Who knew that you could get out of jury duty if you were breastfeeding??!
jury duty successfully postponed
Originally uploaded by js_hale
jury duty successfully postponed
Originally uploaded by js_hale
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sitting up!
Jacob is much more tolerant of my folding the laundry now. 
SNC00059.jpg
Originally uploaded by js_hale
SNC00059.jpg
Originally uploaded by js_hale
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
back to the bento!
I bought yet another bento after the last one disappeared. I have to confess, I derive a lot of pleasure from making a colorful, tasty looking lunch for Peter, versus simply stuffing a sandwich in a bag for him.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Gearing up for a race
Peter is training for the Marin Century ride happening in a couple of weeks. He went on a long ride today - 4 hours - while Jacob and I went to the Farmers market and then had a long afternoon nap. I feel like a well-rested slug.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Bar hopping
Jacob got kicked out of his first bar yesterday (Harry's on Fillmore, SF) - their liquor license permits NO ONE under 21, including babies. (??!!) So we celebrated by heading to Long Bar, a "bar / bistro" just up the street. Jacob then proceeded to get his drink on (his usual "num nums"). But clearly, that didn't quite satisfy - here, he stares longingly at our good friend Brian's Tanqueray & tonic.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
first food!
I'm happy to announce that Jacob's first food was "okayu" - Japanese rice gruel. It's REALLY simple stuff - Japanese rice that's boiled down to a slurry, and it's easily digestible. It's also a great thing for adults to eat if you're sick to your stomach. So he seemed to like it - he grimaced a little bit, but he didn't spit ALL of it up. And I was going to wait until 6 months, but his appetite is increasing, and he's staring at my food when I eat. So there's my rationale. I'm bracing myself for smelly poops...
Went to Natural Resources today and got 3 cloth diaper covers and a bag of 100% compostable disposable diapers. I WISH I had the discipline to do exclusively cloth diapers. I don't. I think that the combination of cloth + disposables ends up being the most costly option. But whatever - I'm doing what I can to avoid contributing to the landfill.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
Poolside on the 4th
Jacob went for his first "swim" - he seemed to like it. The 80+ degree water temperature definitely helped. For now, his swimming consists of kicking his legs around and clinging to my swimsuit.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Family portrait
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Grandparent identity crisis
We were in Florida for a long weekend to see the grandparents. Here is Jacob (the big hand in the foreground belongs to my mom) playing on the living room floor on top of my old baby blanket. Mom still can't quite figure out what she would like to be called by Jacob. My idea at first was to call Dad "Pa-paw," which was my name for my grandfather - then Mom could be "Ma-maw," which was my great-grandmother's name. Then Dad threw Mom for a loop by requesting that he be called "Granddad." I guess "Grandma" wasn't working for her. Her first idea was to call herself "Sue Mom," which I nixed. Now she wants to be called "Ma-maw" but after trying it out, it's just not working for me. They're coming to visit (again) in August so we'll see what happens - but chances are it won't be resolved until Jacob starts talking.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Exersaucer
Obviously a huge hit with the kid - but like so many toys like this, I wonder - why do they have to make them to be so unattractive?? I guess it wouldn't be as interesting or stimulating to a kid otherwise, but what I wouldn't give for a nice, soothing palette of creams and tans instead of yellow-gold and royal blue!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Dr.'s office
Jacob had more shots today - so far, Peter has made it to every single appointment, which is good b/c I have no tolerance for shots. Jacob did great though - smiling and laughing through his tears by the time we were leaving.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
Disappearing "skullet"
Someone in my mother's group used the term "skullet" to describe that tuft of hair below the bald spot on the back of a baby's head. Jacob's hair is growing in so you can barely see what's left of it.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Head up!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
New discoveries
SNC00331.jpg
Jacob is discovering his hands and feet. He clasps his hands a lot, which is really cute. And now he can hold onto toys and really examine them.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sitting up
Jacob can *almost* sit up on his own - he was looking very adult-like with his elbow on the arm of the chair.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Gutentach!
