Throwback Thursday: 19 Weeks

This actually isn't a photo--this is a freeze frame from a video.  I could not quite figure out how to use Douglas' camera.   Since I was home alone for a few days and wanted to document my pregnancy without missing a week, I set the camera on a tripod and filmed myself and took one frame out.  I am so glad I now have my own camera and am learning how to use it, self-timer and all.

Levi's First ASL Slam

Idyllic

I feel a kinship with other parents whose baby is the same age as Levi.  I love hearing their stories.  Okay, I like to compare and contrast our babies.  It's very English major of me--to compare and contrast  in order to gain a better understanding of the world.  

My conversation with other parents usually goes something like this: "So what is your baby doing now?" "She's talking nonstop!"  "My kid too!  He's also climbing on everything."  "Really?  My girl got over that months ago."  That's a typical conversation.

Last Friday during a typical compare-and-contrast chat with another parent, he tossed the word idyllic at me.  He said that my life appears idyllic here.  That word stayed with me.  Idyllic?  

I choose to focus on the good moments because we humans have a funny tendency to dwell on the bad and forget the good.  In addition to wanting to record the good moments, I also want remain true to who Levi is and what mamahood is.  

So, idyllic?  Life is far from idyllic.  Lately life has been sticky, hot and messy.  We have no air conditioning (that's another story) and we are going through a renovation so our home is still in upheaval.  And most importantly Levi is going through changes.  He ate practically nothing for days, sending me into panic.  

Then, boom, one day he asked for orange juice and crackers.  

Now he is eating and nursing like a madman.  I feel as if I have the hungriest, thirstiest baby in Williamsburg.  Also the stickiest--Levi has turned into human Velcro with a shoe fetish.  

I.  Cannot.  Put.  Him.  Down.  That's the human velcro part.  

It was flattering for a few minutes but now when I need to go to the bathroom, things get a little complicated.  Balancing a 22 pound toddler while trying to do a very basic thing requires strength, stamina and a sense of humor.

The shoe fetish part comes when he is feeling cranky or out of sorts.  Levi demands to put his shoes on.  He has a preference for the red sneakers that are now too small for him, but he is placated by other shoe choices sometimes.  

I suppose my pictures betray those little moments of reality.  I suppose that is because every now and then Levi detaches himself from me, perfectly content.   My arms are free so I am able to grab my camera.  

In the picture above, Levi actually was having a rough episode and the only thing that seemed to soothe him were his yellow boots.  After I put them on, Levi happily said, "Levi mama camera!"  He asked told me to take a picture of him in his boots!

That is the kind of moment I choose to record on this blog.  When I see the silver lining, I see that split second of idyllic.  

List #23: Levi's To-Do Paris List

Macarons found via favim.com

Incredible.  One week from today we will be flying to Paris.  We depart on July 1st, arriving July 2nd.  Lists are being made--things we need, things we must do before leaving and stuff we need to pack.

Using my book Paris With Children by Kim Horton Levesqu, I created Levi's to-do list.

1.  Take a boat tour on the Seine.

2.  Experience celebrations on Bastille Day.

3.  Visit Jardin des Tuilieries, the oldest garden.  It borders the Louvre.

4.  Brave the Musee du Louvre (to be saved for a rainy day).

5.  Fool around the black and white columns at the Jardin du Palais-Royale.

6.  Create art on level 0 at the Centre Georges Pompidou.  The exterior of the Pompidou is cool also--exposed ductwork.

7.  Revel in consumerism at Au Nain Bleu, the oldest and fanciest toy shop in Paris.

8.  Chase butterflies at the Parc de Paris.

9.  Marvel at the colors (or lack of, depending on which period we're looking at) at the Musee National Picasso.

10.  Sample macarons at Laduree's, an institution.

11.  Skip to L'As du Fallafel for some falafel bites.  Mark Bittman never skips this place.

12.  Ogle at the animals at Menagerie Du Jardin des Plantes.

13.  Hit one of the most fabulous playgrounds at Jardin du Luxembourg.

14.  While in the area, sail a toy sailboat.

15.  Play at Cite des Enfants, a children's museum that supposedly has amazing science toys for toddlers.

When traveling with Levi, I figure we can plan on doing one thing a day.  We have three weeks--let's see how much we get done in between the days of relaxing and doing absolutely nothing!

Should we take Levi to the Eiffel Tower?

Throwback Thursday: 18 Weeks

Photo Credit: Douglas Ridloff

My father, stepmother and two sisters (Lucy and Isabelle) came to visit.  We had just moved into our duplex so our home looked quite sparse.  I remember watching Isabelle (who is in the photo above) running the length of the first floor and spinning around.  Now our living room is cluttered with toys and furniture--no way would she be able to run around!  How I miss those days of spacious living.

Seeing New York City

Happy Anniversary!

Photo Credit: Tate Tullier

Douglas and I have been married seven years today.  Ten years ago when we first started going out, I told Douglas that I saw home in his eyes.  That probably sounds crazy, but that was exactly how I felt then.  

