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:

Visitors galore!

Recent days have brought us lots of visitors. First, we had our good friend from Seattle, Scott, here. While Scott was here, we were also joined by another friend of Mike's, Andy. Andy is a friend from Mike's high school days, and he lives in Chicago. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures from their visits, as we were too busy having fun - visiting the vegetarian restaurant, the local diner, and eating yummy Mexican food. I gather the boys also played some cards while a fussy Natalie and I hung out in the other room.

My good friend SYL and her boyfriend Mr. K were our next set of visitors. SYL, as you may remember, is the super-good friend who made the drive down from Seattle with us in the u-haul (something for which we will be eternally grateful!). SYL and Mr. K were here for an extended weekend last weekend. We managed to show them some good Mexican food, the local coffeeshop, and Mike's workplace. We also ate some super-yummy meals, one cooked by Mr. K, and one cooked by the best friend of Mr. K's father (the best friend happens to live in Texas, so we all went to visit him).We also took Natalie on her first walk to the park. Saturday was really the first day that it even seemed possible to take a walk outside. Unfortunately, we delayed a little too long (having breakfast at Waffle House - for the experience) and by the time we got too the park, it was a little warmer than I'd have liked. Nonetheless, we were able to walk for about a half hour, letting SYL and Mr. K see some cattle grazing.I'd never understood people who claimed they had to "meet the baby." Since, obviously, the baby won't remember them. But it was so nice to have one of my oldest friends here that now I sort of get that sentiment: it's for the parents (duh). So, well, we were touched that SYL and Mr. K used their vacation time and dollars to come and see us.

In other news, Natalie has a new relative (second cousin? first cousin once removed? We're not sure). Mike's cousin had a son, Brody Etai, on Sunday morning. He's such a cutie, and we're so happy for them!Our life with Natalie chugs along. She is definitely smiling more, and we are even getting some laughs occasionally.The entire recent set of photos (no video, alas) is below (and also here):
Today, Mike's parents and my mom arrive, with his sister and my brother following tomorrow. Everyone is in town for Natalie's tree-planting, which will take place on Saturday (let's hope the rain stays away!). Pictures to follow of that, of course!

New stats

Natalie had her two month check-up at the pediatrician yesterday. I love our pediatrician (well, I hate their waiting room - and yesterday was no exception - but I love our doctor, and love that they have evening/weekend/holiday hours). Natalie feels about the pediatrician the way she feels about baths. Hey, at least she's consistent!

The cutest part of the visit came when the nurse was asking us about Natalie's routines and developmental progress. The nurse asked, "Does she coo?" I was just about to say that Natalie makes lots of noises, but that I don't really know what cooing is exactly, and I'm not sure if my definition of cooing is the same as theirs, etc. And then Natalie let out a perfect little baby coo, as if in answer to the question! She's brilliant!

And she's definitely growing! I knew she was small at birth, but I hadn't realized quite how small. Her birth weight put her in the 10th percentile for weight. But yesterday she weighed in at 11 pounds, 3 ounces - putting her in the 75th percentile! Talk about progress! At 23 inches long, she's also in the 95th percentile for height.

Unfortunately, the visit ended with Natalie's first round of shots (5 in all - poor little thing!). This was no one's favorite part. But, well, we all seem to have survived. Natalie seemed extra fussy last night, but seems to be doing better today.

Two months

Well, we've reached the two-month mark of Natalie-ness! (Okay, that was officially yesterday, but I wanted to wait to get the video up, too)Natalie is getting ever-more alert. We now definitely know that she looks at us and sees us - and even smiles at us sometimes. In the mornings, we usually try to bring her to bed with us and have a little cuddle. Some mornings, she'll turn her head back and forth, just looking at each of us in turn. It's darling.In addition to holding her head up quite nicely, she's also increased the use of her arms and legs. In the arms department, this means that she's more often waving them around with more force - more often than not, this results in her scratching my face as she nurses (we've resorted to putting the newborn mittens back on her). In the legs department, she's started to kick actively - frequently we find that she's kicked off the blanket from her swing or stroller.Here's a little video of her smiling and waving her arms and legs. We took this with our new Flip video camera, which we love! Such an awesome gift - big thanks to Mike's aunt and uncle for sending us this! If you read this blog through the email digest, the video may not show up. If that's the case, you can find it by clicking here.

She usually has a fussy period after dinner, but is (sometimes!) calmed by a combination of music, rocking, and swaddling. We've found that she likes listening to my brother's old ska band. Well, whatever works!

She still dislikes baths - and demonstrates this by, well, using, um, let's say "weapons of the weak." At least her bath-time screams have progressed from bloody murder to severe dislike. So that's something, right? Here she is getting her hair brushed, post-bath:In terms of new experiences, we have yet to go for any walks, since it's either been too hot or too rainy here. Hopefully, we'll able to start that soon!

New-experience-wise, we're also phasing in our use of cloth diapers. I have about six right now (all different brands/types) and we're trying them all a few times to see what works before we make a more major switch. Expect some posts on that soon as we get our system up and running.

