Eluned G. Sharron Bethea » May 2008 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Thu, May 29, 2008 3:00 PM
I know of nothing so intoxicating as a baby's laughter.

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Sarah: Giggling together, are we? I thought I heard the Universe chuckling!

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Wed, May 28, 2008 12:00 PM
I did not get the Portland job.

I did get, and accept, an offer from CSU Northridge to be their Web Architect. It's not the most senior of the positions I've been interviewing for, nor is it the most money. It is 4 miles from my house (according to Google Maps) with (so I'm told) 7 weeks of paid time off each year.

So, at least for now, I'm choosing quality of life over ambition. I can actually go home for lunch if I choose, or Will and Els can come to me. I can resume the activities I enjoyed, that I didn't have time for with my old commute. And I'll be willing to go on car trips on the weekends again, instead of avoiding any more driving.

I might even start working on that Master's degree. CSUN is one of the schools that offers the program I want. As an employee, tuition is almost free. And I'm told they'll even let me take a class during the workday if necessary.

And professionally there is a lot I like. I finally get a chance to see if I can lead people who don't report to me, a challenge I've been interested for a while now. I'll be evaluating a content management system, which I've done before, but this time I may oversee the implementation as well. I keep a finger in web development, which I love. And CSUN has a web accessibility initiative going, which is dear to my heart.

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Sarah: I made a similar decision once, and never regretted it. You have such level-headedness and good common sense!

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Tue, May 27, 2008 9:00 PM
I know that babies are fascinated by other babies, so I've tried to point out nearby babies to Eluned. Thus far, she hasn't seemed to even notice them. But at church on Sunday a visitor with a baby sat down right next to us. Els was captivated. He was pretty sleepy and only glanced at her, but she was watching his every move. I didn't get his name, but he's the exact same age, 3 days younger than Els. I hope they come back and visit again.

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Sarah: Infancy and childhood are the first leg of a lifelong journey to discover "self" and "other". Els seems to have taken the first step on a road that will turn and branch, then run straight and true, then wander into fascinating byways. What a grand adventure!

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Sun, May 25, 2008 6:00 PM
Eluned's Dedication Ceremony at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church will be this June 15th during the 10:30 a.m. service. All are welcome.

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Sarah: Thank you for the invitation. Wouldn't miss it for anything!

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Sat, May 24, 2008 8:00 PM
I don't know much about babies. I'm learning as I go. One thing that has honestly been surprising to me is how much Eluned loves baby gear.

It started with the mobiles. I can see the appeal of our heirloom mobile, which is hand-painted and has a real music box inside. But the beige plastic mobile that came with the Pack'n'Play just seemed pointless.

Els loves both of them. She gets excited when we turn them on, and stares at them when they're off. That was my first clue -- that maybe people make mobiles for babies because babies really like them.

My next clue was the crinkly. I don't remember how we discovered that she likes all things crinkly, but as soon as we did I noticed how many of her toys incorporate crinkly.

I don't know what I thought people had in mind when they came up with stuff for babies. I don't know that I ever thought about it. But now I see the collective knowledge that has accumulated ... that Els likes things that babies before her liked.

Comments:
Sarah: She (and we) are hardwired to see, notice and follow moving objects, including parents. When she learns to crawl, you'll find she follows you around like a puppy (also pre-programmed to follow). It's a cross-species thing. Another fun thing to watch for as she grows is how these hard-wired pre-programmed things interface with the higher learning modules of life, like speech acquisition and...

Well, I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. A lot of the excitement in raising a child is the surprise of it.

And yet, in spite of it all, each child is unique. Which may be the most surprising thing of all.

Nicky: Well, lets see....if I remember my child learning and development class correctly, she likes mobiles because she is wired to like them. Mobiles provide visual and auditory stimulation, which in turn makes those neurons develop and fire and grow! Something about cognition and motor skills too...but I forget what. It must be fascinating to watch her learn and grow!

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Tue, May 20, 2008 1:00 PM
Eluned is working on sitting up. She's really working at it; we can see her tensing her abdominal muscles trying to sit, and she'll take any chance she gets to hold on to us and pull herself up.

She only just got the concept of sitting within the last few weeks. Before that we'd try to sit her up and she'd arch her back and kick her legs out to stay prone. She's getting more and more interested in the world around her, though, and I think she's discovered that sitting is a better way to see everything.

She's also working on her grasp: pinching, reaching, etc. She's started holding her hands out -- well, she's still captivated by her own hands -- but also to measure the reach of her arms.

She has these patterned waterproof cloths that we keep all over. Yesterday she was in her Pack'n'Play with one of the cloths draped over the side. I saw her looking at it. When I checked back a couple of minutes later, she had pulled it down off the side of the Pack'n'Play and over to her. She was cheerfully trying to stuff it into her mouth.

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Sarah: Yes, it's fun to watch her learn about her body and its interface with the world around her, isn't it? And terrifying, too, when everything, I mean EVERYTHING goes into the mouth. I still have the occasional nightmare....

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Mon, May 19, 2008 9:00 AM
Eluned seems to enjoy going to church. Everyone there comments on what a calm friendly baby she is. I don't know if it's just going out (she loves to get out of the house), that someone holds her the whole time, the service itself and the singing, or the steady stream of admirers. Or something else. Or some combination.

Of course, the people who remark on how calm and happy she is miss the screaming fits on the ride over and the ride home.

