Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
9 Month Old Baby
Leah turned 9 months old this week. I am freaking out! Can it really be 9 months since she joined us in this world? When did she become such a "grown up" baby? She is so big now and I (sometimes) miss my scrawny, squeaky newborn (just a little). And as if to make a point to dear-old-mom that she really is "grown up," Miss Leah decided to crawl yesterday. She's a big girl now and proud of it, too.
BA got her another cake. It's getting harder and harder to have the cake celebrations because Leah is really on the move these days and we can only snap the pictures for so long before we have to stop and intercept Leah from attacking the cake. She got some frosting on her hand, that was quickly wiped away, with this celebration. My intention to save cake for her 1st birthday is getting harder and harder to maintain. But I stand by my goal and told BA that we may have to rethink our plans and get Leah a veggie & cold cuts tray for her 10 month celebration.
She's 25% for weight (17 lbs. 1 oz)
She's 50% for height (27.5 inches)
Other things that 9 months can do ... We're standing with assistance from mom and dad.
Did I mention we are just as sweet and cute as ever?
Happy 9 months to the little girl who lights up our world.
BA got her another cake. It's getting harder and harder to have the cake celebrations because Leah is really on the move these days and we can only snap the pictures for so long before we have to stop and intercept Leah from attacking the cake. She got some frosting on her hand, that was quickly wiped away, with this celebration. My intention to save cake for her 1st birthday is getting harder and harder to maintain. But I stand by my goal and told BA that we may have to rethink our plans and get Leah a veggie & cold cuts tray for her 10 month celebration.
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| This is how most of our photo sessions go these days. |
She's 25% for weight (17 lbs. 1 oz)
She's 50% for height (27.5 inches)
Other things that 9 months can do ... We're standing with assistance from mom and dad.
Did I mention we are just as sweet and cute as ever?
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| Wearing her mom's baby shirt circa 1981! |
Happy 9 months to the little girl who lights up our world.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Motor Skills and Other Developments
This has been a big month for Leah in terms of her motor skills.
She can almost crawl. She will either pull through to her hands and knees from a seated position, or she'll push up from her tummy. As she is pulling through to her hands and knees, she's move her hands forward in the crawling motion, but once she gets her knees in position, she feezes. And then rocks back and forth and starts to scooch backwards. She can't yet figure out to move her knees forward. And until she masters the crawl, she can get almost anywhere she wants to go with a combination of rolling and shifting across the floor.
She is able to stand with assistance.
Leah has also learned how to push herself up to a seated position from the floor. This is a really cool skill for her during playtime, but it is a bit frustrating during nap time. Yesterday I heard a lot of fussing coming from her crib. I went into her room and found her sitting up in her crib, whining, and rubbing her eyes. I picked her up and she instantly dropped her head to my shoulder and fell asleep. Poor baby, she couldn't figure out how to lay back down after she pushed herself up! Haha - it was simultaneously adorable and funny.
She has started eating cereal puffs by picking up the little pieces between her thumb and forefinger. She gets really fussing at dinner time, but those puffs will instantly calm her down. Maybe she's too busy focusing on getting them in her mouth to remember to fuss about it. BA gets really nervous about this activity and won't let her eat them without him watching her like a hawk, because he's worried about her choking. I'm a little more relaxed about the puffs because we recently discovered that she's been stealing puffs from her friends seated next to her at daycare for weeks. Little rascal.
And we're trying to get her to use a sippy cup, but she just thinks it's another chew-toy. I thought she was beginning to show an interest in books this week (up until now she's only interested in eating her books) and I got mildly excited when she went for a book and attempted to open a page. It was short lived excitement though, because when she couldn't get the page open she went right back to eating it. C'est la vie.
She can almost crawl. She will either pull through to her hands and knees from a seated position, or she'll push up from her tummy. As she is pulling through to her hands and knees, she's move her hands forward in the crawling motion, but once she gets her knees in position, she feezes. And then rocks back and forth and starts to scooch backwards. She can't yet figure out to move her knees forward. And until she masters the crawl, she can get almost anywhere she wants to go with a combination of rolling and shifting across the floor.
She is able to stand with assistance.
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| "Okay, how am I going to do this?" |
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| "Dad ... any suggestions?" |
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| "Ahhh, look at meeeeeee!" |
Leah has also learned how to push herself up to a seated position from the floor. This is a really cool skill for her during playtime, but it is a bit frustrating during nap time. Yesterday I heard a lot of fussing coming from her crib. I went into her room and found her sitting up in her crib, whining, and rubbing her eyes. I picked her up and she instantly dropped her head to my shoulder and fell asleep. Poor baby, she couldn't figure out how to lay back down after she pushed herself up! Haha - it was simultaneously adorable and funny.
