Rookie Moms

Before I let Andrea tell you how much she liked taking her 18-month old twins to IKEA, I want to mention her new business, little uni. She is selling handmade baby clothes that are simple and sweet, with modern appliques. Her babies Mira and Will are modeling for us in these pictures.

Andrea lives in Chicago, where its been freezing and snowing for the past few months. Her kids just moved to one nap a day, so they are always looking for good morning activities. She writes:

My husband and I planned a trip Saturday morning to IKEA to buy a kid-sized table and chairs. I was not looking forward to a day in the suburbs at a crowded IKEA. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that if you get to IKEA early, it is not crowded at all.

We put each kid in one of their odd stroller/shopping bag holder contraptions. The kids loved being pushed around in them, and we loved not pushing a heavy double stroller or 2 cumbersome full-sized shopping carts.

The kids section is really amazing. Besides the unique, colorful toys, bedding and furniture, they have a play
area set up in a maze of child-sized, completely furnished rooms. I bought a great set of plastic, colored plates. We also let each kid pick out a stuffed animal. The kids loved riding the glass elevators, and saying “Hi” every time they heard the beep of the doors opening. Because it wasn’t crowded, we could really see and appreciate the well-designed room displays. The kids pointed out lights, doors, windows, balls, beds as we walked around.

Lunch in the café was excellent. The modern, white highchairs were neatly stacked and easy to find. There was plenty of space at the table for 2 toddlers and 2 adults. I set up the kids and my husband went to get the food. He got mac and cheese and Swedish meatballs from the kids menu, of course served on the wonderful plastic plates. I think the mac and cheese was $.99. The kids gobbled down every bite.

After a couple of awkward trips to the car carrying table parts and babies, we headed home just in time for their naps.

Jeff Pfaller is the rookie dad and blogger behind 365parents.com. He published all 365 posts into this this eBook, 365 First Time Parenting Tips: Infant Edition, for other first-time parents.

Jeff is also a recent transplant to Chicago, one of my favorite (pre-kids) cities of all time. He was kind enough to share his version of “A Week of Windy City Fun” with us — Enjoy!

Looking for stuff to do in the city by the lake, Chicago? There’s something for everybody, no matter who you are or what you like.

Animal Lover Monday
Head up to the North Side (be sure to deck the little guys out in Cubbies> gear) for some wild fun at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The best part? You get to see tons of animals. The second best part? It’s all free!

Beach Bum Tuesday
It got Chicago the World’s Fair way back in 1893. It got us a bid for the Olympics in 2018. The best part about this town is Lake Michigan in the summer. You can walk along the beach and through parks from Bryn Mawr and Sheridan all the way to Navy Pier. Grab a stroller, some sunblock and your best people watching specs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thank God for TiVo, but did you know some theaters also have special showings for new parents? These showings have different names in different cities, but the idea that yours will not (most likely) be the loudest baby in the theatre is the common thread.

Julian’s first movie as a newborn was Closer and Holden’s was Star Wars Episode III. Both kids were frequent attendees of Baby Brigade during their first year.

The Rose Theater in Port Townsend, WA calls it Diaper Daze, and the Kerasotes chain in Illinois and IndianaMatinee Movie Magic. I thought I was pretty magical when I watched Julia Roberts in Closer while doing my first in public breastfeeding (without crying!) when Julian was 5 weeks old. This mistakenly led Heather, my 19-weeks pregnant escort, to believe that nursing is easy.

Stroller Matinees, as they are called by Mann’s Theaters in Southern California, are a good early outing for freaked out new parents. Crying is totally allowed.

In LA, Monday Morning Mommy Movies weekly at 11:00 am (on Mondays, duh!) at the Grove, Beach Cities, Paseo, and Town Square. Thanks Portia!

In Portland, McMenamin’s Kennedy School hosts the occasional Mommy Matinee and for cheap!

For our local mommies:

In Oakland, The Parkway Theater’s Baby Brigade shows movies on Monday nights for babies under one year (and their parents!) along with a pizza and beer. The sister theater, El Cerrito Speakeasy does the same on Tuesday nights! Yahoo.

In Alameda, the Central Cinema also has a baby night for those under a year. We found out about it just after both babies were too old to go - darn!

In San Francisco, there’s Thursdays at 11AM at the Presidio Theatre on Chestnut and for a limited time, Tuesdays at 11AM at the Vogue Theatre on Sacramento.

When I saw the web site of Janet Moran, a photographer in the Chicago area, I immediately fell in love with this image. Assuming that this family values their piano, I thought that it was a brilliant idea to include your first baby in a portrait along with your new (real) baby. Whether your first baby is your Vespa scooter, your 12 year-old cat, or a carefully tended vegetable garden, take a picture that includes your two loves.

I emailed Janet and she explained, “A precious family asked me to come over and take pictures of their new baby. When I walked into the home the first thing I saw was the piano - dad is a musician among other things. What better place for a sleeping three week-old than the piano bench (newborn babies are pros at sleeping in whatever position you place them)”

She offered these fantastic tips for rookie moms and wannabe photographers:

Environment
When taking pictures it’s great to look at your home with a fresh perspective. Is there a family heirloom that you can sit your toddler on or inside? What was your favorite pastime or talent before baby? Do
you collect anything? Arrange your collection on the floor and allow your child to explore while you photograph.

Lighting
natural light makes all the difference when taking pictures. Choose the room in your house with the most sunlight. The best time to have a photo adventure outside is early morning or late afternoon when the sunlight is warm and soft. Turn that flash off and go outside even if it means you have to take Aunt Betty’s winged-back chair out the front door with you.

Clothing
Chose an outfit you’ll miss seeing when they grow out of it. Color is the key; high on contrast and texture - low on logos and graphics (leave elmo and dora at home). Shoot, shoot, shoot! Digital means you can take lots of pictures for free.

I wish I lived around Janet so I could hire her!