Baby Hamster Ball

Two Cool Dudes enjoying our picnic

Relaxing by the water

BUSTED!

I'm in the market for a baby hamster ball. Why hasn't someone invented one? You mean to tell me millions of parents have been through this crawling stage and no one has thought of it?? Brenden started inching along two weeks ago and now he's blazing along and into EVERYTHING. He has no interest in toys anymore. There's no need to go to Toys R Us - he's thrilled to chew on a lamp cord or rip up piles of paper. He loves to follow me around the kitchen and pull on my pant legs, and if I open the fridge he tries to crawl in there and gets mad when I pull him out.

We're definitely still adjusting to his newly-discovered mobility, but Brenden is more fun than ever. I can't fold laundry without Brenden unfolding half of it during the process, but it's still easier than having to hold him 24/7.

He has also started saying "mama" and "dada." I know he doesn't know what he's saying, but I love it when he says mama.

In addition to adjusting to our new routine with Brenden, my work has been really demanding the last couple of weeks. I've been working extra hours to keep up. Not a lot of hours, but even a half hour extra after Brenden goes to bed puts me behind on the stuff I need to do at home. It's exhausting.

As you can see from the pictures above, we went on a nice picnic on Saturday. It was wonderful to sit by the water and enjoy the peace and quiet. Brenden was pretty mellow and had fun watching some older kids play and watching the waves when we went closer to the water.

Here's a cute video of Brenden crawling.

Emerald City Comicon

Adam and Max dorkin' it up at the Comicon

We went to the Emerald City Comicon today, and it was crazy! On one hand it was neat to see so many people all dressed up and having fun, but it was way overcrowded and hectic. Adam didn't get to do most of the things he was looking forward to because the lines were too long. It was hard to walk through the convention hall and several times I was nervous that Brenden was going to get knocked into. He did great in his new Ergo carrier. It was a splurge but it's way more comfortable for both of us.

Brenden was so good and patient today. He was so calm and laid-back the whole time, and when we had lunch he sat on his blanket and ate and played quietly until we were all finished. He started to fuss when he got tired, but as soon as we walked out of the convention hall he konked out in his carrier.

He is still a very big boy! We had his 9-month check up yesterday, and he's 36 inches tall (97% percentile) and 22 lbs, 10 oz (75% percentile). He's thinned out a lot now that he's crawling and always on the move. His doctor says his development is right on track. I was concerned because he's not eating finger foods and he gags if we try to give him the chunkier baby food, but the doctor said to let him take his time and not worry about it.

I really like our pediatrician. I get worried about the littlest things, and she's always reassuring. It's nice that I have friends with babies the same age, but sometimes that makes it a little harder because I can't help but compare. I wouldn't change a thing about Brenden, but I worry that we're doing something wrong if he's not able to do something another baby is. Tami's daughter Paityn is only 5 days older but much further along developmentally. I never thought I'd be a pushy parent but I realize I fall into that trap sometimes.

Catching Up

It's been over 3 weeks since my last blog. I've been busy as usual, but actually not as busy. Work is calmer and my home to-do list is much more manageable. (maybe because I spend less time blogging?)

We've had a fun few weeks. We took Brenden on his first trip to the zoo. Here's a picture of us there:Just kidding, obviously. But that is a picture I took while we were there, believe it or not. The gorilla closest to the glass is the patriarch of the group. He spent the whole time picking his nose.

Brenden's favorite animal was the owl. A zookeeper was giving a talk about the owl, and when we took Brenden up to watch, he starting making hooting sounds at the owl. Such a smart boy :)

We were all exhausted from our big day at the zoo. Brenden passed out when we got home, and he slept so long I actually had to wake him up. He didn't even stir when I took this photo:

He has been sleeping much better for the past month. Now that he can roll over easily, he loves to sleep on his tummy with his arms and legs pulled under him.

The next weekend was Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend, and it also marked the 12th anniversary of Adam's and my first date. I made a very dry cake to celebrate:

True to form, Brenden couldn't resist getting into it. He gets into EVERYTHING now. The other day he was sitting on Adam's lap while Adam checked his email. Adam had just received an email from someone he sold some blu-ray movies to on ebay, and the person was concerned because he hadn't received the movies in the mail yet. I told Adam not to worry because we had the shipping confirmation and insurance slip from the post office, and then Adam looked over and realized the slip was in Brenden's hand, dissolving in slobber. Thank goodness the movies eventually turned up!

One last photo of Brenden being silly...

Sittin' Up Man!

