Andrew, Robby & Mommie Joey added new Baby Boy to the family at 3am
YIPEE!!!! Can't wait to meet the lil bugger when we are in SF!!
Sunday, June 10
Congrats....
Andrew, Robby & Mommie Joey added new Baby Boy to the family at 3am
YIPEE!!!! Can't wait to meet the lil bugger when we are in SF!!
Friday, June 8
Too Cute
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| Hancock Park 2007_06_08 |
Thursday, June 7
Dragon Boat Festival
This is coming to Boston this weekend ....
Festival Legend
Traditionally held on the fifth day of the fifth moon on the lunar calendar -- late May to mid June on the solar calendar (June 19th for 2007) -- the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the life and death of the ancient patriot-poet Qu Yuan who lived from 340-278 B.C. Qu Yuan was a minister who advocated reforms in his home state of Chu. The King refused to listen to Qu Yuan's advice and instead banished him from the state of Chu. In exile, Qu Yuan wrote poetry expressing his concern for his country and people. In 278, when Qu Yuan heard that his home had been invaded, he drowned himself in the Mi Lo River.
The people of Chu rushed to the river to rescue him. Too late to save Qu Yuan, they splashed furiously and threw zung-ze, steamed rice wrapped in reed leaf, into the river as a sacrifice to his spirit and to keep the fish from Qu Yuan's body.
Since that time, some 2,000 years ago, dragon boats are raced on rivers in China and people throw zung-ze into the river to honor the memory of Qu Yuan.
Even before Qu Yuan, the fifth moon was a time of danger. With the hot and wet weather of the summer came the perils of plagues and diseases. Parents embroidered designs of tigers eating poisonous insects on children's clothing to protect them from evil spirits. In addition, children wore herb and spice filled amulets around their necks to ward off insects. Chinese people consider themselves to be the descendants of dragons and so during the fifth moon feel it is appropriate to paddle boats with dragon designs and make sacrifices of zung-ze to cajole the river dragons.
EXCERPT FROM THE MOUNTAIN SPIRIT“The man in the mountain, fragrant withsweet herb, Drinks from the rocky spring,shaded by pines and furs.You, my lord, arethinking of me, but then you hesitate.The thunder rumbles and the rain darkens;The gibbons mourn, howling all the night;The wind whistles and the trees are bare Iam thing of the young lord; I sorrow in vain.”Qu Yuan
Festival Legend
Traditionally held on the fifth day of the fifth moon on the lunar calendar -- late May to mid June on the solar calendar (June 19th for 2007) -- the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the life and death of the ancient patriot-poet Qu Yuan who lived from 340-278 B.C. Qu Yuan was a minister who advocated reforms in his home state of Chu. The King refused to listen to Qu Yuan's advice and instead banished him from the state of Chu. In exile, Qu Yuan wrote poetry expressing his concern for his country and people. In 278, when Qu Yuan heard that his home had been invaded, he drowned himself in the Mi Lo River.
The people of Chu rushed to the river to rescue him. Too late to save Qu Yuan, they splashed furiously and threw zung-ze, steamed rice wrapped in reed leaf, into the river as a sacrifice to his spirit and to keep the fish from Qu Yuan's body.
Since that time, some 2,000 years ago, dragon boats are raced on rivers in China and people throw zung-ze into the river to honor the memory of Qu Yuan.
Even before Qu Yuan, the fifth moon was a time of danger. With the hot and wet weather of the summer came the perils of plagues and diseases. Parents embroidered designs of tigers eating poisonous insects on children's clothing to protect them from evil spirits. In addition, children wore herb and spice filled amulets around their necks to ward off insects. Chinese people consider themselves to be the descendants of dragons and so during the fifth moon feel it is appropriate to paddle boats with dragon designs and make sacrifices of zung-ze to cajole the river dragons.
