Reading cues

Reed has certain cues letting me know what he wants. The best and most reliable one is mouthing me and sucking on my face when he is tired. Without fail if he attempts to eat my cheek, chin or nose, no matter when his most recent nap, the guy is tired and responds well to going down.

Another current sign of being tired is a new sound he is making. It's a fussy sound but keeping his mouth shut and just letting the sound out through his closed lips so it kind of comes out like a brmmmm. You might have to hear it to understand.

He is starting recognize the routine of getting his baby food ready....Ok, I sit in this green chair, mom or dad open the big silver thing (fridge), pick up little jar, open a drawer, get out the thing that I like to chew on (spoon), stir the stuff in little jar, come sit next to me, and then if I open my mouth really wide, I get to eat the yummy stuff in the jar! He seems to start getting excited (i.e. his fake cough /fuss) almost immediately after he sits in the chair.

I'll work on getting a video of him eating my face when he's tired or anticipating food...it's priceless.

Baby dance party, going to the movies and prunes!

Last weekend we went to Stinson beach with 5 other couples and 5 other babies. All the babies are 1.5 years or younger and three of them (including Reed) are within 1 month of each other. We had a blast hanging on the beach, cooking and playing with babies together. We forgot to bring our good camera but here are a few pics of a baby photo shoot and a video of baby dance party.

[All the babies except for the oldest Alita (1.5 years) from L to R - Teo, Maya, Reed, Beck, Lucy]

[John and Molly demonstrating life with triplets]

[Maya goes in for a kiss and Teo wonders when it's his turn?]


[Dance party- babies L to R Beck (with mom Jen), Alita (with mom Kir), Lucy (with dad Tony), Reed (with "auntie" Shelley)]

Last night we went to a movie with Reed, Paul and Sherry who are recently back in town for a few months. Reed was happy and playful in his grandma's arms and then after a quick feed, fell fast asleep. He remained asleep the whole car ride home and after we put his car seat in his room. Around 10pm he started to wake up so I fed him and B got some great cuddle time with him in his tired state. We put him down in his crib and within minutes he was asleep and stayed asleep until 6am! Every parent says not to count on this sleep pattern for long, but we'll take whatever we can get!

[Nice to have grandma Sherry back!]

With all the new foods we have been trying over the last few weeks, poor kid is a little constipated. He strains, grunts, and tightens his muscles to pass a stool. According to the doctor this is pretty normal and as a remedy we are giving him prunes and pears. Just like all the other foods he has tried, he inhales these new fruits so we are hoping he will be regular again real soon.

[Classic one-arm-back position while he eats his dinner]

We celebrated cousin Elliott's 3rd b-day last Monday and for his presents got him some plants and a watering can to get his new garden going. For Christmas Billy built them a planter box and Elliott was very excited to start a garden of things he can eat and watch grow. Now that grandma Sherry is back in town, it's the perfect time to get that started! Pictures to come....

Finally, I am on a short hiatus from job due to complications with administering the grant that will pay for my salary. This means I am not working until Feb 23 and am home with Reed (again). I liked the week and half I worked and look forward to going back, but I love being home with Reed in the meantime. In addition to playing, dancing, reading, talking, singing and cuddling (all of which we do a lot these days), I am learning to knit while he naps and I love it!

signing off...

Changes all around!

On this eve of one of the greatest changes in my life time, the inauguration of President Obama, I am thrilled to share some of our own little (and not so little) changes at home.

Reed turned 6 months old last week. Everyone says it but time is truly flying by and it is hard to believe it has been a half a year since he was born. He is incredibly healthy and still the happiest kiddo we know. Since my last update there have been many new developments and learning for him and for us. In fact, so many new things are happening these days that I fear I will not be able to recall them all! But here's my best attempt.....

[Yesterday in Point Reyes with friends, more pictures here]

Beyond breast milk - I reported that he was eating brown rice cereal as of a few weeks ago. Now, included in his line up of new tastes are: bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots and avocado. Next, we are looking forward to introducing pears, apples, and peas. Feeding him is so much fun now. Every morning we sit him in his bumbo seat (he's still a little too small for the high chair) and awaits that days new tasting adventure. After the initial shock of the new texture, taste and cool temperature of the food, he starts to inhale it and let's it be known that he is not happy when he has finished. He sits with his arms back like he's ready to take flight and so far has only attempted to grab at the spoon a few times, which is surprising because he is grabbing for everything else.

[Sunset nursing on Mt. Tam]

Exploration by mouth - Everything goes in the mouth! It's a little hard to know what to do when he attempts to put yucky but harmless things in his mouth. We are leaning toward allowing as much exposure to safe objects (inside and out) to encourage him to make his own discoveries. The other day we had him at the park on a beautifully warm January day and he discovered grass for the first time. He quickly learned that pulling the ground up to his mouth took strength and effort that he did not yet possess , so instead he leaned down toward his toes and proceeded to mouth the grass. Of course I watched him closely, and seeing as how there were no sharp or chokeable items in his reach, I simply watched him explore. Billy noticed the other day that he is starting to discern by mouth what he likes to chew or taste versus what he is simpling exploring.
leaf = explore, spit out
mama's chin = chew
Samba's furry head - explore, maybe lick a little
plastic musical instrument = chew
sand = explore, spit out
stuffed animals = chew
etc...

[Discovering grass]

[and dirt...]

