Weekend update

Other than periods of torrential rain, the last few days have been pretty quiet around here. Not quiet-quiet (in the sense of being asleep at 4am), but quiet-ordinary (in the sense of nothing unexpected happening).

On the good-news front, last weekend my friend Marianne (also known as Miso) was in town. Marianne came here for a conference, but was luckily able to tack on a few extra days for some hanging out fun. Marianne arrived, of course, with beautiful knitted gifts.(This is yarn that Marianne spun herself!)

We were able to give Marianne a good tour of our local culinary delights, including Tex-Mex, BBQ, and burgers. Here's a picture of Marianne at the same BBQ place I took my mother and brother.


As an aside, I know that they smoke the BBQ with real wood, and that that's how it's supposed to be done and all, but every time we drive up to this place and I smell the burning wood, the Californian in me thinks "Forest Fire!"

Marianne and I also did a little baking, of course. We made cupcakes from Cook's Illustrated. We topped them with bits of toffee, and they were supremely yummy!We also baked up a batch of my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. [For those concerned about our waistlines, Marianne took some of the cookies home to Peso, and a big amount of the remainder we took to a dinner party, leaving us only a handful to eat.]

Here are a few of my favorite recent Natalie pictures:The whole album is below (also, here):

Also, for added cuteness, our friends recently got a super-sweet puppy. Here are a few pictures of Ponyo:

Three months old!

Natalie is three months old today! Before she was born, I heard talk about "the fourth trimester" - those first three months wherein babies are still sort of incubating and realizing that they live in the outside world. I don't know about the scientific veracity of this, but I do know that Natalie has, of course, changed a lot in these first three months.

Obviously, she's bigger. We've now had to put away almost all of the newborn clothes (we're in the three months size now, natch), and we've moved up to size two diapers (when we buy disposables, that is - other than last weekend in Austin and at night, we're pretty much using cloth diapers all the time [and, yes, the promised post about that is still coming]).She can now pretty reliably hold her head up on her own, which is exciting. She's also started babbling: sometimes in the morning we wake up to her making the most adorable sounds. This is far and above the best way to start the day (even if it happens around 5am). We often try to bring her to bed for a snuggle with us, but Natalie wakes up hungry and has only one thing on her mind! Most nights, Natalie does have a long stretch of sleep that actually corresponds closely, although not exactly, to what the rest of us would call "night." During the day, though, she will only sleep on one of us. Those extra snuggles are very sweet and adorable, but do interfere with getting other things done. The trade-off, though, is well worth it.Sometimes she laughs or giggles, but this doesn't really seem to be in response to anything in particular yet. Natalie does smile in response to sounds you make (the horse whinny, for example), songs you sing (Mike sings her a Japanese song with words "kuru, kuru" in it), or if you smile at her. Occasionally when she's done nursing, she'll push herself off the breast, roll on her back, look up at me with those big brown eyes and babble and smile. Melts my heart. Every single time.Natalie is also learning to like the bath - we've had several baths with no screaming whatsoever. The other day she even joined me in the big-girl bathtub, and she seemed to like it. The new thing she dislikes is "tummy time". I try to put her on her stomach and get down near her and sing to her and distract her. This lasts all of twelve seconds. So we are definitely figuring out the ways in which the angry cry sounds different from the hungry/other types of cries.As the weather has cooled down a bit and we've been able to take more walks outside, we realize that she doesn't like wind or breezes. I realize that to her it must seem that we are in control of everything: we make her bed vibrate, we play music, we change her clothes, etc. But we cannot make the wind stop blowing! (Although we do our best to shield her, this isn't always easy when she's in her stroller)At this point, Natalie has lots of nicknames: kitten, Sweet Peterson (a take-off on sweet pea, coined by her father), Rear Admiral Poopypants, baby human, little one-zel, and tiny. What we call her depends on the situation - I'm hoping this is good for her cognitive development, not just confusing the heck out of her.

Here's the latest set of pictures (also available here):

Weekend in Austin

This weekend we took our first trip with Natalie. I was really nervous about the journey, and had actually was debating not going right up until the night before. A few weeks ago, Natalie and I (and Mike and SYL) had had, like, the roughest car trip EVER. It ended with both Natalie and I crying hysterically (also driving through the countryside - lost - in the pitch black night. And do you how dark it is once you leave the city limits? Dark, I tell you, dark).

