Goodbye Box

In January we bought a duvet for our bed. It came in the mail in a big box. Can you guess what happened with the box?

Yes, it has been in our son's room for over a month! He likes to hide in there with a pillow. He likes to drive little cars on top of it, vroom vroom. He likes to perch his stuffed cat on it. Our friends' two children piled in there with our son, and the three of them giggled in the box. One night my husband managed to tuck himself into it and surprised us with a big peek-a-boo; hilarity ensued, bedtime was delayed. The box has been great.

But it was not designed for months of play in a toddler's rough and tumble world. We will soon dismantle it for Friday recycling. I really enjoy toys like these because they are free, encourage open-ended play, and when they wear out they can be gotten rid of guilt free.

Walking in Mud

Today we went to a nearby beach that turns into mud flats during low tide. We took off our shoes and walked in. Squish, squish, squish between our toes slid the mud. The water never got more than a couple of inches, and it had been warmed by the midday sun. It was gross but delightful. Our son bothered birds and squatted down to whirl the water with his hands, making strings of goldenrod algae dance. We squished back to the dry sand where my husband was still clean and reading the newspaper. Go in, I convinced him. It will be the most fun you've had this year, I promised. Fifteen minutes later we three were covered in sand and mud. It was the most fun we'd had this year.

Hiking, or More Accurately, Ambling

Today we went on a hike with friends and their dog. Since my son has been walking, he prefers to hold my finger and walk rather than being held. With his little legs toddling along, it was more of an amble than a hike.

We are only a half hour drive from a redwood forest that is full of sights, sounds, smells, and things for a toddler to touch. For much of the hike, he waved around a huge, perfectly shaped yellow leaf, fanning his face with it. He woofed and pointed at every dog that passed by. He stuck his finger in mud. Then he stuck both hands in mud. He dabbled in a little puddle that had formed in the hollow of a fallen tree. The smell of moss and redwood and moist earth were a change from our regular environment, as was the lack of train and car sounds.

The hike with the little guy was free and required no extra "things," which for me is a better way to spend the afternoon on the Friday after Thanksgiving than shopping with throngs of deal-seekers. Let's leave Christmas shopping to another day and enjoy our dwindling days of sunshine.

Bath Time

We used to bathe our son every other day, but he loves it so much that it's become a part of our nightly bedtime routine. It is also a great way for papa to spend some quality time with him between dinner and sleep. However, all of the accoutrements for baby bath time can take up a lot of room in a room that isn't a lot. We keep things to a minimum since our bathroom is small and has awkward storage.

For the first 6 months or so, we used a special bathtub. It worked out great when he was tiny, and it came with a little sling hammock for him to rest on when he was newborn. It was also useful when he had an abscess in a sensitive region and needed a bath every time he went to the bathroom. Once he was sitting up on his own, we just put him directly in the bathtub with about 2 inches of water. Now we have this tub taking up space.

Toys make bath time more fun! But too many can take up space and make the bathroom full of trip hazards. We got these stacking cups as a shower gift and he has played with them every day for the past 9 months. They take up very little space. He also plays with a small tub turtle that we found on the sidewalk when I was 8 months pregnant. It was destiny--this little turtle is one of his favorite toys, and it has even traveled to France. Other bath toys include one obligatory yellow ducky and a random plastic dog that our son brought into the bathroom a while ago and has since made the tub its home.

Aden + Anais makes soft yet durable muslin baby washcloths. Again, we've used these nightly for a year, and they have held up well. As for those special baby towels with hoods and cute designs? Save your money and linen closet space for more Aden + Anais washcloths. The baby towels we had ended up being scratchy, and it's not like the baby spends more than two minutes bundled in one. Now we simply use the same soft towels that we use for ourselves.

Bath time can be a great opportunity to bond with baby while getting him clean. He can also splash around, practice pouring skills, and learn about the science of water. A couple small toys, stacking cups, some soft washcloths, and special baby soap are all you need to have good clean fun!

Backyard Picnic

Today we had a spontaneous backyard picnic.

Mealtimes have not been so leisurely lately. We watch over our son to make sure he doesn't choke and that he eats enough food. He often eats a bit and then throws a lot of it on the floor. Then he complains about being in the high chair. When he is free to wander about, he squats down to pick up and eat what he has thrown on the floor. I know, I know--this is all setting him up for poor table time behavior, but we really want him to eat and we also want to eat in peace. Finally, we clean up the baby, wipe the tray, gather crumbs from seat, scrub the floor.

Today was an unseasonably warm November day, and the sun was perfectly shining on our backyard at lunchtime. We decided to bring out a big blanket and eat al fresco. What fun! The best part was that our son was already on the ground. He didn't have to protest the high chair, and I didn't have to feel guilty that I was letting him eat off of the blanket. It was the most he has eaten for lunch in a while, and we were all in jolly spirits. After lunch, there was no table, tray, seat, or floor to scrub. We just shook the crumbs off of the blanket and played in the grass.

Farmers Market

With very few exceptions, we go to the farmers market every Saturday. We started taking our son to the market when he was two weeks old!

The market is full of sensory stimulation for a baby. Today he tasted three types of Asian pears, a persimmon, locally made soy milk, and nectarine jam. He got to listen to a couple buskers. He smelled the kettlecorn popping. He grabbed a lime at the avocado vendors and--ahem--explored it with his mouth. Plus all of the colors--red dahlias and shiny bell peppers, bright orange persimmons, yellow squash, green kale and baby spinach, and purple carrots. When he was really little, I tickled his feet with the rubbery soft fresh carrot tops and he squealed with delight. Now that he is older, I give him whatever samples are available so that he can try as many tastes as possible.

Over the years we have gotten to know the vendors. We don't know each others names, but we are friendly and chat. This is a community that cares about local and seasonal food, and I love that our son has been exposed to it since he was a newborn.

Pumpkin Patches

Today we went to the pumpkin patches up in Petaluma, as we do every year. But this year we had our little guy who got to explore farm life. We got him his first pair of shoes, and then he walked among the pumpkins, stopping from time to time to thump one like a drum. There were green ones, bright orange ones, pale and delicate ones, and even dappled ones. He also got to see newborn calves and mini-donkeys with long fuzzy ears.


It is such a treat to leave the city and see the countryside. For babies, getting to actually touch, see, and smell a farm is a great experience since so many board books feature farm animals.

Now we have four pumpkins of various sizes, shapes, and colors adorning our dining room table.

For those in the Bay Area, here are some north bay pumpkin patches:
http://www.farmtrails.org/find-farms-products/find-farms-by-products/#P

The site is tricky to navigate, but it includes other farm outings like apple picking.