Adventures in Cruising

ESK is fully cruising along now. Here she is holding onto a neat toy (early Xmas present) from her ee-mo RBK. ESK loves this new toy because it plays music when pushed along. It's funny to watch her because she will push it and start walking, but once the music starts, she'll stop so she can do a little dance (swaying back and forth and shaking her little diaper-covered butt).

Of course, unfortunately, once she stops to dance, the music stops. So, she pushes some more. Until she runs into the wall, or some piece of furniture. And then she usually crawls away because she can't go any further!


Social Cramming
For some reason, this week has been full of social visits/playdates. It's as if everyone is trying to cram in some time with us before the holidays hit in earnest. I wish these playdates had been spread out some more over the past two months. However, it's gratifying to know that all the networking I had been trying to do is finally coming to fruition. Not that I treated it as a project or anything, but I really have been trying hard to meet new people here.



Here's a pic of ESK with two of her uhn-nees, M and A. They're helping her practice her walking! They love "Baby E" (that's what they call her) and find everything she does fascinating. In turn, I think everything they do is adorable and amazing. It makes me look forward to seeing ESK grow up!

Countdown to the Holidays

I can't believe we're already in December. November went past too quickly, and all of sudden, I find myself getting ready for Christmas. I am going to try to get as many presents online as possible. But it's still stressful thinking of good present ideas.

We are looking forward to an upcoming night out w/ the hubs for an office party. The only problem is I'll have to find something to wear. More shopping. Bah. Believe it or not, I used to really like shopping. No more.

ESK Update
We went to our last music class of the semester and she just loves her music. Her gentle rocking has turned into frenetic "bobbing and weaving", borrowing a term from the boxing world. She nearly topples herself over!

Also, she's big into kissing right now. If you like big, sloppy, open-mouth kisses, ESK is your gal. She particularly likes kissing her "Animal Kisses" book. Rubbery fish kisses? [Kiss] Fuzzy bear kisses? [Kiss] Sticky dog kisses? [Kiss]

There are definitely days when I doubt my decision to stay home. Yes, routine is good for ESK, but this means day after mind-numbing day of busy-ness. But when I see how fast ESK's first year has gone by, I remind myself to treasure every moment.

WooHoo!
Yesterday, while my hubs had the afternoon off, I took the opportunity to run some errands, including a quick side trip to the local video store. When I came back, we had the following conversation:

J: You'll never guess what I got!
[Brief pause]
S: Mmm....Season 4 of the Wire!?
J: [Excited nod in the affirmative]
S: ....And....Superbad?"
J: Yes!
[High fives]

We are losers.

Peace & Quiet

Ahhhh.... after three weeks of non-stop visitors, we finally have some quiet around here. These days, I've been treasuring the moments when ESK has gone down for a nap and all I hear is the sound of air forced through the heating vent and the occasional "tap-tap" of my keyboard.

Of course, I enjoyed all our visitors. But this weekend, hubs and I will be doing N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

Too Much TV
Back in the not-so-distant past, I was not a TV watcher. I didn't follow any shows and turned on the TV usually to pop in a DVD or to catch the NY1 weather report (Weather on the Ones! for you NYers out there). I was a busy person, with a packed social schedule, and lots of reading to do.

Fast forward 1.5 years... No one told me pregnancy and having a baby would turn my brain to mush! I saw my sister catch the TV bug when GMK was born and didn't think I would succumb. But I've fallen into the TV trap. And hard.

I'm not very proud of the caliber of shows we watch regularly. Mostly reality TV like "The Hills", "Real World", and even... gulp... "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila" (which, by the way, is full of some crazies!). Of course, we are really into Season 4 of "Project Runway". Love the fashionista drama! Anyone notice the Korean girl Victorya seems pretty talented, but you never see any clips of her? Also, when we can, we catch "Jon & Kate plus Eight". Watching eight kids run around makes me feel lucky to just have ONE right now.

