Sidewalk Etiquette

Walking is a great way for me to release some stress without breaking a sweat. I love walking in San Francisco and seeing something new, there's always an alley, street or even a building that I may have walked past 100 times and not noticed. I'll fess it up to the fact that I am a fast walker.  I enjoy weaving past folks in my way or trotting along getting to where I have to go; maybe it's the east coaster in me.  Nonetheless, as I progressed in my pregnancy I became a cautious walker, so as not to trip or fall, but still agressive up until my delivery day.

Now as a newbie mom, walking is more than a tension reliever, it's a change in scenery. I get to see other adults, albeit strangers, get in some good retail therapy and enjoy a San Francisco day with my little guy. But walking with Edward has turned me into a stroller, walking has turned a leaf- and it's not for the better. Things are slowing down and so is the scenery. Now more than ever I am convinced that people do not know how to walk or do they understand the rules for sharing a sidewalk.

I've always navigated the sidewalk as if driving a car- always stay to the right, particularly the slower folks. But I guess those rules just like driving, don't always apply, especially in a City full of tourists. In fact just today I was doing the dance with several strangers - you go first, no you go, no really please you must, it's comical! Do you know what I'm talking about? Has this ever happened to you and are you noticing it more now with baby? Don't get me wrong, if I wanted to weave, I can. Lots of moms do it while jogging along the Marina Green or Chrissy Field, but I don't wanna have to jog to get people out of my way, ya know what I mean? Well let me leave you with my list of Sidewalk Etiquette, would love to hear yours.

Sidewalk Etiquette: (in no particular order)

*Always stay to the right
*Never abruptly stop, I despise people that do this
*Be courteous, yield to elders and those w disabilities
*Beware of your voice level while on your cell phone
*Enjoy



Love Lots,
Mommy SF

"SHHHHH"

Picture this: A teacher standing in front of her noisy second grade class and as she raises her index finger to her mouth, she takes a deep breath and releases a loud "SHHHHHH" and suddenly the students slowly listen and quiet down. What a tool, huh? All teachers love "shh" I remember it being used through grammar school, high school, and in college while professors would shout "excuse me", fellow students would begin to "shh" everyone into silence. Think about all the times you've used it or heard some else use it to calm a crowd, almost instinctively to!

I've always thought of "shh" as a polite way of saying "be quiet", "stop talking" or "shut up", that is until I had my son. Seven months ago "shh' became a way of life for us. After reading and practicing Happiest Baby on the Block we understood that the "shh-ing" noise is mimicking the sounds while in utero, which is why the baby calms down. It's a miracle, that saved us from pulling out our hair.

The irony is that although it is used to quiet us the fact is it is mimicking the loud sounds of the womb. It doesn't really make sense to me how it works (I can go on but for times sake I'll save it for another day). But I have a new fond admiration for "shh".  I no longer think of it as a simple way of silencing but rather a method of connecting back to the utero days. What particularly fascinates me is that it still has the same effect on us young and old as it does on a newborn.  It makes me wonder what other sounds we associate with while in utero after we are born.

Love Lots,
Mommy SF

Get your tickets today! Birth and Baby Fair, October 2

OCT02

San Francisco Birth & Baby Fair Fall 2011 Sun, Oct 2 2011, 10:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. Fort Mason Festival Pavilion, San Francisco, CA, United States BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE

Getting Around Town

Mass transportation has always peeked my interest.  I love everything about it; planning, building, policy and of course using it. So when we moved to SF, divorcing our car was an unspoken rule, or at least it was for me.  We've kept a car for the years we've lived here and is mainly used for my husband's job.

Up until my ninth month I was BMW-ing (BART, MUNI, walking) to get around town. I really learned to appreciate being driven around town for only $2, who wouldn't? Of course there are times when mass transit runs late and it's annoying but I've dealt with it.

Before giving birth, I was sure that I wouldn't change much about commuting, I would obviously give myself more time and be more patient. And then Edward was born. I mean of course you can bring a newborn aboard a bus or train, but the fear of tripping or falling ran through my mind, so I nixed that idea. So can you imagine how relieved I was we had a car.  Well I got very comfortable driving around town and enjoyed giving my little boy his personal tour of the City. But realizing the car was not my best friend we planned our first MUNI ride together when Edward was about 4 months.  We were heading to a play date in the Upper Haight, I was nervous for many reasons; would he start a crying-fit, would I get paranoid and want off?  Mommy and baby did great it. It was nice to slide back into a seat and gaze out the big windows at my beautiful City and stare in amazement as Edward took in his surroundings.

Edward and I are on the bus at least 2x/week. I think he likes it a lot, I know the older women love him! Now that he's getting heavier, a baby carrier isn't always the most comfortable way to travel. One afternoon, I decided to go downtown and bring along the bugaboo. Well I learned the hard way it is not, I repeat not bus-friendly (I won't get into it, but if you really want a good laugh let me know and I'll share). So I stuck to the carrier for awhile until I just caved and invested in a Maclaren Quest. It's lightweight and super easy to fold up, has a great strap to throw over one side as you maneuver your tot on your other side. It is a bit pricey and the cost of those 2 strollers makes my eyes roll. But you do what you must for comfort.  Hopefully, they'll last us through the next tot.

