This time last year...

Maxine was not reading and her cloth diapers were not leaking (see the wet spots on her pants?)... now she loves books and we are working on the leaking-thing. I believe she has graduated to the category of "super soaker" and we have ordered hemp inserts to try and remedy the situation. Back to the books, she loves reading, turning the pages and pointing at pictures. The other day I held up a magazine with the picture of a woman's face on it and she pointed at the woman's mouth and then touched her own. Maxine is so smart!

This time last year Maxine was eating every 2 to 3 hours and she was sleeping in our room. To make it easier for us we just put her in the travel bed between us. We called this period the "Bento Box Days".

The photo above is a shout out to our Nepal friends. Not only does Maxine eat rice with her hands like any Nepali babe her age, she can sort the rocks out of rice like no other... she even has the squat down. So proud...

We have been in a whirlwind preparing for the move to Ethiopia... we leave for DC one week from tomorrow. Maxine had 5 vaccinations on Thursday and it was terrible. She had a super high fever, felt terrible and thought we were trying to give her shots every time we tried to take her temp. Yesterday I was out of town and Ben ended up taking her to the ER because she had a temp of 104! We now know that is apparently "normal" or "okay" for a baby because their metabolisms are much faster and she has had so many vaccinations to make her immune system work extra hard. However, we were freaking out because one of the shots she had was yellow fever and it can have scary side effects for young kids (like under 4 months but we were still worried... despite all of the professional medical advice we received telling us it was not going to be a risk). She is still having a fever but she is so much better today.

She Walks!

On Friday September 26, 2008, Maxine took 8 consecutive steps without any assistance! Since then she has been taking 1 or 2 steps hear or there. Maxine refuses to walk if we try to get her to walk - for instance, when we stand her up to walk to something or someone she wants. Her reaction is to make her body dead weight in your arms or to fall to her knees in a dramatic manner. Over the past two days I have learned that the best way to get her to walk is to ignore what she is doing when she starts standing. She has done me the honor of taking 9 to 10 steps and then today she took 19 in front of her Grandma Gerry, Dad and myself! We just acted natural while she walked across the front porch during our VERY SUCCESSFUL yard sale.

Maxine's walking can truly be credited to the great group of friends that joined us at the cabin for Ben's birthday. Kelly, Alicia, Christof, and Patrick cheered Maxine to those fantastic 8 steps. Above is a picture of Kelly luring Maxine across the floor.

Maxine, Rana, Ben, and I went to the cabin for 5 days. This trip was to celebrate Ben's birthday. But, when we discovered we are moving to Ethiopia it was also to soak up the cabin and its wonderful-ness because we don't know when we will be back to it. So, we went fishing and I caught the first fish of the weekend...

The second day our friends, "The Ericksons," came up to the cabin and went fishing with us. They are Alicia, Christof, Isaac, Eva and Atlas.

Maxine slept through the first part of the outing...

Then, Maxine's dad became the angler he always claimed and caught an 18 inch trout! Favorite quotes, after we finished squealing, were, "Now I know what it feels like to dominate another species," and, "Isn't there a lake near Addis Ababa?" The fishing banter was fun and the trout was tasty...

While the adults laughed, ate trout, enjoyed stories about Patrick (Evie's Dad) and drank from Ben's birthday pony-keg, Maxine LOVED playing with Evie, Eva and Isaac!

It was such a wonderful weekend and we were very sad to leave the cabin. Visiting with the Ericksons and Lacroix's was so wonderful, too.

As Maxine has become more mobile we are discovering what she loves. For instance, she loves Rana, the Park, swings and sand. I think we can sum it up to animals, being outside and experiencing different textures. My friend Alicia, mother of 3, told me to give Maxine different gooey things, wet things, beans, rocks, sand, etc so she can play with textures. It is true. She LOVES the simplest things! Who needs the plastic fake cell phone - that she loves, too? Satisfying her right now is very easy!

