I'm so stoked that Marlo got her dad's eyes! They're actually darker blue than Lew's, just like Lew's own dad's, actually, which is very cool that it dropped down a generation to her. It so neat how big babies' eyes are in proportion to their faces. Someone once told me that it's because our eyeballs are full size when we're born, so our baby faces look tiny in comparison. I wonder if this is true.
Marlo is so lucky to have such a good dad! Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how Lew would take so easily to fatherhood, even when M was a tiny baby, and especially now that she's becoming a true individual at 9 months old.
Our good friends Ed and Andrea, who live in NYC bought Marlo this bodysuit with a pic of young Bob Dylan from a street vendor when we visited them in May 2007, four months before Marlo was born. We wanted to get some pictures of her wearing it before she grows out of it, which seems to be happening wit
h alarming frequency these days! So here's our little 8-month-old goofball. In case you can't tell, she's a pretty happy kid. Earlier in that evening we took her on an outing to Barclay's (Lew's favorite pub in our neighborhood) where she entertained many members of the beer-drinking public with lots of grins and giggles. She also tried her damnedest to shag one of our onion rings, but we managed to keep them away from her.
At 8 months, she weighs 16 pounds (we think), likes to grab anything within her reach, says ma-ma-ma and da-da-da (but not on cue), is starting to prefer solid food over formula, and still doesn't crawl, although she loves to stand up (with help from an adult, obviously). She is endlessly entertaining to us. We hope it stays that way!
I'm too late for April Fools (and I've never been good at thinking up good pranks anyway. Here are some recent shots of Marlo that will make you smile. Nowadays she has two main expressions: serious or laughing/smiling. Well...maybe I should say three, since sometimes she's just angry (we don't take many pictures of that one.) There's also the goofy face, which is pretty fun too.
Also, check out my friend ana's virtual bake sale to benefit Strength.org, which helps eradicate childhood hunger.
First lesson learned about parenthood: Don't make any plans. She wasn't due to arrive until Sept. 29, but Marlo Ayers Price decided to make her debut 18 days early on Sept. 11. Yep, 9/11. At first I had reservations about having a 9/11 baby...but, you know, the more I think about it, the cooler it seems.
Not just that my daughter was born on this date, but for anyone out there with a birthday on 9/11. Life is, after all, cyclical. And when there are endings, there are also beginnings. And the world is full of good and bad - brand-new babies being on the plus side, obviously. So perhaps her birth on this date in some tiny way helps build up good karma in the world. God knows the world could use all the good karma it can get.
She weighs a mere 5 pounds, 6 ounces (checked at her first doctor's appointment today - up 2 ounces from when we brought her home from the hospital), but she has turned our lives upside-down. Did I expect this? Of course, but...with a first baby you just don't know what it's like, until you know what it's like. And so far what it's like is that every day is a different day. One day, we sleep. The next, not so much. And so on.
Babies and children teach us lots of lessons, but the important ones I'm learning are patience and to slow down. When I'm feeding her, if my mind starts to race ahead to all the stuff I can get done while she's napping after eating, I try to remember to tell myself to, A) get real, because I'm not going to get all that done in an hour, and B) just stop. Enjoy the feeling of rocking back and forth with a warm little body on your tummy. Burn the memory into your mind, I tell myself, and into your kinetic memory...because one day she might become a back-talking 16-year-old (or a back-talking 2-year-old, more likely). And I'll want to remember how uncomplicated things were when she was 8 days old and all she needed was food and the reassuring embrace of her mom and dad.
P.S. Can you tell I'm going to town with my new Nikon D40??
Last Saturday, my darling best friend Mary threw me a baby shower at her house in Glen Ellen. Twenty-plus wonderful women attended - family and friends - and it was such a treat to see everyone. Mary was a champion party-thrower. She had totally scrumptious food (including a chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting - yum!) and great decorations. She and her hubby Gary have fixed up their backyard with lots of shady areas and a gorgeous garden, so we ate outside and talked, then went inside to play a few games (all of which were fun, not lame!) and open gifts inside. And what wonderful gifts they were - lots of practical things we need and lots of wonderful books and handmade things too. My friend and co-worker Robin gave me a hand-sewn teddy bear her mom Shirley had made - what a treasure!
Another highlight was receiving a handmade quilt that my grandma, Audrey, stitched by hand for baby Marlo. What a lucky girl Marlo is (and what a lucky girl I am too). I am going to figure out a pretty way to hang it on the wall in Marlo's room, so she can see it every day and know how much her great-grandma loves her.
Another highlight was a really unique activity Mary had everyone do. She made note cards and labeled them "6 months," "1 year," "2 years," etc., up to about 22 years old, so that everyone there could choose an age. Then people wrote a short note to Marlo, imagining she would open it on that birthday. These letters are filled with so much sage advice, fun reminders, and stuff to look forward to. Some excerpts:
For 2 years old, from Nonna (Grandma) Price: I can hardly believe you are 2 years old already. I remember how excited we were awaiting your birth. Now you are walking and talking. I am looking forward to your next visit...you can swim in the pool and eat ice cream. We'll take Sophie for a walk, read a book, and take a nap!
For 6 years old, from Ginny Jones (my friend Angela's mom and my surrogate mom): I hope you have a dog or some other special animal to be your pet.
For 7 years old, from Kimberly Blattner (a friend of my mom's): What all parents love is to have their child make them laugh. Tell your mom and dad jokes, wear disguises and funny hats, and learn magic tricks.
