Baby Maya at six months!

Wow, I'm six months old!!! And just as cute as the day I was born. :)

This picture was taken the beginning of May, but I can't believe how much Maya is growing! We have started solid foods recently, and her current repetoire includes sweet potatoes, avocado, rice cereal, and banana. All homemade and organic, she's one healthy bub! We're still trying to figure out her eye color, which seems to hover somewhere between blue/grey, hazel, and brown--which pretty much covers just about all the options. :)

In the writing world, Rachel Carson was born on May 27, 1907 in Springdale, Pennsylvania. I have long admired her work, particularly Silent Spring, a book that was both groundbreaking and ahead of her time. First published in 1962 as a serial in the New Yorker, it helped to launch the environmental movement, educating the general population on the dangers of pesticide use, specifically DDT. More than 40 years later, her work maintains its relevancy, as well as both its critics and supporters. 

- this info courtesy of 'Maryland Morning' on NPR Radio, which I heard on today's broadcast.

That Baby CD/DVD

Description: "That Baby DVD and That Baby CD are unique baby gifts unlike anything you’ve ever seen or heard. We’ve taken great songs—songs that you may have sung at camp or put on a mix tape when you were a kid—and reworked them with fantastic new acoustic and vocal arrangements. Enjoy kid-friendly covers of songs written by artists like Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant, The Beatles, The Pretenders, and more. We’re a parent-run company that knows the value of great children’s products and your need to buy with confidence. Our products are manufactured in the US using recycled materials. We offer a “no questions asked” money-back guarantee and free replacement of scratched or damaged discs. (We have kids too. We know how it is.)"

I have never been a fan of the music and videos marketed for children. Baby Einstein and Barney both make me cringe. We have not purchased any of the CD's designed specifically for babies, preferring to pop in our large collection of classical CD's and world music. Rather than 'Rock-a-bye-baby", Maya enjoys listening to Edith Piaf, Bruce Springsteen, Ella Fitzgerald, and classical Persian tunes. Which is exactly what attracted me to the 'That Baby' CD and DVD when a review offer came up through MotherTalk - a Baby/Kid's CD with the subtitle, 'Acoustic Rock classics for kids and the grownups who love them' sounds like my cup of tea. With cover songs of artists such as Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, and 10,000 Maniacs, it's hard to go wrong.

When the CD and DVD arrived, my original plans were to enjoy the CD together with Maya, but watch the video separately. Maya has not watched any TV in her short little life, and I was hesitant to plop her down in front of the TV to watch the DVD. Studies showing the detrimental effect TV-watching has on development screamed in my ear. Then one day we had a particularly hectic week. I was trying to start planning for our re-location to New Jersey (including buying our first home!), I hadn't had a shower in more than two days, and I was starving. Sensing my stress, Maya was particularly fussy. When my gaze landed on the That Baby DVD, I caved. With Maya snuggled into her swing, I turned it on, and went to prepare lunch for myself. Fifteen minutes later, she was enthralled...and so was I. 

The DVD pulls you right in with the beautiful 'Happiness Runs/Circle Games' - a tune which is now permanently stuck in my head. The graphics are beautiful, with a colorful butterfly gliding into a forest of trees. But our favorite DVD track is the lip-synching kids that sing along to the song 'Brass in Pocket'. Maya loves watching the antics of other kids, and I find them a delight to watch as well. For the first few years, it will only be pulled out on the rare occasion, but as she grows into her pre-school years, I'm hoping this will hopefully still be a family favorite.

The creators of That Baby also have a few Jewish-themed DVD's out, that I have seen at the shop in my local Jewish Community Center, called OyBaby.

For more information or to purchase the CD and/or DVD, you can check out the That Baby website. If you enter the coupon code "MotherTalk" when purchasing you can save 20% on your entire order!

From now until May 18th, all orders using the coupon code "MotherTalk" will be entered in a drawing to win a new iPod nano!

This review is part of the MotherTalk blog tour.

Cloth/Board Book Reviews - Daytime

"Can'talk. Busy reading."

Maya and I enjoy reading time every day. I usually try to read to her one book during the day, and two bedtime books as part of our night routine. Now that she is almost five months old, I thought I would give a rundown on the board and cloth books currently in our home library.

