Blaire has been able to roll front to back since she was 2 weeks old (can you say genius?), but last Saturday she finally broke through and started rolling from her back to her front. It was a little slow going at first, but by the time Grandma and Grandpa showed up for Thanksgiving on Thursday, it was old hat.
The funny thing is that she has always hated tummy time. The fact that she can get to her tummy by herself has not changed the fact that she still hates being on her stomach. As soon as she is placed on her back she rolls right over, then immediately begins to scream because she is on her tummy. Every time I see it I'm reminded of a quote by Ron Burgundy in the movie Anchorman after he jumps into the Kodiak bear pit at the San Diego Zoo- "I immediately regret this decision!"
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Missing You
We had a fun Halloween. Ally and I were party poopers and didn't dress up. Blaire wasn't so lucky.
With Ally on the job, Blaire had no hope of making it through Halloween without the full experience. I think we bought her costume in August and took her to have pictures in the costume in late September. Blaire "decided" to be a bat, which is pretty fitting considering her initials are B.A.T. Ally also purchased a bat trick-or-treat bag with Blaire's name embroidered on it. She was one festive baby.
Blaire's debut was at the ward trunk-or-treat on Saturday the 30th. She looked awesome, and was surprisingly well behaved. I think she was taken in by all the people, sights, and sounds. On Sunday we decided that we needed to give her a more traditional trick-or-treat experience, so we took her to two houses. Like most parents of small children, our motives were entirely selfish as we really just wanted the photo ops. Blaire promptly fell asleep so all we ended up with were pictures of Ally asking people for candy while holding a sleeping baby. Nice!
On a different note, I flew to Las Vegas for some meetings the week before last. I left early and my return flight was delayed, so I got home pretty late and didn't see Blaire at all that day. During the flight home I was reading and before long found myself thinking about Blaire. It was at that moment I realized I was missing her. It's the first time I can remember feeling that way since her birth, and it was quite a departure from early on in Blaire's life when I would have an overnight trip and feel guilty because I enjoyed being in a quiet hotel where I could finally get some rest.
I've made it no secret that I didn't immediately take to parenthood. The first weeks are a lot of work, and I personally didn't feel all that connected to my baby initially. When you have something that is a ton of work and doesn't exhibit traits that illicit any feelings of endearment, it's difficult to miss that thing when it's not around.
Of course since those first weeks Blaire has done a lot of things to engender tender feelings, and now I find that I feel quite the opposite about her. I'm obsessed. I think about her constantly. While I'm away, I wish I was around, and when I'm around I want to hang out and watch her as she discovers things, and learns how to use her hands, and observes new sights and sounds, and...you get the idea.
My favorite is when she wakes up in the morning. She just lies in her bed patiently with her eyes open until someone comes to get her. As soon as I lean down close enough for her to recognize me she tilts her head to the side and gives me the biggest smile her face can handle, and she remains in this euphoric state for about 15min until she is changed and awake enough to realize she's hungry. I LOVE this time. Unfortunately, I leave for work too early on the weekdays to take part in the routine. Just another reason why having a job that requires you to be at work at 6:30 stinks. (Sometimes I go in late just so I can do the morning thing with Blaire...please don't tell anyone)
Here are some pics.
With Ally on the job, Blaire had no hope of making it through Halloween without the full experience. I think we bought her costume in August and took her to have pictures in the costume in late September. Blaire "decided" to be a bat, which is pretty fitting considering her initials are B.A.T. Ally also purchased a bat trick-or-treat bag with Blaire's name embroidered on it. She was one festive baby.
Blaire's debut was at the ward trunk-or-treat on Saturday the 30th. She looked awesome, and was surprisingly well behaved. I think she was taken in by all the people, sights, and sounds. On Sunday we decided that we needed to give her a more traditional trick-or-treat experience, so we took her to two houses. Like most parents of small children, our motives were entirely selfish as we really just wanted the photo ops. Blaire promptly fell asleep so all we ended up with were pictures of Ally asking people for candy while holding a sleeping baby. Nice!
On a different note, I flew to Las Vegas for some meetings the week before last. I left early and my return flight was delayed, so I got home pretty late and didn't see Blaire at all that day. During the flight home I was reading and before long found myself thinking about Blaire. It was at that moment I realized I was missing her. It's the first time I can remember feeling that way since her birth, and it was quite a departure from early on in Blaire's life when I would have an overnight trip and feel guilty because I enjoyed being in a quiet hotel where I could finally get some rest.
