Trying to Declutter ... and he's making a mess behind me

This Week so far...

This week we've had a bit more on the social calendar than usual...

Tuesday Charlie and I met Jillian & Eden at the SF Academy of Sciences. LOVED, LOVED seeing my favorite fellow mom and exploring new ideas/animals/architecture.  As I was rushing to get out the door I forgot my camera and my jacket so needless to say I was bummed and cold (at least while outside) I'll post some pix from Jillian soon.

A couple of my favorite things were the penguin feeding where afterwards the kiddos really responded to the penguins swimming right up to their noses, the crazy looking albino alligator, and the nightlight fish (their eyes light up like fireflies in the depths of the ocean....also where Charlie fell asleep, no coincidence I'm sure!)

The 4 Story Rain Forest exhibit is pretty cool too and hello - is hot and humid like the real thing! I loved watching a butterfly land right on Charlie and seeing him just look down like it was no big thang.

Watch the penguins live here on their penguin cam

Yesterday I went back to the high school where I taught after almost a year. I did get nervous about any possible confrontations with a range of characters but it went off without a hitch. I was glad to visit and I knew in my heart I was over the teaching tangle because it no longer felt like "my work"...just a place I used to know....my girlfriends' work. I was surprising unemotional and even caught a glimpse in passing of my old room which looks completely different. (Of course it wouldn't be as cute/cool as the way I arranged it!) It wasn't until my girlfriend and I went downtown and ran into a former student that my heart felt a big surge. She was a student in turmoil, talented but extremely insecure, rocky home and heartbroken. Her life has turned around, she just got accepted to the school paper and I was so proud that I couldn't help the tears. I'm proud of the work I used to do and the relationships I built but my life is headed in a new direction and I feel good about it.

Mom Time

Mom Time - It's difficult to find when your baby is still breastfeeding...I swear the next one will take a bottle....arrrrg. Yesterday I got out for lunch with my girlfriend Erin and it's amazing what a little time out can do for you...especially when you indulge in a yummy margarita :-)  We had so much fun and I was gone for 2 hours without a peep from the boys which is the longest I've been out without them. I got home to find Charlie asleep - but not as I had left him. He had woken up from his nap (too early) Jose had fed him in his high chair and put him back to sleep without having to call me....talk about sexy :-) LOL

I'm signing up for a new cake decorating class in May and I'm hoping it will be a good "regular" night out for me in the evenings. I'll post pics of the products - whether they be rookie masterpieces or disasters. Lord knows I can't cook but I can sort of bake :-) My cousins have been doing this for awhile so they would whoop my bootie.

1st time eating Gerber Star Puffs - dissolve in your mouth

So we tried finger foods yesterday for the first time. Gerber Star Puffs

have been reccommended to us by two different sets of friends so yesterday at the store I took the plunge and bought both the sweet potato (his fav) stars and banana (seemed like a better idea in a "star puff"). I tried them before I gave them to Charlie (not too bad actually) and they do dissolve in your  mouth though it takes a few seconds so I will still nervous about the choking potential.  You can tell from the photos whether or not he liked them... he was interested in playing with them but not really in eating them! Oh well, for now at least he's working on his pincher grasp (an importantly dev. milestone) Charlie's doing much better with his solid food purees so we're happy about that!

Traveling at 7 + months is no picnic

Frankly I don't have much energy to blog... Charlie is quietly watching baby einstein and I want to curl up on the couch and cuddle with my giant cup of joe. We're home from L.A. and it's a testiment to how our boy continues to grow and change. It's been a couple weeks since we last traveled and it's becoming a lot more difficult. Charlie has started the full blown crawl, still not quite as effective as his commando but his belly is off the ground. He still goes into a plank then "downward dog" as he's trying to figure it out but it's a definite crawl. At home we have a few "safe zones" where I obviously still have to supervise him but the area is generally free of hazards. At the hotel that all changes. We tried to proof the outlets but wouldn't you know that Charlie kept going after the only phone cords we couldn't create a block in front of ( Since there was one in the bathroom, I ended up unplugging them so that there were no cords hanging).  We are putting sheets down to cover the carpet as much as possible but can't cover every square inch and I'm getting more comfortable with just saying "whatever" when we rolls onto yucky carpet. More later - for now...going to rest

Traveling with outlet covers

Sweet Face

He crawls OVER things now too - usually face plants, watch out!

I thought this last one was funny :-)

Bed Head :-)

Ics from this am...

totally looks like me here :-)

Enjoying the air conditiong at the library yesterday

In the kids area....

Of course as soon as I set my books down, he was no longer interested in the toys!

