking out The Bean's little world. Of course, this request is not directed at Quick Draw McDraw, Aunty Ying and her not quite so speedy to reply Aunty J but who makes up with more words per line. I didn't know there was a setting to uncheck until now that you can post comments Anonymously or as someone who doesn't have a Gmail account.
We need our audience. ;-)
Thank you.

PS Posted the most pathetic picture of The Bean looking sad.

So Close and Yet So Far....

2009-03-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

A picture is worth a thousand words. We baked
some cookies tonight. And well, The Bean thought this is definitely something interesting.

She reaches out and just about snags a cookie
with her lightspeed reflexes.
But much to her sadness, mommy's reach was quicker
and she is denied some very tasty cookies. Needless to
say, she cries and cries and cries till nothing but....
her binky could console her.
Daddy teases her with one cookie, just for her
to hold and taste.

But after one too many crumbs fall onto the floor,
Daddy decides perhaps her green frog gel teether
may be better. But she is not fooled.
He then presents with her favorite remote. And
she decides, well, this isn't half bad.
And she chomps on her remote while the rest of us
gorge ourselves on some tasty chocolate oatmeal cranberry
pecan cookies. Poor little girl.
We'll have some price to pay for inflicting such cruelty on her nibs.

Pucker Up!

2009-03-07T13:17:00.001-05:00

A big day in Bean history: she had her first taste if food from the real world, not pre-packaged and pureed with love (not!) from Gerber. She was so fascinated by Grandpa peeling an orange, that he had to give her a segment. She didn't know what to make of it. These days, she plays mostly with her plastic toys, shiny, hard, colorful and smooth that to feel the sticky, plump, mushy, orange is definitely strange. She reached out and withdrew her little hand like the orange was alive and would latch onto her and never let go. After a few timid attempts, she put the orange to her mouth like everything else she does these days, and never looked back. It was a lovely taste sensation, even as it made her little face implode into itself.
She had fun putting the orange on its side and watching it rock on the table and squishing it in her little hand until it became a soggy drippy mess. We almost didn't want to take it away. But the neatness freak in mommy couldn't stand the stickiness it would create. We can't wait to see which next food group will be the recipient of her curiousity.

These Booties Were Made For Walking

2009-03-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

The Bean looks alittle like the Sphinx these days while doing her tummy time exercises. She doesn't get much mileage with her technique but she is sure fun to look at, rolling around the floor like some fleshy human Roomba picking up dust with her tongue. Grandpa is not very willing to let her down on the living room floor for fear of all the dirt and contaminants from the "outside world". So, she can only have her fledging attempts at being a biped on the bed or at the yoga mat length of available floor in the little lair. Fingers crossed that even with such limited floor time, she will learn to walk some day. We're not in any rush, since it is such fun watching her roll around on the floor.

However, the Bean finds the waiting unbearable and her wails at times can be heartbreaking. Maybe because she knows mommy is too cheap to buy her any shoes until she can walk. And she is so ready for her first shoes with actual soles.

Me and My Shadow

2009-02-25T14:51:00.001-05:00

Well, this post is just a week-ish late. The Bean is officially just a smidge over 8 months old which means she is now officially out of the world longer than she had been in the womb. Pretty mind boggling from when the Dr. first pointed out this little flittering grey speck on the ultrasound and told me that was the baby's heart. I thought it was the computer cursor. At all of just over 4 weeks old, she already had a little working and beating heart that would be ticking along hopefully until she reaches a ripe old age, after a life filled with much adventures (no Bungee jumping, please) and happiness. And now 8 months after her big debut at NY Presbyterian, she is a lovely baby, sitting on our bed, wearing nice cozy pjs, and playing with her toes. I think back on the big trip she has been on these last 16 months, and it is amazing. From a blob to a baby. From sleeping in the dark warm womb, to now, waking up and singing and muttering softly to herself, to her just so happy to see you in the mornings, to Niagara Falls like vomiting spells after she drank her bottle much too quickly, to her playing happily with her LeapFrog muscial table, to her fast asleep w/ Pinky tucked under her arm. It has been an amazing year and 4 months and I am (as her dad) delighted she decided to finally make an appearance after so many years. She showed up at exactly the right time!

Eh....What's up Doc?

2009-02-18T19:58:00.001-05:00

Yes, The Bean is a fan of the pureed foods. In order of preference: Bananas, Pears, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots (she is wearing it on the photo), Applesauce and like her Aunty J, she dislikes Peas. No peaches or prunes yet for her. And the one venture into the food of (half of) her people, rice cereal was met with disapproval. I guess compared to all that other sweet stuff, rice was too boring. She is a pretty good eater and is pretty good about not getting too much on herself, thanks to Aunty Miriam's bib! We can't believe she is now a regular at the dinner table.

