farewells

being in grad school for 7 years means that we've had to say goodbye to a lot of people who have graduated recently. last weekend leon said goodbye to his first and best friend gob, who moved back to bangkok. as much as we're going to miss him, we're already happily planning our first trip to thailand in the next couple of years.

everything hits at once

the living room has turned into a crack den including a mattress pad on the floor. but i think the sheet really pulls the room together.


enjoying lunch at veggie planet in harvard square with friends sonja and chris.


wedging himself between the jumperoo and a file box.




leon's six month check-up went pretty well. we decided to do the pneumococcal conjugate next month, so he had DTaP, Hib and Polio this time. obviously i'll never know for certain, but he was much less fussy this time. he also avoided having a fever (99.9 was the highest temperature i took compared with 103 last time).

everyone comments that he's large for his age. at 27 1/2" (90th percentile), it isn't surprising, although he's only 16 lbs, 4 oz (50th percentile).

yesterday i bought a new pair of pyjamas from baby gap in size 6 to 12 months, although he still fits into his 3-6 months. because cloth diapers are bulkier, i try to use them when we're at home. hardly any of his pants and onesies fit over them. two new wool pants are arriving soon from new zealand (thank you catherine!), which i think will be perfect over the cloth diapers.

i also ordered a few more cloth diapers including two sustainablebabyish bamboo fleece fitteds for overnights. this past week was a first in the diaper leaking department. since he's been nursing so frequently at night, we now need to change his diaper at least once between 7 pm and 5 am. a few nights ago there was a bedwetting incident. and two nights ago matthew didn't snap his onesie over the diaper. i awoke to find my hand in a dirty diaper that leon had managed to pull off. note to all new mamas--a blowout is bad, but this is much worse. snap those onesies and pyjamas!!

i bought a luxe baby wool diaper cover. yes, we're finally starting wool covers, which are expensive but hopefully worth it in the long run. they're more breathable than the PUL waterproof covers, and i like that you can air them out between uses. i also bought (yes, i know, i've been buying a lot of things for leon!) a snuggle wool blanket for the side-car'd crib. i'm hoping this will make crib-sleeping more attractive to leon. i don't mind sharing the bedroom with him, nor do i mind him rolling over onto our bed, but it would be nice to have more space. it is only a full sized mattress, after all.

as you can see from the photos, our house isn't babyproofed. leon is starting to creep fairly efficiently which means that he no longer stays on our prescribed padded floor covering. there are cords and sharp corners and all sorts of things that he can now access.

the future is now!

brunch outfit

nature baby singlet

nature baby footie

flora and henri lap tee

oeuf alpaca necktie

in the past week or so we've started venturing out in spite of this schizophrenic weather. nursing and diaper changes continue to be challenging, but having now nursed and changed diapers twice in the car (uncomfortable) and once at the saks womens' lounge (easy), we're starting to get the hang of it. leon definitely prefers being out in noisy places. he falls asleep pretty quickly and doesn't make a peep until he's hungry.

on saturday matthew, leon, and i went to sofra bakery to have brunch with stephanie and sean. leon had a great time getting dressed. that boy definitely loves his stripes.

gifts for him

puj baby sling

giggle striped mitts

egg by susan lazar knit bear hat and booties

makie traditional japanese hadagi

baby shower + trying to nest

photo by p.

last saturday was baby shower no. 1, also known as the one with art historians. apparently i'm having another one at the end of january with matthew's fellow architecture students.

i am sorry for being so absent from this blog, but things have been so hectic that the baby has (gasp) been the last thing i worry or think about lately! after spending 20 or so weeks worrying about whether or not he was ok, i've now switched to the mindset that he is the only thing in my life that is going according to plan and without any noticeable effort on my part. sure, i'm 'growing' him and all, but he doesn't really bother me except for a loving hiccup or kick to the ribs. i think i love him already!

anyway, my parents are coming for four days beginning tomorrow morning. the house is messy, as always. yesterday was my last day of teaching, and it ended on a high note. i have a mountain of papers to grade, and a final exam to administer in mid january, but for now i can spend the day buying air humidifiers, groceries, getting the car washed, and maybe sneak in a few pages of writing. nesting really hasn't begun for me, but we're buying a friend's crib next week. i think that subtle changes to our apartment layout will be the kick in the pants that i need to start preparing for the baby.