Bath Time!

Lewin's first bath went probably as well as could be expected. We were given a tub by a friend and had waited patiently until little Lewin's umbilical cord stump fell off. The tub was the regular kind of plastic tub where you filled a few inches of the bottom of it with water and the baby reclined in it with only a few inches of his body in the water. The top 1/2 to 3/4 was out of the water and in the cool air. The parenting books we had been reading gave us lots of bath time tips to help keep the baby warm and calm during bathing. I think we did pretty well considering it was our first time. Some fussing, a little bit of crying, but no wailing. We got him cleaned and dried and then breathed a big sigh of relief.

The problem was that Gamoo (Lewin's Paternal Grandmother) had shown us this other style tub that she had seen online. We were very intrigued. It was what they called a "European" style baby tub, that was more like a bucket than a regular tub. The baby sat (or you held) the baby upright in this bucket and the water came up to the babies shoulders, keeping the baby warm. It seemed very womb like. All the reviews that we read online were extremely positive.

We decided to go for it, knowingly paying $25 for what was basically a 5 gallon bucket. Was it worth it? We will let the pictures and video tell the story. Do you think he looks relaxed?

Lewin's second bath went 10 times better than could ever be expected. If your baby does not like the traditional style bath, don't think twice about getting one of these they are great. Lewin has since taken quite a few baths in his Prince Lionheart WashPod, all which went amazingly well. Our buddy Joel likened them to Japanese soaking tubs.

It was not very difficult to use at all and it didn't take much to hold his head out of the water. Because he is kind of floating, cupping my hand under his chin was all it took to keep him steady and out of the water.

And yes, there were a few bubbles, but not from bubble bath.

Easthampton Bear Fest 2009

Lewin, Grandpa [Parsons], Dan and Melissa walked into town on the beautiful afternoon of Saturday June 12, to view the recently unveiled bears on display as part of the first Easthampton Bear Fest. The trip also included lunch at Antonio's and dessert at Mt. Tom Ice Cream. Mt. Tom's is locally famous for clever flavors you won't find elsewhere. Melissa enjoyed lavender. Dan tried their chocolate stout (chocolatey and good, but not very stout-like). Grandpa enjoyed Heath Bar coffee crunch frozen yogurt.

The bears were cool, too.

Double Digits!

Lewin continues to gain weight at a healthy pace. He checked in at 10 pounds 7.2 ounces during the CDH drop-in clinic on Monday afternoon. Do you want to see Lewin's growth charts?

Following our visit to CDH, Lewin made a few new friends. We visited the Roszko family. Lewin met Steve, Kathryn, Oscar, Brooke, Johan and Chloe (ok, Johan and Chloe are cats, but they count too!). Brodie was napping so Lewin didn't get to meet him but will some day soon. Maybe at the NCC NAP Youth Cycling Series at Look Park. Lewin would just be watching, of course, but the Roszko boys may race. We all enjoyed the visit and thank Kathryn and Oscar for whipping up a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies!!

Lewin's Birding Life List

We have decided to start Lewin's Birding Life list. That is, as you might guess, a list of birds speicies that one has seen throughout their life. We will hopefully be updating the list on a regular basis. You can get back to this post and list at any time by using the Life List link under My Links in the left had sidebar. The rules are that if we see the bird and say to Lewin "look Lewin, a Yellow Warbler," then that counts as Lewin "seeing" the bird. It is not our fault, nor do we feel that he should be penalized, if he decides that sleeping in more important.

Nap time!

Sometimes the only thing that will help Lewin settle down is some serious cuddling with his Daddy. That, and resourceful use of the Boppy!

Park Hill Road

Lewin has now enjoyed two walks up Park Hill Road in Easthampton. For those who aren't familiar with the area, it's quite possibly the prettiest part of town. Mostly preserved agricultural land that is being revitalized (Echodale Farm, Park Hill Orchard), the hill has an amazing view of Mount Tom. It's also a prime area for birding due to the mix of fields, orchards/forests and wetlands (i.e. a massive beaver pond).


Melissa and Dan especially enjoyed the fresh local strawberries grown at Park Hill Orchard!

Lewin's Growth Charts

Here are a couple charts showing Lewin's growth since his birth. As shown in the key, Lewin's statistics are in blue. They are plotted against the National Center for Health Statistics 50th percentile data in red. That is essentially the "average" weight/height figures. 50% of the "reference population" would fall below those figures, 50% would be above.





These charts should automatically update when we enter in more growth data. I have added a link to this page on the left in the My Links section so you can come back to this page to get updates on his growth. It took me forever to figure out how to produce these graphs from a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is a piece of work too. Here are some of the formulas that are used, =if(A2,sum(DAYS360(R2,A2,)/7),S2), =if(A2,SUM(B2+(C2/16)),S2), =sheet1!b2. Spreasheets are amazing.

With his head held high...

It seems like something that happened practically overnight. Lewin has started showing real strength in his neck and is holding his head high and steady...most of the time. It's a great relief for the parents to not feel like they're holding a bobble head.

Grandpa Coady

Lewin enjoyed not one, but two visits with his Grandpa Coady (aka Richard) this week. Richard and his friend Sandy arrived in western MA on Thursday, but didn't meet Lewin until Saturday due to Lewin's busy schedule. They were also able to spend time with him on Tuesday.

Three generations of Coady men.

Lewin thanks his Grandpa Coady and Sandy very much for the incredibly soft teddy bear and super cute outfits he will look forward to growing into. At least Lewin is taller than the bear!

Even the Cats are Giving Lewin Gifts...

Lewin received not one, but two gifts from the cats this evening. Scarlett gave her gift first. This was very much a surprise since she has never before presented any hunting trophies. Itty wasn't going to be one upped, so he quickly brought his contribution up from the basement. Dan dutifully released both mice to our yard, rewarded both cats with nummies, and closed the basement door.

Gamoo!

Lewin met his paternal grandmother ("Gamoo") the other day. Dan's mother, Rosemary, drove out from Halifax, MA to meet her newest grandson and to visit for the afternoon. I'm not sure who enjoyed the grandmotherly cradling more, Lewin or Rosemary!

Great Auntie Janet

Lewin met his Great Auntie Janet (Melissa's mother's younger - and only - sister).


Janet traveled south from Springfield, Vermont to meet her first grand nephew. Lewin thoroughly enjoyed her visit and looks forward to seeing her again soon!

Another Walk in the Park

Another Monday, another walk in another park. Following Lewin's weekly weigh in (he's up to 9 pounds, 1.6 ounces...a 10.6 ounce increase since last Monday...our boy is turning into a championship eater), the family ventured across the street to Child's Park (http://www.childspark.org/). Melissa and Dan enjoyed a picnic lunch and then all enjoyed a couple of loops of the park. It's not a very large park, but it is quite beautiful and well maintained. We especially enjoyed the blossoms in the rose garden. Yes, we stopped to smell the roses.