Sugar Baby

"I'd make a million trips
to his lips
if I were a bee
'cause he's sweeter than
chocolate candy to me.
He's confectionary!
Sugar
I call my baby my sugar
I never maybe my sugar
that sugar baby of mine"
- Billie Holiday

Never Stop Playing

"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing" - George Bernard Shaw

A list of things I want to do with Satchel:

1. make a castle w/ drawbridge out of a refrigerator box
2. spend a wknd at the ocean and make a giant sand castle
3. have an under the sea party (or turn his room into an under sea theme for a week):

• fill the ceiling with helium balloons of blue and green shades
• tie green crepe paper streamers from green balloons so it looks like kelp
• make paper fish, sea horse, and star fish and hang from other balloons at different levels
• replace light bulb with blue bulb
• cut tiny horizontal slits in a lamp shade so it creates light waves on the wall
• play music like "yellow submarine", "octopus's garden" and dolphin/whale sounds

4. same as above with a space theme and a jungle theme
5. buy a huge roll of bubble wrap and roll around on it
6. winter camping in the living room with a tent - roast tofu dogs and vegetarian marshmallows in our fireplace on branches
7. rainy day - blanket forts in the dining room, make cookies or brownies and read books in the fort
8. bake dragonfly and other bug shaped sugar cookies and drink sun tea
9. melt crayon shavings in wax paper and make stuff to hang in our windows.
(there's a goldmine in the bottom of your crayola box)
*always have crayons, and play-doh and giant rolls of paper for him
10. pumpkin picking and carve really cool pumpkins
11. have picnics inside and outside
12. go peach picking
13. play shadow puppets at bedtime
14. have puppet shows
15. have pillow fights
16. make giant bubbles with the bubble thing
17. build and fly a kite
18. go sledding and build a snow man (when older ice skating), drink hot chocolate
19. watch a rented movie from the sofa-bed while eating popcorn
20. keep a basket near the door for rocks with a sign that reads
"magic rocks, take one or leave one".
21. hang a bird feeder outside his window
22. hang wind chimes near his window
23. go camping outdoors
24. make our own pizza party
25 . spend the night in saugerties light house with friends for a special occasion like a birthday
26 . canoe to bannerman castle
27. go to see the grand canyon and giant redwoods
28. go to europe (italy to see franc, france to see fred, england to see eric)
29. go to canada (old quebec city)
30. go to niagra falls
31. go to letchworth park
32. see cirque du soleil
33. go to outdoor concerts
34. go to the park frequently
35. take lots of walks together and look for magic rocks
36. go to an aquarium a/o good petting zoo (where they are kind to animals)
37. go to baseball games
38. find a pond and feed the ducks whenever we have old bread
39. teach him how to ride a horse and feed it carrots
40. make paper mache masks for halloween
41. build a tree house
42. eat watermelon and spit the seeds at each other
43. water balloon fights
44. watch the perseid and leonid meteor showers
45. look for planets with our telescope
46. dance a lot
47. a birthday parade...with instruments
48. celebrate holidays and make up our own

*In art news...3 of my pregnancy portraits were chosen for an exhibition at the CSMA Gallery in Ithaca, NY. They will be on display in a group exhibition entitled, "Coming Of Age: Art in Celebration of Girls and Women". March 3rd - 31st.

Small Things

In my post, "About A Family", I wrote about the Connors Family and the terrible fire that destroyed the home they were renting. I have since learned that Julie has registered at Walmart to replace some of the items destroyed in the fire. I called Cloud B to see if they could replace the Twilight Turtle that Nate received for Christmas. They not only replaced the turtle, but sent a lovely blanket as well. What a WONDERFUL Company! Babies R US was kind enough to issue a gift card to help with diapers and clothes for the boys. If anyone is interested in helping this family get back on their feet, please visit Julie's registry. Any help would be greatly appreciated by the Connors Family.

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love" - Mother Teresa

My True

Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of this holiday. However, now that I'm a mommy, I want to celebrate every holiday for Satchel because children love celebrations.






Happy Valentine's Day, Satchel (my beautiful, my world, my true)
I celebrate YOU!

Oh Love....

"Oh love, my world is you" - Christina Rossetti







The Boys in February.

As High As My Soul Can Reach

"I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach" - Elizabeth Barrett Browning


Satchel wearing a cozy one-piece romper, spinach and squash.






Satchel at 8 months:

• He has 4 teeth
• He's responding to baby sign language
• He rocks back and forth to music
• He says "MAMA"
• He waves hello
• He likes to play with my hair
• He chews on EVERYTHING
• He kisses and hugs
  
• He doesn't like anything on top of his Magic Cube
• He doesn't like help with a toy, he will push your hand away.
• He still hates putting on shirts...something about the sleeves.

As for me:

• I do not like one-piece rompers. The never fit right. The sleeves and legs are often too long, while the torso is too short. Moreover, Satchel sometimes blows raspberries while eating or smears his food faster than I can wipe it. It's so much easier to change a top or bottom rather than the whole sha-bang.
  