EXCERPT FROM THE MOUNTAIN SPIRIT“The man in the mountain, fragrant withsweet herb, Drinks from the rocky spring,shaded by pines and furs.You, my lord, arethinking of me, but then you hesitate.The thunder rumbles and the rain darkens;The gibbons mourn, howling all the night;The wind whistles and the trees are bare Iam thing of the young lord; I sorrow in vain.”Qu Yuan
Monday, June 4
Sunday, June 3
What do stay at home moms do
from a recent column from the Washington Post.
The author is Carolyn Hax (sent to me from a mom friend this morning)
When you have young kids, your typical day is:
constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed;
to keeping them out of harm's way;
to answering their coos, cries, questions;
to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear;
to keeping them from unshelving books at the library;
to enforcing rest times;
to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.
It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.
It's constant vigilance,
constant touch,
constant use of your voice, c
onstant relegation of your needs to the second tier.
It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well meaning and otherwise.
It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.
It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything - language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.
It's also a choice, yes. And a joy.
But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends, or marvel how much more productively she uses her time.
The author is Carolyn Hax (sent to me from a mom friend this morning)
When you have young kids, your typical day is:
constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed;
to keeping them out of harm's way;
to answering their coos, cries, questions;
to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear;
to keeping them from unshelving books at the library;
to enforcing rest times;
to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.
It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.
It's constant vigilance,
constant touch,
constant use of your voice, c
onstant relegation of your needs to the second tier.
It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well meaning and otherwise.
It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.
It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything - language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.
It's also a choice, yes. And a joy.
But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends, or marvel how much more productively she uses her time.
Saturday, June 2
Re: Vaccines
Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper
From Monday June 4, 07 Boston Globe ...
...Now, vaccine makers are again threatened. Lawyers will argue that either the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine or a mercury-containing preservative (thimerosal) in vaccines or the combination of the two can cause autism. This theory has been advanced on television shows such as 60 Minutes, in popular magazines like Time and Newsweek, and on national radio programs such as Imus in the Morning. Most prominently, the mercury-causes-autism theory has been advanced by a parents advocacy group called Safe Minds -- a group now at the center of the litigation.
Certainly there is plenty of evidence to refute the notion that vaccines cause autism. Fourteen epidemiological studies have shown that the risk of autism is the same whether children received the MMR vaccine or not, and five have shown that thimerosal-containing vaccines also do not cause autism. Further, although large quantities of mercury are clearly toxic to the brain, autism isn't a consequence of mercury poisoning; large, single-source mercury exposures in Minamata Bay and Iraq have caused seizures, mental retardation, and speech delay, but not autism.
Finally, vaccine makers removed thimerosal from vaccines routinely given to young infants about six years ago; if thimerosal were a cause, the incidence of autism should have declined. Instead, the numbers have continued to increase. All of this evidence should have caused a quick dismissal of these cases. But it didn't, and now the courthas turned into a circus. The federal and civil litigation will likely take years to sort out.
Autism can be a heartbreaking disorder, often draining parents emotionally and financially. Although many promising genetic, epidemiological, and biological studies have been published during the past few years, autism remains a disorder without a known cause or cure. This has been enormously frustrating for parents.
It would be nice if there were someone or something to blame. We could blame the government and use the federal vaccine compensation program to pay for care. Or we could blame vaccine makers, and get them to pay in civil court. But if vaccine makers -- faced with large awards for a problem that wasn't their fault -- make the same decisions they did in the early 1980s, all American children will suffer, including those with autism. Then, we'll have only ourselves to blame.
Paul A. Offit, MD, is the chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine currently licensed in the United States, and the author of "Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases."
From Monday June 4, 07 Boston Globe ...
...Now, vaccine makers are again threatened. Lawyers will argue that either the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine or a mercury-containing preservative (thimerosal) in vaccines or the combination of the two can cause autism. This theory has been advanced on television shows such as 60 Minutes, in popular magazines like Time and Newsweek, and on national radio programs such as Imus in the Morning. Most prominently, the mercury-causes-autism theory has been advanced by a parents advocacy group called Safe Minds -- a group now at the center of the litigation.
