Two geeky girls’ guide to the first year of motherhood.
From the monthly archives:
Cook a meal in view of your baby and narrate as you go. What are the ingredients and what are you doing? Isn’t it all so much more fun with a captive audience? Ha!
“This is the microwave, and I am pressing the start button” is probably going to be Holden’s first complete sentence.
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By the time I took this picture, Julian was to big for this fleece sling, so I was thrilled to wear Holden in it. If you don’t already have a sling, consider it.
Wearing your baby keeps him happy, especially if he’s the type that likes to be held all the time. Instead of holding him, you can use your hands for other things, like dialing the phone, telling a story in which you gesture wildly for emphasis, or typing. Once the baby is situated in the sling, you will feel like a free bird. As tempting as it is, please do not hop in your car and drive around town.
If you live near me (Berkeley, CA), go to Waddle and Swaddle and Rockridge Kids and try out all the crazy fabric baby carriers they have. It really helps to have an expert coaching you.
Some women are able to nurse while wearing their baby in a sling. I bow to them.
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Instead of just waiting around for the big milestones to occur, we want to give you something to do. Sit the baby up in front of you (supporting back shoulders, grab the overall suspenders, or whatever feels right) and dangle toys in front of him. Swinging at toys while seated is a brand new experience.
When he’s stable-ish, let him go (forming a protective ring around him so he can’t fall in any direction too hard)… now COUNT. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… woohoo - 5 seconds of sitting. Now, rest. 
If you are like me, then every day for the next few weeks you would write down how many seconds your baby can sit unassisted (until you get to about 120, then stop).
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To prepare your baby for the fact that life is hard and he may eventually be earning a living playing con-games against tourists on the streets of New York City, you’ll want to introduce him to the shell game.
Take 3 plastic bowls or cups and put them face down on the ground after first showing him which one his cheerio is underneath. Swap the positions of the bowls and cups and then let baby flip one over.
I use cups that are somewhat see through, so I’m not really testing Julian’s sense of object permanence, but I think it’s fun to see him make a choice and pick up one of the cups.
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