The Cat Days of Summer...

We had a pretty quiet weekend, which we really needed! Saturday, we went to Nani's for a while, cause Daddy May had to change a tire for her. We also went to see a place in Albany (CA, not NY!), cause we have decided to move there if we can. Mommy May works in Concord, and Daddy May works in Oakland. We still want to live where there is nice weather, which, for us, means somewhere cool and close to the Bay. We considered Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill, but it's just too hot out there!! We have had some issues with our neighbors here in El Sobrante, and Mommy and Daddy May want to live somewhere where there is a good school district. Albany seems to be the best choice for all of us. The place we saw on Saturday wasn't perfect for us, but we will keep on looking!

Sunday was the best, though, cause we just had a long, lazy day with lots of family time! We slept in, cuddled a whole bunch, and took a nice family nap in the afternoon. I also had a much-needed pedicure, included here for your enjoyment:

I continue to do well with my baba... I've become quite the expert, actually! I still like it best when Mommy May breastfeeds me, cause it helps make me feel all warm and sleepy, but baba and I have become friends. It's a little hard to tell from this picture, but I had a pretty grumpy expresssion... Daddy May took a little too long to get my feeding session going!

Weekends at our house are for play, and here I am working out in my "gym" which was a gift from one of Daddy May's coworkers. Thanks so much for the great toy!!

I will write more about some of my other awesome toys soon, but, for now, I will close with a few silly pictures we took while hanging out. This is me impersonating Cassius Clay: "Float like a butterfly, sting like a Baby May!" Daddy May can attest to the fact that I've got a killer right hook.

Here I am pretending to be a super hero. Like a bird, like a plane... it's Baby May!

I love music, and Mommy May and I sing together every day! Nursery Rhymes are so much fun! Here I am, acting out "I'm a Little Teapot, Short and Stout"

A Day in the Life...

Things around here have been busy, let me tell you! We haven't even had time to take too many pictures the past few days, though I promise not to let that happen often. Here's a photo my Yin-Yin emailed to us; she took it with her camera when she was here for a visit last Saturday:

Anyway, to begin: yesterday started super early... matter of fact, I think it's the earliest day I've had yet in my young life. We needed to take our hatchback in for service, so Mommy May hadto drop Daddy May off at the BART station by 6am. Well, as all of you parents out there know, you don't just roll out of bed and hop in the car when you have a baby. We all got up by 5am, so I could be fed and changed and ready in time to go. To tell the truth, I took the trip in my pj's... we figured it was ok seeing as how I'm a baby and all.

We got Daddy May to BART on time and then came home. We had a few hours to eat and relax, then it was time to head over to Nani's house. We picked her up and then went to the bank and then dropped off our car at the dealership. While we were there, Mommy May realized she hadn't brought something the dealer needed, so we had to go BACK home. Well, by this time, even the best of babies (i.e., me!) would need a break, so, since we were home again, we took another break so I could be fed and changed once again.

Next up, Babies R Us. I've written before about how Mommy May is already pumping milk to stock up for when she heads back to work in August. Well, our freezer is a disaster! Milk bags everywhere, even falling out whenever someone opens the freezer door. We went to the baby store to buy a special organizer box. Nani thought that was a little silly; she wondered why we couldn't just use a cheaper, regular box. But this box is fancy and squeezes the milk bags so they freeze flat and take up less space; the box also stores those bags standing up. It's really a neat system.

By this time, it was almost 3pm. Time to go home? Nope! Since we were out and near Oakland, we headed down to Daddy's work so I could meet some of his coworkers. Everyone there was very nice, although one guy said I was a beautiful girl. Of all the nerve! After the visit, Daddy May came with us and we went to Panda Express. I drank my baba and they had a late lunch.

Thankfully, the day started to wrap up after that; we just picked up the hatchback and took Nani home. Whew! I was beat! Here I am, taking a much-needed relaxing bath (censored for obvious reasons!):

A Month of Sundays...