It seemed like yesterday she was in her little swing seat, at dog/cat level. It'll be no time before she is wrestling us for the dark meats on the roasted chicken. Sigh!

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot!

2009-02-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

Look who's gone for her first ride in the swing. We had first thought she might have been alittle too wee for the swingset, but Roan proved us wrong. At just 8 days shy of her 8th month birthday, she went for her maiden voyage on the bucket swing. It was a rare 60 F degree day in February and we couldn't stay indoors. So off to the park, we went. These are the kind of days you are sort of pleased to be part of the ranks of the unemployed while everyone else is basking under the buzzing white lights of fluorescents, indoors. She had a great time, and treated us to the slightest smile. But strangely enough she was more interested in checking out the other babies on the swingseat next to her. I guess she is a pretty young baby still as after 10 minutes, she tried to stand up on the seat to let us know "Enough, let's blow this clambake!" I am sure in a few months time, she'll want to stay till the moon is out and we would be hard pressed for her to want to ever come indoors ever again.

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes! Knees and Toes!

2009-02-09T20:46:00.001-05:00

And for those of you who have Fisher Price's PUPPY!
You can just about hear that song in your head, kind of catchy tune, really! Here's little Roan in her sitting lotus pose. She was busy having her toes for lunch before this picture was snapped. She's still smacking her chops.
Yum. Yum.

Jean Genie

2009-02-01T21:03:00.001-05:00

She's officially an American now....at 7 months, she has donned on her first pair of blue jeans. And with BFF, Pinky in hand, what more does a gal need? Not much.

Those easy fit, elasticized waist band, flanneled lined jeans are just right for her. Kind of like those maternity jeans her mom hated giving up.

Can't get more patriotic than this get up...

Brooke Shields, eat your heart out!

Hasta La Vista, Baby

2009-01-29T09:35:00.000-05:00

So long Year of the Rat, we'll see you in 12.
No offense to my beloved rats, Roan and her dad, but this year was a pretty rough one and I'm ready to mooo-ve on to the Year of the Ox.

Time really does fly when you have kids or in my case, kid. I was watching the new shows with complete fascination when they had the story about the lady who gave birth to Octuplets. And I thought, wow, crazy! I can't imagine how they will manage since one, Ms. Roan, has completely kept me hopping between the formula and diaper runs, to feeding her her first solids, to the middle of the night wails to now being able to scuttling along on her back with her little flipper legs. There are days I think she can propel herself quicker than we bipeds who can walk upright. I put her down on her bed and within a nanosecond, she has crashed her big head against the bumpers. Thank you, Uncle Richard and Aunty Shirley, for the extra cushy Pottery Barn crib guards. The cheap ones I bought at IKEA would have resulted in her having some nice divets on the top of her skull.

Back to time flying and the light speed metamorphosis of Roan, we can't believe it is practically February, and we are definitely well into the new year. There have been no posts since October because I took my friend, Miriam's advice, and stopped pressuring myself to write this blog, as I had plenty of other stuff to attend to, some wonderful (like delightful visits from our families from the UK- Aunty Morag, Uncle Sam, Cousins Mey, Beinn, and Ella and the flying grandma, Grandma Brown (2 months fresh from her 28 day journey across the Pacific via Alaska, Vladistock, Japan, Korea, China and Hong Kong Her wings were still warm!)

Uncle Sam, Aunty Morag, Mey the Tall, Beinn aka Li Po, Ella aka Sesame Chicken
(the latter 2 have been nicknamed those because of what they ordered for dinner one night,
we were pleased over Beinn's adventurous selection...)

Beinn, Morag, Mey feeding Roan aka Milkmeister, Ella

Aunty Morag and Uncle Sam with Chubola

Daddy with a land-bound Grandma Brown with Roan at Juniper Valley Park

Grandma Brown with Roan just about to settle into a cozy dinner.