After Bremen, we traveled to the Mosel region (not Iraq) for more wine sampling. We opted for the countryside, figuring it would be easier with a baby (which was true) and more relaxing. Peter bought Rick Steves' guide, which helped us decide where to stay & what to do. The highlight was Burg Eltz which is listed as one of Steves' must-sees. That and the restaurant at the place we were staying was FRICKIN' AMAZING - the meal (my Mother's Day treat) was not cheap, but it was a worthy splurge. Nothing German about the menu - damn fine French-inspired cuisine. The hotel was a cute B&B, but like most places the walls were super-thin. I was extremely glad that Peter had decided to lug the laptop with us because the place had wireless, and I downloaded some delightful white noise off iTunes - I highly recommend it. Only cost 6 bucks and worked like a charm.
I am very happy too b/c I finally figured out how to save my photos from my phone onto my computer - WOOOO!! It was a whole ordeal, installing software, the software not working, trying to make it work, not happening...I finally figured out a back-door way to get the photos and I couldn't be more pleased with myself. AND the baby is sleeping, Peter's making dinner...life is GOOD!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Germany
In our rush to get packed and go, we forgot USB connectors and such to upload photos - and since my phone is a CDMA and Germany is all GSM, I can't automatically upload from my phone like I normally do. We'll catch up when we get home.
I had forgotten how great the food is in Germany, especially the bread!! Big mounds of fresh, dense peasant breads every morning for breakfast. . . makes me swear up & down that I'll go to the local bakery at least twice a week when I get home, instead of merely subsisting on grossly inadequate loaves of store-bought poo that we normally eat. :)
We are in the Mosel wine region for the next 2 days, just taking it easy. Cochem is a medieval town from which we are basing our operations - it's kitschy and touristy, but small-scale and charming - a lot like St. Augustine, but older. It's raining, so we're planning on visiting wine cellars today and saving the castle hikes for tomorrow - fingers crossed that the weather is better tomorrow. Peter is chomping at the bit to "storm the castle."
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Baby's first beach trip - Crissy Field
Met up with Peter after a particularly "what-a-day" workday. Watching the dog frolick in the surf is an effective way to get rid of stress. Funny that we have to come into the city to go to the closest beach. :)
Monday, April 27, 2009
Baby monitor is ON...
I am frittering away precious Jacob napping time, but had to announce that he is taking a very rare afternoon nap BY HIMSELF - like, not on my chest, or next to me, etc. I won't make too much of it b/c it might be an isolated thing, but MAN it feels like progress!!!
We're in "sleep training" now, trying to get Jacob to sleep by himself. Starting out very easy by trying to get him to nap on his own during the day. It is fairly easy in the morning - afternoons are much more challenging, and sometimes it's tough for him to nap at all. Nighttime will still be the same bed-sharing routine probably until he's a year old or so. We'll see. For now, I'm celebrating this very small step - I probably should go before he wakes up. Jeez, what to do next before he wakes up....laundry? pay bills?? Prepare dinner??! The possibilities are endless and ooh...so enticing! Uh oh, just heard a little cry....so much for that. :)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Napping & nappies
Peter is on a ride this morning, and so I put Jacob in the Didymos sling as I do every morning and took Teddy for a walk around the complex. He definitely prefers the Didy over the Ergo, and at this stage, it's more comfortable for me too. This is the next best thing to breastfeeding to get him down for a nap.
I just remembered what I've been wanting to rant about! CAN SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE A CLOTH DIAPER THAT DOESN'T LEAK?? And if you, gentle reader, have been lucky enough to find one that works, PLEASE let me know. So far, the only thing that works is layering - I use 2 pre-fold cloth diapers, and a wool diaper cover, and that usually works. It's really funny to see how big you can make his butt look when you put a giant diaper ensemble on him! :) Anyway, I've tried Thirsties, Bum Genius, Knicker Nappies (do you love these names??) and a few others and invariably, they leak when he urinates. So if anyone knows about a cloth diaper that works, I'm all ears!
