Happy birthday to Jeff!

In honor of Jeff's 35th, we had a party with a bunch of friends to celebrate. We tried to have lots of things Jeff likes: melty liquid nacho cheese (cheese fondue fountain), spicy beef (gourmet chicken wings), fruity chick drinks (the specially formulated "3-5" stirred up by Claire), fire (a fire pit), camping in the outdoors (camping chairs and s'mores), and good friends.

Here, his birthday s'more, aglow with a single candle, as everyone sang his birthday song.

Each person wore either a 3 or 5 around their neck, decorated with pictures of Jeff. Each 35 pair came up with a special poem, song, or rhyme using words that are found in Jeff's full name. Some of the faves that are being read in this pic:

"Filthy elf he ain't. Run free in the Maui sun. Adventurous man."

"To Jeff we would like to give a toast.

He is a rather terrific host.

Jeff is one who likes to wear leather.

Even in very bad weather.

He likes to think of himself a romantic

but Amy-Jo claims he's tantric.

So raise your glass to give cheers

for Jeff Luna's 35 years."

"The man of the hour is Jeff.

In our supper club he is a fantastic chef.

No matter what the weather

He will be your technical trainer.

The best bargain is Costco he will claim

On the wall there should hang his picture in a frame.

In this year of 35

we are so happy that he's alive."

And, after most people left, and Enzo was snuggly in his crib (having been partied out), we played more hilarious games and Jeff toasted himself with a chicken wing -- mostly all over his face.

Happy birthday, Jeff!

Enzo loves his finga food

After being schooled on Enzo's feeding sitch (see post 1.27), his eyes (and mouth) have been opened to a whole new world.

I think he likes Gerber teething biscuits. Note the biscuit shrapnel all the way up to his elbows.

Enzo likey.

His first macaroni and cheese "stage 2" dinner. He grips his tray because it tastes sooo good!

...harvest peach yogurt. Bon appetit!

Happy anniversary to our home

Two years ago today, Jeff and I moved into our awesome home. I remember writing the letter that we submitted with our offer (which was $100k less than what the sellers were asking for). I said that we wanted to raise our family in a diverse neighborhood such as this, and that it wasn't just going to be a house, but it would be our home. And our home it is.

Last year, I far from celebrated. It was the night I broke my ankle, 6 1/2 months preggers. Jeff was in Seattle for work, and I was hysterical. My sisters came to my rescue. And took me to the hospital for x-rays (which I was convinced would lead to my baby having 3 arms.)

And now, two years after we moved in, we have a family. Our little two-armed Enzo has allowed us to really like a family. It's been amazing. We've made a few improvements to the house: installed new carpet throughout, created a dog run for Murphy, installed outdoor lighting, repaired several indoor and outdoor electrical outlets and switches, installed high-efficiency toilets, replaced all lighting with CFLs, installed recessed lighting, installed a ceiling fan, painted the master bedroom, improved landscaping. Next up: kitchen remodel.

Happy anniversary to 4020!!

The nanny sitch

So, I really can't believe I haven't mentioned this before now. It's been cause for much anguish, stress, and many sleepness nights. (And non-productive pumping sessions.) Nancy, our fantastic nanny, left us in mid-December, forcing us to start all over searching for a replacement. Right when Jeff and I were finally getting comfortable leaving Enzo with someone each day, one of her former families made her an offer she couldn't refuse. A full-time live-in nanny position. Living rent-free for a student was pretty appealing apparently -- even though we had a year-long agreement that she would work with our family. I've let it go -- can you tell?

(Un)fortunately, Josie was laid off and has been able to be our childcare savior these past several weeks. Good for us. Good for Enzo. Good for Josie. The two of them have had a fantastic time together. And Enzo has taken it like a champ.

We are nearing the end of our search. I'm looking forward to not having any more late-evening meetings with strangers at the Corner Bakery. Enough is enough. We think we've found our nanny. Now, if she can just be as good as Nancy and Josie. She has big shoes to fill.

Time for a new pediatrician

"We need to start treating him like he's a real human." Yeah, that's what she tells us. In a condescending tone, too. Our doctor - who has only seen Enzo once before since she's been out on medical disability - has got to go.

We took him in since he has been on a hunger strike for a few days and won't eat his cereal and seems distracted while nursing. His teething has been accompanied by a mild fever, rash, and runny nose. But his temperment has been fine.

