Hopeful...

He sleeps. In his crib. No swaddle. 

For now. 

Hibernation

If you are in North America, you are likely aware of the outrageous conditions going on right now, especially in the frozen wasteland of Minneaota.  Needless to say, Picard and I are not leaving the house today!  At least, Picard isn't. While I don't enjoy the cold like this, I kind of enjoy puttering around the house.  The perfect day for experimental cooking, tackling the laundry, and getting some knitting done. 

Also snuggling with my napping son.  I think some cookies are definitely happening tonight. Maybe Rosemary Shortbread?  For now, though, definitely snuggling. Picard keeps waking up every time I get up, and I will take any excuse to keep lounging around knitting and listening to NPR. 

2014: Big Plans

I had all sorts of ideas for parent-type resolutions for this year, but then I realized what I really need to focus on is not becoming completely subsumed by motherhood.  With that in mind, I will attempt some projects that if can undertake this year that will hopefully improve my life, and that I can hold myself accountable for. 

1.  Read twelve classics. I will certainly have no trouble reading my quota of books this year, but it would be nice to get around to reading some of the works of literature I have been meaning to. The rule is that they must be new to me. 

2.  Six complete designs. I have oodles of ideas, knitting wise, but I am notorious at failing to complete them, or organize my notes into a pattern. Of course, pattern writing is a ton of work, so I will focus on small and simple things.  I think this one is a pretty big goal, but one that is important to me professionally. 

3. Cook more, and cook more exciting foods.  I love cooking, though what with the baby and with the working crazy hours before the baby, and with the general disorganized state of my mind, and with the being lazy, I have not been cooking as much as I ought.  Also a factor: with only one of us working right now, we should be trying to save more money.  While I have this time to work on our food habits, I also need to learn meal planning and shopping well.

I think three is a nice number. Seems manageable.  I suppose I should get going on this stuff.  Thoughts?  Suggestions?

Raktijino: Klingon Mom Style

As I missed my coffee this morning, and have sorely felt the lack today, I thought I might share my recipe for "raktijino," or spiced coffee. I have overused several recipes for "raktijino," but none of them seem quite right for my taste. I make my coffee in a French press, since I am the only coffee drinker in the house, also I usually make half-decaf.  I am a wimp, but cut me some slack. I am a breastfeeding wimp, after all. I also don't really measure things that precisely. 

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons ground coffee

Dash Cinnamon

Dash Ginger

Pinch nutmeg, cardamom, cloves

Pinch crushed fennel seeds

Combine spices and coffee in French press, add approximately 8 oz. boiling water. Steep for a few minutes, then stir and plunge. While coffee is brewing, heat approximately 4 oz. milk. Combine milk and coffee, add sugar to taste.  Prepare for an honorable day of, I don't know, bat'leth training or something. 

First Time Parent Panic: Travel

Here is some news for any and all, at least those of you in the United States:  Thanksgiving is next week!  Now, I know you're thinking "gee, Klingon Mom, what's the big deal?  Just dish up some gagh and bloodwine and have done."  That's all well and good, but since we have extended families to think about, travel is inevitable at this time of year.  Flying around the holidays is bad enough as an adult. Now we have a baby.

This will not be our first excursion with Picard.  A couple of weeks ago, we took a little road trip to visit some friends.  He hated it so much.  We thought it would work out great--he fell asleep, we set out, biut after about twenty minutes he woke up and started screaming.  Needless to say, our trip took a lot of extra time, what with the extra stops for milk and diapers and cuddles.  Had I been thinking ahead, I would have thawed a bottle of milk for the trip so he could eat on the road, but he hardly ever has bottles, so maybe that wouldn't have worked.  The plane will be a little easier in that regard; since we'll be holding him, he can nurse whenever he wants to.

The major source of anxiety is, of course, what if he has a fit of the screamies?  I mean, babies cry, and people understand that babies cry, but I am quite terrified of being the family with the [expletive deleted] screaming baby.  And more importantly, if Picard is crying, it's because something is wrong.  Granted, babies don't have the best sense of proportion, but the crying really makes me feel like the worst parent EVAR!  I went to a mom and baby group a little while ago, and Picard spend most of it in a cascade of heart wrenching sobs and ear splitting screams, while I paced with him in a darkened back room until he calmed down.  My greatest hope is that Picard will recognize that air travel is the closest he will get to the Enterprise for now, and that he will find it of some comfort.

I am also feeling a little bit daunted by packing--though that is tempered somewhat by the fact that I am an expert at packing a suitcase, and the fact that we'll be staying with my parents.  Any packing anxiety stems from the fact that I am used to only bringing carry-on luggage, and may have to end up letting go of that practice.  Alas.  I have concerns about handling the carseat, too.  We will have him as a lap child because, frankly, it's a pretty short flight and we'd almost certainly end up holding him for the whole thing anyway.  However, I know what happens to checked bags, and thinking about that gives me the shivers.

Anyway.  I am sure everything will be more or less okay.  In other news, I finally have mustered up the gumption to try cloth diapers, as soon as Picard wakes up from his nap.

Raktajino Klatsch--A Change of Direction

I have had some pretty significant changes in the past year.  Well, actually just the one.  As you might be able to tell from the Brand New Name, I had a baby recently!  Yay!  He's excellent and wonderful and perfect and all things that new parents say about their children.  It has me thinking about what I want him to learn from us and the world.  It has me thinking about what my own admirable qualities are, what is not so admirable about me, and how this will pan out in parenting the little sprocket.  It has me thinking about how much Star Trek I have watched throughout my lifetime.  

My husband and I are nerds.  I say it freely because there is no shame in the fact.  We had a conversation a couple of years into our relationship about "what Star Trek culture we most identified with," and he described me as half Klingon, half Vulcan--a somewhat unorthodox combination that I nevertheless find pretty accurate.  I went with "Klingon Mom" for the new title because it has a better ring to it.  Also, I think it might be slightly more important that Picard* grow up to be honorable than a paragon of logical thinking.  Not that I don't want him to develop that skill.  I want him to grow up to do glorious battle with his own fears and the challenges of being alive.  

I hope to continue the patterns and the household-y stuff, and discuss issues of parenting young Picard, as it appears from my vantage point.  I make to claims to wisdom, or even competence.  We're just doing our best to avoid screwing up too badly.  I like to think that we are probably up to the challenge.  Luckily, I feel like parenting is an adaptive interface--for the first couple of months, everyone just has to have their physical needs met, and once you gain the necessary experience points and acquire the skill ranks, the challenge rating increases.  

In writing this, I feel more that a little trite, since home/family/parenting blogs are a dime a dozen, but I think that nerd parents are underrepresented, much like nerd ladies.  And I'd like to be a part of remedying that situation.  I will try to update regularly.  Maybe aim for a schedule of features of some kind.  We'll see.

Qapla'!

*The child is not named "Picard."  It was, however, his nickname before he was born.

It's an Update!

I am not a very good blogger.  There, I said it.  I am not ashamed to admit.  However, having recently discovered that there are, in fact people looking at this, I feel it that my time might be better spent thinking and writing than doing Sporcle quizzes.  As much fun as they are.  So, what has been going on over the past year?  Read lots of books, obviously.  Working on some knitting patterns, so that is cool.  I hope to have something of that nature to post soon.  Perhaps some reviews of books? 

I will leave you for now with a suggestion of a musical nature.  There really needs to be a mash-up of two Duran Duran songs: "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf."  Title "Her Name is Rio and She's Hungry Like the Wolf."  Go ahead and sing them together in your head.  I'll wait................Totally, right?

And last but not least, the best cover of a Duran Duran song ever.