I am not a bed.

It's not that I mind terribly when Belle falls asleep on me. Serving as a bed for a small, snugly sleeping baby is one of the warmest feelings in the world. The way Belle nuzzles her head into my neck, trusts me, and sleeps soundly and comfortably on me is truly beautiful. It's just that Craig and I invested in a brand new beautiful crib, a top-of-the-line crib mattress, and adorable, soft crib bedding. Yet for a good portion of last night (about four hours: 3-7am), Belle preferred to snooze on me while I sat on the couch holding her. As much as I love holding her, I would love even more if Belle slept in the crib we bought for her. And I happen to prefer sleeping lying down in my bed to dozing on and off while sitting up holding a highly precious bundle. Maybe it's the warmth of Mommy that Belle so enjoys. Or perhaps being upright is most comfortable for her reflux and her cold. Or maybe it's just a fussy phase that, as a first-time mom, I am accidentally encouraging. The fact is, she cries when I put her down, so I scoop her back up and hold her. As I type this blog entry one-handedly, I am holding a sweet sleeping Belle. I love holding her, but I could be showering or cleaning breakfast dishes or doing anything else bedsides serving as a human vertical crib. Belle, my love, my sweet baby girl, I am your mommy and not your bed.

So strong!

Belle was playing with the little animals dangling above her on the playmat.  She gripped the giraffe, tugged, and actually pulled the giraffe off of the bar dangling above her and onto the mat itself!  Impressive strength for a four-month old!

I must be nuts

This mother certainly is at least slightly insane. Though the idea of Belle (and me) sleeping through the night sounds wonderful (though unrealistic at this point), the thought crossed my mind recently that if/when Belle begins sleeping through the night (it is going to happen sometime, right?), I may actually miss something about the nighttime feedings. I won't miss her screaming fits of reflux-induced discomfort, and I won't miss my struggling to fall back to sleep after tucking Belle back in her bassinet. But on Sunday night (or really Monday morning) at 2am when Belle was quietly eating with her eyes closed while the snow gently fell and it felt as if we were the only two awake in the whole neighborhood, I realized how special our time together in the middle of the night is. When she groggily cries for food and I stumbled with her into the living room, us both half asleep, the feeding is peaceful, if sleepy. And when my attempt to keep Belle upright after she's eaten turns into a snooze and cuddle session before I lay her back down in her bassinet, I am reminded of how lucky I am to have a beautiful, healthy baby girl.

Ah gahdda buffy dose

Subject translation: I got a stuffy nose. The weather turned colder, snow is all around, and I caught a major cold.  I called Belle's pediatrician to make sure it was OK for me to take cold medicine while nursing and the doctor laughed when he heard my voice.  He said I sounded like a NyQuil commercial. Anyway, thank goodness for my extremely helpful Mr. Mom husband.  While I lay on the couch blowing my nose and coughing, Craig made me tea, vacuumed, folder two loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, made dinner, and burped Belle so she would be exposed to fewer of my germs.  How lucky to have such a helpful partner in parenthood. In terms of Belle and my germs, Belle unfortunately, though not surprisingly, caught my cold (could she have avoided it?).  So, I drop nasal saline into her tiny nostrils ad use the miraculous NoseFrida to extract the boogers form her nose to ease her breathing.  She's been napping for longer periods of time (as have I with this frustrating cold).  The biggest bummer of this illness is that we had to miss Mommy and Me yoga, but we'll make up the class I'm sure. I hope we'll all be healthy soon!

Escape in the Times

You may recall the first time the Escape made the Times.  The car next to the Escape was kind of a flirt and the Escape appreciated it.  So we got this - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/nyregion/14diary.html Now, the Escape needed help getting out.  And here it is - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/nyregion/29shovel.html I guess the media ages you a bit.  Anyone know the number for corrections at the NYTimes? Love, Craig

FOMO

Our friends with a baby boy 15 days older than Belle were over for brunch on Boxing Day. We were discussing how both of our cutie pies often struggle to stay awake when there are other people around, despite the fact that all of the signs point to the fact that they are tired. Our friends call this phenomenon FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out. So true! It's as if Belle is afraid that she will miss some of the excitement so she fights the sleep and tried to stay awake. So, like baby Cooper, Belle suffers from FOMO.

Belle rolls over!

Belle was on her back playing on her playmat when she rolled onto her side then.......[drum roll]...onto her belly and did a push up! She then rolled back onto her side and back on her back. It was very exciting.