I've made it no secret that I didn't immediately take to parenthood. The first weeks are a lot of work, and I personally didn't feel all that connected to my baby initially. When you have something that is a ton of work and doesn't exhibit traits that illicit any feelings of endearment, it's difficult to miss that thing when it's not around.
Of course since those first weeks Blaire has done a lot of things to engender tender feelings, and now I find that I feel quite the opposite about her. I'm obsessed. I think about her constantly. While I'm away, I wish I was around, and when I'm around I want to hang out and watch her as she discovers things, and learns how to use her hands, and observes new sights and sounds, and...you get the idea.
My favorite is when she wakes up in the morning. She just lies in her bed patiently with her eyes open until someone comes to get her. As soon as I lean down close enough for her to recognize me she tilts her head to the side and gives me the biggest smile her face can handle, and she remains in this euphoric state for about 15min until she is changed and awake enough to realize she's hungry. I LOVE this time. Unfortunately, I leave for work too early on the weekdays to take part in the routine. Just another reason why having a job that requires you to be at work at 6:30 stinks. (Sometimes I go in late just so I can do the morning thing with Blaire...please don't tell anyone)
Here are some pics.
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| Heading out to trick or treat |
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| Sleeping bat. |
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| At the trunk-or-treat |
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| It's an upside down bat in case you couldn't tell |
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| I love this B.A.T. |
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Ahhh Yes...Fall
We finally kicked off our fall this weekend by taking Blaire to a popular pumpkin patch in town called "Mr. Bones" and then to the LA Farmer's Market. We had fun and Blaire was great (probably why it was so fun).
Why is Fall such a great time of year? I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, I've heard others express similar sentiment on many occasions. Obviously the partiality to the season is partly due to the weather. It's wonderful when the heat of summer ends and a briskness fills the air. But in some ways spring shares similar climate traits and has the added benefit of being the light at the end of the winter tunnel. Yet I just don't feel the same way about spring. After careful (almost no) thought, here's what I've come up with.
The Colors- warm, bright fall colors. Changing leaves. What else can you say?
The Holidays- I think our bodies instinctively know that with a change of the weather comes the holiday season. We get a nice warm up with Halloween (a great holiday unto itself) and then go headlong into Thanksgiving and Christmas. The food, the family, the spirit...it's awesome. And fall is the entrée to it all.
The Sports- football season begins and the baseball playoffs start. It's great. Admittedly I'm not much of a basketball fan, so I'm likely a little biased.
Happy Fall!
Why is Fall such a great time of year? I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, I've heard others express similar sentiment on many occasions. Obviously the partiality to the season is partly due to the weather. It's wonderful when the heat of summer ends and a briskness fills the air. But in some ways spring shares similar climate traits and has the added benefit of being the light at the end of the winter tunnel. Yet I just don't feel the same way about spring. After careful (almost no) thought, here's what I've come up with.
The Colors- warm, bright fall colors. Changing leaves. What else can you say?
The Holidays- I think our bodies instinctively know that with a change of the weather comes the holiday season. We get a nice warm up with Halloween (a great holiday unto itself) and then go headlong into Thanksgiving and Christmas. The food, the family, the spirit...it's awesome. And fall is the entrée to it all.
The Sports- football season begins and the baseball playoffs start. It's great. Admittedly I'm not much of a basketball fan, so I'm likely a little biased.
Happy Fall!
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| Mr Bones |
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| Nanny got in on the action. |
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| Nothing says fall like sausage! |
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| Blaire looks pumped. |
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Laugh Out Loud
As we were driving to a friends house yesterday Blaire apparently thought something about the ride was hilarious. She's laughed before, just little he-he's, but this was the first time she really had a belly laugh. Very cute. Mama cried.
Two weekends ago we went to Utah to bless Blaire and spend some time with our families. We had a great trip and saw both of our families and many of our friends. The blessing was a nice affair. We were pretty overcome by the generosity of our loved ones and are grateful to everyone for coming and sharing the day with Blaire.
For posterity's sake, a quick chronicle of the blessing events:
Ally's uncle Steve Hutchinson said some words and lead Ally and me in a reading.
Ally's sister Melissa read an Irish blessing.
I blessed Blaire along with my father, my brothers, and some close friends.
We had a nice lunch courtesy of my parents who carted 25lbs of carne asada from Brawley, and all the hands who helped in preparation.
