Bumbo Is Fun...

For a little bit, then the back arches and POP, the legs come out and Loic is a heap on the couch. Not really, his legs are too chubby to pop out.

Little Giggles

More about Mornings

Dad sometimes struggles to wake up with the baby. And the baby sometimes struggles with the task of getting his arms through the shirt sleeves. And mom struggles to get a good breakfast for herself before hunger takes over. None of these are too much to bear, clearly.

I Love the Bed as Backdrop

Our mornings start with playtime and getting the boy ready for the day. He always looks especially cute and sunny after a night's rest and in the morning light.

The Loic Sign

Here, Loic is posing on his changing pad below the wall hanging that our friends Emily and Mike made with a stick from Alki Beach and the letters have maps of nearby mountains on them. Love it.

Loic Does Toys

A 1st

On Saturday, our dear friends Amy and Nate got married. It was a fabulous wedding with many beautiful and thoughtful love-filled touches. The food was excellent and we had a great time with the other guests.

We brought Loic for the ceremony. He woke up right as it began. He was instantly riveted and didn't cry as he often does when he is transitioning from sleep to wakefulness. He silently watched most of the ceremony in my arms and then his dad's.

It was great to have him for the first 3 hours of the event. He hung out with friends, he drank some milk, slept a bit, observed the goings on, and generally enjoyed the party. However, that was not the plan...We were supposed to bring him down to my mom's house for bedtime. Finally, at 9:15, we slipped out of the venue and drove him to Montlake. As we left the parking spot, we questioned our decision to drop him off with Grandma. He was doing so well after all. Plus, I was feeling sick and didn't think I'd want to stay long. But, my mom had put aside her evening to care for Loic and I'm sure she was excited about it, plus we were curious to see how he'd do and how we'd do, so we continued our drive.

Loic was pretty sleepy by the time we got to Grandma's so the transfer was pretty fast. We were keen to get back to the wedding and the DJ who was going to be spinning Funk 45's. We got in the car and Rafer said, "That was hard." It was hard to take him off my breast and hand him over, hoping that he wouldn't protest (he didn't). But there were no tears so I felt fine, better than I'd feared.

And, it was great to get back to Pravda, the party was in full swing. We quickly got into the mood and had a great time dancing with friends. But, we, or rather Rafer, did have a moment of weakness...at one point I asked him, "So, no call from mom?" He took his i-phone out of his pocket, indeed, no call, so instead, he scrolled through the most recent pictures of Loic. "What a cutie," we said, laughing a bit at our new parent behavior.

Loic had a fine time with Grandma. He mostly slept, cried a bit and gulped his breastmilk bottles. They did well.

Toys

I think I've said this before...but this time I know it's true...Loic is discovering toys! He loves to look at his colorful ring (the black and white one is still the favorite of the bunch) hung above his carseat (and with him in the Bumbo above), he also loves on his bunny by putting whatever he can in his mouth, and today he had fun with a rattle toy that Jean Jacques' mom gave him (all the way from France). This is one of those really boring posts that only a Grandma could love. Sorry, everyone else.

Bath then Milk

Loic is still generally NOT a fan of the bath. So, last bath, immediately after exiting the tub, milk was necessary to stop the crying. He had a drink, then we had happy baby diaper photoshoot time. He's putting on some weight, check out the brown fat in photos #2 and #3!

Learning about Balance (and Gravity)

I LOVE Mothers Day

Wow, I really do! I had a great one, except for the blocked milk duct that I got and managed to clear today(thanks Claire!). The day started with yoga, my first class since Loic. It was wonderful and a bit scary to feel how different my body is, how much heavier and stiffer. But, also, how fuctional it still is despite, you know, everything baby related that's happened to me this year.

After yoga, I met Rafer and Loic at the Ballard Farmers Market. We did our weekly shopping among the HOARDS of folks. I love it, for the vendors, that it gets so crowded, but for us, it sucks! Especially with our obnoxiously huge BOB stroller. After the market Rafer made lunch for us (step brother Jason and my mom came over). We ate eggs with leeks and bay, Tall Grass fresh baguette, Bainbridge Creamery camembert style goat cheese, and a simple salad with tender greens. Oh, and we split a cinnamon roll too. Oh, and Rafer made lattes also.

Then, mom put Loic down for a nap (it was a breeze-YAY!) and we all went outside to garden. We got a ton done because Loic slept for like 2.5 hours! I think he was tired after his late night yesterday...we went to the Mariner's game and he got really into watching the crowd. He prefers to watch the play at home on our kinda big screen TV.

And, to top it all off, our friends Jean Jacques and Rochelle had us over for dinner on their rooftop deck. AND we grubbed: asperagus soup, pate, grilled mackerel, and bahn mi sandwiches with duck. And, of course we had delicous wine and Hite beer (Korean). Wow.

Now, it is getting late, the babe is sleeping and we will watch an episode of 30 Rock before nodding off. What a day. Of course, the best part is Loic, our reason for the season.

PEPS Group

I love my PEPS (Program for Early Parenthood Support) group. We meet every Tuesday morning to talk about the ups and downs of mothering. There are 11 moms in the group plus a facilitator. It's been so fun to meet women doing the same thing I am; to swap stories, feelings, and tips. It puts parenting and Loic into perspective and sometimes, it's just what I need to feel like I know what I'm doing.

We've been trying to get a good shot of all the kiddos but so far, we've been unsuccessful. The project always provokes tears. Although Loic still hasn't gotten tears. He's developmentally delayed in that department...

Can you find Loic?

Mornings at our House...

Hard for some of us, but not for the little guy.

Week 10

My camera was battery-less during this week...but I got these photos from I-phones (Rafer's and Adri's). Since the photo below, Loic seems to have lost his neck and replaced it with a second chin. And notice the onsie that is unbuttoned below...He's growing out of clothes left n right!