Our Weekend

Well... I'm glad that the weather hasn't been as bad as the forecast (at least so far, hold up weather, I still have to go to costco!)

Yesterday we celebrated 8 months with Charlie and went out to breakfast. Why is it that any breakfast that I didn't cook tastes 4x better? Mmmm....I think I want breakfast for lunch again.  We then took a couple of laps downtown to explore the art festival where local artists bring their wares to sell on the sidewalk.  I love these little "festivals" especially when I can explore what other photographers are doing. I picked up a couple of cards and when I get some time to myself I'm planning to check out their websites.

The little man is doing well though it's getting tougher to go out as he wants to crawl/explore all over.  I finally got smart and bought some BPA free tupperware so I can pre-pack rice cereal and a puree, bib, etc (spoon stays in the little sassy tupperware, love it!) so that I don't have to scramble when we are ready to leave.  Ahhh the baby scramble... it's impossible to remember everything EVERY time unless it's pre packed.  (That's also why I leave the cheater bag in the care, extra diapers, wipes, blanket and extra onesie and sweatpants) :-)

Better sign off before the little man wakes up and I've got nothing done! (besides blogging!)

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

I know we need the rain and no, I have not forgotten my farm town roots, but I can't help it, I loathe the rain.  I loathe the rain even more with a baby in tow as I either stay inside all day or take tremendous care to bundle him accordingly so that no tiny drops reach his tiny limbs.  I am longing for the promise of late spring - the warmth - the freedom.  Lately, what has constituted a good day has been getting out for a hike or extended walk, especially on the weekend.  Fresh Air/Free/Exercise/Entertainment/Discover new places... can't beat that.  Looks like this weekend might be super crap....arrrg.

Overall Charlie is doing well - he's more mobile every day and is now consistently pulling himself up on his knees and a few times lately to his feet. He's eating  lots of solid purees with little fuss and is learning to express himself in new grunts/octaves all the time :-) Still no teeth, but that's okay with me.

We're celebrating 8 months tomorrow.

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 :-)