Recently it seems that things around me that I’ve seen a million times are becoming brand new. Having children further pushes you to seeing things that are common to you with new eyes. Imagine how wondrous it must be to see someone one blow bubbles for the first time. To see someone’s breath create such geometric perfection and then get to watch their entire life span from dip to pop. To watch all of their other bubble friends exist then all fade away one by one & then watch the cycle again. Never knowing how big or small they will be, or how many will be birthed to die by your breath this generation.

I tend to live in future tense. Which means that I am often stumbling forward in the present. I am rarely shocked or surprised when I make it to my destination but I am often battered by the trip.

I was drawing & writing out my sons favorite nursery rhyme, “the itsy bitsy spider. I have often commented to folks that you never need buy ANY affirmation book or bump any uplifting song if you really sit with what’s going on in this parable.
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I’ve been w/baby #1 so much & my wife is w/ #2 so much that at times it’s almost like we are 2 single parents living with each other. It sorta has to be this way till he’s done breast feeding, but i wanted to give mama a break so i took #2 for a walk in the stroller.

I live in a great area. My neighborhood is neither suburb or hood. Both are in walking distance but it’s neither. I like to say its “hood adjacent”
– the 7/11 is in walking distance the whole foods is a bit of a drive. But it’s near a lot of trees and in the late night it smells like sleep away camp.

So I’m pushing through the more Hoodalishious section of my surrounding area.

It is the unfortunate custom amongst men that we tend to greet each other quite defensively. head jerks & grunts. I tend to be a very happy person and this has always been hard for me for 2 reasons. #1 people look at happy smiling people strange where ever you go, that is not unique to the hood. #2 I look like a 9 year old boy. This is part of the reason I grew a beard, to look more intimidating. It never works no one is ever scared to approach me ever. As a matter of fact if there is a crazy person in an enclosed public space be it a bus or an art gallery they ALWAYS find me and talk to me.
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Since last I did this blog on being a father we have had another child. Needless to say with a growing business and a new life I have had little time to dedicate to writing about all new challenges a 2nd child presents. But as things start to reach a predictable rhythm I will be able to share with you many new stories and many old ones I never got a chance to post. I dedicate this to all the lovers, the parents, the folks who have no kids who don’t understand their friends who do & finally for those who don’t see all that goes on behind the scenes of parenthood in the new millennium.
-pierre bennu

this is the fourth clip of media chronicling my kid’s obsession with music. previous episodes featured video of his learning to use turntables and figuring out how to scratch and use the mixer.

this bathtime audio clip was my attempt to catch him in his daily, non-equipment-reliant musical expression. enjoy!

click here to listen

by jamyla / the mama

** i am constantly impressed by how BUSY the baby is – always moving, working, exploring. reaching, running, babbling. but he never seems to produce any actual results, so i decided to observe and not intervene with his busy baby routine for five minutes to see if i could figure out his patterns. perhaps harness his baby power for some greater good. solving climate change? powering a karaoke machine? here are my results.**

he picks up an empty plate from the side table, which had been cleared of crackers and cherry tomatoes from an earlier snack. he brings the empty plate over to the bed, carrying it with two hands, and places it carefully down. goes back to the side table, picking up a clean diaper from the stack. he walks back to the bed and puts the diaper on the plate. scrutinizes it for a moment. opens the diaper carefully, spreading it out on the plate. frowns. flings the diaper onto the floor behind him. tells the plate, “NO!” in no uncertain terms. picks up the plate. slowly brings it up to his face, kisses the plate carefully. puts it back onto the bed.

he turns around and approaches the discarded diaper, it’s still clean, still open, still on the floor. he crouches down into that fabulous baby squat we all love, and examines it minutely. gets up and walks away.

walks around the bed. i can’t see exactly what he’s doing but he’s near the mirror on the other side of the bed. i see pointing, and perhaps some mild scolding of the reflection. comes back with his little whisk broom, waving it in the air like a drum major. drops it near the diaper.

goes into the hallway, using the old film festival pass that’s hanging on the doorknob to close the door behind him. it doesn’t catch, and swings open again partially; i can see him crouching in the hallway playing with the pass’ lanyard. he comes back in.

opens the drawer of the side table. takes out half of a cherry tomato he’s apparently had stashed there since his last snack. (!!) takes a nibble. examines it. takes a nibble. puts it back into the drawer. (note to self: once intervention mode is reinstated, MOVE THAT TOMATO!) pulls out a few socks, flinging them onto the floor behind him. finds the one he must have been looking for, turns around and puts it onto the plate that’s still on the bed. turns his back to the plate, finally satisfied. picks up his sippy cup and takes a sip of water. shakes the sippy cup back & forth in one hand, the other hand flapping back and forth too, for balance. he takes another drink, puts the cup back onto the table. turns back toward the bed and removes the sock from the plate. throws it onto the floor.

yeah. so my five minutes are up… i’ll keep searching for the answer to global warming later. right now i have some socks to pick up.