Not all of our TV is crap however. On a recommendation, we also started watching "The Wire" and are now completely hooked. Sooo very good. It is quite seriously the best television drama series I've ever seen. Like a novel on your TV screen. It is a cop show and has it's share of grit and violence, but it is 100 times better than "Law & Order". You root for the good guys, but because the show is so realistic and shows all points of view, you also find yourself rooting for the bad guys (drug dealers). And then later on, you realize some of the "good guys" are actually not so great, and that some the drug dealers are crazy messed up, but you love 'em anyway.

And then of course, we rent many movies. So many that I now have short conversations with the guy at our video rental store. Recently, we saw a documentary called "God Grew Tired of Us". Highly recommend.

Fingers Crossed

ESK has been a poor sleeper lately. The past two nights, she's woken up in the middle of the night and played for two hours. Hubs has had really busy workdays lately, so it's up to me to keep the little one entertained. Which means, I've just been exhausted lately!

My fingers are crossed for a uninterrupted night of sleep tonight! I don't know how much more I can take!

Interesting Weekend

We had an interesting weekend. Our friends from the Bay Area came to visit, two accomplished (and overly nice) women who we met while Shane was doing his fellowship at UCSF. They had never been to Portland before and we had an entire day planned out for them.

It was fun to show them around our neighborhood and parts of Portland, but we were really looking forward to Saturday evening. We hired a babysitter for the very first time (it went very smoothly!) and went to a much talked about restaurant. It was really our first adult night out since ESK arrived.

Unfortunately, dinner did not go as planned. Little did we know that one of our friends had been feeling sick all day but was too nice to tell us. She thought it was something that would pass. But by the time we ordered appetizers and main courses, the tiny tickle she had been feeling in her throat had blossomed into full-on nausea. She refused to have anything more than water and a few crumbs of bread. And in the middle our delicious main course entrees, she quietly excused herself to the bathroom, where she tossed her cookies.

I felt terrible for dragging her around Portland all day. And I felt guilty for trying to enjoy my meal while she was getting sick in the bathroom.

Luckily, by the end of dinner, she swore she was feeling 110% better and even finished off a glass of wine. I was hopeful for the evening to come. We planned on trying some martini bars in our neighborhood.

We were putting on our jackets and gathering our things, when all of sudden, the OTHER friend crashes into me and slumps to the floor. At first, we all thought she had tripped and fallen over. But when we heard her head hit the concrete floor with a loud thump, we knew something was wrong.

She was unresponsive for a few minutes and when she came to, she told us she had blacked out. To make a long story short, we ended up going to the ER that night (after some convincing -- doctors make the worst patients) and getting some diagnostic tests done. Turns out she had been sleep deprived and also dehydrated. Had I known her condition, I would have insisted we stay in and rent some movies instead.

The evening certainly did not turn out the way we had planned. Even as I'm writing this, I can't believe this actually happened.

Time Flies/Crawls

I was talking to a friend yesterday who just had a baby a month ago. She's at the stage where she's barely leaving her home, spending most of her days in her pjs and getting used to sore nipples. It seems just yesterday I was just doing this with ESK.

While it's generally a joy to see ESK developing and growing up, it sometimes makes me sad to see her becoming increasingly independent. Perhaps, because I know someday in the not-so-distant future, I know she'll become a teenager and want to have nothing to do with me and scream like a banshee at the slightest provocation?

At the same time, I can't remember what life was like without ESK in our lives. I feel like she's been around forever! It's this weird feeling of having time fly, but going slow at the same time. I don't know if any of this makes sense.

Buried in Work
The weather today is gray and wet, our second consecutive day of overcast weather. It hasn't been too bad. Besides, I find myself suddenly buried in work. I mentioned that I didn't work many hours last month, and I guess my bosses thought it was time to really put me to work.

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to put a dent in my new assignments. My mom and dad were here visiting, which made me busier than I thought I would be. I imagined kicking back, sleeping in a bit, while my mom played with ESK in the a.m. and made dinner every night. Somehow it didn't turn out that way. It was fun nonetheless. But I do think ESK is seriously spoiled now.

We're having a string of visitors (who are always welcome!) this month and I feel like I'm constantly tidying up the apartment. On Saturday, we have friends from the Bay Area coming into town. And then on Tuesday, my in-laws are here for the long Thanksgiving weekend. Whew!

