Where You'll Find Us This Saturday...

The Kiddo and I will be attending the free-admission grand opening of the new New Museum.

Daily Dose of Cute

He's crawling, folks!

Quote of the Day

"I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little, if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny."

Coco Chanel
from Parisiennes: A Celebration of French Women

A Very Happy Birthday

I love my husband. I mean, I really really do. I love him for reasons too numerous to count, but I can say that one of the reasons I love him is that he is a splendiferous celebrator. He says that his favorite day of the year is my birthday, and he always sets about making each one more amazing than the last with his incredible skills as a Magical-Day-Planner. He could teach a course on the finer points of said Magical Day Planning, and I am not in any way qualified to go into an explanation of his methods. For the most part, his secrets of smoothness are hidden to me and other mere mortals. But I do know one of the key ingredients to his planning, and it is this: Layers (also sometimes pronounced sassily, as in "LAY-yahs"). According to the Layer technique, in order to achieve the perfect day, it is necessary to orchestrate various surprises, ranging from small to breathtaking, and mix them all up with a heavy dose of mystery spiked with humor. Yesterday I turned 29, and he managed to top all my previous birthdays. He also enlisted Kiddo, who no doubt is destined to become Luke Skywalker to T's Yoda in the Orchestration of the Birthday Layers Department.

It was good times, people. We really didn't want the day to end...here we are squeezing the last bit of fun out of the day, right before bed:

Happy Thanksgiving

Here are a few highlights of the Kiddo's first Thanksgiving:
Allison leads the singalong

Jane and Riki share a giggle

Jackson Hops on Pop

Me and the Kiddo

Pushky and Finn have their way with the dessert table

Peek-a-boo

Riki and Jace

J-Byrd (aka The Hostess With the Mostest) and Jane

The Kiddo and Riki share a moment of cuteness

Father and son

Whudda Face

This is what I had to contend with when I tried to get out of bed this morning:

Daily Inspiration

Check out these amazingly fun photos by Jon Von Holleben:

I feel a rainy-day project coming on...
(Via Photojojo).

Wonderful Weekend

Saturday, the Kiddo and I decided to pop in on Dad at Our Time rehearsal. Things were starting to heat up creatively and the company members were really in the songwriting zone. In the following picture, Kiddo is in Chelsea's arms, attentively watching Dad hold it down on the djembe. That guy with the camera is Mark, and he's working on a documentary film about the theatre company...

Here's the company hard at work on their "HipHopera":

...and here's the Kiddo chillin' with Ned and Chelsea...

After the workshop, T and I decided to make the trek down to Soho for dinner at one of our all-time favorite places, Ghenet. We are huge fans of Ethiopian cuisine and it had been nearly six months since our last visit, so we couldn't wait. Since the staff had not seen us since I gave birth, they all flipped out about Kiddo. As a matter of fact, after our food came, he was whisked away and they all took turns carrying him around the restaurant, showing him off and enjoying him. It was the first meal T and I have eaten by ourselves in a restaurant since early June. It was fun, although we were pretty distracted watching our little guy hold court! By the end of the night he had made friends with half the room and had scored an adorable baby-sized Ghenet t-shirt. Here he is with a few of his fans:

This morning we took off for Westchester to hang out with the Kiddo's cousins. Here's an adorable picture of my gorgeous hubby and baby waiting for the train.

Once we arrived at the cuz's it was non-stop fun. Here's the Kiddo with Aunt Maddie, and cousins Finn and Mac:

And here he is having a blast with Isabelle Moon:

We played fooseball, drew pictures, listened to Digable Planets, ate guacamole, played Isabelle's guessing game, and even watched episode 1 of Project Runway on TiVo (thanks Maddie!)

Back home now, the boys are winding down as I write this. What a weekend!

November Splendor

Bravo Bereavement

We got rid of our TV set back in April when we moved to our new apartment. Since then, we have been so busy with the Kiddo and life in general that we sometimes wonder when we used to find the time to watch the boob tube. Seriously, we haven't missed it...there has been more reading, more writing, more quality time together than back in the day when we had a TV. Best of all, we haven't spent a single moment with that icky, "I can't believe I just spent my whole afternoon channel surfing through reruns of The Real World Topeka, America's Next Top Model Cycle Upteen Zillion, and LarryKing interviewing Anna Nicole Smith from the grave."

However, tonight I find myself at an interesting juncture, and I'm just going to admit it. As I write this, I am missing the premiere of Season Four of Project Runway.

And it's killing me.

Ok, so not quite killing me, but I will say I'm going through some serious Bravo/Project Runway bereavement. I will just have to resign myself to catching up on all the dirt post-show over at Tom and Lorenzo's fabulous site, Project Rungay. It'll be almost as good as seeing the show firsthand.

