Rubbing butts with the rich and famous

I pushed Emmett too hard today, I think. It all started with the trip to get bagels. He took about an hour-and-twenty minute nap when I finally got him down, but things were a little off. As soon as he woke, I was all ready to go with a change of clothes, bags packed, etc. We headed out with the goal of checking out art at the Met which called for two transfers no matter how we swung it. I chose us a route that would take us by Grand Central Station and we exited there to check it out as neither Emmett nor I had seen it before. I took some pictures while there (among others) but can't find the cord for the camera so I might have to wait until we return to add pictures. We got back on the train and reached the museum just as Emmett remembered that he hadn't eaten for a while---which reminds me that I had brought a lot of stuff: a cooler with two cold beers to keep two bags of breast milk cold, the ergo, the stroller, and the typical bag of diapers, etc....all of which I had to haul (with Emmett often in stroller) up and down each flight of stairs we reached. Fun.

I fed Emmett in the park before we headed into the museum. The first bag had melted almost entirely and Emmett paused a little while he ate but didn't seem to get ice cream headaches or anything. We went into the museum with Emmett in the stroller. I changed him up a few minutes in to the Ergo and he seemed genuinely interested in the armor section, especially a couple of shiny, metal, face-like helmets. It didn't hold his interest long, though and I had about 45 minutes through the museum with him asleep. I was deep into the impressionists by the time he woke and it didn't take long until he had had enough. I knew he needed to be changed but unfortunately we were on the second floor (where a floor in this museum equals about 4 floors worth of stairs) and the only men's restroom with a changing table was on the first. It is worth noting here that should one ever want to find a place where a baby's cry seems extraordinarily loud, I am quite sure a museum ranks behind only libraries and classical guitar concerts. So, with this loudly crying baby I the one-floor elevator would not come therefore I decided to negotiate the stairs with Emmett screaming and writhing in my arms and all of the stuff in the stroller. My method was simple: hold on to one handle, kick the stroller so it would fall one stair, step down, repeat. I had made it down one normal-size flight (three to go) when a kind woman offered help as she was going down too. She said something along the lines of "please let help you. I could take the stroller...or the baby??" where both she and I could see that Emmett, even though he was very upset, was the easier cargo to carry down three flights of stairs. This left me with a dilemma, which caused a pause, which she filled with "I am a grandmother," which left both of us wondering in that pause if this was a helpful statement or not with her surely trying to imply that she had had kids and had taken sufficient care of said children that some survived unscathed enough to bear offspring, with the side implication that a grandmother is not going to run off with your child, however leaving open the question of should she be carrying an infant downstairs. So what is a new father to do in this situation? Emmett had another first today!!! The first trip down a flight of steps in the arms of a complete stranger. Andrea is going to love that one.

The changing table was a joke and I would have been better off just changing him on the stroller in the second floor bathroom. If you took a two-foot square table and then cut in half from corner to corner and put the remaining triangular table into a corner, you would have the Met's "changing table." We took care of business, though, and he was much happier. I learned that Emmett really likes modern art, particularly artists who paint large canvases in only one or two colors. He is all over that.

Part of the museum trouble was that emmett was hungry again. The second milk package was cold so I stopped into a deli to buy a large hot water (I wish I didn't have Emmett in my arms so that the guy could have just wondered why I was ordering a large hot water on a hot, hot day). I defrosted the milk in the water while sitting on someone's stoop and fed him right there. By the time we were done Andrea was out of her conference and we decided to meet at the store she wanted to visit. Not long after arriving Emmett needed to be changed with a big potty, but unfortunately for Andrea the only changing tables were in the women's bathroom (I actually made a small snide comment when trying to take Emmett into the men's restroom along the lines of "what, men don't have babies?" I am getting pretty bad). After changing Emmett we went outside to meet Luisa (out to visit family) with me having Emmett in my arms. I decided that I wanted to quickly go back into the store to look at shoes and handed Emmett off to Luisa. While I was walking away I noticed that my shirt felt wet and looking down found out that Emmett had had his first explosive potty and that it had gotten on my shirt (he has been in disposables a lot of the time here...I will explain the diaper situation later). We decided that rather than go back through the store to the bathroom we would change him right there on the sidewalk. First, let me just say that Luisa is a good sport. We did a three-person change with wipes and Emmett being handed around in order to take care of everything. In the middle of it all Emmett realized he was naked and as he had already peed twice in the outdoors in NYC, he kicked it up to three with a little getting on the kind, helpful Luisa. Very unfair.

