Terrorizing the North Bay

Dear Baby Trip,

We spent last week up at Oma and Opa's in Santa Rosa while we had some work done on our house. The great flood of the Bay Area continued with a total of I think 10 days of rain. It made for great napping conditions and a good opportunity to sport your new yellow slicker.


Quack quack!

You got your first pair of big boy shoes at Stride Rite, and I can neither confirm nor deny that I got a tiny bit weepy seeing you in real shoes. Seriously...how are you growing up so fast?


Sporting my big boy sneakers!

Oma opened up her living room so that you had a giant play space and so many new forbidden new items to gravitate to. You especially loved the giant planter full of dirt (good for sinking fingers into), her staircase (good for attempting to break neck), and any lamp, electrical cord or wall outlet (good for scaring the crap out of your Mama and Oma).


Must find new dangers to explore.


Obsession of the week: Leftover 1$ Trick or Treat pumpkin.

We made the obligatory stop at Sears for our favorite cheesy baby photos. Once again you had the photographer sweating to keep up with you. The words, "He just moves so fast!" were uttered maybe one too many times to be meant as a compliment.


Hello delicious lollipop. I will cry and cry when you are ripped from my sticky hands in 5 minutes.


Maybe I can hastily shove you completely in my mouth before you are stolen away, my Precious...


Now you see my toofies...


Now you don't!


Dear Cowboys, Thanks for blowing the game last week and rendering these photos a tad obsolete.


Just kidding Tony. I've been a fan since I was practically a baby.


Smiling time? Why it is over Mama!


This football only rolled away like ten times before we got the shot.

Now back in SF, we had a little visit from Lilz who brought you this seizure inducing toy to entice you into being her Valentine. I do believe it worked! Like your Mama, you do have a soft spot for things that glow.


Heady Mama...Heady.

Unfortunately Lilz got a little cold and so we had to head out to The Discovery Museum this week without her. You had an excellent time playing in the water and cruising around in the Underwater Room. I tried not to think about all the kiddie germs you rolled around in and you tried not to think about pummeling the little girl who did not want to share the blocks. You might look like your Daddy, but your death stare is all Mommy.


It's like the bathtub..only with a breeze!


Splash hard or go home.


I don't know about the ecosphere, but this wall is fascinating!


Squishy, rubbery, spongy texture...me likey!

Peekaboo and pirates too!

Dear Baby Trip,

This week we find ourselves without our Dada for two whole weeks. We are so sad! He is in Spain drinking wine while we bask in our melencoly and the rain in San Francisco. OK, maybe we are actually basking in a room full of toys and lounging in our PJs all day, but no one needs to know that, especially Dada. We send him lots of pictures via email so he can keep up with the important happenings in your life, like how many dookers you made and how much sweet potato you got in your hair.


This much sweet potato takes a long time to clean off of a baby.


I will hold the shampoo bottle, Mama, or I will scream.


If you take away my bottle, I will covet this lid.


Squeaky clean


You like to crawl around with the bag we put the non-pee-pee diapers in (AKA the Bag O Poo) until we pry it from your hands to put in the outside trash.


Or until you find something more interesting to carry around.

Mama bought you a wonderfully silent and battery free play tunnel a few days ago, and you are having the best time in that thing. It seems to elicit my favorite, high pitched, screams-o-delight with a lot of hand clapping and panting.


We've also added peekaboo to our list of favorite things to do. I can't tell you how cool it is that you are initiating games to play. Peekaboo seems to go along with your new found love of laundry. I do a lot of folding on the floor where we play, and recently you want in on the action (fantasies of handing you a basket of clothes to fold are currently dancing in my head). You love to pull clothes out of my neatly folded piles and fling them all over the floor. You also like to pick one item of clothing to carry with you around the house, holding on with a death grip like it's a briefcase full of unmarked cash.


Helping with the folding (or unfolding).


Round 4,267 of Peekaboo for the day.

Standing and balancing skills continue to improve daily, and so do falling skills, as evidenced by the big, fat bruise on your forehead. I can't even show anyone all the bruises on your shins. I'm pretty sure you look like a CPS case.


I only want this clip because you don't want me to have it.


Swinging is so fun!

You are really kicking in to high gear at meal times. However, you are doing the strangest thing while drinking water. Sometimes instead of swallowing, you let it all dribble out and then do this weird fishy thing with your mouth. I don't know what it's all about, but my attempts to remain neutral so that I do not reinforce this behavior are failing miserably.


What the heck????


Steak...nom nom nom....

Oma and Opa were here last weekend while I worked, and I walked in and found you two little pirates in matching paper hats and striped shirts galavanting around the house. Oma may have been having even more fun than you.


Ahoy matey!


Trying on Mama's baby shoes.


This is so horriblty late...but just so you know 10 months didn't pass us by!

Peas, sneeze and wheeeees!

Dear Baby Trip,

Happy 2010 little guy! We had a fun New Year's Eve at Lilz's house. You skipped the caviar but looooved the lobster tail and you had a grand old time driving around in Lilz's car.


Beep Beep! Who wants to go parking?


Apparently Lilz does!

On New Years Day you enjoyed your first black eyed peas for good luck. And you enjoyed them one by one by one by one. How's that new pincer grasp?


Who needs good luck when you have such a good baby?


Too bad you can't hear the sound of that pea sucking into his mouth!


You are getting better at playing by yourself for little chunks of time. You use very good judgment in choosing items you know Mama wouldn't mind you playing with...*sigh*.


Shouldn't have left me in Baby Jail to do the dishes, Woman.


Goal #1: Empty brand new Kleenex box. Screech with glee.


Goal #2: Shred individual tissues into oblivion. Screech with glee (again).



Just cruisin' for babes and talking on my celly-cell. (Thanks for the new ride Cousin Jack!).

A trio of short films in the method of fine dining:


Dear Hummus and Celery, I love you!


Shroomalicious! (Sorry the camera has cataracts. A certain baby schmutzed his grimy hands on the lens)


Dada, you so funny!