Besides visitors, ESK is keeping me on my toes. She's continuously improving at crawling and using her "walkers" -- basically any object tall enough to lean on and slide around the apartment. I try to feed her as many calories as I can pack into a meal -- cheese, carbs, avocado, proteins. Basically, everything that I should be avoiding! But she moves around so much, I think it all just burns off. As squirmy as she is, when it comes to story time, she sits absolutely still while I read to her. I hope she learns to love reading!

On Tuesday, I got my first haircut in six months. My ends were drying out and frizzy and with my post-natal hair loss, my hair just looked long and stringy. Most of the time, I was tying it in a bun or ponytail anyway....

So, I went to a nearby salon that's supposed to be pretty hip and posh. But I guess "hip and posh" in Portland means something else. I'm not that happy with my haircut. The good thing about the salon was that everyone was very nice -- no haughty attitude and no snooty once-over look at your purse/shoes/outfit (you know the one) that I used to get at salons I used to go to in New York or even San Francisco. The other good thing was the price -- only $35. That's less than half the price of my previous haircuts.

Unfortunately, I'm less than thrilled with my haircut. You get what you pay for? I was hoping that I would like it better after a few days (you know how that happens?), but two days out, I'm liking it even less. Mostly, I told my stylist that I wanted it shoulder length, hitting my collarbones. But it turned out more chin-length. I honestly think it's because she has little or no experience with Asian hair and underestimated that amount of natural curl I had. Did I mention Portland is a VERY white city?

Even out of the hair salon, my hair didn't look all that "put together". Usually, stylists make sure your hair is sleek and composed looking when you step out of the salon, even if you can't possibly recreate the look when you get home...

But maybe I'm being too harsh on her. Part of the reason my hair looks like crap right now is because a lot of my hair is still growing in. I have tiny baby hairs sticking out all over. Any of you mamas out there have any tips on how to tame these wisps of hair? They are so annoying! Maybe I'll pull a Britney and buzz it all off! Just kidding.

Diversity in Portland
So, speaking of diversity in Portland, there's very little of this in the Rose City. Asians are probably the largest minority here. Seeing an African-American or Latino/a is rare. I think they must all live in another part of town.

I do worry about raising ESK in such a white-washed city. Everyone here is very open and I have not heard even a hint of prejudice or racism yet. However, I've heard that the private schools here make it a point to have diverse student bodies. And diversity here in Portland means basically anyone who isn't WASP. I feel like on the East Coast and in California, anyone who is Jewish or Asian isn't really the target of diversity recruitment. But not here!

Also, I remember in college, there was a girl I lived with who grew up in Portland. She was very easy-going and friendly, but it was clear she wasn't used to other cultures. We had a communal telephone for the house we lived in and so we often took messages for one another. One evening, she told me my mom had called and when I asked her if she said anything else, she replied with scorn and a laugh, "I have NO idea! I couldn't understand a word she was saying!" I was pretty offended because 1) I was feeling homesick and looked forward to calls from home and 2) I'm pretty sure my mom's English is more than proficient.

Anyway, I hope ESK doesn't turn out this way or have friends like this. We're thinking of shipping her off to Korea or back to Philadelphia for a long period of time every summer to expose her to more ethnically diverse communities.

Our Busy Bee

We live in downtown Portland, where there are a lot of young yuppies and hip retirees. So, come Halloween, we weren't quite sure what we'd be doing with ESK. Luckily, a neighborhood association organized a Howl-o-ween party in one of the buildings and we got to do some trick-or-treating. The older folks in the building just went ga-ga over all the little tots in costume. It was much fun.

ESK had her 9-month check up today and I'm happy to say she is healthy girl. She charmed the nurse with her smiles and curious stares and hardly cried with her flu shot. I thought she had gotten so chubby and so tall over the past few months. But it turns out she's only 25th percentile in both height and weight. I guess I always imagined having a big fat baby, but I wouldn't trade in ESK for the world!