The change finished I went back into the store to get a shirt and had an Emmett-esqe meltdown of my own as the place was crazy crowded and I couldn't find any other section of the store except marked down Versace t-shirts (was $600, now $200!!). I finally found something and was purchasing while Andrea walked in and found t-shirts that would have easily fit the bill. By that time I had already ripped the tag off of my new bright pink button-up. You win some, you lose some.

We had plans to meet Laura and Lesley for a bee art show (not sure...when we got there we saw bees but not the art). We grabbed a bite to eat at a bad good-for-you restaurant where the server proceeded to basically wake Emmett because she wanted to touch him and then while we were waiting for the check she came up to Andrea with arms out like she wanted to hold him (and we all know how we feel about strangers holding our baby). Strange.

The bee event was hopping, but Emmett was pretty beat by this time. Andrea, Laura, and Lesley went in while I waited on the sidewalk, and Andrea returned to tell me that she had just stood less than a yard away from Kirsten Dunst. Laura and Lesley were still inside so I went in to let them know that we had to take Emmett back to the hotel, and while I was going in Kirsten was making her way out through the crowded room. We both turned away from one another and K.D.'s butt rubbed against mine as we passed. That definitely makes my closest celebrity approach.

Laura and Lesley came back to the hotel with us and we had a nice night chatting it up while Emmett finally got his well-deserved sleep. Now they have gone home, Andrea is here sleeping next to me, and I have passed on too much of what has gone on in New York.

more from the east coast

Emmett and I have now developed a pattern which is probably not that different than what Andrea and he do when I am at work. Emmett wakes in the morning for a snack just before Andrea heads off for her conference, goes back to bed for a while and then is up at around 9:00. I am pretty much standing by his crib at this time with his clothes in hand as I know that we have a 1.5-2 hour window of awake time which we have been filling by going to the park most days, or to get bagels across town today. We return for the long nap, which yesterday was 2 hours and today is already at 1 hour as I write. Then E and I have our big outing which yesterday consisted of Lesley, Emmett, and I going to get pickles and doughnuts and today will have Emmett and I heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Yesterday was a pretty muggy one and Emmett was spent by the time that we made it to the Doughnut Plant for the doughnuts. This place is pretty famous with pictures of the cast of the Today show and Regis and whoever-he-is-with these days on the walls eating the doughnuts, and as Emmett was starting to melt down there a little, the owner (or at least who L and I were assuming the owner as he is always there) was doing all kinds of tricks to try and get Emmett happy again as we ate our doughnuts...hopefully the place will still be pretty famous when Emmett is older and we can tell him that the person we thought was the owner tried to entertain him for a while.

Emmett was really starting to go to town with the crying as we left, so the three of us found a patch of grass and I stripped Emmett down once again, which really worked to get him to settle (and he peed on a tree, too, in the heart of manhattan). Once settled Lesley walked with him for a few blocks until he got really cranky, then she traded pickles for baby and I loaded him up in the baby bjorn (we have been trying this carrier, too...not as comfortable as the Ergo, but he can look out, which makes him happy). Emmett really was crying by the time we reached the train so everyone on board got to hear Emmett really let loose. It is funny that the trains are air conditioned so are normally pretty comfortable temperature-wise even on the hot days, but there is something about your kid crying in your lap and people staring that makes even a cool train painfully hot.