7. Pat the Bunny - Guess Who? - Golden Books

3/5

This book was inspired by the classic Pat the Bunny book by Dorothy Kunhardt. We don't have the original, but Maya's not a big fan of this one. The simple story line is cute: Who is hiding in the toy box? We go through a variety of possibilities: clown, ballet dancer, reindeer, before finding out it's bunny! Connected to the book is a little mirror for Baby to see her own reflection. But she doesn't. The mirror is way too small for Maya to easily see herself, and the images have never really captured her attention. More often than not, this one stays on the shelf.

6. Look, Look by Peter Linenthal

3.5/5

This was the first book I bought for Maya, after I read that newborns love to look at high contrast black and white images. This book is designed for the littlest of babies, those just learning to look at the world around them. I love the images: big hands reaching up to a butterfly, a sun shining over corn stalks, flowers blooming, a cat stretching. Maya's favorite is the two pages with the image of a smiling child. She likes to 'kiss' their face - the same thing she does when she sees her reflection in a mirror. The book is a great concept, but in practice it wasn't well received (except for the page with the children). Maya was not interested in books until she was about two months old, and by then she responded better to simple books with lots of bright colors.

5. The Busy World of Richard Scarry: Bananas Gorilla's Sounds - Richard Scarry

4/5

My husband loved Richard Scarry books when he was a kid, so I picked this one up when I saw it at Goodwill and it looked like new. There are a lot of things happening in the story: Bananas getting ready for the day, eating breakfast, fixing a flat tire, going to school. When Maya is a little bit older, there will be a lot to talk about when we read this book. For now, she enjoys all of the sound effects the story line encourages, like the Brring of an alarm clock, the Vroom Vroom as Bananas leaves in his car, and the Whoosh of the wind.

4. Jamberry - Bruce Degen

5/5

We received this one at Maya's baby naming ceremony. I love this book! In the world of board books, it is rather full on text, and we don't always make it to the end. The story reads like a song, so half the time I sing it to her as we read (my husband likes to read it with a British accent). We follow a boy and a bear as they take off on a journey through Berryland. The pictures hold lots of secret surprises if you look closely: toast on trees, crumpet lily pads with pats of butter inside lily flowers, and marshmallow marsh reeds are a few examples. It's a nonsense story with lilting rhymes that are a delight to read: "Quickberry! Quackberry! Pick me a blackberry! Trainberry Trackberry Clickety-clackberry"

3. I Know a Rhino - Charles Fuge

5/5

This story is a great example of the power of creative play and using your imagination. It's a cute story. A little girl spends the day with whimsical animal characters who turn out to be her stuffed animals. The illustrations are bright and simple, and catch Maya's attention. This one is already looking a bit worn around the edges.

2. Little Lamb - Chronicle Books

5/5

You can't go wrong with finger puppets, and a little lamb poking through every page is adorable! Maya can grab the little lamb, and loves watching him look around at the scenery on each page: sniffing the flowers, looking up at the sun. The illustrations are great, and my personal favorite is the page where the lamb resembles a cloud passing by. 

1. Fuzzy Bee and Friends - Roger Priddy

5/5

As much as I love some of the other books, this is the current favorite in our household. Roger Priddy makes so many wonderful books, I wanted to buy them all when I was pregnant. I finally settled on this one. Fuzzy Bee features nine interactive illustrations all with something fun for Maya to explore. Her favorite page is the beetle bug with blue iridescent wings and butterfly with bright red wings. This is one of the few books we have that she can turn the pages, and she always manages to find the beetle bug! We now keep this as a car book, and it easily keeps her entertained while I am running errands. I love hearing the crinkle, crinkle of the front page coming from the car seat as I drive along!

The Screecher

I haven't had much reading time lately, so I thought it would be a great time for a Maya update. Early on, Maya made sounds that sounded like babbles. Cute little a-goos and goo-goo's came out of her precious little mouth. I told people, listen to our newborn baby babble, isn't she smart? Then the babbles went away, much to my chagrin, but was replaced by delightful little coos.

Lately, I miss those coos.

The first time Maya came out with an opera-octave eeeeee, I turned to hubby with a look that said, did that really just come out of her mouth? Yep, that was our precious little daughter sounding like a feral cat. As days passed and the eeeee's became more numerous and energetic, it was confirmed: we have a Screecher.

