Today was my last midweek break. I've been taking Wednesdays off to spend more time with Lukas so that I was only away from him for 2 days at a time instead of a week. This was the last one. I'll still be working 4 day work weeks because I have 4 summer Fridays to burn, but this will be the last Wednesday. I'm going to miss it. He probably won't remember these days, but I will. It's not like we did anything special. In fact, it was a lot like the days I had on maternity leave. It's just hard since he spends about 9 hours a day at daycare and we only get to see him for about 3-4 hours a day during the week.
Today, we started the day off with a stroller walk with the parents group we belong to. Then, I thought I had a conference call with the client that got cancelled which was a bit frustrating because I stayed up until almost midnight working on a presentation for it. I'm having a tough time at work right now. The work itself is OK, but I'm finding it really hard to work with someone that I don't respect. I love my boss and the team is great, except for one person- my boss's boss. I think it may be time to look for something else. I really loved my job for the first 6 months, so it's sad that it's come to this. It's funny- most of the time, it's bad if your boss is telling you to find a new job. However, this time, my boss told me I should be looking because there is no future at this company and that she's looking too. I guess I should be thankful that she's looking out for me. I remembered thinking to myself that I should enjoy this job as long as I can because it usually doesn't last. Unfortunately, I was right.
After the stroller walk, Lukas and I had lunch with Shannon and Katie. Katie was born on the same day as Lukas. Shannon is her stay-at-home dad. They recently moved to Alameda and Edwin met them on the one time he was able to come to a stroller walk. They moved from NYC and his wife Heather is from OH and works at an agency, so we have some things in common. Then, Lukas and I ran some errands like grocery shopping, dropping off dry cleaning, getting gas, and getting cash. I think I really need one of these days at least once a month. Seriously, we had no bread, eggs, or milk in the house. We had food in the pantry, but no staples.
Like I said, I'll miss these lazy days with Lukas. I could tell that he was happy to be spending the day with me too. He was laughing a lot. He behaved by taking his naps and we got to play together. I'm glad that I'll have Fridays off in August, but it's going to be hard working 4 full days of work in a row. Wait- am I transitioning Lukas into daycare or weaning myself off of maternity leave? Hmm... probably both. What am I going to do when I have to work 5 whole days in a row? Let's not think about that. I know. I'm totally spoiled.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Bliss
Now I don't want to brag, but Lukas is a great baby. We've been trying to get him sleep without a swaddle. Why would we do that since we have been extolling the virtues of the swaddle since his birth? Well, last week he started rolling over. A lot. In fact, it was the first thing he would do after waking up and I found him one morning wedged against the side of the crib unable to move. So even though it was great for months, we decided to wean Lukas off of the swaddle or maybe he just convinced us that he didn't need it anymore.
On Friday, he cried for almost an hour before falling asleep. On Saturday, he also cried for a while before falling asleep. It was terrible. We would try and give him his pacifier or pat him, but he would just get angrier. On Sunday, he fell asleep in his carseat and slept there all night. Last night, I put him in his crib awake and he played for a while and then fell asleep with any crying. It was beautiful. Tonight, he went down again without a fight. Lovin' it.
Last weekend, I got a fever on Friday. I was able to just sleep early on Friday and it pretty much went away the next day with the exception of a little sore throat. I was glad that Lukas didn't get sick at all. I tried to stay away from Lukas except to feed him. Surprisingly, it's good for me to breastfeed him because I give him the immunity through the milk so that he won't get sick. Weird how that stuff works.
On Saturday, we took it easy since I was still recovering. We also attended a Red Eggs & Ginger Party for our cousin's twins. This is the first one I have attended. We thought about doing something to celebrate Lukas's first month or 100 days, but I didn't know what to do, so we didn't do anything. It was fun. It was kind of like a wedding banquet with 10 courses at a Chinese restaurant. They were even advertising for newborn red egg parties. I guess that's the trend now.
On Sunday, Edwin helped the Schneiders move into their new house. YAY! It reminded me of when we first bought our house and sleeping on the ktichen floor for a week and trying to get setup. Stressful, fun, and exciting. I can't believe that we have been in our house for almost 2 years now. Then, we had dinner with a friend from out of town. Vic is a friend that I have known for almost 25 years. Yikes, there's not that many people I can say that I have known for that long and still keep in touch. He was the emcee at our wedding and always makes us laugh. It was great catching up with him and our mutual local friends Will & Chiao. Lukas loved meeting Vic. He wasn't quite sure in the beginning and would look at me to see if it was OK, but then Vic started making him laugh and it was all over. They are best buds. It certainly helps that Vic is an experienced Dad with 2 kids of his own though I'm glad to see that Lukas loves Vic as much as we do. I'll post pics if I can get it from Vic. We also got to visit Vicki who was also in town, so we got to reminisce about growing up in Cleveland. None of us live there anymore, but there is something to be said about how we have managed to keep in touch. It was so nice to see them again. Reminders of who we are and those who helped us become that way.
On Friday, he cried for almost an hour before falling asleep. On Saturday, he also cried for a while before falling asleep. It was terrible. We would try and give him his pacifier or pat him, but he would just get angrier. On Sunday, he fell asleep in his carseat and slept there all night. Last night, I put him in his crib awake and he played for a while and then fell asleep with any crying. It was beautiful. Tonight, he went down again without a fight. Lovin' it.
Last weekend, I got a fever on Friday. I was able to just sleep early on Friday and it pretty much went away the next day with the exception of a little sore throat. I was glad that Lukas didn't get sick at all. I tried to stay away from Lukas except to feed him. Surprisingly, it's good for me to breastfeed him because I give him the immunity through the milk so that he won't get sick. Weird how that stuff works.
On Saturday, we took it easy since I was still recovering. We also attended a Red Eggs & Ginger Party for our cousin's twins. This is the first one I have attended. We thought about doing something to celebrate Lukas's first month or 100 days, but I didn't know what to do, so we didn't do anything. It was fun. It was kind of like a wedding banquet with 10 courses at a Chinese restaurant. They were even advertising for newborn red egg parties. I guess that's the trend now.
