Christmas Costumes!

Yes, it's ridiculous how long I've been away from this blog

I can't properly provide a summary of a month-and-a-half away from updating this, so I will just make this a photographic update.

Merry Christmas (will post again just after the holiday)!

The Blueberry Fairy: Mila's first Halloween party

Mila actually got to dress up as the Blueberry Fairy (her own invention) twice in the past week. First for the Zoo Boo at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (I missed out on that one), then for a Halloween party at the green space in the Abell neighborhood- where we also did trick or treating for the first time! A great time was had by all. Drew got the coveted chili pepper baby costume.

Graphic Notations by Mila

Mila's skills as an artist are continually developing. It is truly remarkable to see her use lines and shapes in new ways, very conscious about color. In fact, when I ask her about her drawings she mostly just talks about the colors and then makes physical gestures to indicate what she has done with them. They are truly abstract drawings, I think (though she hasn't taken to the word "abstract"). For her birthday she received some oil crayons and a sketchbook. Today as we sat in the Free School, waiting for other kids who never came, she made a series of really remarkable sketches in the book- new kinds of textures I hadn't seen her use before. Here is a sampling of her recent work:

Mila discovers new synth parameters

I'm not sure what she did, but through her exploration of the knobs and buttons on my old M-Audio Radium, hooked up to a Thor soft-synth in Reason, she produced some interesting variations on a loop that she recorded.

Sitting upright

Drew is gaining great upper body strength and balance (maybe from all his time being carried in a wrap?). The other day we introduced Drew to the array of stuffed animals on the top bunk and set up a tent there, while he sat and explored plush surfaces. Now able to sit independently for a little while!

Pictures from Mila's third birthday!

Mila and Drew 9/09

Communication expands. The first laughs have been shared, and a lifelong relationship forged. Simply amazing. Drew rolled from his belly to his back all by himself today! Also gaining great upper body control, new vocal sounds. To the tune of "Every Time" (Dubble8).

Art For Free Children (Prelude)

I hope that everyone can excuse my lengthy absence from this blog. The past several weeks have been fairly crazy for me in my extra-parental professional world. I started my Sound I class at MICA, while the opening of Mobtown Modern's third concert season led me to create a documentary podcast on loop-based music, complete a composition for the opening concert (for myself to perform on 6 different instruments, using software that I had never before used live), to coordinate a collaboration between two composer friends for a separate MM event ("Music By Fax" at the Contemporary Museum) - also requiring that I prepare audio samples and create several beats for the occasion, edit video from said event, and coordinate the guest lecture at MICA of the wonderful composer/violinist Todd Reynolds, to rehearse and conduct an ensemble arrangement of 3 hip-hop instrumentals, and (oh yeah) perform by one-man-band composition. Great pre-concert article in Baltimore's City Paper, top of the music section. I am somewhat dreading the probable review of my piece by our esteemed Baltimore Sun critic Tim Smith, but OK, now I can breathe.

So, did I mention that Mila and Drew and I will be starting something of an informal homeschooling program? We have a new babysitting exchange set up with our friends Paul and Joanna, with their kids Charlotte and June. Since Paul is also a stay-at-home dad, we are working out plans for something of a weekly schedule. A big part of this is going to be a kids-and-parents art/music/storytelling class that I am organizing at the Baltimore Free School- OPENING DOWNSTAIRS FROM US NEXT WEEK! I am very excited for this, and very happy to have some guidance from my mom- a master of early childhood education. Tuesday will be our first day. We're going to have the class on Tuesday and Friday mornings, with (hopefully) parents taking turns bringing materials.

Marie will be teaching a babywearing class at the Free School as well. She has been looking forward to doing workshops again, since the closing of our favorite independent kids' store, Bediboo in Lauraville, which used to host Marie's workshops last year. To summarize, we're pretty psyched about where we live and the school downstairs.

In other news, Drew got his first haircut! Mila has relented in her requests to go to the barber, for which Marie is happy.

"Let's do tricks with bricks and blocks, sir." -- Dr. Seuss

PIECE by Mila Spangler

Mila improvises with toy piano and microphone with KP3 processing, collaborating with her daddy. So glad to be back home.

Summer Road Trip 2009

Traveling with an infant is not the easiest thing in the world- such I remembered from Mila's first months when we struggled with the drive from Cape Coral to Gainesville, Florida. This summer, with Drew entering his third month, we were looking for a challenge. Marie had a job-related conference on utilities regulation that would be lasting 2 weeks at Michigan State University. Just prior to that was the Schneider family reunion, of Marie's mother's side, in the area around Mount Pleasant, Michigan. In the days leading up to that, Marie's immediate family (Mom, Dad, brothers Brian and Tommy, with Tommy's family of five) were renting a house in the North Woods, near Mancelona (in the northwestern region of the glove). Following the family reunions and 2-week conference in Michigan, we also had an opportunity to visit our dear friends Paul and Garrett, with their newborn daughter Noura Hart, in Lexington, Kentucky- not chosen for its proximity to our initially-planned driving route. We were also fortunate to visit dear friends at the beginning of our journey- catching international musicians of mystery, Dana and Mike (newly engaged!), just before they left for their next year in Amsterdam.

In the middle of this epic journey was my initiation into all-day caregiving to both of my children while Marie attended her conference. While this was a challenging first immersion into my new role, it was a beautiful one which brought me closer to my kids- a fitting place to have my 33rd birthday. I'm glad that my own parents were able to drive out to Michigan from Iowa to see us in our new life as a family of four. Now comes the next stage as we return home and Marie phases back to a regular work schedule- the end of maternity leave. OK, I'm ready.

Camping in Double Quartet Family Style

Cunningham Falls State Park, MD.
Camping with Ben, Rachel, Silas, and Margaret Dalby. 7/16/09

My Kid Is So Cool

Mila's week in coolness:

Saturday- made friends with a couple of Trinidadian kids at Baltimore's Caribbean Carnival (very small compared with the ones I experienced in Boston, but still great) in Druid Hill Park. No other white kids to be seen along the parade route, but of course Mila didn't care- especially when she was given a Trini flag to wave. Brought back memories of my experiences as the only non-Islander participating in the Jouvert Morning celebrations at Carnival in Boston, when I played with the Jah Jah Drummers. Mila loved the costumes and huge DJ soundsystems on semitrailers going by.

Sunday- Went swimming/wading at Prettyboy Reservoir up near the Penn border. Definitely no other toddlers around. Overheard a swimming college kid say to his girlfriend, "I wish my dad took me places like this when I was little." Very beautiful dip in the woods.

Tuesday- Toddler birthday party for Mila's friend Sage. Book exchange!

Wednesday- Going camping at Catoctin Mountain Park with the Dalby family. Our first time camping as a family of 4! Hope the tent works out alright for all of us.

Friday- Artscape festival for the next 3 days, happening right down the block from our apartment. Exciting weekend, including a Mobtown Modern-organized happening for 111 bicycles, "Eine Brise"!

Drew Smiles!