Little Spaces

Fortunately for me, Cal’s cheerful bedroom at the front of our home is one of my favorite places to be. Quintessentially San Francisco, it is a quirky little room carved into the curve of a Bay window.  We spend a lot of time in here - chatting on his changing table, practicing tummy time on his activity mat, gazing up at the ever mesmerizing renovated light fixture, and, of course, rocking in the glider. 

WELL-LOVED RESOURCES:

Favorite Local SF purveyors of nursery decorating goodies:

Aldea Ninos on Valencia 

Natural Resources on Valencia 

Right Start on Sacramento 
Additional Online Favorites:
DucDuc
Dwell Studio
Petite Collage  

A Day Away

Today Cal got to spend a quality 8 hour stretch with daddy while I headed up to wine country to celebrate a good friend’s bachelorette weekend. While I absolutely missed the little one, I have to admit it was also great to have some time to recharge, participate in some non-baby related conversations, and soak in the beautiful scenery of some of Napa’s most charming wineries – and of course, sample a few great wines along the way. 

A Spoon Full of Sugar

Today we hired a nanny for my impending return to work next month. If there was any doubt that I have not yet reached adulthood at the ripe age of 33, I am now clear on the fact that I am indeed a grown up.

We are thrilled to welcome, “R”, a wonderfully caring, sweet and patient glider-loving nanny into Cal’s life. R will take care of him Tuesday – Friday as we are lucky enough to have Nick’s mom, grandma Patti, Munchkin sitting on Mondays.  

And how did reaching this initial parenting milestone come to be?

Turns out SF has some pretty good resources for hunting down an experienced and reliable baby care giver.

Town and Country helped us secure a truly wonderful nighttime baby nurse for a few weeks when we first returned from the hospital with our sleep challenged bundle of joy. Although it was a bit out of our price range for full-time ongoing nanny care they are fabulously organized, extremely responsive, and all the leg work on references, background checks etc is taken care of before candidates even walk through the door. If you can swing it financially, definitely recommend.

Looking for a broader range of financial options for long term care, I turned to the amazing resourcefulness of Golden Gate Mothers Group. Honestly, is there anything this organization does not cover? After half an hour of sifting through the exhaustive content (a knock is that the site is not well organized or especially easy to navigate) I did discover the “care giver forum” and my inbox was instantly flooded with other moms around town offering references for former nannies, suggestions for local daycares, and chiming in to suggest possible share care arrangements. I secured 5 interviews and with one exception I honestly think any one of the women who graciously came to meet us would have been a good fit.

 Thank you Golden Gate mother’s group! Our nanny search alone is well worth your $70 annual membership and we haven’t even scratched the surface of what you have to offer in terms of resources.

Ode to Barbour and British Country Chic

My love affair with classic British “country style” borders on obsession. However, the fact that I live in San Francisco leaves me a little hard pressed to justify a closet full of jodhpurs, riding boots and thick tartan scarves; although rugged all weather waxed rain slickers may have their moments. Not one to be deterred by silly challenges such as irrelevance to lifestyle, I have been quietly cultivating a small collection of English country goods over the years. I am just positive there is a charming country house over there that I am due to inherit shortly from some unknown and very splendid relative and, when we do, I would like to be prepared. 

For me, Barbour epitomizes Iconic English country style. In fact, one of my very first shopping trips for baby Cal (at 20 weeks along in my pregnancy) involved  snapping up the most adorable miniature Barbour vest. I may or may not have already tried this size 2 year plus clothing item on my 10 week old.

Until my country house appears, I will depend on Barbour to keep inspiring my English country style aesthetic.

WELL-LOVED RESOURCES:

Favorite Local SF purveyors of Barbour goodies:

The Hound on Sutter 

Orvis on Sutter

Online Favorites: 

Barbour

Bahles

Splish Splash!

After a bit of a bumpy start, bath time is becoming a good time in this home. Thanks to our recent purchase of the NakedTub, we have a perfect place for Cal to splash around safely just over our bathroom sink and with the collapsible and built in drain functionality, set up and storage couldn’t be easier.

Although still more of a sporadic adventure than a calming nightly routine, the little one is definitely enjoying longer and longer stretches in the tub. And we are enjoying the ridiculously good scent of a freshly washed newborn – does anything smell better?

As a bath product junkie, I have not been shy about testing out different kinds in the name of diligent attention to my newborn’s hygiene. I have to say that although they all smell really good, nothing can compare to Noodle and Boo’s Bouncing Baby Bubbles. Recommended by one of my best friends and mother to Cal’s future girlfriend, theNoodle and Boo line is organic and safe for ultra-sensitive skin newborn skin. I have found Cal’s signature scent and it is as delicious as he is. 

WELL-LOVED RESOURCES:

Favorites Local SF purveyors of bath time goodies:

Aldea Ninos  on Valencia 

OmniChemists  on Union 

Small Frys  on 24th
Online Favorites:
All Natural Seedlings
California Baby  
Noodle and Boo

Just Bjorn It

We live at the tippy top of Russian Hill in San Francisco – smack dab in between the Polk street corridor and North Beach.  I can’t overstate how much I LOVE our neighborhood – there is honestly no place else in the city I would rather live. However, I will also be the first to admit that when new parents are contemplating which SF neighborhood is the most practical for strollering a newborn around with ease – it is unlikely that ours is going to make the top of the list.

Enter Bjorn. This old school classic is a hallmark of daily routine and by far the easiest way to tote little Cal around our neighborhood.  And after trips down to North Beach or the Marina, home is just a Bjorn friendly bus ride back up the hill. 

Miniature Lazy Boys and Other Things I Never Knew Existed

At four weeks, Cal was diagnosed with acid reflux. More specifically, it turns out our little guy suffers from GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) which is apparently not that uncommon in infants – who knew?  Among the rich tapestry of idiosyncrasies that acid reflux brings to a poor undeserving newborn is the need to be held upright for long periods of time after eating and calming through continuous movement (hence ample glider time.)

So what are overtired and deeply concerned first time parents to do when the little love of their life projectile vomits after being laid down in his cozy and beautifully hand crafted bassinette? Turns out the “nap nanny chill”  (miniature lazy boy) is positioned at the perfect incline for our little one’s reclining comfort. So now, even though the miniature lazy boy goes with NOTHING in the nursery – we can rest assure that Cal is positioned safely at an incline for when those pesky digestive symptoms strike.

Here are some more upright places Cal likes to hang and other effective acid reflux symptom reducing gizmos we've accumulated over the past few weeks.  

the wedge.  miniature lazy boy. Bjorn bouncer. Swing. Dad’s shoulder – favorite place – not for sale or rent.