He just started this about 2 days ago.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
discovery museum
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Sunday, December 13, 2009
立ってる！
Jacob took his first unassisted step today! He has been doing the wobbly standing thing for a while, but the frequency and length of time have increased. While he was standing today, I had time to go find my phone, turn it on and switch it to video mode. Wouldn't you know that he fell almost right after I started filming. So after an eventful day of climbing all over Daddy, walking, falling, sitting, standing and wrestling with the dog, our little cherub went to sleep at 4-something in the afternoon for what I thought was a nap. He woke up 20 minutes later but then went back to sleep. It's 7:30pm now, so he's way out of normal napping territory. My prediction is that he'll be up and raring to go at 3:30AM. Give me strength . . .
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
God's country
God's country
Originally uploaded by js_hale
Snow covered hills in the background. It didn't above 48 degrees today - COLD for these parts!
The patches of sun warmed us up on our morning walk.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Jacob's 1st tree
Jacob was in the midst of a marathon nap when we picked it out. Today was cold and overcast all day - perfect weather for sipping hot coffee while tooling around the farmers market, which is what we did before coming across the street to get our tree. I guess the weather got me in the mood for soup, so when we got home, I took the array of edible squash that had been our dining room centerpiece since late October and turned it into soup! I needed to make room for Christmas decorations anyway. :P And no, the pumpkins weren't old and wrinkly yet. OK, only one was. Seriously though, it felt good to actually make use of something that would ordinarily get tossed once the season is over - like a Christmas tree, for example! Yes, I have very mixed feelings about our beautiful tree. I love the look, feel and the SMELL of a real tree, but it kills me to simply dump it after New Years. My in-laws have a good-looking plastic one, which got me thinking seriously about getting one for us. I have gotten a plastic wreath that looks very nice. I'm hoping that this and the centerpiece-tuned-delicious squash soup count for something. If anyone has a thought on how to re-purpose an old Christmas tree, let me know!
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
swinging with daddy
We were in FL for Thanksgiving weekend - this was taken at the playground at Anastasia Island State Park. We went for a walk on the beach, Jacob slept, then woke up when Daddy wanted to swing on the swings.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Turkey Day
Went to up the Ritz in Amelia Island - a tradition that's been going strong for 18 years. Jacob was in good company with 4 other kids in our group - they all wanted to help him walk around. The best part of having Thanksgiving in a hotel is that we actually have the meal 2 times in a row - Mom always wants to cook, so she cooks on Friday and we stuff ourselves silly all over again - 2 days in a row. Gluttonous? Yeah, maybe a little.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
SNC00398.3g2
SNC00398.3g2
Originally uploaded by js_hale
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Friday, November 13, 2009
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Friday, November 06, 2009
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
"Sleep training" - 5 days in
Since Jacob has started crawling, we have gotten to the point where it makes more sense to train him to sleep in his crib. Up until now, I wanted to bed-share for years. I saw how it worked so well for my friends in Japan. I thought that the sense of security that children must feel in sleeping next to their parents every night could only help his development. Above all, I wanted a happy, well-adjusted kid. I talked with a good friend whose opinion I respect very much - she'd read somewhere about a theory: basically, children are brought up strictly in the west (i.e., forced to sleep in a crib) from a very early stage, therefore they must be educated even more strictly as they get older. And since they couldn't enjoy constant closeness with their caregiver/mother early on, they need someone who welcomes their need for acknowledgment later in life, both mentally and physically. To paraphrase - kids who aren't nurtured early on are left wanting later in life.
I agree with the basic premise for sure. Recently, though, I've changed my mind about how this theory applies to my kid sleeping in a crib. First of all, every kid is different. Second, I believe that the bed-sharing for the first 8 months of his life (along with breast feeding, lots of affection, etc.) established a strong foundation of security and self-worth. Kid woke up - more later!!
(1:11PM) Jacob has been "down for a nap" since 12:30pm. Translation: he's been screaming his head off for nearly 45 minutes. The guidelines say to end the nap after 1 hour and try again in 1-2 hours. Naps are the hardest to change. Right now, I'm on the second 15-minute interval, and I seriously doubt that he'll go down before it's over. This is the really hard part, making yourself stay put during those intervals while listening to your child scream. But I have been assured that I am not doing anything harmful, and he knows that we love him, it's just hard getting used to a new routine. As long as Peter and/or I check in at 5-10-15 minute intervals to reassure him that we're here, he is not traumatized or feel abandoned.
The upside to this whole situation is that he's sleeping better at night. Last night, he went down easily at 8:30PM - I heard him doing his half-asleep fussing at 6:00AM, but he went back to sleep, and woke peacefully at 8:15! Never thought it would make that much of a difference so quickly, but it has. So we'll see how it goes from here. He's still crying, so I need to go get him now.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Jacob & Rolly
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
making the most of a rainy Monday
making the most of a rainy Monday
Originally uploaded by js_hale
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Pumpkin Patch
Went to Nicasio and met the babies & moms from my Tuesday group. Ate a (wild boar!) sandwich - Peter had an elk sandwich - both were excellent. Jacob napped coming & going. Yay!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 09, 2009
officially crawling!!!
officially crawling!!!