Slews of birthdays which spanned October till January-yours, truly, Ying, Janet, Goober, Dad and Grampy, Roan's first Halloween, Voted in the historic elections, the Thanksgiving holidays, the Christmas holiday, the tree trimming, the tree untrimming, the birthday decorations up, the blowing up of balloons and birthday decoration down, watched the historic inauguration ....ya'll know the drill) and some less fun (like loads of drs visits for mom, runs to BJs to buy baby/household provisions) cleaning the house and attending to the extensive grounds....ok, not the 2 strips of lawn out front and 5' semi circular planting does take work, going back to work and then subsequently being laid off a mere 3 days later, learning to file unemployment, updating one's resume, trying to think of how to get a job in this god awful economy, meeting w/ my outplacement"counselor"- I feel like Dexter and how he had to have a "buddy" when he was going through his fake drug addiction, I have to meet w/ Colette and work with her about "launching" the new me and not a makeover in sight.... so all and all...I need to eat my Wheaties but have decided on Nick Malgieri's low fat banana bread with full fat chocolate chips. No wonder I am fortified enough to write this blog.)

Well, so that brings us up to date as to why it's been only 3 months since my last post, at this rate, Roan will have all of 90 blog entries between her birth and when she flies off to college.
Sort of not acceptable, because she is such a fun little gal, I need to document her progress...I am at awe over this baby business. Still. 7 months in and she has not ceased to fascinate me...

I can't believe she actually does meet those little critical developmental stages as outlined by those baby books (not that that makes Roan an exceptional or normal child, she just is a human being, wow). Like, when I was a kid, and watched the xray film of a person eating and drinking and you can see the food getting chewed, to it going down the throat, to going into the stomach, and I thought, neh, my body doesn't do that. Striving to maintain our own sense of individuality and not be part of the biological hoarde.

Since I wrote in October, her big milestones/realizations are (in no particular order and some documented and some not...sadly):

-She can pretty much sit up on her own (but when she leans over to one side, it's TIMBER!!!! and I have to pick her back up).

-She can play happily on her own. Some mornings we hear her babbling away to herself and BFFs, Pinky or Millie...and admiring herself in the mirror.

-She can actually turn over now, she lies oh so casually on her side, like those 1940's pinup gals and then flops over on either her back or stomach (eeewww..tummy time, the much detested tummy time)and then is immobile for a good long time until she realizes she can turn herself around. Talk about the look of empowerment on her face.

-She is like Isaac Newton and wants to test whether gravity is a constant or a variable, by always dropping her bleating moo cow or her binky or Frankie the firefly on the floor. Grampy is always freaking out when she does bec. then she promptly puts the toys back in her mouth and he is muttering, the salt (from the outside.....as it is winter out, the cats- fur and litter tracking paws....etc. etc.). So now, I tie everything she plays with to her highchair as a safety feature. Although The Times noted that perhaps alittle dirt only builds up the immune system. In which case, Roan, should be the Hercules of the Immunity Community.

-That she makes a very cute pumpkin. Thank you, Aunty Angela, for that cute outfit.

-That sleeping in, is a very good thing.

That tummy time isn't too bad as it results in killer biceps.

That with killer biceps, she looks good in tropical prints.
Thank you, Mrs. Won, for that cute number.

-She's put on her first skirt ever on Christmas and then second one ever on Chinese New Year's.
And she likes wearing tights, wierdly enough, even as it is worn over bunchy diapers that are sometimes clean and sometimes, well...... Perhaps a whalebone corset is in her future?
And that she looks good in Santa hats....

Better than a Santa hat, she looks damn good in a tiara.

And that no one looks good in passport photos.

-She's learned pearls make her look old.

And that you are never too young to exercise your civic responsibility,
as mommy held her little hand as we pulled the lever for PRESIDENT Obama!!

That once you've exercised your right to vote, you should work out
your chubby legs in a good hour of bouncy seat mania.

And that no one likes a sweaty smelly baby, and that baths, as
traumatic as they are, must be taken.
.

Well, when you are 7 months, those are about all the accomplishments/realizations one can be proud of. As fun as she was at 3 months, nothing beats how she can totally recognize people these days and is so happy to give you the most beautiful smile first thing in the morning. I think Grampy needs to go to BabySmiles Anonymous these days. He is perfectly addicted to her smiles as am I, and her dad, Aunty J and Grandma.

Okay, a big one for the road.

And an understated one to leave you yearning for more!

And with that, I sign off and wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!!

Mona Lisa Smiles

2008-10-16T16:30:00.000-04:00

T he Bean does not smile much. This was the first smile ever captured on camera. She was waking up from an afternoon nap. Her smiles are about as rarely spotted as the Loch Ness Monster and even when I manage to spy the corners of her lips lift, I think it is my imagination. Or even more cruelly dismissed by Dr. Smith, as "Just gas.", during her first few weeks of existence.
I'd like to think it wasn't that she was going to be humorless but that she just lacked the muscular strength to actually pry apart those big cheeks in order to eek out a smile. Like parting the Red Sea. I wonder how many little smiles she has been throwing the universe at large and how many I have missed. I am like a big game hunter, forever carrying my trusty Sony Cybershot in pursuit of the ever elusive smile.