My teabag this morning had the following quote printed on it: "Happiness comes when you overcome the most impossible challenge." Well, Belle didn't know to be so proud of herself, but I sure was beaming with happiness that she rolled both ways. What a (s)milestone!

A productive snow day

Today's snow day certainly was productive: Craig and I painted Belle's "nursery" (that is, we painted over her changing table and crib: her part of our one-bedroom). We won't quit our day jobs just yet, but we did a pretty nice job for the amateur painters we are. And now Belle has something to look at on our walls! What a day :)

First, we painted "Belle" over her changing table:


Then we wrote her initials on the wall she faces when we change her:


Finally, we painted a garden over her crib:






We'll post more pictures when the job is dry and the furniture is back in place.

A funny memory from the early days of parenthood

When Belle was a few weeks old and we were struggling to calm her crying one evening, I attempted to take her for a walk.  I figured that the fresh air and rumble of the moving stroller on the sidewalk would pacify her.  I tolerated her screaming in the elevator and began walking around the block.  On West 85th Street, I heard Craig scream down from our tenth floor apartment, "Seren, I guess the walk isn't working."  Nope, it wasn't.  At least we got a good laugh, though.

SNOW DAY!

The courthouse is closed and there are 20 new inches of snow in Central Park: SNOW DAY!

We ventured out into the frozen tundra, Belle bundled in the baby carrier and strapped to Craig.



It was shocking to see how many streets were unplowed and sidewalks unshoveled. West 84th Street, for instance, was untraversable and there was a wall of snow perhaps four-feet high where the street hit West End Ave. Also interesting was noting which business were unable to open due to the weather. Godiva and Staples, for instance, were outright closed all day today. We took a walk on Christmas day and the streets look more desolate today on this snow day than they did on the most important Christian holiday of the way. Anyway, Craig took some great pictures of the snow. It is really a winder wonderland out there today!

"If the music is too loud, you're too old"

I must be heading over the hill because I had no patience for the kids yelling and screaming and throwing snowballs on West 85th Street right outside our bedroom window after 11pm last night.  When the kids yelled "NO!" to Craig's request to be quiet, I called our local NYPD precinct and filed a noise complaint.  The siwtchboard officer I spoke to said that the police cars were having a hard time getting through the snow, but they would try to respond to my complaint as soon as possible.  The kids eventually shut up, or at least moved their play down the street and away from our bedroom window.  Now, I am all for playing in the snow, but not on a quiet residential street after 11pm on a Sunday night. I guess I am getting old...

Belle in a Box

Belle in a box (sans redeye- Thanks, Steve)!

Belle enjoys time with Grammy in Avon

Belle naps on Grampy in Avon

It's been a while since I added photos...

Four generations of Abrahams/Fradis/Levinson/Cepler ladies in Avon:



Belle (3 months) with her first cousin Noah (five months) and second cousin Owen (seven months) at cousin Aron and Sheyl's rehearsal dinner:



A family photo at Hannukah:

Reflux is the enemy of sleep

I vaguely recall what it feels like to be rested.  I enjoyed a taste of this on Thursday after Belle spent Wednesday night in her car seat (ie, upright). She woke up only once between 10pm and 6:20am.  What luck!  Did Craig and I discover the secret to controlling Belle's reflux?  Indeed, one night does not a solution prove. Last night, Belle was up every few hours.  She was uncomfortable in her bassinet with blankets under the bassinet mattress to keep her upper body propped.  She arched her back when I tried to put her in the car seat; she arched so much she nearly arched herself out of the car seat.  I didn't even try the crib in which she would be flat on her back.  Once soothed in my arms, I literally could not put her down for more than a few minutes before she screamed in discomfort.  At my wits end at 3am, I gave Belle two drops of some homeopathic gripe water that claimed to settle infant tummies.  It did little, but I felt better having tried something. So, I spent most of the night in the living room moving from the couch to the rocking chair to just walking or standing with Belle as upright as possible.  I soothed her every so often when a fit of discomfort hit and she squealed and tensed up and cried.  Did I sleep?  I must have, as there are blocks of time that I don't recall.  Did Belle?  When she wasn't screaming, she was snoozing adorably.  The salvation for this sleep-deprived mommy is that when Belle is not screaming, she is smiling and cooing and proving that she is a happy baby plagued by tummy troubles.  But it's not about me and my lack of sleep.  I'm concerned for Belle and her discomfort.  The goal is to avoid the ER during this holiday weekend, and then I will take Belle to the doctor early next week.  I thought we could hold out until our scheduled well visit the first week in January, but it's not fair to Belle to make her scream and arch and cry any longer than she already has. Oh, reflux, you pain-inducer and sleep-stealer...how I loathe thee.