Can you believe it?! I am one month old today!! It has been a great 4 weeks, and I am enjoying every minute of it! We had a very nice weekend, and I got to spend time with both of my grandmas. Yin-Yin came over from the city (of course, I mean San Francisco), and we all went to Applebee's for lunch. Well, I had my baba, but everyone else had Applebee's. Mommy May was saying that she could kick herself, because she didn't get pictures of me together with Yin-Yin and Nani. I went ahead and kicked her myself, cause I'm helpful like that. Daddy May did snap this quick photo of Mommy May and me, at least:

Mommy and Daddy May and I spent some time today taking pictures to commemorate my 1-month milestone. Before we get to that, however, I want to explain something about the Bay Area, for those of you who don't know (or who have conveniently forgotten!). Today is July 20, and today's high temperature at our place was 64 degrees. Fahrenheit. I share this because it made picture-taking a bit of a challenge. This is me taking a quick nap, in a long sleeve shirt, long pants, warm socks, a heavy blanket, and, yes, mittens!

That being said, I wanted to take everyone on a brief trip down memory lane... this was my 1st picture ever, at the hospital on the day I was born:

And here I am today, all grown up! (well, ok, so not ALL grown up, but you know what I mean...)
Check out another pic from day 1:

That outfit was ridiculously big on me then... see how my hands are lost in the sleeves? Well, take a look at this same outfit today:

I can still pull it off, but barely. My little toes are starting to get a bit cramped down there!

I was telling Daddy May a pretty funny joke in this last photo:

As always, more updates to come. Thanks to all of you for keeping track of my blog and following my (remarkable) progress... love you lots!

The Many Faces of Baby May...

Those of you who live for more pictures of me are in for a treat today! I haven't updated my blog for several days, but that certainly doesn't mean I've been idle. This entry is dedicated to my many layers... you know, like an onion.

Obviously, we have to start with sweet and sentimental, cause that's what I'm all about! Enjoy a special moment with Mommy May:

Then, of course, there's the political... I do live in the Bay Area, after all. Here's one I titled "Power to the People"

I can also be stern when need be. Check out my "We Are Not Amused" face:

My "Rico Suave" look showcases my smooth sophistication:


But, most of all, I live to be silly! What is life, after all, without laughter? This one is simply labeled "Stinky"

"Thank You. Thank You Very Much." No, dear friends, Elvis HAS NOT left the building:

Last, but certainly not least, is one I like to call "Popeye the Sailor Man"

(psst! Be sure to check back soon for a very special blog entry!)

Pump Up the Jam... er, I mean, Milk...

Today was Daddy May's first day back at work since my birth. I missed him a whole lot all day, but I got to spend time with him once he got back home. Plus we still had my bedtime routine together as a family, with one big change (I'll come back to that in a minute!).

Mommy May is still on summer break from her job as a teacher; she goes back to work the 3rd week of August. So we have just over a month left before Nani starts watching me during the week. With time dwindling down, Mommy May decided to start learning how to pump her milk and teaching me to drink out of a bottle. That way, being apart all day will be a little easier on both of us, at least in terms of feeding!

On the advice of my pediatrician, as well as Mommy May's mommy friends, they bought the Medela Pump in Style Backpack. You can see a picture here:

It looks like a regular black backpack, until you open it up and pull out what's inside... am I the only one who thinks these look a bit like instruments of torture? Well, that or strange horns:

Out of respect for Mommy May's dignity (and to keep this blog family friendly!), I will not post pictures of Mommy May hooked up to her little machine. She did say, however, that it makes her feel a bit like a dairy cow. Here you can see my reaction the first time I saw Mommy May getting pumped:

Personally, I wasn't sure how much I would like drinking from a bottle. I really like spending my feedings bonding with Mommy May; it's our special time. But, after trying it, I have to say the bottle's not too bad! Plus, I get to do feedings with Daddy May now, too. And, in the end, what I want is the milk, however I have to get it! Here I am, feeding with Mommy May (Daddy May was reading me my bedtime story):


Yes, that's a cloth diaper wrapped around my neck. I'm still a novice with this bottle-drinking phenomenon, so I tend to be a bit sloppy.

