Rodan Attacks!

Alden has discovered his voice... and has confirmed our long-held suspicion that he's half Kaiju (that's Japanese monster, for you non-Godzilla fans). I don't think Mothra stands a chance. Alden decided he liked making this noise a few days ago, and it continues to evolve. It is a little disquieting if you don't see him when he makes the noise, I assume he is unhappy or in trouble, but the opposite is usually the case.

Alden takes a stand

Lately Alden has been into standing. He sometimes gets upset if he sits too long, and it is because he wants to use his legs. He still needs some help with balance, but he can support himself for thirty seconds up to a minute before his knees buckle. He has a wide stance like a surfer or a colossus. Our camera has some funky default settings, so I apologize for the image quality. In my sleep-deprived state, I neglected to notice that the backlight feature was turned on... oh well. The long, uncut edition of this clip is posted for the benefit of the Grandparents, I'm afraid. All you other lurkers out there may wish to skip to the exciting finale. Music has been added at the request of our sole commentator - your wish is our command, Aaron.

Critters attack

A groundhog appeared today and eyed our garden hungrily. Kerstin chased him around the yard and he sought refuge under our shed. Here he is, glaring at us after the runaround.
We've located his burrow in the raspberry patch and have also discovered a have-a-heart trap in our basement. The gopher doesn't stand a chance... if only we could figure out what to bait it with... But rodents aren't our big concern. The deer have discovered the new trees in our orchard and have been systematically stripping them of their leaves. It's really frustrating. Kerstin set up mesh cages around all but the cherries, so now they're after those. We need more material, but neither of us have the time to do it lately.
On the home front, Alden continues to enjoy indulging in rice cereal at dinner time and it's still pretty hilarious to watch. He gets better at it every day.

Solids and poop

A reallllly long video of Alden Eating

We started Alden on solid food this week (a 1 to 1 ratio of rice cereal and breast milk, not really a solid in the technical sense… a colloid perhaps?). He seemed to know what to do, he just had some problems figuring out how to do it. This was his second solid meal, the first had a soupier consistency that got all over the place. I am very excited about the silicone spoon we use to feed the little fella. It was expensive as far as spoons go, but I feel better about using it because he chomps on it pretty hard. Plus, the flat front is handy for scraping food off his face. I highly recommend them. The instructions for the spoon (no joke) were in Japanese, and they said we could cut the spoon to perfectly fit Alden’s mouth. We have not been that ambitious yet.
The upside to starting solids is in the input. It means that Ilana no longer needs to be tethered to the little lad during the day. Going to the store/gym/bank without worry of depleting the precious milk supply is great. The downside is, of course, the output. Breast fed babies' excretions are the color and consistency of butternut squash soup and smell like buttermilk 5 days past it's expiration date. Alden's newest poops are still pretty liquid and sticky, but are darker now and much more... fragrant. Like a port-o-potty sitting out in an open field all summer. It makes the diaper change a lot nastier.

Hot, hot, hot

It's been really frigin' hot this week. The entire eastern seaboard is in the midst of a heatwave and even though we are pretty far north, we have not been spared. Thankfully, we haven't experienced the triple digit temps that have stifled NY and DC. But temperatures in the 80s all day are pretty high for us Mainers. Seeing as we lack A/C, we basically hang out in our undies all day and think cool thoughts. Or play on our activity mat and get sponge baths. Today Alden allowed me to document some of his more interesting developments over the past couple weeks.
He's finally starting to use his arms to prop himself up, but still only lasts a few minutes before cranking.
He's discovered his toes - the classic "happy baby" pose.
Alden loves to read.
Hands are SO INTERESTING! He'll study them for minutes at a time.
Kerstin has trained the tyke to stick out his tongue when he smiles. I'm trying to get him to disassociate the two actions, but as you can see, I'm not getting very far.

Boggle Time

Gillian and Evelyn visited today. We played a rousing game of Boggle and ate Bachelor Burritos. When I tried to hold Evelyn for a bit, Alden got jealous and wanted in on the action. So here I am, bouncing one on each knee. It was trickier than I thought to get both babies set up. How people with twins manage this EVERY DAY is beyond me.

The kids fell asleep in their wraps after the game and the burritos. Alden has discovered the fleshy part of my thumb and is utterly convinced he'll get milk out of it some day. He fell asleep sucking on it. We are both greatly enjoying the sling now that Alden has control of his head. Thanks Aaron and Liz!

