Little Boy

When I went to the sitter's place this evening to pick up Isaac I found that the baby that I dropped off this morning had morphed into a little boy. I walked in the door and he was standing in his apparent favorite spot at the corner of the coffee table and the couch. He was inching his way to his intended target, his yellow and orange striped toy cat. Remember I said he was determined... Anyway, he looked up and gave me the BIGGEST grin and giggled in pure delight. What an awesome way to be greeted at the end of a long day!

Isaac has a lot to say these days.

Also, I've been solo parenting this week while Marc is in the ATL... Hotlanta that is. In the meanwhile it has gotten quite chilly here! Check out Isaac in his get up this morning.

Ha Haaaaa Mamma!

Who me? I'm sooo innocent.... just ignore the mess ;)

I can take things out of things...



Ummm... just ignore me.

Here... let me move these around a bit.

After scattering my diapers all over the floor I decided to cruise the ottoman.

Check out the mischievous smile on this kids face!

Isaac giggles

Isaac had a giggle fest the other night at dinner time...

Where the heck did this year go?

2008 will end in just a few weeks and it has me wondering where this year went! It makes my head swim to think back to this time last year. I was 5 months pregnant... looking a bit like this.

Now I am the mother of an 8 month old! It is almost too much for my little brain to comprehend. The woman in this picture really has no clue as to what is in store for her.

Isaac is so active, lovable, funny, determined (I think I mentioned that in my last post), curious, and has a strange love of electrical cords and generally anything else that is dangerous around the house. We are in major child proofing mode and have had to tape, plug, hide, sweep, vacuum and build fortresses around anything hazardous. Try crawling around your house and you'll be surprised to find booby traps everywhere! He's been pulling himself up to standing for a month now and is starting to figure out how to cruise the furniture. He particularly loves my dresser and seems to want to climb up it... if he could only figure out how?!?

We went in for his check up and vaccines on Friday and he's 18.9 lbs and 27 1/2 inches long now. He's eating 3 meals a day and is 100% on formula. It's made me a bit sad to give up breastfeeding, a disappointing side effect of going back to work. I'm grateful that I was able to give him 7 months of the good stuff. I'm pretty impressed with his willingness to try new foods and so far we've only had one allergic reaction... spinach. Guess we'll have to wait for his Popeye imitation.

I have uploaded a ton of pictures from November, if you get a second check them out http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CZtmLlw2bMX1A .

More to come VERY soon!

November 5th...A New Era

Well, last night we as a nation came together in a way that we have not in years. As Isaac slept soundly upstairs, I sat with my family and watched Barak Obama's acceptance speach as the President Elect of the United States. I have never felt my heart strings be tugged so strongly as they were listening to him speak. The words of my father earlier that day rang in my ears..."Now my grandson can run for President." It also means that some day our daughters could be president. Maybe our first Latino or Asian or Gay President will happen in my lifetime or in Isaac's. I have always envied the JFK generation, what it must have been like to be alive during that time. But now, we have our own hope that things can change. Maybe we can stop burning out our planet or being afraid of our neighbors or being at war or our financial wellbeing. It gives me something to pray for...

Things they are a changin'

Isaac is really developing a great personality. He's a pretty laid back and easy going kid, unless he is tired. He's very curious and determined which has him developing a little faster than most kids his age. He's crawling on his belly and starting to use his legs to propel himself forward. He loves to stand, with our support and is great at sitting up by himself. Thankfully he has his fried Ceclia, who is a month older, and cousin Aaron to keep him motivated to keep up. He's proving to be as active as he was my belly. I will need to get in much better shape to keep up with this kid. He loves to smile and laugh...not surprising he is a pretty social kid. Though he does well playing alone too.

I really hope we don't screw this kid up!!!

