Double Digits!

T spent September embracing double digits and taking advantage of the awesome Bay Area weather.

We attended Love our Lake day at Lake Merritt with Aunt Sonia who took these amazing photos.

Because LOL promotes alternative forms of transportation (i.e.: no cars) and closed down the streets for cyclists, skaters, walkers, etc.-we took BART and T had fun in the stroller. It was hot by our standards so after grabbing lunch from the food trucks we camped out under this huge tree to eat. We had falafel while T tried her best to eat leaves & grass. Such a little nature lover.

Then we went to the Lake Chalet for adult bevies and live music. Yes-we are those people who take their baby to a bar. But seriously-how is she supposed to learn to behave in one if we don't?

Gotta love the Jewel of Oakland.

T absolutely refused to nap while at the Lake Chalet. Within minutes of leaving to return to BART-she passed out in the carrier. This kid has a most serious case of FOMO.

T finally had the chance to wear her tropical one piece during a play date with her Bradley Method birth pal Percy in Oakland.

T also experienced a Mencher rite of passage-her first meal at the hospital. Mt. Diablo to be exact. Of course Grand-P treated everyone to lunch.

T also experienced the beauty that is Genki Ramen-the last time we went to this fabulous restaurant in SF was the day before I went into labor. T chewed on chopsticks and sampled the tempura pumpkin.

She also chowed down on rice, beans, and avocado in Sebastopol while GK participated in the Grand Fondo bicycle ride (32 miles). Unfortuntely due to poor planning, we weren't able to meet up with GK to cheer him in. But he met us at the restaurant and then we stayed the night in Sebastopol for a little getaway. 

T is getting better and better sitting in her high chair for longer periods of time as long as she has something to play with. Here she is at one of our neighborhoods spots-Saysetha (where we also had one of her baby showers). T is an awesome eater-she loves tofu, tangy sauces, brown rice, pumpkin, squash, curry-you name it. We were also pleased that she couldn't seem to get enough at one of our all time favorite places-Burma Superstar. We've stopped with the purees and now just give her what we eat.

T continues to enjoy playing with her toys in the corral and has started exploring more outside in the common areas when she is allowed.

Sometimes she tries to escape. She is always caught.

Sometimes GK has more fun with her toys than she does.

Exploring the bookcase-my outdated texts from graduate school. She is appreciating story time more and more.

Pretending she likes her crib

And wearing her very first Giants t-shirt to celebrate the Giants going to the World Series.

In a nutshell-T babbles non-stop, especially in the morning. She continues to stand but no signs of walking at this point. She has really great control when she cruises, she's able to get around really fast by crawling so I'm not sure there's much motivation on her part to walk at this point. She can keep herself entertained for short periods of time by playing with her toys or even just a pair of her socks. She plays peek-a-boo with herself and cracks up like it's the funniest thing ever. She goes absolutely nuts when she sees children and will try to grab at them-very poor boundaries. She has 2 little bottom teeth. She prefers for us to feed her-when we give her food she mostly plays with it. She barely cries-typically just at night when she's tired and getting ready for bed. Not much stranger anxiety-an incredibly social baby. But she prefers for me & GK to hold her if she has a choice. People weren't kidding when they told us that the time flies-just this time last year I was ending my running streak and looking very forward to maternity leave. I've ran once since then but who's counting? I'm just savoring the time to rest when I can and truly enjoy being with her.

Two Months!

I can't believe just how fast 2 months have gone by. So much that I'm just now completing T's 2 month post at 11 weeks. So let's back up a bit and recap weeks 4 through 8.

T at just a few days old in her polar bear suit compared to 8 weeks old in the exact same outfit. Initially I thought it was just her head that was growing in size but nope-at her 8 week pediatric appointment T weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs., 7.9 oz. This still places her under the 3rd percentile on the growth chart but the doctor isn't worried as T's weight gain has been steady since she was 3 weeks old. T measures in at 22.5 inches placing her at the 50th percentile. Doctor says she's long and lean so it's official-we created a super model.

One of my favorite things about T's weight gain is that she is starting to fit into her 3-month clothing. It's like an endless fashion show of different animal prints, jumpers, baby boots, and crazy head pieces. Above she is wearing one of my favorite fascinators looking uber serious. Just like a model.