Anyway, I'm sure it's hard for her to keep her weight up these days with all the moving around she does. Here's a video of her using her Bumbo as a walker:

Feeling the Blues

I generally consider myself an optimistic person. Most people usually have good intentions, the glass is half full, tomorrow's always another day, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah.... But lately, I've been feeling kinda down. Mostly it has to do with friends. Or rather my lack thereof here in Portland.

I've never had problems making friends. I'm not just saying this to toot my own horn because it has nothing to do with popularity, good looks or sparkling personality. I'm just a laidback kinda gal and people find it easy to talk to me I think. (Of course, this sometimes means I make the wrong kinds of friends also. But that's another ball of wax to tackle another day.)

I just miss having girlfriends around. You know, people I don't have to always be polite around and don't have to worry that your last comment was off-color or potentially offensive.

Sure, it's harder making friends as a mom because everyone has busy schedules. And I know it takes time to get close to people. It's unfair to compare my brand-spanking-new relationships to my tried-and-true friendships.

And I'll admit, I haven't exhausted all my resources. We're still trying to find a church, and I'm sure there will be a vibrant mom's support group there. Also, there are a number of playgroups and mom's group in the community that I have information for, but just haven't contacted. So, I guess I should stop complaining and get out there already!

Rogue Poop
This incident happened last week, but haven't had the chance to post it right away. I'm sure my hubs would not appreciate the fact that I'm broadcasting this out to cyberspace, but... too bad. His pride will be sacrificed to the "good story" gods.

So, I was doing the dishes after dinner, and as usual, ESK had her post-dinner poop. I listened as hubs commented on the size and quantity of ESK's poop. On this particular day, they were six little round nuggets. I don't know why he does this, but on this particular day, it happened to be fortuitous.

When hubs says he's "watching" ESK, it's usually with one eye on her and one eye on the TV. All of a sudden, I hear him shout, "Oh my God". I look over and Elise has a diaper in her mouth. Her DIRTY diaper! She also is gleefully tearing up her dirty wipes that happened to be tucked in her dirty diaper. Hubs had forgotten to wrap up the diaper (you know, burrito style) and discard it, so of course, Elise considered a new play toy.

Hubs was frantically snatching soiled diaper and wipes from ESK. And then he checked around her play area because the little poopie nuggets were no longer in the diaper! Had she eaten her poop? For some reason, hubs thought this was hilarious and giggled as he continued searching for the rogue poop. Meanwhile I was steaming mad standing in front of the sink, picturing a vomiting, crying ESK in our near future.

Luckily, when she grabbed her diaper from off the floor, the nuggets had flown out of the diaper and scattered on the floor. Hubs was able to count for every last nugget. And indeed, ESK did not get sick. Whew!

Autum in the NW

Autumn in the Pacific NW has arrived in full force and yes, so have the dreaded rains. But it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. (Check back with me in mid-January, month 4 of rainy season.) It's definitely overcast most of the time here, but there are breaks of sun. And then it drizzles. And then sometimes it downpours. And then it stops. And then the sun comes out again. There are seldom days when it just rains all day long.

I've found as long as I'm wearing rain gear or have an umbrella on hand, it's not too bad. And honestly, with E, it's not as if I'm spending all day running around outside anyway.

Last weekend, we had a gorgeous, two days of sunny weather however. We made the most of the sunshine by checking out the colorful trees at Hoyt Arboretum, just a short 15-minute drive away from our apartment.

One of the great things about this city is the proximity of nature. We live downtown, in a very urban setting, but within minutes of driving, there are huge parks with evergreen rain forests and trails. Our short visit that day inspired me to get one of those baby joggers (with protective rain shield of course) and start exploring!

ESK Update


E has been pulling herself up to standing and really is getting into everything. (Both of us still have the sniffles but are feeling better.) Lately, she loves turning through books and magazines, ripping out pages, crinkling them up and then putting them in her mouth... of course. Everything goes in the mouth, including a paper clip she somehow found on the floor last week. Luckily, Dad was around to snatch it out of her chubby little fingers.

Wouldn't it be great if E could just stay in this box? Just kidding. She's getting to be a lot more work, thanks to her newfound mobility and budding curiosity. And I know this is only the beginning! I need to start getting more sleep at night!