He's sleeping really well right now, though I would love it if he would wake up at 7 instead of 6 every morning. During the week I really need that extra hour before he gets up so that I can get organized and ready for my day. I am having to learn how to be more disciplined about going to bed at 10pm and not 12 am, just to feel a bit rested. I'm tired of just being ready to collapse mentally and physically at then end of each day. Going back to work has proven to be a bit challenging, but all in all things are coming together. Especially since I have just been back to work a month. It is a bigger transition than I realized. I have been given a bit more responsibility by my bosses and have moved over to sales engineer. Which means that I will be callig on electrical contractors, and dealing with their issues. Should be interesting, especially given the current state of our economy and our nation.

Wow! I really am too tired. On that note here is te link to the October pictures on Shutterfly http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CZtmLlw2bMXxQ .

Sweet dreams to all!

Isaac's First Halloween

Halloween has come and gone already!?! This year is just zipping by...what else is new? We made a trip down to San Luis Obispo to visit Aunt Reen and Uncle Mike so that we could start the festivities off right. Aunt Reenie, Isaac and I made a trip to the local pumpkin patch and he got to choose his first punkin (with a little help from mom). He also gave them a sneak preview of his costume. It was such a great visit. I hope to make it an annual pilgrimage.

The Saturday before Halloween we attended the Piedmont Ave parade with Jonah, Shefa and Bob the Builder(aka Aaron). Finally, on Halloween we went to my office for a spooky party with all of my co-workers. Thre were some great costumes, who knew engineers were such a creative bunch? Isaac was a big hit as the littlest ninja. Then we joined our Mom's Group friends for a parade in Montclair. A very FULL day.

Simon Lev: A Story

If you have not taken a moment to read our friend Simon's blog please start with this story, it is absolutely beautiful. Simon is 5 days older than Isaac and has spent the last couple of months at Children's Hospital in Oakland with a heart condition. He is a sweet and special little boy with two beautiful moms. We feel blessed to know them. Their blog is so touching...

Simon Lev: A Story

Ella

Isaac with Ella and Maya

We are so lucky to have found an amazing woman to care for Isaac while we are working. Ella is from Eritrea in Northeast Africa and has been in the US for 26 years. She greets us every morning with a huge smile and big hugs and kisses for our son. She spends the day playing on his level and encouraging him to learn about the world around him. She is patient and loving and I most importantly, I trust her. As a first time mom, being able to have peace of mind that my son is being cared for by the best possible person is incredibly important. She adores our son as if he was her own. I couldn't ask for a better person for him to spend his days with.

Changing Seasons

Fall is here! This has always been one of my favorite seasons. I love the crispness in the air and the smell of the leaves as they change. It also reminds me of fresh starts, like the first day of school. This fall has been even more special because it marked Isaac's 6th month birthday and my return to work.

In addition, the fall brings the close of the Jewish year. This years High Holy Day services were more meaningful to me because I got to share them with Isaac for the first time. We attended both Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services at Chomat with Shefa and Aaron. I found myself moved to tears several times as we prayed, sang and danced together. Isaac even wore my tallis for a short while and played with the tzitzit. This brought back very moving memories of me by my father's side during services and wrapping the corner of his tallis around my shoulder and running the tzitzit through my fingers as I tried to amuse myself and be as close to him as possible as a child.

Isaac continues to change on almost a daily basis. After a few weeks of practicing today he remembered that he could sit up on his own and proceeded to show off his new skill several times this evening. One thing that I recognize about my son is that once he does something new, like rolling over or sitting up, he takes a couple week break and then one day decides that he's ready to do it all of the time.

We have an appointment next week with a plastic surgeon to discuss his bump and make a decision if and when it should be removed. I'm a bit nervous about the pain that it might cause him. However, in the end I am sure it will be okay.

I will post more soon... I promise :)

Morning Lessons

This morning I got up early to get a shower in and a little work done before Isaac woke up. I have figured out that being a working mom means very looooong days, made up of lots of tasks to juggle. I always felt hard pressed to get myself out of the house on time, but now there are two of us to organize. In addition, tomorrow Marc gets the privilege of getting Isaac to Ella so that I can make an early meeting in the city. Which has meant that I needed to get as much organized for him as possible. WAIT!!! How did I become the expert on only my second day of work trying to coordinate this transition???