Maxine is 1 year and 2 weeks and she is still breastfeeding. I am so thrilled that I am not pumping and am okay with her breastfeeding, for now. She breastfeeds in the morning and evening. We have given her some whole milk but she prefers the boob. So many people I know have children that self-weaned but Maxine is dedicated to the boob. Some kids have a safety blanket or stuffed animal they hold near but Maxine has the boob. She is always sticking her hand down my shirt and grabbing my nipples. She does this anywhere, anytime and for as long as I let her. Weaning is going to be difficult. The only reason I haven't done it yet is because we are waiting to see the milk situation in Ethiopia. I have to say, for those of you who need to relate or those that are pregnant and need something to look forward to, my breasts have reached what some call "The Chicken Cutlet Stage." Yeah, the big boob honeymoon is over... they are smaller, deflated and as close to some of the shirtless older Nepali women they have ever been.What happens after the second child??? Anyone? Anyone?

There are so many other things happening to my body that I intend to share. Unfortunately, I doubt many people have made it this far in this LONG entry. Stay tuned for more on my belly button, menstration after 1 year post-birth, incontinence, and emotions/hormones.

First Birthday

Today was Maxine's first birthday. I now understand that at every one of my birthdays my mother relives my birth. What it was like, what I was doing at each time of day, what she ate, what it felt like (emotionally and physically). It started yesterday with me telling Ben, "This time last year I was drinking castor oil mixed with frozen orange juice and vanilla ice cream." Then Maxine had a nightmare at 2:20 am and as I rocked her back to sleep I told her how at that time last year we were getting ready to go to the birth center because my labor was becoming more painful (I laugh at it now... THAT wasn't the painful part!). Then, we woke up at 6:00 am and I told her that I was pushing at that point. Then, at 7:59 am we played Maxine her first song that she ever heard "Lay Lady Lay" by Bob Dylan. I took the afternoon off and we went to the zoo. A sweet 5.5 year old and her grandmother sang happy birthday to Maxine. We had a get together at the park in the evening with Maxine's friends Evie, Edie, Zev, Isaac, Eva, and Atlas. Maxine was so excited to see all of the kids that she spent the entire time practicing walking with her little lion walker... I caught the few interactions with people below...

Last Saturday we had a family party for Maxine. Grandma Gerry hosted with Auntie Lisa making a cupcake-shaped chocolate cake and a tower of cupcakes for Maxine. Grandma and Grandpa Wallace, Uncle Nick, Uncle Ted, Cousin Ben, and Cousin Henry were there to celebrate, as well. It was her first cake and the sugar high was awesome! She did everything she knows how to do ultra fast... clap, clap, bounce bounce, bark bark, screech screech... and then start over again. It was pretty cute. I got all emotional as I walked out of the kitchen with the candle lit singing.. she just sat there wide-eyed wondering what was going on and why was everyone singing... ahhhh, hormones and motherhood.

The past year has been totally not what I expected and absolutely wonderful. Maxine is such a happy, laid back baby. She has a fantastic smile and sense of humor. I can't wait for what the next year will bring us... she is full of surprises!

I am very overdo on an update. I will write more soon but here is a synposis of the past three months:
Maxine started crawling the week after the post below. She has three teeth 2 bottom front and 1 top front. She stands on her own and walks holding our hands or with her walker. She barks... we are so proud... she plays chase with us (she is a very fast crawler) and tries to play chase with Rana but Rana just sighs and goes into the other room. She loves books and we think she is saying "fish"but it sounds more like, "Shishhhh". She also can climb very well... onto our bed, onto the couch, into the dryer... gettin down has not yet been mastered, yet.

I will be updating regularly now. We have had a full few months because of travel, work, and we just found out we are moving to Ethiopia! So, I will post more photos and give an update on how Maxine weathers the preparing for a move around the world and the ACTUAL move...

Working Mother of 9 Month Old 'Significantly Sleep-Deprived"

I have been researching ways to increase my energy level because I have been so tired. I was thinking that I could make some dietary changes, etc. I took a sleep test to get advice on Shape Magazine's website and the results are hilarious:

"Your answers to the Epworth Sleepiness Test indicate you may be significantly sleep-deprived. You may wish to consult with your physician to discuss futher investigation."

