Singing Time

Since Reuben's arrived Aaron and I have both been more musical. That isn't much of a change for Aaron but I feel like I'm going from 0 to 60. And I've noticed both of us are struggling to figure out just what to sing. I left Reuben with Aaron one night and from the other room I heard him serenaded to the Aunt Jemima pancake song, the Folgers coffee song (The Best Part of Waking Up), Run DMC, a McDonalds McMuffin song I wasn't familiar with, The Hobbit song, and other entirely unedifying tunes. I'm guilty too. I think, I'll just make up some little melody and then I realize I am humming the opening music to Star Trek and I think, Reuben I'm so sorry - you are now destined to get beat up in middle school. But I can't help it. I'm in a pinch and it's the first thing that comes out of my mouth which is terrifying. We've taken to tweaking some of the words and so a few of our new favorites now go like this

(To the Hobbit Song)
Reuben, Reuben James only two feet long,
Reuben, Reuben Cummings bravest little baby of them all.
He went to the Dr. duh-duh-duh
Then he went to a movie. du-du-du
He started a fire. duh-duh-duh
A magic ring he stole. (At this point I couldn't think of anything else and had to go back to the original lyrics)

(To The Battle Hymn of the Republic)
Reuben James Cummings will not wake up
Reuben James Cummings will not wake up
Reuben James Cummings needs to wake up so he can eat!
Reuben Cummings wake up now. (repeat 3 times)
Reuben James Cummings wake up and have something to eat.

Aaron adjusts a lot more songs, mostly stuff from musicals, but I don't really know them well enough to sing. I do sing Reuben the Who Am I song from Les Miserable but it goes Who Am I? I'm Reuben James! (not Jean val Jean)

But Reuben is probably used to it. The kids musical taste were probably skewed from the start. He went to New Pornographers, Feist, Radiohead and Ben Folds concerts and listened to a lot of Belle and Sebastian and Swedish pop (Irene and the Sambassadeurs) in utero. Now tht he's here and his tender, blank slate of a mind is before us I keep thinking I should dig out the Mozart, which I do enjoy, but I am really enjoying The Fratellis right now. So Reuben gets to too. You can give them a listen here. Punk inspired brit music for nap time - good stuff.

Fire!

Aaron and I took Reuben to his two week doctor appointment and found out the kid put on 2 pounds in two weeks. That's more than 2 ounces a day! We were so proud we ventured out for a family date. We ate noodles at the Noodle Company then went to the movies. I wanted to see Australia but it doesn't come out til today so we went to Twilight. I was a little nervous about how Reuben would do but he seemed to be enjoying the film or at least the darkened room. I enjoyed the movie more because of Reuben. At possibly the most romantic moment, Bella and Edward are leaning in, the whole theater was silent with anticipation, and Reuben chose to let out a huge whooping fart. Being the mature adults we are, Aaron and I immediately started cracking up. Which must have made the theater gods angry because about ten minutes later the theater caught on fire and everyone was evacuated. I kid you not: THE THEATER CAUGHT ON FIRE. So we saw half of Twilight.

Seriously

Today I assembled Reuben's bouncy chair which he seemed to really like. He was wide awake and happy in it for about an hour. When I took this picture he put on a very solemn face. I guess he feels the same way about pictures that I do. He looked so solemn to me that I think he has a bit of resemblance to Salmon Chase, Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury and eventual Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Aaron doesn't agree. See what you think. Maybe it's just the similar hair style.

Run, Fatboy, Run Trailer

Aaron and I watched this movie this weekend and I LOVED it. I'm pretty sure this is going to be me in four weeks when I get to start working out again.

Pride Cometh Before the Flu

Earlier this week I felt like everything was going really smoothy and I even started to think that I had this mothering thing under control. Then Wednesday I came down with the flu. Fever, aches, throwing up - bad news. I was a sick as a dog. Aaron was a huge help and took work off on Thursday to help take care of Reuben. Reuben was a saintly baby and has started consistently sleeping 3-4 hours each night which really helped me get enough rest to recover. I really love this kid.
All this time home sick gave Aaron and me the time to finish reading Team of Rivals which I highly recommend even though I didn't enjoy the ending (due to the circumstances not the writing). I've started reading His Excellency, George Washington by Joseph Ellis which I like but is giving me nightmares about being attacked by French/Indian raiders. Combined with what I just learned last week reading A Voyage Wondrous Strange by Tony Horwitz (author of Confederates in the Attic) my mind is cooking up some very adventurous dreams.

Instructions

Recently I keep thinking of the flight aviation instructions about children. I think it's a bit odd that my main parenting directive is coming from the pocket of an airplane seat instead of a well researched parenting book. Still, the advice seems effective: in case of emergency, first attend to yourself then help your child. My initial response a lot of times is to answer Reuben's need but I think we both do better when I follow the airline instruction.

