Jet-setters...

Sorry it's been a little while since I've posted... things have been down right crazy lately!! As of last weekend, I am officially a world traveler. We went on a trek all the way to Vancouver for Uncle Trav and Uncle Trevor's wedding! Here I am at 5 am on the morning of our trip... of course I wouldn't dream of going anywhere without my monkey:

Here, monkey and I are getting strapped in for our first plane ride... safety first!

We flew from Oakland to Seattle, where we met up with Tía Lu and Uncle Pete. Then, we all drove up the rest of the way to Vancouver. This was our rental car:

We had some trouble with the Canadian border patrol... they were super mean and held us up while they asked lots and lots of questions. They almost strip-searched me... good thing I had a poopie diaper!

Despite our well-laid plans (not to mention some serious rushing), we kept running behind. Although I normally spend all of my car trips napping, I refused to sleep the whole drive from Seattle to Vancouver. We only had an hour to check-in to our hotel and get ready for the wedding, so I only got to nap for 30 minutes before we headed over for the ceremony. Mommy May was very nervous about how little I had slept all day, but, at that point, what choice did we have but to keep on truckin'?

Thankfully, we made it in time for the ceremony! The wedding site was beautiful, as was the ceremony:

It was quite chilly, so I stayed bundled up:

Tía Lu and Uncle Pete, all dolled up:

Alas, we barely made it through the ceremony before I had finally had enough. All of the traveling, all of the hurrying, and way too little sleep had taken it's toll. In the receiving line, Uncle Trav smiled big at me and started to tell me how adorable I looked in my little suit. Poor Uncle Trav... as soon as I saw him, I started screaming and crying. I promise it wasn't personal though, because I kept screaming for the next hour, until I finally fell into an exhausted sleep. At that point, Mommy and Daddy May were both also at the end of their ropes, and they were worried that I might wake up and start crying all over again, so we headed back the hotel.

I do have proof we were there, though, in this single, solitary picture of us at this very special event:
Here I am, back at the hotel that night, huddled under the covers. If you look very closely, you can just barely make out my poor, tired little foot:


Unfortunately, that was not the end of our ordeal, and we had to turn around and make the long trip home. Mommy May was determined to keep me on a better nap schedule on the way back, and I had a few good naps in the car.

Despite having more sleep, I had what could only be called a meltdown in the airport right before we boarded our flight home. About 15 minutes before boarding, I started screaming and wouldn't stop, no matter what! People kept coming up to Mommy May and asking if they could do anything to help... I think they thought she was the worst mommy ever! I finally quited down, and we boarded. Right around take-off, I started up again! A nasty yuppie couple sitting in front of us kept turning around and giving Mommy and Daddy May dirty looks and making mean comments. Mommy May pretty much panicked at that point, worried that I might scream the whole way home. But that great Mommy May got me to sleep in less than 10 minutes! Phew! I slept the rest of the way home, and barely stirred when they got me to bed.

I was all smiles the next morning, thrilled to be back home!

The Women in My Life...

I mentioned in my last post that my Tía Lu came up this weekend for the Nike Women's Marathon. We spent most of Saturday together, which was wonderful!! For a second, though, I started to wonder if she might be more granny than aunt:

I may be young, but I know enough to know that I will never catch Mommy May knitting!! I was a little disappointed that she wasn't making something for me, but we still have a few months left before my first Christmas *hint, hint*

Here we are together... I was mesmerized by her pretty shirt:

I also got this quick pic with Nani... see how I'm holding my hands? That's one of my newest tricks! Sometimes, I just sit and stare at my hands... I'm becoming quite amazed by what they can do!