Points for Sharing

Will Maxine crawl? Will she talk? Will she walk? Will she choke on the food we are giving her? And, most importantly, when will she dance?



Ben and I had date night #2 on Friday. Uncle Ted scored us great tickets to the Cowboy Junkies concert. They were great, I had a wonderful mojito, and Ben and I got to ride our bikes downtown. All good things. The lead singer of the band kept going back stage during the concert... just walking off... and I was joking with Ben that she was going back there to throw up (no reason). But, at one point she mentioned that her 5 year old son was back stage and she was watching him sleep on the table back there with his teddy bear under his head for a pillow. Then she said, "All moms wonder if they are doing the right thing." This is the theme of the past several months for me and, from what I am learning, will be the theme of the rest of my life. Good thing to look forward to...



Maxine can push herself up onto her hands and knees. She does a fantastic plank and push up and, for all you yogis, her downward dog is pretty spot on. She scoots backwards, rolls, and climbs... but no crawl. Some predict she will go straight to walking since she spends so much time pulling herself up to a standing position. Many have told me that she can stand unattended for a few seconds but I hardly believe it.



Aside from toast, Maxine hates food. We have fed her bananas, pineapple, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, green beans, kidney beans, rice cereal, pears, peaches, applesauce, yogurt, hummus... you name it, by the way she reacts, you'd think she hates it. However, I think she just wants to feed herself and not have everything mashed up. The most success has resulted from us letting her feed herself and suck on whatever we are eating. She sort of likes bananas sometimes... hummus, too. We were steaming her food and blending it but it became such a hassle for nothing. So, we have jarred baby food that we test on her daily. She likes toast (as you can see) and french fries... We are learning to become more lax about what we feed her. Her main subsistence is her all time favorite - breastmilk.



Maxine threw up for the first time a week ago. this was not any spit up, people. Full-on, Exorcist throw up. She was lying on her back and it came out of her with such force that i swear it shot a foot above her before it fountained all over the bed... yes, my bed. She was napping next to me which means that it also fountained all over me. I was beside myself with worry, she didn't seem phased... once I got past what had happened I realized the awful mess that was all over myself, Maxine and the bed... and then I wondered how such a little creature could release so much fluid... why isn't she all shriveled up like a raisin? She is fine, I am fine, and the bed is fine...

The other night, like every night, I went into her room before I went to bed to make sure she was still breathing, etc (I know, psycho mom). As I stood there with my hand on her chest feeling for the up/down movement that indicates that my child is still alive, I thought to myself, "I can't believe we have managed to keep this child alive for 8 whole months! How are we going to do it for 18 more years?"

Longest Post Ever

Well, this post is WAY overdue. Since my last post, Maxine has met most of her Peace Corps Nepal buddies and many of their babes, traveled to Mexico and met her cousins and Auntie Jeanne and Uncle Adam, started trying to crawl, had a tooth break through on her lower gum (right front), and traveled to Seattle to attend her first comic convention, have her first shared bath and see her very good friends Nicola, Kate, Anthony, Amanda and Tyler... Phew! So, here is the long and short of it ALL..

Peace Corps Nepal Visitors Head to the White Mountains

Amanda and Chris traveled from Brooklyn, the Gurungs traveled from Minnesota, and the Weisses traveled from Ohio. It was a blast. We love everyone and were so happy to see them all. Maxine LOVED the kids.


Auntie Konnie gave Maxine her first pedicure under the careful supervision of her son Shakti.



Auntie Amanda and Uncle Mukhiya have a way with kids. Everyone loved them. Mukhiya would just sweep any crying kid into his arms and they would immediately smile and coo at him. Auntie Amanda turned into the Pied Piper (is that how that is spelled) and always had an entourage of kids following her. She was definitely the "cool" one of the adults!



The men played dramatic games of horseshoes. I am not sure who won or if anyone actually did... but they were awlways perfecting their form. Uncle Adam worked hard to keep his crayon skills up... I think he was a bit intimidated by the in house artist (Maxine's dad, of course!).



The kids all got along so well. It was so much fun to see them play. We can't wait to throw Henry into the mix!