For 9 years old, from my mom: My hopes for you at age 9 are to ignore the media's pressure to grow up as fast as you can and try to be 18. Instead, find ways to play music and sing, hike in nature, draw and sculpt, and read and write as much as possible. Ignore boys for now and don't ever hide your intelligence.
For 13 years old, from Aunt Megan (Lew's sister, who also gave Marlo this adorable stuffed monkey): You will have so many questions about life and about who you are, and who you want to become. There will be so many paths that lie before you, which can be confusing at times, but you will choose the right ones. One day, you will realize that the paths you chose, even the steep and rocky inclines, were the only ones you could have chosen - because they will have shaped the beautiful and intelligent woman that you are sure to become.
For 15 years old, from my friend Kelly: You probably think you have most of life just about figured out by now...but you don't. Listen to your mother. She does actually know a thing or two. You'll see!
For 20 years old, from Donna, my friend Angela's stepmom (who I've known since I was about 10 and whose daughters I babysat and learned almost everything I know about babies from): 20 = better than 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, but you are still likely to be confused about the best path to take...do what riles your particular passion. Most of all, start looking out and spend less time looking in. You will have a wonderful life!
Needless to say, what a lot of wonderful thoughts and comments for our baby Marlo. That's just a sample, and I can tell you it will give me just one more reason to look forward to her birth - and every birthday after that.
Only in New York City...we were visiting our friends Ed and Andrea in NYC at the end of May and walking around the Village we came upon a fur shop that advertises its wares by making mini fur coats for Barbies.
The trip was so much fun - nine whole days in Manhattan with nothing to do but whatever we wanted. If you visit there or live here, do not hesitate to eat dinner at Lupa or Union Square Cafe. Delish! At Lupa - which is one of Mario Batali's restaurants, but not the ultra-pricey one, Babbo - we had the nicest server. She gave Lew two very good wine recommendations. And they serve wine by the glass in 1.5-glass mini carafes, which is awesome if you're a big drinker or if, like Lew, you have a pregnant wife who feels too guilty to order herself a full glass but likes to take liberal sips off of yours. I had pasta carbonara - yes, I was in heaven. At Union Square Cafe, everything was simply scrumptious, and even though we didn't order dessert, I had mentioned that we were celebrating our anniversary when I made the reservation, so they brought us a mixed cookie plate with "Happy Anniversary" written in chocolate syrup on the plate.
We also saw Inherit the Wind - it was amazing (thanks, Court, for the recommendation!). Unless you must see a show on opening night or on a busy weekend, you must NEVER buy full-price theater tix in NYC! Always go to TKTS to get them half price (or sometimes 30 percent off). Unless you're a millionaire, then do what you want.
And we did some touristy stuff too. We didn't take a city tour on the double-decker London bus...but don't think we weren't tempted. We don't have any pride.
I even survived doing a lot of walking in 85- to 90-degree NY weather being 5 months pregnant. It was totally fine except the day I wore completely flat shoes with no arch support. Bad idea. We took the subway lots of places, though, so that helped. I had to laugh because the only person who offered me a seat on the subway was another tourist. A woman.
And Ed and Andrea are the best. Besides letting us stay at their place almost the whole time we were there (we stayed at a hotel for a few nights using points, just for fun), they picked us up and dropped us off at JFK. Although that's supposed to be a secret, so that all of their house guests don't get the same idea...
Today on my ride into SF on BART, a woman offered me her seat. I think it's because she noticed that I'm pregnant, but I don't look very pregnant (to people who don't know me), so I was a bit surprised. I thought, "Oh maybe she's getting off at the next stop anyway." But no, she stayed on (standing) for at least another few stops...maybe even all the way into the City. I also had kind of a lot of junk to carry--laptop bag, lunch bag, and my big ol' Granny purse--and all she had was a dainty purse and her newspaper. But still.
How nice that was. To have someone else offer you a seat on a crowded commuter train. That old saying about the kindness of strangers came true for me today. I guess maybe I'll get that a lot more, especially as I get bigger and bigger!
As a kid I was a total freak for candy. (Probably because I wasn't, technically, allowed to eat it. So I tried it all and ate as much of it as I possibly could.) I got most of it out of my system, although it's really hard for me to pass up a Reese's peanut butter cup, or even Starburst, even though I know it's so so so bad for me. Really, it's like eating motor oil. Or something.
But look at all the amazing things people are doing with gummy bears.... my co-worker Susie sent me a link to this amazing gummy bear chandelier by an artist named YaYa Chou. (I thought for sure she would have lacquered the gummies to keep them from melting, but she says that they remain edible.) Chou has an entire sculpture series featuring gummy bears.
That got me wondering what other crazy stuff people do with gummy bears. Like:
Gummy bears were invented in Germany, by the way. Their German name, Gummibär, means "rubber bear." They're made of corn starch, corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, color, and flavor. (But a company called Edward & Sons makes a gelatin-free organic gummy candy line, for vegetarians and people who get grossed out by the idea of eating ground-up animal hooves.) It's a concoction that, in 2005, caught the attention of cosmetic surgeons, who developed the "gummy bear breast implant." (Those are some real-looking fakes!)
My favorite kind of gummy candy are sour bears. The problem is that whenever I eat them I can sort of feel them rotting my teeth.
Been meaning to post a shot of our friends Ed and Andrea's dog Hudson ... She was a big surprise when a bunch of girls recently visited the P's in New York! Hudson is a puggle (part pug, part beagle), which is, according to Ed, the "flavor of the month" in small dog breeds among Manhattanites. All I know is, she's freakin' adorable!
