Isa did surprisingly well for her first haircut. Not as squirmy as I thought she would be I thought she was long overdue. According to many people she has quite the mop for someone her age. Her baptismal was coming up and I wasn't feeling the mullet she was starting to rock. El was more concerned about her bangs getting in the way. In the end my suggestion to trim the back of her hair prevailed. Once she was freshly bathed she definitely looked camera-ready for the upcoming weekend. Hair was still wavy and looked like she did when it first started to really gorw out. Cute!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Who's This Little Monkey???
It's crazy how time has flown by. It's well over 8 months and when I think back of when she was first born I'm shocked at how much she has grown to become more of a little person. I'm not going to lie - I love her.
I used to kind of wonder how some parents revolved their whole lives around their children. I don't wonder anymore. Just thinking about her makes me laugh at all the simple things I see her do. At this age she's starting to get her own little personality.
She seems to be really attached to her mommy, but I'm not to shabby at soothing her either. She's very quick to smile and scream when she's excited. People seem to gravitate to her easily - "look at all that hair!" and "she's got such beautiful eyes" seem to be the standouts.
I used to kind of wonder how some parents revolved their whole lives around their children. I don't wonder anymore. Just thinking about her makes me laugh at all the simple things I see her do. At this age she's starting to get her own little personality.
She seems to be really attached to her mommy, but I'm not to shabby at soothing her either. She's very quick to smile and scream when she's excited. People seem to gravitate to her easily - "look at all that hair!" and "she's got such beautiful eyes" seem to be the standouts.
SHE LOVES CAROUSELS. She loves playing with pampers and can provide hours of soothing fun. She's great in the car and in stores. I'm guessing she likes to ride and is easily stimulated by things going by. At 6 months she stood up for first time - three days after she learned to crawl. Standing it is a big priority for her. Why lie down when you can STAND and be noticed?
My bad, but she likes to watch TV (cartoons, i.e. Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon). Only in a pinch will I stick her in a high chair to watch - I try not use it as a babysitter. It's very effective tho with a crying, needy baby and you're trying hard to get something done (Resodding the lawn, changing engine oil, save some old lady's kitten from a tree).
She's in that stage where she touches everything and sometimes wants to taste. I just found out yesterday that she no longer likes her sippy cups, but demands that I unscrew the top and let her drink like all the big girls do even if it means it trickling down her chin. With her new bottom teeth and her top ones starting to come out biting is her new deal. She loves vegetables and fruits and has developed her mommy's sweet tooth, but that's probably my fault. She doesn't seem to dig meat flavored baby food yet.
She's still very shy around people she doesn't know or rarely sees, but once you break her little barrier she's ok with you picking her up. Her mom has gotten her so used to a camera that she seems to be eternally posing for any camera opportunity that may arise. She is ticklish if you slowly make kissing noises toward her neck and then smother her in it. Her mom found out she also get s a good laugh from kissing her right side belly - Isa's, not her own.
I think she's going to be a little granola girl. She likes being outside and talking short walks with me in the garden to touch leaves. But mostly enjoys taking off her shoes so she can be barefoot. One time in the grocery she kept taking her sandals off one at a time and I kept putting them back on. Then as I went to grab something off the shelf she deftly pulled them both off at the same time, waited for me to turn around and look at her and then defiantly threw them both to the ground with a smile.
Last night was the best feeling ever. I had her in bed and asleep while I played on the computer when she awoke crying. After 5 minutes I thought it wasn't her being restless, but maybe her diaper had gotten dirty. Sure enough. I picked her up to soothe and change her out. As I was snapping her onesie back on she looked at me smiling and started to rub my forearm. "You're welcome, Isa. It's not a problem." When I picked her up again to put her back down she looked at me smiling and then wrapped her little arms around my neck and hugged me. Twice. Wow.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Joe + Lalaine = Joelaine
June 29 on a Friday afternoon Lalaine and Joe decided to tie the knot. They met while she was a student in Connecticut and when she moved to San Fran to pursue her career he followed shortly. That must've been some foreshadowing cos a few years later we all met up in Connecticut to see them off on their new life together.
This was to be Isa's first plane ride so me and El were a little concerned about stories of babies and ear pressure changes. Plus the fact that El and I typically pack a bag each. What was it going to be like with Isa and what did we essentially need? The hell if I was going to haul 2 pieces of luggage, a stroller, a bassinet, my camera/video equipment and backpack of travel toiletries. I wanted to be prepared, but I didn't want to overpack which is typical of us in the past. Luckily, El called the Marriot ahead of time and confirmed that they would have a crib waiting for us there. To save my poor back we would have to use our largest suitcase and pack for 4 days for all of us - and stay under 50lbs. Local weather checks showed it to be sunny much like Florida so i was determined to be as comfortable as possible (shorts & t-shirts for me please).
This was to be Isa's first plane ride so me and El were a little concerned about stories of babies and ear pressure changes. Plus the fact that El and I typically pack a bag each. What was it going to be like with Isa and what did we essentially need? The hell if I was going to haul 2 pieces of luggage, a stroller, a bassinet, my camera/video equipment and backpack of travel toiletries. I wanted to be prepared, but I didn't want to overpack which is typical of us in the past. Luckily, El called the Marriot ahead of time and confirmed that they would have a crib waiting for us there. To save my poor back we would have to use our largest suitcase and pack for 4 days for all of us - and stay under 50lbs. Local weather checks showed it to be sunny much like Florida so i was determined to be as comfortable as possible (shorts & t-shirts for me please).
