Whether you run by the solar calendar, lunar, or school calendar, it seems like each year often surrounds or is highlighted by a particular event. At the young age that I am, many of those years have been centered primarily around that year in school. More recently though it has been large events like Marriage, AmeriCorps, Graduating College, Moving to Nashville, and Living in Community. Now, as 2007 rolls around our lives are taking a dramatic turn that will forever change us: Mindy and I are having a baby.
I think for many this is not new news, hopefully it is not (if it is, I’m sorry!). I haven’t written much about it on here or elsewhere; I think mostly because the reality of it hasn’t quite set in yet. Well, one way or the other, 2007 is the year of the baby, so I’m starting to embrace it. I’m thrilled beyond belief at the opportunity to be a father.
I’m going to start writing quite a bit more about my thoughts about being a parent, and particularly ideas I have for instilling morals and values in my children. I’m hoping these post will be a lot more interactive as I know there are a number of parent’s who currently read my blog, and I’m really hoping to gain some wisdom from you in this area.
Look forward to more posts about pregnancy, babies and parenting here at Trying to Follow.
Wow, congratulations, Ariah! As a longtime reader of your blog, as someone who finds himself nodding in agreement with nearly all of your social commentary, and as a newlywed who one day anticipates parenthood himself, I’m looking forward to your thoughts on fatherhood.
Grace, peace, and blessings to you, Mindy, and the little one…
– kendrick arnett.
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts along this blessed adventure your on. 🙂
congratulations!
congrats Ariah!
thought you and Mindy might appreciate the following article…
🙂
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LilaGuides way for parents
By Jackie Burrell
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
BY THE SECOND or third kid, most parents are pros. They know which parks and playgrounds are best and which cafes are kid-friendly. They know what to buy and where to buy it, and, most important of all, where their best resources — other parents — gather.
But it’s all a blur for sleep-deprived newbies.
“When you first become a parent, you’re a deer in the headlights,” says Oli Mittermaier, founder of the pastel-striped LilaGuide, a Zagat-style guidebook series for families that got its start in the Bay Area.
The grassroots, advice-from-moms books launched five years ago when Mittermaier and his wife, UCSF pediatric neurologist Elysa Marco, had their daughter, Delilah — and quickly discovered that babies don’t come with an owner’s manual.
“There’s this multibillion dollar industry, this ferocious marketing machine that convinces you, you absolutely need this and that product,” says Mittermaier. “I was frustrated by this whole experience. New parents pretty much invent the wheel for themselves. I wanted to know what I did and didn’t need, and the best way to find out was by talking to other parents.”
So he did. He asked 18,000 Bay Area parents. And then he asked tens of thousands more in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, Houston and Tampa Bay. The result is a series of 26 pastel guidebooks for cities coast to coast, and a baby empire that was picked up last summer by TheKnot.com, the New York-based wedding experts. Mittermaier will stay on as CEO.
Lila’s not the only game in town, of course. The last several years have seen an explosion of parenting advice books, magazines and television shows, and enough advice Web sites and blogs — with names like “Breed ‘Em and Weep” or “Postcards from the Mothership” — to make any new, sleep-deprived parent start second-guessing himself.
Amazon.com alone sells 45,321 different titles on every aspect of parenting, from “sleep training” infants to talking to teens. And the Bay Area has given rise to several parent-to-parent advice ventures, including the venerable Berkeley Parents Network (http://parents.berkeley.edu), where East Bay parents pose questions and proffer advice online. “Babies by the Bay,” another guidebook by Michelle Keene and Stephanie Lamarre, offers expert advice and parent ratings on topics ranging from pregnancy to preschool.
It’s the parent-to-parent component that’s so important, says Mittermaier. It’s not advice from a baby product industry that rakes in $4 billion per year on cribs, diapers and onesies. It’s real advice from real people who’ve been through the same new-parent experience.
“The whole idea is you can’t make this information up,” he says. “You have to get enough people involved, keep it authentic.”
Mittermaier had just sold his dot-com business in 2001 and was home, trying to figure out the whole new parent thing when the “light bulb went off,” he says. He started collecting parent input the old-fashioned way, through word of mouth, hand-scribbled surveys and many, many Xeroxes. Now, it’s all online at LilaGuide.com, and the reviews pour in by the hundreds of thousands. Marco takes the month of July off to help review and fact-check the latest editions.
“People want to share, to engage,” says Mittermaier. “But I cringe at the thought of it back then, photocopying a whole bunch of pieces of paper, handing 10 to friends.”
About a third of the book’s content changes from year to year, partly because of business turnover, and partly because so many more people are contributing. It’s not just San Francisco now, it’s Benicia, Livermore and Fremont. And it’s not just collapsible umbrella strollers, either. Now, says Mittermaier in tones of utter incredulity, $750 all-terrain Bugaboo strollers are normal.
“The biggest trend that we’ve noticed is on the product side,” says Mittermaier. “Now everybody’s running around with Bugaboo Frog and Gecko (strollers). With Delilah, we had this rickety thing with plastic wheels that made lots of noise. Now they have air-filled tires. I guess people are just willing to spend more.”
Despite their chic exteriors, the striped guides provide some much-needed common sense, he says. You’ll find Bugaboos and trendy baby clothes, but you’ll also find consignment shops and cheap eats. And the parent commentary crackles with charm and local expertise.