Sense of balance - One of his latest tricks is to sit up on his own for more than a few seconds. Although he is not able to sit up AND play with an object (too hard to focus on doing both), the other day I watched him sitting. However, this time when he started to tip over like usual, he reached his left arm out and caught himself. He seemed very proud of himself but as soon as he saw me smiling at him he lost his concentration and over he tumbled

[Practicing sitting in his new favorite spot in the house]

Indestructible - Ok, that's a little too strong of a word, but this kid is tough and has been proving it by easily shaking possibly painful or scary things off without a problem. Last night he got a mouth full of water in our family bath. He coughed, teared up, quivered his lip a little then took a deep breath and started immediately smiling again. As I said, he tips over all the time and sometimes he crashes upon impact, but he is yet to say ouch. He has been whopped in the face numerous times by Samba's tail or flailing paw and laughs at that too.


On the move - No, he's not yet crawling, thank God, but he is scooting around in a circle. I can put him down on his stomach in one place facing one direction and within a few minutes he will have turned around 160 degrees or flipped over to his back. He is also not to be trusted on the changing table by himself anymore. On more than one occasion he has nearly flipped from back to front although I have yet to see it completely.

Own room - Until recently he has been sleeping (both naps and night) in a hammock thing next to our bed. A few weeks ago we began napping him in his own room; and last week started putting him in his crib at night too. At the same time, we decided to wean him off his middle of the night feed (usually around 3am). Billy slept in Reed's room one night and then the subsequent nights he took the job of going into his room and comforting him, giving him his pacifier, singing or whatever it took to help him get through the night without eating. I'm happy to say that after a few nights of minimal crying he now sleeps much better and much longer. Last night he slept from 8pm to 5:45am without waking up - definitely a record!

Friends for life - Reed thinks the funniest thing on earth is our dog Samba. He screams in delight when she enters the room or when they share floor time together. He has taken to fake coughing to get her attention and can be entertained for hours. Samba does not seem to get the same amount of joy out of her new friend, but she is patient and kind to him and clearly enjoys the attention she receives from us as a result.

[Typical scene these days]

Working 9 to 5...

Thank you to everyone who has called to check on me after my first week of working. I received several calls and emails some with concern in their voice others with excitement. In a nutshell I couldn't be happier! After almost 6 months at home full time with the sweetest boy in the world I ventured back to the working world in a new and wonderful job as the manager of a high school after school program. As I suspected, working allows me the chance to really engage my brain in a professional sort of way (which I need), and allows me to even more fully appreciate my time with Reed. So far, after one week, it seems clear to me that working part-time at an great job is the perfect balance and I feel so lucky to have this opportunity.

Some of the many pros about this job....
- fantastic co-workers and a great boss
- challenging in a way that I get to use a lot of the skills and strategies from grad school
- team that I work with have built a very solid foundation already and have gained much respect from the students, teachers, and administrators - so important when starting a new program at a school
- bike to work commute
- part-time schedule
- family friendly (3 of the 4 co-workers have kids too)
- amazing and inspiring Principal of the school who fully supports the after school program (this can sometimes be rare in this field)
- a beautiful brand new school building, which is nice for two reasons: the building itself is very nice, and we are all getting to know the space at the same time which makes me feel more a part of this team.
- easy and private places to pump (every 3 hours so far)
- free membership to the YMCA

So from now on, I will be home 2 days a week with Reed, Billy will be home one day, and we have a nanny for the other two that we share with Molly and John. On the days that I am home, I love being home! I feel like I will be able to make more of my time with him now that it is slightly more limited i.e. go on more fun outings beyond our neighborhood and running errands, take time to really play with him and watch his MANY new developments. - Kris

One great year!

It has been quite a year for us, full of transitions, growth and family time. Here is a list of all the wonderful, amazing and challenging events that impacted our lives throughout this past year (not in any sort of order except the order that it comes to my mind)....

the birth of Reed Wilder Witort;
four generations of both families in our living room;
our best friends moving in down the block and starting a family at the same time;
Billy home for 6 weeks after birth;
Kris home for 6 months;
Kris completing grad school;
Kauai beaches;
camping in Yosemite;
new friends and babies (you know who you are);
5 babies under the age of 4 months in our home;
morning time with Reed;
coffee with frothed milk in the mornings;
music jams;
visiting family in Portland;
fresh tomatoes from our garden;
long naps;
total exhaustion;
nursing;
seeing the world through Reed's eyes; game nights;
laughing every day;
OBAMA!;
not needing foot surgery after all;
biking;
biking with Reed;
climbing buckeyes;
Kris getting a great job (starting Jan 6);
bath time after Billy gets home from work;
first rice cereal, avocado and frozen banana to chew on;
Christmas and Thanksgiving in Berkeley;
Baby brigade at the Parkway;
kite surfing;
playing with Samba;
swining in our backyard hammocks;
planter boxes and gardening;
nana visits;
making Christmas stockings for our family;
potluck diners with friends;
backyard fires;
naked time;
tummy time;
Billy and Jon riding the Grizley Peak century ride (Kris promising to ride in 2009);
our wonderful midwife and fast labor;
getting in touch with old friends via facebook;
fresh dungenous crab;
lemon meringue pie and backyard birthday parties;
Berkeley hikes;
finishing bathroom remodel;
life getting better and better!

There is so much to look forward to in 2009! Keep posted on our adventures, accomplishments and learnings here....Happy New Year!!