Certainly there is plenty of evidence to refute the notion that vaccines cause autism. Fourteen epidemiological studies have shown that the risk of autism is the same whether children received the MMR vaccine or not, and five have shown that thimerosal-containing vaccines also do not cause autism. Further, although large quantities of mercury are clearly toxic to the brain, autism isn't a consequence of mercury poisoning; large, single-source mercury exposures in Minamata Bay and Iraq have caused seizures, mental retardation, and speech delay, but not autism.
Finally, vaccine makers removed thimerosal from vaccines routinely given to young infants about six years ago; if thimerosal were a cause, the incidence of autism should have declined. Instead, the numbers have continued to increase. All of this evidence should have caused a quick dismissal of these cases. But it didn't, and now the courthas turned into a circus. The federal and civil litigation will likely take years to sort out.
Autism can be a heartbreaking disorder, often draining parents emotionally and financially. Although many promising genetic, epidemiological, and biological studies have been published during the past few years, autism remains a disorder without a known cause or cure. This has been enormously frustrating for parents.
It would be nice if there were someone or something to blame. We could blame the government and use the federal vaccine compensation program to pay for care. Or we could blame vaccine makers, and get them to pay in civil court. But if vaccine makers -- faced with large awards for a problem that wasn't their fault -- make the same decisions they did in the early 1980s, all American children will suffer, including those with autism. Then, we'll have only ourselves to blame.
Paul A. Offit, MD, is the chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine currently licensed in the United States, and the author of "Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases."
Friday, June 1
One Year Check Up Today
So the boy had his one year visit today (nice cause today was his due date). The doctor LOVED him, of course & said that everything is looking great. He has been cleared to eat everything except choking hazards (ie raisons) and peanut butter -- Hello Strawberry ICE CREAM!!!
Vital Stats:
His Head is a nice 46.5 cm - smack dab on the 50th percentile line - up from the 25th percentile at his six month visit.
His Weight is 20lb 10 1/2 oz's (We might have turned his seat around a touch too soon) - Putting him above the 10th percentile, but not in the 25th yet - the same as at his 6 month visit. He is a lean boy & I am free to feed him lots of fatty foods if I want.
Length is where he's been putting all of his energy clearly because he stretched out and measured a whopping 31" - 3 inches of growth since his nine month appt. On length he left his prior trajectory right along the 50th percentile and Jumped over the 75th percentile line -- so he's lookin' long & lean.
Then he got the shots, but he did really good & only cried for a minute or so & was babbling to me like nothing happened as we walked back to the car. We celebrated the big morning by going out to Dana park with Xander & Gabe for a quick picnic and some time in the waterpark -
the boys are very cute together - Emily (Xan's mama) took photos & I'll post one if I can get it from her. Now he is napping in the stroller & I am going to get us ready for Grandpa Phil's Big Birthday Weekend Shindig!!!!
Vital Stats:
His Head is a nice 46.5 cm - smack dab on the 50th percentile line - up from the 25th percentile at his six month visit.
His Weight is 20lb 10 1/2 oz's (We might have turned his seat around a touch too soon) - Putting him above the 10th percentile, but not in the 25th yet - the same as at his 6 month visit. He is a lean boy & I am free to feed him lots of fatty foods if I want.
Length is where he's been putting all of his energy clearly because he stretched out and measured a whopping 31" - 3 inches of growth since his nine month appt. On length he left his prior trajectory right along the 50th percentile and Jumped over the 75th percentile line -- so he's lookin' long & lean.
Then he got the shots, but he did really good & only cried for a minute or so & was babbling to me like nothing happened as we walked back to the car. We celebrated the big morning by going out to Dana park with Xander & Gabe for a quick picnic and some time in the waterpark -
the boys are very cute together - Emily (Xan's mama) took photos & I'll post one if I can get it from her. Now he is napping in the stroller & I am going to get us ready for Grandpa Phil's Big Birthday Weekend Shindig!!!!
Thursday, May 31
Wednesday, May 30
Phone Photo
I finally got the technology to grab the photos from my phone... So now I can save them & even post them here. This is a Beautiful shot taken ages ago --- probably around when we first got to Boston last summer. Its what I see EVERY TIME I open my phone. So when you call me - I see this gorgeous guy, and when I go to check the time... ditto.