On Sunday, Edwin helped the Schneiders move into their new house. YAY! It reminded me of when we first bought our house and sleeping on the ktichen floor for a week and trying to get setup. Stressful, fun, and exciting. I can't believe that we have been in our house for almost 2 years now. Then, we had dinner with a friend from out of town. Vic is a friend that I have known for almost 25 years. Yikes, there's not that many people I can say that I have known for that long and still keep in touch. He was the emcee at our wedding and always makes us laugh. It was great catching up with him and our mutual local friends Will & Chiao. Lukas loved meeting Vic. He wasn't quite sure in the beginning and would look at me to see if it was OK, but then Vic started making him laugh and it was all over. They are best buds. It certainly helps that Vic is an experienced Dad with 2 kids of his own though I'm glad to see that Lukas loves Vic as much as we do. I'll post pics if I can get it from Vic. We also got to visit Vicki who was also in town, so we got to reminisce about growing up in Cleveland. None of us live there anymore, but there is something to be said about how we have managed to keep in touch. It was so nice to see them again. Reminders of who we are and those who helped us become that way.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Back to the Old Grind
So I went back to work last week. It's been OK. The first day was definitely the hardest. More for me than for Lukas. He was fine going to daycare. For me, it was hard to leave him all day long. It was the first time I left him with anyone except Edwin for 10 hours. We had a little scare last week when I had an allergic reaction to a new type of shellfish called periwinkle. I woke up congested and coughing. I thought that I was sick. I couldn't believe it because I didn't get sick while I was pregnant or in Lukas's first 4 months, so it's been over a year. I thought that maybe I had caught something on my first day back at work.
I was having a tough time getting to sleep because of the congestion. I woke up to get a drink of water and saw my reflection in the bathroom. My lips were completely puffy. That was when I realized that I had an allergic reaction to dinner. Luckily, the reaction only lasted one day and I was able to take Claritin and it cleared up. Now I know what I would look like with collogen- not good.
We are still trying to get the logistics of getting to work down, but it's tough. Lukas's daycare closes at 5:30 and I feel like we're racing against the clock to get back to Alameda in time. That's the toughest part. I really like our daycare provider. She was a little more expensive, but I think that she is worth it. I had interviewed several home daycares and many of them seem to have older children that play a little rougher. Some of them had the TV running while I was there and I found the caregivers paid more attention to me than the children. There was one that had a really clean house, but no toys in sight. What kind of daycare doesn't have toys?
Work itself has also been tough. There have been a few rounds of layoffs while I was gone and a lot of my coworkers were moved to another building. It is very depressing to see all the empty cubicles around me. I used to be able to say that I had fun at work and liked the people around me. Now, the work is OK, but I can't stand my disorganized project lead. It really goes to show that work is really impacted by the people that you work with. If you have good people, it makes bad work tolerable. If you have good work, but bad people, you can still be miserable.
Last weekend, we spent most of it at the new Schneider house in Castro Valley. We painted, helped organize the kitchen, and picked up food. It reminded me of how hectic it was when we first moved in. While we are mostly settled now, there are still some things Edwin and I still haven't gotten around to doing. I feel like we are always cleaning the garage. We also managed to lock ourselves out of our house this weekend. After painting/hanging out until 1AM, we got home and realized that we had left the keys in the house. Our next door neighbor has our spare keys, but we didn't feel comfortable waking them up at 2AM to get it. Jeannette also has a key, but we couldn't reach her either. So we ended up having an impromptu sleepover at Show's since she was also a fellow painter. This just shows that we need to hide a key. Edwin and I keep talking about doing that, but we haven't.
I was having a tough time getting to sleep because of the congestion. I woke up to get a drink of water and saw my reflection in the bathroom. My lips were completely puffy. That was when I realized that I had an allergic reaction to dinner. Luckily, the reaction only lasted one day and I was able to take Claritin and it cleared up. Now I know what I would look like with collogen- not good.
We are still trying to get the logistics of getting to work down, but it's tough. Lukas's daycare closes at 5:30 and I feel like we're racing against the clock to get back to Alameda in time. That's the toughest part. I really like our daycare provider. She was a little more expensive, but I think that she is worth it. I had interviewed several home daycares and many of them seem to have older children that play a little rougher. Some of them had the TV running while I was there and I found the caregivers paid more attention to me than the children. There was one that had a really clean house, but no toys in sight. What kind of daycare doesn't have toys?
Work itself has also been tough. There have been a few rounds of layoffs while I was gone and a lot of my coworkers were moved to another building. It is very depressing to see all the empty cubicles around me. I used to be able to say that I had fun at work and liked the people around me. Now, the work is OK, but I can't stand my disorganized project lead. It really goes to show that work is really impacted by the people that you work with. If you have good people, it makes bad work tolerable. If you have good work, but bad people, you can still be miserable.
Last weekend, we spent most of it at the new Schneider house in Castro Valley. We painted, helped organize the kitchen, and picked up food. It reminded me of how hectic it was when we first moved in. While we are mostly settled now, there are still some things Edwin and I still haven't gotten around to doing. I feel like we are always cleaning the garage. We also managed to lock ourselves out of our house this weekend. After painting/hanging out until 1AM, we got home and realized that we had left the keys in the house. Our next door neighbor has our spare keys, but we didn't feel comfortable waking them up at 2AM to get it. Jeannette also has a key, but we couldn't reach her either. So we ended up having an impromptu sleepover at Show's since she was also a fellow painter. This just shows that we need to hide a key. Edwin and I keep talking about doing that, but we haven't.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Happy 4th of July!
Last weekend was a busy one. On Friday, we went on our weekly stroller walk. Lukas and I have been walking along the Alameda shore every Friday morning for the past few weeks with a few other new parents. This time, Edwin got to attend with us. It was a gorgeous day to be walking. Then, we all attended Freeman's first birthday party. Of course, everyone had a great time and it was a beautiful day out. Pictures will be posted later.
On Saturday, we attended the Alameda Parade. It's like a little slice of Americana. Lots of homemade floats, families with kids, local businesses, and marching bands. Lukas was of course a little too young to enjoy it, but as usual, he likes to be outside and seeing people, so he was happy. We walked to the parade from our house with our neighbor Leilani, Darryl & Susan, and the Schneiders. This year's parade seemed a little more crowded than last year, but it was still fun.
We also hosted a BBQ. The day was such a blur. We had a great time on a gorgeous day. This year, we had the BBQ in the front yard along with all of our neighbors. We had a little buffet table with 3 types of tri-tip, pineapple sausage, veggies, salad, apple pie, choc chip brownies, chips, fruit, and fresh lemonade. On Sunday, we did a little shopping and then went to hang out with the Schneiders and Banerjees because we simply don't see them enough.
Lukas had his 4-month check-up last week. He's now officially 16lbs. 2 oz. and 25.5 inches long. He is growing like a weed. We haven't posted any photos or videos in a while, so here are some recent ones of Lukas and Daddy playing "Stinky Feet" and Lukas in his new favorite toy, the "Jumparoo."
On Saturday, we attended the Alameda Parade. It's like a little slice of Americana. Lots of homemade floats, families with kids, local businesses, and marching bands. Lukas was of course a little too young to enjoy it, but as usual, he likes to be outside and seeing people, so he was happy. We walked to the parade from our house with our neighbor Leilani, Darryl & Susan, and the Schneiders. This year's parade seemed a little more crowded than last year, but it was still fun.