Originally uploaded by js_hale
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Sunday, October 04, 2009
Friday, October 02, 2009
Still (almost) crawling
still (almost) crawling
Originally uploaded by js_hale
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Brookings OR
Our little piece of heaven, complete with a hot tub! Can't wait to play on the beach tomorrow w/ the dog. Now where did I put that ice-cold beer...
on the road
driving down the Oregon coast today . we stopped for lunch in old town Florence. The smell of standing salt water & gasoline reminds me of my childhood, lots of weekends going fishing with my dad.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
SNC00234.jpg
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Oregon vacation
Heading to Multnomah Falls w/ my family: hubby, brother & sister in law, 2 dogs & 2 kids. Mt. Hood in the background here.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Me on 9/11 - USA Today
I had no idea that they took this picture - my relatives saw it the next day in the paper and called me. I just now googled it and found it again - not tooting my own horn or anything, I just thought it was appropriate for the day. The caption of the picture reads: "Jennifer Hale, 29, cannot hold back tears as she attended a Requiem Eucharist at the Grace Cathedral Episcopal in San Francisco."
I was thinking all day long today about where I was 8 years ago. I woke up at 6:00am to some of the saddest music I'd ever heard, playing on NPR - and heard that the twin towers had been hit. I didn't have a TV, so I wasn't glued to the set - just listening to the radio, and talking to my boyfriend at the time who drove a cab, and was convinced that the US was under attack. I was stunned, shocked and panicked that something similar might happen near where I was (San Francisco). Consequently, I refused to go into work that day - I was supposed to fly to LA for some meeting - my boss at the time (whose HUSBAND was working in the Pentagon!) was trying to talk me into driving down with her after our flights had been canceled (she actually said, "come ON! We can have lunch in Santa Barbara..."). I was incredulous and rather sickened that she wasn't at all affected - she wasn't showing it, anyway, who knows what she was actually feeling. Instead of work, I went to church. Grace Cathedral had an unscheduled service at noon that day. I needed to process the reality of what had happened. I was not aware that my picture would be shown in USA Today, but there it was the following day.
What I remember from the days afterward was hearing how neighbors in New York who normally would never exchange a word suddenly talked to one another, asking each other if any of their loved ones were still missing, and reaching out to one another for support and comfort. It confirmed my belief that despite our best efforts to convince ourselves otherwise, we are all connected. I had hoped that the grief and sadness that was felt throughout the country would somehow be channeled into, I don't know, something productive - something to bring about more peace. What Bush & his administration did with that grief was in my opinion an aberration - channeling it towards more violence. A "crusade," right? I listened today to what Obama had to say at the memorial services, hopeful that I would hear a far different tone from that of 8 years ago, and the tone, at least was different. Tempered, I guess. I was somewhat encouraged, but I think we still far short of leveraging the tremendous amount of good that can be done in honor of the people whom we lost.
Very quickly (Jacob just woke up), Isabel Allende said after losing her daughter (paraphrasing), "when tragedy happens to you, there is a cleansing that happens, and it burns away everything that's unnecessary - and you're purified, in a sense. You are humbled, you feel gratitude for those who support you through it, and you don't have room for anything else." I felt some of this after 9/11, and how I think many others might have felt this way, too. I know I'm not articulating this well, but I feel like 8 years after the fact, we still have an opportunity to do a lot towards building greater understanding and promoting peace in the wake of tragedy. I can hear some of my friends snickering at me for saying this - but I'm really serious. We just need the right leadership to point the way forward.
coolest high chair
The SVAN high chair - great design, beautiful wood, and one less piece of tacky plastic in the house - woo hoo!! 
coolest high chair
Originally uploaded by js_hale
coolest high chair
Originally uploaded by js_hale
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Monday, September 07, 2009
apple picking
Went to Grammy's house in Covelo this weekend. Open space, horses, home cooked food and apple orchards! The apples are Golden Delicious. No substitute for Fujis, but pretty darn good.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
New sippy cup
First time successfully using it! Of course, now I'm more confused than ever about what to do to maximize Jacob's nutritional intake. Just got off the phone with the nurse who works at the pediatrics practice where we take Jacob - she very politely scolded me for calling the nurse triage the other night to ask about feeding. I was genuinely worried, but it was a non-emergency call - apparently, the after-hours triage service charges doctors for each call that their patients make, so if it's not a life or death situation, they ask that you wait until the morning. At least, now I have a slightly better idea about what to do & not do. Basically, eating and drinking is purely a social thing - it's like playtime at this point - vital nutrients still come from breast milk. But if you could see how this kid puts down food, you'd think he's been starving for solid food for weeks! Now that I know that we're not hurting him, we'll just keep feeding him as much as he wants to eat and keep it fun - fun for whom, I am not sure - cause it's a lot of work to feed him AND us, but hopefully he develops a taste for a wide variety of foods. . . we've done sweet potatoes, bananas and avocado so far. Thinking about trying zucchini next - we'll see.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
just the way we like him
Passed out! Went to macy' s to try and get a jump on xmas shopping. Didn't find anything but it did tire out the kid. The mall IS good for something!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
carmel
baby's sick so no whale watching today. teddy & I are at the beach while the boys sleep.
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
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