Holden tries to fly...and fails miserably

So...this week we experienced--the hard way--how quickly babies change. And we also realized--thankfully--how resilient their little bodies can be. Just about one week after Holden figured out how to crawl, he also figured out how to pull himself up in the crib and apparently climb (or fling his body) out of it.

Yes, Holden did what every parent dreads and fears. He fell out of his crib. And amazingly, miraculously, magically, he had only a little scrape on his head to show for it.

How? Huh? What? You might ask. Well, the story is this: I put him down for a nap, all was quiet, and then about 10 minutes later, crash bang thunk! Waah! I ran up the stairs to find him face down crying on the floor. He seemed to have knocked off his baby monitor from a stand which perhaps cushioned(?) his fall. A little bruise, some tears, and that was it. In about 10 minutes (and a panicked called to the doctor--and Mike--by me) and he was all smiles again.

Obviously, we lowered his mattress immediately afterward.

However, when I called the doctor, even the nurse was a little surprised that he was able to do this (although she was very calm about what to do, and how to handle it). Apparently babies, at this age, are designed for bumps and bruises. Holden didn't exhibit any of the danger signs and she said he and all turned out well. Not that this couldn't have ended badly, of course. But thankfully thankfully thankfully, it didn't.

I had always assumed, naively, I suppose, that I would walk in one day to find him standing up. After all, that's what has happened to so many of our friends (as noted in their blogs). Instead, Holden decided that standing just wasn't quite good enough. So now, all I can picture him doing is this (although our crib mattress was lower than this one):
Yeah, fun times. Did I tell you yet that I'm not as keen as I thought I'd be about this milestone?

Baby Mozart ... for real

Holden's new favorite toy!!

Father's Day

It's a little late but it must be said, few do fatherhood as well as Mike does. And those of you who follow this blog know that. So happy father's day to you my dear. Keep doing what you're doing. I couldn't get Holden to say da-da, yet, but at least I got him to crawl. Quite the gift!

Holden Is On the Move

I wanted to post a quick update on Holden's passing of this big milestone -- he can now crawl! Over the past few days, he has been working really hard on forward motion, and this weekend he has finally made the leap to a mobile baby. We couldn't catch it on video very easily, since as soon as the video camera comes out Holden stops everything and wants to stare at it. But I finally captured a brief moment of him crawling:

He is crawling both on his stomach (aka "commando style") as well as on his knees. You'll notice that he is working on the basic "cross-crawling" technique, too, which is when a baby moves one arm and the opposite leg together when he moves forward, rather than using an arm and a leg from the same side.

Now's the time for some serious parental panicking, since we need to hit the baby-proofing head on. I vacuumed our living room today so he has some space there to crawl around, but we have lots of things to do before he can move around the house more. And those days where we could leave him to play by himself for a bit on a blanket or play mat are gone (ugh). Little Holden is just growing up so fast!

Mea Culpa

If you haven't noticed, for the past few weeks Mike has been the primary contributor to our blog, leaving some of you to wonder, perhaps, what happened to "mommy" in this little adventure. Rest assured I'm still the doting parent, and have much to say about Holden. But I am also the busy academic. Between teaching my first class and writing an article due next week, I have had little time to wax poetry (or prose) about the wee one. My apologies. I promise to reemerge from the books and papers covering my desk soon.

Holden takes the plunge

We signed Holden up for his first "swimming" class at the neighborhood YMCA, and this week was the first session -- and Holden LOVED IT! I was much more nervous than he was, especially our entrance into the pool (another 'first' for Holden). I didn't know how he was going to react to the pool, which is slightly larger than his baby bathtub. Pretty much as soon as his bottom half was fully underwater, he began to kick away. The other children in the class are mostly twice Holden's age, so he was truly the 'baby' of the class ... but he did such a great job considering he had never been in a pool before. And no crying or fussing at all.

