11.30.2005

The Corderoy Club--where was my invite?

So it's not really about New Haven or babies, but I couldn't resist posting a link about a truly dear friend from high school being mentioned in the New Yorker for her talk about the origins of the word corderoy.

"Betsy Franjola, the fabric manager for Karl Lagerfeld, delivered a history lesson, citing competing claims about the etymology of the word “corduroy”: one story has the term originating in seventeenth-century France (corde du roi: the king’s cloth), and another traces it to thirteenth-century Manchester, otherwise known as Cottonopolis."

Congrats Bets!

11.29.2005

Holiday lights (before dinner)

Tomorrow is the annual New Haven Holiday Tree Lighting extravaganza. And, if you go, go early.
We showed up about 6 last year---just in time to catch the tail end of a spirited children's singing performance and then relative empty darkness. I wasn't exactly comfortable.
The scoop from last year:
Santa hung out in a decorated mobile 'porch' thing. There was a pretty long line, and I was hesitant to plop newhavenbaby on some old man's lap on the Green so we skipped it. There was a small 'ride' thing set up where your (non-baby) kid could hop on a mechanical polar-bear-on-roller-skates contraption and go around in a circle a bunch of times.

If I wasn't teaching tomorrow night, I'd be going again with my camera ready. But, I'd be sure to get there at 4 or 4:30---and I'd force DH to escort us this time instead of meeting him on campus after we had our fill of Christmas lights.

11.21.2005

Happy Thanksgiving!


We're on vacation this week. We hope you have a happy and very thankful thanksgiving, and we'll be back wandering around New Haven in no time.

11.18.2005

Hey, Yalebabies

Yale has just announced some hefty (and impressive!) new initiatives in regards to child-care on and near campus, including a new center, expansion of the child-care centers in the area " to provide services that address the unique needs and schedules of Yale families," financial support for a campus cooperative child-care center, scholarship assistance at Yale-affiliated programs, and (my favorite!) expanded informational resources. Does this include acquiring or supporting a hip and snazzy dot-com site that parents in new haven are already familiar with?

Today's Yale Daily News also included an article about Yale participating in a program with Columbia University to help married professors find positions for their professorial spouses within commuting distance.

Did I already say 'impressive?'
read the full article

11.17.2005

Taxi!


I had always wondered what the carseat norm was regarding taking babies in taxis, and yesterday, as my car decided it would rather go to the repair shop than to class with me, I had an opportunity to ask an expert---the taxi driver.

His answer: most people with small babies bring the carseat with them. Older babies and small toddlers sit on laps a lot. Older toddlers are sometimes buckled in to the regular belts. He also said that you can request a carseat from the operator (777-7777) when you call, and they will send a driver with a seat if one is available. Interesting, right?

EDITED TO ADD: (see daddytypes.com for a related discussion about NYC car services)

11.13.2005

Places to Go, Things to See



One good turn deserves another, and as I just discovered a peak in traffic due to some new links from the Yale Child Study Center sponsored Web site: parentsfirst.net, I thought I'd send a link back.

One of our favorite places for ideas on snowy and rainy days is the "places to go, things to see" link on the parentsfirst site. Categories include: Explore!, Airplanes, Orchards, Tricycles, Art, Measuring...should I go on? In fact, I found the trolley museum for newhavenbaby's birthday ride by clicking on Trucks, Trolleys, Trains and Transportation. Almost all of the activites listed are things you can do at home or nearby.

The other place I love to lurk for ideas when the park is too wet, cold, or windy is
Enchanted Learning (thanks to newhavenbaby's grandma for the link!). Don't click on the link unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

Oh, and a new favorite for online learning: Starfall is a homeschooling resource. It is more for older kids, but newhavenbaby thinks he can read and I don't want to tell him any differently!
Fisher-price has some neat and educational baby/toddler games as well. Newhavenbaby's current favorite is 'Shapes'.

Ignoring my baby

Poor newhavenbaby.com has not gotten much attention from me lately as I am paying lots and lots of attention to cranky, teething, he's-definitely-two-now newhavenbaby himself.
My apologies.
So, what's new? not much.

We took 3 toddlers, and parents, to Royal Palace last Monday and, after an initial feeling on my part of being overwhelmed, had a great time.
We took 3 toddlers, and parents, to Swagat on Thursday and were overwhelmed again (sadly, dinner finally began with just one toddler left at the table and the other two on their way home with their daddy).

My stories don't even compare to this.

Yikes!

11.07.2005

Good Karma

So I got a terrible haircut on Friday...technically, it was a very well executed haircut; emotionally, it wreaked havoc. I looked like a politician, instead of the hip mama I hope to be.

Today, I'm feeling better as I just got back from Karma to have my haircut touched up. I called this morning and spoke to Cheryl, the owner, who graciously finangled her schedule to squeeze me in 2 hours later. I took newhavenbaby with me, so I packed a bag full of anything and everything I could find that might hold his interest for 2 seconds.

Karma is a funky little salon in the lobby of the beautiful Taft building downtown. The chairs are old barber chairs, the music is hot, and I didn't imagine babies would be, well, welcome. But, as soon as we walked in Matt, the salon coordinator, offered to show a movie (Shrek, who newhavenbaby recognized from his box of Cheerios) which is the rarest of treats for newhavenbaby. Matt even sat down between appointment calls and kept newhavenbaby company on the sofa for the 15 minutes or so it took to unfrumpify my hair (thank you, Cheryl!!!).

I wouldn't say I would recommend bringing a baby with you to Karma(why should you---you deserve a little pampering by yourself!), but I would recommend the excellent treatment I received. So nice!

Karma is located at 263 College Street, New Haven. Phone is (203) 777-6333. Just tell Matt that newhavenbaby sent you. (:

11.02.2005

Halloween hijinks


Did anyone else fall prey to the masked East Rock candy thieves? I caught one dumping our neighbor's bowl of candy in to his backpack. Hrmph! Newhavenbaby better not behave like that when he grows up!

Speaking of poor newhavenbaby, he has been sick all week with a virus, so he didn't get to go trick or treating this year. We're thinking about taking him one night when he feels better, so don't be surprised when we come knocking at your door.