The Monster Mash

  • November 4, 2011 5:05 PM

Pumpkin’s first birthday party was a blast! Being a Halloween baby, of course, it was Halloween-themed, and costumes were encouraged. To capture the adorable babies in their costumes, we set up a photobooth and had  a lot of fun taking silly photos. Pumpkin thought it was great fun to have everyone over to our place and ran around squealing with happiness. Here are a few more photos from the party.


As fun as it was, it’s nice to now get the decorations put away and slow down on the rush, rush, rush. Thomas took the last week of October off as his final week of paternity, and a special treat of a break for me. There was no way I could have prepared so many birthday details, cleaned house, and entertained a one-year old without him.

Happy 1st Birthday, Pumpkin!

  • October 31, 2011 9:48 PM


She loved the icing on her cupcake, but skipped most of the cakey-part. She started eating it with careful little licks of the icing, and finally by the fistful, smearing it even in her hair.

Seven Months: On the Go

  • July 14, 2011 11:23 AM

Dear Pumpkin,

Time is really flying by fast. I’m now two months behind on your blog updates, and my blog hasn’t had a non-baby post in quite a while. I really wonder if my blogging days are on their way out. At least with social media sites, I’m still able to share updates, photos, and videos with friends and family. I still prefer to have everything saved in one place though. We’ll see…I’m making it a goal to continue with these posts until your first birthday. Sadly though, that isn’t very far off now.

So smiley!

The big excitement in May was that you learned to crawl. You quickly progressed from pulling yourself up onto your knees and rocking, to crawling backwards, to scooting both legs forward like your were hopping. Finally, at Maker’s Faire with the enticement of a shiny piece of scrap paper, you crawled forward. Thank goodness for cell phones – I got it on video!

First Forward Crawl

We continue to take you on nature hikes, celebrating Mother’s Day at a wildlife refuge, Papa’s birthday at Fort Funston, and a random Saturday afternoon at Muir Woods. You fall asleep so easily in the baby carrier, but when you’re awake, we try to point out birds, let you feel the texture of the tree bark, and you love the wind blowing in your face.

Chilly Hike at Fort Funston

Lunch Break at Muir Woods

Photos from these daytrips are posted online:

We got a car this month and headed down to San Diego to see Uncle Mikey – your first US roadtrip and tent camping. You slept most of the time in the car, and when you’d wake we’d find a nearby park to stop for break. On the way there and the way back, we camped and you did great! You loved the sand, the campfire, and the flashlight. You had a little trouble falling asleep in the tent on your own, but I was able to lay down with you until you did and then sneak back out for s’mores. :)

In the play tent, while we set up the sleeping tent

Photos from the roadtrip and camping are posted online:

One of the day trips we did in San Diego was to the desert. It was warm, about 70 degrees, but it felt a lot hotter. I would say it was the second time (first time was the movies at Christmas) that I questioned my parenting in “should I really be taking a baby here,” but it worked out fine. We went on a short hike to a little oasis and when we got there, we stripped you down and dipped you in the water. We also took many breaks and gave you extra water from our water bottles.

Water Break

Photos from our desert exploration are online:

Speaking of bottles, one of the most challenging things this month was weaning you from breastfeeding. It was a tough decision that really played with my emotions. I’m sure my change in hormones didn’t help either. I felt like you weren’t getting as much milk from me as you wanted, so I thought I’d try to supplement 1 or 2 bottles of formula a day. Maybe I did it wrong, but after a week or two, my milk supply was gone.

Thankfully, you are happy with formula and don’t seem to even remember breastfeeding. Honestly, I prefer it too – I feel like I’m not rushing you anymore, and I love looking in your eyes and talking to you when you eat, rather than covering your head for our privacy. However, I did feel a lot of guilt – feel free to use this as blame for issues later in your life. :)

The hard part was the (indirect) peer pressure – I really felt like I was the only mom stopping breastfeeding before a year. I kept hearing, “you did your best,” like it’s a consolation prize for not making it past 7 months. It’s surprising that even strangers will ask you about this – “Aww, how old is she? Are you breastfeeding?” I wasn’t expecting the strong opinions people would have for how I’m choosing to feed you. I can say now though, I have become a strong supporter in mom’s choosing how long to breastfeed their own children – not just for those who want to go longer than usual, but those that want to go shorter too.