Apple Picking

I was inspired by my sister's trip to the apple orchard, so last Saturday, we also took a trip out to Kiyokawa Orchard in the Mount Hood Fruit Loop. It was about an hour away, but well worth the trip. The orchard is right near Mount Hood and has a beautiful view of the snow-capped mountain.

It was the most affordable apple-picking I've ever done. Every place I've gone to on the East Coast cost close to $20 a bag. But after SK and I had picked two large bags of apples (Jonagold & Honey Crisp! Yum) and threw some Bartlett pears into the mix, the total only came out to $12! I was shocked. That means, our fruity bounty was cheaper than our local grocery store!

Still Sick
It was nice to get out of the city and into nature for some apple-picking. But both E and I were sick and slept most of the time in the car. And just when I thought I was getting better, my cold took another turn for the worse yesterday. On top of the congestion, runny nose and headaches, I have a tendency to get cold sores when I am worn down. So, I have the worse sores under my nose. And because I've been blowing my nose so much lately, they have turned into lovely scabs. I look terrible.

E on the other hand is having a hard time eating and sleeping. We are trying to suction those boogers out, but she hates the aspirator and evades us. Any ideas on how to unclog an infant's nose?

Busy-Body Baby
So far, E is enjoying her classes. On Tuesday, we go to Music Together classes, which she really enjoys. She loves the music, but also loves staring at all the other babies and at the instructor. Her favorite part of the class is the synchronized baby dances like baby square dancing. Have you ever tried to Do-Si-Do with your baby? Lots of fun! Thursdays are swim lessons day, which she also seems to enjoy. And recently, I just signed her up for Baby Gym classes.

After I clicked the confirmation button for the online registration, I wondered if I was overloading her schedule. She's only a baby after all. Am I turning into one of those crazy, obsessive mom's already? I want E to be a happy child, not an over-scheduled one.

When I was in grade school, I did all sorts of activities. Swimming, gymnastics, art, piano, violin... Now that I think about it, maybe keeping a busy schedule is just second nature for me? And while, I'm very appreciative of all the efforts my own mother took to stimulate me as a child, after awhile, I felt overburdened and sometimes just was going through the motions.

I know E can't express herself now, but I hope she lets me know what she does or doesn't like to do. And that I'll be perceptive enough to pick up on it if, even if she doesn't.

New Job, First Tooth, First Cold

I've been enjoying being a stay-at-home mom, but in the back of my mind, I've worried that when E is all grown up and going off to school, that I'd start getting bored. I know that's not for several years, but I didn't want such a huge gap in my resume. So, I've taken a job at a PR/marketing firm that allows me to work from home part-time. The firm is also run by three women that are all mothers, so they are more than understanding about the demands of motherhood.

So far, I'm really enjoying it. My boss is very low-key and the work is such that I can still use my skills. On Wednesday, we had a meeting in my apartment, with E in her Pack n' Play right next to us (she was supposed to be napping). It worked out well, and after we were done with business, we played with E! So much fun.

So far E has not shown much signs of stranger anxiety. Sometimes when I'm walking away from her, she'll start to whine, and she shows a preference for being held by me or SK. But otherwise, she goes to other people readily.

Firsts
E has had her share of firsts in the past couple weeks. Her first tooth has finally come in. This coincided with a bout of constipation, so she was cranky and in pain for a few days there.

And now E is experiencing her first cold -- a stuffy/runny nose and a touch of fever. The past couple nights, she's been waking up howling. SK and I both lay in bed hoping that for the first few minutes she'll quiet down. Unfortunately, she usually goes on for awhile, and we are forced to pick her up. Last night I stayed up with her two hours trying to get her to sleep. But when I pick her up at night, she thinks it's playtime. When Daddy picks her up, it's all business and she goes right to bed. E is making me look bad.

Anyway, thanks to sleep deprivation, my immune system must have become vulnerable, and now I've got whatever cold E had. Ugh. Everyone I talk to on the phone says, "Gosh, you sound awful!" I guess I need to go get some cold medication and chicken soup!