Over the River and through the Woods...

...to Grandmother's house we go! Ok, ok, so it was over the Bay Bridge and through SOMA to Yin-Yin's house, but still. The point is, I made my first trip to San Francisco this past week!!

Yin-Yin has 2 brother-sister cats named Max and Ruby. Max wasn't feeling very well, so he was sleeping on Yin-Yin's bed the whole time I was there. I did get to meet Ruby, though, and she was VERY curious about me. She stared and stared at me, but I didn't have the heart to tell her that was rude. Here we are at the start of my visit:

After getting out of my car seat and having a quick meal, I was settled into my throne:

Soon after, my Great-Great-Aunt Betty came over to meet me. Isn't that amazing, to have a Great-Great-Aunt?! It was wonderful getting to know her better!

I always love snuggling up with Daddy May!

Believe it or not, this was our first family picture! We're a good-looking bunch, if I do say so myself. I'm just sorry that it came out so grainy:

After all that visiting, I was tuckered out. Yin-Yin was kind enough to rock me to sleep in her arms... I gotta tell you, it's wonderful being so well loved!

Adventures in Diapering...

They tell me a picture is worth a thousand words... but, never fear, there won't be any photos included in this post!

When Mommy and Daddy May found out they were having me (a boy!), they got a lot of joking advice about how I would love to pee on them during diaper changes. I have to admit, it is a lot of fun!! I even baptized Daddy May my first night of life, during my first diaper change, when we were still at the hospital. Since then, I have taken many an opportunity to shower them down, particularly in the middle of the night, when Mommy and Daddy May are super sleepy and let down their guard.

What no one mentioned to my poor, beleaguered parents, however, is that I would also be prone to pooping (yes, I used the word pooping... I am a baby, and I poop, and I use words like "poop") during diaper changes. That, my friends, has not been fun for any of us! I try to give them signals, but, brilliant as I am, I am not yet speaking, and even I get taken by surprise at times. We don't know if this is a rare phenomenon and I am a mutant baby, or if this is some secret rite that parents have to endure but no one talks about... all I know is that I hope we, as a family, can find a better system before my poor changing table is rendered unusable.

Thanks for tolerating such an indelicate topic... I promise that my next post will return to more lighthearted, and cleanly, matters.

Temper, Temper...

I got angry today, for the first time... though we all know it won't be the last! Mommy May and I had some miscommunication about my dinner; she thought I was still hungry and wanted to keep eating, even though I kept trying to tell her I was full. Finally, I lost my patience and really started to wail. I think Mommy and Daddy May were a bit shocked, as we've already established that I am generally pretty easy-going. Let's keep things in perspective, however, as I still only cried for a few minutes. Luckily, Mommy and Daddy May had watched a video (recommended by Lila's mommy) with tips on how to calm babies:
It is some truly remarkable stuff! One second, I was flailing my arms and yelling and crying, and, next thing I know, Mommy May had me swaddled and turned on my side... I instantly went quiet and limp and returned to my normal self. Even I was amazed! We all had a cuddle, then we proceeded with our nightly ritual of my bath, then story time, then bed.

The video (there's a book, too, which Daddy May read before I was born) talks about the 5 S's: Swaddle, Suck, Side, Shush, and Swing. Used in combination, these can help a baby calm down instantly. I know both of my grandmas were a bit skeptical about how well this would work; I was a little leary of it myself, until I experienced it firsthand... I tell you, it works!

Here's a photo of me sleeping like a baby... a baby burrito, that is, in my swaddler!

On another note, I'm not sure if it came through in any of my earlier pictures, but has anyone else noticed that I seem to be channeling Don King's hairdo? Check out this close-up:

I swear that we aren't styling my hair that way; Mommy May hasn't broken out the styling gel or anything. My hair is just stick straight and naturally stands up. Go figure.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

No, I'm not talking about raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, though who wouldn't love either of those things?! (As an aside, Daddy May has prohibited Mommy May from watching The Sound of Music with me, but she told me she's going to sneak it in anyway! I'm not sure I'll like it; we'll have to see).