We also hosted a BBQ. The day was such a blur. We had a great time on a gorgeous day. This year, we had the BBQ in the front yard along with all of our neighbors. We had a little buffet table with 3 types of tri-tip, pineapple sausage, veggies, salad, apple pie, choc chip brownies, chips, fruit, and fresh lemonade. On Sunday, we did a little shopping and then went to hang out with the Schneiders and Banerjees because we simply don't see them enough.
Lukas had his 4-month check-up last week. He's now officially 16lbs. 2 oz. and 25.5 inches long. He is growing like a weed. We haven't posted any photos or videos in a while, so here are some recent ones of Lukas and Daddy playing "Stinky Feet" and Lukas in his new favorite toy, the "Jumparoo."
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunny Happy Days
This weekend has flown by. On Friday, Edwin had a Guys Night (aka Drinks Night) so I stayed home with Lukas. I thought it was going to be a lonely night, but there was an impromptu neighborhood block party, so Lukas and I got to spend the warm evening outside getting to know some more of the neighbors. It was very nice because there were so many people who wanted to hold Lukas that I got to eat dinner without holding him. Another bonus is that I didn't even have to cook myself dinner since people had brought the fixings for tacos. People are so nice on our street. The neighborhood is one of the best things about where we live. I never expected to get to know so many of them. I have never gotten to know neighbors like this before. It's like something out of the 50's. They have these impromptu block parties pretty often, but we generally are not able to attend because we usually already have plans.
I had to leave a little early because Lukas started getting a little fussy because he was tired, but he went to sleep without a fight which is a blessing in it of itself. Then, I got to relax and watch one of my favorite movies that was playing on TV, "Sleepless in Seattle." I own the DVD, but there's just something about watching a movie live. Edwin got home before the movie ended, so there really wasn't any time to be lonely.
On Saturday, Steve and Pablo came by to meet Lukas. We had took a walk to downtown Park St. for some lunch at La Pinata which Pablo had introduced to us so many years ago. It was like old times. After they left, Edwin and I did some spring cleaning. We have been meaning to clean out the garage for a while. We have these garment racks that were in our old garage for our suits and outdoor gear that we never put together. The clothes have been hanging in Lukas's closet. We couldn't put the clothes in the garment racks until we found a place to put them in the garage which we needed to organize. We also were able to organize our front closet because we were able to put some of the coats into the garment racks. It felt so good to be able to clean something up. We're still not done. We are having people over for a 4th of July BBQ next week, so it's good motivation for us to clean more. We just need to donate more to the Goodwill. I'm leaning towards just throwing out the boxes of stuff in the garage that we don't know what is in them. Obviously, I haven't needed what is in them for almost 2 years. I would just remove them, but Edwin wants to go through them (probably because it's mostly his stuff!)
Today, we spent another beautiful day outdoors. We went to a Les Nubians concert at Stern Grove. We purchased tickets to see this band a few years ago at Bimbo's (a club near our old apartment) but realized that we couldn't go because we were scheduled to fly out of town at the same time. We were able to sell the tickets on craigslist, but we never got to see them in concert until today. It was a free outdoor concert where you just pack a picnic lunch and lounge on the grass. We were surrounded by lots of other families with young kids. We haven't been to Stern Grove in a few years, but I think that we will definitely be going more often with Lukas. He loved being outdoors and fell asleep looking at all the trees. He took a nice, long 2 hour nap which would have been longer if someone's football falling near us hadn't startled him.
I had to leave a little early because Lukas started getting a little fussy because he was tired, but he went to sleep without a fight which is a blessing in it of itself. Then, I got to relax and watch one of my favorite movies that was playing on TV, "Sleepless in Seattle." I own the DVD, but there's just something about watching a movie live. Edwin got home before the movie ended, so there really wasn't any time to be lonely.
On Saturday, Steve and Pablo came by to meet Lukas. We had took a walk to downtown Park St. for some lunch at La Pinata which Pablo had introduced to us so many years ago. It was like old times. After they left, Edwin and I did some spring cleaning. We have been meaning to clean out the garage for a while. We have these garment racks that were in our old garage for our suits and outdoor gear that we never put together. The clothes have been hanging in Lukas's closet. We couldn't put the clothes in the garment racks until we found a place to put them in the garage which we needed to organize. We also were able to organize our front closet because we were able to put some of the coats into the garment racks. It felt so good to be able to clean something up. We're still not done. We are having people over for a 4th of July BBQ next week, so it's good motivation for us to clean more. We just need to donate more to the Goodwill. I'm leaning towards just throwing out the boxes of stuff in the garage that we don't know what is in them. Obviously, I haven't needed what is in them for almost 2 years. I would just remove them, but Edwin wants to go through them (probably because it's mostly his stuff!)
Today, we spent another beautiful day outdoors. We went to a Les Nubians concert at Stern Grove. We purchased tickets to see this band a few years ago at Bimbo's (a club near our old apartment) but realized that we couldn't go because we were scheduled to fly out of town at the same time. We were able to sell the tickets on craigslist, but we never got to see them in concert until today. It was a free outdoor concert where you just pack a picnic lunch and lounge on the grass. We were surrounded by lots of other families with young kids. We haven't been to Stern Grove in a few years, but I think that we will definitely be going more often with Lukas. He loved being outdoors and fell asleep looking at all the trees. He took a nice, long 2 hour nap which would have been longer if someone's football falling near us hadn't startled him.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Sniffles
This past week, Lukas has had a slight runny nose. It's not actually even runny. He's just had some mucus in his nose and a little congestion. We're not sure if he was ever really sick because he never complained. We haven't been with anyone who was sick either, so we're not sure where it came from. We haven't given him any medication since it didn't seem to bother him. He's really such a happy baby. We are very lucky. Occasionally, he'll cry when we try to put him to bed, but once he's out, it's OK.
One more week. That's all I have left of my maternity leave. Next week, Lukas starts daycare. I went to his daycare today to fill out some paperwork. His daycare provider's name is Mallory. It's a family daycare, meaning that she runs it out of her home. She's only allowed 4 infants per caretaker and there are 2 caretakers. He'll be the 4th child and 3 of the kids are part-time. Lukas will be the only one who is full-time. One of the reasons I chose her is the low ratio of children to caretakers. I'm sure that she will have more children over time, but at least in the beginning, he'll be getting lots of attention. Another reason, I chose her is that I like her gentle nature. I saw how she interacted with the other children while she was with Lukas. Today confirmed my feelings. She was taking care of Lukas and 2 other children while I was filling out the forms. She doesn't raise her voice, but she does tell the children to be gentle or distracts them with other toys if they want something they shouldn't have. I also watched one of the children who was 14 months say good-bye to her mother. This was not a child who was crying or screaming as mom left. Her mom did not have to sneak out the door while she was distracted. She happily waved good-bye to her mom as she left. Seeing this interaction made me feel a little better about leaving Lukas there. Still, Edwin is going to have to be the one to drop him off next week because I don't think that I can do it. I'll be sniffling even as they leave.
