Tarnished Lady

Ladies Man

We went to a winter solstice dinner at a friend's on December 21st- the longest night of the year- and were encouraged to bring the baby as they have a baby girl Lilith who is 6 weeks older than Jasper is and she would be there. Also, there was another baby girl named Eve (same age as Lilith) and a wee one only 2 1/2 weeks old named Novie.
We ate lots of delicious deep fried turkey and cornbread stuffing along with a Mexican Christmas specialty, tamales.

We simply had to get all the babies together for a photo op which was hilarious.

The two girls on the sides of Jasper began leaning in towards him and touched him.

He quite liked the attention we thought as he didn't cry and got very animated.
The rest of the cute set and a little video is on my Flicker page HERE.

Our 1st Christmas

It was exactly that- our very first Christmas as a family- and we kept it very low key and simple.

On Christmas Eve, we went together to the movies (the Mommy & Me screenings) and saw Slumdog Millionaire which was so good. After that, we picked up Kime and ate a heap of food at this fun Asian all-u-can-eat buffet. I say Asian b/c there was Chinese food as well as Japanese and Filipino, etc.
We dropped Kime home and then went to Pasadena to do some Christmas Eve shopping for the baby's stocking.
Then we came home and gave him a bath which is always fun. He loves the bath so much.
The next day which was Christmas it was raining. This made it sort of magical to us b/c it never rains in LA.
We slept in until nearly noon which felt great.

Then Matt made us a yummy breakfast of Applewood smoked bacon, eggs, buttery biscuits and polenta cakes with gouda.
After a leisurely meal, we watched Jasper "open" his gifts.

We got for him some great books and music that he loves along with a minky blanket and plush sheets for his co-sleeper.
After all of that, we booked staggered massages at the Thai spa. Matt went first and I watched the baby then we switched. It was so nice and after that, I made us a red curry with chicken over jasmine rice for dinner.
A lovely start for our family.

Baby New Year

Baby New Year, originally uploaded by Orchide.

We had a mellow evening at home with the baby, cooking our goodies up for the next day.

We made a black forest ham with brown sugar, molasses and honey crust, black eyed peas cooked down with a ham hock and rice, fried cabbage, turnip greens w/ peppers, onion and ham.

Kim Green, Buffalo and a pal visiting from the ATL came over to eat.
It was a good way to start off 2009 and we decided this will be a new family tradition for us.
The rest of the photos are on my Flicker page HERE.

Oh yes, I will be making a Christmas post here shortly.
Happy New Years!
I just wanted to get this one up right away.
Part of my resolution is to not procrastinate.

Papa is the best reader

Papa is the best reader, originally uploaded by Orchide.

My parents came into town for a brief but sweet visit to meet their new grandson.

To see the rest of the Flicker set pictures, go HERE.

This set HERE is from Thanksgiving when Uncle Mike & Aunt Elena came down from San Francisco.

Here is a video as well that I finally uploaded. Its from when Jasper was only 5 weeks old.

Wrap it up!

Someone was asking me about the different carriers we have for Jasper and how they differ.
I snapped some pictures of them to post here.

Firstly, here he is with his daddy in his infant insert inside our organic Ergo. Ergos fall into the "structured carrier" category and are supposed to be better for the baby's hips and the wearer's back than Bjorns are. Matt said its pretty comfy to wear and as you can see, Jasper likes it. These can be worn in front, on the hip or on the back and can be used up to age 4.

Here he is in his Zolowear brand ring sling with me. He likes to be in this one when he wants to be cradled.This is best for younger babes.

This is his Kozy Carrier brand Mei Tai carrier. Mei Tais are soft, unstructured carriers and can be worn like the Ergo on front or on the back. He loves this one for out in public and its so easy to get him in and out. It can worn on either side- with stripes showing or black only- and has a hidden pocket for keys and pacifier.

Finally, here is Jasper in his Baby Pouch wrap. Its pretty much like a Moby but more stretchy I am told.
This one will put him to sleep straight away and keep him asleep as long as he is inside it. I have taken him to Mommy & Me matinees of 3 hour movies and he snoozed for the duration. This one is great b/c as you can see on the clickable link, it can be wrapped a multitude of ways.

I am so happy that we gave these a real try and got Jasper used to being worn b/c its great to have him close and be able to have both your arms free.
I admit I had to make them work b/c of my stitches being open still and having to abide with my doctor's recommendation for me to lift nothing heavier than the baby. Our stroller is a sturdy Peg Perego and for me to get it down a flight of stairs by myself to roll to the car is impossible right now until I am healed.
These carriers have saved the day for me and I encourage anyone curious about baby-wearing to give it a go.
Studies show they are the best thing for bonding and for building trust.
Its funny to me when people react on the street out and about as though this is a new trendy fashion phase.
Fact is, baby-wearing is ancient and goes waaaaaay back.
I mean, what do these people think parents did before the time of strollers?