Lion King

We just celebrated our first Halloween in the new 'hood. Teddy just celebrated his first Halloween period! We were super lucky to find a first-rate Babystyle lion costume for him from Goodwill for $1. Score!!! I dearly love Halloween, but I like saving a buck even more! Coincidentally, his buddy Emilio across the street was also a lion this year and Carlos and Toni invited us over for beer, burgers, and pictures.



We started to take a cruise around the block to see the excellent neighborhood decorations, but someone got a little spooked. (I won't name names.) So Daddy spent the rest of the evening passing out candy (and watching football) while Teddy and I watched the trick-or-treat action from the bay window. A little Windex should be able to clean all the smudgy excitement off the glass. :)

A shoutout to my favorite costume of the night: the littlest ringmaster complete with red velvet tails, black silk tophat, and curly moustache. He was sassy enough to ask for an extra piece of candy, and cute enough to get away with it.

More pix can be found on Flickr.

Tater Tot

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting television exposure for children under 2 years of age--citing risks to diet, exercise, and sleep quality. Research has also shown that contrary to popular belief (and Baby Einstein marketing), there is no evidence that television viewing benefits children's brain development.

While we had the best intentions to hold out until 2011 before plopping Teddy down to TNG marathons, the battle's already been lost. Given that Naoki and I are both such couch potatoes, I suppose it was inevitable that our little guy would quickly become a tater tot. Found this adorable video on the internet, and it was all downhill from there. He loves the music and the cute characters! I have to admit that it does make life easier to be able to just push play and instantly calm down a screaming baby. And despite what the experts say, is there any chance he might learn some Japanese?



Editor's Note: For those of you who have wondered about the hiatus in posting, I've returned to work full time on a project in Milpitas. Good for job stability; bad for leisure activities (aka blogging and sleeping).

Full House

Although we're stressed about mortgage payments and overwhelmed by the work needed to maintain it, Naoki and I are truly glad we bought our house. As they say in real estate, it's all about location location location. Half of our neighbors are friendly young families and the other half are sweet little grandmothers; all are fun and welcoming. We're within walking distance of the errand essentials (supermarket, pharmacy, bank, post office) as well as treasure troves (Michael's, Ross). Most importantly (at least to Teddy), we're just blocks from a popular playground.



Owning a house has allowed us to entertain a constant stream of visitors. Happiness is having your friends and family all cozied up under the same roof. A couple of weeks ago, Naoki's parents drove in from Colorado and his sister flew in with her baby girl. We had a great time cooking, eating, chatting, shopping, playing cards--just hanging out as a family.



More pix can be found on Flickr.

Little Twin Stars

Naoki and I have always been disappointed that we didn't grow up close to our cousins. But it wasn't just a matter of proximity--we didn't visit often nor were we similar ages. Our hope for Teddy is that he will share tight bonds with his cousin(s) and have many fond memories of playing together.

He's already got a good start in the right direction. Naomi was born a mere 3 months ahead of him and they've already met up twice this summer! If their behavior during our family portrait session is any indication, those two will be thick as thieves and stirring up trouble in no time.



See Naomi flaunt her disdain for the entire affair, while Teddy impishly delights in her saucy behavior. What goobers.

More pix from our session can be found on Flickr.

First Taste is Free

Teddy began his career as a gourmand last week! We finally started him on solid food after a month of feeling guilty during mealtimes while he stared and drooled.

Although the session ended in tears, he actually did really well. Voluntarily opened his mouth, gummed food off of the spoon, contemplated the taste and texture, swallowed it, and opened up for another bite! Only after deciding that rice cereal sucks did he turn on the waterworks. Who could blame him?

After a couple of weeks, here are his thoughts on a few items:

• rice cereal = uninspired
• sweet potatoes = intriguing
• bananas = ambrosial!
• avocado =savory

And because I have a diagnosed case of Spreadsheet-Obsessive Disorder, I created a detailed food journal for him in Excel complete with an automated contact counter and patent-pending Fresh Checker. Booya! (If you are a fellow Type A parent who gets her jollies from data-mining and would like a copy, feel free to email me. I promise not to reveal your secret shame.)