Some babies explore first vocalizations with ooh's and aah's. Our baby quickly decided that was too boring, and jumped straight to the ear-pitching screech. Because there is no other word to describe it, she's just a happy screecher.

Of course, that doesn't stop us from trying to get new sounds out of her. A typical dinner conversation in our household currently goes something like this:

Hubby: Hoooow aaaare yoooouu?

Me: Ba-ba-ba!

Maya: Eeeeeeee-eeeeee-ee-eeeeeeee!

Hubby: Did you hear that? She was imitating me!

Me: I thought I heard a "huh" sound in there.

Maya: Eee-eeeeeeeeee-eeeee-e-eee!

Hubby: Da-da-da!

Me: Ba-Ba-Ba!

Maya: Eeeeeeeeeee!

Hubby: She said "da". She knows me!

Me: Da is just a sound unless there is meaning behind it, dear. La-La-La!

Maya: Eeeeeeeee-ee-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

At least they're happy screeches.

Maya's Blog

Maya now has her own blog - check it out at Maya's Universe!

It's still in its beginning stages, but I plan on adding a lot to it.

And I just started Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I'm getting through about 2 pages at a time. I must be crazy. :)

Welcome to the world Baby Maya!!!

Our little girl finally made an appearance this week!!! She was born on Monday, Nov. 26 at 6.44pm. After 24 hours of active labor without pain medication, we were transferred from the birth center to the hospital for an emergency c-section. Everyone made it through wonderfully and are now enjoying being at home resting and getting to know each other.

She'll soon be here!

***Sticky Post***

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Secrets of the Baby Whisperer - Tracy Hogg

Title: Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to calm, connect, and communicate with your child
Author: Tracy Hogg
Country: America
Year: 2001
Rating: C-
Pages: 287

First sentence: Let me tell you straightaway, luv: I didn't dub myself "the baby whisperer."

Short summary: This is a book about Tracy Hogg's baby training program that is designed to teach parents how to respect their babies, understand their needs, and help them to set up a routine of eat, sleep, and activity that works for them--the E.A.S.Y. method.

Challenge book? No.

What did I think? Just once, I would like to find a parenting book that admits, hey, this might not work for you. All families and all babies are unique, and while my ideas might work for many people, they don't work for everyone. Don't be discouraged if what I tell you doesn't work for you.

I haven't found that book yet.

Tracy Hogg claims to have the answers for everyone, since she has never failed. And undoubtedly, her middle-of-the-road approach may work for a lot of people (she continually cites the success with her Hollywood clientele and New York executives). And there are nuggets of solid advice in parts of her book: explanations of a baby's body language and cries, to help you understand what your little one is asking for; and the importance of parents to acknowledge their babies as humans, to respect them and speak to them like the tiny little people that they are.

But, the nuggets of advice seem to be scattered throughout a book that has quite a few misconceptions and inaccuracies, such as the fact that she is "never an advocate for on-demand feeding, a term that I believe speaks for itself--you end up with a demanding baby" and that breastfeeding is a current fad and may someday be replaced by genetically altered cows that produce human milk. Her supposedly unbiased approach to the breastfeeding vs formula debate seemed sadly one-sided to me.

Which brings me back to her insistence from the very beginning that this is a book that will work for everyone, and solve all of your problems. But, I don't think it would work for me, as her ideas are not compatible with some very important aspects of our parenting philosophy. I don't quite classify our beliefs as completely fitting the attachment parenting model, but there are quite a few similarities, none of which are supported by Hogg. We plan on breastfeeding exclusively, and don't plan on weaning during the first year; babywearing during the first few months (Hogg discourages this by comparing carrying baby in a sling to carrying around a sack of potatoes all day), and using a co-sleeper attached to the bed (all her advice is geared towards parents whose babies sleep in their own room from the very beginning).

These are our choices. Other families make different choices, and that is perfectly fine. Her bad breastfeeding advice aside (I would never recommend this book to someone who does not know very much about BF as a source of information), other people might find her advice very helpful. And who knows, a few months down the road, I may come back to her again if sleep is not coming so easily in our home. But I am not going to start my child on a schedule when she is four days old. And I am also learning that books that claim to know it all, are books best to stay away from.