On the same subject, I am trying to figure out what is ultimately better for the environment -it would seem like a straightforward problem - disposables are made mostly of plastic and use up landfill space. But it takes a lot of water to rinse out & clean cloth diapers. But it's definitely cheaper to use cloth - right now I'm "hedging" and using a combination of both. Thoughts?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Babes in dreamland
2 funny dreams about our 10 week old son, Jacob. Last night, I dreamed we were in an airport terminal, running to catch a flight. Jacob jumped out of my arms and started running himself - I said, "Amazing! He's walking at 3 months!!!?" The funniest part about it was seeing the body of an infant tearing down the corridor. I'm sure I laughed in my sleep.
The second dream - I'm lying down on my side, getting a relaxing massage - a slow, circular pressure on my lower back. Then I realize that my son who's applying the pressure, except that it's not a massage at all - he is kneading his head into my back to wake me up and feed him! I think that these dreams are indicative of the LACK of sleep I'm getting - but at least I'm entertained.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
SNC00226.jpg
I took Jacob into the city for shoe shopping, then stopped by Pat's new place on the way home. Just before heading over to Pat's, Peter, Jacob and I were taking a little coffee break at the Westin St. Francis, when Jacob blew out his diaper - it was epic, all over his pants, all over MY pants and onto the chair. No biggie - at least that's what I told myself over and over as I dashed for the Ladies' Room - wouldn't you know there was no changing table. Fortunately, I had a spare outfit and a Ziploc bag - WHEW! Hours later, he is as you see - happy as a clam, in his Uncle Pat's lap.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thursday, April 09, 2009
I caught a smile!
Jacob was 8 weeks old yesterday - this kid is so resilient, it's amazing. He had 2 shots yesterday, and after hours of napping (no coaxing or shushing required - he was OUT), he's smiling again. He was originally scheduled for FOUR SHOTS (!!) but I put the kabbosh on that - at a mere 2 months of age, 2 shots per visit is quite enough, thank you. It kills me to put him through it - I have to remind myself that we all went through it, though my own experience with it was pretty traumatic - and comfort him as best I can after each visit. My pediatrician had a great idea for when they're older and they know what's coming - have a wrapped present ready for them to open after their shot. I think I'll throw in a scoop of ice cream, too - I'll need it just as much as he will!
Monday, April 06, 2009
All is quiet...
Wow, I actually have some time to write stuff - now if I could only think of everything I wanted to blog about! So it goes with the Mommy Brain . . . Jacob slept from 11pm til 5:30am last night, which was AMAZING. Would have been great except that I had a nightmare that was like a scene cut from the Exorcist - ugh! But the weird part was waking up from it - Peter had already gone to work. Jacob was right next to me (we're bed-sharing), totally undisturbed, even though I'm pretty sure I was mumbling out loud during the nightmare - and I felt strangely calm and more protective of Jacob than anything else. I guess that being a mom - knowing that I had to keep it together for my kid - had a calming effect. I went back to sleep until 7:15 or so - just had breakfast, Jacob is taking his morning nap, and we'll go walk the dog soon. Life is so, so good. :)
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Ice cream on a Sunday
Went on a hike with friends and had ice cream afterwards. This place serves up the good organic stuff & is way too close to where we live. www.threetwinsicecream.com
Friday, March 27, 2009
Couldn't help myself...
I've been going through his clothes today and playing dress-up. This is his "I love Big Dumps" t-shirt from Keystone.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Passport photo!
Yesterday we went to the post office to get Jacob's passport application. We are going to Germany in early summer. I was surprised that they make you hold your baby out like this for the photo - probably was instituted after Homeland Security came into being. It used to be that 1 or both of your parents would take the picture with you while you were held. Bizarre that they do it this way now, if you ask me - maybe they do it as a means of targeting potential infant combatants! In any event, Jacob totally took it in stride.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Finding the rhythm
Baby O. continues to delight & surprise. He is consistently sleeping in 3-4 hr. blocks & eating round the clock. I absolutely love this swing. It's like a tricked out SUV. Music, vibrations, soothing white noise, oh and it swings him into blissful quiet alert or sleep! Then Mom can get HER "num-nums " too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)