San Fran Trip

So, only a few days after getting back from the East Coast, we packed up our bags again for a weekend trip to San Francisco. It probably was not the best timing, but it couldn't be helped since we were going down for a baby shower and 40th birthday bash. When we were finished packing, we had the baby stroller/car seat, the Pack n' Play, two small rolling suitcases and ESK's booster seat (for eating). That's six bulky items. We need a pack mule caravan and several servants to travel with ESK. SK and I estimated that if we were traveling just the two of us, we would only be taking one carry-on bag for the weekend!

I was so crazed the day of our flight getting everything ready (presents needed to be wrapped, baby food needed to be prepared, etc.) I forgot to eat anything all day. And then when we finally got to the airport, I realized I had not packed a single diaper. Not even in the diaper bag. And of course, ESK had a nice little poopie sitting in her diaper. Luckily, she wasn't upset about it.

Once we got to SF, it was good times (after a good diaper change). We had fun seeing old friends and ESK got a lot of attention. While we lived in SF, we had frequent get-togethers with a few other families and we called them "family night". We miss them now that we're in Portland. So, we spent almost every meal with these families. Not an easy feat considering there were probably at least 20 of us (including the kids). The pictures to the left is of ESK with her little friends EP and LH.


Mommy Meltdown
So, while I was packing for my San Francisco trip, I had a minor mommy meltdown. The 40th birthday party was the first social event I had to dress for since before I had ESK. And of course, I had NOTHING to wear. Some of my clothes don't fit me anymore, and others were either too conservative (more suitable for the office) or too revealing (fine when I was single, but now that I'm a mom...). It's not like I've resorted to wearing "mom jeans" or anything like that, but I was just looking for something slightly dressy and just hip enough. I unhappily ended up wearing something I used to wear to the office and complained bitterly to SK, "I look like a nun!"

Looking back, I think my foul mood partly stemmed from my lack of food that day (remember, I hadn't eaten anything all day long). But frankly, I haven't been doing much personal maintenance since ESK got here. I don't usually care what I wear on an everyday basis and just throw on a t-shirt and jeans. My eyebrows are turning into strips of overgrown forests on my forehead. Not to mention my hairy legs. Who sees them anyway?

So, I'm going to start trying to take care of myself a little better. Eat a little more fruit instead of cookies. Drink more water. Pluck my eyebrows. Try to wear my nicer clothes when I run errands. Maybe I'll be in a better mood for myself and for ESK?

Here's ESK getting some work done before she goes to bed.

Back East

It's been a few days since we got back from our East Coast trip. ESK is still a bit jet-lagged and has been crankier than usual. We're also concerned because it seems to be effecting her eating. I hope it's just because she's out of sorts.

Our trip East was tiring but a lot of fun. Originally, SK and I made the trip to go to a wedding, but I stayed another week to spend time with friends and family. Both sets of grandparent are in Philly, so it was an effort to make sure everyone got their fill of ESK. Also, I hadn't seen some of my close friends since my wedding more than a year ago. And some of them had not even met ESK!

My sisters also came down to Philly to see ESK. It was such a treat. Little GMK wanted to do everything ESK was doing -- crawling, babbling, sitting in her baby car seat. And SK and I were amazed with her talking ability. All in all a lot of fun.

I also made a quick jaunt up to the Big Apple to see some friends and spend some time with auntie L. It was great to be back in bustling Manhattan, but I have to admit, doing anything in "the city" with a baby is a pain in the butt. I didn't see as many people as I would have liked, or do as many things (like shoppping!) as I had planned, but it was good to be back in my old neighborhood.

In Remembrance

So while I was in New York, I had just put ESK down for a nap in my sister's downtown apartment. All of a sudden, I heard the sound of drums and the wail of a bagpipe. I was kind of annoyed since I thought it might wake ESK up. But then I realized it was a parade in memory of the fallen 9/11 police officers and fire fighters going through the neighborhood. I actually woke ESK up and took her outside to see the parade go by.

