Wishing you all a very “hoppy” Easter…
…from our little honey bunny!
Happy Easter
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Category Archives: Photos
Zen in the City
Over the weekend Simeon and I entertained our friends, Rob and Kristin, who were up from California for the weekend. We have been trying to convince them that Oregon is “the place to be.” We figured what better way to prove our point than to show them. We started the morning off at Beaterville Cafe, a trendy little breakfast place in North Portland that we knew would cater to Rob’s vegan lifestyle. Then we took a little drive through downtown, Sim pointing out the sights along the way, and ended up at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden.
Knowing that Rob has been learning Chinese, Simeon thought he would take an interest in the gardens. Every now and then Rob would recognize a Chinese character or point out an interesting cultural tidbit, which really personalized the experience. Besides, how could anyone not love a beautiful little square block of all things zen and peaceful nestled in the heart of our bustling city?
I always enjoy having guests from out of town because it allows us to play tourist. Simeon and I have talked about visiting the garden, but never had a good reason to make the time to see what was hidden behind the fancy gates. Needless to say, we were not disappointed in the amazing architecture, the serene water features, and the gorgeous foliage.
Luckily the weather cooperated and we were able to enjoy the beautiful blooms and signs of new life that only spring can provide. You can see all the pictures from the Chinese Garden and even a couple of us up at Council Crest Park over in the gallery. Enjoy!
Gettin’ All High Tech
Remember those old AT&T adds from like 10 years ago, where they show people talking on video phone? Like the dad would tell his kids good-night or the grandparents could see their grandchild taking their first steps. You remember the ones, right? I use to watch that commercial and think how crazy that was. Who would ever do something like that? Well I am here to tell you that I am now that person.
I just got off of…the computer? The Internet?…with Simeon. He is currently training in New York for the week and knew he couldn’t go six days without being able to see Ana and I. Sure I always send him pictures of us (more her than me) with my camera phone, but nothing can replicate seeing and hearing us at the same time. So before Sim left, he hooked up a little camera to my computer (his MacBook has iSight built in) so we could see each other every day.
Because, honestly, would you want to miss seeing that (sometimes smiling) face looking back at you each day? Not to mention all her adorable coos and baby sounds? Yeah, me neither. Plus, when I am up feeding her at 4am, it is 7am in New York so Simeon is up getting ready for work and we have a few minutes to chat. And that is a great way to start the day.
Oh I forgot to mention I put some new pictures in the
Ana Three Months gallery. And as always, check my Flickr page, too. Enjoy!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day…
…from “Dad’s Lucky Charm!”
A Letter: Three Months
Dear Ana,
Oh my little monkey, can you believe we made it three whole months? Time sure does go by faster now that you are in my life. I love spending my days with you, watching you grow and develop new skills. If I were planning to go back to work, I would have to do that this month as most maternity leave only lasts for three months. I cannot even imagine leaving you with someone else at this point in your life. I am so thankful each and every day that I am able to stay home and raise you.
In the past couple weeks you have expanded your bag of baby tricks to include blowing bubbles. I love the way you purse your lips together to create the tiniest little bubbles. Sure, this now requires that I keep a cloth handy to wipe up the excess drool, but it is just too cute to discourage. That and I totally do it too and it’s good to know you got something from your mama.
You have also started making a wider variety of sounds. Your current favorite is what I can only explain as the sound someone makes when “rolling your r’s” in Spanish. You make the sound, pause to allow me to make it back and then smile and laugh like it is the funniest thing in the whole world. And I just can’t help but smile and laugh back with the same enthusiasm. See? You just make every little thing so much better.
Another silly thing you have really perfected this last week is your fake cough. I admit I must take the blame for this one. A couple weeks ago I had a cold and whenever I would cough it would scare you (sometimes so badly that you would instantly burst into tears) so I would try to show you that coughs were not scary by adding a little fake cough to the end and smiling at you. Apparently this made the cough not only non-threatening, but also highly entertaining.