I'm sure that Lukas will be fine. He hasn't exhibited any separation anxiety at all. It will be me who has the separation anxiety. I'm trying to ease my transition back to work by taking Wednesdays off in July so that I'm only away from him 2 days at a time. Then, in August, I get 4 summer Fridays which I'll use. So for 2 months, I'll only be working 4 days a week, but getting full pay.
Here are the latest photos of Lukas and our trip to Pismo Beach:
One more week. That's all I have left of my maternity leave. Next week, Lukas starts daycare. I went to his daycare today to fill out some paperwork. His daycare provider's name is Mallory. It's a family daycare, meaning that she runs it out of her home. She's only allowed 4 infants per caretaker and there are 2 caretakers. He'll be the 4th child and 3 of the kids are part-time. Lukas will be the only one who is full-time. One of the reasons I chose her is the low ratio of children to caretakers. I'm sure that she will have more children over time, but at least in the beginning, he'll be getting lots of attention. Another reason, I chose her is that I like her gentle nature. I saw how she interacted with the other children while she was with Lukas. Today confirmed my feelings. She was taking care of Lukas and 2 other children while I was filling out the forms. She doesn't raise her voice, but she does tell the children to be gentle or distracts them with other toys if they want something they shouldn't have. I also watched one of the children who was 14 months say good-bye to her mother. This was not a child who was crying or screaming as mom left. Her mom did not have to sneak out the door while she was distracted. She happily waved good-bye to her mom as she left. Seeing this interaction made me feel a little better about leaving Lukas there. Still, Edwin is going to have to be the one to drop him off next week because I don't think that I can do it. I'll be sniffling even as they leave.
I'm sure that Lukas will be fine. He hasn't exhibited any separation anxiety at all. It will be me who has the separation anxiety. I'm trying to ease my transition back to work by taking Wednesdays off in July so that I'm only away from him 2 days at a time. Then, in August, I get 4 summer Fridays which I'll use. So for 2 months, I'll only be working 4 days a week, but getting full pay.
Here are the latest photos of Lukas and our trip to Pismo Beach:
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Happy Father's Day!
So we did another little video for Father's Day. This past weekend, we went to Mason's First Birthday on Saturday. He has changed so much since we last saw him in January. Lukas had a great time watching Mason eat his birthday cake. More pictures to come later. We also got to catch up with Chris, Dana, and Jayden. They come up from Santa Cruz unexpectedly and so we got to catch up with them as well. It was so cute to see the 2 boys together. They are about 2 monthes apart, so we get a little preview to what Lukas will be doing shortly.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Chatting & Pismo Beach
Last weekend, we went to Pismo Beach for Jon & Kim's wedding. Jon has become a good surfing buddy of Edwin's and he worked with both of us while we were at KSA. It was a nice 4 hour drive down to the Central Coast. Pictures will be posted later. It was a good time, so we wish that we had more time there. We stayed in the downtown area and had some great seafood and clam chowder at Splash Cafe and Brad's. We also got to see a few whales while we were there.
Lukas did well in the hotel room that had paper thin walls. We heard the man next door snoring and the people upstairs pacing, so when Lukas woke up crying at 5:30AM, we hoped that our neighbors would be as forgiving.
We just got a new camcorder- the Mino Flip HD. I think that almost all new parents within the last 2 years have this camcorder. It's smaller and lighter than our camera and is good for making videos quickly. I'm pretty sure that we'll be using it often. We have been thinking about getting one for a while and we saw it at Costco, so decided to bite the bullet. Now, we just need to get the HD TV to watch them. Haha. It was actually good timing that we got it because Lukas has decided that he likes to talk now. He had quite a few conversations this past weekend with everyone he met. I'll post that later too.
This week, we got another surprise visit from our friend Bo from NYC. We got to have dinner and dessert with her and Show and reminisced about old times. Bo's blog was the first blog that I had ever read. She's inspired me to create one because she always has an opinion and can always make me laugh. Bo only lived out here for 14 months, but we have many happy memories with her in that short period. We all reflected on how things have changed and still stayed the same in the 5 years that have transpired since she left SF. Hmmm... I wonder who will show up unannounced in the Bay Area next week. I only have 2 more weeks left in my maternity leave, so I welcome more visitors!
Also, I was informed that my videos of Lukas from 2 postings ago were asking for you to become my friend to view them. I think that I have changed the setting so you can view it. If not, let me know that there are still technical difficulties!
Lukas did well in the hotel room that had paper thin walls. We heard the man next door snoring and the people upstairs pacing, so when Lukas woke up crying at 5:30AM, we hoped that our neighbors would be as forgiving.
We just got a new camcorder- the Mino Flip HD. I think that almost all new parents within the last 2 years have this camcorder. It's smaller and lighter than our camera and is good for making videos quickly. I'm pretty sure that we'll be using it often. We have been thinking about getting one for a while and we saw it at Costco, so decided to bite the bullet. Now, we just need to get the HD TV to watch them. Haha. It was actually good timing that we got it because Lukas has decided that he likes to talk now. He had quite a few conversations this past weekend with everyone he met. I'll post that later too.
This week, we got another surprise visit from our friend Bo from NYC. We got to have dinner and dessert with her and Show and reminisced about old times. Bo's blog was the first blog that I had ever read. She's inspired me to create one because she always has an opinion and can always make me laugh. Bo only lived out here for 14 months, but we have many happy memories with her in that short period. We all reflected on how things have changed and still stayed the same in the 5 years that have transpired since she left SF. Hmmm... I wonder who will show up unannounced in the Bay Area next week. I only have 2 more weeks left in my maternity leave, so I welcome more visitors!
Also, I was informed that my videos of Lukas from 2 postings ago were asking for you to become my friend to view them. I think that I have changed the setting so you can view it. If not, let me know that there are still technical difficulties!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Come Visit Us!
So we have had a lot of visitors in the past few weeks. It's been really great to be able to catch up with people and to introduce them to Lukas. Last week, Alex and Flora came to visit from Toronto. I haven't seen them in almost 10 years. It was great fun even though it was a short visit. We made breakfast and took them around for some quick SF tourist spots. We went down Lombard Street, walked around in Fisherman's Wharf, ate some clam chowder, and stopped by Chrissy Field for some photos of the Golden Gate Bridge. We did all of this in 2 hours. I told them it was a teaser tour to make them want to come back to visit soon. Edwin and I love to travel and we love to have friends take us around to cool spots. It's so much faster and much less stressful.