Anyway, after my shower I discovered that Isaac was already up and starting to complain that he's still in his crib and getting hungry. I get him changed and dressed for the day and then set up his play area in the living room. Once he's settled, lying on his back and playing with his toys, I start to tick off the mental list of things to do in my brain and try to get a few things accomplished while he plays by himself. After a couple of minutes I realize that he's being VERY quite in there and peek around the corner to see what he's up to. To my surprise I find him sitting up playing with a toy... SITTING UP?!? Yep, just sitting there, looking more like a little boy and less like my baby. We've been practicing sitting up for the last week or so, but today was the first time that he sat himself up from a prone position. I called Marc over. He and I oohed and ahhhed over the advanced progress of our little boy. And then a voice in my head said, "wait... don't grow up too fast... I want you to stay small... my baby... time is going by so quickly."

Ooooo we're in trouble now!!!

Check out our little boy on the move...

Guess it is time to childproof the house!

Bump

Just a quick update on Isaac's bump. We saw the pediatric dermatologist who took a look and deemed it benign. However, she said that it should be removed, not only because it would draw questions from other children as he grew older, but because it may continue to grow and may cause him physical discomfort. Good enough reasons for me. We are going to see a plastic surgeon and schedule its removal sometime between 12 and 18 months of age. I will miss this special part of Isaac, it is unique, but unnecessary.

I also have to say, this little guy is quite the charmer, he will smile at anyone weather they are paying attention to him or not. The nurses and doctor kept commenting on his smiley personality... one nurse threatened to keep him. Back off lady and take a step away from my baby :)

Five Months Old!

On September 14th our little boy turned 5 months old. Time has gone by so quickly...unbelieveably so. The whole month of September has been a blur and next week I start back to work...what?!? It seems that since Isaac's birth there has been one new visit, milestone, or trip that has marked time right up to this moment. We've spent the last five months looking forward to the next thing until we ran out of things to look forward to. Now my time has drawn to a close and on Monday morning I drop him off with Ella, his nanny, to spend his days playing with her and Maya, the little girl he is doing the nanny share with. To say that I am going to miss our days together is an understatement. I don't think I can comprehend what a change this will be...just like every other part of motherhood so far.

This past month has been full of so many new experiences for Isaac:
His first plane trip
His first trip to Asheville
His first time meeting all of our friends in NC
His first time on the Blue Ridge Parkway
His first time driving through three states: GA, SC and NC
His first sip of water out of a glass
His first taste of sweet potato
His first taste of avacado
His first taste of peas
His first time staying with Ella
His first trip to VA
Attending his first and second wedding
His first time in a pool

I'm sure there are more...those are just off of the top of my head.

I have taken a ton of pictures and they are loaded on shutterfly.

New Milestones

Just a quick note... Isaac rolled over from his stomach to his back twice today. He also is doing this great airplane imitation with his arms and legs off of the floor while he balances on his stomach. Aaaannnd...pulling his knees up under himself and rocking on his elbows. This kid is going to be moblie before we know it. I will try to get some pictures and or video this week.

We are begining the countdown to Isaac's first trip to Asheville and our dear friends Cassie and Jim's wedding. I am so excited to get back to the mountains and see our friends and family in NC. I'll be curious to see how Isaac takes to traveling... I hope that he will enjoy it.

More pictures soon...

Playing catch up...

I apologize for my lack of blogs for the past month... I have been so busy with Isaac and life in general that it has been difficult for me to do much more than collapse at the end of the day. What will life be like when I go back to work?!?! That is the question that looms over me now. Thankfully I have 6 more weeks to figure that one out...

There is so much new to report that I am not sure where to start. So, here are some of the highlights in no particular order:

• Isaac is now rolling over from his back to his stomach. So much so that we thought we were going to have to duct tap him to his mattress because he kept waking himself up rolling around in his crib. We took the fabric bumper out but have been rethinking that move because he sometimes gets his limbs caught in the rails. The picture below is of the first time he rolled over in his sleep...
  

