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:


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

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.