This week, our friend Vicki came for work and to visit. We walked along the beach and in downtown Alameda and just talked for hours. It was a great time. Chatting with Vicki was like food for my soul. Last weekend, I had Girls Night which helped to energize my spirit, but talking with Vicki helped me to feel like I was me again. I'm not just a mom. It's not that being a mom is bad or that I don't want to be a mom, but I think it is really easy to lose your identity when all your energy is spent taking care of a baby, house, and husband. It is a really hard job. When people say that it is hard for a new mom to shower or even to pee, it's not an exageration. You really don't have a lot of time for yourself or to reflect. You feel like you're living ground hog day over and over again where time resets every 2-3 hours based on feeding and sleeping schedules. Talking with Vicki reminded me of all the times when we lived in Chicago and we would meet each week and talk for hours over dinner. It's as if I went back in time. I used to spend a lot of time hanging out with my girlfriends talking about our problems and relationships. Now, there are usually husbands or children or both around. It's not that I don't want either Edwin or Lukas around, but I can't have the same types of conversations or even have the ability to finish conversations sometimes. Girls Night was great because it was a group of girls and we were able to pack in a lot of activities, but talking one-on-one with Vicki was nice because I could focus on just one conversation and we had no agenda. Edwin and I had a similar experience when Ellen came to town for a visit and we were able to go out with her and float around SF without an agenda and just having a spontaneous night hanging out.
I'm not a very spontaneous person. Most people would say that I'm a planner and I don't like to have changes to preset plans, but I love it when we have plans to just hang out and we go place to place with our friends all day long. It's very freeing.
Today, we got another out-of-town visitor. My friend Binh from college came up from LA unexpectedly. She came to visit the Jamba Juice tasting kitchen and we got to have lunch with Nikki. It was a leisurely lunch and reminded me of all the times in college when we would cut class and go shopping. Another blast from the past.
This weekend, we're going to Pismo Beach for a wedding with a former coworker from KSA. So many reminders of people from our past. Then, on Monday, I am meeting another old college friend Amy and her family for breakfast. I try to keep in touch with people and it seems to get harder as the years go by, so I am so happy when people come to visit and call me up when they are in town. I used to feel a little hurt if people didn't call me to meet up when they came to SF, stay with me, or call me last minute since it felt like I was last on their list to call. Now, I don't take it personally. There have been a few times myself when I have not been able to see everyone I wanted to see on a trip or called last minute to see if people are free to meet. Now, I am just happy if our schedules work and we are able to meet up and catch up. I have come to realize that everyone just gets exponentially busier when you add another person to your life such as significant others or kids. Everyone's got a schedule- even when they are only 3 months old.
My point after all this reminiscing? It would make me so happy if you would come out and visit us! And if you can't visit, call me and tell me what's going on with you.
This week, our friend Vicki came for work and to visit. We walked along the beach and in downtown Alameda and just talked for hours. It was a great time. Chatting with Vicki was like food for my soul. Last weekend, I had Girls Night which helped to energize my spirit, but talking with Vicki helped me to feel like I was me again. I'm not just a mom. It's not that being a mom is bad or that I don't want to be a mom, but I think it is really easy to lose your identity when all your energy is spent taking care of a baby, house, and husband. It is a really hard job. When people say that it is hard for a new mom to shower or even to pee, it's not an exageration. You really don't have a lot of time for yourself or to reflect. You feel like you're living ground hog day over and over again where time resets every 2-3 hours based on feeding and sleeping schedules. Talking with Vicki reminded me of all the times when we lived in Chicago and we would meet each week and talk for hours over dinner. It's as if I went back in time. I used to spend a lot of time hanging out with my girlfriends talking about our problems and relationships. Now, there are usually husbands or children or both around. It's not that I don't want either Edwin or Lukas around, but I can't have the same types of conversations or even have the ability to finish conversations sometimes. Girls Night was great because it was a group of girls and we were able to pack in a lot of activities, but talking one-on-one with Vicki was nice because I could focus on just one conversation and we had no agenda. Edwin and I had a similar experience when Ellen came to town for a visit and we were able to go out with her and float around SF without an agenda and just having a spontaneous night hanging out.
I'm not a very spontaneous person. Most people would say that I'm a planner and I don't like to have changes to preset plans, but I love it when we have plans to just hang out and we go place to place with our friends all day long. It's very freeing.
Today, we got another out-of-town visitor. My friend Binh from college came up from LA unexpectedly. She came to visit the Jamba Juice tasting kitchen and we got to have lunch with Nikki. It was a leisurely lunch and reminded me of all the times in college when we would cut class and go shopping. Another blast from the past.
This weekend, we're going to Pismo Beach for a wedding with a former coworker from KSA. So many reminders of people from our past. Then, on Monday, I am meeting another old college friend Amy and her family for breakfast. I try to keep in touch with people and it seems to get harder as the years go by, so I am so happy when people come to visit and call me up when they are in town. I used to feel a little hurt if people didn't call me to meet up when they came to SF, stay with me, or call me last minute since it felt like I was last on their list to call. Now, I don't take it personally. There have been a few times myself when I have not been able to see everyone I wanted to see on a trip or called last minute to see if people are free to meet. Now, I am just happy if our schedules work and we are able to meet up and catch up. I have come to realize that everyone just gets exponentially busier when you add another person to your life such as significant others or kids. Everyone's got a schedule- even when they are only 3 months old.
My point after all this reminiscing? It would make me so happy if you would come out and visit us! And if you can't visit, call me and tell me what's going on with you.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Blink and You Might Miss It
People talk about missing their children's learning milestones while they are at work like their child's first word or first steps. Well, yesterday, I was home alone with Lukas and I missed one. I had put Lukas down on his play mat for some tummy time. I usually will either play with him or come in and out of the room to get other things. Since it's on the floor, he can't really injure himself too much since he can't crawl. So I stepped out of the room to go to the bathroom. Normally, Lukas doesn't like tummy time and will usually complain vocally while he is on his stomach. I noticed that he seemed a little quiet as I returned to the room, but I thought maybe he has learned to like being on his tummy or just stopped complaining. To my surprise, he had rolled over and turned onto his back! I think he was either stunned or just happy to be off his tummy because he was just quietly looking up when I entered the room. I couldn't believe it. I was there and I missed it!
