Aaron the Entertainer

I asked Aaron to entertain Reuben for a minute while I was in the other room. When I came back this is what I saw.

Jolly Green Baby

We decided to give Reuben his first taste of "real" food. We were advised that introducing green veggies first is helpful in establishing good eating habits so Reuben's first food was green beans. I thought he'd just spit them out but he LOVED them. He was lunging out of his chair to get at them and licking like mad. Such a good vegetarian baby :)

Early Spring Garden

Last weekend Aaron Reuben and I helped the Cummings plant an early spring garden. By late afternoon we had cleared the ground, turned over the soil, weeded, visited the hardware store and were finally ready to plant. 

Joel came out to help with the planting. As we were finishing up, he looked suspiciously at one of the dozen of plants he had just put in the soil and asked, "Just what sort of plant is this?" 

Aaron looked over and told him, "Swiss Chard" 

Joel: Uhk, well, at least Mom will like it. What about that stuff?

Aaron: Cabbage.

Joel (somewhat incredulous): Cabbage!? Ihk. And those rows?

Aaron: Turnips.

Joel: What? Don't you have any, you know, other, good plants? Maybe some fruit?

Aaron: Those over there will be peas. 

Joel (not impressed): Hmph. 

And from the look on his face he was thinking: This was a total waste of time.

Since the weather is still so unpredictable, if what we were planting had any chance of surviving it had to be the cold weather crops. But Joel isn't the only person who has his reservations about Nordic vegetation. That's why both Aaron and I really enjoyed this Slate article about what to do with such ruffage. 

First

I put real shoes - with laces - on Reuben today. He looked so grown up.

A Deadly Swarm

I realized yesterday that it's been a while since I shared a poem. Here's a verse by Milton. Poor Milton. I feel his pain.

Retiring from the popular noise, I seek

This unfrequented place to find some ease,

Ease to the body some, none to the mind

From restless thoughts, that like a deadly swarm

Of Hornets arm'd, no sooner found alone,

But rushing upon me thronging, and present

Time past, what once I was, and what am now.

National Cherry Blossom Festival

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is kicking off this weekend. Aaron and I went last year and it was a party. There are all kinds of wonderful events going on to celebrate the gorgeous blooms. While we were tempted to attend the all day, marathon anime viewing, Aaron Reuben and I finally decided instead on Family Day at the building museum. Here's the info. It's this Saturday. We'd love to meet up with anyone else who would like to attend. I'm particularly looking forward to decorating a cow pot though I have no idea what a cow pot is. Here are a few more of the activities at family day:

Explore a floating Japanese tea room, meet the architect and build your own mini tea house

Learn by folding fuoshiki - Japanese wrapping cloth and watch a pro demonstration

Construct a kirigami sturcture with the Washington Examiner 

Plant a seedling and decorate a biodegradable cow pot to celebrate a green spring

Design your own Anime character

Watch the Washington Ballet build a cherry blossomed inspired boly (boly is how I like to spell ballet at midnight)

Make a mini kite

Listen to Suzuki Strings performed by youth at the Levine School of Music

Enjoy a bunch of other performance including traditional japanese dance and Martial arts

Saturday there's also DC's annual kite festival on the mall and Sunday there's a lantern lighting festival.  Isn't DC a great place to live?

The Big Broadcast

Looking for a little more Truth, Justice, and the American way in your life? Check out the Big Broadcast, four hours of the golden age of radio every Sunday. These are stories from an era when Freelance insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar was cutting edge CSI. There's also Westerns, Mysteries (Like the Case of the Haunted Artist), sitcoms, super heros and ads. Aaron and I are picking up some 50s slang, see?  

Eat Your Heart Out

Last night Reuben and Aaron made mole and cheese enchiladas. Homemade mole. It was like heaven in my mouth. Thanks guys.

Both My Thumbs Opposable

Today Reuben went to his four month check up. He got weighed and measured, examined and shots. We're blessed to have a healthy kid on our hands. He's in the 95% for height (27 inches) and 90% for weight (just shy of 18 lbs). 