So that earlier trip hung heavy in my mind as we set off on Friday morning. When Natalie fell asleep shortly after her morning feeding, we seized the opportunity, skipped breakfast, and jumped in the car (we did a Starbucks drive-thru, though - first pumpkin spice latte of the season - yum!). Natalie slept for about an hour and we got a good start on the drive. When she woke up unhappy, we stopped at a rest stop and changed her. We drove a little more, she was unhappy again, so we stopped at another Starbucks (Mike's turn to get coffee this time) and fed her in their parking lot. I had brought along my special breastfeeding pillow and my little cover-cape-thingy, so feeding in the car was no problem at all. We then drove on, and when she fussed again, we gave her a break by stopping at a restaurant to have lunch ourselves. After that, we were able to drive the remaining hour or so without stopping. When Natalie was unhappy in the car, we tried singing to her, wiggling her seat, and showing her her toys. But you know what really saved us? The white noise iphone app! Nerdy as it sounds, getting our phone to broadcast the loud sound of falling rain was a total lifesaver. Overall, the 3 hour trip took us closer to 5 hours, but the gain in sanity was well worth it!

And Austin was amazing. We had a great time! The hotel was super-nice, and the beds were very comfy:(this last picture was taken early in the morning ["four-four-four," according to Mike] when Natalie woke us up. We did succeed in putting her back to bed, though])

We arrived early enough on Friday afternoon to take a little walk near campus.Saturday morning we had delicious crepes from a Airstream trailer (what is it with Austin and yummy food from trailers?)Saturday lunch and afternoon Mike had to go do his conference thing, so Natalie and I set out to conquer the town. We didn't get very far before we needed a break, though. Luckily, the grounds of the statehouse were nearby, with plenty of benches and shady trees.
(First, the view of the state house from our hotel room, taken through the window):And here's Natalie at the state house.Her interest in seeing the building and surrounding statues? Not great.

After a small rest at the state house, Natalie and I soldiered on in search of our ultimate goal which was.......(wait for it).......(extra points if you know how this will end).........a cupcake! Unfortunately, no pictures, but you'll just have to imagine. I got an oreo one, and I brought Mike back a red velvet one. They were yummy!

While buying my cupcakes, I asked the clerk if she knew of somewhere where I could get lunch with Natalie. She mentioned a cafe around the corner, but then said it might be crowded since that street had been all blocked off since they were doing an event there. "What kind of event?" I asked. "Barkitecture - a contest where architects build dog houses and then display them to the public."

I was sold. Of course we were going! And I loved it!(this is a dog house made from cigar boxes, in case you couldn't tell)

Saturday evening, post-conference, we all headed out again. First, we had some yummy pizza (we've discovered that pizza restaurants generally have a baby-friendly level of ambient noise, plus the food is still good if we have to take turns with the baby, and, thus, eat the food once it has cooled). After pizza, we stopped in at the second-best bookstore I've been to in a long time (It was no Portland gem, but still....).

On Sunday, alas, we had to leave. And face the drive again. Before doing that, I was determined to seek out one more Austin spot: a yummy bakery. This was, like, the most perfect spot ever: dog-friendly patio, super-hot coffee, and delicious treats. Natalie slept while we ate, which made for an even nicer breakfast.

Then we set off for home. Again, we didn't get far before needing to stop. Luckily (for me, not so for Mike), there is an outlet mall located not far from Austin. When we popped Natalie out of her carseat to attend to her diaper and gustatory needs, she actually seemed happy. So we strolled around the mall for a bit, then fed her and changed her. And then we started driving. And then she slept. And slept. And slept. The. Whole. Way. Home.

Here's the whole album of recent photos (also available here):

Natalie's been working on her first academic presentation

Here is a video:

The rest of the weekend

Last weekend we also managed to get some good hanging out time in with our families. This is especially true for my mom and brother who were able to stay a few extra days.

