My Model

Two thoughts for today, both a bit egocentric in nature.

1) My hair is falling out like there's no tomorrow. If it continues, Tristan will have two bald parents.

2) My baby could be the next Gerber baby model. I swear. I'll sell his good looks to make some quick cash. And will have no qualms about it. Take a look at his headshots from today.

Take the Bottle!

At the suggestion of Dr. Janet, Joe has been feeding Tristan a bottle of breastmilk everyday for a few months, the reason being that Tristan will easily take the bottle from those who dare to babysit him. Just this past week, he's been screaming hysterically whenever Joe tries to feed him from the same bottle that he used to take (Born Free). So we tried Dr. Brown's brand as well, with no luck. Well dang, if he doesn't take these fancy glass, colic-reducing, expensive bottles, then we are in deep doo-doo. I panicked thinking of the ball and chain that this meant I'd be attached to. Joe panicked from sheer frustration at not being able to feed his son. Not a pretty picture.




Until Joe went to Walgreens and bought the cheapest bottle there was made: Playtex. They have this janky plastic bag that you pour the milk in and this janky latex yellow nipple to go along with it. Not to mention the plastic bag looks more like a condom than something you feed your child with.

But he took it. After hours of trying to get him to feed off the expensive glass bottles, he took the Playtex Drop-In. Amazing.

My son is a cheap date. No pinot grigio for him. He prefers a bud light.

Rainy days

Rainy days means time for me to twiddle my thumbs and dress Tristan in ridiculous hats. And to think I actually paid for this one.

An Addiction

Is there such thing as being too young to be a TV addict?

He Slept, I Didn't

So a new Tristan record: he went almost 6 hours last night without waking up or eating! Which would have been fabulous had I not woken up at hour 4 1/2 and waited 1 1/2 hrs for him to wake. Pathetic.

Falling Asleep

So a minor miracle happened today, which other parents will appreciate if reading this. But first let me explain our "normal" day in terms of napping, a cycle that happens about 5 times a day:

1. Tristan gets cranky
2. I swaddle him
3. I bounce him up and down for about 10 minutes until he falls asleep in my arms
4. He stays wrapped in my arms for 5-15 more minutes until he's in deep sleep
5. I put him down in his crib for his nap

Today was different in this way:

1. Tristan got cranky
2. I put him in his crib and he fell asleep in 5 minutes

OMG. Completely skipped steps 2-4!! It's happened twice today already, which is sign that this could be the new trend. It may seem like a small feat, saving 15 minutes and some energy, but 15 minutes x 5 times/day = over an hour of my life I just got back.

Friday Night Entertaining

Friday night we had Uncle Boo-Boo and Auntie Lauren over for dinner. I cooked a traditional corned beef and cabbage meal, roasted potatoes with bacon, and Giada's apple crostata. A meal which would usually take me about 2 hours to prepare instead was spread out over 5 hours of intermittent cooking. "Oh, he's sleeping...I'll prep the dough." "OK, he's in a good mood, I'll put him down and cut the cabbage." In the end, the meal was worth it (hate to toot my own horn, but toooot toot!). The crostata came out delicious though deceptively easy to make, and the corned beef tender and salty, just the way I like my meats. It felt good to be able to entertain again, even if there's now more planning and effort involved.

For the crostata recipe, click here. The only changes I made were the addition of lemon zest and cinnamon to the apples, and I omitted the almonds because I didn't have any.

I told Joe we need to entertain on Friday nights more often. It makes the weekend seem longer.

The chef in me is saying two words: I'm back.

Married and Made

Every morning, I participate in something a bit selfish and a bit indulgent. When Tristan wakes at 7am, I pick him up out of his crib and gently nestle him in our bed, his head between the gap our two pillows create. After I lie back down, I breathe him in, kiss him softly on his cheek, and inhale his baby's breath as he slowly falls back to sleep snuggled in between his mommy and daddy. Sure sure sure, American culture is all about "independence" and goes so far to say you shouldn't allow your baby in your bed. The people who say that haven't been parents. I tell you, it's a little piece of heaven when he quietly falls back asleep next to me. And then I can sleep soundly, knowing he's in dreamland.

So this morning I did the same thing at 7am, but for some reason, I was more awake then usual. Maybe because he slept that night from 10pm-4am straight (hallelujah!). So he fell asleep, in between Joe and I, and I had this view of the two of them side by side, breathing in a out. My one and a half men. And I knew that my whole life had led up to this moment, this family. One I had married, one I had made. And I realized I couldn't be happier.

Not just a Coincidence

So it wasn't just a fluke: Tristan rolled over again...and again...and again today! Which is disappointing to me because now I can't just lay him on the sofa and walk away. I have to find actual places to contain him.

Bring on the HEAT!

People gave us some great gifts. But hands down one of our favorites was from my former high school AP Psychology teacher, Ms. Ow: R.e.i. UV protective headgear. It'll be great when we visit the Sahara.









Auntie Lena took this photo of him on our way out of the Empress. He clearly did not want the party to end.

Red Egg photos

For more photos, please click on this link to Uncle Darrell's flickr photostream. He took some great shots of the day! Thank you Uncle Darrell!

Red Egg and Ginger Party

Today was Tristan's Red Egg and Ginger Party. Translation = day where proud grandparents can show off their new grandson. It was held at the Empress of China, the same place where my brother had his Red Egg party many moon ago. Anyone who's local remembers one thing about the Empress...the PUNCH FOUNTAIN. And yes, it made its time honored appearance once again, for my son's celebration. What a delight!


Joe and I hadn't seen all of our friends and family under one roof since our wedding, so it was truly moving to say hello to all our loved ones.









This was one of my favorite moments of the day...Daniel and Ciara reunited at last.






















And although the invitation said "No gifts please", Chinese people find it difficult to come empty-handed. We have extremely generous friends and family.

This photo is what I like to call "The Aftermath".

Good night.

Videos

For those of you who'd like to view a few videos of Tristan, especially a recent one that involves a couple of close friends drinking my milk, please click here: Tristan's videos

Scandihoovian Hat

Finished!