We all piled into the car this morning to go and see the race... well, Mommy May, Nani, and Cousin Laura went to see Tía Lu race. Daddy May and I dropped them off near the end of the course, and then we went to Yin-Yin's for a quick visit. We all figured it might be too crowded and cold for a baby. Besides, I love any chance I get to visit my Yin-Yin! Here's Tía Lu goofing around after the race:

We made it back home by early afternoon, which left lots of time for relaxing. Yin-Yin got me a really great blanket, with all kinds of bells and whistles. It even has attached toys and a built-in pillow! Daddy May and I played with it for a while and then spent some time just lounging:

So, between hanging out at home and heading over the bridge to Yin-Yin's house, I got to see all of the women in my life today. I am such a lucky baby!!

Night Moves...

Today was a relatively uneventful day, which was just fine by me and Mommy May. We ran a few errands to get ready for my Tía Lu's visit! She is coming up this weekend for the Nike Women's Marathon in SF. She'll get here tonight, but way past my bedtime! I get to spend most of tomorrow with her, though, and I can't wait!

Once Mommy May and I got back home today, I spent a lot of the afternoon playing, which has become my favorite pastime! Here I am having a meeting with a few of my toys; sometimes they get a little feisty, so I have to remind them who's boss:

Did you notice, right at the end of the video, where I crane my head around as if I'm going to take a bite out of my monkey? Well, that's my new thing. I often sleep in that weird position now. Go figure.

Speaking of sleep, Mommy and Daddy May are slowly weaning me off swaddling. I still need to be wrapped when I first go to sleep, so Mommy May just wraps me lightly with a blanket that I can easily wiggle out of as I move around. And boy do I move!! Another of my sleep-related quirks is the tendency to move myself into the corner of my crib, like this:

Mommy and Daddy May always, always place me in the middle of my crib to sleep, but they usually find me up in that corner before too long. Just to show that I don't discriminate against other corners, here I am at the other end:

I'm also a big fan of sleeping on my side now, as you can see in this dignified picture that we titled Stupor:

p.s. On a completely unrelated note, Mommy May had a pretty good coupon, so she picked me up a boppy pillow today. In addition to being useful as a nursing pillow, it's great for tummy time. There's actually a pretty cute picture of me smiling with my new pillow, but I'm including this one instead, because Mommy May said it made her heart melt into a puddle on the floor:

I guess it is true that mommies have to love their children... even when they drool!

Work Hard, Play Hard...

I've written a few posts about some challenges we've had at home since Mommy May went back to work, so, for now, Mommy May has cut back her days at work so she can spend more time with me. Even though she didn't have to go in for the whole day, she had a morning meeting today, so she took me with her!! By now, you all know that I am a baby who loves to sleep. I generally sleep from 7:00 pm (or earlier) until 8:00 am (or later), waking up just a few times to eat. So this is how I felt about having to get up early with Mommy May:

Grumpy morning aside, Mommy May and I actually had a completely wonderful day. I was adored by all at Mommy May's school, of course, and I even got to meet some of her students! Afterwards, we stopped by the mall so Mommy May could finish putting together her outfit for the upcoming wedding. (More to come very soon on that topic!!!)

I was undeniably good the whole time, as always, and I managed to fit in 3 pretty long naps while we were out on the town, or, as Nani likes to call it, "out measuring the streets." Once we got home, I spent some time playing in my walker, and I have already learned how to move myself around the kitchen:

After a fun-filled day of work and play, Mommy May and I took a nice, long afternoon nap together. It was wonderful! But the best part of the day, at least from Mommy May's perspective, was that I nursed without complaint the entire day! What nursing strike? I nursed while we were out, while we were home, and even at bedtime! I hadn't done that in quite some time.

Mommy May credits the new bottle system she got me, and I would have to agree that it has certainly helped. I had only ever used Dr. Brown's bottles, which Mommy and Daddy May chose to help prevent tummy troubles. They never imagined that I might end up preferring my baba to breastfeeding, though. So, after some research, they switched me to The First Years Breastflow bottles. The bottles are designed to mimic breastfeeding, and I have to latch on and use compression--just like nursing!