These days she seems alittle less stingy in the mornings and her smiles flow more freely. Nothing beats looking into her little bassinette and having her look up at you with all the expectations of "They did remember me. Whew. Maybe I can get some breakfast now." And then a sweet little smile of recognition. Since the photo of her first smile was taken, she has been smiling alittle more with each day, but still eyes the camera suspiciously. Why can't my mom look at me without that funny little black metal thing with the blinking orange light. To which, mom would say, one day when you have your life so well documented, you'll have me to thank, that each precious nanosecond you were in existence was relished and adored. As evidenced by these 1000 volumes.

Sometimes she flashes us a smile downright baroque in its exuberance, big brown eyes, drippy saliva pools on the edges of her mouth, big pink gums, and flared little nostrils and we just can barely stand not giving her the kind of hug which would crush her little bones. Brochures should have been printed out warning new parents of the dangers of a baby's smiles.

The other day, not only did I witness the full fledge smile, but I actually heard laughter emanating from those cheeks. A full 5 seconds of bubbly infectious laughter, pure joy. It was the most amazing sound I had ever heard. The Bean actually laughed, not exactly a full bellied guffaw but a beautiful little giggly laugh of complete joy. It's been precisely a week and I've been trying to recreate the circumstance that lead to that first little laughter (namely kissing her 4 times on each fat cheek) but she is no performing monkey. Sure, her mouth opens and closes in the shape of an O and she smiles but no sounds come out of it. She has teased me so with the voice she has yet to reveal. Our days are often filled with words in every medium imaginable- and circumstance. They have become the white noise of our lives, it takes so much for us to really begin to appreciate the significance , beauty and sound of each little word. When I heard her laughter, and her starting to utter little sounds like "El-la", "Ewwww", "Eahhhh", "Owwww", she makes me that much more excited about what are the things she will one day say, and for her to finally reveal to me what she is thinking, if I am lucky and she thinks me worthy.

Bright Lights, Big City

2008-09-21T21:27:00.000-04:00

A beautiful Sunday (last day of summer to be exact), and we took Tiny into the city for some fun for a change and not because she needed to get her monthly checkup with Dr. Smith (a/k/a: Dr. Cruelty, the shotmeister who thinks by slapping on some Hello Kitty bandaids on her chubby thighs, that all the pain from the required shots would be forgotten...my ears are still ringing from the wails from the last visit). We cruised down Madison Ave., and checked out the overpriced shops for kids -um, well, duh.....there were onesies being sold for $40, ate a few very tiny cupcakey muffins, oogled at the fancy chocolate shops that sold chocolate bars flecked with bacon (had those, and they are sublime) and walked past gaggles of cops on patrol for the "Fifth Ave. Mile" race.

We met up with Aunty J, Mr. and Mrs. L, for a stroll in the ever crowded Central Park- complete with a million tourists, a man who was practically a symphony by himself, toy boat races, fat sparrows, kids clammering all over the Alice in the Wonderland statue, bikers, runners, babies in strollers, old people in wheelchairs, babies in strollers lined up with nannies gossiping..... such a change for Tiny from her usual morning walk w/ Grandma and Grandpa around our quiet little neighborhood park with an occassional dogwalker, strolling retirees and the one man who does little disco dance routine up and down the park steps in very short shorts with his walkman in hand. With Donna Summer on cassette, no doubt.

As we took Tiny to the Boat Pond, it occurred to us, this was her first big trip to Central Park, at all of 3 months plus 2 days. We thought her eyes would bug out of her head, but she seemed pretty blase over the whole thing, and as far as she is concerned, one park is the same as any other park. Trees, sky, clouds, birds, squirrels. She's sort of right. Just much more expensive real estate.

Enough of the fresh air and our tummies grumbling, we went to Cafe Boulud for alittle brunch. It was lovely (we enjoyed it even more so because since Tiny made an appearance, we dared not eat out in public for fear of any tantrums). We had an outdoor table and were very entertained by all the other diners (alot of very well coiffed and perfumed people- at one point, I had a hard time eating, since all I smelled was perfume). Tiny sat in her carriage and checked out the menu.

As much as she wanted to partake, she opted for her "usual".
Similac Advanced Formula....served by mommy. But don't think she wasn't eyeing the bread basket, which would had gone perfectly had she had teeth.

