Another First!

Ok, I know they say "supervise your baby during tummy time." And we do. Usually. But tonight, we put him on his tummy, and I turned around to start working on his Red Egg centerpieces and Joe was fiddling with his laptop. After about 4 minutes, I noticed how quiet it had become. Keep in mind that during tummy time, Tristan grunts like a hungry elephant trying to express his frustrations. So, I turned around, and there he was, turned over!! Joe and I couldn't believe it! Of course, we had missed the momentous occasion, and as soon as I put him back on his stomach he wouldn't turn over again. But wow. Mentally AND physically brilliant.

Here's a photo of tummy time (after the turnover unfortunately).




Apparently he's also learned how to scooch backwards. Here's a photo of him after he's scooched back (originally he started at the top of the mat).

A New Quilt

My former student, Skye, and her mother came by last Wednesday to give Tristan a gift. The gift turned out to be this beautiful quilt sewed for Tristan by Skye's mom.


And here's a close up of the pattern:
And my favorite part of the quilt:



Such beautiful craftsmanship, such time, and such love put into it. I was speechless and completely thankful to them.

Rat-ta-tat-tat

The little bugger can hold and shake a rattle now! This is the first toy he has actively engaged in. I don't know how this pars with average infant development, but I think he's brilliant to be able to do this now. Just brilliant. Course, as Joe always reminds me, I'm biased. Even though I swear I'm objective. I can't help it if my baby is just brilliant.

No Work All Play

Recently I made the decision to not return to work at Galileo until the next school year (Aug 2011). Up until Tristan, my priority was my career. I put my all into counseling, getting involved in school committees, planning events, sponsoring a class. You name it, I was in it. And I prided myself on being involved and being in the know about everything there was to know about Gal. When I got pregnant, my principal in her infinite wisdom said to me, "you're not coming back." I assured her, and was 100% confident, that I would return in March. There was NO WAY I could be a stay-at-home mom!

But then Tristan was born. And things changed.

All I want to do is spend time with him. In fact, it is physically PAINFUL for me to be apart from the little bugger for more than a couple of hours. I've never felt this kind of pull to any human being before (even to Joe during our courting phase! Sorry, babe). And yes, leaving for the rest of the year means I'll lose a year of seniority, and I'll be a year behind in a tiny salary increase, and a year behind in retirement, but really, as my dad says, we need to live for the now. And now, Tristan is completely adorable and growing too fast. Now, he is the love of my life. And NOW, is when I can be with him completely.

And so, I will. And I am.

Paradise at Walmart

Lunch at Bistro Don Giovanni's in Napa, dropped Tristan off at Auntie Katie's in Fairfield, shopped 1.5 hours in Walmart, and topped it off with a softie from McDonald's. Now that's a good day. Say what you will about Walmart: sure, you'll see some weird looking folk there, sure, they take down small businesses, but how can you feel anything but delight when you see your overpriced favorite cereal for $3 cheaper than Safeway!? Nay-sayers need to just open their eyes, give it a chance, and let in the Walmart light. That's what I think.

At Walmart, I found a great ivory bulky non-wool yarn (SO hard to find in SF), that I'm looking to knit into a hat with ear flaps for baby T. Wouldn't that be adorable? I'm thinking something like this, but my baby's cuter of course:

Popeye's and Company

Last night we had Klarissa, Stephen, Matt, Kimi and Collin over for dinner. K and S brought Popeye's, Matt brought liquor, KClams brought greens, and we provided paper plates. Stay tuned for a video you won't want to miss.
It only slightly irks me that my kid looks more like his Uncle Matt than me.

Low Key V-day

Ah...Valentine's Day. The day constructed for couples with no kids. B.T. (Before Tristan), Joe and I would cook elaborate meals for one another and enjoy it over candlelight dinner. But alas, those days are temporarily over. However, I did try with a quick trip to Japantown, Nijiya Market, to pick up some fresh uni. Joe loves uni (I think it tastes like saliva of the ocean). So I made this for him -->.


<--Then I made these for him.

And we went to bed happy.

Lazy Saturday

Auntie Jen came by for a visit before she flies back to Salem, MA tomorrow. Apparently, I'm the only friend she made a point to visit while home, a benefit I can only attest to Tristan's presence and not just to my witty company.






Then, with some free time on my hands while he napped, I decided to personalize his bo-bo's (pronounced BOE-BOE for you non-Chinese folks). Here they are:

The Non-Working Ladies Lunch

Aunties Christine, Stacey, and Alice, all members of the Non-Working Ladies Who Lunch Club, joined Tristan and I on a picnic in Golden Gate Park where we complained about...what else...work. On the menu: apricot scones, home-cured olives, cheese and bread, vietnamese chicken sandwiches, and itty bitty expensive potato salad (Auntie Christine thought that they were $4.99 per bag, not per pound like Whole Foods actually meant). We stayed til Tristan got cranky, then walked back to the apartment to continue the afternoon.

Seeing Red

Another year gone by. We busted out all of Tristan's red gear to celebrate the Year of the Hare. Gung Hay Faht Choy!

A Wintery Day

In the dead of winter, on a San Francisco afternoon, we covered ourselves up, packed a bag, and had...

a picnic in Golden Gate Park! 75 degree weather! Global warming at its best.

Sleeping Through Tea

Last Friday, Auntie Chris treated us to tea at Samovar. The quinoa waffles, portobello sandwich and shiitake quiche were delish! We ordered this macha green tea with whisked soy milk for $10 and out came an itty bitty bowl of 4 ounces of liquid. I'm like, "do we get to take home the ceramic bowl...is that why it was $10??" But the food was yummy, and we had a groupon, and conversation (like always) is a hoot with Chris. Tristan slept through the entire thing. He probably didn't even know we were out. Thank you Chris, I wish you had every Friday off!

Another Sleepless Night

Last night Tristan wouldn't fall asleep until midnight. Then he proceeded to wake up at 2am, 5:15, 6:20, and 7:20. I thought as they get older, the hours are supposed to stretch out?! What is happening!? So we wake up in the morning, and cute as he is, I can't help but resent him for the exhaustion and bad mood I'm in. I know, I'm such a bad mother!

On a positive note, he is holding his head up pretty well, and is anxious to see the world. Holding him cradle style doesn't do it on a non-sleepy basis. When he's awake, he wants to be propped up so he can socialize (read the paper, watch tv, you know, the usual). In the mornings is when he has his best conversations. You can talk to him for half an hour and he'll respond to each of your questions. We talk about the weather, sports, rashes, shopping, and go over our daily agenda. Ugh, fine, he's adorable.

My New Hat

I finished knitting a hat that finally fits him. Unlike that mouse-eared hat before (which was too big, then somehow he outgrew it before I blinked), this one fits (for now)! At night he watches the laptop with Daddy and reads whatever political pundit-blog thingy Daddy is reading. Maybe he'll be our next president.

Shots Shots and More Shots

At our visit with Dr.Janet today, Tristan measured 23" and weighed in at 11lbs 14 oz, perfectly average. He also received a ton of vaccines in two shots and a syrup. As a result, he slept the entire afternoon into the evening. And when he was awake, he totally acted drunk. Here he is below on the doctor's table, looking sexy with the double chin (not a trait from me, that's for sure). After the doctors, we took a shopping trip through Stonestown, where he was oooooed and awwwed by old ladies everywhere. I don't know why, but he really attracts that age group. It's beyond cougartown.