During the class, we sang some songs, got to move around in the water a lot, chased after some water toys, and Holden got to go down the baby waterslide (assisted by the instructor and daddy, of course). The class time was over before we knew it, and Holden and I are ready for Week #2. I just hope he can refrain from drinking the pool water next week (ugh).

Just in Time for Fathers' Day: Best Daddy Blogs

Parents magazine recently came out with the list of their Favorite Daddy Blogs ... and just to clarify, our blog could not qualify (since it is a "parents blog," not just a daddy blog, and apparently therefore not worthy of attention. I mean, now both daddy and mommy blogs can get recognized, but I guess BOTH parents writing together about their experiences is just so passé).

Thanks to DadWagon (one of the faves) for calling this Top 5 out on their blog and placing a photo of the page on TwitPic. Here are the top 5:

Daddy Dialectic
Daddy Dialectic started as creative writing lecturer Jeremy Adam Smith's journal of his experience as a stay-at-home dad. Today Daddy Dialectic is a group blog by and about dads who embrace caregiving and egalitarian relationships, a definition of fatherhood that we believe is more in tune with the landscape of 21st Century America. Jeremy also just published his book entitled Daddy Shift based on the blog.

Dads and Daughters
This is author Joe Kelly's spot for thoughts and reflections about the unique and powerful relationships between daughters and their fathers and stepfathers. He also runs TheDadMan.com, and has authored 4 books on fathering, including the best-seller Dads and Daughters: How to Inspire, Understand and Support Your Daughter.

DadCentric
DadCentric is a junta of smart, edgy, and talented writer-dads, at the forefront of a revolution whose purpose is to overthrow the outdated notions of Fatherhood. Here you'll find stories, essays, reviews, and interviews - written by and for the modern father. Jason Avant is the Founder and Managing Editor of DadCentric.

DadWagon
On of my own personal favorite dad blogs (mostly because I think the writing is the most interesting), DadWagon dives into the fatherhood experiences of four journalists in New York City "who are trying to make sense of the sometimes baffling, more often excruciating, occasionally amusing world of fatherhood." And they are: Nathan Thornburgh, contributing writer and former senior editor at TIME Magazine; Christopher Bonanos, senior editor at New York magazine; Matt Gross, freelance writer and author of the Frugal Traveler column for the New York Times; and Theodore Ross, an editor of Harper’s Magazine.

DadTalk
Created by former Los Angeles Times systems analyst Brett Levy, who blogs about life as a dad and researches a range of issues & topics related to parenting as well as posts about product recalls and safety concerns.


So that's their Top 5. But what about my other faves, like DaddyTypes and MetroDad. I guess they are not cool enough (or commercial enough ... SNAP!) to be on the list, but they are still great daddy blogs that I would recommend.

So if you're surfing the web this Fathers' Day, consider checking out some of these dudes and their thoughts on fathering/parenting in the 21st century (just don't let their wives or partners post anything online, or these blogs might lose their cool, edgy manliness -- which is, according to these now-famous bloggers, certainly not at the heart of modern fathering ... double SNAP!).

Baby Cruising & Cruising with Babies

When beginning to type this post, my intentions were simple: upload a video of Holden doing some of what is called "cruising" (or when a baby starts taking steps while holding on to the couch, coffee table, or other pieces of furniture). But then I got distracted by reading about "cruising with babies," or baby-friendly cruises (you know, like the ones where you get on a big boat and stop at every colonial tourist trap in the Caribbean, which is now coated in a luxurious layer of BP's finest). Actually, I shouldn't knock cruises since (1) I have never been on one, and (2) we're going on one next year -- but it's to Alaska, so it's different (as if).