Since the polar vortex has left us-we've been venturing outside daily. T loves being pushed around in her stroller or walking through our neighborhood  in one of her many carriers. Here she is at the weekly South Berkeley Organic Farmer's Market searching for kale and brussel sprouts.

T also made it out to Walnut Creek to brunch with the Nath sisters (Soumya and T pictured above) and Vivek at Tender Greens. Afterwards we kept the party going on Lark Creek Cafe's patio with champagne cocktails. 

T spends her mornings exercising with GK. She propped herself up on his chest with her little elbows bent all by herself. I'm still amazed at this feat every time I look at the picture due to the enormous size of her head compared to her scrawny little arms.

Just another adorable pic of T.

The best thing about 2 months? Smiling. I hate to say it but during the first month or so-babies don't really give back that much. Not that I expected T to entertain me. But when they start interacting with you (i.e.-smiling), it's really quite satisfying-I get this feeling that I'm actually doing something right. Of course to coax a smile out of T at first took great effort-acting like an utter fool but it's completely worth it.

The Bradley Method

I knew that long before I ever became pregnant that I would want a natural birth. I also knew that in order to accomplish this I would need to be prepared. A coworker told me about the Bradley Method which is described as husband/partner coached childbirth. After doing some research online, I decided that this would be a good fit for me and GK and located an instructor in Oakland. There were 12 total  sessions once a week that we attended along with five other couples. The class proved to be probably one of our best investments in regards to T. We were successful in achieveing our goal of a mostly non-invasive birth with no pain medication whatsoever. More importantly, GK did not faint or throw up and the overall experience was just amazingly incredible. Ten weeks later-I still swell with pride and love to tell T's birth story.

One of the benefits of participating in this class is that you become connected to other couples who live nearby who will have their babies roughly around the same time as yours so of course we agreed to stay in touch. We typically meet on a Sunday, have a potluck brunch, oooh and ahhh over all the cute babies and exchange war stories. It's great to have a cohesive group like this as a new parent so I don't bore all my other friends with stories rearding T's exciting day-to-day activities like pooping, napping, and spitting up.

Our initial reunion in December of '13 hosted by Benji & Alicia in Oakland. T was only 9 days old! From left to right-Marcelo Luis (born in October '13), Percy to the left of T and Emilio to the right of T-these two little guys were born on the same day in November at the same hospital.

Our second reunion at Holly & Fernando's in Oakland in January (from left to right): Carolina with Marcelo Luis, Jamie with Lola; Alicia with Percy, Holly with Emilio, and me with T. Don't we all look lovely and confident as new mothers?

And then there are the dads..... (from left to right): David with Marcelo Luis, Jordan with Lola, Benji with Percy, Fernando with Emilio, and GK with T.

Baby line up! Marcelo Luis, Emilio, Percy, Lola, and T. T spent the entire time sleeping and making everyone way jealous of the giant white flower on her head.

Our most recent get together on February 9th back at Benji & Alicia's home. (L-R): Emilio, Marcelo Luis, Percy, Lola, & T. This time T was much more social during the get together but fell asleep towards the end when the pictures were taken.

Check out T's outfit. Following a diaper change-GK opted for the baby superhero look for the second half of the party.

Looking forward to many more reunions with this group!

G-Ro

Shortly after Tala arrived I asked my mom (Roberta) what she would like for T to call her. I grew up calling my parents by their first names-I cannot recall one instance where I ever referred to them as mom or dad. Understandably-I figured that my mom would not necessarily want to be called "Grandma," and thought it was important that GK and I start referring to her as whatever it is she wants to be called when we converse with Tala so when she starts speaking, there's no confusion or rush to figure out a name. Leave it to my mother to come up with a name that sounds like an upcoming rap artist. I introduce to you all: G-Ro.

G-Ro's 2nd visit with T at Kaiser in Walnut Creek before we were discharged home. G-Ro held T while GK was out washing the car and I was taking my last indulgent shower for weeks to come.

G-Ro takes advantage of any opportunity to hold T. The only thing that gets in the way of her holding T is having her morning coffee. Seriously. Here they are on Christmas in Concord with Uncle Joe & Aunt Kavya before opening gifts. No pressure bro.