Must be the hat

One of our wonderful cousins from Toronto generously gave Belle an adorable winter hat. It is pink and fuzzy and ties under her chin. Across her forehead, it says "Snug as a Bug" (which happens to be the name of the design of her bedding). Anyway, I put her in this hat, her winter jacket, which is also pink and fuzzy,and bundle her in the stroller sleeping bag-like snuggie when we are out and about on the Upper West Side.
Belle and I were running errands the other day and four different women of varying ages and backgrounds stopped me to tell me how adorable my baby is. It must be the way the Canadian hat frames her tiny face. Or maybe it is that Belle is a cutie pie :)

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"There never was a Child so lovely but his Mother was glad to see him asleep."

I am cry-lingual!

From a Huggies ad: "The tired cry.  The hungry cry.  The diva cry.  Hey, you're cry-lingual!"

"Belle's Mom"

Today Belle and I tried Mommy and Me Yoga.  I was extremely skeptical about the whole experience.  First of all, I am allergic to yoga.  I tried it once with my mother in Farmington, CT and developed a fever within hours of the yoga class.  The fever lasted three days so I deduced that the yoga was responsible for the illness.  That was the last time I did yoga for years...well, until Israel.  As part of my Pardes experience, I participated in an introductory Torah Yoga class.  It was strange and hokey and not my cup of tea, though I was glad I'd tried it (I'll try anything once!).  Friday, Augsut 27, 2010 I tried my first prenatal yoga class.  Within hours, I was in labor and I do not think this was a coincidence: every woman in the prenatal class who was on her second or third pregnancy reported delivery before her due date with her previous pregnancies.  I suspect something about how we moved our bodies during the class actually could have induced labor. Anyway, at Craig's (annoyingly persistent) urging, I bundled Belle on the coldest day of the winter so far and trekked down to 72nd Street to try a Mommy and Me Yoga class.  It seemed crazy, but, as I say, I'll try anything.  Was the class a bit hokey for me with the 'Oooommms' and the funky breathing?  Yes.  Was my daughter happier than I'd ever seen her in her three and a half months of life?  You'd better believe it!  Belle smiled excitedly at the other mommies and at the instructor.  She cooed and squealed with happiness at the songs we sang as part of the class.  She was practically flirting with the other babies in the class (I realized that she really hadn't spent much time with other babies, and boy did she delight in the company of her peers).  Most importantly, Belle smiled and giggled with me when we engaged in the yoga moves together: she really loved the yoga!  When the class was over and I had the choice to pay for the one class or buy an eight-class pass, I didn't really feel that there was any choice to make: Belle loved the Mommy and Me Yoga so much that I felt I owed it to her to commit to seven more classes. At the start of the class, we eight woman introduced ourselves and our babies.  From then on, we adults were referred to as the mommy of our child.  I must admit that, next to seeing Belle in ecstasy, being referred to as "Belle's mom" was a highlight of the class for me. Belle and I will be at Mommy and Me Yoga next Tuesday for sure : )

We're so lucky

We are so lucky that Belle is such a happy baby.  I adore her smiles and I appreciate how easily it is to elicit one.  It's also wonderful that she is such a people person.  She just loves to look and smile at people's faces!  What a joy Belle is.

A well-coiffed baby

After everyone from her great-grandfather to her cousin-in-law made comments about Belle's eccentric pixie hair-do, I finally took a comb to her delicate head.  It's incredible what a stroke of a plastic comb can do: Belle's hair looks sort of tamed! Also, Craig gave me the DVD of Annie right after Belle was born.  Belle and I are nearly finished with our first viewing of it.  I forgot what a great cast the flick has: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083564/

Dad's so cute

Belle fell asleep in the swing this evening so Craig carried Belle, asleep, from the swing to her bassinet.  I don't know which was cuter: sleeping Belle or gentle, doting Daddy carrying Belle to bed.

Bye Bye, Bassinet!

Belle has officially outgrown the bassinet of the stroller (see pictures of her growth here). She is simply too tall. She has moved onto the seat of her stroller. We are so proud that she is growing so well!

Date night

Craig and I enjoyed a top-notch, delicious date night at Le Bernadin on West 51st Street. What a treat to enjoy a quiet night out with each other. What a thrill to be wined and dined and treated like royalty at this top notch restaurant. :)
Thanks to Zinafish for babysitting!