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| Leah sitting up in her crib after nap time. |
She has started eating cereal puffs by picking up the little pieces between her thumb and forefinger. She gets really fussing at dinner time, but those puffs will instantly calm her down. Maybe she's too busy focusing on getting them in her mouth to remember to fuss about it. BA gets really nervous about this activity and won't let her eat them without him watching her like a hawk, because he's worried about her choking. I'm a little more relaxed about the puffs because we recently discovered that she's been stealing puffs from her friends seated next to her at daycare for weeks. Little rascal.
And we're trying to get her to use a sippy cup, but she just thinks it's another chew-toy. I thought she was beginning to show an interest in books this week (up until now she's only interested in eating her books) and I got mildly excited when she went for a book and attempted to open a page. It was short lived excitement though, because when she couldn't get the page open she went right back to eating it. C'est la vie.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Easter Weekend
On Saturday we went out for brunch in Studio City with our friends Emily and Kenley. As usual, Leah provided excellent entertainment by flirting with the other patrons in the restaurant. She was content to look around and check everything out for a while, and then when she grew bored of that, we just passed her around among the 4 adults. Leah was so well behaved the whole time.
After brunch we decided to cross off one more item on our L.A. bucket list. So we drove 15 minutes east to Pasadena. Can you guess what this is?
Then, like the last-minute-mom that I am, I went out and bought Leah's Easter Basket. That's right, I waited until the night before. I had really good intentions of doing this earlier, I swear. But after a week-long intensive class that required me to be at campus by 8 a.m. and sometimes stay until 8 p.m. I just plain ran out of time and energy. So I went to Target at 5:30 p.m. with the rest of the loser-moms on a Saturday night to pick through the remains of the Easter display. It's amazing how easy shopping is without a baby in tow. Normally I dread going to Target, but I found my Easter goodies, plus a few essentials for the week, and was back home within 1 hour.
Here's the Peanut's first Easter basket. The Easter Bunny brought Leah a bottle of Aquaphor (for baby's dry skin) and organic fruit puffs along with the standard chocolate bunny and jelly beans.
For Easter church we went to a service at the Malibu bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Malibu Presbyterian Church holds this special Easter service each year. It was held in this giant tent and they had a contemporary band that sounded like a professional rock band. It was pretty loud but lots of fun and the weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor service. Leah was pretty-in-pink in an embroidered dress, a gift from her Nana.
And then we changed Leah out of her Easter finest, and went to lunch at our favorite Bar-B-Q spot, Wood Ranch. Happy Easter everyone!
After brunch we decided to cross off one more item on our L.A. bucket list. So we drove 15 minutes east to Pasadena. Can you guess what this is?
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| This totally made my week! The "Father of the Bride" House! |
Then, like the last-minute-mom that I am, I went out and bought Leah's Easter Basket. That's right, I waited until the night before. I had really good intentions of doing this earlier, I swear. But after a week-long intensive class that required me to be at campus by 8 a.m. and sometimes stay until 8 p.m. I just plain ran out of time and energy. So I went to Target at 5:30 p.m. with the rest of the loser-moms on a Saturday night to pick through the remains of the Easter display. It's amazing how easy shopping is without a baby in tow. Normally I dread going to Target, but I found my Easter goodies, plus a few essentials for the week, and was back home within 1 hour.
Here's the Peanut's first Easter basket. The Easter Bunny brought Leah a bottle of Aquaphor (for baby's dry skin) and organic fruit puffs along with the standard chocolate bunny and jelly beans.
For Easter church we went to a service at the Malibu bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Malibu Presbyterian Church holds this special Easter service each year. It was held in this giant tent and they had a contemporary band that sounded like a professional rock band. It was pretty loud but lots of fun and the weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor service. Leah was pretty-in-pink in an embroidered dress, a gift from her Nana.
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| Family picture taken by a nice stranger at church. |
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| Waiting for the service to begin and checking out the other babies. |
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| Time for a quick diaper change in the back of the Jeep. |
And then we changed Leah out of her Easter finest, and went to lunch at our favorite Bar-B-Q spot, Wood Ranch. Happy Easter everyone!
