Honing the Grandparent Skills....

       James McNally Olsen is one adorable guy!  I hope all of my grandkids will be as good-natured as James.  When Brent and I babysat last Friday night we both decided this is the good life.  James parents, Andrew and Caitlin, have been in town for Liam's graduation at Stanford and we are delighted they came since it’s our first chance to meet Sweet Baby James! 
       James has Andrew’s easy-going temperament.  He makes practicing my grandparent skills quite easy.  I didn’t see him fuss once during the Olsen’s stay so I’m getting conditioned to well-behaved little people on the home front.  Plus, James has several tricks.  His motorboat babble is very cute and he gets almost giddy with excitement when you put him in front of any mirror!
       Of course his happy nature isn’t that surprising.  What on earth could he fuss about?  There isn’t much you can complain about when you are the main attraction.  Since James is the first grandchild on both sides so there is no shortage of attention coming his way.  
       Technically I guess I’m a great aunt to James but “Los Gatos Grandma” is my self-proclaimed title.  And, it’s nice that Caitlin has several siblings in the Bay Area so we get to see the Olsen crew fairly often.  Yay!

Why Love Matters....

The cute photo is Evelyn Anise Menasco (Amber & Sam’s new baby) and she’s appearing since she’s the most recent new baby photo on my cell phone and this is a post about babies. This was Evelyn as a newborn and she is already 2 months old!

Anyway, I’m reading a book assigned for class called Why Love Matters by British psychotherapist Sue Gerhardt. The book is fascinating (especially relative to some of the more tedious textbook reading!). It explores how critical love is to our brain development in the early years of life.

The book confirms the huge importance on new mothers being attuned to their baby’s needs. Parents who respond appropriately by feeding their baby when it’s hungry, engaging their baby when it’s bored, create a robust immune system and stress response.

Many parents do this instinctively but when needs aren’t met, a baby develops a rickety system with defense mechanisms in place. Babies that don’t have enough responsiveness from care givers have to learn to self-regulate as best they can. But the foundation is flawed.

Early patterns are persistent. They become inscribed in our brain’s neuronal networks. While they are learned in an unconscious way they ultimately become our emotional habits.

I wish I’d read this book before I had children, but, unfortunately it wasn’t published until 2004. But it’s a good read about the latest findings between neuroscience and psychology. And, a great reminder of how important parenting is (especially in the very first years of life!).

Celebrating upcoming arrivals....

Becca didn’t really want a baby shower (to each his own and honestly, I can relate) but we did figure out an untraditional way to celebrate the impending arrival of Kennedy (if you ask Jared) or Hazel (if you ask Becca).

Hazel or Kennedy, chosen name notwithstanding, the Petersons are darling parents, so their 2nd daughter is wise to choose such a great home to land in. The transition to share rank with a sibling might be a bit of an adjustment for Chloe but she’ll figure it out!

We had a fun evening last Saturday and the best part was enlisting the men to participate; a couple’s shower soiree! Most of the guys had never been to a baby shower of sorts, so it was humorous to watch them bumble through the game and then have Jared designated to open presents. And, Jared was great with gifts; lots of “ooh's & aah’s."

Looking at the photo it’s apparent that I’m sort of the geezer of the group. And, in this bunch I might be the shortest too. Bummer all around! Although, maybe I used to be taller and I’m just shrinking in my old age. Probably not, but that’s one explanation (even if it isn’t true). Oh, well!