Brenden started sitting up on his own just in time for our playdate on Saturday. Tami and I went to Aparna's for a traditional Nepalese lunch (for the moms) and playtime for the babies. It was so cute watching the babies play together. The food was delicious, and Aparna's family is so sweet. Her parents moved from Nepal to move in with her and her husband when Ava was born. It's the tradition in their culture for the grandparents to move in to help with the baby. I was surprised that Aparna was excited about it back when we were both pregnant, but it doesn't sound so bad to me anymore, now that I know how difficult it is to raise a baby with no family around. The only complaint Aparna has is that her mom cooks so much delicious food it was hard for her to lose the baby weight.

This has been one of those week when living in Seattle loses its luster. This is a very cool city, but there are some downsides too. Like sloshing through the never-ending drizzle when you just want to have a nice family day out. Or seeing a homeless man take a leak on an office building. (Not my most pleasant walk from the bus stop to the office.)

We might be in for a rough night tonight. Our upstairs neighbor has friends over again, and they are so loud. We used to imagine the guy was a big beer-guzzling type, but Adam went up there to ask him to keep it down one night, and discovered it's a little Asian kid in his late teens. They love to play Wi until 5 am, and it doesn't sound like they're doing it sober. Brenden has already woken up once tonight, and it's only 8:30. It could be teething too. He has four teeth already and a couple more on the way. They have been popping out non-stop. I guess I'd rather get them all out now rather than drag out the process.

Time to stretch out with a book before Brenden wakes up again.

Just had to share this video. Brenden's latest craze is watching me put a toy in my mouth and growl like a dog. I'm detecting a trend here - anything that makes me look like an idiot is a hit.

I also snapped my favorite picture ever of Brenden. He is such a ham:

Sometimes he enjoys eating solids, and some days he's not interested. So far his favorites are peas, oatmeal, and bananas. We stocked up on jars of baby veggies, but Brenden hates the jarred fruit because they add absorbic acid to keep it from turning brown. So we bought a little hand grinder at Babies R Us, and it works great.

I'm becoming a poster child for adult ADD. I'm always thinking about 8 things at once, and I'm getting really forgetful. It's hard for me to connect the dots mentally. I keep to-do lists, but just trying to remember to write things down is a challenge. I'm always thinking, "Oh yeah, I need to email so and so, pick up such and such at the grocery store, etc etc." It makes me crazy sometimes.

And to add to the list of things swirling around in my head, for the first time since Brenden was born I've started paying attention to politics and social issues again. Over the weekend we watched Battle in Seattle. It was really interesting to see footage of the rioting that took place right outside my office. Here's a quick synopsis - back in 1999, the WTO (World Trade Organization) held its first major conference in Seattle. Bad idea. The WTO exploits a good part of the world, especially the poorest parts of it, no matter what the cost to the environment or people's quality of life. Seattleites love protesting and demonstrations (at least once a week there's a group of people getting riled up outside our office), so they went all out to shut the WTO's conference down.

I also started reading Howard Zinn's A People's History of American Empire. The US is responsible for some really horrible things in the past, and in the present. In school we read about the Native Americans being all but wiped out and the dropping of the atomic bombs in WWII, but I didn't really see the connection between those events and things going on today. Zinn starts back in the 1800's, detailing how the US has taken over multiple countries and repressed many groups of people, all for power and ultimately, for money. What really gets me going is that we're given so many excuses for invading other countries, and led to believe that we're doing it either to protect the people of that country, or ourselves. The common theme is that big business sees dollar signs on the map and thinks they're entitled to a piece of it. The war in Iraq is just another example. Please don't think I'm out there ripping "support our troops" bumper stickers off people's cars. I don't doubt the soldiers' bravery and I don't make light of their sacrifices, and the sacrifices of their families.

As long as I'm revealing my liberal leanings, I might as well mention how dumbfounded I am that we continue to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Why isn't the ban on gay marriage recongnized as discrimination, or the ban on gay couples adopting children in some states? Gay couples can legally adopt in Washington, and one of the principals at our firm and his partner have adopted three children. All three children have the same mother but different fathers. They adopted the first boy, then when the mother got pregnant twice more they decided to adopt those babies too. Their youngest is the same age as Brenden, so we get to compare notes. I've never met the children's birth mother, but it sounds like the children have a much more stable homelife with their adoptive fathers. I know some people are uncomfortable with the idea of homosexuality, but even if it's not your cup of tea, aren't there a lot more important battles to fight than keeping people from establishing a secure family life?

What a Week

I just wrote a long, whiney blog and decided to delete it all. We had a really crazy week, but it was just a bunch of small annoyances. It doesn't seem right to complain about not getting a raise (salary freeze due to the economy) or Brenden's constipation (it was a 5-day stand-off) when you read about all the suffering in Haiti. I read an article on cnn.com this morning about how people are wandering around at night with nowhere to sleep, no food or water, and stumbling over dead bodies because it's so dark at night with no lights. I can't imagine what it would feel like to be a mother there worrying about your kids having no water or catching a disease, or worse.

