The Tao of Poo

The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name
The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth
The named is the mother of myriad things
Thus, constantly without desire, one observes its essence
Constantly with desire, one observes its manifestations
These two emerge together but differ in name
The unity is said to be the mystery
Mystery of mysteries, the door to all wonders

From The Tao Te Ching

 

Poo is certainly a topic that fascinates new parents (and something I've written about before on LWL). It's size, it's shape, it's color, it's frequency. The sheer joy when it comes, the utter sorrow when it doesn't. Regardless of your country, your culture, or your creed, kids certainly open the door (their bottom door, so to speak) to this bountiful world of wonder and mystery.

Livi the Jedi. "May the Force be with you Mommy."

With Livi's new Formula 1 diet however, she has been pooing way less frequently. Formula apparently clogs up the plumbing. But what we lost in poo, we gained in pee.  Pee though, is far less impressive. It's often clear, stinky, and let's face it... a bit boring. It doesn't have nearly as many subtle intricacies, nuances, or character even as it's darker cousin poo. But fear not! Like Yellowstone's spouting Old Faithful, Livi's poo builds and erupts with fury once a day, usually in the late evening. You can almost set your watch by it. And with it comes more timeless wonder and mystery: "OMG! How the ____ did you do that Livi?!"

Do not wake the sleeping dragon.

New plan with a new toy

So to put a few ounces on little Live we've been doing all the recommended protocols: bumped up the formula, been vigilant with our feeding cycles, tracked her poo and pee (color, frequency, similarity to condiments - "Is it more mustard like or more like peanut butter?"). But today I got a new lens for my camera, and we're trying a new approach. They say the camera puts on 15 pounds, so I figure with all the pictures I'll be taking with this new toy, she should be at 150 pounds in a matter of minutes.

Shot with my new Canon 50mm 1.4. A real gem (both the lens and Livi of course)

Livi seems to be taking to it quite nicely. She loves the rich depth of field the lens provides, giving photos of her a soft, soothing texture and overall warm feeling inside (not unlike when she's all swaddled up like a burrito). Mom seems to dig it too.

Mom: "You're the cutest thing ever!" Livi: "No, you are."  Mom: "No, really, you are!"