Last weekend was also the Michigan - Michigan State game. This is a very important game for Mike; he once told me that Michigan State could lose every football game but the one to Michigan, and so long as they won that one, he would consider it a winning season. I am, shall we say, more indifferent to the whole deal. But this year we made dressing up a family affair:(Alas, we seem not to be able to make opening our eyes a family affair)

Maybe Natalie roots for the University of Washington.Or maybe she just roots, like her mom, for amazing cupcakes: Although Natalie's Bubbie and Gramps and Aunt Jenny were only in for a short time, all parties made the time count:In Natalie news, we've seen her find her thumb a few times and start sucking. Although this may have expensive orthodontic consequences for us later, it's pretty cute for now.She also seems to be doing better in the bath. I wouldn't say she loves the bath or anything, but at least we've had a few baths with MUCH less screaming, thereby allowing us to think straight enough to take embarrassing pictures for future display.While my brother was here, we took him for some serious BBQ (note the neon longhorns on the wall - I swear this place had more animals on the wall [and not of the neon variety, if you know what I mean] than patrons at the tables. But it was good).We also celebrated Eric's birthday with a home-made apple pie. We used the vodka crust recipe. - and it was surprisingly good.Here are a few more Natalie pics, including some detail shots from the tree planting that didn't make it into the last post.The entire album can be found below (or here):

A tree grows in Texas

Last weekend was Natalie's tree planting. We were fortunate enough to have Mike's parents and sister, my mom and brother, and many of our local friends at the event. This was really our own ritual - a combination of some Jewish traditions (like a baby naming), our wishes for Natalie and for ourselves as her parents, and our own reverence for the natural world. The tree we planted was a Chinese Pistache (we had originally thought we'd go with a desert willow, but supply was short on those and the remaining ones didn't look so good).

The day of the tree planting was, alas, rainier than we'd have liked (and then rain only intensified as the day wore on, to the misfortune of those attending the football game in the evening). Despite the rain, we had an excellent time - luckily, our back porch is big enough that we were able to gather all our guests there and do our little ceremony while everyone stayed dry.Here is what we said at the ceremony (to this we added some standard Jewish prayers which are not included here):

There is a Jewish tradition of naming a girl baby at a synagogue shortly after she is born. We decided to wait a little, and to combine the Jewish tradition announcing Natalie’s Hebrew name with our own ceremony to plant a tree in honor of Natalie’s birth.

We named our daughter Natalie Beth Strausz. Beth in memory of late great grandmother Bertha Strausz, who was a sweet, even-keeled, and loving woman, very committed to her family.

Many Jewish families outside of Israel give their children a Hebrew name in addition to their other name. We have decided to give Natalie the Hebrew name Tova, which means “good” in Hebrew, since Natalie is such a wonderful gift. We also chose the name Tova in memory of Natalie’s great great Aunt Pearl Mosner, who went by “Toni.” Toni was a smart, strong, and cultured woman, and we hope that Natalie will grown to resemble both of her namesakes in her own way.

Before we plant the tree, we want to say a few words to Natalie about why a tree is significant to her mom and dad.

We hope that, like this tree, you will feel a profound connection with your roots: the earth, your Jewish heritage, and your family – not just your parents, but also your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We also hope that your will build your own network of roots, just as we have – surrounding yourself with wonderful and loving friends and relationships that support and enrich you.

We hope that, like this tree, you will grow strong year after year, changing gracefully with the seasons and being flexible in the wind.

We hope that, like this tree, you can give shelter and comfort to those who are in need.

We hope that, like this tree, you will have the courage to reach for the sun and know the joy of light on your own face.

We also hope that, like this colorful tree, the world will be a better and more beautiful place because of your existence.

Now that we have talked about the tree, we would like to say a little bit about the broader environment that we would like to create for Natalie and our family.

We will try to be good listeners, to honor your experiences and perspective, and to remember that we are visitors in your world as much as you are in ours. As parents we will strive to be equal partners, honoring the unique and valuable gifts that each one of us brings to the relationship with each other and with you. We also know that parenting is difficult, and thus we value the support and wisdom of our families, and thus we will devote the resources to visit and stay in close communication with them as you grow.

We will close with this quote from Moses ben Shem Tov de Leon:

“Rabbi Yose taught: ‘God has a tree of flowering souls in Paradise. This tree is surrounded by the four winds of the world. From the branches of this tree sprout forth all souls, for they grow upon this tree, as it is written ‘I am a cypress tree in bloom; your fruit issues forth from Me.’ And from the roots of this tree sprouts the souls of all the righteous ones whose name are inscribed there. From this we learn that all souls are the fruit of the Holy One.”

And then, when there was a brief break in the rain later that afternoon, Mike and Aunt Jenny planted the tree: