Foood Is Goood!

For the past month, we've been receiving a consistent flow of nutritious and delicious meals from friends.  This sweet tradition of nourishing newborn families removes a layer of stress and time commitment that might otherwise drive parents cRAzY.   The food tree setup by our family friend Tracy is finally winding down this week in serendipitous fashion:   last Monday, Bunny accidentally spilled the last few swigs of precious DragonFly Green Chai Tea supplied by my coworker Valerie (and reserved for yours truly), then  seconds later, my DragonFly-Chai-Brewer buddy Atom (who also had a first son/second child a couple of months ago) shows up on our doorstep with a refill of the exact same jar of tea.  UnCANny! 

Not only are we lucky to have a gracious community of refined 

culinary talents but also a bountiful bioregion to boot.  These days, food is SEXY in Portland with new farmer's markets and locavore-friendly restaurants popping up in every neighborhood.  Beside the exceptional quality of produce and healthy meats,  foodie establishments have become a nexus for community connections.  

With our home options diminishing, we ventured out to a new neighborhood breakfast joint yesterday, the 410 Cafe.  Despite the fizzling economy, this modern greasy spoon was recently opened by Morgan,  a dude that art-partied with us back in 2002 and who was also the former chef of the old (and much missed) clarklewis.   

After filling up on smoked trout and poached eggs, we headed to Peoples' Food Coop to get our fill of ingredients for future home-cooked meals.  I love People's because it's about the peoples as much as the groceries.  We shared community with fellow owners including Miles and Paul who had just seen us eating at the 410 Cafe earlier where another People's owner happened to say hello, too. 

Replenished and ready for the week, we headed to the Columbia Gorge for our first adventure outside of Portlad since River's birth.  

Catherine Creek was just far enough East for a rare dose of Spring-Break-Sunshine and blankets of Grass Widow and Gold Star wildflowers.  Lilly requested a visit to the Columbia River last week, and it was so very sweet to share its grandeur together as a family hiking to the top of an unusual basalt volcanic arch.  The day ended with dinner in Bingen and dessert in Hood River, both at restaurants highlighting locally grown organic foods.  

MMMmmmm

...goood!

Happy (Belated) Equinox!

My infatuation with strange coincidences began nine years ago when I started teaching and researching the interconnectedness of natural systems and their cycles. The vernal and autumnal equinoxes provided semi-annual opportunities to raise awareness of random connections, small and large, within our social systems. Along the way I realized that Portland's experience of the equinox occurs a couple of days before the actual celebrated global equinox. For instance on this 'first' day of Spring, the sun will rise in Portland at 7:13 am and set at 7:22 pm resulting in an unequal 12 hours and 9 minutes of daylight. I know it sounds like I'm a stickler for details (and I am ), but a pattern of chaotic community alignment has surfaced on the experiential equinox, and this year that vernal day occured on Wednesday of this week rather than today.

Wednesday was a classic Spring day start to finish: sunny, still, warm and fragrant with a general buzz around town. My work day began at the neighborhood coffee house, Crema, where my green building appointment was a no-show. Although this cancellation could have been frustrating, while waiting I happened to read about an upcoming Clowns Without Borders performance on noneother than March 20 (the 'first' day of Spring!). Tonight will be our third year enjoying one of our family's favorite performances in Portland, and every year this poorly advertised event catches our attention last-minute.

During the lunch hour, I was out skateboarding errands around the Pearl District and ran into Pablo, a former message therapist, at Tanner Springs Park. We crossed paths a few months ago, and I later regretted that we didn't exchange contact info, so this time our chance encounter was much appreciated (especially for my future health and well-being). I started skating loops around Tanner Springs Park regularly a few months ago as a therapy for an ankle injury. It's a pretty lonely park with nary a visitor which makes it great for escaping into skating.

But, on my second loop around the park, I ran into our family friends, Sonja and Vinny, soaking up the sun. Visits with those two are always robust with energy and inspiration. Five-year-old Vinny tried riding my board and discovered that wiping out can be half the fun of leraning to skate.

Back at Ecotrust in the afternoon, I ran into Shawn, an enlightened Mathematics professor, and his wife Lori enjoying lunch in the sun. Our brief catching-up quickly evolved into a long, hopeful conversation about the potential for alternative socioeconomic systems that benefit humans and their environments collectively. Back in my teaching days with Shawn, I developed a hypothesis related to the cyclical nature of population growth: the rate of mutually beneficial encounters is inversely proportional to the rate of population growth.