It was hard not to feel bitter about forking out more than we spend on food for a month on a 30 minute visit. And that was the discounted rate. From now on we'll be going to the health department for shots and praying Reuben can stay healthy until we get insurance again. 

I was feeling really angry about the cost - I mean, I know med school is expensive BUT the docs paid those loans off 15 years ago so now all my money is paying off is their Lexus- But I talked to my Mom who helped me remember that it could always be worse. The hemophiliacs she saw at the clinic this morning had parents who had also lost their insurance due to unemployment. Hemophiliacs need medicine, lots of expensive medicine, constantly, or they die. God Help Them. 

But that's the way it's supposed to be, health care is a privilege not a right; isn't that right my conservative friends?

In other news Reuben has found both his thumbs. He hasn't decided which he likes better. 

Hamerkop Time

Aaron Reuben and I went to the Zoo on Saturday. Despite the cool temperatures and rain a lot of the animals were active. We saw the pandas eating, the lions roaring, the sloth bear drinking, the porcupines looking sad, the kiwi hiding and the otters frolicking. Best of all Reuben staid awake for a few hours to enjoy it. Here are a few pics.

Reuben and me in front of the otters doing back flips. I think they were my favorite. Reuben was a fan as well. 

Reuben keeps an eye on the sea nettle. He's getting ready for the beach. Seriously though, Reuben stared at this little guy for about five minutes which is forever in baby time. 
Reuben and his dad in the butterfly garden.

My second favorite animal this visit was the hamerkop. There were two of these little birds and they enjoyed running in circles and screaming at each other. They looked like two big haired women having an argument. 

Wee Little Sleekit

When I was a few months pregnant I bought a little stuffed possum for Reuben. Yesterday I rediscovered it and presented it to him. I wasn't expecting Reuben to be very excited but it's his new favorite thing. It's pointy little head, four nubby legs and tail give ample chewing opportunities. It's been a soggy mass of damp fur ever since.  Unfortunately it bears a bit of a resemblance to a dead rat so when I look over Reuben appears to be chewing on a very unfortunate rodent. This has me slightly disgusted and wickedly entertained. See for yourself. 

When I thought about taking it away Reuben gave me this look.  He's keeping it.

Tetrapod

I did this quick painting of a tetrapod on Monday for work. I thought it turned out alright but it was hard to finish because my reference was so interesting. I kept getting distracted reading about the development of life on earth. I particularly enjoyed The Book of Life, edited by Stephen Jay Gould. His opening essay discussed the role illustration has played in communicating scientific principles to the public and lauded Charles Knight. Knight was basically the Jurassic Park movie of the early centuary. I like his painting of a Brontosaurus (still my favorite dinosaur even if it doesn't exist) impersonating a turtle. (See the dino in the back)


And isn't this painting nice? That sea turtle is the happiest turtle I've ever seen.


But really, this guy was the first person to really communicate a vision of living, breathing dinosaurs. (Though Waterhouse Hawkins gave it a good go.) You can see more of Knight's work here.

Reuben and his Oma are good friends.

Reuben ate his first solid food today. Aaron used his experienced baby feeding skills so a good time was had by all.

Sweet Revenge!

When Aaron and I got married I put the kabosh on a few of his most onerous bachelor habits. Public enemy numero uno was his habit of wearing sweat pants in public. Not public like out on the running track or sports field, public like law school and D & D parties. I laid down the law - no sweatpants before 9pm and they staid in the house.

With pregnancy I found myself wearing pants that more often than not had an elastic waste band. I made a rule for myself that three months after Reuben was born I wasn't allowed to wear anything but "real" pants - no elastic allowed. I made the mistake of mentioning this rule to Aaron and he has enforced it with a glee and relish that I found surprising. It was surprising until in an aside he referenced his beloved lost sweat pant habit. So I am living under the strict enforcement that comes from revenge. I tried arguing that yoga pants are not sweat pants but was shot down. So you should see me in only cords or jeans before 9 pm thanks to Aaron.