tragic popcicles

These coloured chunks of ice are tragic despite being kinda pretty. We had a beautiful fence before the storm, a cedar fence with a row on top of glass jars filled with coloured water. We've dumped out the water and left just the glass for the winter in the past, which was nice in its simple way, but we didn't get to the jars before the freak cold snap and they shattered. Perry spent many hours clearing up the mess and we both felt sad about loosing the jars, especially the antique ones we'd found. But it's all cleaned up now, and the frozen water has become Perry's latest art installation medium.

busy busy baby

My baby is a busy boy these days. He has sprouted two new teeth, (that makes 4 little sharpies; dangerous little things they are...) has discovered rolling as a form of transportation, is sitting up unassisted (okay, there are pillows to assist him... he does tend to dive towards objects he is interested in and ends up belly flopping hither and thither, but he can sit on his own now, if he wants to,) pushing up on all fours and into "bear walk" position, and has started giving me big drooly, open-mouthed kisses on the cheek when I ask for them. We've not been very good at documenting these new events, but I'll get on it and post some photos soon of my amazing wonder-boy.

He also had his first official taste of solid food; the unofficial tastes being "flavour spoons" of various parental foods which he seemed pretty interested in. But when it came right down to the eating of actual food he said "this is what all the fuss is about? I'll take mama's milk any day." See? This is clearly what he's saying.

6 months ago today,

This little chestnut came into the world.

How incredible it is.

I think I'll celebrate by finally sitting down and writing my birth story. It just seemed impossibly fresh and naked and raw for so long after giving birth, but now I've had some time to process it (and forget some of the hard details like times and order of events- It'll have to be a co-write with Perry and my doulas) and I think its time.

Happy birthday beautiful little love. I'm so glad you're here.

crafty moments

Inspired by Ari's love of tags, knots, ribbons and other fiddly doodads, I am making a felt book for him with all the aforementioned bits-and-bobs. I am realizing however, that one of the secrets of effective crafting is to have a good stash of supplies, of which I am lacking. Therefore this is not quite the project it could be, if I were not a rank beginner with a meager craft cupboard. Living in a small town with a teeny craft store doesn't help- the owner looked at me sideways when I asked if she had wool felt, unvarnished wooden beads, a felting needle... but I'll support her family business all I can and then order the other stuff on-line I guess... but for now, I'm going ahead with this little book; crappy craft felt and all. Here is the first page (of 2 plus the cover and back! Like I said, I'm starting small!)

prince Ari

With many Halloween festivities cancelled because of the snow, we held an impromptu party up here on the farm to attempt to ease the disappointment for the little ones. Our family hadn't planned on doing much anyway- toddler parties and fireworks not sounding much like Ari's style at this stage, so I hadn't figured on a costume. So, with a party to attend, the crafting newbie had to whip up a little something special (I never imagined myself as the kind of mom that would whip up a costume, but I'm liking it!) Using the vest that he never wore to his auntie and uncle's Bengali wedding (it was too big, but he did wear the shirt that it came with,) and a quickly sewn felt crown, he was transformed into Prince Ari. I found a shawl and string of star garland for me (the queen mother) and Perry, from a box in the back barn, donned a blue wig and that strange goth tie-dye shirt he's had (and loved) since high school (the jester.) I wont post the parent's terrible pics, but here is Ari, stunned by all the costumes and noisy Halloween hoopla.

snowed in!

Winter has arrived early, and in full force! A few days ago we received 3 feet of snow all in one big dump and it felt like quite an adventure shovelling and plowing and keeping the fires stoked, especially for Perry's folks who were here for a visit on their way to their Mexican winter getaway. This first picture was taken the day before the storm. The one inside the house shows the snow sliding off the roof and covering the window; at one point it was covered entirely.

Winter is here, and Ari doesn't mind!

