Knit pants

Just finished these knit pants for T.

Supernanny weans.

When I saw the preview for last night's episode (the snippet shows Nanny Jo refering to a nursing mother's 14 month old as a koala), I knew I had to see it, and after I saw it, I wondered what other people were saying. In brief, parents are trying to manage a household of 4 kids, there are various disciplinary (whoopin!) and bedtime issues, and the mother's also breastfeeding her 14 month old. The nursing seemed to be tangential to the overall issues in the house, but when pressed, the mother expressed a desire to wean and Jo-Jo went with it. You could tell Supernanny was pleased with the decision to wean, even though she offered support to either decision. The one thing missing, and I agree with others on this point, was any supportive "job well done" sentiment. Fourteen-freaking-months is an incredible feat--they could have taken 15 seconds to say so. Anyway, within the parameters of the show (ie. really terrible editing), it really wasn't that bad, pretty extreme to see Jo wean the baby in what seemed to be 3 minutes (I imagined it taking weeks, but we haven't gotten to that chapter yet), but in the end, the mother seemed pleased with the outcome, although I'm not sure I've seen the show end any other way...

(More thorough reactions than mine.)

atop the hill

on transportation and motherhood

Since early September, I've carried the girl from the car to the train, from the train to daycare, and back again, first two, and now three days each week. She's ridden in two slings, an ergo, once in her stroller, and many times just in my arms. Along with the girl, I carry full bottles and empty bottles, her lunch and my lunch, water, snacks, a book and/or toy for the train and whatever else I need for work or weather (I dispensed with the diaper bag long ago and we haven't paid the price yet). The load is taking a serious toll on my back.

Since I'm going to work, not hiking, I hesitate to employ the sherpani, and so, I've begun investigating the bicycling options. I'm leaning towards a bike seat, not a trailer, and based on my craigslist scans, the rhode gear limo seems like the one for me, but my research just brought me face-to-face with this quote:

You have a specific emotional investment in your child and a real financial investment. There were lost wages and expenses during the pregnancy, all the medical expenses and everything you are paying for right up to the present. Even with a helmet on your child, they aren't capable of really protecting themself if you fall or are hit by a car while on your bike. Could you live with yourself if they were injured, and don't you owe them a better and fighting chance by carrying them in a bicycle trailer instead. Although we sell child carriers because people insist on buying them, everyone working here understands them to be a serious safety compromise to both the rider who is unfamiliar with the added weight and the infant.

Um, yes, I do have a "specific" emotional investment in my child. Are bike seats really that dangerous? What weird liability issues prompted them to write that?

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Yesterday about 10 minutes after we arrived home, T. puked. She was sitting in her highchair when it happened, looking a little out of it as I started to prepare her dinner. She didn't cry, but she was clearly frazzled. It was just the two of us at home, and as I looked at her wondering what to do (and how I might avoid getting it on my work clothes), I realized that I am now a mother, really. I picked her up and tried to face her away from me but the look on her face told me how lame that was, and so I pulled her close just in time to be hit by round two. I changed her clothes and made her laugh and got her ready for bed. She passed out in a few minutes.

We had a bit of a tough morning, but she seemed better and ready to make the trip. She talked all the way to the train station, but zoned out as we got to the platform and fell asleep a few minutes after we boarded the train. This is not her style. She generally spreads morning cheer to our fellow commuters in the form of generous babbling and smiles, but this morning, she snuggled against my chest, closed her eyes and slept until we walked into her classroom. It's so difficult to leave her when she's not feeling 100%.

T. is ten months old now, and I hadn't really thought about how "independent" she's become, but this morning, in this unexpectedly needy mode, it was nice to press pause on the developmental trajectory and give her the holding that she wanted. I guess there's a lot more research to do re. the trailer vs. seat question, but for now while she'll let me, I'm content to carry her a while longer.