Sunday, May 20
2:30 pm & Napping Now...
Of Course ---
I've been trying on & off to get him to go to sleep since around 11:30 this morning - I finally gave up & locked him up so I could take a shower and get dressed with the idea that we'd take the dog out quickly in the rain before she had some sort of major accident. Of Course, as soon as I got out of the shower and half dressed he fell asleep. So Mabel got to visit the backyard and I am trying to creep around the house and pick things up but VERY quietly.
Please Goddess of sleep... let him stay napping for awhile.
I've been trying on & off to get him to go to sleep since around 11:30 this morning - I finally gave up & locked him up so I could take a shower and get dressed with the idea that we'd take the dog out quickly in the rain before she had some sort of major accident. Of Course, as soon as I got out of the shower and half dressed he fell asleep. So Mabel got to visit the backyard and I am trying to creep around the house and pick things up but VERY quietly.
Please Goddess of sleep... let him stay napping for awhile.
Friday, May 18
Tuesday, May 15
Birthday Weekend in the Berkeshires
Here is a little collage commemorating our Birthday/Mom's Day weekend in the Shire with the Grandparents & DGina. As you can see the lil monkey got his first taste of Ice Scream thanks to the yummy Ice Cream cake that his grandma & grandpa got for him. At first he was a little shocked by the taste of something so cold, but then he started chomping on the cone peices and I think he developed a taste for the sweets - we poured a little fudge sauce into him as well and he seemed to enjoy that also. So now we have to discuss how much & how often we will give him this kinda super treat --- Em and I are both planning on doing an ice cream taste test of the Northeast as the weather continues to heat up - but we're not sure if the monkey is included in that or not... Only time will tell.The best part of the weekend is probably watching how the cousins are with each other now -- & to get to watch them be excited to be in the same house in the morning. F. is so sweet to the little guy it kills me - her new thing is to run grab his sippy cup and bring it over to him - so concerned that he stays well hydrated!!!
The weather was wonderfull and I love being out of the city & up in the woods, even if I don't leave the house. Plus - I got to read about 65 pages of a book!!!!! Now its back to real life - Em's at work, I am downloading photo's, doing laundry and thinking of doing the dishes, R is taking a nap. Gotta love this life.
On to YEAR TWO.
Tarot Card of the Day
You are The Star
Hope, expectation, Bright promises.
The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised
The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
Monday, May 14
Words
He understands lots of words - mommie, daddie, doggie, Seattle, Bobo, Blasto, more, hot and on and on... but so far he is only speaking two... "Bobo" from the Hug book and more recently "Woof" - which he started saying last week when he woke up to the dog barking insanely.
Saturday, May 12
Happy Birthday Robby
We are sending love & birthday wishes out to Mr. Robby in SF. and also wishing love & goodness to his mama who is about to pop with number two....
Wednesday, May 9
Pooped
This is what it looked like at our house last night - note all the dirt between the monkeys fingers - he was filthy and there was no energy left over for baths. I found myself not really sleeping for the second night in a row --- I just wanted to stare at him (well at both of them really) - a desire that I'll indulge on special occasions like this week but that I am hoping to get over soon since my ass is now DRAGGING.
I can't find the words for what magic they bring to my life ... I try and I stumble around with I love you's and such but I think they get it.
Especially in the morning when it is all squeels and giggles, or when its bedtime and Em is reading him his stories and I listen to them laugh and play. My heart does keep just cracking further and further open - the words sound kind of stupid but the feeling amazes and awes me.
Tuesday, May 8
WOW --- reminiscing... birth story included
Well, what do you do with your little lillie-pie tickler after your baby reaches one year old?
Anyways I am up at midnight on May 7th/8th having just made a bunch of cupcakes and then turned the leftover batter into a mixed chocolate yellow cake. Em & the lil' monkey are both sleeping soundly and have been since around 10:30. So a year ago tonight I was at St. Lukes Hospital getting the magic cervadil along with IV antibiotics because we hadn't gotten back my Strep test since it had only just been done. Labor was helped along with the magic needles of Joey Wyman that she placed around 9pm or so that night. Em went home around midnight I guess and I tried to sleep on the funky little hospital bed.
Woke up at 3 am with cramps... tired & confused it took me awhile to figure out that these were probably contractions - hmm regular cramps coming in rhythmic patterns a few minutes apart... what's going on here? I waited as long as I could before I called Em - it was 4:30 or 5. It's funny when you are induced after you have been prepping for going into labor at home - all the things I thought I was supposed to do were around figuring out when we should contact the midwives and go into the hospital & I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to do since I was already in the hospital - at a loss I looked at the clock and timed my contractions anyway - then I put on my headphones and danced around the room a little bit.
I took a shower around 7 and then got to move to my L&D room from my little holding room - the biggest difference was the size & it has its own bathroom. We put in another cervadil in the morning and had a meeting with Cynthia the midwife and Amy, our Doula. I remember we all had a meeting but I don't remember what anyone said, and I remember taking another shower around 11 am and by this time I totally wanted DRUGS - Amy and Em got ahold of Joey again & she came back and made everything better with those accupuncture needles and some tea ---
I don't know how or why I got it back together but I did & from then on I was able to go with the labor as it happened.
Deb arrived from Seattle some time in the early afternoon - I still had needles in when she got there. Her presence was the most amazing gift & she had the perfect effect on me - helping me stay calm and focused & feel safe. For the next bunch of hours we all just hung out & labor happened - I felt safe & taken care of with Em, Amy, Deb, the midwife & the AMAZING nurses from St. Lukes. Finally they checked me out at some point & said I was 7 cm dilated (YEAH) and we set up the water tub for me to do the last part of labor in. We had a glitch before getting me in the tub though cause we couldn't get a good reading on lil Blastos' heart rate on the monitors ... it seemed like we were trying for hours and I was about ready to jump out the window --- but FINALLY they said I could get into the water.
Water GOOD --- going from 7 to 10 cm's not so good, but better when done in water.
I felt his head - oh my god !!!! His head was right there, where I could feel him with my fingers - oh my god... this kid is going to get born. So we climbed out of the tub, and Em held me & Cynthia climbed underneath me and we pushed like 4 times (I think I nearly knocked Em over - except Amy was behind her holding her up) and he was born. There was cord EVERYWHERE and he was kinda greyish but then they took him over for a quick blast of oxygen and he scored a PERFECT 10 on his second apgar score*
(*Anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar, M.D. (1909-1974) was inducted on October 14, 1995 into the NationaI Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. Dr. Apgar was honored with a U.S. postal stamp for the development of the Apgar Score, which evaluates the transition of newborn babies to extrauterine life. Dr. Apgar is the only anesthesiologist and the third woman physician to be honored with a U.S. stamp)
Then we were cuddling him & feeding him and marvelling at how wonderfully brilliant and gorgeous he is & we haven't stopped yet.
We miss & love you all ----
Happy Birthday Baby Boy - I can't believe what a big guy you are
Mama-Daddie R
Anyways I am up at midnight on May 7th/8th having just made a bunch of cupcakes and then turned the leftover batter into a mixed chocolate yellow cake. Em & the lil' monkey are both sleeping soundly and have been since around 10:30. So a year ago tonight I was at St. Lukes Hospital getting the magic cervadil along with IV antibiotics because we hadn't gotten back my Strep test since it had only just been done. Labor was helped along with the magic needles of Joey Wyman that she placed around 9pm or so that night. Em went home around midnight I guess and I tried to sleep on the funky little hospital bed.
Woke up at 3 am with cramps... tired & confused it took me awhile to figure out that these were probably contractions - hmm regular cramps coming in rhythmic patterns a few minutes apart... what's going on here? I waited as long as I could before I called Em - it was 4:30 or 5. It's funny when you are induced after you have been prepping for going into labor at home - all the things I thought I was supposed to do were around figuring out when we should contact the midwives and go into the hospital & I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to do since I was already in the hospital - at a loss I looked at the clock and timed my contractions anyway - then I put on my headphones and danced around the room a little bit.
I took a shower around 7 and then got to move to my L&D room from my little holding room - the biggest difference was the size & it has its own bathroom. We put in another cervadil in the morning and had a meeting with Cynthia the midwife and Amy, our Doula. I remember we all had a meeting but I don't remember what anyone said, and I remember taking another shower around 11 am and by this time I totally wanted DRUGS - Amy and Em got ahold of Joey again & she came back and made everything better with those accupuncture needles and some tea ---
I don't know how or why I got it back together but I did & from then on I was able to go with the labor as it happened.
Deb arrived from Seattle some time in the early afternoon - I still had needles in when she got there. Her presence was the most amazing gift & she had the perfect effect on me - helping me stay calm and focused & feel safe. For the next bunch of hours we all just hung out & labor happened - I felt safe & taken care of with Em, Amy, Deb, the midwife & the AMAZING nurses from St. Lukes. Finally they checked me out at some point & said I was 7 cm dilated (YEAH) and we set up the water tub for me to do the last part of labor in. We had a glitch before getting me in the tub though cause we couldn't get a good reading on lil Blastos' heart rate on the monitors ... it seemed like we were trying for hours and I was about ready to jump out the window --- but FINALLY they said I could get into the water.
Water GOOD --- going from 7 to 10 cm's not so good, but better when done in water.
I felt his head - oh my god !!!! His head was right there, where I could feel him with my fingers - oh my god... this kid is going to get born. So we climbed out of the tub, and Em held me & Cynthia climbed underneath me and we pushed like 4 times (I think I nearly knocked Em over - except Amy was behind her holding her up) and he was born. There was cord EVERYWHERE and he was kinda greyish but then they took him over for a quick blast of oxygen and he scored a PERFECT 10 on his second apgar score*
(*Anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar, M.D. (1909-1974) was inducted on October 14, 1995 into the NationaI Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. Dr. Apgar was honored with a U.S. postal stamp for the development of the Apgar Score, which evaluates the transition of newborn babies to extrauterine life. Dr. Apgar is the only anesthesiologist and the third woman physician to be honored with a U.S. stamp)
Then we were cuddling him & feeding him and marvelling at how wonderfully brilliant and gorgeous he is & we haven't stopped yet.
We miss & love you all ----
Happy Birthday Baby Boy - I can't believe what a big guy you are
Mama-Daddie R
Sunday, May 6
April 2007
Photos from last month - 10 - 11 months old - the sun is coming out so we had lots more time in the swings and less time in heavy jackets, Passover was spent in Nanuet, more play time with friends - and he began crawling.
March 2007
Here he is at 10 Months - enjoying Disco, Snow & Meeting the SF Twins Avi & Lilah. He plays a lot more with his friends now - we see Connor & Christopher at Farah's park almost every day, and Gabe, Xan, Nick & Seth at Mom's group stuff a couple times a week.
February 2007
9 Months old. More travelling - another trip to SF as well as a voyage to NY and Connecticut.
January 2007
Eating his first cherrios while visiting Florida, and his first bagel in the shire - not to mention a snuggle and feeding with great grandma Anne - being Eight Months Old Rocks!
Dec 2006 Seven Months
Trips to Seattle and Portland including a train ride on the Coast Starlight. Chanukah with the Newfields, and New Years Eve in the Shire... not a bad month
Saturday, May 5
Almost Walking...
Here is some footage of the boy as he works on his walking skills at the park. He isn't doing it on his own yet, but as you can see he is a rockstar when he's holding onto a pushtoy or either of his mommies hands.
Friday, May 4
Six Months to Seven
Eating solid foods, travelling to Seattle and Portland, visiting the Shire ... November and December 06 were good months for the boy.
Months Five & Six - October & Nov 2006
Before winter started we got to make our first trip back to SF, for Aimee & Tam's wedding, and we had a nice Nov. weekend in the shire with the Grandparents Phancy, as well as a fun evening trick or treating at the Pleasant St Park with Dan, Gina and all the neighbors. R. also went to Harvard and earned himself a young scientist bib!!!