That is exactly how I feel today.  At the end of the day it is the two of us.  When I look at Douglas, I am home.  Thank you Douglas, for being my husband, my partner, my love and the father of my son.  Thank you for sharing this journey with me.  

Happy anniversary, my love! 

List #22: Interview With Pop

An interview with an absolutely fabulous father who likes to be called Pop:

1.  A parenting trick that works for me:  When Levi is cranky or can't sleep, I massage his feet.  I get away with it.  Lauren can't do it.

2.  Something I did not know until I became a father:  I did not know that I could love a new person more than anything else in the world.

3.  My favorite toy from childhood:  My G.I. Joes.  I got some crazy ideas, like putting the bad guy in water and freezing it.  Then I set it on fire.  It was part of an elaborate set up that took place in the snow.

4.  My favorite movie as a child:  The Goonies.  I love adventure and pirates.

5.  What I love the most about Brooklyn:  My home.  It feels like I'm traveling in my own neighborhood.

6.  A place I visited and hope my kid will visit one day:  I hope he sees everything I've seen.  But if I had to pick one place, I'd say Kuanidup (in the San Blas Archipelago by Panama ).

7.  I hope my kid never asks me:  For money.

8.  I hope my kid will ask me:  For now, a hug and a kiss.

9.  My favorite way to spend time with my kid:  Outside in the backyard, hanging out, grilling and talking.

10.  My parenting superpower:  Making Levi laugh.

Weekend Link Love

Found via Our Labor of Love

This weekend is a whirlwind of events!  Special performing guests, a wedding and Father's Day.  I am so glad my mother is here in town to watch Levi while we're out.  Happy Father's Day!

Douglas is hosting his monthly ASL Slam event tonight with some special guests.

See Douglas tell the story of Earology (one of my favorites).

On Father's Day we will be going to a wedding.  The bride and groom is a gorgeous couple who should be somewhere here.

I'd like to find something like this for Levi.

I'd like to have this on my coffee table.

I never knew Mark Twain wrote this!

Love how this boy is so nonchalant about his big win.

We live in a dog-friendly area, so this was particularly helpful for me.

Perfect project for a rainy day.

Mara's having a sample sale (it began on Thursday.  Saturday is the last day!)!

Throwback Thursday: 17 Weeks

Photo Credit: Douglas Ridloff

When I was 17 weeks along with Levi, Prince William had just married his love.  My kindergarteners were smitten with Kate and wanted me to name my baby after her.  Now she's expecting a little baby of her own, reportedly a boy.

Boys, Bones and Bugs

     

Age Freeze

Cristin thinks of me as a six year old.  I think of her as a sixteen year old with dangly confetti earrings.  When I think of Isabelle, my youngest sister, I think of her big, thoughtful two-year-old eyes.   My father is eternally in his thirties and my mother is forty.  So I am a bit surprised when they talk of retirement or senior citizen discounts when buying plane tickets.

Douglas' age is still current in my mind.  I think of him as the thirty-eight year old man he is today.

I associate certain people with a specific age permanently.  Age freeze.  I think of myself as twenty-eight.  Perhaps because my grandmother was hit by a van.  But that was also when I married Douglas and discovered pho in Vietnam.  I also had the best haircut.   

Yesterday my mother showed me a videoclip of Levi at three months old, wriggly and sweet.  I was both delighted by the surprise and disturbed that I vaguely remembered him being that helpless and drooly.

I kinda forgot what he was like at three months old.

How does that happen?  Why do we sometimes get stuck on an age?

I want to remember Levi as a newborn, a wriggle worm, a climbing toddler, a child and a teenager before he becomes an adult.

I want to have the ability to see him and respect him for who he is at any given moment. 

List #21: Places to Take Winter

The last time Levi saw his cousin Winter was in Tennessee in April (in the photo above).  When Winter flew in from Chicago today for his ten-day visit, Levi said, "Boy cousin Winter come!"  Winter's mother sent a letter detailing some rules, food likes and dislikes, and the simple expectation of the visit being pleasant and educational.

I made a list of things that we could see/do/eat:

Weekend Link Love

Jamie Moore, via Hello Beautiful

Today my mother comes in for another visit, followed by my nephew this Monday.  Levi is going to be so psyched.  Me too!

I love this photography project idea.

I made this.  And will make it again.  And again.

A funny, cute DIY project.

A friend shared this funny "what-if" with me.

Cool ideas with chalk.

Wow-what a homage to print journalism.

This is on my watchlist the next time I hit the gym.

It's never too early to start thinking about Halloween.

Maybe it's me, but this story made me laugh out loud!

What's the deal with Sno-Cones and Obama?

When urban life gets humid and gritty and uncomfortable, I crave this lifestyle.

Throwback Thursday: 16 Weeks

Photo Credit: Douglas Ridloff

This is the second of the Throwback Thursday series, when I was pregnant with Levi.  I had forgotten that I predicted I was going to have a boy.  Not bad, considering it was 50-50.