Striped shirt (was the striped dress she wore home from the hospital)

Well, that’s all for now. You’re still an extremely happy, active, and alert baby and you bring so much joy to our lives. I’ve posted more photos from this month online:

Hugs and kisses,
Mama

P.S. To the readers out there, my photos are still posted on PicasaWeb, but I’m using Google+ (Google’s new social networking site) to display them. You should be able to view them without an account, but if you would like an invite, just send me your email address. I have a email link in my sidebar.

Six Months: Meet the Family

  • June 6, 2011 11:22 PM

Dear Pumpkin,

We’re finally all moved in, but our busy schedules have kept us too much on the go to really get settled in yet. I’m behind in your monthly posts by two months, but April was a good one. You got to meet the rest of your family! We captured a lot of special moments on camera throughout our visits, but my favorites are the candid shots of you playing with your grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins.

Our shipping container arrived at the beginning of the month – just in time to unpack our beds, leave the rest strewn about, and head off to North Carolina to introduce you to the gang. It was a great trip, and you finally met your Grandpa, Aunt, Uncles, and cousins. Your cousins, though a couple years older than you (3 and 6 years old) were crazy about you. Amanda wanted to constantly hold you and Josh gave you lots of smiles.

Many more family photos are posted on PicasaWeb:

We spent two weeks in Raleigh, which still was not enough time to visit all of our old friends and favorite places, but it was a good trip. Papa and I were even able to sneak away a couple nights and leave you with Grandma and Uncle Dane to babysit. We also took you (and Amanda) on your first geocaches, toured you around your future college (UNC), and did several photoshoots at Duke Gardens and in your grandparents’ backyard.

Photos from more of our Raleigh adventures are posted on PicasaWeb:

While we were away, you also hit some big milestones. You got your first two teeth and started solids. We gave you cold cantaloupe to sooth your sore gums, and following your interest in our food, we decided to introduce you to pureed solids. So far, you’ve liked everything I’ve given you except spinach. Bananas, carrots, broccoli, and prunes are your favorites. I’ve had a lot of fun steaming and pureeing your food, but be warned…my cooking skills plateau not too far beyond that. :)

Also on our trip, Grandma showed you how to get up on your knees, and shortly after we got back home, you were scooting into position and rocking back and forth. You learned to finally roll over from your back to your front and have become a tummy sleeper. Unfortunately, the teething screwed up your habit of sleeping through night for a few weeks.

You’ve started making some new sounds, with mamamama as your main one. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to mean me, but instead “help me” like when you’re in your crib and want out. Your doorway bouncer is still a favorite activity, with peels of laughter always guaranteed.

The weekend after we returned from NC, Uncle Mikey drove up to San Francisco to see you too. He’s determined to be “The Outdoor Uncle” (as opposed to The Gadget Uncle and The Uncle with the Hat) and took us hiking along Land’s End and across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a brief weekend trip, but we promised to visit him soon in San Diego.

More photos from his visit are on PicasaWeb:

That’s about all we could fit into one month, but it was enough family to last us a while.

Hugs and kisses,
Mama

From the Redwood Forests

  • May 23, 2011 9:31 PM

So you know the Muir Woods? Well, they’re not named after John Muir, the author of my favorite Volkswagen book. I discovered this when we visited a few weeks ago. They’re actually named after a naturalist by the same name who lived in the 1800s. Whoops! I’m sure the VW author is a nature-fan too. Anyway, visiting Muir Woods has been on my ToDo list for a long time, and despite the namesake mixup, it did not disappoint.

The park is home to a forest of old growth Sequoias*, also known as Redwoods. The trees have towering branches and beautiful red bark colored by their high tannin content. It’s just a quick drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to visit these trees, so a few weeks ago, we packed up a picnic lunch, put on our hiking boots, and made a day trip out of it.

It’s a very peaceful place with a creek running along the trail, ferns lining the banks, and sun peeking through the thick leaves. There was an easy, paved trail and guides to tell you about the trees. We spotted a couple deer in the parking lot and many birds along our route. And of course, we took a ton of photos – here are some of my favorites:

While we were there, we picked up a year pass for the California State Parks, so I’m sure we’ll be back soon. I’ve posted more photos from our hike on PicasaWeb:

* Little known fact: This tree was one of Thomas’ suggestions for Pumpkin’s real name, though it didn’t stay on the list very long.