To check for ear infections all the pediatrician has to do is put a device into each ear for a couple of seconds, all the child has to do is lean his or her head to either side and be still. But does a baby ever just do that? Rarely. As quick as it can be, it never is. Even if you get one ear you don’t get the next without at the very least a giggly struggle. Sometimes the child might twist and turn and even get worked up enough to cry. There is no way to explain to a baby that a moment of discomfort can lead to wealth of knowledge about yourself. The baby’s  perspective is “Why are these giants trying to make keep me still when I want to move?” but you cant explain science to a person who doesn’t even experience time in the same way as you.  So there is struggle and tears and in the end “the giants” get the information regardless of how much the baby struggles.

Be still. Perspective through momentary discomfort can save you from prolonging the inevitable.

My son just turned one.  The reason I haven’t put up a baby blog in so long is that my son just turned one. Once you think you’ve figured him he topples your expectations. I guess if they are here to replace us they have a lot to learn very quickly.

I present to you THE TAO OF O – reflections and little wisdoms gained during my son’s first year of life.

- S******g on your self is not the end of the world
- there are things outside of our understanding and it’s sometimes better that you don’t get what you want
- pennies are delicious
- don’t fight sleep
- you can forego learning to walk properly in order to run but be prepared to fall A LOT
- music and dancing can stop you from crying
- if someone tries to change you pee on them
- you can get away with so much more with a smile
- dance naked
- pulling other people down is not a nice way to try to get up [Read more]

I’ve tired desperately to attach this story to something to make it some how more relevant or witty or give it a moral. I realize now that some things just ARE.  Like a slug in a middle of parking lot.  They don’t make sense but there they are. Why would a slug try to cross a parking lot? It’s always fun to be the hero of the stories you write even if you’re self depreciating. Somehow you find a way to make even your shortcomings shine. Well this isn’t charming, and I’m not the hero in the end and I don’t win. In this story no one really wins.
It’s just like the slug in the middle of the parking lot .

A friend and I were riding to the post office with about 5 bags filled to the brim with packages to mail off as was the ritual at the end of every day we work at the warehouse. We were stopped by a light and at the corner in the open space between the gas station and the curb were 2 children with bikes. My eyes would have not caught them had it not been for how small one of the children was. They both had dirt bikes but the smaller child seemed dwarfed – somehow he was riding the bike but could barley reach the handle bars. His hand couldn’t even wrap around the handle. It would be the equivalent of an adult trying to put their hand around a half spun roll of toilet tissue.

Me and my friend in the passenger seat smirked at how silly it all seemed, this child’s dedication to being out and on this bike that clearly he was too small for just seemed funny.
Then coming across the street were 2 women. One was holding a child the other was just stomping mad, her anger clearly pointed at the smaller of the 2 children.  Somewhere in the back of our minds we thought that universal childhood theme:  “oooh hes gonna get it” [Read more]

these products are currently in development from exittheapple labs. Keep an eye out during obscure hours of the night for our upcoming infomercials – not available in stores! limited time only! three easy payments! etc.

- pull away diapers :  a convenience once enjoyed only by  professional athletes. Now take off a diaper with just one yank!
- oral shoe horn: it’s hard to take the time to wash your hands when your child just ingested something potentially fatal. end the slobbery-finger syndrome by using this device instead.
- baby censorship visor: attach it to your computer or DVD player and enjoy your violent hollywood films with ease. whenever the bloody parts come on a visor comes down that shows images of elmo!
- organic diaper garden: this compostable diaper is made of all green materials with a layer or fertilizer and seeds in it. once soiled, plant it and within a week you will see fruits and vegetables start to grow. I’m still waiting for a call back from whole foods.
- edible spray: instead of taking things out of your child’s hands and mouth you just spray edible spray on it. it makes things like lint, paper, mouse poop, coins, marbles and old Doritos perfectly healthy and edible!
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we used what we had to explain to our 9 month old what was going on.  enjoy the photo essay.