Once Emmett was fed by Andrea back at the hotel, all was fine in his world. Last night we went to a nice dinner with Belinda and Nick, and Emmett slept through pretty much the whole thing. We didn't get him to bed until around 10 again, but we weren't so lucky with the long night's sleep---Emmett was up at 4 and 6.

This morning Emmett woke for his 1.5ish hour period at 7:30 so immediately after Andrea fed him, I headed out (8:00) for bagels the midtown on the east side or whatever they call it here (52nd and 2nd). I decided to take a train over and walk back if I thought that there was enough time to make it back by 9:00---my cutoff for when I knew he was going to be back again. Well, who would have thought that they put three extra-wide blocks between 3rd and 5th avenue (and no 4th?? what gives??)? Well, we arrived back at 9:15 and on the way back (Emmett in the bjorn facing out) Emmett fell asleep at almost 9:00 on the nose, and unfortunately I didn't notice right off so I couldn't take and preventative measures. Well, he slept until we got back to the room, and I have realized that Emmett is now convinced that as soon as he wakes up from a nap, no matter its length, it is time for him to get up and play so there was no putting him down on our return from bagels. I tried for about 20 minutes and finally just played with him for an hour or so until the eye rubbing set in. Now he is napping and all is happy.

E hearts NYC

Sorry, where was I? Ah, yes, we were landing. Well, the flight landed in one piece and for the 5+ hour flight Emmett slept for about 4 hours of it. People in the nearby seats said that he was a pleasure to travel with. The only person that might have complaint is the person who was sitting on the aisle who had to get up about 4 times during the entire flight.

We landed in Newark, NJ (Emmett's fourth state) and our bags arrived just fine. It was pretty hard moving around with all of our stuff, but we took the NJ transit to Penn Station and then subwayed it to our hotel at Columbus Circle. Besides having to move around with so much stuff, the transit wasn't that bad. We got into our room about 7:something to find that they hadn't put in the promised crib and that the refrigerator that was supposed to be in every room was not present. The former was necessary for obvious reasons, but the latter was needed as we had flown across country with 13 5-ounce bags of frozen breast milk to keep Emmett nourished while Andrea conferences. I should mention how we got the milk here as it worked really well.

Andrea has been pumping milk and freezing it for times like this. A couple of weeks ago John and Carlos had a garage sale where they were selling a lunch-sized plastic cooler which we bought for a very reasonable rate. I was able to squeeze 13 containers of milk in the bottom and then a couple of gel ice packs on top. I loaded the whole thing the night before and stored it all in the freezer until the next morning when I packed it in our luggages surrounded by cloth diapers for insulation. When we unpacked the milk about 12 hours later it was still rock solid and opening the luggage felt like opening the door of a freezer as there was cool air inside the bag. It all worked really well.

We got some food while the fridge and crib were installed. It was about 9 by this time and Emmett had a minor meltdown so I waited outside while Andrea did some food shopping for the room. While waiting a nice, older lady sat next to me and chatted me up about Emmett, informing me that Emmett means "truth" in hebrew and giving me a whole lot of other NY insider info. Such a friendly town.

Sleep...this is the best part of the story so far (not saying much). We didn't get Emmett down until about 10pm here time, which is 7 CA time (a little earlier than his regular time) and we went to bed not long after as we were pooped. At 7 am the alarm went off (a first post-Emmett's birth as he has served just fine as an early alarm) and all three of us had had our first 8-hour plus night of sleep since Emmett popped out.

Andrea fed Emmett and headed off to her conference around 8:00. Emmett and I took off for the park on our first day in the city together. We walked around with him in the stroller and he ate in the park before coming back to the hotel for a nearly two-hour nap. Afterwards he and I headed off again for a long walk through Chelsea and Greenwich with him spending most of the time passed out in the ergo. It is hot here, but not too hot, and when he came out of the Ergo we were both pretty drenched. We rode the subway back to our hood and waited for Andrea to return where she fed him in the park. I think she was a little horrified when she found us as it was pretty hot so I had stripped Emmett naked and had him on top of his changing mat. As it was a little small and he kept digging his hands and feet into the dirt, I laid out the huge subway map that we had as I forgot to bring I blanket (I will learn these things), so Andrea arrived to find her naked child sprawled out naked on a subway map in central park. I bet she revokes permission for me to be stay-at-home next year.