Swingers

July 2, 2009; Maddux Park - Teddy has been practicing for this moment his whole life.

He's taken a few practice rides with the Dooleys and has been studiously observing the other children at the park for weeks. One time, he got so worked up while watching a 10-month old girl swinging back and forth that he started yelling with excitement. This little man has a powerful set of pipes, and poor startled Pasha started to cry!

Now with all eyes upon him (Mama, both Yolanda the Nannies, Pasha, Ian and Maverick) it's time to fly solo.

SWEET SUCCESS!!!

Teddy brought Naoki to the playground the next day to admire his new skills. Note the difference in technique between Mama & Daddy:

Mama stays close so that Teddy can see her and feel safe. Crouched, but ready to spring at the first sign of distress.

Daddy hangs back a little bit to give Teddy a sense of independence. Casually leaning against the post, exuding a calm sense of enjoyment.

And that pretty much sums up our parenting styles.

The Brew Crew

Independence Day meant more to us this year than ever before, now that we've realized the American Dream of homeownership. We joined the neighbors and proudly mounted a flag to the front of the house. Woodside Plaza is a very patriotic neighborhood, with more than half the homes flying flags on the various holidays. Our street almost looked like it was on a parade route with all the stars and stripes fluttering in the breeze--real Norman Rockwell stuff!

Naoki also marked the occasion by introducing his son to the Great American Past-time. They dressed up in their matching Milwaukee Brewers tees and discussed baseball, beer, and sausages. It's a guy thing.

We rounded out the weekend with back to back to back grill-outs. Tadashi and our former roommies came over for some Sixteen Spice Chicken with Cilantro-Pumpkin Seed Sauce, corn, asparagus and key lime pie. Tad made Comme Ca burgers. Dai & Emily brought homemade guacamole and salsa, as well as their new puppy Seal. He's cute! Then off to the Chancellors for a huge family-friendly barbecue, complete with bouncy castle and kiddie fireworks. Chaotic good times! And finally, we invited ourselves over to Ryan and Navisha's new condo for an all-Betty Crocker cookout. Classically delicious. And their home is really fabulous. Congratulations, you two!

Best Friends

They say a boy's best friend is his dog. Since Teddy doesn't have one, he'll have to settle for wearing coordinating doggie tees with his best human friend, Jordan.

I used Photoshop, an inkjet printer and iron-on transfers to make Chloe the Boxer shirts for Jordan and Donovan. Teddy got Oliver the Chihuahua. The littlest dog for the littlest kid. Although he might want a t-shirt with Chloe on it too, since she's so entertaining.



We went to a picnic in Menlo Park yesterday to celebrate SuZan's birthday and wish her bon voyage. While the rest of us spend our vacations poolside with garnished cold beverages, she uses her PTO to travel to Africa and help children work through their feelings. Her application for sainthood has been fast-tracked.

The party was lots of fun, although we are in the midst of a heat wave. Everyone sought cover under the shady trees. Jordan chose to hang out in the tree itself.



More pix can be found on Flickr.

Baby Barbershop

Teddy likes to rock it au naturale. So when Daddy gave him a real haircut the other evening, he insisted on just a little trim on the sides and back. "Don't touch the fauxhawk, mister."

Happy Father's Day!

All the holidays mean more to us this year than ever before, now that we have an additional celebrant. It doesn't mean we go overboard with parties and gifts. We just try to be more thoughtful, enjoy ourselves, and make memories that last.

Naoki let me sleep in on Mother's Day while he cared for Teddy. In turn, I built this blog for him and let him dress our son as a member of a funky fresh dance crew as a Father's Day gift. (Okay, I'll confess that we also splurged on a new gas grill.)

We are fortunate to have good friends to celebrate with too--spent both Mother's Day and Father's Day with Morgan, Kat and Conner. Cheers!



More pix can be found on Flickr.