What do you do to cheer up a baby who is teething,has a runny nose and big tears in his eyes? Put him in front of a window and let him watch the cars, the crows in the grass and the neighbor boys on their skateboards. He especially liked the skateboarders.

Say Cheese!

I swore, I would never pay to have a cheesy studio portrait of my kid, but Johnny's Gigi ( great grandma) wanted an 8x10, so with a coupon in hand I marched into JC Penney and let the silliness begin. They do make me smile.

six years & snow

Last Saturday, Evan and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. The past year has been one of the best and one of the worst for us. Between Evan graduating from college, and the birth of our son, then Evan being laid off and unemployed for over a year, there's definitely been some bitter with the sweet. We once again find ourselves living with people, which kind of feels like step backward. So, we were really looking forward to getting away to a friends vacation home in Big Bear. It was wonderful! We had snow on the ground, a fire in the fireplace and joy in our hearts. I know I sound cheesy, but it was a turning point. To be able to look back on the year and acknowledge the bad, and rejoice over the gifts and to be grateful that for the last six years it was Evan I experienced it all with.

love is blue

SO Cute!

Marin is about 8 mos. older than Johnny but they are the same size and were oh, so , sweet together.( okay, I admit, my beast baby is bigger..sheesh!) Here they are at bath time. There is just something about babies in the bath that is precious.

baby fresh

The men in my life...

Right now I am supposed to be on my first real date with Evan since Johnny came into our lives. At least once a year we go see one of our favorite musicians, Damien Jurado, at our favorite bar, the Casbah. Evan's mom was going to babysit Johnny, I pumped a bottle of milk and everything seemed go. Except, me. As much as I wanted the time with Evan somewhere we so enjoy, I just wasn't ready to leave my baby, especially at bedtime. Oh well. I don't regret my decision, I know if I were at the concert right now, my mind would be here with Johnny, anyways. But it has gotten me thinking about how I balance motherhood and my relationship with Evan. Is it normal for there to be periods where one role takes a back seat to the other? I would love any advice or feedback from any of you reading this.
Well, I hope Evan is enjoying the great music and his last gin and tonic before Lent. We are going to get some time together after all. On Sunday afternoon, we are going to lunch and a movie and Johnny will be with Grandma. Hopefully, that will make everyone happy.

Sweet sleep

I love how he is crossing his little arms. When I look at him sleep, I see the same face he had as a newborn.

Family

My parents were recently in the country (they live in Oxford, England). It was so nice to get all my siblings and our families together. Johnny hadn't met my dad, his Poppy, yet and the last time my mom saw him was when he was born. I am so glad they got to see him at this age because his personality is so fun and he's very social. My beautiful niece and nephew were also such a joy to be with. Sheesh! These kids are all growing up too fast! Crazy to think it was a little over a year ago I was pregnant and watching my sister give birth to her daughter. Here's a picture of Nonnie and Poppie with their three adorable grandchildren. What you don't see in the picture is my sister and me jumping around like fools trying to get the kids to smile. It worked!

Peas & Carrots

Hey, Johnny, how about some peas?



Okay, well, let's try carrots..


Sigh.

Johnny & Princess Lulu

For about three years I was a nanny to a beautiful little one named Olivia. I call her Lulu. I started taking care of her when she was only 4 mos.old and quit to have Johnny when she was three and her little sister, Sophia, was one. We had so much fun together and they made me realize how much I would love motherhood. Yesterday was her fourth birthday and Johnny and I visited her and Sophie for lunch and cake. It was so sweet to see her with Johnny. She is such a little lady now and will always be so special to me.

Yikes!

This picture makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it. He was kind of hyper when we took it, and this was the smile we got. Crazy kid.

I was going through some old e-mails last night and I came upon e-mails we sent out asking for prayer when our sweet baby was hospitalized with meningitis. It was so scary and unexpected and the days felt very dark. This prayer brought us so much comfort and faith and we included it in an e-mail we sent when we brought Johnny home from the hospital. I thought I'd share it...
+++

I was born on earth as a feeble and helpless child, but Thy angel, spreading his shiny wings, has sheltered my cradle. From that moment Thy love shines in all my ways and miraculously guides me into the light of eternity. For that my soul lauds Thee and hails Thee with all who know Thee:

Glory to Thee Who hast called me into life.

Glory to Thee Who art revealing to us the beauty of the universe.

Glory to Thee Who art opening to us heaven and earth as an eternal book of wisdom.

Glory to Thy eternity in the passing world.

Glory to Thee for Thy mercies seen and unseen.

Glory to Thee for every sigh of my heart.

Glory to Thee for every step of life, every moment of joy.

Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age!

-Akathist of Thanksgiving, Ikos 1
by Metropolitan Tryphon

+++

Buddies

I had the privilege of being pregnant with my good friend, Shae. She was six weeks ahead of me so I got a sneak peak into what to expect. Now our babies are here and Johnny and Leif are so cute together. Here they are at around 3 and 4 months and at 6 and 7 months.

Papa

Evan is such a good father. Johnny has brought out a side in him I didn't know was there. I now hear him say words like "sweetheart" and "cute" when talking to his son. Evan is typically a private and very introverted guy, he isn't one to wear his heart on his sleeve. But when Evan holds Johnny, you can just see his love for that child all over him. It's beautiful. Here's to you,Ev.

Aaah, motherhood. I've got dark circles under my eyes, messy hair and probably need to shave my legs, but look how happy we are.