Friday, April 6, 2012
What to Tell Your Next Telemarketer
BA just spent the last 15 minutes on the phone talking to a telemarketing scammer in India. The call came in at 9:30 p.m. dialed from the number 123-456-7890. No lie. I answered and a man came on the line with a thick Indian accent and told me that our computer had a virus on it and he was here to help. Goody! I knew it was a telemarketer immediately and intended to just hang up without saying anything - my usual response. But we've received 5 or 6 of these types of calls in the last 2 months so BA decided to have a little fun.
He jumped on the line and started talking the guy's ear off - think Dustin Hoffman in Rainman. The man asked BA if he was having any problems with his computer. BA said, "Problems? Oh yeah, I've got problems. I had to wake up this morning. That's a problem right there. And I woke up this morning and I didn't know what to eat. There's another problem. I could make eggs, or cereal, or pancakes. Big problems, indeed. And if I decide to make pancakes do I use regular Bisquick or the lite Bisquick? Do I add syrup? Should I have bacon, or sausage with my Bisquick pancakes? It was a real problem, oh yes-sir-ee. And then after breakfast I went to work and my boss wouldn't leave me alone. She wanted to talk to me, and I had to type emails. And my wife, she gives me problems to solve all the time. She wants me to take out the trash, but sometimes I don't want to. That's a real problem, I'm telling you. And I have to put gas in my car and pay for electricity. That's a big problem," . . . On and on he went. BA told the guy that Amway had already called and we'd just bought a lifetime supply of paper towels but passed on the lemon scented mopping solution, but maybe he'd like to buy some, and if so, we could arrange that transaction for him.
Meanwhile I'm sitting on the floor in the other room trying not to pee from laughing so hard.
And then BA starting talking about hotdogs. He just started mentioning all the types and brands of hotdogs he could think of. He liked Ballpark hotdogs the best, and he liked hotdogs made with turkey, or beef, or pork, or even Dodger Dogs at the baseball game. He actually got the scammer to say, "I like hotdogs." To which BA replied, with glee, "Me too!!!!" When the scammer could finally get a second word in, he asked BA if he would turn on his computer. BA said, "Sure, but I don't know how to turn on my computer," and he then made the Indian dude walk him through step-by-step how to find the button to turn on the computer. They went through a couple more rounds of this, where BA would ask how to login to the computer, or how to turn on the monitor, and where was the mouse. And then finally BA just asked the guy to send over a medium pizza with pepperoni, and hung up.
He jumped on the line and started talking the guy's ear off - think Dustin Hoffman in Rainman. The man asked BA if he was having any problems with his computer. BA said, "Problems? Oh yeah, I've got problems. I had to wake up this morning. That's a problem right there. And I woke up this morning and I didn't know what to eat. There's another problem. I could make eggs, or cereal, or pancakes. Big problems, indeed. And if I decide to make pancakes do I use regular Bisquick or the lite Bisquick? Do I add syrup? Should I have bacon, or sausage with my Bisquick pancakes? It was a real problem, oh yes-sir-ee. And then after breakfast I went to work and my boss wouldn't leave me alone. She wanted to talk to me, and I had to type emails. And my wife, she gives me problems to solve all the time. She wants me to take out the trash, but sometimes I don't want to. That's a real problem, I'm telling you. And I have to put gas in my car and pay for electricity. That's a big problem," . . . On and on he went. BA told the guy that Amway had already called and we'd just bought a lifetime supply of paper towels but passed on the lemon scented mopping solution, but maybe he'd like to buy some, and if so, we could arrange that transaction for him.
Meanwhile I'm sitting on the floor in the other room trying not to pee from laughing so hard.
And then BA starting talking about hotdogs. He just started mentioning all the types and brands of hotdogs he could think of. He liked Ballpark hotdogs the best, and he liked hotdogs made with turkey, or beef, or pork, or even Dodger Dogs at the baseball game. He actually got the scammer to say, "I like hotdogs." To which BA replied, with glee, "Me too!!!!" When the scammer could finally get a second word in, he asked BA if he would turn on his computer. BA said, "Sure, but I don't know how to turn on my computer," and he then made the Indian dude walk him through step-by-step how to find the button to turn on the computer. They went through a couple more rounds of this, where BA would ask how to login to the computer, or how to turn on the monitor, and where was the mouse. And then finally BA just asked the guy to send over a medium pizza with pepperoni, and hung up.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
My L.A. Food Blog
When we decided to move to L.A. we expected to find lots of great food places. This is the second largest metropolitan area in the country, plus it's on the Pacific Ocean, so we thought we would have little trouble satisfying our culinary needs. But during our first year here we were disappointed. We practically spent the first 6 months eating at Chipotle for lunch, and McCormick & Schmicks for dinner. Don't get me wrong, those places are delicious, but they're chain restaurants. By the end of the first year, I was convinced that L.A. just didn't have great local food. But there was great food here, we just hadn't found it yet. Over the past two years, we've acquired quite a list of favorites. And now that I'm just 6 weeks away from leaving La-La-Land, I've become a little bit nostalgic, particularly about the food. So for posterity's sake, I want to write down my favorites. Start salivating, ya'll.
