L-M-U-know!!!

So, if visiting USC this week wasn't enough, Enzo had his first visit to Loyola Marymount University! Two universities in one week?? He's getting smarter by the minute!

Enzo attended his very first Alumni BBQ in LMU's Sunken Garden -- the morning after I celebrated my 10-year LMU reunion with lots of friends. Gooood times!

He even had his own nametag -- Enzo Luna, Class of 2030!! I wonder what tuition (and admission standards) will be like when E heads off to college... Notice his Lion Buddy stuffed animal. It looks just like LMU's mascot, Iggy.


Uncle Brent, and Aunties Liz and Mere. Oh yeah, and Enzo and his mother!

Enzo goes to college...

Today Enzo had a great time meeting Mom's co-workers. He met Dean Wilson and a few faculty members. Enzo saw the media lab and met with the folks from admissions. It is never too early to start visiting college campuses.

LA County Fair

Look at the little piggy!! We had tons of fun at the Los Angeles County Fair. Auntie Claire took us and even though it was the hottest day of the year -- about 106 in the shade -- we moved from one air conditioned pavilion to another, trying to keep cool. Enzo was a champ, and even got to see the piggy races! He also saw goats, ponies, chickens, and ducks.

Meeting the Cousins

My cousin Lynette was in town from Boston with her kids, so it was time for everyone to meet. We all had lots of fun, playing at Tumbleweed Camp in Brentwood. Multiple generations were present!

Notice the smallest cousin on the right with the red hat -- the best behaved!

Enzo's Baptism

It's official - Enzo has received his first sacrament. Baptism. It was a very special day filled with lots of family members supporting him and praying that he enters into relationship with God as he grows in his faith and spiritual life.

I must say -- never saw a baptism quite like his. There were eight other babies being baptized; and all were nearly drowned! I mean, seriously, dunking them into the baptismal font would have been less traumatizing that splashing what seemed like gallons of water in their face. Is that what they mean when they say "being baptized in the holy spirit?" While all other babies gasped for air screaming bloody murder as their parents and Godparents trying to mop them up, Enzo's arms flailed to the sides, he caught his breath -- and smiled. What a special kid. And his Great Nana says, "El es un hombre."

He looked like a mini Pope. A sopping wet mini Pope.

And in all the pics, Jeff is sopping wet, too.

4 month check up

Yesterday was Enzo's four month birthday. His Auntie Josie called him and sang him Happy Birthday. Today was his four month check up with the doc. I came with my list of 35 questions and got answers to about five of them. Fine, I'll just get freaked out by reading more articles online about how every runny nose and cough and cry means something horrible is wrong with him.

Our little champ weighed in at 16 lb, 11 oz (80th percentile), his brain measures 44 centimeters around (read, very smart) and he's 26 inches long (nurse declares "his father must be very tall.") After all the niceties and oodling and goodling, she stabs him with four shots. Even though his thighs are much chunkier than they were at the first set of shots, he still jumped out of his skin and flinched a mile when each one went in. The only good thing was that he got bright blue Charlie Brown band-aids. I would have taken him for ice cream if he could eat it. I got myself one instead.

Since Doc said that we should start him on fruits and veggies (!!!), we spiked his rice cereal this evening with 2 solid inches of ripe banana. Yummers! He liked it a lot. Just look at his face (in his big boy high chair that Papa Jesmer gave him.)

Eating his hands...

...Eating his sign.

Presented at Church

A part of Enzo's baptism preparation is quite a special ritual. This morning, we processed down the aisle (and by processed, I mean wobbled with a big ankle brace that didn't go with my cute new dress) to the alter with about six other families to be presented to our parish community. We as parents agreed to support our child in his faith development and be a good spiritual example to him and all the people in the Church agreed to support us as a family by praying for us and helping our child grow in his relationship with God. Amen, I say. Amen.

I bit the dust again

As if being 7 months pregnant with a broken and level-3 sprained ankle wasn't bad enough, I had to top it with a spill at The Home Depot. Having a four-month old baby with a broken ankle might have sent me over the edge. Damn water puddles in the garden center. Why do they have slick cement there instead of some type of anti-slip grippy surface? I mean, it's Home Depot. They sell anti-skid surfaces!!!

After the trauma of nearly catapulting Enzo right out of his stroller as I gripped it to keep from face-planting, I started hyperventilating at the thought that the excruciating pain I felt in my ankle was all too familiar. How was I going to bounce him all over the house when he cries inconsolably? How was I going to carry him up and down the stairs? How was I going to be able to work?

After a brief stop at home to feed the babe - fearing the hours in the waiting room - and a call to the manager at Home Depot - we headed for the ER with rice cereal, acid reflux meds, diapers, blankets, etc. For Enzo, not for me. I called mom in for reinforcements and she dutifully arrived to care for him while Jeff jumped into caring supporter for me. The purple softball on the side of my ankle still did not look good.

A sprain, not a break. Thank God. Level 2 sprain at that. So good. All those weeks of physical therapy for nothing. Guess the ankle still isn't strong enough to respond to a slight slip. All those weeks of racing from USC to make my PT appointments, when merely getting up on the table with my enormous pregnant belly was the real workout. Guess I get to try to fit all that into my schedule again.

For now, it's rest, ice, elevation. Yeah, try keeping your ankle above your heart when you're breastfeeding... I'm not an acrobat!

Back to work

Week one - done. It actually wasn't quite as bad as I thought. I, of course, had been anticipating/dreading/feeling nervous for this for the past 16 weeks (the length of my maternity leave), but it was actually kind of nice to be back in an adult world. It was actually kind of nice to be able to focus on something for more than 20 minutes. I composed letters, returned phone calls, put out a few fires, was consulted about pressing matters, and asked for my opinions. Whoah - I still got it!

I did, however, sob on Tuesday night thinking about being away from Enzo for 12 hours. And I teared up only once during the first day at work on Wednesday. I did better than expected. I also became part of a club I never knew existed. People started talking to me about their kids, and the day they returned to work. And how difficult it was and still is. I keep telling myself that it will get easier -- and they say that it really doesn't. The day to day experience of leaving your child behind gets a bit easier, but the longing feeling of being apart never does. Not even when you drop them off for the first day of high school. At least I have 13 more years to prepare and worry about that.

The guilty feeling of leaving Enzo at home was made a little easier to manage because of two things. I got a text from Nancy titled "Tummy time before his nap" and an adorable pic of Enzo strengthening his neck and arms and playing on his tummy. The second thing that got me through the day was the fact that I get to spend the whole next day with him. I'll be working in the office M/W/F and from home a few hours on T/Th.

There was a huge welcome back poster on my office window, signed by all the great people I work with who apparently missed me. There was a decadent chocolate cake cut in my honor at my department staff meeting. And lots of hugs.

Thanks, I needed that.

Enzo's first day with Nancy

Today was Enzo's first day with Nancy the nanny. Enzo had a great time with Nancy. I resisted the urge to phone home to check in as most parents do the first day with a nanny. Nancy cared for Enzo wonderfully and even sent AJ text pictures throughout the day. I even made one my cell phone wallpaper. Thank you Nancy for being a fantastic caregiver.