No biting, Julian

Julian's been growing and changing a lot these past few weeks. When I got back from New York, he was giving high-fives. Then, Ian got him to start saying "yes," which really sounds more like "jes." Only now is he getting the hang of what it actually means. He still calls most four-legged creatures "do" and both mom and dad "da." Ian and I have a theory that he does know "mama," but that he'll only use it around Ian. It's a case of "mama" being The Name That We Do Not Speak in my presence. He points to himself when you ask where the baby is and claps whenever he hears applause. He's backing himself off the bed and furniture, but isn't quite crawling on top. No back teeth just yet, but I know they are on their way.

His teeth have been a little bit of an issue this week. We've been watching Ruby while Sarah's at school and Aaron's at work, and Julian has taken to biting Ruby on
occasion. I've only caught him once, but I know it's happened a few times, either at their house or ours. My first real instance of feeling guilty for my child's behavior.

But something I'm not feeling guilty about is shutting down the milk factory. It wasn't as much a decision as I thought it would be. I pumped when I was in New York, but when I got back, Julian just wasn't as interested. He and Ian had been getting along fine with just cow's milk. I fed him once or twice when I got home from the trip, but then just stopped. Breastfeeding has been easier to let go of than I thought it would be. The bond that it helped form between Julian and me is still there. He got all that goodness from the milk. I feel really good about the whole experience, almost enough to forget the milk letdown (ouch!) or the leaking or the biting or the unique feeling of being a milk factory. Almost.

That's all I can think of right now that's new with Julian. He's waking up around 7:30 these days and still taking two naps, but I've heard they may start to drop one of those right about now. But then how will mommy take two naps a day?

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Totally unrelated note: I have a query for you, Southwest Missouri readers. Do you remember a compliation/sampler album that Z 95.5 came out with in the mid-1990s. from KTOZ 95.5 FM? It was Z 95.5 then (now it's Alice 95.5), and was a killer radio station, wasn't it? (Cue Rachel rolling her eyes.) In my memory it really showcased the alternative scene way back then. And in junior high, one of the DJs came by a career fair and gave out these sampler CDs with everything from Desperately Wanting by Better than Ezra to Counting Blues Cars by Dishwalla to If God was One of Us by Joan Osbourne and artists such as Geggy Tah and Everclear. Now, I could be mixing us some of the artists on the playlist, but you get the idea. And I'm thinking/hoping you got one of these albums, too. I lost mine some years ago and would do anything to at least figure out what songs were on it so I make my own playlist. One of the songs I know for sure was on it is Love Songs by Fleming and John, which I present to you for this St. Valentine's Day. (Oh, and if you know anything about that album, give me a shout, or at least verify that I'm not crazy and it did exist.)




Tell me that story again, the one that has no ending.

Babbling

I can't believe it's taken me this long to discover babble.com. The site's very cool, very hip creators have self-proclaimed it the "The magazine and community of a new generation of parents," and though I admit how interesting and relevant I find the content, it does scream hipster. (And in the work/social circles I find myself in, this is as pejorative a term as any.) Skinny jeans notwithstanding, you have to marvel at the intriguing collection of columns/blogs/essays they present.

Exhibit A: "Breast friends"
#Pondering the idea of breast-feeding your soulmate's offspring.

Exhibit B: "The Over-Parenting Crisis" by the woman who wrote the book "Attachment Parenting" way back in 1999.
#About the over-ambitious attachment parenting movement that is having major unintended effects on kids whose lives are disinfected, micromanaged and fretted over from Day 1.

Exhibit C: "This is the part where I name drop"
#Hanging out with Dave Grohl-the-daddy not Dave Grohl-the-badass-lead-singer-of-the-Foo Fighters.

I'm very intrigued by the idea of pitching stuff to them. But what stuff? This blog? That essay I wrote back in the spring? Maybe this is the swift kick in the rear I needed to start writing more seriously again. We shall see what comes of it.

Anyway. Babble.com. Check it out if you're interested in parenting methods.

If you are interested in modern, melancholy photography, I have two recommendations.

Bluejake.com
#One of the founders of Gothamist.com keeps a photoblog of the architecture and intrinsic beauty of a forgotten side of New York City.


3191
#A year of mornings, captured by two friends who live 3191 miles apart.


And don't forget. PostSecret is updated on Sundays. Ya know, if you're a PostSecret kind of gal.