Wait, first, let me get back to where I started -- Holden's semi-cruising (not the boat kind). I say semi-cruising, because he had some help from daddy. He's not able to pull himself up onto the couch, so I give him that little boost. But he's doing such a good job these days of balancing and holding himself there without falling, and he even tries to take a step or two each time (before he takes a dive into the rug). Here's the video of him in his early attempts at cruising, baby-style:

While Googling "baby cruising," I came across WAY more websites about going on actual cruises with babies, and which cruises are the most baby-friendly. It was a learning experience. I mean, did you know that many cruise lines offer babysitting services ... for as little as $6 per hour!! Yes, I said $6 PER HOUR! Unfortunately, they don't send their services to St. Louis (way too far from any port of call). Many also have nurseries, and youth programs for children over the age of 2 (but they do not need to be potty trained on many cruise lines -- except Norwegian Cruise Line, which requires parents to carry a beeper in case a diaper change is necessary). Disney is the only cruise line with bath tubs on all rooms (try bathing your fussy 6-month-old in one of those super-cramped stand-up showers). And after baby goes to sleep, you can't leave the room to enjoy the partying ... yes, even in international waters, I think it's still a crime. But for an additional fee, you can get a room with a veranda/porch, where you can enjoy some quiet time while the little tot sleeps.

All in all, though, cruising with a baby sounds like a lot of planning and extra fees. I say parents should have the opportunity to escape for a cruise and leave baby with grandma and grandpa (oh, and by the way, that's what we're doing next year ... Grandma and Grandpa Campbell just plain rock!!!!).

meet Holden's new BFF ... Talking Carl

While some may shudder at the idea of a 7-month-old spending time playing with a 4-inch computer screen, I am a convert thanks to a little, cute monster named "Talking Carl," an app that we loaded on our iPhones. Our friends Noel and Elissa recommended it, and it has been a life saver in some situations where we simply need a distraction for Holden (like when we were out at dinner last night, and we were just waiting for the bill while Holden was getting fussy ... and, BOOM, Talking Carl to the rescue. Worked like a charm).
I agree with GeekDad on Wired.com that this iPhone app is the best $.99 I've spent in a long time. If this has peaked your interest, feel free to download it here and try it out (I can be our little secret). And if you love Talking Carl like we do, you can visit his Facebook page (cuz, of course he has a Facebook page, right?)

And, whether you love or hate this app, you MUST watch this HILARIOUS video that shows what happens when Talking Carl meets Talking Carl in a scream fight (note: YouTube videos no longer fit in the standard width of our blog, so feel free to jump straight to YouTube to watch the video full size):

Baby Eats Plant ... and Survives!

This past weekend, we had to make our first call to the Poison Control Center ... great fun! As we were driving home from a wonderful brunch and some plant shopping at Bowood Farms/Cafe Osage, Holden apparently was able to reach one of the plants we had in the backseat and grab a handful of leaves and other plant parts, cramming them into his mouth (of course). We didn't notice until we heard Holden spit up, and then we saw pieces of leaves in his mouth -- and we panicked. Instead of waiting to get home, Bryna used her iPhone to find out more info. about this plant, which was Lantana (something we bought every summer for our garden). Seconds later, Bryna's reading the "HIGHLY TOXIC" details of this plant, which can be FATAL if the unripe fruit are ingested by small children ... AAAAHHHHHHH!

So we rushed home, and called our pediatrician's exchange number, which connected us to the Poison Control Center. A nurse named Barbara guided me through what symptoms we might see if Holden actually ingested any of the plant, and how to reduce the amount of the plant substance in his system. We were not sure if he had swallowed any of the small berries, which were the most poisonous, but there were a couple of them sitting at the bottom of his car seat (which freaked us out). Barbara was awesome, and calmed us down. She said to keep an eye on him, and she'd call back in an hour to check on things (the other option was going to the emergency room).

Luckily, Holden was as happy as a lark through this whole experience, although he did spit up several times--probably just due to the bad taste of the plant. He went down for a nap, and never exhibited any of the symptoms that we were supposed to look for (Phew!). Crisis averted ... for now.