Once T hit the four-week mark we decided to introduce a bottle. G-Ro exclaimed that bottle-feeding T was great fun and because it allows me to sleep a little longer when we spend the night-I happily oblige by pumping a bottle when we make our weekly trek for a day of laundry and an overnight visit that includes my fill of mind-numbing television.

We recently went on an outing to our favorite discount store in Concord-TJ Maxx. I needed some new designer sunglasses and jeans that don't, ahem, have an elastic panel at the top. Even though T has plenty of clothes (most she hasn't even worn yet because she's still so tiny), G-Ro headed to the baby aisle and proceeded to pick out the girliest of dresses she could find. Here's T showing off the goods in her Pac n' Play upon our return home. I'm not that crazy about the ruffles, bows, and overdose on pink but T looks pretty adorable. Plus G-Ro always makes me a vegetarian sandwich and tater tots when I visit so she is free to put whatever it is she wants on the kid.

G-Ro also defies gender roles at an early age. While at TJ Maxx she alerted me to the smart grey outit pictured above that is actually intended for boys. No worries, leave it to G-Ro to sew on a little pink ribbon just above the embroidered doggie's head on the cardigan perfectly customizing the ensemble for T. As you can see-T is loving her stylist.

Stay tuned for more posts regarding G-Ro's adventures with and fashion recommendations for T!

The First Month

Our first month with Tala was like the most intense dating session. We were around her constantly and the getting-to-know-you phase seemed endless. Friends told me to chersh this time as it will go by way too fast but I must admit I became a bit consumed with if she will ever sleep through the night and when will she stop nursing so often. I entered into each day trying to figure out when I could nap and take a shower. Luckily GK did not immediately return to work which probably allowed me more time to rest than other new moms. Breastfeeding also proved to be a bit challenging. T has no problem latching or retrieving enough milk-the issue was more one of my body adjusting and let me tell you-it got incredibly painful at times that I would dread feeding her. 

For X-mas I got GK an awesome camera and he has shown his appreciation by taking shots of me while I'm asleep. Surprisingly we both figured out that besides looking pissed off, T and I look alike when we're both asleep.

Here's a few more snapshots of some of GK's best pics taken with the new camera during the first four weeks:

This pic made it to my Facebook profile-love her little duck lips along with her Uncle Rico pose.

T is a good sport when it comes to having a camera shoved in her face at 3 in the morning.

GK had great fun one day setting up these contrast shots. T and GK's sunglasses above.

T's hands and GK's reading glasses.

T's toes and a dime.

T and GK's Chuck Taylors.

T's little but long foot.

GK holding T's hand.

And finally-our favorite one-month pic of T. We call this one, "Little Butt Thunder," as she was releasing a storm in her diaper when this pic was snapped.

Karaoke Shark vs. Baby T

During my pregnancy I told GK that in order to get ready for parenting one must compare the challenge similar to preparing for war. More specifically-direct combat. GK was extremely anxious and excited to meet Tala as I got closer to my due date whereas I would have been fine stretching out my maternity leave and collecting state disability for as long as possible. I have to give GK credit-while there was definitely an adjustment period at the beginning, he has embraced parenthood with relative ease and joy.

Just a few days old, GK introduces T to her first culturally sensitive doll. 

Reporting from the battlefield-GK survives multiple cloth diaper changes and regularly assists T with maintenance of a clean butt.

Mornings at our house have turned into music maestro hour. After T's am nursing session GK takes over. This consists of burping, head/neck strengthening exercises, creative storytime, and-of course-music! GK discovered baby lullabyes of popular music on Spotify. Depeche Mode is currenty her fave-T typically responds by waving her arms around like a frantic orchestra conductor.

I discovered this post on Facebook after a particular draining night of multiple T awakenings and a refusal to go back to sleep after an early morning nursing session.

Everytime GK  fails to place a burp cloth on his shoulder-T gets him without fail.

GK loves the Pikkolo carrier. When I was pregnant he told me that he wanted to be able to wear T while walking Elsie-leash in one hand and latte in the other. So far the carrier has been primarily used around the house in an effort to get T to nap while watering his garden.

GK is an expert at naps and is mentoring T accordingly.