Anyhow, back on topic. As I enter into my 3rd week on Planet Earth, our little family has really started to settle into a comfortable routine. Mommy May and another mommy friend of hers have determined that I am an easy baby, and I would have to wholeheartedly agree! The only time I cry is when I am hungry or a little too tired and cranky. I don't think I've cried for more than a few minutes or so at any one time!

I take 2-to-3-hour naps during the day and wake up for an hour or 2 in between. When I'm awake, I am a very happy baby. I like being held by Mommy or Daddy May and watching them, or lying quietly and looking around our house, or just being rocked in my swing:

When naptime comes around again, I like to catch my ZzZz's in my cozy bouncer, so I can stay close to Mommy and Daddy May and not miss any of the action. This bouncer was a gift from my friend Lila (she gave it to me since she got too big and didn't need it anymore). It is seriously comfortable and even vibrates and plays music:

Another very important component of my happiness is my binky. I am still new to so many things in this world, sucking being one of them, so it takes me a few tries to really get a hold of my pacifier, but, once I do, I am a very happy camper!

My Itty Bitty Kitty, while not technically a thing, is also one of my favorites, and she takes almost as many naps as I do! She has a set place on the back on the couch where she likes to curl up, and she's very well-behaved and only sleeps on her little gray blanket:

But the biggest secret to our success as a happy family, apart from the fact that I am just such an agreeable baby, is our nighttime routine. Mommy and Daddy May set up a bedtime ritual right away, which really makes things easier for me. Between 7:30 and 8:30 pm every night, Mommy May makes sure I am awake and feeds me dinner. After eating, Mommy and Daddy May give me my bath, which is hands down my favorite time of day! The bath itself is ok; I have a baby bathtub and get to soak in the warm water. The best part is actually after my bath when Daddy May holds me over the sink and Mommy May shampoos my hair... it is Divine!! I am always so relaxed and happy after my shampoo. Then Mommy May feeds me one more time while Daddy May reads me a story. After that, I happily go to sleep for at least 4-hour stretches in between feedings. My nighttime feedings are very relaxed and quiet, and I almost always go right back to sleep after eating and getting changed. The only tricky part for Mommy May is keeping me awake long enough to have a full feeding!

Here's me right after my bath and shampoo:

Next up, me sleeping like an angel in my playard. I don't use my crib yet, cause I'm so little yet and Mommy and Daddy May want me close by while I still need so many nighttime feedings. I really love my playard! As you can see, I sleep in the bassinet. Mommy and Daddy May have just started training me to go to sleep on my own; they now put me in there while I'm drowsy but still awake. I wasn't a big fan of that at first; I would cry a few times and they would come in and comfort me and make sure I had my binky. After a few nights, though, I got the hang of it, and now I don't mind too much (although being swaddled sometimes makes me mad still!). I have also recently discovered the mobile at the top of my playard... I can stare at that thing for MINUTES at a time, which, for those of you who don't know, is an eternity in baby time!

Peace out!

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Tía Lu!

Today is my Tía Lu's birthday, and I wanted to celebrate by sharing some pictures of us together. Lu came to visit me last weekend, and we had a great time!

We just hung out at home and relaxed; Tía Lu caught up on some laundry, and all of us caught up on some sleep!

It got pretty warm on Saturday afternoon, so I decided to hang out in my diaper and cool off for a bit. Tía Lu and I played for a while and made funny faces at each other. Unfortunately, I missed my cue to smile and kept making faces through this picture:

Our time together passed much too quickly, and it was soon time to say goodbye... I was pretty sleepy in this next picture, but I rallied as best I could!

I love you, Tía Lu, and I can't wait to see you again! XOXOXOXO

p.s. I had also promised pictures with my Aunties Felicity and Lois, but, unfortunately, the pictures came out super blurry... I'll just have to find an excuse to hang out with them again soon to get some proper photos!