Sleeping Through the Crash

The market crashed today while Liam slept. Grandma Nemeth (Nana) arrives tomorrow (!) and will meet her grandchild on the set of a TV show! (Tune to ABC: The View from the Bay at 3PM PST. (Channel 7 in the SF Bay Area)

Kick it!

Cards and Tribal Breathing

It took awhile to teach him the rules, but Liam joined us tonight in a bean-planting game of Bohnanza.

Babies cry, but for the most part, we've been lucky to get one that doesn't cry that much.....relative to the average baby, which cries 2-4 hours a day. There have however been a few times that no matter what we try, he gets progressively more upset. Twice now the only thing then that has seemed to work is tribal breathing -- that's the best way I can think of to describe it. I hold Liam in my hands with his body close to my head, rock back and forth or in a circular motion, lifting him up and down and breathe deeply and loudly in and out at his chest, more intensely if and when he cries and eventually slowing it down as he seems to go in a trance-like state, eventually to sleep. It can take awhile to work and sometimes it includes what might be described as breath chanting. The first time I did it, and now I've done it twice, I thought Melanie was going to think it was bizarre. It felt odd but it was working and I was willing to try anything. Melanie later said it was meditative and was actually putting her to sleep watching me.

This morning I planned on writing about this having no idea that I'd need to employ it again tonight. Its been very hot here in Oakland and Liam did spit up alot this morning, as you can see in the following video, "Warning: Graphic Milk". He's been eating a lot.


Melanie took Liam today to our favorite bay area baby-related place, Tulip Grove, in Montclair, Oakland. I think it might be the only place/store that Melanie has gone to other than the pediatrician -- well, she did also go today to get her nails done with Natasha. Anyway, the exciting news is that the really cool owners, Jen & Victoria, asked if Liam could be included in a TV show spotlighting Tulip Grove, filmed here in the bay area, so we'll keep you updated as Liam's career progresses.

Oops, Melanie painted her toes different colors! ;)

Can hiccups get rid of hiccups?

Mark bought groceries today but couldn't get them out of the trunk because for some reason Melanie's car key and car weren't getting along. Back home, Liam had hiccups again, so we tried an experiment -- can watching yourself have hiccups get rid of hiccups? The answer, within the following video is: maybe! Unfortunately it may have also had the side-effect of shrinking him.

Let's Talk This Out

Melanie and I tried out the Baby Bjorn today (aka, The "Bjorn Borg") and went on a walk to the local nursery. Both the sling and the Bjorn Borg have an initial upsetting affect and then a subsequent sedative effect. Both are easy for the parent to wear, though the Bjorn Borg took a minute or two to figure out for both Liam and I. The sling is nice for indoors but the Baby Bjorn Borg is best for walks and longer travel. LIam wasn't as interested in discussing this as I was.

Melanie and I half-jokingly considered the names Agapanthus and Ceanothus. Here's Agapanthus with Mark and a blue flower.

Liam Versus Frog

Liam and his friend frog play many games together, most involving Liam staring and the frog sitting completely still. In this video, Liam and frog play a friendly match of mind wrestling:

Waiting for Baby

The following short video clips were made in the final days prior to Liam's arrival:

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Monday Neck-Ups

It's never too early to exercise, which is why we've created a program for Liam. It consists primarily of neck-ups -- laying on his tummy and lifting his neck. We want what Liam wants -- it is his life to live not ours, so of course we worked with him to develop this program, but the following video might not convince you of that. He may have been tired -- it was taken right after a nap and after 10 hours of these exercises (joking!)

Later we installed his musical mobile which is really very cool!
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We've received many amazing gifts and lots of very practical hand-me-downs. We really appreciate them all! Liam's room is packed full! One of the chores I'm behind on is moving a shelf into his room so that we can make more of his stuff readily available. We will be personally thanking everyone, but let me thank you publicly now! By chance, some items will be shown in the photos of this blog, but we appreciate ALL of them! Thanks!

Mom ("Nana" Nemeth) made this blanket special for Liam over a period of time. Its a special blanket! Thanks nana!! :) Aunt Angela made Liam TWO special blankets!! Liam is a lucky guy!! We'll show you the blankets Aunt Angela made in an upcoming blog entry.

Sunday Sunday Sunday Aug 17th

Everyday I've played piano for Liam and walked him around the house -- so far, music and the outdoors (especially the hammock) are two things that keep his attention and calm him. Melanie played for him almost nightly when she was pregnant with him.

One of Melanie's bosses brought over an amazing meal tonight as well as a few baby-related items. Yummy! Thanks Secil and Geoff!!

Piano!

Plants!

Camera versus Book!

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