Here's my goofy Johnny pic for the day. (just giving the people what they want.)

Tag, I'm it.

A friend tagged me to answer these. Up until today I didn't know what being tagged meant, but I figured it out. Here it goes..

4 jobs you've had in your life
1. Baker at a retreat center
2. Residential assistant at an elderly home.
3. Nanny
4. Preschool Teacher

4 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
1. Sense and sensibility
2. Rushmore
3. Hudsucker Proxy
4. Penny Serenade

4 Places You Have Lived
1. Dana Point, Ca
2. Perris, Ca
3. Manila, Philippines
4. Chico, Ca

4 TV Shows You Love To Watch
We recently housesat for people who had satellite TV, here's what I watched:
1. Curb Your Enthusiasm (Seindfield humor, but with an F-bomb every now and then)
2. Silly TLC reality shows like, A Baby Story, An Adoption Story...
3. Arrested Development
4. The Office

4 Places You Have Been On Vacation
1. Boracay, Philippines
2. England and Wales
3. Shelter Cove, Ca
4. Burney Falls, Ca

4 Websites You Visit Daily
1. My lycos mail (mostly spam)
2. I just joined a yahoo group, so I check that out now.
3. Various blogs
4. A few music sites

4 Of Your Favorite Foods
1. Greek Salad
2. Frozen Yogurt
3. Golden Cheddar Soup (from my Moosewood cookbook)
4. Panang Chicken Curry

4 Places You Would Rather Be Right Now
1. On vacation with Evan and Johnny, with plenty of time to kill
2. In England, introducing Johnny to his Poppy (my dad)
3. With my sister, talking and watching our kids play
4. In my own house ( I hope that doesn't sound ungrateful)

I can't think of anyone to tag,sorry.
the end.

This is Johnny in his tummy tub. My mom brought it from England for me when Johnny was born and it has been one of my favorite baby things. Unfortunately, Johnny has out grown his tummy tub so it is now on loan to his buddy Basil. May he have as many happy baths in it as Johnny did.I did find an exciting replacement and Johnny is still enjoying his bathtime.

Tough guy.

For Christmas Evan's mom got us zoo passes. San Diego has one of the most beautiful zoos and I couldn't wait to take Johnny. Monday was an unseasonably warm coastal day, perfect for a stroll around the zoo with my friend Syra and her three kids; Esther, Sophia and Basil. My favorite exhibit was the orangutan. They are so interactive and one was especially interested in two month old, Basil. Motherhood has brought out the sucker in me and I bought Johnny a cap at the giftstore by the ape and monkey exhibit. I didn't get any great shots of the animals but the kids were cute as always.

See Johnny.

See Johnny swing.

Swing, Johnny, swing!

Making Faces

Saturday was yard sale day. Unfortunately, we didn't get rid of everything, in fact we have enough for another sale. But we made out alright. I went into this very excited about the idea of getting rid of everything and really simplifying out life. We are going to be moving in with friends for a few months to save money and try to figure out what we are supposed to do next. Stay in San Diego? Move away? Go to graduate school? We just don't know. But anyways, getting rid of a lot of stuff will make things easier. On Friday night, my attitude changed. As I looked over everything I was to sell, I felt sad. I like to think I am not materialistic, but I am sentimental. I didn't want to get rid of my couch. Even though, in the past, I had plenty of reasons why I no longer wanted it; it's too small, it's not my style anymore, it's too blue...This was the first piece of furniture Evan and I bought after our wedding. Blue has moved with us 5 times in the last 5 years. I've nursed and napped with Johnny hours and hours on this couch. Sigh. Well, the couch didn't sell. I am going to try again though. Maybe this time on Craigslist. One way or another I have to get rid of it, we just don't have the room where we are moving. At least I'll have a good picture to remember it by.

I just love these guys!

I just love this picture of Johnny. He is sitting on a quilt sewn by his great great grandmother, on the rocking chair that Evan's mom used to rock him in. What's he thinking about? He looks so reflective. People are always commenting on how mellow and observing he is and this picture shows that side of him. Of course, as I write this, he is behind me jumping and squealing like a maniac in his Johnny Jump Up.

Hefty,hefty, hefty!
Johnny had his 4 month check up today. He is a healthy,happy guy. Weighing in at 18 lbs 6 oz. and measuring 28 inches.
Way to go, big boy!

This sweet little mouth has met it's first tooth. I woke up last Sunday morning to the sound of him making funny spitty noises and sucking on his fingers. That's when I felt a sharp little edge poking through. As cute as those a toothy baby grin is, I love Johnny's gummy smile. I guess I have a little while before he has a mouth full of teeth. This is sort of his first milestone. He doesn't roll over (he's close) or sit up yet, but the tooth is in. It's funny to watch him make new goofy faces and play with his mouth now that this intruder has arrived.

This picture was taken on my new camera phone. It's really pretty funny that I even own such a fancy gadget considering I fought even owning a simple cell phone for quite some time. Evan's mom bought them for us as an early Christmas present. Thanks, Mom! Are they necessary? Heck, no! But they sure are fun! We actually decided we needed cell phones because we are moving (again) and we don't want to have to keep changing our phone number. So,as of January first, we will only use our cell phones and no longer have a land line. What have we become?! But now I can take cute pictures of my boy to post. I will write more about the impending move another time. I just don't feel like going into it now. In the meantime, Evan and I have to try really hard to fight the urge to sit around playing with our phones, I always thought people who did that were weird. I guess I am a weirdo, too.