For lunch/brunch there was Cafe Marmalade, and their BLTA (A for avocado). Marmalade is technically a chain because they have more than one location, but they are only in Southern California so I count them as local. I've eaten at the Marmalade in El Segundo, Malibu, and Calabasas - I'm a fan. We also dined at the downtown square in Culver City a lot where there was Daphne's (Greek fast food) and Kay-n-Dave's for California Mexican and a great margarita happy hour.
As far as fresh fish, Malibu Seafood cannot be beat. It's just a little seafood shack on the side of the Pacific Coast Highway, with an ocean view, picnic tables, and a BYOB policy. The other amazing seafood place that also doubles as a celebrity hang-out, is Katsuya. Hands down the best sushi I've ever tasted (get the crispy rice spicy tuna). We'd also go to a tiny Italian bistro right on the water in Marina del Rey, called Sapori, for local seafood. I partly like this place because it actually feels like Italy - the waitstaff is Italian, it's tiny and kind of dark, and they serve authentically Italian dishes (i.e. no spaghetti with meatballs) - but the food is great too. I always ordered this delicious seafood medley linguini dish with clams, mussels, and shrimp in a white wine sauce.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention some of our other favorite standards, such as Versailles for Cuban food; I crave the roasted chicken in garlic orange sauce; and Wood Ranch Bar-B-Q for the baby-back ribs, garlic rolls, and peanut coleslaw.
So why did I write this out. For one, after three years of law school my memory is shot and I needed a place to record my favorite L.A. restaurants. And two, since the readers of this blog mainly include my family, it gives them a sneak-peak of what's in store during their visit out here for graduation. Turns out, L.A. is a food town after all.
For lunch/brunch there was Cafe Marmalade, and their BLTA (A for avocado). Marmalade is technically a chain because they have more than one location, but they are only in Southern California so I count them as local. I've eaten at the Marmalade in El Segundo, Malibu, and Calabasas - I'm a fan. We also dined at the downtown square in Culver City a lot where there was Daphne's (Greek fast food) and Kay-n-Dave's for California Mexican and a great margarita happy hour.
As far as fresh fish, Malibu Seafood cannot be beat. It's just a little seafood shack on the side of the Pacific Coast Highway, with an ocean view, picnic tables, and a BYOB policy. The other amazing seafood place that also doubles as a celebrity hang-out, is Katsuya. Hands down the best sushi I've ever tasted (get the crispy rice spicy tuna). We'd also go to a tiny Italian bistro right on the water in Marina del Rey, called Sapori, for local seafood. I partly like this place because it actually feels like Italy - the waitstaff is Italian, it's tiny and kind of dark, and they serve authentically Italian dishes (i.e. no spaghetti with meatballs) - but the food is great too. I always ordered this delicious seafood medley linguini dish with clams, mussels, and shrimp in a white wine sauce.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention some of our other favorite standards, such as Versailles for Cuban food; I crave the roasted chicken in garlic orange sauce; and Wood Ranch Bar-B-Q for the baby-back ribs, garlic rolls, and peanut coleslaw.
So why did I write this out. For one, after three years of law school my memory is shot and I needed a place to record my favorite L.A. restaurants. And two, since the readers of this blog mainly include my family, it gives them a sneak-peak of what's in store during their visit out here for graduation. Turns out, L.A. is a food town after all.
Monday, April 2, 2012
BA's Corner: New Toy
Last weekend, I sat Leah down on the floor behind me for about 20 seconds while I put some laundry in the dryer. What I heard next made me laugh so hard. I had to grab the video camera to document her discovery.
I enjoyed it so much, that I didn't even notice her drooling until I watched the video. My favorite parts are when she does it so hard that she startles herself. Curious little Peanut.
I enjoyed it so much, that I didn't even notice her drooling until I watched the video. My favorite parts are when she does it so hard that she startles herself. Curious little Peanut.
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