Mmmm, palm

Ozan occasionally (very occasionally) figures out how to calm himself down by sucking on his own hand. Sometimes it's the knuckles, but other times it's the palm, as here. I'm amazed he doesn't poke his own eye out, but at least he's entertained for the nonce. Note the happy slurping sounds.

Thanks Bill

Courtesy Mom's fine friend Bill Wassell, Ozan is now the proud owner of a beautiful knit cap. Oddly enough, when we put it on him Ozan didn't cry at all (he usually hates hats). Plus, it looks like it'll be big enough to fit for a good long time. Thanks Bill!

Baby care tips

My friend Jon sent me this link to some helpful baby care tips. (Never mind that the page itself is in Swedish, the diagrams are labeled in English.) Boy, good thing I checked these out, or I would undoubtedly have committed some serious faux pas...

New feature

I've added a new feature to the right-hand side of the blog: A widget from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam which highlights a different work from their collection each day. I've had a widget from this museum on my computer for a while now, and it's a nice feature. The Rijksmuseum is world-class, and it's cool to get a glimpse of their stuff. So I'm sharing it with you all. (Note that if you click on the image, you get a bigger version, and if you click on the bottom right hand corner of either version, you get information about the object.) If I get loads of complaints I'll take it down.

Klaatu barada nikto

Ozan's latest thing is that he's become fascinated with the checkerboard pattern on a little box we keep on his changing table. He lies there and stares at it as we change his diaper.



And I mean he stares; you can't take his attention off the thing. What is it telling him? What secrets are hidden within the squares that mere mortals like us cannot decipher? "Agent Ozan, this is your mission: Cry all the time. Mars out."



Even a vigorous manhandling by a well-intentioned dad (me) does not deter Ozan from his contemplation – though it does seem to induce vomiting. Gotta be more careful about that.

Catching up

Well, since I find myself with a few minutes on my hands, I think it's time I let the frustrated legions of Ozan fans around the world know what he and his parents are up to these days.

Ozan continues to grow in stature, wisdom, and cuteness, as I hope is evident from the occasional pictures and movie clips I toss onto the web, either here or on Picasa. It's really true that babies develop practically before your eyes; it seems like every day Ozan is a little more alert, a little more responsive, a little more like a real person, albeit a diminutive one, and less like a bundle of reflexes attached to a diaper. Nowadays he acts like he knows we're there, and he even looks us in the eyes, which warms the cockles of my heart. We're even able to get him to smile sometimes. He still cries a lot, but he went to the pediatrician last Friday and got a clean bill of health, so it's normal baby woes which are making him fuss. To address them at least a little, we got him some infant Gaviscon (kinda like Pepto-Bismol), which, judging at least from the initial trial, seems to do the trick pretty well. The pediatrician gave him a vaccination which, as expected, triggered a light fever 48 hours later, i.e. today. So he fussed a lot, but also slept a lot, and now seems to be more his normal self again.

How's mommy handling this, you ask? Well, she's a trooper, that's for sure. I think she's getting a little stir crazy (basically because she told me she is), but she is as loving and patient a mother as anyone could hope for. Ozan is really one lucky kid. We are also eternally in debt to Meltem's mom, who is nowadays dividing her time between Ozan and Melek.

As for daddy, I am creaking under the load of two jobs, one at TIPPS and one at Bahçeşehir University. The former is good because I like everybody there, the students range from good to very very good, and the grand old principle of the private sector applies: the more work you do, the louder the "cha-ching" at the end of the week. My other job, though, is asymptotically approaching 100% unrewardingness. The students are horrible; it's a frightening window into the Turkish educational system to deal with them. The very concept of thought, as opposed to mere memorization and regurgitation, is utterly foreign to them, and in fact has probably been drilled out of their heads in the hopes of creating a citizenry that doesn't ask questions because they just don't know how. I have to give these kids quizzes and exams that would get me laughed out of an eighth-grade classroom back in the West Hartford I remember. Moreover, they're remarkably infantile for people in their late teens, and I have to set my teeth against their whining whenever I hand back said quizzes and exams. Oh well, I tell myself, it's pretty good money, and it's not like I have to stay after the semester comes to its merciful end in early June.

Meanwhile the weather is getting warmer, the leaves and flowers are bursting forth, and it's just good to be alive.

Revolution now!

Ozan awakes from his slumber long enough to make a political gesture, then drops back off.

Happy birthday Mitch

Cousin Mitch is one year old today! Ozan wanted to send along his best wishes and penned a little birthday missive thus:



Do forgive the cranky expression, Mitch. He's not sticking his tongue out at you, he's just preparing for another good wail-fest.

Double-barreled happiness

A few days ago Meltem, Ozan, and grandma all went over to visit cousin Melek on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. I myself, of course, was too busy working, which is getting old. Anyway, as you can see, grandma was one seriously happy lady to have the next generation in her arms. (And as you can also see, Ozan had adopted his usual countenance for the occasion.)

Welcome Cousin Melek (cont'd)

Again, let me ask you all to welcome lovely Melek Kelepir to our fair world. Here's a picture of her checking out the surroundings in her hospital room a scant few hours after birth:



And here's the proud father admiring his new daughter:



I hope you see what I mean about what a strikingly beautiful baby Melek is.



Reports from Hasan and Elif indicate that Melek ("angel") is angelic while asleep and not so much when awake. We hope to take Ozan over to the other side of the Bosphorus tomorrow to meet his new cousin, and will hopefully be able to post pictures of the momentous occasion.

Watchin' the world go by

... or at least that section thereof which is attached to green bendy things.