The Bay Area version, now in its fourth edition, includes Lafayette’s beloved Squirrel diner and Skipolini’s Pizza in Clayton — with commentary that covers the “Preggo Pizza that supposedly induces labor,” outdoor patio, tasty food and tot seats that lock onto the tabletop.
The Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe listing includes the notation that the Emeryville cafe’s staff “automatically bring water with a straw and a bowl of Cheerios to the table.” Diners are urged to try the “yummy” butterscotch bread pudding at Dublin’s Red Tractor Cafe or look for the BART train model zipping around the Montclair Egg Shop.
It’s 415 pages of stuff no out-of-towner would ever know, which is why Mittermaier hires moms in Phoenix, Pittsburgh and the other 23 cities to edit and oversee the survey process for those guides.
“The LilaGuide is written by parents for parents,” says “UrbanMama,” a Portland blogger who says she found some of her favorite stores and cafes in the “uber-palatable” Portland guide, plus activities and exercise classes she’d never heard of before.
“I found some fun stuff,” she says, “like quotes about almost all the parks and playgrounds with helpful firsthand information. … The Baby Basics section is a great resource, with listings and info for all our favorite joints.”
Because it takes a parent to know.
Reach Jackie Burrell at 925-977-8568 or jburrell@cctimes.com.
BEST OF THE EAST BAY, FAMILY-STYLE
LilaGuides gathered the collected wisdom of nearly 18,000 Bay Area parents into a single, green-striped guidebook to the best parks, cafes and family resources. Among the East Bay highlights are these four- and five-star picks:
PARKS & OUTINGS
• Codornices Park, Berkeley — 5 stars
“An awesome park with two age-appropriate play areas … bring an old cardboard box so you can go down the amazing, long concrete slide … fun tunnel to walk through to get to the Rose Garden.” 1201 Euclid Ave., Berkeley; http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/parks/.
• Emerald Glen Park, Dublin — 4.5 stars
“What a great place for imaginative play… lots of fun play equipment, including interesting slides and water play … the dinosaur dig is inspired.” 4201 Central Parkway, just off Tassajara Road; http://www.ci.Dublin.ca.us
• Habitot Children’s Museum, Berkeley — 5 stars
“Lots of age-appropriate hands-on and pretend play opportunities … special area for crawlers … gets really crowded on rainy weekend days when everyone is looking for fun indoor entertainment.” 2065 Kittredge, Berkeley; 510-647-1111; http://www.Habitot.org
• Music Together, classes in Martinez, Brentwood, Livermore, Walnut Creek and other locations — 4.5 stars
“Music, singing, dancing, even instruments for tots to play with … be prepared to have your tot sing the songs at home, in the car, everywhere … the highlight of our week — grandma always comes along.” For details on classes in more than a dozen East Bay cities, visit http://www.MusicTogether.com.
CAFES
• Kensington Circus, Kensington — 5 stars
“Friendly neighborhood pub with all-important play area in the back of the room … toys all over the place … a place where you can have a beer and relax while child runs all over the stage and no one will mind.” 389 Colusa Ave., Kensington; 510-524-8814.
• Portumex, Richmond — 4.5 stars
“Food is excellent, and so are the prices… jukebox and outside seating … the owner is Portuguese, and his wife is Mexican, hence the name.” 721 23rd St., Richmond; 510-237-7513.
• Red Tractor Cafe, Dublin — 4 stars
“The tractor and farm animal decor is a big winner … the food is so fresh and healthy … children’s artwork is hanging all over the walls.” 4920 Dublin Blvd., Dublin; 925-828-8300, http://www.RedTractor.com.
• Pasta Pomodoro, El Cerrito, Oakland, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon — 5 stars
“California-Italian cooked up fast in an almost-open kitchen … friendly waitstaff is well prepared and trained for kid customers … crayons and coloring pages are ready and waiting, orders are taken quickly and the food is brought out at soon as it is prepared.” http://www.PastaPomodoro.com.
FAMILY RESOURCES
• The Nurture Center, Lafayette — 5 stars
“Wide variety of top-notch classes, including labor preparation, infant massage, infant CPR and baby signing … you can basically take care of all your pregnancy and baby needs right here.” 925-283-1346, 3399 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette; http://www.NurtureCenter.com.
• Pleasant Hill/Walnut Creek Mother’s Club — 5 stars
“A network of parents and parents-to-be, encompassing all areas of the East Bay … kids love the monthly outings … ‘In a Pinch’ service provides members with meals, errands and/or play dates during times of need due to the birth of a new baby, illness or other family emergency.” http://www.Mom4Mom.org.
Thanks for all the congratulations. I’m definitly looking forward to having the support of others around.
I’m still on the search for examples of others that I can learn from.
Thanks for the article yesha.
Hey Ariah! I have a couple book suggestions if you guys are interested. My favorite pregnancy and birth books are “The Birth Book” and “The Baby Book” by Dr. Sears. (Mindy will LOVE these!)
Then my favorite parenting book thus far is “Easy To Love Difficult To Discipline” by Becky Bailey. A close second is “The Discipline Book” by Dr. Sears. Great references from a natural minded Christian perspective, and such a wonderful companion for the attachment parenting lifestyle. 🙂
Have you guys signed up for a childbirth class yet? My husbnad and I LOVED our Bradley Method Childbirth classes. Again, natural minded and very centered around the husband being the main support for his wife. Husband, wife and baby working as a team throughout the labor process. Got us through two drug-free, midwife assisted labors (the last one was even a water birth!)
Hope you guys will take a look at these. They will help you along on this beautiful journey.
Blessings,
Jamie