Oh and have I mentioned how much you love your reflection? You just love making faces and staring at yourself in the mirror. We first noticed this with the mirror in the car that allows me to see you in my rear-view mirror. You would just stare and coo at yourself while we were driving. So we decided to put one in your crib as well and it has made you very happy. Hopefully we are not encouraging narcissism or vanity. Your father is already worried about focusing too much on looks and makes sure that each time he tells you that you are beautiful or adorable, he also compliments you on your intelligence or talents. He just wants you to know that we love you just the way you are. And, I have to say, I totally agree.
All my love,
Mama
A Week of Firsts
After much stressing about flying, vomit and travelling with an infact, I am happy to report everything went great. And that baby crying on the plane? It wasn’t mine!
Ana did even better than we could have imagined. She slept almost the entire flight (both flights, in fact). The only time she even started to fuss was on landing and I just prompted her to keep right on eating by gently tickling her cheek. Once she did that, she went back to sleep and things went wonderfully.
She even did great not sleeping in her crib…the only place we have ever put her to sleep overnight. I called the hotel in advance and reserved a portable crib (basically a Pack ‘N Play), made it with her own sheets and blankets and she didn’t even bat an eye at sleeping in a new place. In fact, she slept 8.5 hours a couple nights while we were there! And you won’t hear me complaining about that.
During the day when Sim was training, we hung out in the hotel, enjoying the premium cable channels and room service. We would try to venture out for a walk when the weather was nice (it was over 70 degrees and sunny the first couple days…then it rained). But mostly we just cuddled and hung out until Simeon got back. One day while I put Ana down for “tummy time” she didn’t even fuss (normally she hates tummy time) but rather cooed a couple times, then got quiet. I walked around to the other side of the bed and realized she had fallen fast asleep. I guess I wore her out!
She even got to take a bath in the sink for the first time. At home she has her own bathtub that we use in the kitchen sink, complete with an infant hammock. Not wanting to pack the tub, I just propped her up for a little bubbly soak in the hotel sink. She really liked it! In fact, this was the first bath where she didn’t even cry once! I guess she liked the nice warm bubble bath in the hotel.
So Ana had her first flight, her first night(s) away from home, her first time in a hotel, her first time sleeping on her stomach and her first bath in a sink…and she did it all in one week. Wow! That is a lot to pack in all at once! You can see all the pictures from our trip here. Oh and I keep uploading pictures from my camera phone (like the bath picture) to my Flickr page, so make sure you check there from time to time as well. Enjoy!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day…
…from “Daddy’s Little Valentine!”
Dress Up
A few days ago a magical thing happened in the Portland area: it snowed. And it actually stuck to the ground. And stayed around for several days.
As a result, the entire town basically shut down. People around here, myself included, just don’t know how to deal with snow so we basically become temporary shut-ins. Luckilly I had been to the grocery store recently for diapers (really, I feel like that is all I buy anyway) so there was no need to venture out in the snow. But after awhile, one becomes bored and starts looking for alternate sources of entertainment.
That’s right, I used my daughter as a dress-up doll. To be fair, I just wanted to have her try on some of her baby gifts before she outgrew them, but I must admit it was so fun to see her in her cute little things. And they were so adorable I just had to take a picture and share it with the Internet. See, it’s all your fault.
I took some more pictures and they are either in the Dress Up gallery or the Ana Misc gallery. Enjoy.
Daily Dose of Darling
Cuteness Request
I had a request this morning from Carole for some more baby pictures. Not wanting to disappoint, here ya go. I like to call this one “Momma gets to take a shower.”
Here is Ana’s signature facial expression when confronted with a camera. I assume she is thinking something along the lines of “Woman please. I am trying to enjoy sitting here and you keep flashing that thing in my face.” We are currently working on this.
And just to prove I can still take pictures of things other than my baby, here is my silly cat Frodo. I guess this was his way of helping me put the Christmas decorations away. Yeah.
And last but not least, Simeon, Ana, and I all went to Miss Lindsay’s Princess Birthday Party yesterday. I cannot believe she is already three years old. Wow. And is she not just the cutest thing ever?
There pictures I took are either in the Lindsay’s 3rd Birthday gallery or the Ana Misc gallery. Enjoy.