Hudson at 4-1/2

We celebrated Hudson’s half-birthday on the 17th. He’s four-and-a-half! Which means he’s almost five. Oh my goodness, a real boy.

But while the squish around his wrists is disappearing, his limbs looking impossibly long, he’s still our baby. And he is the sweetest…

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How to hold someone else’s newborn (& Friday links)

I got a kick out of the article “How to hold a Stranger’s Newborn,” when it ran in the New York Times last fall. It was one of those headlines that resonates because even as a parent to two young children, I can still feel occasionally feel nervous about holding someone else’s newborn—and this seemed to suggest that I’m not the only one.

For my part, the nerves have nothing to do with any worry I’m going to drop the baby or make it cry (I would never! And they all just do!), but rather that I can get self-conscious about the parents watching me hold the baby. Do they think I’m going to drop it? Did I let them see me wash my hands just before? Are they looking for an excuse to take the baby back?

The article addresses this, with advice from Pat Rice, “a psychologist who has been volunteering for 19 years as a ‘trained cuddler’’ in [a] neonatal intensive care unit”:

“Try to avoid feeling self-conscious or attempting to impress nearby adults. ‘’Be more consciously in your heart when you’re holding babies,’ Rice says.”

In your heart. Isn’t that sweet?

Other tips I loved:

‘‘’Tell the baby your name, and say their name.’’’

“Make that tiny body in your arms your temporary nucleus. Start with the classic cradle hold, but change positions if the child cries, arches its back or looks exasperated.”

“Speak and sing.” (Rice often tries Louis Armstrong’s version of ‘‘When You’re Smiling’’ or just repeats: ‘You’re O.K. It’s going to be all right.’)

“Calm your emotions.” (And “generate compassion.”)

Aren’t new babies just the most marvelous, bizarre little things?

Here are some more things you might find interesting… 

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Happy Anniversary, Hither & Thither!

Who would have guessed that the little blog Aron and I started together in New York would have come to mean so much? It amazes to think all that it’s become—a job, an education, a door to new experiences, to new friends. I have tremendous gratitude to all of you who come to read each day. I recognize many names in the comments as people who, though we’ve never met, have been here for so long; others may just stop in from time to time. It feels like a privilege and a responsibility to put content out there for another to read and then to find that someone has.

This week marks seven years of Hither & Thither, over 1500 posts. It seems like a fitting time to look back over the year and remember how much has happened. Thank you so much for reading and making it possible.

Here are some highlights from the past year, and some things I’m looking forward to! (Warning: these are always such long posts—but I can’t help it!)

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