Hike in Muir Woods

Great time in a special forest. 

More pictures to come..

New Bay Bridge Opening - Maiden Voyage

Late evening of September 2 we were among the very first to go over the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge! When we heard they were planning to open the new bridge nearly 6 hours early we decided to go check it out that night. We got in the car and waited close to one of the onramps and then a few minutes after 10:15PM traffic started slowly moving. The first thing you notice when you drive over the bridge is how nice and clean it is. The pavement is smooth and even the lighting is super even, I think they did a great job setting up all the lights because you are never blinded by them, yet there is plenty light. As you approach the main tower the whole bridge tower fills the view and it almost looks like a cathedral.

Somebody we know didn't last to see the return trip.

More About U2

It didn't really hit me until they showed a black and white video (embedded in Pete's post below) with a shot of the band walking out onto stage. For the past, oh just 25 years, I've loved U2 and have had a massive crush on the drummer, Larry Mullen Jr. Also known as Lawrence, in case you were wondering. So when I saw that shot, I start screaming like a hysterical teenager, mouth agape, unable to reconcile the fact that a dream for 25 years was finally coming true. 

Forget the fact it was Pete's present for a minute, will ya? 

For my 15th birthday, what I wanted to do MORE THAN ANYTHING, was go see Rattle and Hum, the U2 documentary about their then-tour. I had already watched The Unforgettable Fire and memorized every lyric of that album and the Joshua Tree. This was before Pandora and iTunes, ahem, so I had to go to Rainbow Records  and scour the U2 section for a cassette tape, then dedicate a good hour of time to listen to the first side, note my favorite songs, memorize the lyrics, then flip sides and do the same. On Nov. 15, 1988, opening night at the Cineplex, I went to see it, and was beyond beyond beyond thrilled. It was insanely awesome.

So maybe I was a little obsessed. 

During the concert I continued to elbow Pete and just look at him with the most CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING look on my face. The swagger/lunge/weird dance of Bono and suggestive grunts, all memorized from Rattle and Hum, were there. Larry playing his heart out on the drums. Edge rocking it and providing backup vocals and Adam punctuating the songs with his bass. It was all there, and perhaps I'm being melodramatic, but it really was everything I had hoped it would be. I know Pete was thrilled, and really, it was such a memorable night. I sat there and wondered, why don't we go to awesome concerts more often? Because THIS -- THIS NIGHT -- was all about making memories. 

So what I'm saying is, it was so awesome. Beyond awesome. 

We're Here

And we learned some lessons along the way:

1. When you get print tickets for your infant traveler only, put them with your passports immediately so you won't have a mad dash at 11 p.m. the night before your trip trying to remember where they are.
2. If you happen to call the airline to ask for assistance in this particular case, DO NOT trust them when they say it's no problem that you don't have them, as long as you have the booking code you're good to go.
3. When you wake up late and think, whew we've got another hour to get ready, USE THAT HOUR WISELY. i.e. not on Facebook.
   
4. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES fly into JFK. Just don't. DON'T. If you do, you have to LEAVE SECURITY AND WALK OUTSIDE in 20 degree weather WITHOUT YOUR COATS (even on the baby!!) to take a decrepit train and then proceed through security all over again.
   
5. DO NOT forget to change the baby's diaper regularly, even if baby seems perfectly comfortable and fine. Set timers, whatever you gotta do, just get that done regularly.
   
6. DO NOT pack any less than 7 diapers. There's a good chance you'll get poo or pee on you.
   
7. Do not pack any less than THREE backup outfits, cause you'll have to recycle previously peed on outfits when #2 bites it, you can't find the socks, and oh yeah, there's poop on the blanket.
   
8. DO NOT pack all of your clothes and the baby's clothes and for crying out loud, the baby's formula all in one suitcase. Because if you happened to not listen to Rule #4, you will be SO shitouttaluck when that suitcase doesn't arrive.
   

The good news: Christmas gifts, all my stuff for showering, etc. made it, and we didn't lose the baby in NY. It could have been worse, although I'm not sure we'll do a two-stop trip again to try to find out.

Say a prayer my suitcase makes it.

Chillin

It's Sunday a.m., Pete's in Pasadena for a car show and I'm handling things just fine, thankyouverymuch. We got a new high chair yesterday, courtesy of Craigslist (whoo-hoo!). Here's are the full specs on it, in case you care (three reclining positions??).

Little Miss has decided that puffs trump everything, and bananas are no longer interesting. Or avocados. She ate puffs for a good hour this morning, and I was so impressed with how many she was eating and figured, hey at least she's eating. Then I removed the tray and realized where at least one-third the puffs had gone, all over her lap.

I have had some challenges putting her down for naps; she wants me to pick her up and in the past I have; I've created a monster! I'm getting better at it, and though she cries everytime, it's getting easier each time.

We're headed up to the city to see my girlfriends, and I've packed banana and oats with me for her. She'll be eating it, for sure.

I hope Pete is having fun -- it was his birthday yesterday!

New Feature!

We've created a new feature on the right called We Recommend. These are things that we cannot live without. A little note about each of them:

Dunstan Baby Language: this woman in Australia has a photographic memory for sounds. She had a baby and classified his cries into 5 sounds. She teaches you what to listen for and how to respond (the most DUH part being if you're baby is hungry, feed her). But we did learn some new burping techniques and have since started burping Lucia throughout the day instead of just after feedings. This has helped tremendously with the evening fussiness -- which I liked that the video called the "5 o'clock grizzlies."

Happiest Baby on the Block DVD: we learned how to swaddle, which is KEY for Lucia going to sleep.

The Baby Tracker is essential for tracking how much she's eating, how much milk I'm producing and what time she got her Zantac. We cannot live without this book!

The swing is ESSENTIAL for um, sanity. We can put her in her when she's sleepy and she zonks right out. We got it on Craigslist, but we would have paid full price.

Ergo Baby Carrier: well worth the money. I've only gotten a chance to wear it a few times (damn incision!) but Pete really likes it and my mom was proud as a peacock to wear it while she was visiting.

Muslin blankets: PERFECT weight and size for swaddling. We typically put Lucia in a nightgown or a sleeper for bedtime, and these blankets are just perfect.