One Fishy Two Fishy Red Fishy Blue Fishy

We have found the best place to take an infant in Boston: the New England Aquarium. Bill decided that since he worked much of the weekend he would take Tuesday morning off. He arranged a surprise trip by ferry boat to the aquarium, where we are now members! The ferry dock is mere feet away from the aquarium entrance, and Bill got a tip from another new dad that babies love to watch the colorful fish swim around.
Indeed, Maggie was fascinated, captivated, fairly elated by the bright fishies moving around and around. The place is pretty darned cool if you’re a grown-up person too. While she was napping we watched the penguins being fed and then spent the rest of the morning plastered in front of the huge ocean life tank. There were lots of things in there: turtles, sharks, rays, puffer fish, mackerels, eels, and lots of different smaller (and not so small) fish in blues and yellows and reds and blacks and whites. Maggie just sort of stood there with her mouth hanging open, looking up, eyes roving.
It was such a beautiful day that we could even go outside to watch the fur seal training presentation. See? Bill’s in short sleeves in January!

The other super part of the experience is that it’s so loud and there are so many other kids around, a crying baby is no problem. Even if someone does notice, they just sort of smile and push their stroller along. It would be perfect if (1) the ferry were free and (2) there was a really convenient place to nurse. We were there early enough that I could sit in the kid’s area which has a window into the ocean tank and be amused and alone. But just a half hour later when we walked past, there were about 15 squirming children jockeying for the best view, toy, attention, etc. I don’t relish being in the middle of that with boobs exposed.
I’m sure we’ll be back many more times, counting fish, finding colors, learning what you call fish (there are mammals, reptiles, amphibians — what are fish called? or birds, for that matter?). And any of y’all that come to visit can be treated to an aquarium trip (members get to take 3 guests), and a ferry ride, and the company of a rapt baby.

Maggnificent Monday


Favorite mid-night escapade: After Maggie ate, sometime around 1:30, she and I got up to change her diaper and have a little kicking around time. I turned my back to throw away her wet diaper and when I turned back, she’d spit up a little bit. It had run down her cheek onto the shoulder of her pajamas, so I decided we should have new warm pjs. Nothing else to do, right? So I picked out a matching item and was taking off her top layer. When I went to bring it down from her head, I noticed that her under layer was wet — apparently she peed all over herself while I was going through her drawers. Okay, no problem. We have fresh clothes right here. All we have to do is take off the new top layer and the old under layer and relayer with a new under and the new upper. Ta da. Alright. Time to burp after eating. Up we go and pat pat pat. “Achoo!” Bless you, Maggie. And then another sneeze and a burp at the same time. Oops! Too much going on at once! The combination of sneezing and burping made her gag which resulted in a bit of a vomit episode, all over my top layer and under layer, and her top layer and under layer. She’s happy as a clam, by the way. No longer up to the top full, no air bubbles in the tummy, and more time turning around and sitting up and stretching arms and legs while we put on a new new under and upper layer. And eventually we went back to sleep, both of us in nice new pajamas.
Favorite accomplishment of the week: This is when you know you’re really a parent. When the pattern of your offspring’s poop becomes tantamount to your days. Maggie pooped on Monday evening. And then nothing Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or Thursday. Not Friday either. We asked the pediatrician about this on Wednesday when we were there to check Maggie’s weight (which is up to 8 lbs 12 oz, by the way — a good amount of weight gain), when it had been almost 3 days. She said not to worry at all. She’s known babies to go 5 days without a bowel movement. Just make sure when she does actually have a dirty diaper that the consistency is appropriate — no rabbit pellets. So then when it got to be Saturday and there was no activity yet, we were sort of thinking “this is the limit.” Five days and then we should be worried because the pediatrician used 5 days as the outer extreme. And now it’ll have been 5 days. Well, we needn’t have worried, because Saturday our wish came true. During the Hunt for the Red October, the Week of No Poop came to a glorious end with an appropriately consisted dirty diaper. Then another appropriately consisted dirty diaper at 1:00. So not only are we reassured that Maggie is healthy and normal, we are surely initiated into the ring of true parenthood. Woo hoo.

Cohasset to Hingham and Back Again


Frosty and my second biking adventure, this time south of Quincy to Cohasset.
Our car ride down was initially interrupted by a canadian geese crossing… Its a little suprising that traffic would choose to stop for these geese and not bikers (in general), but alas Massachusetts drivers must have priorities.

It was a chilly day, but the beach was beautiful. Particularly clear skies, with some good surf.
We stopped in cohasset (a small fishing village about 30 miles south of boston) on the way back and met up with the ladies. Maggie got to enjoy lunch at a bistro along with the rest of us. Pastries and coffee is the only way to finish a winter’s ride. 🙂

Maggnificent Monday


This was a big weekend for Maggie (and her parents). Saturday morning was our inaugural trip out into the great state of Massachusetts. We’ve decided to go somewhere every Saturday for Bill and my dad to do a bicycle ride while my mom, Maggie, the dogs, and I hike in the area. So this was our first try. We drove the hour to Ipswich, dropped the boys off to go on their way, and stationed ourselves in a breakfast joint for Maggie to eat. An hour later we drove for 20 minutes to our hiking destination where we suited me up with Maggie and leashed up the dogs for our 20 minute hike before driving the 20 minutes back to meet the boys back from their ride. Then we sat in a parking lot for an hour while the car got packed up again and Maggie ate lunch. And drove back the hour to town. Really and honestly, pretty good for a first time on a big trip with a new baby and four people and two dogs. Once we’d all taken turns showering, Bill, Maggie, and I headed out to Maggie’s first party: Bill’s boss’s winter fete at his gorgeous Victorian home. Mags was a champ, sleeping the whole time we were there so people could exclaim over her sweetness and we could eat the food too. And then we spent Sunday recovering. Whew.

In daily life, things are going pretty darned well. The miraculous simethicone turned to be a bit of a tease. Two days of peace gave way to two days of renewed misery. So we’ve turned to gripe water, basically the homeopathic version. It’s water, sodium bicarbinate, sugar, fennel, and ginger. We like it not only because it seems to work for her (it’s been 5 days of working now), but because it’s an as-needed tonic. We give it to her when she shows signs of distress as opposed to after ever meal. Here’s hoping this is the miraculous anti-gas happy-baby-making complementary and alternative medicine tonic!

Maggnificent Monday


This has been a good week. A good couple of days especially. Maggie had her next doctor’s appointment where they charted her growth, among other things. She’s doing great. Her head size is above average (no surprise there) as is her length. Her weight gain is a bit below average, but not in a way to be concerned about. As the doctor said, she might just be a little wiry thing, and not every baby should be a buddha baby. So perhaps she’ll achieve what neither of her parents has: being tall and skinny. Just to hedge our bets, though, I’m supposed to do what I can to increase my milk production — more beer, fenugreek, and pumping. That way we’re absolutely sure she’s getting enough to eat. Any other old wives’ advice out there?

The thing that has made the last three days so much better is the addition of drugs to Maggie’s diet. One drug actually: simethicone. It’s the miraculous anti-gas happy-baby-making drug. Our borderline-collicky baby is all of a sudden alert and happy and cooing and learning. No more screaming and writhing. No more crying with actual baby tears (as opposed to the other communicative cries like “I’m hungry” or “change me” which are tearless). And no more parents at the edge of sanity just hoping their baby will not be in pain for an hour or two. Three cheers for simethicone!

And isn’t she just so cute?!