Emmett is passed out again, Andrea is back, and we will be seeing our friends who live here soon (Laura, Lesley, Sal, etc.). I will try to put pictures up next time....Andrea had the camera at the conference and apparently didn't find anything worth photographing there.

Oh, I can't believe that I forgot to include the most exciting parts...Emmett and I were hanging out on the bed doing a little tummy time and I got to witness a front-to-back roll (Andrea has seen three or so). The other big news is Emmett did his first poo in the big person toilet. Andrea caught a poo the other day in the Baby Bjorn Little Potty and this was my first since the days of yellow mustard poop (months for those not up on your baby poo consistency). So on our first day in the city Emmett didn't have a single soiled diaper. Thank you NYC.

Hanging with trump

We are here in the Big Apple, the city that never sleeps, and Emmett is sleeping. Andrea is off at her conference and I decided to update the blog while E saws some logs. We left home yesterday around 6:45am for the airport. The time of the flight was perfect in ways as emmett had just woken up and was in a good mood. We got to the airport (via Jeff who was nice enough to rise in the pre-dawn hours to haul us and our huge bags) and got checked in relatively easily. We had brought two big bags which I had packed the night before for our week's stay---one weighed in at 47.5 pounds and the other 49.5 with over 50 costing us 100 dollars...closer than I thought as I had weighed the heavy one with me the night before and it was supposed to be 47. Sadly, most of the stuff was Emmett's though I think that we could have cut down quite a bit, but we haven't had a long trip like this before so we are still amateurs.

Emmett fell asleep in the Ergo on Andrea about not long before the flight took off and then slept for about an hour missing the whole takeoff procedure and not having any ear issues. He woke up, was changed on the plane by me (not too bad except I had to pee, too, and that was tricky---mainly getting my pants buttoned again), and was playful and fun for about an hour with Andrea taking a shot at changing him in the plane potty, too (she got solids, I didn't...I was lucky). Somewhere in that time Andrea fed him and when he started to get squirmy I put him in the Ergo on me and he fell into a non-deep sleep where I had to continually swing and sway and rock in my seat to keep him settled. Eventually I got up and walked to the back of the plane where I was able to sway properly, and was probably out of the seat for an hour or so. Finally, I asked on of the crew members how long until we started our initial descent and she told me it would be soon, so I went back to my seat and Emmett gradually woke up from his 2.5-3 hour sleep on me. As we really started to descend we got him onto andrea for a feeding to make the descent easier. Ooops he is waking up...I will have to add to this later

camping...sort of

Andrea, Emmett, and I headed up to the mouth of the Russian River to meet up with the rest of the group who we had bailed on for camping because of the smoke. Andrea and I reasoned that going to visit only for the day would be better for Emmett than going and staying the night where he would be breathing the smoky air all night long. It took a little bit to get out of the house with a dead car battery added in to the general process of collecting all things Emmett-related before leaving, but we got up to the campground somewhere around 1pm, I believe. The campground is amazing (Pomo Canyon) and it was great to learn that such a great campground is only 2 hours from our door. When we arrived at the sites, however, no one was there and there wasn't a note, but as there was a 3ish mile hike from there to the beach and it was the group's first day there, we assumed that they had hiked to the beach and headed off: Emmett in the Ergo. The hike was really nice with a mixture of redwoods and rolling, grassy hills, and Emmett was a real sport and slept the entire thing.

Our guess was right and we found the group of friends at the beach. The picture at left is Emmett hanging out on Jeff's lap with the ocean in the background. Emmett noted an uncanny resemblance between the sounds of the ocean and his noise machine, but in the end decided he liked the one he was exposed to first better.