As soon as I realized what had happened, I turned him over on his stomach and told him to do it again. (I'm not sure he understood me, but he probably knew something was up because I was talking excitedly and looking frantically for the camera.) He actually did it again while I was watching this time, but unfortunately, I couldn't get the camera to turn on fast enough and all I got on video was him lying on his back instead of the action of him rolling onto his back. Of course I tried to get him to do it a third time, but was unsuccessful. I tried to get him to do it again today and even demonstrated to him, but he still wouldn't do it. I guess it will be like his giggle- we'll get to see it a few times before he actually lets us catch it on film.
Here are a couple of videos that we did get. This is a video of a giggle session that Edwin and Lukas had before bedtime:
Here is a video of Lukas and Edwin playing Nai-Nai-Nai-Ba which is basically the Japanese version of Peekaboo (sorry it's sideways!):
As soon as I realized what had happened, I turned him over on his stomach and told him to do it again. (I'm not sure he understood me, but he probably knew something was up because I was talking excitedly and looking frantically for the camera.) He actually did it again while I was watching this time, but unfortunately, I couldn't get the camera to turn on fast enough and all I got on video was him lying on his back instead of the action of him rolling onto his back. Of course I tried to get him to do it a third time, but was unsuccessful. I tried to get him to do it again today and even demonstrated to him, but he still wouldn't do it. I guess it will be like his giggle- we'll get to see it a few times before he actually lets us catch it on film.
Here are a couple of videos that we did get. This is a video of a giggle session that Edwin and Lukas had before bedtime:
Here is a video of Lukas and Edwin playing Nai-Nai-Nai-Ba which is basically the Japanese version of Peekaboo (sorry it's sideways!):
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Girls Night
What a difference a weekend makes. By the end of the week, I am totally frazzled and exhausted. Last night, I had a fun girls day and spent 8 hours away from Lukas- the longest time I have been away from him since he was born. It was both needed and hard. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. We started the afternoon wedding dress shopping with Show. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us take any pictures at Amy Kuschel where Show tried on all these beautiful dresses. Show looked great in every dress since she's tall and slender. Kaori, Matilde, Jeannette, and Corinne all joined in and we had a nostalgic walk down memory lane as we remembered our own weddings. For a future Girls Night, I think that we should all wear our wedding dresses to a fancy dinner so that we get another use out of them. Unfortunately, that would require us all to open the martinized boxes that they are sealed in. I think it would be great fun, but all the girls thought that it was a bit silly.
We went to a second dress shop, but the dresses were not the right style and we got there too close to closing time, so they wouldn't let her try on any dresses. Nikki and Michelle joined us for dinner at Doobu in Japantown and then had some crepes for dessert. Kaori, Matilde, Show, and I stayed for a little karaoke. It was so nice to be with my girlfriends and be able to finish conversations without the distractions (ie-kids!) We had so much fun that we decided to try and plan a Girls Night every other month. Can't wait until the next one.
Here are some photos from our trip to Chicago for Memorial Day weekend.
We went to a second dress shop, but the dresses were not the right style and we got there too close to closing time, so they wouldn't let her try on any dresses. Nikki and Michelle joined us for dinner at Doobu in Japantown and then had some crepes for dessert. Kaori, Matilde, Show, and I stayed for a little karaoke. It was so nice to be with my girlfriends and be able to finish conversations without the distractions (ie-kids!) We had so much fun that we decided to try and plan a Girls Night every other month. Can't wait until the next one.
Here are some photos from our trip to Chicago for Memorial Day weekend.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Throwing out the Books
Lukas has been such a great sleeper since he was born which I say he got from me. I used to feed him, change him, play with him, and put him to sleep about every 2 hours from 10AM to about midnight. Then, at midnight, he would sleep pretty soundly until around 5 or 6AM which people would say was good. Then I started reading more books which say that he needs more sleep like he should be sleeping 3-4 hour stretches in the afternoons and then like 10-12 hours a night. (We're not worried about him gaining weight or needing to eat since he's 14lb and 5 oz as of last Thursday and 24.5 inches long which puts him in the 75th percentile for weight and height.) I was happy thinking that he was getting enough sleep and I was getting enough sleep. Now I have ruined it all by trying to make him sleep more. He never used to cry when I put him to sleep, but for the past few days, that's all he does when I try to get him to sleep. He just doesn't want to sleep that much. His naps have been getting shorter and shorter so he only naps during the day for 30 minutes to an hour. I know I just need to surrender and let him be. That's how it was with the breastfeeding. There were times when I felt like he was telling me that he didn't need to eat anymore and that he would fight me, but when I started listening to him and didn't force him to eat, it all got a lot easier. (All the books said that I needed to feed him both breasts, but I have a good milk supply, so he only needs one side.) I now know that he's a big boy, so I don't have to worry about him not eating enough anyway.
It's been a struggle this week. I used to rock him to sleep and everyone says that's bad because he needs to learn to sleep on his own. Sometimes he does sleep on his own, but sometimes I think that he still needs help. The one thing that I have done is that he is able to sleep throughout the night without eating. He's been going down around 10 and then waking up around 5 or 6AM to eat. I almost fed him last night at 2:30AM, but I decided to just give him his pacifier (for an hour!) and suck it up. (Ha ha! Pun intended.) He slept through the night without eating just fine. I don't want him to start waking up in the middle of the night and expecting to eat so that it becomes a habit. As a result, we took a morning nap from 8:30-11:30AM. Don't ask me what I'm going to do when I go back to work.
I know that he needs sleep, so I'm going to focus on getting him to sleep more, but these books don't seem to be helping me on the how to get him to sleep more. The crying method doesn't seem to work. That just leaves him so exhausted that he falls asleep after crying for hours. He just gets all worked up and then can't calm himself. If I can rock him to sleep in half an hour, that seems faster to me and then neither one of us is upset. He'll learn to go to sleep on his own some day. I don't expect a 3.5 month old to be able to do that yet. All the kid wants to do is eat, sleep, and play. Sometimes, he'll fall asleep himself if he's just swaddled and given a pacifier, but that doesn't always work, so when it does I should be thankful. If it doesn't, I'm just going to rock my baby to sleep. It's like that lullaby- "If that mockingbird won't sing, mama's gonna buy herself a diamond ring..." Well, maybe those aren't the exact lyrics, but I like them better that way!
It's been a struggle this week. I used to rock him to sleep and everyone says that's bad because he needs to learn to sleep on his own. Sometimes he does sleep on his own, but sometimes I think that he still needs help. The one thing that I have done is that he is able to sleep throughout the night without eating. He's been going down around 10 and then waking up around 5 or 6AM to eat. I almost fed him last night at 2:30AM, but I decided to just give him his pacifier (for an hour!) and suck it up. (Ha ha! Pun intended.) He slept through the night without eating just fine. I don't want him to start waking up in the middle of the night and expecting to eat so that it becomes a habit. As a result, we took a morning nap from 8:30-11:30AM. Don't ask me what I'm going to do when I go back to work.