• Marc's twin brother Evan came for a 2 week visit. The testosterone level in the house was almost unbearable, thankfully the never ending comedy that is the Lao brothers made things a bit better. Ev and Isaac really bonded and Ev dubbed him "Isaac the Giant". Which still makes Isaac giggle...
  

• My Father and Step-Mother came for a visit also and we had a very lovely time with them. Isaac and my Dad bonded over horsey rides on his Zadie's knee:

• Isaac went to two museums this month. We saw the Frida Kahlo exhibit at SF MOMA and The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

• I joined a mother's group and met a wonderful group of women and their sweet babies. Isaac is the second oldest of the group. Cecelia is a month older than him. Then there are Maya and Leo who are a month younger. The two other boys, Niko and Oliver are 9 weeks old, and then there is Tula who is now 8 weeks.

• Isaac is now about 15 lbs and 26" long. He's getting the cutest little rolls on his upper thighs. It is looking like he has brown eyes...but they are still changing color. He loves to smile and giggle...especially when I sing to him.
  

• Naps during the day are still challenging. He likes to take 30-40 minute naps every hour and a half to two hours. I have spent many hours reading a number of books about infants and sleep and realized that this is just how he rolls and have given up the idea that he will take two loooong naps. He may grow in to that at a later date but I am not holding my breath.
  

• Lastly...our little boy is now sleeping through the night. We start his bedtime routine around 6 each night. First Isaac gets dinner (courtesy of mom) then Marc gives him a bath and I give him a little massage and put on his jammies. Then we rock and I sing him a lullaby (usually "Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon). Generally he's bee sleeping for 8 hours, briefly waking to nurse, and then waking up again about 3 hours later. He then comes to bed with me and we wake up for the day around 8 or 9...I will really miss this dozy time together when I go back to work. It really is the sweetest way to wake up.

Growing Aaron: "Hey, when's this baby gonna be ready to play with me?"

I love this clip of my nephew Aaron with Isaac...

Growing Aaron: "Hey, when's this baby gonna be ready to play with me?"#links

I love being a Mom when...

I had to post this picture of Isaac which I believe is from the 4th of July. Lately he and I have been having these amazing conversations where I chat to him about different topics and he just laughs, smiles, goos and gaaaahs back at me, and gives me the occasional raspberry. Some times I will sing him a song and it seems like he tries to sing along...or is laughing at my poor pitch and tone. These are some of my most precious moments with him. I love this intense one on one connection we share. It is like nothing else I have ever experienced.

Isaac's First Camping Trip

The gang hanging out in Hendy Woods

We were supposed to go on our first camping trip at Hendy Woods in Mendocino County, CA. However, because of the wildfires north of that area, we decided to just make it a day trip to join our friends to celebrate Andy, Susi, and Agnes' birthdays. We had a great time hiking and hanging out with our friends. Isaac seemed to love being in nature (he did not get this trait from his father) and hiked with me among the GIANT Redwoods. It reminded me how much I used to love the hikes I used to take in Pisgah Forest in NC. So, I have been inspired to try to do one hike a week here in the Bay Area. There are so many beautiful spots to explore around here. I have recently made a new friend who is going to teach me how to sea kayak. It's about time I take advantage of and teach my son to appreciate and explore the natural beauty here.

Gabrielle (about 20 wks pregnant) and Isaac

Phil and Tim

Birthday Girl Agnes

Alicia (14 weeks pregnant) and Isaac...he loves pregnant women

Isaac at play

Isaac is really enjoying his play mat these days...check him out!

Growing Boy!

Look how much our little boy has grown!

Isaac one week old

Isaac 10 weeks old

He had his 2 month check up today and was 24 1/4" long and weighed 12 lbs 10 oz. Which means that he as grown 5" and gained almost 5 lbs since he was born. Wow...they get big so quickly!!