On Sunday following the blessing we drove up to Bear Lake along with Allyson's family to spend a few days of vacation. Bear Lake is beautiful this time of year, but very dead as the summer tourist season is over. It was very low key which is exactly what I was looking for. We had fun, collected some shells, went swimming, and ate some chocolate covered raspberries.
Overall it was a great trip. Blaire traveled well and we loved seeing everyone.
Two weekends ago we went to Utah to bless Blaire and spend some time with our families. We had a great trip and saw both of our families and many of our friends. The blessing was a nice affair. We were pretty overcome by the generosity of our loved ones and are grateful to everyone for coming and sharing the day with Blaire.
For posterity's sake, a quick chronicle of the blessing events:
Ally's uncle Steve Hutchinson said some words and lead Ally and me in a reading.
Ally's sister Melissa read an Irish blessing.
I blessed Blaire along with my father, my brothers, and some close friends.
We had a nice lunch courtesy of my parents who carted 25lbs of carne asada from Brawley, and all the hands who helped in preparation.
On Sunday following the blessing we drove up to Bear Lake along with Allyson's family to spend a few days of vacation. Bear Lake is beautiful this time of year, but very dead as the summer tourist season is over. It was very low key which is exactly what I was looking for. We had fun, collected some shells, went swimming, and ate some chocolate covered raspberries.
Overall it was a great trip. Blaire traveled well and we loved seeing everyone.
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| Dad helping in the kitchen. Very masculine Dad. |
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| Blaire and aunt Torry |
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| We visited the site where it all began. "Utah State hey Aggies all the way!" |
Saturday, September 11, 2010
New York
I had business in NY last week, so I got to spend a couple of days in the city. It's the first time I've been back since Ally and I lived there in 07. I had forgotten how much I love that place. The differences between NY and LA are stark, which I knew, but this was the most apparent it's ever been to me, probably because up until the last three years I hadn't really spent a lot of time in LA. But now that I've put man hours in each place, I'm beginning to understand why Biggie and Tupac were at odds.
For one thing, people in NY are a lot nicer than folks in LA (I know, I'm painting with pretty broad strokes here). I've long thought New Yorkers have a bad rap when it comes to friendliness. Perhaps it's because they live right on top of each other and are forced to interact so much while walking on the streets, riding in the subway, etc. All I know is that my experience has always been that New Yorkers will readily engage you and are generally helpful when needed. I've made quite a few friends while riding the subway, and even exchanged phone numbers with a guy last week who wanted me to give him a call next time I'm in town.
LA I think suffers from the opposite problem. People never having to interact while out of the home. No one walks anywhere, yards are small and neighborhoods are crowded so you rarely see neighbors out in the yard playing with kids or chatting with the guy next door. I think people sit in traffic all day and just want to go into their homes at day end and not be bothered.
Another contrast is the general style of the two cities. In NY people are very individualistic, but stylish non the less. There is an ease to the look of those in the city- shoes are warn from walking, and clothes looked lived in. In LA, whether Angeleno's want to believe it or not, the look is very homogeneous, especially among women. Very immaculate, very expensive, often synthetic, and usually overdone. I don't know that one is better than the other, just different (though I prefer the latter to the former).
That all said, LA has way better weather, and I think the opportunity for a better lifestyle is here in La La Land. Still, it was great to be back for a few days. Love that NY!
For one thing, people in NY are a lot nicer than folks in LA (I know, I'm painting with pretty broad strokes here). I've long thought New Yorkers have a bad rap when it comes to friendliness. Perhaps it's because they live right on top of each other and are forced to interact so much while walking on the streets, riding in the subway, etc. All I know is that my experience has always been that New Yorkers will readily engage you and are generally helpful when needed. I've made quite a few friends while riding the subway, and even exchanged phone numbers with a guy last week who wanted me to give him a call next time I'm in town.
LA I think suffers from the opposite problem. People never having to interact while out of the home. No one walks anywhere, yards are small and neighborhoods are crowded so you rarely see neighbors out in the yard playing with kids or chatting with the guy next door. I think people sit in traffic all day and just want to go into their homes at day end and not be bothered.
Another contrast is the general style of the two cities. In NY people are very individualistic, but stylish non the less. There is an ease to the look of those in the city- shoes are warn from walking, and clothes looked lived in. In LA, whether Angeleno's want to believe it or not, the look is very homogeneous, especially among women. Very immaculate, very expensive, often synthetic, and usually overdone. I don't know that one is better than the other, just different (though I prefer the latter to the former).