For example, in the middle of the night Reuben will wake me up because he knows he wants to eat NOW. I have to go to the bathroom. I'm sure I could probably hold it in uncomfortable desperation. But using the airline guidelines I instead let him cry for a minute while I answer the call of nature. Then while he eats I enjoy myself instead of single mindedly imploring him to eat as fast as possible. It changes the feeding from a torture scenario to bonding time.

Also, instead of just obsessing about Reuben's breathing and hiccups, I'm doing my best to enjoy myself. I figure a happy me makes for kinder, more patient care. So here are a few things that I've been enjoying.



French Milk

Aaron picked this up for me and it is the perfect book to read when you have to hold the book one nursing baby distance away from yourself. It's a graphic novel so the print is large and a lot of the story comes through the pictures. The book is the sketch diary of 22 year old Lucy Kinsley's six month visit to Paris. Reading it takes me away from my calm little apartment and into the joy of exploring Paris. It also reminds me of all the glory of being an angsty art student - which alternately makes me feel depressed that I didn't manage to publish a graphic novel by the age of 23 and inspired to get to work and have as much fun as I know making her diary would be.



Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln ( I found this picture of President Elect Obama posing with the book and it is just too cool to pass up)
This is the book that is worth straining my eyes for. I've been plowing through it while I feed Reuben. I was enjoying this book so much while I was pregnant that Reuben was almost named Abraham. I'm grateful that I've still got another 300 of the 800 pages to enjoy so I feel well stocked with reading material.



Protein Pumpkin Oddwalla

This is pumpkin pie in sweet creamy nutritious liquid form. It's wonderfully easy to consume one handed and is the nectar of the autumnal gods. It also makes me feel like I'm Harry Potter where the pumpkin juice ran freely and always sounded delicious to me.



Dan's apple pie
Speaking of pie, Dan Cummings made us the most beautiful and delicious apple pie. I think he's ready for the state fair. That or he needs to open a bakery. I'm considering more children just to get another.


Gerber Onsies
Some brilliant genius designed a onsie with just two snaps at the bottom instead of the annoying three.



Moby Wrap
I strap Reuben in and I'm hands free. And he's so cute and happy cuddled up against me. I'm also proud of myself for figuring it out on my own and not dropping Reuben when I tried to put him in it.




Reuben himself
Who is possibly the most laid back kid ever.



Help - (This picture shows Reuben before he got rid of his jaundice. He was looking nice and seasonally orange for a day or two)
I don't think I'd be in such a good position to enjoy myself if it wasn't for all the help I've had. Aaron has been making breakfast each morning before going to work and it's so nice to have the time together and start the day of energized. My mom did a TON of work on our apartment and helped me settle in and I owe a lot if not most of my comfort to her. And Merilee Cummings brought me a delicious lunch and dinner and has been keeping me company the last two days which has been really enjoyable. Also thanks to everyone for the congratulations and welcome you've given to Reuben. It's been fun to hear from all of you!

Like Father Like Son

Reuben has been enjoying time with his Dad. Aaron has to go back to work tomorrow which we're very sad about. We've been enjoying our family together time up til now. Aaron has developed some pretty awesome swaddling skills. At the hospital the doctor who checked Reuben commented on how well the nurses wrapped up the babies. She didn't know that the wrap Reuben was sporting was done by his Padre.
One thing I love about Reuben is he got his Dad's crazy long feet. They're frog feet with monkey toes. When I was in college I had an assignment to draw 60 feet from life for a figure drawing class. Aaron graciously agreed to model and I completed the assignment but got in trouble because my drawings were "too long and oddly proportioned." The professor didn't realize the consequences of being too true to life. Anyway, Reuben like the good man cub he is has some feet to grow in to.

Aaron covered a lot of the labor. All I've got to say is I'm drug free and proud of Aaron and Reuben. I couldn't have done it without either of their help. And it wasn't that bad. I'm grateful for every yoga class I ever took and playing a lot of sports growing up. The pain was manageable and I never felt like I needed anything more than Aaron's and my Mom's encouragement. (I know that sounds sappy but that's how it went) Speaking of pain, here's a great Emily Dickinson poem that I think does a good job summing up the whole labor experience:

The Mystery of Pain

Pain has an element of blank;
It cannot recollect
When it began, or if it were
A day when it was not.

It has no future but itself,
Its infinite realms contain
Its past, enlightened to perceive
New periods of pain.

Especially combined with this poem which I keep thinking of over and over in regards to Reuben:

Love

Love is anterior to life;
Posterior to death,
Initial of creation,
And the exponent of breath.

Filling In

Katy has asked me to "tastefully" fill in some of the details. Here goes. Thursday night was like many of the nights we've had recently. We were preparing for the baby by getting some last minute items and totally reorganizing our house. We've been doing this a lot recently, especially the house reorganization, so by 12:30 am, we were pretty much down to a list of 10 more things to do. Katy had been having contractions throughout the day, but we were not particularly concerned because she has been having contractions on and off for weeks. Then, at 4:50 am, she woke me up. Her bag of waters had broken.