Month Four Collage
These are the Aug/Sept 06 highlights as we keep heading down memory lane - The coat and hat shot was during our labor day trip to Vermont -as Boston was Balmy during those months.
Thursday, May 3
July - Month Three (He Wakes Up)
After sleeping for the first two months lil Monito began to wake up in the Boston Summer Months.
Month Two of Monito
These are our first days on the farther coast, still not much hair but working on the facial expressions.
Blasto's First Month
Okay so I am shameless on the trip down memory lane....I just can't believe that our big guy was actually such a lil bit just one year ago - I also can't remember most of last May - thanks to the craziness of birth, graduation, packing & moving & all the non-stop love we got from friends, family & neighbors.
Wednesday, May 2
Tuesday, May 1
Thursday, April 26
First Spring
So I can't believe that the boy is almost One Year Old but here it is Spring in Cambridge and we are two weeks away from his Birthday. We went out the other day and out of NOWHERE there were flowers - all over the place ---
In our park, in people's yards and here are the flowers that are on our street corner by the project housing that's being renovated.
Sadly the kids idea of fun was to pull some of the new flowers out by their roots, but other than that I got a few beautiful photos.
The New England "spring" weather is crazy... One day its cold and rainy- and by cold I mean really cold like 40's and low 50's; then the next day its blasting sun & in the 80's. There have been a couple "perfect San Francisco days" where its in the high 60's low 70's with a mild breeze and we have gone out walking around in just T-shirts. Yumm!!!
R. is crawling all over the place - getting into all kinds of things & eating the playground. He is cruising some, but hasn't chosen to take steps on his own yet. He is chattering nonstop (you can listen to him on the You Tube Videos linked below) & has maybe made one or two signs to me... the judge is still out on that one.
Em is working a lot - of course, but she is almost done with Medicine & we are going to have this Sat. off so we are running away to the Shire to see the grandparents & to celebrate Nancy's Birthday.
I have been feeling super nostalgic & thinking about this time last year - the craziness of getting ready to have a baby, move cross country, find a place to live, rent our place etc etc... and I can't believe that we have made it & done as well as we have. I love & miss all of my SF friends so much... I wish you could see the lil Monkey grow & change each day - but I have met some great moms here too & feel so blessed to be having such wonderful days with the lil guy every day.
xo xo - don't forget to take a moment to get a whiff of spring
In our park, in people's yards and here are the flowers that are on our street corner by the project housing that's being renovated.
Sadly the kids idea of fun was to pull some of the new flowers out by their roots, but other than that I got a few beautiful photos.The New England "spring" weather is crazy... One day its cold and rainy- and by cold I mean really cold like 40's and low 50's; then the next day its blasting sun & in the 80's. There have been a couple "perfect San Francisco days" where its in the high 60's low 70's with a mild breeze and we have gone out walking around in just T-shirts. Yumm!!!
R. is crawling all over the place - getting into all kinds of things & eating the playground. He is cruising some, but hasn't chosen to take steps on his own yet. He is chattering nonstop (you can listen to him on the You Tube Videos linked below) & has maybe made one or two signs to me... the judge is still out on that one.
Em is working a lot - of course, but she is almost done with Medicine & we are going to have this Sat. off so we are running away to the Shire to see the grandparents & to celebrate Nancy's Birthday.
I have been feeling super nostalgic & thinking about this time last year - the craziness of getting ready to have a baby, move cross country, find a place to live, rent our place etc etc... and I can't believe that we have made it & done as well as we have. I love & miss all of my SF friends so much... I wish you could see the lil Monkey grow & change each day - but I have met some great moms here too & feel so blessed to be having such wonderful days with the lil guy every day.
xo xo - don't forget to take a moment to get a whiff of spring
Spring Collage
About two days ago everything around us started to bud & bloom... One day all the trees were naked (like the one in the bottom right corner) and the next day I go walk the dog and there are blossoms EVERYWHERE. Monito had to get his hands on some of the plants as you can see in the center. I am glad that it's not snowing - although Mondays 86 degree weather freaked me out a bit too... I heard of something called Spring - hopefully we'll get to see it for a little while before we collapse into the summer heat.