Pulling Himself up...

Riding the Heat Wave

Well, it's super hot here. I know I've been slacking on the blog and I'm in no mood - it's 9:20 am and I'm already sweating - gross. I am wishing for some A/C now that we are in the middle of this heat wave. This pic of Charlie was taken yesterday down the street at the park...it hit about 97 degrees so we didn't stay out too long. Judging from the morning start today will probably top that so you'll find us at the local library today with the senior citizens enjoying some free A/C. (Note: they should really offer story time in the afternoon too!) I worry about my little boy - I already have him down to his diaper!

Shopping in SF with Uncle Dubs and Aunt Amy Kate

Wore the little guy out!
With Uncle Dubs outside the dressing rooms

Easter Weekend

A weekend or two ago I left my digital SLR at my mom's house (I can't believe I did that since my camera is my 1st born...goes to show you what having a baby does to you) and was able to pick it up at my sister's this weekend.  Here are some pics from our visit at her house. Of course, hauling around all of Charlie's stuff at the other houses I forgot to get out my camera :-(

For the last couple of years when I was teaching and had limited breaks during the school year Jose and I have taken Easter to travel or have a small celebration together and now I remember why. We had a really great weekend with family but driving out towards Dixon for our last visit we realized how bad the traffic was going home (around 5:30). We didn't end up leaving until 9:00 and still hit really bad traffic, not getting in to the condo until after 11:30 pm. We used to make the late drive ALL THE TIME and yet we can't do it anymore. Both of us are zombies this morning - I told Jose after my 6 am wake up call with Charlie talking that I feel like I got hit over the head.

Charlie sharing a blanket on the lawn with Logan (Carter's nephew). Charlie had never sat on the grass before and instantly tried to, with persistence, eat the grass until I had to pick him up.

Nothing beats a sidewalk chalk welcome :-)

Allison H. (Carter's sister) with her son Logan, Tia Ryn with Charlie....the boys reaching for each other :-)

Charlie's 1st easter basket full of big boy clothes! Thanks Nona!

Happy boy on his blanket - in what was supposed to be his thanksgiving outfit :-) Judging sizes can be tricky!

Tia Ryn & Charlie enjoying the shade

Carter and his daughter Isabella

Isabella in her play high heels that my mom gave her :-)

Aaryn & Carter

Oprah's show on Motherhood's Dirty Little Secrets

Just finished watching Oprah's show for Mom's (on DVR of course, I have to catch up on everything during Charlie's nap or nighttime sleep!) and if you haven't seen it, it's a must watch for mom's, preggies, hell anyone even remotely thinking about having children.

Some of my favorite things are:

"It's easy to love your child but motherhood is very difficult"

"I had to mourn who I was before I had my baby." (You have to reinvent yourself and sacrifice much of who you are in terms of time)

Favorite Confessions:

One mom who peed in a diaper on a 7 hr road trip to avoid waking up her 2 kids

I'd trade my husband for a housekeeper - hilarious!

One of the moms is a famous blogger (note to self: MUST look her up and post a link to her site) and she started blogging to combat PPD (Post partum depression). I wonder if that's why I started....I definitely felt the need for an outlet especially with the new mom isolation.

I'd love to explore this line further but need to get ready so I can go pick up Charlie's big boy car seat that came in today. (We decided on a britax boulevard CS) I'll post some pics after I get it inspected at Stanford tomorrow, good thing I got that 8am appt just in case!

LPCH Car Seat Fitting Station (approx only 1 in 10 car seats in installed correctly by parents)

Thanks for the Seattle imports Kate!

Hibernating

It's something I do when I've bitten off more than I can chew - hunker down with the boys.  This weekend we had the first real and full weekend together in I don't know how long.

Saturday Jose surprised me with a mani/pedi gift cert and I was so excited. He took Charlie and had some boys time - and it was so nice to finally get a mani! I haven't had once since Charlie was born because when I go in the shop I have to be super quick and there's not someone there to do them at the same time or I have Charlie and I need my hands to pick him up etc. when he gets fussy. We then took a drive out to Half Moon Bay where my heart REALLY lives to drive by a foreclosure condo. It needs a lot of work and I'm concerned about the HOA so I'm investigating further....it's cheap enough to warrant the research.

Yesterday Jose had to work in the morning so Charlie and I ran some errands and then played in his office until we were able to take off for SF. We bought Charlie a kelty kids backpack after mucho research and he loved it. On Jose's back he can see everything and at Crissy fields, one of our fav. spots there is always great people & pet watching. It's nice to be able able to hold hands again too :-)