I know that he needs sleep, so I'm going to focus on getting him to sleep more, but these books don't seem to be helping me on the how to get him to sleep more. The crying method doesn't seem to work. That just leaves him so exhausted that he falls asleep after crying for hours. He just gets all worked up and then can't calm himself. If I can rock him to sleep in half an hour, that seems faster to me and then neither one of us is upset. He'll learn to go to sleep on his own some day. I don't expect a 3.5 month old to be able to do that yet. All the kid wants to do is eat, sleep, and play. Sometimes, he'll fall asleep himself if he's just swaddled and given a pacifier, but that doesn't always work, so when it does I should be thankful. If it doesn't, I'm just going to rock my baby to sleep. It's like that lullaby- "If that mockingbird won't sing, mama's gonna buy herself a diamond ring..." Well, maybe those aren't the exact lyrics, but I like them better that way!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Memorial Day Weekend
So we spent Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago with my parents and my sister Laura came out with her family as well. As usual, time passed by quickly. Lukas got to meet the cousins from the other side of the family. (He has a total of 4- Freeman, Hannah, Timothy, and Phoebe.) Photos will come later, but we got to see Stacy, Ryan, & Eli for lunch at Lou Malnoti's. We got to have dinner at Big Bowl and watched a Angels & Demons with Santiney & Carlos. We actually watched 3 movies in the theatre while we were in Chicago. It was great. Gong-gong & Po-Po baby-sat Lukas while we also saw Star Trek and Wolverine. We saw Wolverine with Sandy and had breakfast with Vicki. We also got to visit Xochitl, Eddie, and their 3 boys. Xochitl's youngest was Andrew and he was about a month older than Lukas, but their due dates were about the same, so they look about the same age. We also got to see our other friend Ryan who worked with us both at KSA, but unfortunately ran out of time to see his 3 boys. So many boys.
This was also Lukas's first plane ride. We were a bit nervous, but he did great. On the flight there, he slept virtually the entire flight and I fed him on the way down. The return wasn't that bad except that we had to sit on the tarmac for about 1.5 hours, so our time on the plane got expanded to 5.5 hours instead of 4. Though he didn't sleep the entire time, it went as well as we could hope. The main difficulty was that he had a poopy diaper and needed a change, but even that wasn't so bad.
The weather was warm for most of our trip. We also got to go downtown briefly for some italian beef and hotdogs, but we didn't get to walk around as much as we wanted to. The day we chose to go downtown was rainy which curtailed our outdoor adventures. Can't wait to go back!
This was also Lukas's first plane ride. We were a bit nervous, but he did great. On the flight there, he slept virtually the entire flight and I fed him on the way down. The return wasn't that bad except that we had to sit on the tarmac for about 1.5 hours, so our time on the plane got expanded to 5.5 hours instead of 4. Though he didn't sleep the entire time, it went as well as we could hope. The main difficulty was that he had a poopy diaper and needed a change, but even that wasn't so bad.
The weather was warm for most of our trip. We also got to go downtown briefly for some italian beef and hotdogs, but we didn't get to walk around as much as we wanted to. The day we chose to go downtown was rainy which curtailed our outdoor adventures. Can't wait to go back!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Look Alikes?
So here are some pictures for you to compare. The first of course is Lukas in his car seat. Then, it's me on the sofa and finally, it's a photo of Edwin's dome. So does this change your votes about who Lukas looks like? It looks like a majority of people think that he looks like me or some mixture of the 2 of us. However, not one of you voted that he looked more like Edwin. While Lukas seems to have my eyes, I think that Edwin's photo looks a lot like Lukas to me. (At least the hair- or lack there of!)
Lukas:
Michelle:
Edwin:
Lukas:
Michelle:
Edwin:
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Just a Wee Bit Cranky
So this week has been a little tougher with Lukas. He's been crying a bit more during the day. However, the moment we step outside the house, he stops, so I have to figure that he enjoys being outside. Here are some new pics of Lukas on days where he is happier:
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Happy Belated Mothers Day!
So this was my first Mother's Day and it was very nice. We started the day off at church where we had an infant dedication for Lukas. Then, we headed into the city and went to the Asian Art Museum which was free for the holiday. Lukas enjoyed the culture by blissfully sleeping in his baby carrier. We had dinner at Suppenküche which is a German restaurant that I have always wanted to try. I still like Berghoff's in Chicago better (too bad it closed down a few years ago), but it was still very tasty.
So here is a video of a class that Lukas and I took a few weeks ago where they tricked me into exercising (I am in the black tank top and Lukas is in the zebra baby carrier sleeping):
So here is the class description that I read: Lullaby Exercises is a series of fun, easy-to-learn movements–dancing, swaying, stretching & relaxing–that are performed while holding a baby in your arms or in a baby carrier. It’s designed for new moms to share moments with their baby, put a little one to sleep, and to feel good emotionally and physically. Doesn't that sound like it's going to be pretty low intensity? This was more like a hip hop class with your baby. It was fun and I will go back, but I just thought it was funny because it was totally not what I was expecting.
Don't forget to vote in my new poll!
So here is a video of a class that Lukas and I took a few weeks ago where they tricked me into exercising (I am in the black tank top and Lukas is in the zebra baby carrier sleeping):
So here is the class description that I read: Lullaby Exercises is a series of fun, easy-to-learn movements–dancing, swaying, stretching & relaxing–that are performed while holding a baby in your arms or in a baby carrier. It’s designed for new moms to share moments with their baby, put a little one to sleep, and to feel good emotionally and physically. Doesn't that sound like it's going to be pretty low intensity? This was more like a hip hop class with your baby. It was fun and I will go back, but I just thought it was funny because it was totally not what I was expecting.
Don't forget to vote in my new poll!
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Giggles
My days are a blur now. I have a hard time remembering what I did 2 hours before. I never really know what day it is or what the date is. It's a happy time. We heard Lukas laugh for the first time today. Edwin was making faces at him and then all of the sudden, he giggled. He's been smiling for a few weeks now, but today he giggled. Of course after we heard it once, we tried to get him to laugh again. They say that babies change quickly and I never really knew what people meant until now. It's like something new happens every week. One week, he's lifting his head. Another week, he's smiling. He's also gaining more control of his hands. I can tell that he purposefully touches my hand or hits a toy.
People are curious about my days with Lukas. I don't really know what to tell people because it's such an effort to just eat, get dressed, and out the door.