Natalie met her first dogs the other night when we went to dinner with some friends. This is a very important milestone! Seriously! Natalie didn't mind it the first time the dogs licked her toes, but she was a little unsure after that. The dogs, on the other hand, were super-stressed-out and concerned when Natalie cried. Sweet dogs!Natalie didn't do much to ring in the new year. Well, she did go to the aforementioned dinner, but nothing beyond that. However, I am struck by how different this year is from last. Last year it was just the two of us living in the apartment, with all our books still in boxes in Mike's office. We couldn't even find the recipe for our favorite apple cake and had to improvise. This year we've got our books nicely arranged on our shelves in our lovely new house where we live with our amazing daughter. Talk about a year of sweetness and light!p.s. In other news, I've decided not to go back to my job after my maternity leave ends. I'm pursuing a full-time position with Natalie.p.p.s. The entire set of recent pictures is below (and can also be found here):

Eight weeks old!

Natalie is eight weeks old today. I suppose at some point we'll have to stop counting weeks and start counting months. Perhaps that point has arrived? Or will arrive next Sunday (at the two-month mark)?

It's been a rainy few days here in Texas. I'm sure if we lived somewhere else in the country, we'd be shaking our heads ruefully and remarking on the arrival of fall. Well, while things are cooler here today (the high is only in the 70s today!), I'm sure this won't last. Fall won't be on the way for another month or so, I bet. I miss fall! And apple-picking! And red leaves!

Not that it matters, anyway, since we mostly stay inside. And what do we do? Well, Mike is on paternity leave, but he's still working some. Here he is showing Natalie how to network (or at least how to collect business cards):We're seeing ever more progress on the smiling front - although it's card to catch that on camera. Here's a recent attempt:Of course, Natalie can go from happy to sad quite quickly:Here's Natalie wearing her TCU onesie in honor of TCU's football game on Saturday (TCU won). I never thought I'd become the kind of person who dressed her kid in clothes in honor of a football game, but so be it. Also, you should see the cheerleader outfit we have for her. Kidding. Really, family, I was KIDDING (ha, ha, kidding. Get it?).Here are a few other pictures:
And here's the whole album (which is also available here):

Daddy's first conference

Last week we had a big milestone around here: Mike left to go to Toronto for a conference for a few days, leaving Natalie and me all alone. Except, of course, we weren't really all alone - our wonderful friends here dropped in on me every day. They provided actual conversation, held Natalie so I could take a shower, and brought delicious food. They were great, but I was very glad to see Mike when he returned!

Here's a shot of Mike giving his paper. Or something.Last week something also seemed a bit off with Natalie. When things didn't improve after a few days, I ended up taking her to the pediatrician while Mike was gone. Turns out something was wrong (score one for parental intuition) - nothing major, we've got medicine to fix it, and are on the road to recovery. But I did pass the time in the pediatrician's waiting room convincing myself that I was at that very minute catching swine flu from all the feverish kids. It's now several days later, and I'm not sick, so I guess I dodged that bullet. Anyway, that visit was my first solo outing with Natalie - let's hope the next one is for something a little more fun (and less likely to induce my paranoia!).

Also, Natalie is probably 10 pounds by now - she was 9 lbs, 14 oz last Thursday! We also think she might be smiling. I mean, she's definitely smiling - it's a lot less clear whether she's just coincidentally smiling or whether this is in response to us. A few times we think we've done things that made her smile, but maybe she was just going to smile anyway.....In terms of things that make me smile, I've gotten back in the garden. Most people here plant a new crop of veggies around now for a late fall harvest. I don't have the energy for that (although I would like to plant vetch in about six weeks or so in order to enrich the soil for next spring's plants). But I am making the most of the plants we do have - tomato and basil. Here's a shot of a Caprese-style salad I made:(See? I do believe in foods other than dessert. Although not very much....)

And here are some additional things to make you smile:And here's the whole album (which can also be found here):

Catching up

First, the long-awaited photos of the new dresser and the composter (it's up to you to figure out which is which. I believe in you!).There isn't really all that much to report - things kind of chug along here. Natalie has been sleeping in stretches that are a little longer, so we're approximating something like a semi-decent night of sleep every now and then. Unfortunately, she's also coupled this sleeping with a little increased fussiness, so we're all a little more exhausted when it comes time to sleep!

Last week we also hit the fancy grocery store again. Also, we upped the challenge by going to the Indian buffet beforehand. Natalie was awake at the restaurant, but as long as we jiggled her carseat, she was pretty chill.

I've also been doing a little baking. First, I made this fig tart.The tart was okay, if very fig-y. Thinking about it afterwards, I decided that it might have been improved had I a) served it with better yogurt or even with ice cream, and b) added some chocolate. That got me thinking that what I actually really wanted was a chocolate dessert (sometimes fruit just doesn't cut the mustard, you know?), so then I made a sour cream marble cake. No pictures of that, alas, as it was eaten up before I remembered to take a picture of it.

Last, I made this sour cream blueberry coffee cake (can you tell I had some sour cream that I needed to use?). This recipe is a total keeper! I made it on Friday night for some guests that were coming on Saturday afternoon. We sampled a bit of it when it came out of the oven - and then it was very hard to resist eating the rest before the company arrived!
Okay, we've reached the point in the blog post where you get what you really came for......

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the last few days:Here's the whole album (which can also be found here):