BLOG

Michael and Taban’s Goodbye

I’ve been in hibernation for about a month now. I miss my friends terribly, but to be honest, I really think I needed this. Parenting is so tiring, and I haven’t figured out how to make plans around an inconsistent baby schedule. Yet.

Hence, very few people have met the new baby, aside from our elderly neighbor and the electrician. (Our neighbor brought us flowers, and the electrician has been over a number of times to fix the electrical problems in our apartment. Actually, Eric and I joke that Kamyar probably thinks the electrician is his father.)

This morning we finally “cut the ribbon,” so to speak, since Michael and Taban came over to say goodbye and MEET THE BABY. Kamyar was asleep most of the time, but hey, at least someone got to meet him.

Anyway, maybe next time we see Michael and Taban, it will be in their new home in Peru. Until then, we’ll really miss their company.

Dueling Laptops

We’re in the process of moving everything from the old laptop to the new one.

Then, perhaps we should retire the old one in Office-Space-style. With a strong arm and a baseball bat.

Gooze

I can’t wait for this kid to develop a sense of humor about gas.

Music Video Rant

I’m very critical of music videos, to the point where I can’t watch one without commenting on its flaws.

Although we don’t have a television and aren’t watching music videos very often these days, once in every great while I get an itch for ’em and spend some time scouring YouTube for ones I haven’t seen.

I don’t want to name the abominations I watched yesterday, but since they killed a piece of me inside (seriously), a few general comments are necessary.

First, while I’m a supporter of the non-literal music video (think Christina Aguilera’s Ain’t No Other Man, Coldplay’s Yellow, James Blunt’s Beautiful, and Kelly Clarkson’s Walk Away), I can’t stand the wishy-washiness of a “sort-of”-literal music video. You know the type -- the song might say, “She has hair a color I’ve never seeeeeen before” but the video shows a regular blonde. Or, “Oh oh ohhhhhh, you’re my lover and my best friend” yet the video depicts two strangers whose most meaningful moment is a quick glance in a crowded restaurant.

Those music videos -- the ones who can’t decide if they want to be literal or not -- are usually spoiled even further by direction and camerawork that is disappointingly glossy and commercial-feeling. I just can’t understand how any musician would be content spending millions of dollars on this sort of mediocrity.

Of course, I know this is all subjective. To quote a viewer’s comment from one of the abominations I watched on YouTube yesterday: “OMG this is the best video!!!”

My Baby Does This

Since Kamyar’s birth, my mom has insisted that he is physically and mentally advanced for his age. When he was one day-old, she said that no one-day-old baby should be that wide-eyed and alert. Nor should he be strong enough to lift and turn his head, especially not toward sights and sounds.

I took these comments with a grain of salt. For one, my mom’s a proud, first-time grandmother. Two, I really don’t want to be one of those moms who proclaims, “Well, MY baby does this, and MY baby does that...” at every opportunity.

Yesterday we took Kamyar to Tipat Halav, a public health clinic for babies. He did his usual thing, and my mom enthusiastically asked the nurse, “Isn’t his behavior more like a one-month-old, not a three-week-old?!”

“Actually,” the nurse said, “his behavior is more like a baby over six weeks-old.”

Yep, that’s MY baby. Hahahaha.

The Stroller Experiment

We finally broke out this sophisticated piece of equipment yesterday.

Ed Hardy Sneakers

I love these. It makes so much sense for an accomplished tattoo artist to branch into shoe grafitti.

Gas Food Lodging

I have learned that besides providing this baby with food and shelter, we must also help him pass gas.

No one warned me how important a concept this is, and believe me, it is very, very important. Most of the crying in our household is the result of a burp or a poo.

Yesterday I decided to do a little experiment and eliminate beans, onions, and garlic from my diet (which is tough when you’re Persian, let me tell you), and it seems to have had a positive effect; there was no late-night, red-faced crying at all. In fact, there was no crying between 9:00 pm and 7:00 am.

The problem is that I am staring at a container of ghormeh sabzi. Staring. Staring. Staring...

You Wish You Were Here

Isn’t my mom ridiculous? She’s seriously spoiling us over here.

The Mother Load

This is what happens to our kitchen when my mother is here.

Baby on the Bus

However much I want to expose Kamyar to the outdoors, doing so still makes me nervous. I don’t really know what I’m afraid of -- well, yes I do. I’m afraid that once I’m miles from home, he’ll start to cry and I won’t be able to calm him, and there I’ll be, in a public place with a wailing baby, with people looking at me like, GEEZ, can’t that woman calm her baby? So the few times we’ve ventured outdoors, it has always been with my mom or Eric, since their presence boosts my confidence. Still, I can’t always rely on the two of them. Eventually I’ll have to learn to do this by myself.

Music I Never Appreciated

Lately I’ve been listening to Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon, which is ironic because only a year ago I would have laughed if you were a fan.

Kamyar’s First Outing

This afternoon I decided it was time for Kamyar to breathe fresh, outdoor air.

Though I admit I needed it too.

Proud New Grandma

My mom with five-day old Kamyar.

Reentering Civilization

I’m beginning to feel human again. Not only did I get [slightly] more than two hours of sleep last night, but I also showered first thing in the morning, put on normal-people clothes [and jewelry], tweezed my eyebrows, and even got out of the apartment to take a twenty-minute walk by myself. Whew! There’s hope for me after all.

Outages

What a bad week to have problems with our electricity, empty gas balloons, a leak in our kitchen ceiling, and a broken cell phone. Geez.

A Little Note from the New Mom

Hey, everyone! I’m here. I’m a mother. I’m 30.

I am so enjoying reading all of your comments and Eric’s blog entries and have been dying to get a moment to tell you everything. However, as you’ve heard before, taking care of a newborn is overwhelmingly tiring and sort of turns you on your head -- even now I wonder how far I’ll get with this entry before having to tend to a crying baby or just falling over with exhaustion. That said, I’ll make this short.

So yeah, we have a baby! He is very cute, and very big -- even bigger than my doctor had predicted. It made labor and delivery very difficult for all of us. Many of you have asked me to share my birth story, but I’m a little nervous about doing so -- especially considering my pregnant readers. I’ll think about it a little more and try to decide what would be most wise.

Okay now I’m falling over with exhaustion. I’ve gotta store up some of this energy to post pictures later today, right? Lots of love to all of you!

Happy Birthday, Mojan!!!!

You did it! Your unofficial goal of having a baby by thirty was accomplished (though barely!). This last year will go down in our family history as the pregnant year, when you carefully tended to your health so as to benefit our unborn son. As we continue to celebrate his birth, we also celebrate your birth, which brought into this world a very special soul that has touched the lives of so many people!

With some exceptions, my recognition of your birthday over the years has certainly lacked the oooomph for which I may have hoped. I hope this year’s gift makes up for that!

Happy birthday, love.