So I'll write about all the good things this week. On Saturday we took a stroll through downtown Edmonds, the little community where we used to live. I miss that area. It's so quaint with an awesome view of the water. We had coffee at a little coffee shop, looked around the local bookstore and toy store, and just enjoyed the dry day.

Brenden was his usual cute, fun self despite his discomfort from the constipation. One of the highlights of the week was when I took Brenden in the bathroom for his bath one night. I usually stop in front of the mirror so he can smile at himself while I tell him what a "handsome nakie baby" he is. That night we did our normal routine but he started laughing his head off when he realized he could see himself in the big mirror AND the medicine cabinet mirror on the side. We played a game where he would look in one mirror, and I would look all around the room like I couldn't find him. Then I would finally meet his eyes in the mirror and he would scream with excitement. So cute!

I tried out a new book club last night. It wasn't anything like the Orlando Book Club, which I loved. I met some really good friends through that book club, and every meeting was a blast. I think I'll go to this new book club again - I enjoyed it, but I don't think it will ever be quite as fun.

Now to spend some time relaxing! Tomorrow Adam is going to a movie and Brenden and I are going to chill out at home. This week was so busy that I didn't get to spend much time with Brenden, so I'm looking forward to lots of playtime.

Happy New Year!

First Family Christmas Photo

Brenden sporting a new outfit (12 month size!)

Hanging out with Uncle Alex and Aunt Katie (I can't believe they're both in college now!)

Brenden looking like a real Hoosier in his hunting cap

It's been a while since I posted a blog because it's been a very busy month! We spent a week and a half in Indiana visiting family. It was great to see everyone and Brenden had a blast. It was exhausting at times, like when Brenden got his first cold and was up half the night, but Brenden adapted very well to the big change in routine. He even did great on the flights there and back. We had flight delays both ways, but he was a trooper.

Brenden is 7 months old now and so much fun. I feel like we've made it through the hardest part and now we get to just have fun. He loves to wrestle and act silly, so it feels less like work now. Brenden's favorite thing at the moment is when I pretend I'm throwing up. Gross, I know, but he thinks it's hysterical. The more theatrical the fake heaving and sound effects, the louder he laughs and squeals.

Brenden is also on a trend towards sleeping better. This week there were a few nights he only woke up once!

Besides being great to see our family, getting away from the daily grind was really good for me. I was so caught up in trying to keep up that I didn't realize I was pushing myself too hard. I was trying to do too much and set my standards too high. Getting away helped me to think about where I want to invest my time and energy and what I can let go. I definitely need more "me" time. Of course I still have a full-time job and it's not like Brenden is going to learn to change his own diapers anytime soon. So I am carving out little bits of time for myself, like taking 5 minutes to have coffee and read a news article when I get to work. Brenden usually goes to bed at 7, so I'm trying to do stuff around the house from 7-8, then read or watch tv from 8-9. My rule is that unless it absolutely has to be done that night, I have to drop everything at 8. Otherwise I would end up in the same spot I was, working non-stop every second of the day.

My other New Years resolution is to eat healthier. Brenden's pediatrician talked to us about the importance of eating organic, minimally processed foods, so I want to start now so it will be a habit once Brenden is eating what we're eating. It's pretty gross when you start reading ingredient lists and realize how little real food we're eating. I've had a little set-back though. After work I stopped at the grocery store and bought a bunch of fresh fruit to make a fruit salad. I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com and decided to splurge on lots of organic fruit, most of it out-of-season. So after Brenden went to bed I peeled and chopped away for 20 minutes. Then he woke back up (probably because he fell asleep too fast the first time and didn't nurse well), so I had to nurse and rock him again. Back to the peeling and chooping for another few minutes, and then I mixed the vanilla yogurt sauce. I mixed it exactly as the recipe was written, even though mayo and salt seemed like odd choices. I naively figured those Food Network guys knew what they were doing, so even though it tasted really weird, I dumped the sauce all over the fruit. I figured the fruit and sauce combination would somehow magically work out. WRONG. I can still taste it and I might just throw up for real this time. I was almost in tears when Adam tasted it and had to run to the trash can to spit it out. Time and money are really short right now, and that fruit salad was a huge waste of both.

Speaking of money, I have my performance review next Thursday. Our company is feeling the effects of the bad economy more this year, and I've heard raises and bonuses are minimal. But hey, I'm still employed, and we're lucky the company is even considering raises and bonuses.