His Aunt Donna was here for a visit this past week and we had a very good time catching up. She got to do what she's been dying to do...hug, kiss, and hold Isaac for hours on end. I have to express how grateful I was to have her here. She has always been a roll model for me and it made me feel good to know that she felt like I was doing a good job with Isaac. As a new mom it is nice to get all the positive reinforcement possible. It is easy to get overwhelmed and not be sure that you are doing a good enough job.

Another piece of news...I will be staying home for 12 more weeks. I am not ready to go back to work and give up this precious time with Isaac. He is still so small and to turn him over to some one else to care for feels like I am going to miss out on too much important growth and change. Marc and I went back and forth about the decision and finally concluded that it would be better for me to stay home a bit longer. I wish it could be his whole first year, but am very happy to be able to spend his first 6 months at home with him.

I have added a new album to Shutterfly...enjoy!

I miss you Dad!

I promised Marc that I would post pictures of Isaac for him while he was traveling on business this week. Every one keeps telling me how much he looks like Marc. I am hoping to get a baby picture of him some time soon so that I can post it for comparison. Marc said that Isaac got my earlobes...gurrrr.





Our next wave of family visits started yesterday. Granny and Grandpa Herriman (my Mom and Step-Dad) arrived for a quick visit on their way up to their property in Yreka, CA. Today my sister-in-law Donna Harter arrived from Waynesville, NC for a week long visit. I feel so blessed to have her here. It makes me a little homesick for the mountains though...

Around the time of Isaac's birth my father announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. They caught it early but it required immediate surgery. I am glad to report that his surgery was a success and he is recuperating nicely at home. The Dr. said that they got 100% of the cancer...which is what we all wanted to hear. Unfortunately Arlene's back has gone out which will apparently keep her out of commission most of the summer. A bad way to spend your summer vacation. Our prayers go out to both of them for speedy recoveries.

Today we were excited to find our that our close friends Andy and Alicia are pregnant and due January 6th...just a few days before my birthday. Isaac with soon have another friend to play with here in the hood!

That is all of our news for today...

Two whole months old!!!

Where has the time gone????? I really cannot believe that Isaac was born 8 weeks ago today...56 days completely entranced by this our boy. He has changed so much already and I love seeing the new things that he learns each day. He's smiling every day an reciprocates when you smile and talk to him. He is making sounds like aaaahhhh, aooooaooo, ooooohhhh, and maaaaaahhh and I am able to distinguish 4 different cries.
One is more of him going gaaaah, gaaahh at increasing intensity, which means please come here I'm lonely. I usually hear this in protest to being left alone while he is in his swing, bouncy seat, boppy or bassinet for longer than a couple of moments. There is the more urgent mmmmaaah, mmmaaaaaaaaah, which means that he's hungry and I'm not getting his food to him fast enough. It's close cousin is the full on aaaaaaaahhhhh, maaahh screech which tells me that he is over tired and I'm in for a couple of hours of nursing, dozing, and crying before he finally crashes. Lastly, there is the full on blood curtling, skin crawling, yawell, which makes your heart break and has no discernable cause or cure.
He is reaching for objects overhead and will hold the edge of my top while he nurses. Which is really the sweetest thing. He is still sleeping quite a bit, but does take longer naps now. I consistantly get a 4-5 hour stretch each night followed by two hour stretches, which allow us to slowly wake up. We have been taking walks in our stroller which knocks Isaac out in a matter of minutes. He slept in it for two hours on Saturday as we walked around Sausalito and enjoyed the warm day by the bay.

Next Monday Marc and I will celebrate our one year anniversary...what a wild year this has been!

I have added pictures to Shutterfly...

Our little boy...

Isaac is growing so quickly. I swear I put him to bed and the next morning he is so much bigger. I started to feel axious that I wasn't going to remember how he looked when he was this small. I used my cell phone to capture a few of my favorite features while he napped. These are the parts that I can gaze at for hours.