On the last day we all took family photos. I have to say the Brooklyn crew seemed to bring it more than the rest... see, they even have one of the entourage in there (I told you!).



There were also some pretty crazy leg wrestling matches. I, personally, am addicted and can't find anyone to train with... bummer. The moms all hid out in the upstairs closet with a bottle of wine... just like the good old days. On the way back to Tucson we stopped at a slot canyon and gave the crew a nice taste of some of the southwestern beauty. It was a great walk/hike and the scary rope/metal bridge was a perfect addition to our nepal reunion!

We were lucky to have the Weisses come a day early and the Gurungs to stay a few days late. It was so much fun and I can't believe it has already been a month since they left. We love you all!

MEXICO! Ole!

We left for Mexico the same day that the Gurungs left for home... we all packed up and drove away from our house at the same time. It was so nice to head straight for vacation # 2 so I didn't have to be too sad with an empty house. Maxine was fantastic on her first flight.

We stayed at a family-friendly all-inclusive resort south of Cancun. It was so gluttonous, relaxing, and wonderful. The rooms came equipped with cribs, changing tables, bottle sterilizers, baby bath robe (she looked like a little boxer in it), strollers... you name it! They had baby food on ice plus all of the food and drink you can imagine. It was overwhelming and perfect. They even had an included service where they would bathe your child for you - don't worry we did not take advantage... weird.

Maxine's cousins are Ande (10 years), Sophie (6 years), and Joe (1 month younger than Maxine). Joe is absolutely adorable and the girls were so good with both Maxine and Joe. Maxine was able to whip out her new skill of "picking on the youngest" that she learned from the Peace Corps kids. She never hesitated to pull Joe's pacifier out or pull him over. Joe was such a trooper.

We got Maxine a little lobster floaty to swim in. She loved the water. We took her down to the beacha nd the first thing she did was rub sand in her eyes. Awwwww.

We had so many laughs with the family and loved hanging out. It is always too long between our visits with one another.

When we got back from Cancun, I went to get Maxine ready for bed that first night and we noticed something shiny on her little mobile above her bed. As Ben looked closer he saw that there were little nails stuck to the magnets that hold the birds on her mobile. This suspicious find reminded me of the night before we left for Mexico and the Gurungs were still with us. Konnie and I found Shakti and Nayana standing in Maxine's crib. We didn't know what they were doing but Konnie still asked the kids, "Are you helping or hurting?" Nayana responded, "Helping." Shakti responded, "Hurting."

Bog Spring Trail

As you can see from the photo below that "spring" is a bit of a stretch. Luckily we hiked further and found a nice stream to have a picnic. Look closely... ben surprised me with a wine picnic! Yum... made for an interesting hike down.


Maxine Goes to Seattle!

Last weekend the three of us headed to maxine's first comic show in Seattle! We stayed with our good friends Nicola, Kate, and Anthony. Nicola is two weeks younger than Maxine. Her parents used to live next door to us in Tucson... as soon as they moved we all got pregnant... I still tear up when I see their old house (yes, every day!). We were so lucky to spend the whole weekend with Auntie Amanda and Uncle Tyler, too! Amanda and Tyler live 2 blocks from Kate and Anthony! It was so fun to hang out. As ou can see Maxine and Nica hit it off in the bath. Nica is a feisty lady... while Maxine hammed it up for the camera, Nica took Maxine down with the old "pull the back of the hair move" and then stole her pacifier. Luckily, Maxine loves the camera so much she wasn't phased at all. Thank you Kate, Anthony, Nica, Amanda and Tyler... it was so wonderful to see you.

Hiking and Shamrock Baby

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Maxine's grandma Gerry is Irish and Ben just recently got his Irish citizenship... so, Maxine is Irish! Here is our little leprechaun with her shamrock plant and drink of choice...



We also finally broke in the baby back pack (Thank you Jilly!). We took Maxine on a hike and she LOVED it. If she wasn't asleep she was shrieking with joy up the canyon. Following are photos of her and her friend Evie on their big hike up Ventana Canyon to the Virgin Pools. This hike was also the final showing of Maxine's famous "Candy Cane Prisoner" outfit... so sorry it couldn't keep up with our growing babe.