But yesterday was a day of processing the fact that it is winter in October and that there are many long months of bundling the baby and entertaining ourselves in our little cabin. It will be a long one. My response to this has been to craft the days away. I've never been much for crafts (or at least finishing them!) but suddenly, some combination of maternal hormones and winter weather have dredged up my inner crafting demons. That doesn't mean I'm any good; it is anybody's guess what genus the the bathtub puppet I knit Ari during the storm could belong to, and the crayon case I am working on is not square and is threatening to be a bit problematic. But I'm having fun and keeping my brain from freezing along with the ice on the roads.

baby's first protest

We were out with our community to say NO to coalbed methane in our little valley and Ari got to have his say too. It was a lovely high-energy, family friendly event, and we ended at our MLA’s office where placards were left heaped in front of his office door. The next morning on the radio he had the nerve to say that he had not heard any of his constituents say they were against local coalbed methane extraction. Poor man. Deaf as well as dumb.

in the kitchen sink

wears the baby?

{photos removed}

Me and half the other women on the planet love to wear our babies!

Babies are so warm and snuggly and delicious and right in kissing range in the sling, they sleep better and cry less, and,according to the book Our Babies Ourselves,are less likely to develop colic if carried from day one.

When Ari was a newborn the sling was like a great magic trick... "Exhibit A: Crying baby, Exhibit B: Sling. Put Exhibit A into Exhibit B and count to 10 and VOILA! No more crying baby! (the babe hadn't dissappeared, just the crying.)

I'm not much of a "stuff" person, but I'm becoming a bit of a sling junkie; I have a bunch and I use them all- a mei tai, a wrap, a pouch, a couple ring slings and lots of plain ol' scarves. When Ari was tiny I wore him in the pouch most of the time (he really wasn't put down at all for the first 3 months!) He looked so sweet in there, like a little pea in a pod, and we had so many people peek in at him and say just that. As he got a little older he prefered to be carried upright and so I used the wrap a lot. I am currently in love with the ring sling for carrying him on my hip, and the mei tai for the back (we're working on that one- he feels so far away!)

When I travelled I noticed lots of babywearing, and I was really drawn to the idea of carrying my baby in this way. Although it is clearly old hat in much of the world, baby wearing is pretty new in the west it seems. My parents (old hippies that they are) never had access to much in the way of slings- they had a frame backpack for my brother (9 years my junior) and one of those green corduroy "snugglies" for my sister and I. I tried one of these out (you can find them at nearly any second hand store,) and it was terrible! Even with my tiny newborn it cut into my shoulders and felt unsteady. I did find an article in one of their old Mothering Magazines about how to tie a wrap, so there was some info out there, but it was not in peoples consciousness yet- at least not in my parents white hippie consciousness.

Now its pretty common to see a baby in a sling- at least in these parts. Of course the stroller is still all pervasive, but no one gives me any strange looks when I wear my baby. In fact I've had so many positive comments and women asking me where they can get slings like mine that I've considered distributing them or teaching babywearing classes.

And the more I read about babywearing the more sense it makes to me that we need more of it in our society. Babies in slings are part of their families world and daily live in a way that babies in bucket seats and strollers are not. They can be taken most anywhere, can sleep out and about, are up where the action is (and not where the exhaust pipes and doggies are,) they can snuggle into the sling when overwhelmed or look at their mama's face to see what to make of all the new stuff they are taking in.

Don't get me wrong. I'm no purist. I put my boy down sometimes and I even have a (gasp!) mechanical swing that he sometimes hangs out in for a bit. He likes to roll around on his blankets and for some reason one of his favorite places to be is the change table. But I love wearing my baby whenever I can. And it seems most of the world is with me on this one.

giving thanks

It is thanksgiving weekend. It's impossible not to be aware of the dubious origins of the holiday (I remember hearing a First Nations comedian stating that his family's thanksgiving tradition was to invite their white friends over to dinner so that he could spend the evening with his family in the linen closet while his friends feasted in the dining room on the dinner he'd made for them,) and every year's discussions seem to contain reference to this reality. Yet most of us can't help but enjoy the excuse to hike outside and visit with friends and family and enjoy a meal together and to take to time to give thanks for what is good. The weather is lovely and it feels wonderfully harvest-ish around here as people bring in the last of their gardens and cook up the bounty. This year there was potatoes and beets and cabbage and carrots and turkey all grown in the backyards of our friends and relatives (ours was a little neglected due to the obvious newborn distraction. ) And I am feeling thankful- for these glorious fall days, for my family, my husband, my sweet baby boy... Who is grateful for the season too- nothing quiets him quicker or entrances him more than a good walk outside. I want to always remember the way he breaths in wide eyed and wiggles in delight when the wind blows across his little face. How I love him so!