Having been born in New London, Connecticut I imagined it to be cooler in the evenings so I was a little concerned that Isa might get cold. We were in for a shocker when we arrived. Our 2 1.2 hour flight went over pretty well. Isa had no problems with the pressure changes and slept thru some of it - only waking to be fed and changed. Once in Hartford International I was blasted by hot, humid air - worse than Orlando surprisingly. Supposedly it was freak weather. We'll see.
We rented out a Nissan Murano and made the 45 minute drive to New Haven. First impressions of Connecticut from the airport? Jen had mentioned that online it was described as one of the ugliest cities in the U.S. That was spot on. The city itself looked like it was past its industrial heydays and was coughing by to survive. Another thing I noticed on my drive is that the drivers there are waaay worse than in Orlando. Orlando's drivers make stupid decisions. In Hartford and New Haven they just don't give a f*ck. I felt right at home cursing out people and laying down the horn. Not quick enough we reached the Marriott Courtyard. I didn't realize that El had reserved our room right across from Yale University. Wow!
We rented out a Nissan Murano and made the 45 minute drive to New Haven. First impressions of Connecticut from the airport? Jen had mentioned that online it was described as one of the ugliest cities in the U.S. That was spot on. The city itself looked like it was past its industrial heydays and was coughing by to survive. Another thing I noticed on my drive is that the drivers there are waaay worse than in Orlando. Orlando's drivers make stupid decisions. In Hartford and New Haven they just don't give a f*ck. I felt right at home cursing out people and laying down the horn. Not quick enough we reached the Marriott Courtyard. I didn't realize that El had reserved our room right across from Yale University. Wow!
The downtown area of the campus made every effort to maintain the prestigious school and the surrounding area clean and beautiful. But, as with any older city, browntown was just a busstop away. We wanted to explore the area right away, but I was starving. Lalaine and Emily had to run errands and offered to show us some choice local spots. Once they met us at the hotel they led us to nearby Little Italy where we ate at the supposedly world famous Frank Pepe. I gotta admit tho, the pizza was pretty tasty. They used fresh ingredients and cheeses. Even the local brew from NYC was pretty tasty. Not sure if it was cos I was just hungry but who cares, right? After lunch we went to Lalaine and Joe's new house 15 minutes away.
Because of the typically weather in New Haven most houses don't come with central air conditioning. With the freak hot weather their house was like a sauna. I didn't last two hours before I passed out watching Isa on the couch. I felt sorry for Lal's family who were working non-stop in the house all week. We were pretty miserable and eager to get back to out hotel to shower off and cool down.
Because of the typically weather in New Haven most houses don't come with central air conditioning. With the freak hot weather their house was like a sauna. I didn't last two hours before I passed out watching Isa on the couch. I felt sorry for Lal's family who were working non-stop in the house all week. We were pretty miserable and eager to get back to out hotel to shower off and cool down.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
The next morning was spent having breakfast at a local diner next door and meeting the family up for the rehearsal and dinner afterwards. I decided to help with some of the last minute details of the upcoming wedding, but gave up screwing around with the computers in lieu of running errands with Joe. Bonding time, y'know? Joe and Lal have visited us a couple of times in the past and I've grown to really like the guy. No pretenses and a standup guy he's a good match for Lalaine. Although he enjoys the booze and getting banged up in rugby, he's a pretty soft-hearted guy - don't let the exterior fool you. I spent some time with his father and shared some laughs. Also a good guy.
*Note that this is an older photo from last Thanksgiving - not a shot of a local diner or Joe and I running errands. I didn't have any timely pictures of either of those so I had to use a picture I already had of what's his head...the guy we're talking about...uuhh...Mr. No Pretense, Nice Guy...Joe.
*Note that this is an older photo from last Thanksgiving - not a shot of a local diner or Joe and I running errands. I didn't have any timely pictures of either of those so I had to use a picture I already had of what's his head...the guy we're talking about...uuhh...Mr. No Pretense, Nice Guy...Joe.
The next morning El was up 3 hours later at 7am to head over to Lighthouse Point Park to help setup the reception. The girls had been working feverishly getting a multitude of details completed before the witching hour. Things would have gone wrong if John and Kathleen (and family) didn't show up to lend their hand. I felt sorry for El and offered to bring food to them and pick her up to get ready for the wedding. All their work paid off. The setting was beautiful despite the many setbacks. Joe picked a killer spot right by the water in a huge glass-walled reception area complete with a vintage carousel. As penance for the past couple of days we were welcomed with a breezy, cool day and evening.
Joe and Lalaine wanted to represent both cultures and created a menu of traditional Italian and Filipino foods for dinner: Roasted Whole Pig (Lechon), Chicken Adobo, Cheese-filled Rolatini, Lumpia (filipino eggrolls), and an array of other dishes and native desserts. Even the Cannoli wedding cake was a beautiful change to a traditional cake. Plenty of booze ensured a great night and I made sure to be properly lubricated.
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