Wednesday, April 25
Saturday, April 21
His Current Favorite Toys
The lil guy enjoys playing with the trash can, the empty kleenex box and the Peanut Butter Jar best of just about everything. Especially the peanut butter jar - its probably the most dangerous. Friday, April 20
Monito wants Two Mommies
We went to the attorneys today to do the preliminary footwork to making Em's relationship with the lil monkey all legal like. We have to pay up, and fish around for a lot of documents - birth certificates, affidavits, etc. We are going to ask friends and family to write letters of support as well. It just sucks that we have to jump through silly (and expensive) legal hoops to make what already is into something legal. I guess I should be glad that we aren't being told to get married again...but still it seems crazy to me that we have to adopt our own kid.
I just want to say that the best part is is finding myself feeling so completly glad that Em is here & a part of my life & the deep deep belief that I wouldn't have the lil monkey if it weren't for the grace of having her in my life to make this all come true.
I do love my family
I just want to say that the best part is is finding myself feeling so completly glad that Em is here & a part of my life & the deep deep belief that I wouldn't have the lil monkey if it weren't for the grace of having her in my life to make this all come true.
I do love my family
Thursday, April 19
Happy First Birthday
Happy First Birthday to two of our Favorite UCSF Boys...
Aiden 4.19.06
And Abraham 4.19.06
Kisses & Hugs to your Moms (Maya & Margaret) & to your Dads (Nathan & Pat)
We miss you but we'll be happy to share some cake & ice cream in June!!!!
Aiden 4.19.06
And Abraham 4.19.06
Kisses & Hugs to your Moms (Maya & Margaret) & to your Dads (Nathan & Pat)
We miss you but we'll be happy to share some cake & ice cream in June!!!!
Monday, April 16
Tooth Number Two
Has made an appearance... I'll try for a photo this week. It's also on the bottom of his mouth.
It came in without too much fussing.
Boy continues to crawl and has begun talking non-stop - although apparently in a language other than English.
It came in without too much fussing.
Boy continues to crawl and has begun talking non-stop - although apparently in a language other than English.
Saturday, April 14
Gotta Love Liza
We were babysitting for my friend Lori - who has Direct Satellite TV & I discovered the "gay" channel Logo --- in the middle of the day they were showing one of my most favorite movies Ever (!!) Cabaret - Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, the little british guy... lots of good music... you know the show. I forgot that it's kinda dirty in some parts (Joel Grey). Anyway as you can tell by the look on the little monkey's face he now thinks that Liza Minnelli is super hot. Oh if only he ALWAYS loves musicals this much... a dad can dream.
Monday, April 9
Walking in the Park
Here are some shots of the lil Monkey practicing "walking" at a park that we visited during our Nanuet Passover trip. The park had playgrounds set up by age group & this was the 6 mo to 2 year area - He found the green bars at waist height to be the perfect thing to practice his stride on. As you can tell from the pix he was pretty proud of himself.
Now we just have to figure out how to install a set in our hallway!!!!
Wednesday, April 4
Nanuet Pesach
Until we get better photos from Grandpa Phil or Dan here are some selections from the Passover run to NY.
He Crawls...
We really need to clean up the apartment now....
This clip should work now... sorry it didn't before.
This clip should work now... sorry it didn't before.
... And He Talks...
Last night the little Monito said his first clear word.... what was it you ask?
"Bobo" as in Bobo wants a HUG from the book by Jez Alborough - see photo below...
It wasn't mama, daddy or Mabel but it wasn't "oh sh*t" or "f&ck" either -
After saying Bobo twice to the book he also said it to his monkey doll.
"Bobo" as in Bobo wants a HUG from the book by Jez Alborough - see photo below...
It wasn't mama, daddy or Mabel but it wasn't "oh sh*t" or "f&ck" either -
After saying Bobo twice to the book he also said it to his monkey doll.
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