Plus, her over-use of "quotations" absolutely "drives" me "nuts".

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

Title: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, 7th ed.
Author: La Leche League, Intl.
Country: America
Year: 2004 (7th ed)
Rating: A-
Pages: 463 pgs

Short summary: A breastfeeding resource for mothers about the benefit of human milk for your baby, how to prepare for breastfeeding, tips on how to combine breastfeeding and working outside the house, finding time for yourself while meeting your baby's needs, and suggestions on overcoming some of the most common problems that may arise.

What I thought: This book would be a good starting point for someone just starting to learn more about breastfeeding. It is written by La Leche League, a breastfeeding activist group, and they do state that breast is best, a position I happen to support. But, so does the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, and countless health professionals and medical studies. I appreciated the fact that the book did not use any scare-mongering tactics that seem to crop up in this debate; they do acknowledge it is a decision each woman needs to make for herself. I actually found this book almost more helpful than the few LLL meetings I have attended, which have a very low attendance record where I live. I also really liked the chapter on Discipline as Loving Guidance. I was not expecting a chapter on discipline in a BF book, and they offered some very valuable and practical advice. There is a great list of further resources at the end of the book.

The major downside to the book is in the layout. I am looking for a resource that I can easily refer to if any problems arise with breastfeeding. This book has some of that information, but not in a format that would be easy to find at say...3am with a hungry baby and a very sleepy mum. For that, the resource that looks the best is Dr. Jack Newman's online breastfeeding resource, which was referred to me by my doula.

Overall, I would recommend this book to all pregnant mothers, and especially those who, like me, have already decided on breastfeeding for at least the first year of their little one's life.

Baby Update

I have been MIA for a while, and my blog posts will more than likely become less frequent in the coming months. I still plan on doing book reviews, but they will be noticeably shorter. But, I'm still here, and things are still going well!

Just starting my 35th week, I have just over one more month till my due date! Other than frequent back aches, which refrain me from sitting in front of a computer for long periods, things couldn't be going more splendidly. The nursery is basically complete (even though she won't be sleeping there for a while, since we are co-sleeping the first few months), and the car seat will be installed sometime this week. I have a drawer full of baby clothes---and a huge storage container of other sizes in the closet. I can't believe we are almost ready for the BIG EVENT!!

And, I thought I would share a few belly photos. Enjoy!

In the Land of Fairies - Daniela Drescher

Title: In the Land of Fairies (Komm mit ins Elfenland)
Author: Daniela Drescher
Country: Germany
Year: 2004
Rating: A

Now that I have begun to re-familiarize myself with children's literature and picture books, these types of reviews will probably pop up more frequently.

I first discovered In The Land of Fairies on a day trip to the small town of St Michael's, on the Eastern Shore in Maryland. Nestled amongst touristy boutiques and ice cream shops is The Faerie Glen, owned by proprietress E. Aspiras, and her tiny shop is a sight to behold. I was instantly drawn to the collection of books she sold, many of which I had never heard of, with this book nestled amongst them.

A few weeks later, I came across the books of Daniela Drescher once more, while perusing Three Sisters Toys, a website filled with natural toys and Waldorf style toys. The Waldorf philosophy on play and learning for young children not only focuses on creative, spontaneous, and voluntary imaginative play, but is also known for it's emphasis on the changing of the seasons and our relationship with nature. Daniela Drescher's books are a perfect addition to the library of a Waldorf parent, but are equally suitable for any children's library.

In The Land of Fairies was first published in Germany as Komm mit ins Elfenland. It was translated into English in 2004. The story is worth reading for the illustrations alone, which are breathtaking. In the story, we follow the fairies and animals of the forest through the changing of the seasons.

Short on words, the focus of the novel relies heavily on the illustrations. However, the small story line is just as enchanting. We see the forest from the fox's perspective in spring, 'The cautious fox hears every sound, By night and day, Creeping with care across the ground'; watch as fairies gently push the forest towards summer, 'Midsummer time, a magic night, So full of life, Now fairies dress the woods with light.'; and nature's preparations for winter, 'Among the tree-roots, down below, Nuts, berries, grain are safely kept beneath the snow.'