*Tear!*

Daily Inspiration

Going through my collection of vintage fashion magazines today, I ran across this completely sublime little illustrated lady in the February 1970 issue of Vogue (featured in a Kotex ad of all things). Methinks she'll be working her way into a crafty-project of some kind...

Jennifer Beals, Eat Your Heart Out

I have to share the cute Kiddo picture of the day: Here he is, rockin' his new Babylegs, which are basically legwarmers for babies. Besides being incredibly cute and warm, they also keep Kiddo's tender little knees from getting too roughed up while he learns to crawl. They also make diaper changes a snap (easier than removing or unfastening pants).Of course, not only do these appeal to me on several practical levels, the aesthetic allure is undeniable to this aficionado of all things 80's.

I have to have this, it will be MINE!!!

Everyone who knows me knows how crazy I am about a good book. And the newspaper. And my favorite magazines (The New Yorker, Newsweek, Mothering, Vogue, Elle, Domino, Blueprint...I could go on...). I am and always have been the most voracious reader I know. Well, I just stumbled upon a necklace (by Etsy seller Brookadelphia) that truly speaks to me as un unabashed bibliophile. You can see more Brookadelphia designs at their official website, brookadelphia.com.

Finding Our Tribe

Yesterday the three of us attended our first support group meeting of NYC Attachment Parenting International. It was only recently that I realized that all of the methods we have been instinctively drawn to in terms of parenting (home birth, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, babywearing, not letting the baby "cry it out") fit under the umbrella of an actual movement, called Attachment Parenting, or AP. It turns out that there are lots of us out there!

Anyway, we had a really nice time meeting other parents and children who share a similar lifestyle, and I think we will be getting more and more involved in the local AP community. I thought I would take this opportunity to post some (hopefully helpful/enlightening) info about Attachment Parenting.

First of all, there are Eight Principals of Attachment Parenting (as defined by API), and they are:

1. Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting
2. Feed with Love and Respect
3. Respond with Sensitivity
4. Use Nurturing Touch
5. Engage in Nighttime Parenting
6. Provide Consistent and Loving Care
7. Practice Positive Discipline
8. Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life

The man who coined the term "Attachment Parenting," William Sears, MD has a slightly different way of articulating these concepts, as stated on his website:

Attachment parenting is a style of caring for your infant that brings out the best in the baby and the best in the parents.

1. Birth bonding

The way baby and parents get started with one another helps the early attachment unfold. The days and weeks after birth are a sensitive period in which mothers and babies are uniquely primed to want to be close to one another. A close attachment after birth and beyond allows the natural, biological attachment-promoting behaviors of the infant and the intuitive, biological, caregiving qualities of the mother to come together. Both members of this biological pair get off to the right start at a time when the infant is most needy and the mother is most ready to nurture.

2. BreastfeedingBreastfeeding is an exercise in babyreading. Breastfeeding helps you read your baby's cues, her body language, which is the first step in getting to know your baby. Breastfeeding gives baby and mother a smart start in life. Breastmilk contains unique brain-building nutrients that cannot be manufactured or bought. Breastfeeding promotes the right chemistry between mother and baby by stimulating your body to produce prolactin and oxytocin, hormones that give your mothering a boost.

3. Babywearing

A baby learns a lot in the arms of a busy caregiver. Carried babies fuss less and spend more time in the state of quiet alertness, the behavior state in which babies learn most about their environment. Babywearing improves the sensitivity of the parents. Because your baby is so close to you, you get to know baby better. Closeness promotes familiarity.

4. Bedding close to baby

Wherever all family members get the best night's sleep is the right arrangement for your individual family. Co-sleeping adds a nighttime touch that helps busy daytime parents reconnect with their infant at night. Since nighttime is scary time for little people, sleeping within close touching and nursing distance minimizes nighttime separation anxiety and helps baby learn that sleep is a pleasant state to enter and a fearless state to remain in.

5. Belief in the language value of your baby's cry

A baby's cry is a signal designed for the survival of the baby and the development of the parents. Responding sensitively to your baby's cries builds trust. Babies trust that their caregivers will be responsive to their needs. Parents gradually learn to trust in their ability to appropriately meet their baby's needs. This raises the parent-child communication level up a notch. Tiny babies cry to communicate, not to manipulate.

6. Beware of baby trainers

Attachment parenting teaches you how to be discerning of advice, especially those rigid and extreme parenting styles that teach you to watch a clock or a schedule instead of your baby; you know, the cry-it-out crowd. This "convenience" parenting is a short-term gain, but a long-term loss, and is not a wise investment. These more restrained styles of parenting create a distance between you and your baby and keep you from becoming an expert in your child.