• I LOVE the BebePod by Prince Lionheart. It's worth every penny. Wish we had bought one sooner. I brought Satchel into the bathroom with me so I could shower...sat him on the floor in his pod and didn't have to worry about it him falling over. He was quite happy and waved to me while I bathed.
• I don't like baby crew neck sweaters, turtle necks or any shirt that can't stretch wide over the Satchel's noggin. (He doesn't like them either.) V-necks are fabulous. Sometimes I think the babywear industry has lost their marbles. We mommies want more choices than the gender biased pink and blue. We want to clothe our babes in soft, flexible, funky fabrics. We don't want shirts with necks so tight that when we dress our babes, they feel like they're "crowning".

Radiant Moments

"All the pictures that hung in my memory before I knew you have faded and given place to our radiant moments together. Now I cannot live apart from you....You are everything to me."- Sarah Bernhardt



































We lie in bed. I held the camera above us with my left hand and clicked, not knowing if any of the photos would turn out. I was hoping to capture the moment. It's a very special time when we nurse and nuzzle...the glances, the smiles, the shared laughter over some unspoken silliness and the sloppy kisses of an 8 month old boy.

"Mama's here with you, close to you, so you can sleep" - Phnom Penh Lullaby (from The Planet Sleeps)

Sleep sweet dreams, my child.

"Wonder is music heard in the heart"
- R. Dobson










There is so much I want to say about this cd of world lullabies...it is truly magical, beautiful. I was drawn to the cover art which I found compelling. The composer writes, "It reveals that no matter how old we get, we are all still children, we all need occasional refuge, and most importantly, we all need each other." The cd contains so much love that I had chills just reading the booklet.

Later...Lentils

Satchel tried lentils for the first time. Though he is smiling in this photo, he wanted no part of lentils.

Bubbles

"Wisdom begins in wonder" - Socrates


Today I decided to blow bubbles for Satchel. He still hasn't given me his opinion of them. When he's a bit older I will use the Bubble Thing and make enormous bubbles for him. I used to make wonderful bubbles on the roof of my Sullivan Street flat.

Heart Throb

" We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs." - Aristotle



His dimpled little hands worked the dials of his toy with such mastery, as if he had been using them for years.

I will

"I will hold you
for as long as you like
I will love you
for the rest of my life"
- Paul McCartney

Wonder Time

A new magazine is on the stands called, "Wondertime". It has the look and feel of "Real Simple"...the photography is dreamy and it's sprinkled with wonderful quotes for inspiration. The mission of this magazine is "to revel in the simple joys of raising a child, and to see the world as children do - as an awe-inspiring place". This waxes poetic with me.

On page 147, there is a terrific article by Daniel Pinkwater entitled "Don't Read Just Anything" and to quote Daniel, "half the story books published are just as mind numbing as bad tv...half of children's books are a disgraceful waste of trees". I couldn't agree with him more. Here is a list of some wonderful, imaginative children's books that I recommend.

While Satchel was napping to the sound of world lullabies, I was inspired to create a list of some really cool kid's music that grown-ups won't mind listening to.

Debunking the Boob

As a breastfeeding mother, I'm astonished by the number of people who receive false information regarding breastfeeding. Oddly, when I ask the misinformed person where he/she got their information it is often from someone who has never breastfed at all. Be leery of advice given to you by well meaning people whose children are grown. Their information is often outdated. When in doubt, ask a professional. I'm beginning to believe that the reason why some women do not breastfeed is due to lack of support and false information. Please, let me dispell some of the myths.

• The most common question I'm asked is, "Doesn't it hurt?". For the record: NO, it does not hurt. If the baby is not latched on your breast properly it can pinch a little, but once you readjust the wee one, you hardly feel anything more than a gentle pulling. Also, most women don't realize that they are entitled to a visit from a lactation consultant after the birth of her baby. This is done during her hospital stay. In addition, do not be afraid to ask the nurses for help with positioning or any questions you might have. They are usually quite supportive and happy to help. You can also phone the lactation consultant if you have questions after you get home. La Leche League is another good resource.
  
• Another common misconception that I've come across is "bottle feeding is easier". Actually, breastfeeding is easier. There are no bottles to clean and I can feed Satchel anywhere without having to mix and heat formula.
• Most recently, I was told that breastfeeding can take nutrients away from the mother. This is another falsehood. There are NO health risks associated with breastfeeding, only benefits for both mother and child. The only thing that breastfeeding seems to burn a lot of is calories. I was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans by my 6 week check up.
  

In brief, the benefits of breastfeeding for the mommies are:

• Decreased risk of breast cancer
• Decreased risk of ovarian cancer
• Decreased risk of osteoporosis

In brief, the benefits of breastfeeding for the babies are:

• Breastfeeding protects your baby from gastrointestinal trouble, respiratory problems, and ear infections.
• Breastfeeding can protect your baby from developing allergies.
• Breastfeeding may boost your child's intelligence.
• Breastfeeding may protect against obesity later in life.
• Breastfeeding may protect your baby from childhood leukemia.
• Breastfeeding may protect your baby from developing type 1 diabetes.
• Breastfeeding may lower your baby's risk of SIDS.
  

Then of course, there is the bonding between mother and child that is really wonderful!

For more detailed information about the benefits of breastfeeding, CLICK HERE! If you ever hear anything negative about breastfeeding, first consider the source...second talk to lactation consultant or at least a breastfeeding mommy. We love to share what we know.