To Be Titled

Striving to be a good dad, a good husband, a good son/brother, a good political scientist, a good photographer, a good cook and a good homo universalis.
babyxander: I like to jam with a street musician whenever I have a chance!

babyxander:

I like to jam with a street musician whenever I have a chance!

“I’€™m Vaccinated!” So he’s fine giving a pig a full smooch! @dailyshoot #ds63

“I’€™m Vaccinated!” So he’s fine giving a pig a full smooch! @dailyshoot #ds63

“Baby & Shopping Cart” I don’t like the crack across the parking lot, but it’s still a fun photo of a shadow! @dailyshoot #ds44

“Baby & Shopping Cart” I don’t like the crack across the parking lot, but it’s still a fun photo of a shadow! @dailyshoot #ds44

“Xander’€™s Hands” @dailyshoot #ds37 — I love watching how he plays with his hands when he’s watching something on TV.

“Xander’€™s Hands” @dailyshoot #ds37 — I love watching how he plays with his hands when he’s watching something on TV.

I’m pretty sure this is the bargain between Xander and Pancake as well. But it’s an unstable bargain…. [ICHC?]

I’m pretty sure this is the bargain between Xander and Pancake as well. But it’s an unstable bargain…. [ICHC?]

I suspect every parent has a particular image of their children as young babies that are etched into their long-term memory—the kind that flashes back at every major subsequent life event of the children, such as the prom, graduations, weddings, etc. I think this might be mine, although not this particular shot. There has always been something about him looking back over his high chair to look at me in the kitchen.

I suspect every parent has a particular image of their children as young babies that are etched into their long-term memory—the kind that flashes back at every major subsequent life event of the children, such as the prom, graduations, weddings, etc. I think this might be mine, although not this particular shot. There has always been something about him looking back over his high chair to look at me in the kitchen.

“Daddy! I’m down here!”

“Daddy! I’m down here!”

Study: TV May Inhibit Babies’ Language Development

As most parents of small children will reluctantly admit, nothing can occupy a child quite like television. Unfortunately, the scientific evidence suggests that using the boob tube as a babysitter has its price: the more time babies spend sitting in front of the screen, the more their social, cognitive and language development may suffer. Recent studies show that TV-viewing tends to decrease babies’ likelihood of learning new words, talking, playing and otherwise interacting with others.
I’m glad that we disconnected our TV service. Having the TV on in the background, even passively, is so easy and becomes a second nature. [Via TIME]

Lessons of Baby Care

Although now starting to get better, Xander had two difficult nights this week. The second time that he was screaming his head off, nothing was consoling him (this was at 3:30AM). I tried to tickle him around his collarbone, which always makes him giggle uncontrollably. Apparently, not always. Trying to tickle a baby when they’re upset only makes them more upset.

Love and Logic at Work

Susanne and I started using Love and Logic philosophy for our parenting. One of its main components is giving babies/kids choices to empower them. At 9-month old, Xander doesn’t get too many meaningful choices. At bath time, I usually offer him his rubber duck ducky (which has been his trusted friend in the bathtub for many weeks). I began offering the ducky along with a rubber elephant (which can spray water out of its nose). Since I began offering the two choices, he’s been immediately reaching for the elephant, ditching his long-time friend.

Couple of days ago, however, I could actually see the gears turning in his brain. He immediately reached for the elephant, paused, turned and looked at the ducky for one or two seconds and then finalized his choice as the elephant. It was quite amazing to witness.

“That’s lovely!”

That has recently become one of my most oft-used phrase during meal times. The proper intonation for usage has to be dripping with sarcasm, as in, “that’s lovvvvelyyyy!” Some examples:

  • Oh, are you stroking your hair with your blueberry oatmeal covered fingers? That’s lovely.
  • Oh, you’re squishing grains of rice on to your forearm. That’s lovely.
  • Are you flapping your arms when your hands are covered in fruit? That’s lovely.
  • etc.
You get the idea. Isn’t it lovely?

Will I remember everything?

I just browsed through some of the early photos and videos of Xander. It feels like such a long time ago. I wouldn’t actually remember much of the first several weeks of Xander’s life were it not for the video clips to remind me all the things Susanne and I did. It almost feels like I didn’t gain any experience or learn any lessons from taking care of a baby, and it makes me wonder if I will remember all the things to do when the second one comes around.

Incidentally, Xander is nine months old today. Crazy.

Making Baby Food at Home: Carrots, Squash and Peas

Making baby food at home is totally worth the effort, mostly because it takes very little effort to produce food of the quality that exceeds that of even good store-bought ones.

  1. Carrots (easy)
    1. Buy organic carrots, wash and cut into short pieces
    2. Buy one of these collapsible steamers
    3. Steam the carrots for ~ 20 minutes
    4. Purée the steamed carrots in a mini food processor with a bit of the water from the steaming
    5. Spoon the puréed carrots into an ice cube tray, freeze, pop out and store in an airtight container
  2. Squash (easy)
    1. Buy an organic squash
    2. Cut the squash into little wedges (about 1/6 of the whole). I made the acorn kind—butternut would be hard to cut and peel.
    3. Steam the squash wedges for ~20 minutes
    4. Peel the skin off the meat by scooping the meat with a spoon
    5. Purée with a bit of the water from steaming and follow the rest of the steps from the carrot recipe
  3. Peas (moderate)
    1. Buy a bag of organic frozen peas
    2. Steam the peas in a steamer for about 15 minutes (Most recipes call for boiling them, but I don’t think that’s necessary.)
    3. Purée the steamed peas in a mini food processor with some water from the steaming
    4. Push the puréed peas through a fine sieve to filter the hulls, which babies apparently can’t digest.
    5. Freeze and store the sieved purée the same way as above.