We had such a nice brunch, and even saw Barbara Walters saunter by, looking younger than I thought she would look. She stared straight ahead and walked like those models practising good posture. We could have stacked a heap of phone books on her head and they would have stayed perfectly balanced. Mrs. L told us at the last elections, they were on this ridiculously long line to cast their vote, and who comes strolling up to the lady manning the booths and asked. "Do you know who I am?" The woman said, "Yes." and BarbaraWawa proceded to tell her how busy she was and how she needed to be let to the front of the line. And she was. Unreal.

After our bellies were filled, we strolled back up Madison Ave., and this time the urge to shop for Tiny was weakened (our minds had probably gone soft from all the food) and Aunty J scored some very cute little outfits for The Bean, and even her cheap mommy got in on the act and bought a few pairs of socks and alittle white double breasted nautical jacket for her nibs (on sale, of course). And in one of the shops, who did we see, but Katie Couric who looked right at us with the "do you recognize me?" look and I hope you won't pester me for an autograph and of course we knew who she was, but being the NYers that we were, we ignored her. Maybe that's why celebs love living in NY, they know they would be ignored. But I did promptly jabber in Cantonese to my sis, that's the reporter from Channel 2.

Not a bad outing for The Bean at 3 months and 2 days. I'm going to start hanging out with her more often, she was like a celebrity magnet. Needless to say, she slept well that night when she got home.

Zonk.

Tiny B's in Love

2008-09-15T14:27:00.000-04:00

Lullabys don't come naturally to me. My repertoire of songs that can be hummed or sung is very limited. Poor Roan was getting the Jeopardy questionaire melody hummed to her on a daily basis....no wonder she was not drifting off to la la land. She was probably feeling the pressure of a thousand pairs of eyes waiting for her to ask "What is the capital of Mozambique?"

Then I had a brillant idea, why not pop in a CD and sing along, it's like me singing an inept lullaby but accompanied by some serious artistes who can blessedly drown me out.

Like many other "grown ups", I don't have many opportunities to belt out any tunes....my neighbors are breathing a collective thankful sigh of relief and have put down their industrial size boxes of ear plugs. I think the last time anyone was "lucky" enough to hear my singing was my poor husband, D, trapped in our 2 week cross country trip from CA to NYC, and I had "treated" him to me singing along to "Aretha Franklin's Greatest Hits". I am surprised he didn't abandon me at some roadside rest stop due to his bleeding eardrums.

Roan and I start our little performance at 9:30PM to counteract her usual freakout session, where her alter ego, Ro-ANNNNN makes an appearance with much tears, wails and hyperventilation. And it has been working pretty well. She seems to just relax when the CD player is on, sometimes, I put her on the bed and I hold her legs or arms and move it to the melody. Sometimes she even opens her mouth and tries to copy me singing along. Sometimes I practice my boxstep dance steps (from Arthur Murray Dance Studio daze) with her in the room. She is almost always smiling when we have our sing-a-long hour. A nice break from her usual prison guard stern disposition.

So far, Billie Holliday's "Moonlight in Vermont"has been a favorite, followed by Ella Fitzgerald's A Little Jazz, and this week, we are doing Rickie Lee Jones. Roan loves Chuck E's in Love. I grab R's chubbola legs and we just have the greatest time, swaying to the song. Sometimes I think I enjoy these little groove out sessions more than The Bean.....but I guess she'll let me know when she can speak and say "Mom, zip it." I hope that day doesn't happen for a very long while.

Not a bad gig if you can get it

2008-09-12T08:10:00.000-04:00

Not a bad gig if you can get it. Who wouldn't want to spend all day sleeping, eating, peeing, pooping, being read to, sung to, wearing cute soft fuzzy clothes and having everyone smile at you?
Yesterday, I read Roan her first book, "The Very Hungry Catepillar" and at 2.5 months she loved it. She sat up and paid attention, looked at all the pictures. It was so much fun, I wanted to read her the story all over again and she pushed the book way. I told DB what she did and he said "She's probably thinking, 'Mom, I got it.' " I better haul ass to Borders and buy some new books. Don't want to have to start reading her the dictionary. I guess there will be lots of firsts for her...first book, first walk in the park (did that a few weeks back and her eyes bugged out), first pants (her ass looked like one of those retirees in Boca, with her bumpy lumpy diapers underneath her pink stretchy gap pants- just missing some white shoes), first social visit outside the house to see out of town friends (she wailed for an hour during our 2.5 hr visit, was so relieved we were not in public but at our friends' hotel suite), first food (wow, this I am totally excited about for her....what to eat ...what to eat...), what must the world be like for her little self. Everything is brand new. No wonder babies are smiling all the time.