Comments:
Sarah: Isn't that always the way of it? Everyone used to comment how my daughter looked so neat and clean. They missed the times she came running into the house (just after I mopped the floor), covered from head to toe in mud to show me her latest "scientific" find. Then there was the time she filled her shoe with frogs' eggs....

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Sun, May 18, 2008 5:00 PM
I think Eluned likes to wake up with us, and by that I mean next to us or lying on us or otherwise in immediate proximity. She sleeps in our bed at night, so she's used to waking up in the morning next to us. And she used to take all her naps on us, in the Moby or Baby Bjorn or on a lap.

Now that she's napping in her swing, she wakes up upset. She sleeps there beautifully, but wakes up fussing.

And then yesterday she took a good nap on my lap while I read. She woke up with a start and looked around, and as soon as she saw me she relaxed.

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Fri, May 16, 2008 6:00 PM
My parents bought Eluned an activity mat (see it here: http://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspx?toyId=32).

As soon as we took it out of the box she loved it -- seriously, like from screaming to giggling within seconds. That lasted about 5 minutes, and then she was done.

She does seem to like it, though. Her two favorites seem to be the rattling giraffe and the beaded rattle. I guess she's at the rattle stage.

And the cats like the box it came in.

Will bought her a swing. He had high hopes for it; some babies love their swings. Els is not one of those babies. She will nap in the swing, however, which is a big development for us. Before the swing, she basically wouldn't nap unless one of us was holding her. So the swing lets us get a few things done while she naps. And in the morning she'll tolerate it while we have some coffee.

Comments:
Sarah: I talked to a good friend of mine who is a pediatric nurse. I told her about Els being so excited about it at first and then calmer and more selective. Her guess was that Eluned may have been mildly overstimulated at first by all the bright colors, etc., but that she quickly adapted and is interacting with the stuff at her own pace and preference. She said 'twas all good. Just thought you might be interested.

Sarah: I get the distinct impression that Els is going to be her own woman, right from the start. She is so lucky to have a perceptive person (that's you!) for a mom.

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Tue, May 13, 2008 10:00 PM
I had a lovely first Mother's Day.

My parents sent me a bouquet. We put it in the bedroom to protect it from my rose-eating cat, with the added bonus that now my bedroom smells like flowers.

We went to church. Eluned wore the sweater that Marjorie and Gail made her, and the hat that my friend Kate made her, both hand-knit, and both pieces were much admired.

One of the women from Emerson, Margy Eisenberg (who I barely know although Will knows her a little better), made Eluned a quilt. A quilt! Handmade! I'm at a loss for words. (Still.)

Afterward, Will was very keen on taking me out to eat at his favorite breakfast place. He let go of that idea pretty easily, though. (And now we know what we're doing for Father's Day. After all, Will does most of the cooking; it's more fitting to give him the day off.)

I wanted a picnic in our park. Will suggested bagel sandwiches, and then went out and found a Bruegger's Bagels for me. I haven't had Bruegger's Bagels in years; there are none in Los Angeles, but it turns out there's one north of here.

And that afternoon Will finished my gardening table. His Mom bought it for us during her visit, and they started putting it together. Will and I had it almost complete, so he finished it up and moved it where I wanted it, next to the fence.

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Sarah: Sounds like a lovely day. May you have many more picnics, gifts and great times together!

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Sat, May 10, 2008 9:00 PM
Eluned controls her own bottle now. She can't hold a bottle by herself yet, but she wraps her hand around the finger of the person holding the bottle. Then she can push the bottle away when she needs a break, and bring it back in when she wants more.

Comments:
Daddy-Will: Hey, Sarah. I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your input on our baby site.

I hope you decide to join us in the Choir again soon.

Will

Sarah: I enjoyed your comments during "Joys and Sorrows" today. You have a nice speaking voice and a positive presence that comes across as very authentic. Hope to hear more from you.

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Wed, May 7, 2008 7:00 PM
I did it. I let someone walk off with my baby. A split second afterward I realized what I'd done. And a split second after that I realized how much I was enjoying a few minutes to myself to eat.

Other people have been holding Eluned since she was born, but always with me or Will in close proximity.

This time, Will handed Els to Dar, who (with our blessing) whisked Els off for a grand tour of our church.

Grand tour? Or "I have the baby" victory lap? (Both?) Doesn't matter. Dar, a grandmother, is the kind of person for whom we joined Emerson. Emerson is providing Els with a church family just like the one I had growing up.

P.S. Sarah is another of the people we joined Emerson to meet. :)

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Sarah: And I'll bet Dar enjoyed it as much as you did! I was just thinking...it takes a church to raise a child...or something....

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Fri, May 2, 2008 5:00 PM
The preliminary report is that Els and her dimples are fine. No one expects the final report to say differently.

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Thu, May 1, 2008 4:00 PM
As the most recent photos show, Eluned is fascinated with her hands. She's also quite taken with her feet, when she happens to notice them, but she hasn't really worked her way down to them yet.

She loves anything crinkly, be it multicolored candies in a cellophane bag or the plush stuffed firefly from Rev. Anne with crinkly wings.

And the biggest hit of all is Will's keys. When he holds them in front of her and shakes them she laughs and laughs and laughs. We're in the market for those toy keys for babies; of course the darn things are ubiquitous when you're not looking for them, but now that we are we've been striking out so far. Target should have them; we just have to get over there.

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