I have to admit that I resisted the bottle change at first; after all, the other bottles were so easy and comfortable. But, from the first day with the new system, I started to resolve my nipple confusion and had less trouble breastfeeding. Now, it seems, we are totally back on track! Yay!! Thanks, Mommy May, for not giving up without a fight.

Honored Guests...

We had some very extra-special visitors this weekend... my Uncles Trav and Trevor!! I was very, very happy to meet them, though you can't really tell that from this picture:

Mommy May took that picture a little before bathtime, so I was hovering on the line between content and grumpy. Before the photo, though, I had been smiling and visiting quite happily. Both Trav and Trevor were quite impressed with my cuteness, as well as how big I am already! They also brought me the cutest pair of lion slippers! Uncle Trav said he wanted a pair for himself, but I don't think they make them in big boy sizes:

Last but not least, Uncle Trav read me my bedtime story. He read me Goodnight, Moon--which is one of my favorite books already!


I wish that I had more time to visit with them, but at least I get to see them again soon when we head up to Vancouver for their wedding day!

See you soon, guys... for now, goodnight noises everywhere!!!

Happy B-day...

Today is my Daddy May's birthday!! Nani stayed over for dinner while I had my last afternoon nap, and, when I woke up, we all sang Happy Birthday to Daddy May. Mommy May baked and decorated a cake for him, and, if you look carefully, you can see that the colors of the flames match the candles:


Pretty cute, huh? I'm still too young to have cake, but I did help Daddy May blow out the candles:
My present to Daddy May was a card and a video game (Lego Batman) that I plan to play a lot once I get old enough. Both Mommy May and Nani got Daddy May some new tools, which made him pretty happy. But, let's be honest, we all know he liked my present best!

My BFF...

This weekend--which was EXCELLENT--held many firsts for me!! I have recently been taking much more of an interest in toys, so Daddy May started digging out a few of my many toys that had been packed away for our move. There was a set of toy keys, some finger puppets, a couple rattles, and, best of all, my new best friend! Here I am, hugging my monkey:

Who knew a 3-month-old knew how to hug? I did, silly!

I spent much of the day hugging and chewing on my little monkey; luckily, he didn't seem to mind at all! I insisted on spending the whole day with him, during play time, nap time, and even when we went out to run errands. We also talked lots and lots and shared all of our secrets, as you can see here:

While we're on the subject of toys, Mommy May also got me some cool new gear this weekend. For my first few months, I spent most of my "hang out" time in my bouncer or my swing. At first, that was all I needed. Recently, though, as I have gotten better and better at holding my head up, I have really been wanting to sit up straighter!! I also really like to stand (with lots of help, of course!) and push myself up with my legs. When Mommy May was a baby, she spent lots of time running around in her walker. In fact, she told me she learned to walk even before she learned to crawl! Yin-Yin was also telling us that Daddy May used to love bouncing around in his jumper. Mommy May wasn't sure which one I would like better, so she ended up getting me both. Thanks, Mommy May!! Here I am in my new jumpster:

I still need some help and support to manuever this contraption, but I am taking it very seriously, learning how to bounce myself, turn around, and push up with my feet. It's been a blast! I also like my walker, though, for now, it's really more of a supportive seat for me, where I can sit up straight and be a part of all the action here at home.

Last but certainly not least is my light-up bear. If you take another look at my first monkey picture, there's a white teddy bear up in the corner. That was a gift from one of my relatives, sent before I was even born. Daddy May broke it out recently, and I find it mesmerizing. There's a button on the paw that, when pressed, makes the bear light up from the inside, slowly cycling through different colors. It's totally trippy! For the most part, the colors are beautiful pastels... every once in a while, though, the lights cycle through red, which makes my bear look just a little bit evil. I don't mind, though. We have realized that the soothing lights really help me fall asleep. Tonight, after Mommy May fed me one last time and Daddy May read me a story, they put me to bed, sleepy and awake, and turned on the bear. With no complaint, no tears, I settled down to watch the light show and wait for sweet dreams.