We spent a few hours at the beach with Emmett taking a nap in the Ergo on Jeff, who then started the hike back with sleeping Emmett. About 1/3 of the way back Emmett woke ready to eat, was fed, and then stayed awake the rest of the hike back to camp just looking at the scenery while in the ergo without complaint. A pretty good kid, that Emmett.

Back at the camp, dinner was started and Emmett got to enjoy his first campfire. The picture at left is him relaxing at the fire with Jeff (with how much Jeff has been handling Emmett and the fact that all of the pictures of him with a male are with Jeff, I am starting to think that Emmett will be questioning who his father really is when he comes of age). We put him down at around 7:30 in a tent and he woke once about an hour later, but then slept soundly until Andrea and I decided that we should head back to the city at around 10:30 or 11:00. It would have really been nice to have Emmett have had his first true camping under his belt, but we are too concerned that smoke-induced lung injury will keep him from the 2028 olympic team so home for sleep was the final call.

safety first

We were supposed to take off for camping this afternoon, but the air quality report for the bay area said that all babies and the elderly should stay indoors as smoke from the dozens of CA fires has blanketed the area. Hopefully we are going to be able to go tomorrow, and if we do we have outfitted Emmett with a respirator from the welding class I took a while back so as to keep those lungs clean as a whistle.

Sir Grumpstein of Toothybush

I am finally getting back to writing something on the blog. It was something of a crazy week since we last spoke. For example, I had and interview, was offered the position, and turned it down...and that is just the last two days. Well, that is not exactly true as I am going to call and give it the final turn-down tomorrow. The job was a physics teaching gig at the California Art Institute, which sounded fun but the pay was about half of what I was expecting and I was a little worried that the amount of time I would have to put in to making lessons, etc. would not make it easy to supplement that income and give Emmett his own physics education. Anyway, the school is a training ground for future commercial artists, and it was the first for-profit school I had ever been around. The people seemed nice, but there was definitely something strange with the whole bottom-line feel permeating the place. It was funny showing up before the interview and having to sit down to fill out an actual application asking about prior convictions, personal references, etc.---it must have been the same application they use for every job at the place, but it was stressful trying to think of people who would have anything good to say about me.

Emmett. Oh right, this is supposed to be about him. Emmett has been a bit on the crankypants half of the spectrum the last two days and it has been a little trying for Andrea who has been stuck dealing with it for most of the day. We are going camping this weekend (a first for Emmett) with 9 other people and it would be really nice if lil' E was on his best behavior. Hopefully he got it all out of him today. The thing is he has turned into this slobber machine and today was acting a little funny with his mouth (I don't know how else to describe it) which had us thinking that maybe he is starting teething, but it is still kind of early for that. I find it kind of funny that teething is the newest in the list of possible reasons for unexplained Emmett phenomena with the prior two being "maybe he is going through a growth spurt" and "maybe he has gas." The other possible thing is a fever, but at least you can measure that (well, if you have a battery for your thermometer---something we have needed for months (you are supposed to take a baby's temperature daily "they" say---oops) and Andrea took care of picking one up today only to find out Emmett is fever-free).

What else from the last week? It was hot as all get-out last weekend. The picture at left shows how Emmett spent most of the time---nearly naked. Rare stuff for San Francisco, indeed. On Saturday, A, E, and I went to Emmett's pal Augie's grandparents' place in Marin for some
swimming pool fun. We got a little wild and Emmett slept like crazy. We put him down for a nap at 5pm in someone else's house and moved him to the car seat at 11pm for the trip home. He woke momentarily for a nighttime feeding once at home and was out until 6am when he woke for a while then went back to bed until 10ish. It was crazy. I took off for a couple of hours for a mountain bike ride and he took two more naps in that time. Maybe that is why he is so cranky---he is all sleeped out.

That is where things stand. Here is one more picture that Andrea took today. As you can tell, it is no longer hot here.