I absolutely love this book, along with her other stories In the Land of Merfolk, and In the Land of Elves. Maya gets a daily dose of the story each day, and it is a delight to read out loud (less than 3 months to go until I can read to her while looking at her charming little face!).

The Birth Partner - Penny Simkin

Title: The Birth Partner
Author: Penny Simkin
Country: America
Year: 2001
Rating: A
Pages: 337 pgs.

First sentence: Congratulations!

This is the 4th book I read for the Non-fiction five challenge. It is an alternate for Birthing from Within, which had difficulty obtaining from my library as it is continually checked out. Out of all the books I have read so far to prepare for unmedicated childbirth, this is by far the most useful of them all. It is definitely a book I would recommend for anyone who is pregnant, as it is geared towards everyone, not just those who are planning for natural childbirth. However, I'm just about exhausted of reading pregnancy books, so I'm not sure how many more I'll be fitting in.

Baby update: While I'm on the topic, I have just passed over into the 3rd trimester this weekend! Things are continuing to go very well, and the belly has definitely expanded these past few weeks (although my appetite continues to remain pretty much the same). We've picked a name, Maya Jean B! Baby Maya continues to make her presence known quite regularly, she is definitely an active one! Only 3 months left until my due date!

Blogger problems? Has anyone else had problems uploading photos to the sidebar? Every time I try lately, my photos become stretched out (for example, my currently reading photo, Ahab's Wife). Does anyone know how to fix this?

We're having a girl!

We saw our first glimpse of our little baby Maya or Eliana on Friday, which was very exciting. An extremely active little one--training for that triathlon already, perhaps---it was difficult to get profile shots of her as she was constantly moving around. A fact which I already knew, since I feel her moving all the time!

However, we did get quite a few face shots before her shyness overcame her, and she covered her face with her arms. It was quite a joy too see the little things: her heartbeat, seeing her swallow, and moving her legs about. Our midwife referred us to a wonderful doctor for the u/s, helped by the fact that he completed his residency at the same hospital my husband is currently at. Therefore, he spent loads of time with us, explaining everything to me (with ongoing commentary from dear hubby), and trying to get a "cute" photo. :)

The one on the right is using 4D technology. So she looks a bit alienish, but you can at least pick out the face easily! Apparently, she has long arms and legs. I hope that's not a sign of things to come, as I'm only 5'1, but Aaron's grandfather was over 6 feet tall!

Blogging about baby

I'm determined to do everything I can to encourage reading in our children. Yes, even though the baby probably can't hear me until the end of the second trimester, I have already started reading to the wee one. We are currently reading through Sun Stories by Carolyn McVickar Edwards, a book of stories from around the world that celebrate the role of the sun in our lives. Some of our other favorites are:
- Mother Goose
- Madeline
- Goodnight Moon
- The Little Prince (my hubby reads this one in French, I read it in English)

Granted, we have somewhat slim selections at the moment, as our library does not contain too many children's books!

Of course, there is also the very exciting news that I felt the baby for the first time last week! (Well, I'm about 95% positive it was the baby. I know it definitely wasn't gas!) It couldn't have happened at a better location; I was laying on the beach reading a book when I felt what I can only describe as a little "rolling" feeling. Honestly, I have no idea how to describe it. But, yesterday I felt the same thing again, once while laying on my stomach (which is getting a little harder to do these days), and once while on my back, so I'm pretty sure it's the little bub. Hopefully the first feeling was our baby expressing his/her delight at being at the beach! For right now, I'm the only one that can feel anything, so it is quite a special bonding moment. Poor hubby is anxiously awaiting the first time that he can also feel the baby move.

I am actually starting to get nervous about our ultrasound on the 29th, when they do an anatomical check and let us know what gender our baby is. We have been hoping for a girl fairly strongly these last few months. I know a baby, in whatever gender, shape and form they choose to emerge will be loved and cherished, but I am afraid of an initial disappointment if we find out that it is a boy.

It will also be a relief to know that there are no major problems anatomically. Hubby's cousin recently had to have a medical abortion in her 21st week, after her ultrasound showed anencephaly, with no hope of the baby's survival. I don't really think about negative scenarios very often since so far I have had a completely healthy pregnancy and a baby in utero with a strong and normal heartbeat, but I will be very happy to get over that 20 week hump.