7. Balance

In your zeal to give so much to your baby, it's easy to neglect the needs of yourself and your marriage. As you will learn the key to putting balance in your parenting is being appropriately responsive to your baby – knowing when to say "yes" and when to say "no," and having the wisdom to say "yes" to yourself when you need help.

Happy Five Months, Kiddo!

You're only five months old today, but yet it feels as if you've been around for, like, ever!
And we can't imagine our lives without you.
Love,
Mama

Daily Inspiration

I just discovered Etsy artist MaryMakiRae. I love the lushly saturated colors and the simplistic, elegant whimsy of these prints. Don't you think these would look fabulous in a kid's room?

Kiddo Update

Well, here he is, seconds after he managed to maneuver himself into a sitting position for the first time ever today. I love how his face is all, "woa, look mom, I did it!"

My Decoupaged Office

When the Kiddo is napping, this is where the magic happens, folks.

I decoupaged this IKEA corner office unit inside and out with back issues of Vogue magazine, cut into little squares. The exterior consists entirely of images, cropped to emphasize color and texture, and the inside of the cabinet is a jumble of text (black and white only) from the magazine.

What I like about this piece is that it provides great storage and compact workspace and closes up in a snap to hide our copious amounts of clutter. Best of all, it practically serves as a giant piece of artwork -- and it's a great conversation piece.

Burn Your Bjorn

What you really need is a fabulous Mei Tai baby carrier from BabyHawk. The company calls their design "the cure for the common baby carrier" and there couldn't be a more apt description.

Several weeks ago I dragged myself into Metrominis wearing the Kiddo in our Baby Bjorn, my neck, shoulders and back aching with the familiar strain. Bianca, the owner of the boutique, staged an intervention, informing me that the discomfort I was experiencing was not due to the weight of my baby or any inherent problems of babywearing, but rather to the less than ergonomic engineering of the Bjorn. Then she introduced me to the BabyHawk, letting me try it on in the store. Well, I've barely taken it off since! The BabyHawk is comfy and cozy and cute. It gets the baby nestled right in, close to your skin and promotes majorly soothing vibes. Due to the way(s) that it ties onto my body, the weight is well distributed -- so much so that I can wear it for hours at a time without any signs of the tortuous strains that were common when wearing the Bjorn. Bianca also pointed out that the BabyHawk is better for the little one's hips, as well (because it positions the baby's legs like a "froggy" around your waist instead of letting them dangle straight down).

Another reason to love BabyHawk carriers is that they come in a plethora of beautiful, designer fabrics (you can even design your own on their website). As you can see above, I selected a wonderfully whimsical and slightly punk rock print featuring mini calaveras. Because what could be better than festive, glittering, Mexican Skulls on your baby carrier!?!

I'm also digging this one:

Daily Inspiration

I just saw this amazing Frida Kahlo's Studio dollhouse created by artist and mother Elsa Mora. Check out all the amazing detail photos here.

Oh, it is SO on, people

Even while fighting a nasty case of the sniffles the Kiddo is in high spirits today and working hard to surpass his own already impressive athletic accomplishments.

Not yet five months old, he has devised a surprisingly deft way of maneuvering around the apartment. Not exactly the alternating knees and hands of classic crawling, this customized method nonetheless proves efficient for propelling Kiddo after objects of interest.

Of course, the most compelling of the aforementioned interesting objects are never actual baby-centric toys , but rather radiator pipes, chair legs, and piano pedals. Apparently these items exude an undeniable aura of yummyness to the as-yet uncultivated infant palate.

I'm amazed to think where he'll be off to by next week...

By Way of Introduction...

I was born and raised in Star, Mississippi. For six years now, I've lived in Manhattan. My husband T and I are second-generation artists. In June, 2007 we became parents to one Marvelous Kiddo, who is already taking the world by storm. Marvelous Kiddo was born at home to the strains of Bob Marley's "Is This Love" (which, fantastically, just happens to be the first song T and I heard together on the night we met in 1999). Since his arrival, Kiddo has been enthusiastically breastfeeding, exploring, sharing our bed, reading "One Fish Two Fish," posing for enough photos to crash our hard drive, honing his musical ear at the piano (equal parts banging, drool, and excited breathing), enjoying riding around on me in his assortment of baby slings (favorite carry: the "kangaroo"), and getting a kick out of going to museums (favorite art so far, a room full of Jackson Pollocks at the MOMA).

I have never had so much fun. I hope you have fun reading about our continued adventures...