catherinemryan, Author at The Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Mother, the puke catcher

March 17, 2014catherinemryan

Peeper has been sleeping poorly lately—thank you, tooth #4 that is so close to popping through—so when she started to cry the other night 45 minutes after I put her to bed, I figured her gums were just making her fussy.

She cried for a bit, was quiet, and then started crying again. I continued reading my book but brought the monitor closer.

Then I heard the sound.

I rushed into the nursery and sure enough, there was my beautiful daughter, covered in vomit. The poor dear was crying the way she does when we turn on the vacuum cleaner or blender—she was terrified.

I was scared, too.

Eat, Say, Love: What I’ve been Into Lately

March 12, 2014catherinemryan

I spend ~~a lot~~ probably too much time on my computer every day. The downside: tight shoulders and a sore back. The upside: stumbling across gems throughout the Internet. Here are a few favorites for your clicking pleasure.

WATCH

Lupita Nyongo’s speech on beauty I’m often reminded that it’ll be a formidable challenge to raise a child, but especially a daughter, who loves herself in spite of the messages she’s not beautiful, thin or fashionable enough. Role models like Lupita Nyongo will make that project just a tiny bit easier.

READ

Reaching My Autistic Son through Disney I’ve been passing this link to whomever lets me. If you click through on one thing today, let it be this. It’s a story about how one family used their son’s fixation on Disney to peel away the layers of autism and come to know him. My husband works with children with autism, so the article struck even closer to home. I can’t even imagine the struggle of raising a child on the far end of the autism spectrum, but this article shows the triumphs and love of that relationship, too.

Top 100 Children’s Books We love book time in this house, but I could “read” Peeper’s favorites with my eyes closed: I have her go-to board books memorized. I loved this list, then, because it gave me some ideas for new titles to check out.

(Does anyone know of a good app to recommend kids’ books? I am usually at a loss at the library and end up getting board books with baby faces in them.)

EAT

Banana Oatmeal Muffins The fact that this recipe calls for about a quarter of the refined sugar as similar ones made me feel better as I ate one the other day at 5am. Hey, I was hungry after nursing, changing, then changing Peeper again. (Ugh, I hate middle of the night poos.)

Red Lentil, Tomato and Kale Soup This soup is insanely easy and equally delicious. It makes enough that you can freeze some to reheat later. I topped it with a dollop of yogurt one day and a squeeze of lemon another day. I also added whatever veggies I had in the house—I love that about lentil soup: It’s so versatile!

What is your favorite link this week?

Eight months

March 10, 2014catherinemryan

When Peeper was just born, her awareness was mostly limited to the eight inches in front of her face. Then her eyesight improved, and she just drank in whatever she could see, from cars driving by to the wind-whipped trees overhead. She demanded to be carried facing out so she didn’t miss a thing. Then she learned to roll and suddenly she was more in control of her own body.

Now that Peeper is mobile, her world has expanded even further.

Ignore your phone, give water

March 3, 2014catherinemryan

A handful of women stepped into an ankle-deep pond. They bent at the waist to dip metal tubs into the water. They made shallow passes with the containers, trying to avoid the worst of the sediment.

They were collecting water to drink, cook and bathe with from the only free source within walking distance. The pond, though, was close to drying up during the lull before the rainy season, and sometimes the women got sick from drinking the untreated water.

Women near Gushegu, Ghana collect water from a pond thirty minutes away from their camp. Credit: Catherine Ryan Gregory

I walked back to their camp with these women in Ghana as they balanced the metal containers—heavy enough that I’d have trouble lifting them, let alone setting them on my head. They didn’t complain; they at least had something to drink.

Women in Northern Ghana carry the responsibility of fetching water for household chores. Credit: Catherine Ryan Gregory

A pump with much cleaner water was several hundred yards away, but a man stood guard to collect money from anyone who used it. These women had no money, so they made do with the silty pond.

Many of us in the Global North take water for granted. We don’t think of our good fortune when we take a sip, wash the dishes or flush the toilet. Yet 768 million people worldwide don’t have access to safe and clean water, according to UNICEF.

UNICEF is now running a program to help bring clean water to more people in need through its Tap Project. And we can help—by giving up something that is a luxury, we can provide a life-giving necessity.

I know what’s worse than Cry It Out

February 28, 2014catherinemryan

When people ask me how motherhood is going, I say, “Great!” and list what Peeper is up to these days—crawling, standing, making ridiculous faces when she eats peas.

If a good friend asks, though, my response is a little different.

“Great!” I might start out, then qualify with, “much better than before.”

I know what’s worse than Cry It Out

February 28, 2014catherinemryan

When people ask me how motherhood is going, I say, “Great!” and list what Peeper is up to these days—crawling, standing, making ridiculous faces when she eats peas.

If a good friend asks, though, my response is a little different.

“Great!” I might start out, then qualify with, “much better than before.”

Babyproofing: Week one

February 27, 2014catherinemryan

It has been a week since I decided to tackle the disaster that is our apartment. In the interest of creating a safer and saner home, I’ve dedicated time every day toward picking up, putting away, throwing out and clearing off.

I’m proud of myself. The dishes have been done and everything looks tidier—kind of like my mom has stayed for the entire week. (I’m joking, but not.)

I feel a little more comfortable with Edie’s crawling, too. I still have to keep a close eye on her—her all-time favorite thing to do is sprint toward the dog bowls—but I don’t have to worry about her zapping a finger off anymore.

On the other hand, all this cleaning and wiping and purging is taking time away from other things. I have been working on my writing and freelancing less this week. There are a finite number of hours in the day, and something’s gotta give.

Snap-on baby bow ties

February 26, 2014June 21, 2016catherinemryan

My friend from grad school always looked snappy. Whereas I tended to teach in jeans and a sweater, Erica sported bow ties. So when she and her wife announced they were expecting, I knew exactly what I wanted to make them.

Their beautiful baby girl was born in December, but I just now finished her gift. Better late than never!

Behold—onesies with interchangeable bow ties!

interchangeable baby bow tie onesies Read more →

Creating a safer home

February 24, 2014catherinemryan

The other night I felt an urge to get rid of everything. Everything. I wanted the books, picture frames, files, magazines, souvenirs, change jars and dog toys gone. I felt claustrophobic, strangled by our belongings. I craved clear surfaces and space.

I’d lost my cell phone for the millionth time earlier that day. Motherhood, or perhaps the lack of sleep that comes with waking with an infant throughout the night, has made my mind even more scrambled than ever. I become furious when I misplace something, which is often.

I also spent a frustrated five minutes looking for the glass of water I’d just refilled. I asked my husband if he’d moved it. “You mean the water glass next to the bed?” he asked. Yes, that one. Yes, I put it there. Yes, I’m a mess.

I don’t have the energy or time to spare searching for keys, coupons, stamps, bills and cell phones. Frantically looking in piles and under laundry makes me crazy. I need to do something differently.

Creating a safer home

February 24, 2014catherinemryan