Hanging with friends and wooden spoon

Tummy time with Evelyn in the AM - She's showing Alden how it's done. (On a side note, it may look like Alden is in the foreground in this picture, but he is not. Both babies are equal distance from the camera. His head is that big!)

We've also introduced a new friend, wooden spoon. This particular spoon was made by my brother Aaron 5 years ago and Alden is quite taken with it. Actually, he jealously covets the spoon. Despite (or maybe because of?) a few self-inflicted bonks on the noggin, Alden still squeals with delight when it's presented before him.

Alden laughs

Baby Stats

So I know all of you out there have been on the edge of your seats all week, waiting for the latest stats of everyone's favorite little boy. Sorry to keep y'all waiting. It's been a bit of a rough week. First, the numbers:
Head Circumference: 17.1 inches (88%)
Height: 24.75 inches (50%)
Weight: 13 lbs 5 oz (25%)

Alden was pronounced healthy and happy at his appointment, at least until the shots were administered. In terms of growth, his head still seems to be out-pacing every other part of his body. But the doc we saw on Tuesday seemed a little troubled by his weight. I was too, honestly. I felt sure that he was at least 14 lbs, especially since last week all he wanted to do was eat and eat. So now I feel TOTALLY inadequate as a source of nourishment for our child. I had a hard time getting my supply up fast enough for Alden last week, so I started taking the fenugreek/blessed thistle, pumping between meals, eating oatmeal and almonds 30 times a day, etc. It seems to have worked because I got a whole lot more milk out this week than the previous week at work. Kerstin says Alden is developing a runner's build. Still, Alden continues to grow at a glacial pace compared to his compatriots. Even Evelyn, 5 weeks his junior, has him beat by over a pound. I can't help but think I'm doing something wrong. So I asked the doctor (who was not Alden's normal pediatrician) what she recommended. I was expecting some sort of 'atta girl' pep talk about sticking with the breastfeeding, joining La Leche League, keeping up the pumping and the herbs, etc. Instead the doctor told me that I need to supplement with formula. Say, what?? Have I endured 2 months of painfully raw nipples, near weekly visits to lactation consultants and a persistent sleep deficit for nothing? I considered telling her to go cram it with oatmeal and almonds, but kept my mouth shut instead. She must have noticed my pursed lips though and said something to the effect of "you can't have it all, you know, life is about compromises, especially if you choose to return to work". So now it was all my fault because I had to go back to work? Then she said I could try giving him some rice cereal instead. Everything that I've read says to wait 6 months for that. I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there. But I've been wondering lately if I'm being a milk snob. Maybe I do need to supplement with something. Maybe he's not thriving because my milk isn't very good. I dunno. Alden always eats till he stops, and he doesn't seem to lack food, except when he spurts... So, we're thinking about adding some rice cereal to his menu in the next week or so.

Karen teaching Alden to bow.

The only noble thing I can attribute to Barbara Bush is her Raising Readers program, where every child in Maine is given a book at every check-up until they are 5 years old. So far we've got about 5 books from this program (you get 3 at birth) and each one has been great... until this month. The 4-month baby book sucks. "I Love Colors" by Margaret Miller. This dud contains large color photographs of (I kid you not) the weirdest looking babies I've ever seen. Each baby sports a brightly colored and somewhat age-inappropriate object. For example, a giant yellow feather boa or purple heart-rimmed glasses. The one on the first page is a bald and toothless 5-month old with Carol Channing lips, a red bow and the manic grin of a meth addict. She seriously creeps me out. I can honestly say that our escrow statements make better bedtime reading than this mess of freaky babes. What's even more shocking is that it won the 1999 "Book of the year" award from Parenting Magazine. Shameful....

In Training

"Leon, le petit girafon" - c'est hyper chouette!

Alden spent the day training. Training to sit, training to talk, it was a very learn-a-rific day. We received this mushroom-like foam training seat recently and Alden has just started to figure out how to hold himself up in it. The first time he tried it, he slumped over to one side. Comical, but also very tragic. The seat completely anchors the lower half of the baby, leaving the upper half free to swing in the breeze, if you will. Today he mustered just enough strength to keep himself sort of vertical. And, most importantly, he liked it! I think we are entering a new era.
Alden has also been working hard to produce a new sound. We aren't sure exactly what he's trying to do just yet, but he's started to make this sputtering/sucking noise that he hasn't made before. I could tell by the way his little brain was cranking that he was working something out. He puckered and sputtered for a good half an hour before he got out his first "Boo". He seemed mighty pleased with himself afterwards.
Cow socks kick ass!