With that event, we sprung into action, unpacking the bags we packed weeks ago, and re-packing them to make sure we had everything (or in our case, approximately two of everything). I called in to work and ran a couple of quick errands to get some things we were missing, and Katy worked for about two hours (while having contractions) to wrap up things for work. Then we ate some breakfast together, and around 11am Katy called the doctor's office. She wanted to labor at home as long as possible, but when they hear her water had broken they really wanted us to come in to make sure. When they confirmed it had broken, they encouraged us to go to the hospital telling us we could always go home after they made sure the baby was ok. Of course this didn't happen. Tricky doctors...

When we got to the hospital, some nurse came in and said, "Ok, we've got a plan for you. We're going to put you on pit (pitocin is a drug that induces labor) and really get things moving." We had prepared for a natural birth by taking a Bradley class, and weren't anxious to go on pitocin unless we absolutely had to. The nurses and doctors were kind of bossy and not very respectful of our wishes. Fortunately, we were with a great practice that included midwives. Once the midwives came to see us they worked it out so Katy only had to be on the monitor for 20 minutes every hour and got the nurses into line. Labor progressed slowly from there and slowed down every time they hooked Katy up to the monitor.

Katy did an amazing job. She kept walking around and doing everything she could to move things along. Her determination and endurance were absolutely incredible. They checked her at midnight, and she had dilated 5cm. Then, although exhausted she kicked it into high gear.

Finally, around 4:45am we had moved through transition and she finally got the urge to push. At 5:40 am, she gave birth to a beautiful boy. It was absolutely incredible--the most amazing experience of my life. It was amazing to see Reuben all blue, drawing his first breaths and crying for the first time. As soon as he heard Katy's voice he turned right toward her. He knew his Mom right away and the two have been inseparable ever since. She has been wonderfully patient, loving and kind throughout the whole process. Reuben's birth was completely natural. even though it took 25 hours of labor. Katy received no pain medication or inducing drugs. She was also wonderfully kind and polite throughout the whole labor process. Everyone at the hospital was very impressed, especially because there had been a whole bunch of C-sections that day at the hospital. Katy is recovering quickly and Reuben is figuring things out well. He is already a great eater and seems to be a really sweet kid.

We were helped greatly to have Jen, Katy's Mom, with us at the hospital. She was really encouraging and helpful. I appreciated Katy letting me be there to help out where I could. I recommend Bradley classes to anyone. It was really helpful to us, and made a natural birth possible and pleasant. It was an absolutely incredible experience. We are really excited to have Reuben as a part of our family. Here are a few more pictures of our boy.

Reuben James Cummings

Reuben James Cummings was born at 5:40 AM Saturday November 8, 2008. He was 6 pounds and 12.8 ounces. I love his little size. He's absolutely perfect to me. Here he is, three days old ready for his first walk. We went out at dusk and walked to the river to feed the ducks. His winter coat is just a little big for him but he handled it well. I'm tired so I'm going to trust Aaron to tastefully fill you in on the last three days.

Go Time

This morning at 5 AM my water broke. Looks like the baby will be coming sooner rather than later.

One More Reason

I don't want to discourage anyone from voting so after my description of the long lines I thought I'd offer an incentive. Show up with an "I Voted" sticker and you can get a free scoop of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

Just Like Christmas Morning

Aaron Voted

I Voted

Behind me is the line at about 6:30



Aaron and I woke up at 5:30 this morning and walked down to our voting location at the senior center. We took our place in line by 5:45 and groggily watched as it snaked down the block and around the corner. Since we were voting at the senior center they only let a few people in every couple minutes in an attempt to not disrupt the residents. The whole set up reminded me of Disneyland. We eagerly stepped into the building only to find another curling intestine of a line inside. The place was packed with eager voters.

By 6:30 we both cast our ballots, effectively neutralizing the other's vote. Walking out of the polling place we saw the line was even longer which helped me justify our crazy wake up time. We took a little walk around our neighborhood and each polling place we passed had lines a block or two long. I feel a little sorry for the poll workers. They're going to have a long day. But I can't wait to see the results!

Dream Vacation

I was reading a Bicycling magazine while eating my mini-spooners and I came across an article on cycling trips. It got me way tooo excited. I am now absolutely in love with the idea of taking a bike riding vacation. I've started shopping around and there are such cool options: pedal through the tulip beds of Holland, through the rocks of New Zealand, through the ancient sites of Greece (with a West Point professor of Arcadian Military History as a guide), through the mountains of North Carolina - I want to do them all. Aaron wants to do France.

As an added bonus there are several that are designed for families, even young families which is something I suppose I should start considering. You bike and the company takes care of your food and lodging and medical care if needed. Most of the trips are prohibitively expensive and as Aaron pointed out, we could just design the route ourselves. Which is what our budget will probably dictate but I still really like the idea of booking a trip about a year from now and having it to train for. The map above is the trip that there is no way we could afford but will fill my dreams-Santa Barbara, CA to Charleston, SC. If you want to see more trips that I will be dreaming about you can go here. This company is definitely the top of the line option, I'm hoping I can turn up something more local and much cheaper.