GIANT!!!!

If Maxine continues to grow at her current rate, by the time she is 20 years old she will weigh 408 lbs and be 21 feet 9 inches tall.

Bundh on the Bung

Maxine is constipated. No other way to put it. The girl has not poo'd for 9 days now. Yes, I have called her doctor. This is actually the second long stretch of what we like to call "The Bundh on the Bung" (Bundh means "strike" in Nepali). The first time lasted 8 days. I called the doctor and spoke with his nurse. She told me that it is normal for some breastfed babies to go for long periods without a bowel movement. She said I should go home and put a tiny thermometer in her butt and see if I felt any solid poo... WHAT??? Um, YOU put the tiny thermometer in a 5 month old baby's butt, lady! Like, I want to deal with that - yeah, I have done that to dogs when I was at the humane society but I will not do this to my daughter. Imagine the trauma! Talk about crying for 45 minutes. So, the nurse offered me an alternative. I can mix Dark Karo Syrup in water and that should help. So, I went home and figured I would discuss our option (notice it is not plural). That night she poo'd her first post-solid food poo. Whew! It stank! I didn't realize that consistency, color, and SMELL change with the introduction of solid foods. It smells so bad that I would consider breastfeeding until she is potty trained just to avoid having to touch it again... too late, though. She is permanently altered. Anyway, so, now the Bundh on the Bung has lasted 9 days and we are going to try the Dark Karo Syrup and I am going to try eating more fiber. I'll keep you posted...



In other news... Drum roll... Maxine has now added mashed bananas, mashed peas, mashed pears and rice cereal to her diet! Ben and I were so excited to introduce solids and were convinced that all of her tracking our forks from plate to mouth and grabbing at our food were signs that she was ready for the leap into new flavors and solid poo! We got her all dressed up in a cutie-patootie outfit, mashed some bananas (thanks for the masher Gurungs!), and put her in her new high chair. We got out the camera because, of course, this is what she has been waiting for and it will be ground shaking. I mean, she will be so happy! Above is the photo of her being fed for the first time (other than breastmilk)... one word can describe this event: "anticlimatic". She actually cringed and then gave us a look that VERY OBVIOUSLY said, "What is that and why the HELL did you give that to me?" We thought that maybe she just doesn't like bananas... but we have since learned that she pretty much reacts that way to everything we have given her. Pears had the most positive-like response. Luckily, no tears over any of the foods. Just good old-fashioned rejection. She just sort of avoids the spoon and looks at us like, "You totally don't understand. I want mom's beer. Not this crap." - she does like to smell my beer and always reaches for the bottle and tries to put her mouth on the top... scary and we can all worry now about what Ben and I have in store for ourselves.



Finally, we have started "sleep training". The idea of this is to teach her how to fall asleep unassisted (i.e. not on the boob). I am hesitant to say we are using the Ferber method even though many have told us we are. I prefer to call it "The Broadman Method" after my pediatrician friend that told me about it. She is Maxine's good friend "Nicola's" mom. So, we have started a "routine". Nica's mom told me that the first two nights the average baby will cry for 45 minutes, 3rd night 20 minutes and then they sleep. So, I feed Maxine then when she is relaxed but not asleep we put her in her sleep sack and read her a book. Then we put her in her bed and say sweet things to her (important to try and say the same things to her so she associates them with time for sleep) and then leave. Then, if she cries, we let her cry for 5 minutes and then can go in and say sweet things to her - never pick her up. So, the first two nights she cried for exactly 45 minutes. Really... exactly 45 minutes. Then the 3rd night 10 minutes. Now she may cry for less than 5 minutes or not at all. It is hard but I think that, in the long run, it will be helpful because she will know how to sleep on her own.

Breastfeeding, Pumping, Diapers, Childcare and Working: How it is Going

Well, since I have failed at making a "baby book" for Maxine I have decided that this is it. Perhaps I will print it out and put it in a binder for her or something like that. This is definitely a more "resource-efficient" way to record Maxine (and share with others!).