To be sure, I am still married

Perhaps it's the cold weather which causes joints to contract. Or maybe it's the fact that my pregnancy is now three and a half months behind me. Whatever the reason, my wedding bands fits again as of today! When my whole body expanded during the ends of my pregnancy during the hot summer months, I stopped wearing my rings for fear that they would have to be plied from my hand during delivery. About once a week since Belle arrived, I have tried on my rings to no avail: they would not slip past my left ring finger's large knuckle. Well, today, just in time for my big date with my husband, my rings slid on as they used to. Hoorray! Big date with Craig? Yes, Craig is taking me to Le Bernadin for dinner tonight to celebrate Hannukah and, well, one another. I can't wait! Our good friend Rachel will play with Belle while we're out. Oh, and about Belle being a party girl: she was so tuckered out from her big party night last night that she fell asleep on her play mat while playing this morning. Isn't that the equivalent of someone falling asleep at her desk sat work the day after a big night out? It was both hilarious and adorable! She has been resting today to recuperate from the grand socializing.

Party girl

Belle loves parties!  Last night, Craig and I took Belle to our friend Evan's place for a Hannkuah party.  Yes, it was a Tuesday evening.  Yes, she was the only baby there.  Yes, we are crazy parents.  But she was the life of the party so the adventure was a success! She fell asleep on the walk to Evan's apartment and continued sleeping for a few minutes after we arrived at the soiree.  When she woke up, though, she didn't cry or scream or even seem hungry, though we knew she was due to eat and brought a bottle for her.  Instead, she sat up on Craig's lap and smiled at all of the people around her.  When some of Evan's friend's couldn't take just looking at her and asked to hold her, Belle delightfully went from stranger to stranger and just smiled and acted cute.  Belle has been around groups of people all of her life because her parents are people people, so I suppose she is used to funny faces and different voices and such.  I hope she remains a social butterfly as she grows up.

Belle poops

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P7t1q-hQ3U It's funny because as soon as the video starts and I see Belle's face, I know what she's working on.  Too bad I wasn't there to warn Uncle JoJo, as well as Grammy, Grampy, Aunt Carla and Great-Grandma Maxine about the ensuing poop.  Be sure to play the video with audio!

Belle Sings

Enjoy the duet with Dad.

Rock(ing chair) star

Now that Belle is cooing and on the verge of laughing, she makes a great audience for my one-woman singing concerts! I especially enjoy singing to her my version of the Ben Harper version of the John Lennon song "Bountiful Boy." When I sing it, though, it's called "Beautiful Belle." I also enjoy :Something Good" from "The Sound of Music." I also modify the lyrics a bit when I sing it to Belle, but I keep the gist of the song (I am so lucky to have this beautiful love in my life, and what did I do to deserve this wonderfulness). I love singing to her the silly songs that make her smile, like "A Bushel and A Peck" from "Guys and Dolls" and "Surrey with a Fringe on Top" from "Oklahoma." As long as Belle keeps smiling and cooing and nearly laughing while I sing, I'll continue to serenade her. Maybe she'll start singing along soon! My mother used to make up tunes and lyrics when she rocked and sang to my brother and me when we were babies. She referred to her rock(ing) concerts as "Mommy's Greatest Hits." Maybe one day we'll take it on the road: two generations of rock(ing chair) stars.

An Explanation for the Fussiness

Belle is a happy baby, thank goodness.  She smiles and coos and is on the verge of laughing.  But she has these fits of fussiness when she straightens her legs and arches her back and writhes and screams.  Well, those little fits aren't a result of gas bubbles in her tummy or generally crankiness as I'd thought.  I called the pediatrician this week and learned that those symptoms, as well as her burping, hiccuping and spit-up, are the tell-tell signs of reflux.  While I'm happy to have a diagnosis, it's frustrating that I can't do anything buy hold her upright, wipe away her spit-up, and try to soothe her when she has her fits. Poor Belle.  It's unpleasant to see her in discomfort, but it should pass as she grows.

It doesn't get any more 'stay at home mom' than this

I clipped coupons while Belle napped.  Such a cliche...

A morning person...er...baby

Are all babies as happy in the morning as Belle?  I suspect all babies enjoy mornings, as most wake up before I prefer to be awake (especially after late-night feedings).  Anyway, when I hear Belle and go to her bassinet at 6am or 6:30am or whatever early time, she sees my face and smiles as if I had a bright shiny new pacifier for her and coos in joy.  It certainly is a bright, smiley start to my day.  I hope she always like mornings.  I also hope she continues to look at the world with the wonder with which she looks at the world now every time her eyes are open.