Both MUNI and BART have great trip planners. I use Next MUNI, which also finds your location and tells you what bus is near and time of its arrival. Have you ventured on MUNI or BART with your tot(s)? Would love to hear about your experiences.

Love Lots,
Mommy SF

How Your Shoes Can Hurt You and Your Family

Although I'm a mom now for 6 months I don't feel that special "I know better" magic that my mom has. The lady is almost always right, really like 99.9% of the time. So much so when a rebellious teenage I would do things to spite her but in the end found I was only hurting myself. (yeap, a stubborn kid was I).

It took some time to realize it's useless to go against her wisdom. But there are things even now I think are quirky, like forcing us to remove our shoes inside. But I guess it takes science to get through to me as proof that what she's been making us do all these years is actually saving us for toxic exposure.

Here's a must read article for us all, courtesy of Glamour Magazine. I hope you consider the study and heed its warnings.

Would love to hear about your shoe policy.

Love Lots,
Mommy SF

Pigeon S(uicide)oup

Driving to the South Bay I've been told to always take 280 as it is the road less traveled, it's true and the pigeons know it too. Today I saw not 1 but 3 pigeons get taken out by a car, joining a many other feathery friends.

Coincidentally, last night's episode of Seinfeld was when George runs over a bunch of pigeons while driving in the car with his gf. She freaks out after he hits them and when he tells Seinfeld about what happened, he talks about the human-pigeon understanding.  It's a hilarious episode especially after experiencing today's series of events. I'd link the episode but it's highly protected on the net.

Anyways, my point is 280's a great freeway and the pigeons know it too. But why they wanna hang out on the freeway, well I have no clue, it's not like the weather is any better there then the Mission.

Love Lots,
Mommy SF

6 Months and Counting

I can't say it enough, "Time Flies!" It's absolutely hard to believe that I've been in the thick of motherhood for 6 months. Where did the time go? In past posts you have read me complain about oodles, from breastfeeding complications to baby gas.

Since then though, I must say things are definitely on the up swing. For the last 2 months Edward has really come into his own. His personality is truly shining, especially after a good nap! At most times of the day you'll find him smiling away revealing his darling dimples and his sparkling brown eyes.

Things turned around during our road trip to lala land. We spent a week with our darling friends who opened their home to us. They too are the proud parents of sweet baby Isla who was 2 months old during our visit. My friend Lana is blessed to be surrounded by fellow mommies; family, friends, co-workers, who shower her with an abundance of  first-hand knowledge. So you can imagine how excited I was to get her advice on all things baby. Especially sleep, and does she know sleep. Her little angel was sleeping through the night while I was still waking for nighttime feeds and at least 2 bouts of a crying baby.  So I put my envy aside and got to learning.  It was amazing. I either grew lots of confidence or my baby realized he needed to shape-up and get to sleeping. Within 2 days, he was napping 3x's/day and waking 1/night for a dropped pacifier.

What did we do different, you wonder? Let me tell you:
*During the day, I wouldn't let Edward stay up for more than 2 hours. Even thought he didn't show signs of sleep, I would set him in his crib with his pacifier and after a little tossing and whining he was out like a light.
*Feed, feed, feed.  I would stock him up during the day by increasing his intake by 1-2 ounces/ feeding. Then a final dream feed between 10-11pm (diaper change too!)
*White noise; we pump his room with either beach waves or heavy rain; Bonus puts us to sleep too!

Sounds easy, right? And it really is. The only issue is his sleep is on a schedule, so it doesn't lend to much flexibility when out and about. He still falls asleep but doesn't stay asleep for the full 2 hours. And if that applies to both afternoon naps, all it means is a baby who is ready for bed at 6 or 6:30pm. Another down to a sleep schedule is trying to go out for dinner.  We've now joined the seniors at 5pm if we go out. It's hard when you have friends and family who work or don't eat until much later.  So we're hosting lots of dinner and gatherings.

One other interesting thing was that both babies were on the same cycle for everything, from feeding to pooping and even sleeping. Not sure why but it was fascinating.

Edward's newest thing is his babble. He's a real talker. Loves it a lot but doesn't like showing off when around others. It's actually very cute how shy he gets around babies. Maybe he's just being a gentleman and letting them get in their 2 cents. Another achievement is he's sitting up and grabbing things. However, he's not rolling over just yet.  I'm not worried, but elated since that's one less thing I have to worry about. Especially, while he is on the floor. With all our computer wires and "things", I'm just not prepared for him to become a mover.

We've also been doing more classes. We attend a weekly play class at Day One, summer reading at the library and swim at Le Petite Baleen.  It's busy but fun especially getting to know other moms.

I'd love to hear what your baby is doing and other ways to keep busy.

Love Lots,
Mommy SF