This certainly made us think more about the types of plants we should avoid in our garden, and that we should immediately stop letting Holden touch and grab plants while we're out for a walk in the park of at the Missouri Botanical Garden. And for any of you not aware of the list of poisonous plants, check out the resources I've linked to below. You might be surprised. In addition to Lantana (which is highly toxic), tulips, irises, foxgloves, azaleas, and holly are all on the list. Oh, and Audrey II.

• National Poison Center: Plants
• Cornell University: Poisonous Plants
• EcoYards: Plants Poisonous to Kids

So, anyway, we had a big scare, but Holden is OK and now we are going to be much smarter about his contact with plants. We also now have the number for the Poison Control Center on our cell phones, in case we need to make another call in the near or distant future.

Victor Hugo once wrote, "Men become accustomed to poison by degrees." So I guess Holden is simply starting this process, becoming embroiled in Man's Destiny to struggle with Nature and its elements ; )

7 Months

And now we are officially closer to 1 than to 0.

Yes, Holden turned 7 months last Friday, which among other things means he's been eating "solids" (or slightly less than liquid, more to be more accurate), for about a month now. And that is worth a post or two, because it has not exactly been my favorite parenting experience...but I digress... In terms of milestones, the boy is still not quite crawling, but is pulling up to his hands and knees, and he just recently started sitting on his own with confidence. And the big news, of course, is those two little bottom teeth that came in a week or two ago. Ah yes, for now we are enjoying a lovely break in the teething battle that has--and will--continue to make our guy miserable. Lots of other changes have been going on as well. For instance, he now exhibits preferences. For example, if you ask him "which book," he picks one! And he's starting to love toys that require solving a problem. Glimpses of the future toddler.

Pictures of those pearly whites (on a very messy baby)

Today Holden was in an unusually good mood during his lunch, so I took advantage of the moment and took some picture of his new little budding teeth. They're only about half way in but are super cute, in my obviously biased opinion.

to blog or not to blog...

A recent column written by John Barry at Salon.com entitled "My Baby Is Too Boring to Blog About" seems to have stirred the waters of the parent-blogosphere (there's an irony there, I'm sure of it). I can't decide which he's more annoyed with: those who write blogs about their babies, or their babies (who, by the way, have very little or no involvement in the writing of their blogs). I get his likely frustration with the massive proliferation of 'mommy-blogging' online, which has now generated a whole marketing campaign geared towards these mommy-bloggers and their followers/readers -- which in turn, has directly and indirectly caused many such bloggers to focus more on the profit-potential for their blogs than on the actual writing of the blogs (ie. how many pop-up ads, widgets, and product listings can you include). You might be amazed to know that, according to research at MediaPost.com, there are an estimated 23 million to 26 million moms in the blogosphere ... Egads! And TheBump.com now has the Mommy Blog Awards, for crying out loud. And that's not even including all the dads (maybe not quite as many, but certainly a number that is growing). So there may be some room for snarky opinion columns about baby blogging.

But, setting all of that aside, I think Mr. Barry has it all wrong -- and I'm not alone (check out recent short post from good 'ole DadWagon). Writing a baby blog or online baby journal has been such a great experience for us, and can force a person to be reflective, thoughtful, and humorous in regards to the little one that has so profoundly changed your life. I would think that a father (and a writer, nonetheless) would get that. I mean, if he can find something interesting enough in the shipping industry to write about, shouldn't he be able to write about the daily trials and tribulations of raising his 9-month-old son (which I think is different for everyone -- it's not just rolling, crawling, teething, and walking, yada, yada, yada). Not that every post on our blog is interesting, exciting, or fun to read (far from it), but the process of thinking about these life moments, capturing them in pictures and words, and then sharing them with friends, family, and others who might be able to learn or laugh from our experiences ... that makes it all worth it to me.

Perhaps when Holden gets older, we'll simply create a digital and/or hardcopy archive of this blog, and then decommission it (we certainly wouldn't want photos of him in a diaper to jeopardize his chances of becoming a Supreme Court justice). But for now, we'll remain staunch supporters of baby blogging and the not-so-boring (?) adventures of our little Short Stranger.