So as population stabilizes (which it is) the frequency of strange coincidences increases exponentially, and hopefully we are just at the tipping point of all this synchronicity stuff.

The sun is rising and Lilly just gleefully shouted, "Mama and Dada, Happy First Day of Spring!", so I better get back to the real world.

The Urper

Buddy Rio's Cheese Factory continued to be in business all week, but at lease we are figuring out how to minimize the messiness.  After seeking parental advice from multiple families, the baby-spit-up factor turns out to be quite common throughout Portland and even has a bonafide medical term:  gastroesophageal reflux.   

On Wednesday, Dr. Judy shared a much more practical term for Buddy's condition:  Urping.  Sort of like burping except the esophageal release of a gassy bubble is accompanied by a milky projectile.   Also on Wednesday, our 'Share the Road' license plate replacements arrived in the mail from the Department of Motor Vehicles.   I asked Lilly to employ her recently-developed phonetic skills to sound out the new license plate ID letters, "Duh-rrr-puh-rrr".  That's right folks - somehow the lovely State of Oregon randomly selected four letters explaining River's newborn medical condition. 

Although Portland's reputation for rain tends to be exaggerated, this last weekend of Winter was windy and water-logged.  Rather than staying holed-up inside the house going stir-crazy with Da Urper, Lilly and I planned an outing to Portland's latest and greatest ode to sustainable recreation:  The East Portland Aquatic Center.  

This new community pool and water park is housed in the City of Portland's first certified LEED Platinum building under a green building policy administered by my office crew.  Ever since opening last month, I've been eagerly awaiting the opportunity  to experience the ample daylighting, solar-powered machinery, super energy-efficient water heating, fresh ventilation, and super slick water slide.  The experience is much like being in Hawaii with a bunch of little kids screaming with pure joy!  We were serendipitously joined by old family friends, Emily and Harry, who shared the same midwives with us six years ago.   They made a surprise visit in the morning to meet Baby River which led to an impromptu swim date in the afternoon.   The return home was complemented by an arcing rainbow reminding us that even the rainiest of days can have a silver lining.  As the Hawaiians say, "No rain, no rainbows." 

Wild Feminine

After two weeks of welcoming Buddy Rio into the world marveling over his mild temperament and sweet disposition, the heavens seemed to be smiling upon us.   This little guy would be easy going we thought, and baby-rearing would be a comparitive piece of sweet cake,  like a calm stretch of River flowing from bend to bend.  Aaaaaahhhh...

However, I returned to work last Monday, and suddenly we hit a  spell of raging rapids.  Sure, he's Mister Mellow, except when violently spitting up Mama's milk.  For two days straight, he was a big ball of fussy cheese as random projectiles resulted in frequent wardrobe changes for everyone involved.

Finally on Wednesday afternoon, there was a slight reprieve as Dr. Judy gave him a tummy adjustment, from rock hard to soft and supple.  Afterwards, while refilling his new found belly in the Doc's office, a book on the shelf caught Bunny's eye, Wild Feminine: Finding Power, Spirit, & Joy in the Root of the Female Body.  

Lori, the receptionist, raved about the wonders within and promptly passed it on.  Then, at Bunny's next appointment, a postpartum check-in, Dr. Mary recommended treatment by a physical therapist located across the street: Tami Kent who also happens to be the author of Wild Feminine!  This string of coincidental events is so tightly wound that it all happened over the course of two hours within 10 blocks of one another all in our neighborhood.   Bunny walked home refreshed and hopeful.

That evening, little Rio returned to his normal meekiness and after dinner I reminded him, "We're working really hard to help you feel better Buddy."  He responded with his first big, wide-eyed grin.  Whew!  But, the next two days were spent back in the projectile cheese factory.  More treatments from Dr. Judy and emphatic burping advice from our postpartum doula were hapless.  At one particularly low point, Bunny hit a wall of exhausted and humiliated auto-repeat, "He covered my crotch.  He covered..."  

By Friday, I came up with a hypothesis and noted an empirical pattern:  Buddy laying on his back = Buddy spitting up; Buddy laying on his belly = happy Buddy boy!  Problem nearly solved except when he needs a diaper change, or we follow a primal urge to cradle him in our arms.  Friday, was also a particularly lovely Spring day (for Winter) as Lilly and I relished a chance to cruise the Springwater Corridor trail returning from a playdate in Sellwood.   We stopped our bikes along the banks of the Willamette River for a short break admiring a pair of bald eagles perched on Ross Island as the warm sun set.  Once again, a sweet stretch of calm has flowed back into our lives as Buddy Rio charts our next course.  