I think it is important to provide an update on how breastfeeding, pumping, diapers, childcare and working are going.

Breastfeeding:
The only things that Maxine has purposely consumed are breastmilk, baby tylenol and vitamins - there has been the occasional bath water and pet hair, too. I have worked hard to keep this going for this long. As you know, I went back to work when she was 6 weeks old and have had to pump in order to satisfy her appetite. My sister is a lactation consultant and has explained to me that nothing is as efficient as a baby in getting breastmilk out of a breast. There are two hormones that are released that cause the milk to let down and only one can be triggered easily without the baby. So, what this means is I can't get as much out in one sitting of pumping as Maxine would in one sitting of breastfeeding. So, after many trials and errors and stresses I have figured out the schedule that produces enough milk for Maxine. Following is my schedule:

5:15 am wake up, pump and then go work out (I am already awake)
6:45 am Get home, shower, eat breakfast, hang out with Maxine and breastfeed
8:15 or 8:30 am leave for work
10:30 am pump
12:45 pm pump
3:30 pm pump
4:45 pm go home and hang out with Maxine, eat dinner and breastfeed
7;45 pm/8:00 pm Maxine goes to sleep
9:00 pm get ready for bed, pump and go to sleep
11:00 pm - 4:00 am Maxine wakes up (usually only once) to breastfeed for anywhere between 11 and 45 minutes

Phew! It is a regimen that, if I fail to follow, we run the risk of low supplies! The doctor says that if I can make it to 6 months that is perfect and anything after that is great. I have read that children breastfed between 7 mos and a year (or longer) tend to have higher IQs (my friends Kelly and Amanda must just blow the researchers because they are brilliant and were formula-fed. Go figure?) Well, right now breastmilk is cheaper and I feel like I am doing a good thing. I am shooting for a year. We will start introducing solids at 6 months so that may offer some relief (except the rice cereal needs to be mixed with breastmilk or formula - ack!!!!)
Also, we are feeding Maxine the pumped milk with a Born Free bottle which is Bisphenol-A free. We also bought medical-grade plastic, bisphenol-a free freezer trays to freeze the milk in 1 oz sticks. I wear this little zip up tube top with holes where my boobs are so I can pump hands free. It really streamlines the process!


Diapers:
Ben and I chose to use cloth diapers. We are using fuzzi bunz and wash them at home. I researched whether cloth diapers would be more resource efficient than "biodegradable" diapers. The arguments are strong for both sides and we ultimately decided on the cloth diapers. We then researched whether to use a service or wash our own and decided the carbon footprint would be less with washing on our own. My mother-in-law has started an online magazine called "Connections for Women" and asked me to write an article on cloth vs. disposable diapers. Here is the link to the article if you are interested in knowing more about our decision and facts supporting it: http://www.connectionsforwomen.com/article_details.php?article_id=200&cat=5

Childcare:
Ben and I are very lucky to have his mom and my parents living in the same town. My mom has been coming twice a week to hang out with Maxine for 5 hours each day so Ben can work. His mom watches Maxine at least once a week. Otherwise, Ben is Mr. Mom. So far, it seems to be going very well. He gets a lot of work done when one of the grandmas are helping and even sometimes when he is alone with Maxine - of course, there are days that Maxine doesn't want him to work. Ben seems to be loving this, too.

Working
Well, I think that 6 weeks is too early to go back to work. I think it was hard on all three of us. If I were to do it over again I would for sure wait until she was 2 months or, even better, 3 months. 3 months would have been the ideal time to return to work. But, that didn't happen and I am not regretting because I feel like Maxine and I have a strong bond regardless. She knows who I am and we spend mornings, nights and weekends together. We laugh and play and eat together. I also think that I am setting a strong example for her as a working mother. I know she doesn't know right now but in the future she will see her mother working and being a leader. I think the Ben and I offer a great balance for her. I hope she will start dabbling in art with her dad while he works. What a great experience to see an office-working parent and an artist-parent. I can't wait to see how she develops into her own individual with all of these influences.