I was really moved by the parade and fought back tears a few times. I was a little caught off-guard by my own reaction. It's been six years now since I was standing on a corner on my way to work and I saw the second plane fly over my head and into the tower. I remember I instinctively started running away from the towers and to my office, just to get to a land line (cell phones were not working). I called my mom and then my poor sister RBK at her office, who had to hear me break down over the phone.

For awhile, I was pretty messed up about everything that happened that day, even though I didn't personally know anyone who was killed and I myself did not suffer any bodily harm. I used to get anxious if I saw anything related to planes and graphic pictures of the attack. But I do believe I'm over it. This year, I flew cross-country on September 11 (I didn't realize until I printed out my e-ticket the night before). I believe I'm healed, but there will always be a small corner of my heart that will feel this unexplainable sorrow about that day.

You Come 'Round Here Often?....

I've slowly made some friends here. A few weeks ago, I met a woman at the Korean hair salon of all places. And last week, I chatted up a mom at our neighborhood park. Making mommy friends is totally like dating. And as I was never very good at picking anyone up back then, I'm equally terrible at getting numbers of potential mommy friends! I find I'm usually the one to wait for the other person to ask. But I've met some pretty cool moms so far and am looking forward to getting to know them.

Also, I've been considering taking on some kind of work again. Not that I have time really. I find that even with ESK's regular nap schedule, I still don't get as much housework accomplished as I like. Today, I still have a pile of ESK's dirty laundry sitting on top of the laundry machine, I have no idea what's for dinner, and the floor needs to be swept again (I know this because ESK's belly collected an inordinate amount of dirt after her a.m. cross-apartment crawl).

As for ESK, she's learning new tricks every day. Just yesterday, I went to collect her from her nap, and she was sitting up in her crib, just waiting for mom. I have no idea how she got to that position.

New things

ESK is growing up so fast. She's only 7 months now, but I feel like time has flown by. She's getting more mobile every day and have started to worry about baby-proofing.

At her six/seven month well-baby checkup, we found out the City of Portland does not add flouride to the drinking water here. Why? Because people are concerned about the environmental impact. Did I mention that this city is very green? So, we're now giving Elise flouride supplement along with her vitamins.

We're introducing new foods to her now that we know she can eat most of the Step 1 pureed baby foods. Lately, I've been making E's baby food. She loves the peach and pear purees I've made. Today, we'll try making a chicken, sweet potato and grapes combination...

I've finally gotten around to downloading some video from our camera. Here's a clip from our family vacation at a beach house @ Cannon Beach in July:


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SF to PDX

So, we've been in Portland (PDX is the airport code) now for over a month. But I've been busy with out of town visitors -- family and one much-missed friend -- so I haven't really had a chance to post.

This is my third move in 3 years. First from NY to PHL, then PHL to SF, and now SF to PDX. I'm getting used to it I suppose. The logistics don't seem as painful anymore. I miss friends from time to time, but I know that I'll always be in touch with my good friends, no matter where in the world I am. And I know it's only a matter of time before we find new friends here. I'm excited about the propsect of making friends here because they will most likely be friends with babies. It'll be nice to meet other little babies for ESK to play with and grow up with here in PDX.

So far, the city itself is living up to its name as one of the best places in the country to live. Everyone is super friendly and the city itself is lush and green.

ESK Update

E has started on solids, which unfortunately led to a bout of constipation. Nothing that a bit of prunes, peas and pears couldn't solve. I'm happy to report her plumbing is running smoothly now.

Also, ESK has started crawling! She's not quite yet moving around on all fours. Instead, she acts like a human Swiffer, dragging her tummy around across the floor. I've realized my floors aren't as clean as I thought they were.

SK and I have also learned that it doesn't pay to miss naptime. Sometimes, especially on the weekends, it's tempting to keep her out of the house so we can enjoy an afternoon out and about. But she's just so irritable and cranky for the next couple days... Argh. On the one hand, scheduled naps are nice for their predictability, but on the other hand, I feel so tied down to her schedule. I'll get the hang of it eventually I suppose.

Otherwise, I love that she looks just like her daddy, her Michelin-man arms, and the way she sometimes puts her arm around my neck when I go to pick her up. Sigh. Motherhood is pretty nice.