Although sleep-deprived and chore-ridden, we had a lovely family weekend and tonight Jill is planning to attend a Powell's Book reading by none other than the aforementioned Tami Kent!  The auspicious timing of this literary event is a blessing in Bunny's birthing recovery.

Gratitude

The 'puter is back with a repaired right speaker.  In concert with a couple of stereo speakers that I wired onto our living room walls yesterday morning, all sounds good in the House of Bubby.

It's been a fine week sans cyberspace with a string of caregiver serendipity.  Last Friday, Marilyn midwife came by for a 3-day-post-partum home visit and noted that the last baby she delivered on her birthday (over a decade ago) was also named River.  Perhaps her dual River deliveries also coincided with the last planetary alignment 12 years ago.   Woo-woo!

Then on Saturday morning, Dr. Stephanie stopped in for a rejuvenating cranial sacral family treatment.   When my uncle was here last summer, a German friend gave him a cranial sacral treatment for his cancer resilience and explained a bit of the process: moving around spinal fluid and magnetic fields.  Cranial sacral energy balancing remains a mystery to me, but I like its results.  On my previous treatment with Dr. Stephanie, I walked out of her office thinking that I should call our friend Scott.  It was just before Christmas, and Bunny was looking for holiday sheet music specific to flutes by request of her Sis in Seattle.  Being a former music store owner and all-around music afficionado, we figured Scott would know where to start our search.  As I pulled away on my bike from the Doc's office, a station wagon nearly ran into me.  Sure enough the driver was Scott who led us straight to finding this obscure request.  Cosmic!

Finally Sunday afternoon, Vicki, our postpartum doula, assited Bunny with the transition into nursing and reassured her innate mothering capability.  She also prescribed a long bike ride to me before inevitably burning out (Bunny has been calling me the Energizer Bubby!).   Earlier I had a vision of biking through the forest despite the fact that our mountain bikes have been out of commission for over a decade.   Yet just before dusk, the vision came alive, and I found myself riding on a 15-mile trek through Forest Park, at one point, cruising peacefully along a 3-mile stretch of single-track as the city lights flickered on the horizon.  Just what the Doc ordered!

Bunny deserves plenty of accollades for carrying and birthing Buddy for the last 10 months, but I am also deeply grateful for our commnity of alternative health professionals who helped all along the way:  Dr. Judy's adjustments to the family's alignment,  Dr. Mary's inducing accupuncture, Nicola's comforting accupuncture, Dr. Ed's ultrasounds, Cecily's massage, and Sirender's yogi guidance plus Lilly-douling.   Combined with our midwives, Dr. Stephanie and Vicki, these folks delivered a happy and healthy pregnancy, birth and son into our lives.  

Namaste!

What's Next?

We enjoy having Unity's Daily Word around for inspiration and reminders of collective spirit.  Concurring with the planetary alignment on February 17th, the theme-of-the-day was "Harmony".  And, yesterday's "Accomplished" was even more fitting considering the last 10 months of baby-making that Bunny endured bringing River from conception to birth, 

"It's finished - a success!  Perhaps my dream was to complete an important project, or create a beautiful work of art, or host an outstanding event.  Now that it's done, I may ask myself, What's next?"

Indeed, what is next in store for us? TBD. Possibilities seem infinite when adoring a newborn's eyes and mini expressions.  For now, a bit of computer maintenance is next on our horizon.  In the meantime, here are some pics and You Tube videos of Buddy Rio.

Here At Last!

Yesterday, Bunny's spirits were high with anticipation of meeting Buddy soon.  We had a second round of inducing accupuncture in the morning followed by a bagel craving on Hawthorne.  Afterwards, we ran into our friend Tali, an Aquarius, who was ecstatic to share the BIG news, "It's all over the internet:  tomorrow will be the most incredible day of the year!"  

Upon returning home, our googlin' found that February 17th is not only Random Acts of Kindness Day, but also the harmonic convergence of Jupiter, Mars, and Venus.  Apparently this 12-year planetary alignment bodes well for all things Aquarian, "If ever there were a moment to greet the world with both arms extended, assertively, it's now."