This weekend, we're going to Kai's 2nd birthday party at a park in San Mateo. It's also my first Mother's Day, so we'll see what happens.
People are curious about my days with Lukas. I don't really know what to tell people because it's such an effort to just eat, get dressed, and out the door.
This weekend, we're going to Kai's 2nd birthday party at a park in San Mateo. It's also my first Mother's Day, so we'll see what happens.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
3.5 inches in 2 months
That is how much Lukas has grown during his lifetime. I wish that I could grow 3.5 inches in 2 months. I don't know that I ever grew that much that fast. He is now 23 inches and 11 lbs. and 13 oz. Check out photos from the last 4 weeks:
I'm a Horrible Mother!
I don't know of any mom that hasn't felt that way at some point. Being a mom is a tough and thankless job. You don't get paid any money. You have to deal with pee and poop that is not your own all day long. You have a boss that has unpredictable mood swings and is extremely demanding. That's not to say that motherhood doesn't have perks- a feeling that your baby is happy and healthy at the end of the day, that adorable toothless grin, having a dance marathon/karaoke session anytime you want, and nothing beats a hug from baby. It's just that you can never do enough.
I try to plan one activity per day whether it's to go to the pediatrician, go to a class, take Lukas to the park, or run errands. I feel guilty when I am not able to do at least one of those things in a day and I think to myself "I'm a horrible mother!" when I know that's not true. Or when I feel a little selfish and want to watch some TV like Oprah or Desperate Housewives and Lukas is awake. (I try not to watch TV while he is awake unless I am feeding him so he can't watch.) I also feel guilty that I haven't mailed out birth announcements, I am behind on Thank You cards, I haven't taken as many pictures of Lukas as I have wanted, I haven't posted the pictures that I have on the camera, I haven't figured out what to do about childcare, I haven't returned emails/phone calls, I haven't been cooking much, I haven't been reading much on child development, Lukas hasn't had his tummy time, I forget someone's birthday (which I never used to do...) and the list goes on. I can't seem to move fast enough or there aren't enough hours in the day. It's just overwhelming sometimes. Then, I read that I should be napping and resting to make sure that I can produce enough milk. So I feel guilty when I do nap and guilty when I try to get things done. It's a double-edged sword. I guess it's like a marathon (not that I have ever run one!) in that it doesn't matter how you do on each individual mile, but that you finish. Lukas won't remember the days that I didn't take him to the park, I just have to hope he'll just remember the ones that I do.
I try to plan one activity per day whether it's to go to the pediatrician, go to a class, take Lukas to the park, or run errands. I feel guilty when I am not able to do at least one of those things in a day and I think to myself "I'm a horrible mother!" when I know that's not true. Or when I feel a little selfish and want to watch some TV like Oprah or Desperate Housewives and Lukas is awake. (I try not to watch TV while he is awake unless I am feeding him so he can't watch.) I also feel guilty that I haven't mailed out birth announcements, I am behind on Thank You cards, I haven't taken as many pictures of Lukas as I have wanted, I haven't posted the pictures that I have on the camera, I haven't figured out what to do about childcare, I haven't returned emails/phone calls, I haven't been cooking much, I haven't been reading much on child development, Lukas hasn't had his tummy time, I forget someone's birthday (which I never used to do...) and the list goes on. I can't seem to move fast enough or there aren't enough hours in the day. It's just overwhelming sometimes. Then, I read that I should be napping and resting to make sure that I can produce enough milk. So I feel guilty when I do nap and guilty when I try to get things done. It's a double-edged sword. I guess it's like a marathon (not that I have ever run one!) in that it doesn't matter how you do on each individual mile, but that you finish. Lukas won't remember the days that I didn't take him to the park, I just have to hope he'll just remember the ones that I do.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
So Hot!!!
So we're going through a mini heat wave here in the Bay Area. It's been over 80 degrees for the past 3 days. This is not normal for us and our house has no AC. Poor Lukas is like me in that he doesn't like to be hot. Edwin likes the warm weather- maybe because he's from SoCal. However, the basement has been nice and cool, so we have been enjoying our days down there.
The past few weeks have been a blur. Last Friday, we headed down to Santa Cruz for our first road trip with Lukas. We had a great time since Lukas slept both ways. (Like I said, the boy gets his sleeping habits from his mom.) We attended Tyler's first birthday party last weekend. It was Lukas's first party and I guess he was a little nervous because he pooped while Jamie was holding him. Luckily, Jamie is very experienced with poop, so we didn't feel too bad. I think we had a record of 3 complete outfit changes that day. We also had a nice brunch with Show, Derek, and the Schneiders on Sunday to celebrate their engagement. Our cousins had their twins, Justin and Ashley over Easter, so we're going to visit them this weekend.
A lot of people have been asking me how I am coping being at home with Lukas. I think we're doing pretty well. He likes going out, so I like to take him to run errands or go shopping. When we're at home, he tends to sleep more maybe because there is less to interest him. I definitely do not get bored, but I could see how people might get lonely when there is no one to converse with. I consider it a good day if I am able to do the laundry, return phone calls, or run the dishwasher. I find that I have very little time on the internet now or the ability to use the computer is limited since it requires 2 hands to type. I can read more which is nice. I am definitely not looking forward to going back to work, but I still have 2 more months, so I'll try not to think about it. Alright, I gotta run because I think I'm melting and having a warm laptop on my lap is not helping.
The past few weeks have been a blur. Last Friday, we headed down to Santa Cruz for our first road trip with Lukas. We had a great time since Lukas slept both ways. (Like I said, the boy gets his sleeping habits from his mom.) We attended Tyler's first birthday party last weekend. It was Lukas's first party and I guess he was a little nervous because he pooped while Jamie was holding him. Luckily, Jamie is very experienced with poop, so we didn't feel too bad. I think we had a record of 3 complete outfit changes that day. We also had a nice brunch with Show, Derek, and the Schneiders on Sunday to celebrate their engagement. Our cousins had their twins, Justin and Ashley over Easter, so we're going to visit them this weekend.
A lot of people have been asking me how I am coping being at home with Lukas. I think we're doing pretty well. He likes going out, so I like to take him to run errands or go shopping. When we're at home, he tends to sleep more maybe because there is less to interest him. I definitely do not get bored, but I could see how people might get lonely when there is no one to converse with. I consider it a good day if I am able to do the laundry, return phone calls, or run the dishwasher. I find that I have very little time on the internet now or the ability to use the computer is limited since it requires 2 hands to type. I can read more which is nice. I am definitely not looking forward to going back to work, but I still have 2 more months, so I'll try not to think about it. Alright, I gotta run because I think I'm melting and having a warm laptop on my lap is not helping.
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