"Would you like peas in YOUR oatmeal?" she asks. "No wonder he has grown so frustrated. I wouldn't eat it either." OK, I'm a moron, I guess. She looks at us rookies with such disdain. Well, the yahoo doctor who we've seen in her absence, who refers to me as "Mama," told me to add a fruit or vegetable into the cereal, and that it was fine to go on to oatmeal and mixed grains. Apparently, that was wrong. No grains until he's 12 months. How the hell am I supposed to know? I was just doing what she told me to do. Enzo probably hates me.

The rash (with little white pimples in the folds of his neck and what I thought was an intolerance to wheat) was dry skin. "Johnson's baby lotion smells nice but is way too mild." Okay...

The fever and runny nose is normal for a teething baby. Yes, I knew that from my research. I'm not an idiot.

She gives us a hand-out on what foods we should have been feeding a 6-9 month old. Thanks. That would have been nice when he was 6 months old. Frozen yogurt. Cottage cheese. Graham crackers. And even more foods for 9-12 months old. Oh my -- look out, my little love -- there's more to life than peas mixed in with rice. Please don't hate me for feeding you crap.

I need a referal to a doctor who shows up to work consistently, is sorta nice, and doesn't assume I know what I'm doing. And a doctor who actually distributes her cute little hand-outs.

Amy G. Came to Town

Amy was in town from San Jose and we were lucky enough to get a visit! Enzo hasn't seen her since she became "with child," and she got to test drive an 8 month old. An 8 month old who LOVES necklaces (see pic). Since she's due in June, her child and Enzo will be 13 months apart.

She also test drove our stroller. We love you Amy!

8 months old! and some stats

We just can't believe that Enzo is 8 months old. The past 4 months have gone by extremely fast. I'm not gonna lie, the first 3 were the longest of my life. Some stats on the babe:
* He has 3 teeth and a 4th is about to poke through. Two on the bottom and 1 1/2 on top.
* His eyes are definitely brown. Early on, they looked dark blue. But they're brown. Big and dark brown.
* He sneezes about 4 times a day. And that's without Murphy living in the house. We're not sure if he's allergic to us or is just clearing out the mucus (which is what Doc says.)
* His laugh is a riot! We can just start laughing for a few seconds, and then he'll chime in with a laugh that starts in his gut and reverberates throughout his little body. He seems to be most tickled by funny sounds we make.
* He is constantly kicking. When we're holding him, when he's being changed, when he's hanging out in his crib. Soccer player or River Dancer -- we're not sure yet.
* Verbal development: mmm, duh, dah, mah, lah, brrrr, oooh, etc. We love laying in bed and listening to him experiment with different sounds. We wonder, "Who is he talking to? And, what is he saying?"
* He is a champ at rolling over and pushing up on his hands while on his tummy. He looks like he's swimming on his stomach, because he flails his legs like crazy. His bottom shoots up into the air and he leans to the side, and inches forward accidentally. With the assistance of us bending his knees and pulling his hips backward, he can steady himself on all fours. We are waiting with bated breath for the first crawl.
* He has slept for 8+ hours at night ever since he was about 3 months old. We thank God, and own that this reprieve is compensation for the 4 months of colic. He currently sleeps about 11 hours at night and 2 naps per day lasting 45 minutes to an hour each. We know he's tired when he swats at his ears.
* He eats every 2-3 hours. He takes about 4 oz. of breastmilk 5 times per day and 2 meals of 5 T cereal (oatmeal, mixed oats, or rice) mixed together with 3 oz. formula and a container of a fruit or vegetable. His favorites are bananas, apples, carrots and squash. He'll drink diluted apple, pear, or white grape juice and he loves chomping on cereal puffs (the star-shaped Gerber Graduates Puffs.) He's so deliberate about pinching it between his thumb and pointer finger and carefully shoving it into his mouth. He knows how to hold them in his mouth with the other hand.
He's getting very tall and heavy. We estimate he's about 22 1/2 lbs.
8 months? We've kept him alive and thriving for 8 months. Praise God!

100th Post !!!

In honor of 1sttimedad's 100th post, I wanted to do something spectacular. But first, I have a question to ponder:

Why the heck is it called 1st time dad, when the 1st time mom is the one who's posting all the time? (See modification to the blog's header above.) I'm just sayin....

But seriously... for the special 100th post, I give you...........


I know, I know -- this could be controversial. Enzo looks like Jeff waay more than 7%. But it took me a long time to find a picture where he didn't look like Jeff in the 40-50 percentile. I kind of skewed the results.

Welcome 2009

We took Enzo to meet our friends Tina and Jason in San Diego for NYE. Enzo has never traveled to San Diego so it was a perfect opportunity to be somewhere new to start a new year. Enzo stayed up to nearly 10 pm with friends and slept like an angel while the party watched Dick Clark.