Sure enough, Buddy is here at last!  Bunny was a superstar, water-birthing him into the world on February 17, 2009 at 5:02 pm.  A 10-pound floating baby boy!  He shares an Aquarian birthday with Marilyn Milestone, one of our stellar midwives who also delivered Lilly.  As the sun set on this miraculous day, we sang a round of Happy Birthday together with our wonderful delivery crew.  

So far, he's Mr. Mellow and winks at each of our voices.  But, his cry is somewhere between a cat fight and a caged monkey.  Fortunately, these wails are few and far between with a little bit of comfort and tenderness from Mom, Pop & Sis.  

Welcome to the world River Van Mason!  Little Rio!

Waiting Patiently...

At the end of January, a Valentine's baby forecast seemed completely improbable, but here we are waiting patiently for Buddy's arrival, 2 weeks and 3 days late.  The little guy has given us a few false signs of delivery this week only to snuggle back in to his cozy Mama.  We figure that his personality will either be super mellow or just really stubborn.  Aquarian or Pisces? 

But, today's a little different because we tried inducing naturally this morning.  The combination of a healthy ultrasound, encouraging midwives and an accupunturist extraordinairre topped off with a spicy Thai meal have brought on strong contractions this afternoon.  Possibly to the point of no return...but, alas, Buddy has a date with destiny, and it's not today.  

With high hopes of seeing the little guy before day's end, I ran a batch of last-minute nesting errands while Bunny napped at home contracting with Buddy.  I found a couple of reusable cotton diapers at Children's Clothing Exchange, where the owner, Stormy, shared sympathies, 

"Has your baby arrived?"

"Nope, but we induced with accupuncture a couple of hours ago."

"My son was three weeks late, and everybody was driving me crazy asking about why he STILL wasn't born yet," she laments.  

More accupuncture and another ultrasound scheduled this Monday, which will be officially three weeks late.  Sooner or later...

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

Two weeks ago, we wondered whether our new born son would be a Rat or an Ox.  See, our midwives sometimes referred to a January 25 due date (Asian Rat Year ends) and other times January 26 (Asian Ox Year begins).  

On the cusp of the lunar New Year (first new moon, post-winter solstice), we followed a lunch recommendation to Zien Hong Chinese Restaurant.  Sitting next to a Latino family who also had an expecting mother, we compared the personality traits of Rats vs. Oxen over salt&pepper shrimp and claypot seafood.  Meanwhile, the staff was setting up for the restaurant's family celebration and schooled us on ancient traditions.

From the restaurant, we headed downtown to Portland's Classical Chinese Garden.  It was a bright sunny day strolling along the reflecting ponds.  For the next two weeks, the garden will be filled with New Year festivities.  But today, it was calm and quiet with nary a visitor besides us, AND the Latino family from Zien Hong who became deeper acquaintances with every passing.

At the Tao of Tea house, we shared mooncakes and peppermint/licorice tea, waiting for baby and listening to live Chinese traditional music.  After a month of last-minute nesting, it was a sweet time soaking up the sun and relaxing with the family.  When the sun set, we said hasta luego to our new friends, and headed home for own Asian New Year dinner celebration.

In Chinese mythology, Rats

 are resourceful winners and inventive while Oxen are patient listeners and hard-working.  Bunny is an Ox, and I was secretly hoping for another calf.  But now that we're two weeks late, a Rat sounds great in retrospect.  After all, Ratatouile was a tres bien film a la 2008, and our little guy would be in my arms right now instead of this computer.  

We returned to the Chinese Garden two weeks later on another bright, sunny and warmer day.  More mooncake. More tea.  More family sweetness.  But this time, the festivities were rolling with Lion Dances, Shaolin Monks and a variety of vernal performances.  China, must be a lot warmer than Oregon, because the New Year is also the official start to Spring.  Although 6 more weeks of winter in Portland are imminent, there were a few floral signs of Spring today: blooming forsythia and camilia buds blooming with the sweet scent of saracocca.  

The full moon is a day away.  Bunny and Buddy are ready and ripe, too.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi! (Happy New Year!)

Gracias Por Viernes

Ever since returning to an office job, Friday is my favorite day of the week.  Not just because the week is over or the weekend is around the corner, but also it seems like there's more awareness and connectedness between community.  Maybe folks are simply out-and-about more as the weekend approaches enabling more opportunities for paths to cross. 

