Anastasia M4801
Annabelle 5901 / 5941
Kendall W5921
Kirsten M5941
Leonardo 3101
Michelangelo 3401
Robin M6001
Roxanne M5921 / 5941

So… assuming our crib is the Roxanne that’s listed, what do we do?

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cribs and contact Million Dollar Baby for a free repair kit that will immobilize the drop side. In the meantime, find an alternate, safe sleeping environment for the child, such as a bassinet, play yard or toddler bed depending on the child’s age. Repair kits will be available to consumers within a few weeks.

All right.  Deep breath and reality check: while Tallulah gets more use out of the crib than her brother did, she  doesn’t spend the night there–she’s either with me overnight or in her co-sleeper.  When she is in her crib, one of us is usually in the room with her folding clothes, restocking diapers or doing whatever we’re doing that requires both hands. So how concerned do we really need to be?  Not very.  I’ll make it clear to everyone watching the kids that they’re not to be left in the crib unattended and I’ll still pursue getting the repair kit just to be safe.

I’ve calmed down considerably since my initial tweet, but really?  If they weren’t so deliberately sketchy with information about who manufactures what, it would have saved me a good 45 minutes this morning, which would have gone a long way in goodwill toward both Wal-Mart and Baby Mod/Million Dollar Baby.

Yeesh.

Tallulah's First Photoshoot (October 2009)

I’m pregnant. It’s a girl; we’re expecting her on or about April 21st of next year and we’re going to call her Tallulah. (Haven’t settled on a middle name yet. Once we do, I’ll probably go ahead and get a blog set up for her.  Because, well… we’re those people.)

We’ve kept if off the internet up to this point for a variety of reasons, the most pressing of which being that my pregnancy with Henry was a harrowing experience–more emotionally than physically. My body handled it well, but as a result of two previous miscarriages, my mind was a nervous wreck. In addition, I lost my maternal grandmother in a brutal battle with COPD [note to loved ones: please quit smoking] during which I was lucky enough to be at her bedside. I wouldn’t trade that time with her at the end for anything, but… Anyway, I fell behind on some deadlines.

So, when we got the news about this kid, while overjoyed, I was afraid sharing that news might make editors understandably jumpy about assigning me work. And with the relocation… well, we just aren’t in a position for me to take an extended leave of absence. (Nor would I want to; I like what I do for a living and feel incredibly blessed to earn my keep this way.)

ANYWAY, work has been going swimmingly, we’ve got a fantastic childcare situation here in Portland, we’re more than half-way through the pregnancy [sans drama, knock wood!] and we’ve gone ahead and shared the news with family and clients… Our life here is pretty peaceful and my stress-level this go-round so low that, well, I feel silly keeping it a “secret” anymore.

(Of course this makes perfect sense, but I still find it amusing: during my pregnancy with Henry everything was so new and so exciting/scary. I was *obsessed* with every detail. This time… well, I’ve got a two year old and a job and I sometimes just forget I’m pregnant. Often, in fact. Then I get a swift kick in the bladder and all is recalled, but yeah… very different second time around.)

So there you go. We’re having a baby. Well… not right this minute, but come April. T-A-L-L-U-L-A-H.

Okay: back to work.

Art and motherhood: A difficult combination?: “

At Wordstock last month, I sat in on several readings and discussions by writer mamas, and recently I’ve been very closely following other mothers and writers on Twitter and Facebook. I’ll admit to a fascination that’s part curiosity and part … jealousy? longing? … as I watch them juggle motherhood and their art. From a distance, it seems they’re doing it better than me.

I’ve finally gotten to the point where I believe I could finish my book proposal any day (really!) and I’m finally having a essay published in print this month. After years writing online, I’m coming into this artist-writer bit, slowly, with lots of squeaking and complaints from my family. It’s been hard, especially on those nights where my oldest has decided to go off melatonin, a gentle sleep aid we’d been using to good effect, and I must restart the process of coaching him on calming himself. For three hours.

A friend Tweeted she was locked in her bedroom this weekend, finishing a few last chapters of her book as her husband wrangled her boys. Another acquaintance, a writer dad, seems as if he’s frequently out of town on book readings and fabulous events, trading off childcare duty and glamorous writer things with his poet wife. I asked an author I admired at Wordstock how she managed to write with children — and she’s a single mother, having adopted a little girl internationally. ‘Very expensive childcare,’ she answered.

Then yesterday, I read in the Oregonian about this fabulous couple here in Portland. They’re both visual artists and she’s an accomplished writer. They’re gorgeous and cute and funny and successful. They have a three-month-old baby. I’m so jealous! (On the same page: a story about the Decemberists’ guitarist and his lovely girlfriend, Seann McKeel, who’ve started a series of concerts for children and parents to help entertain their three-year-old child. She’s also an artist. Oh!)

In my house, juggling art and motherhood don’t go that well. A two-year-old literally hangs from my arm when I’m in the middle of typing an especially inspired sentence. I go to a coffee shop to write for three hours, and when I come home, the slow cooked meal I’d begun has burnt and homework hasn’t been done — my husband was focused on the littlest and his nap, the laundry…

Are you, too, trying to combine some passion — whether it’s writing, art, a political or non-profit endeavor, or a really rewarding job — and motherhood? How have you managed? Do you sometimes feel that everyone but you is doing great? Or do you have secrets, tricks of the trade, that make it all come together?”

(Via urbanMamas.)

Study Says: Kids Watch A Lot of TV!: “When it comes to TV, how much is too much for your kid? According to a Nielsen study released earlier this week, children ages 2-5 watch more than 32 hours of TV per week. Older children ages 6-11 watch more than 28 hours per week—but that’s because they spend more time in school. That’s a [...]“

(Via Kiwilog – Growing Families the Organic Way.)

I’m just now coming down off the adrenaline rush of terror and I’m feeling a bit wonky — sore shoulders, a little nauseous, little bit of a lump in my throat and I’m kind of hyper. Fraction gets husband and dad of the year for calming me down, assuring me that these things happen that it doesn’t make me a bad mother and that Henry is going to be fine. While I cleaned the kitchen like a woman possessed, he gave HL pony rides on his back all around the livingroom. He’s down for a nap now, too.

Speaking of chilling out, the price is utterly outrageous, but look what Danielle found: a KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON rug. I really ought to frame my poster.

Thank you for coming to live with us.

We don’t let him watch TV per se, but we do occasionally let him watch his own YouTube videos. He’s mesmerized by them and sometimes he’ll even mimic himself.

Here, Kara is using his ooOOOoo video to calm him down.

The messy desk is mine. Sorry.

[Ack.  I meant to post this to henryleo.com.  Xposted now.  Oops.]

Parents:

• Henry Leo’s probably going to start on solid foods at the beginning of March. I read the chapter on solids in my handy Sears book and found this blog post interesting as well (also this). Anything else I should check out? This book looks appealing, but the reviews appear to be mixed. (If you’re going to tell me I’m over-thinking this, please don’t. Newsflash: I over-think everything. It’s part of my charm.)
• HL’s good in his infant car seat to 20 pounds or (and/or?) 26 inches. He’s currently 17 pounds and — ha ha! — 25 and 3/4 inches. Sooooo, I’m gonna start looking for a new car seat. I’ve heard good things about Britax, but I’m open to tips.