 

Last Friday, the morning started with complimentary Voodoo doughnuts and Trail Head supermicro coffee on the Steel Bridge.  Every last Friday of the month, Shift2Bikes hosts these breakies on the Steel and Hawthorne Bridges.  Another opportunity for Friday happenstances fostered by Portland community.  I arrived just in time to score the last blueberry which I consider to be Voodoo's 'healthy' doughnut because A) it's the littlest, and B) it comes packed with antioxidants.  

At midday the sun broke from a dense fog, so I went for a ride up to Council Crest.  It's hands-down my favorite ride in town to Portland's highest elevation.  Generally there are stupendous views of the surrounding volcanoes from the top, but not this particular Friday since it's socked in fog.   Still, it was an inspiring ride because of the 'Pioneer Woman' sculpture that graces the crest.  Like most mothers, she's strong as steel but sweeter than pie.

Ooohhhhh, we can't wait to meet our new little guy.  Where is he?  What's he doing in there? 

 Come on out mister and greet your new world!  Mom and Pop are eagerly awaiting your arrival, so let's not be toooo late.

Later that evening, Bunny was having a reprieve from her Braxton-Hicks contractions, and she encouraged me to adventure out on the town to a concert at the Wonder Ballroom.   Our friend Sonja turned us onto Beach House last year about the same time that I received news of my Uncle's terminal cancer.   I listened to their album, Devotion, all summer long thinking about dear ole Uncle Davey.  When I arrived at the Wonder, the show was SOLD OUT.   But fortunately, I ran into a former student (from my professor days) who happily traded her ticket for a ride home.  Perfect!  After the performance, I checked in with Uncle Davey and a friend who's also deep in the midst of a battle against cancer.   

Yep.  It's a Dickens of a time here in Portland (as anywhere).  Somehow, the small coincidences of daily life keep me present in the moment, grateful for the past, and hopeful for the future.

Yesterday, the morning bike commute began with a chance encounter with JP, the new MFA Chair of Applied Art & Craft at PNCA, and his family who arrived into town last week.   JP and I had met on the aforementioned Friday to talk shop about Portland's sustainable development, the state of green building and the subtle cultural differences between our charming neighborhoods.   The night before reconnecting, I was thinking about how I needed his email address to forward an academic proposal on the human experience of working and living in green buildings.  Then, VOILA!  He shows up at my neighborhood cafe of all places, and I happen to catch him from the corner of my eye.  The day ended with Bunny and I running into our cartoonist friend Craig outside the grand premiere opening of Coraline at the Schnitz while on our way to watch Slumdog Millionairre, the ultimate film about divine destiny.  

Gracias por Viernes!

Finally, (Half) the Wait is Over

As most of you know, Bunny is expecting our second child at any momemt (type fasterrrr!), and Lilly has been waiting patiently for her own rite of passage.   After months of anticipation, the moment has finally arrived.

Yesterday was a hard day.  Bunny woke me up at 3 am in the morning, "Bubby, I don't feel so good."  At first, I had to break out of a deep slumber, but then, Achtung!, I sprung into action, "What's going on?  Should I call the midwives, fill the tub?"  Bunny replied softly, "I'm having a hard time sleeping...I'm going back to bed."  So, I laid around for another half hour or so counting sheep.  

But it's no use, the adrenaline has kicked in, and I'm wired for the rest of the morning.  The rest of the day was equally discombobulated and tiring for both of us, despite the unseasonably warm, sunny weather.  The new addition to our family was due on January 26th (according to Beth & Marilyn, our midwives), or February 2nd (according to Dr. Ed, the sonagram ND).  Yesterday, was February 3rd, and I think we both had enough of this seemingly endless waiting.  By evening, Bunny was weepy and my joints were coming apart impatiently.  

Then, it happened -  Pop! We were all on the couch pouting, 

when Lilly extracts her first loose tooth with a single twist.  Our frowns turned upside down, and Lilly's holy smiles filled us with joy and glee.   Suddenly, she's a bonafide 'big kid' now that her baby teeth are falling out.   There's something really BIG about that first tooth despite it's miniature size.  It's like she transformed into a more mature, seasoned five-year old and can now righteously demand elderly respect on the kindegarten playground.  

After brushing Lilly's remaining teeth, we admired old family photos, reminiscing the arrival of her first baby tooth at nine months.  Then off to bed for a better night's rest.  Now, if we can just pop out one more...