That all said, LA has way better weather, and I think the opportunity for a better lifestyle is here in La La Land. Still, it was great to be back for a few days. Love that NY!
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| Grond Zero. Can't believe it's been nine years today |
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| Out old apt- 100 John St. |
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| The old Lehman building, now Barclays blue. |
Sunday, September 5, 2010
8 Weeks
Parenthood is a funny thing. It starts with the honeymoon called pregnancy. Nine months of dreaming and fantasizing about how great your child will be and how you'll spend countless hours watching her sleep and cuddling her, dressing her up in cute outfits and taking tons of pictures.
Then there is the actual child birth which is even more incredible than you imagined, but... you now have a baby to care for.
No one tells you that initially it feels like the baby's not yours. That you feel like you're just tending a niece and in a couple of weeks your life will go back to normal and you'll be able to do all the fun things you used to. That your baby will cry and cry until you get frustrated with her, causing you to get angry with yourself because you're getting frustrated with a baby who can't help herself.
Suddenly she starts making eye contact with you, perhaps even giving the occasional real smile, spending awake time content. Your previous indifference begins to turn into like, and before long you find yourself thinking of her while you're at work, anxious to get home to hang out with her. Soon you realize you really do have the coolest baby ever.
A few of my favorite Blaire-isms so far...
Blaire Bear- not only does "bear" conveniently rhyme with Blaire's name, but it also aptly describes the creature hiding deep within my baby. When she is waking, she growls and snarls much like how I imagine a bear does when it emerges from hibernation. WARNING: DON'T WAKE THE SLEEPING BEAR!
Baby One Sock- Blaire CAN NOT keep two socks on her feet. The fact that socks don't stay on the feet of a wiggling baby is not that surprising to me, what I don't understand is why only one foot? Never both on, never both off- always baby one sock. (It also happens with her hands and mittens)
The Cappuccino maker- lets just say that sometimes her south end bubbles and fizzes like a popular drink maker.
The Woodpecker- when we hold her chest to chest, Blaire likes to explore for food by "pecking" at the chest of whomever is holding her. Actually very annoying, but still cute (until someone gets a fat lip)
Lot's of others, but I won't bore you.
Then there is the actual child birth which is even more incredible than you imagined, but... you now have a baby to care for.
No one tells you that initially it feels like the baby's not yours. That you feel like you're just tending a niece and in a couple of weeks your life will go back to normal and you'll be able to do all the fun things you used to. That your baby will cry and cry until you get frustrated with her, causing you to get angry with yourself because you're getting frustrated with a baby who can't help herself.
Suddenly she starts making eye contact with you, perhaps even giving the occasional real smile, spending awake time content. Your previous indifference begins to turn into like, and before long you find yourself thinking of her while you're at work, anxious to get home to hang out with her. Soon you realize you really do have the coolest baby ever.
A few of my favorite Blaire-isms so far...
Blaire Bear- not only does "bear" conveniently rhyme with Blaire's name, but it also aptly describes the creature hiding deep within my baby. When she is waking, she growls and snarls much like how I imagine a bear does when it emerges from hibernation. WARNING: DON'T WAKE THE SLEEPING BEAR!
Baby One Sock- Blaire CAN NOT keep two socks on her feet. The fact that socks don't stay on the feet of a wiggling baby is not that surprising to me, what I don't understand is why only one foot? Never both on, never both off- always baby one sock. (It also happens with her hands and mittens)
The Cappuccino maker- lets just say that sometimes her south end bubbles and fizzes like a popular drink maker.
The Woodpecker- when we hold her chest to chest, Blaire likes to explore for food by "pecking" at the chest of whomever is holding her. Actually very annoying, but still cute (until someone gets a fat lip)
Lot's of others, but I won't bore you.
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| The Bear is waking. I call this the "stink eye" |
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| Baby One Sock strikes again |
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| Blaire Hefner lounging in her robe |
Saturday, August 14, 2010
What Else? Blaire.
So we are five weeks into this thing now (parenthood) and mostly Ally and I love everything about it, but...
Blaire has entered into this new phase where she likes to have some awake time during the day, which I'm all for except that she doesn't seem to spend much of that awake time being content. When I'm holding her she just squirms as though she's not comfortable. When I lay her down she cries. The swing consoles her for approximately 90 seconds, and my go to move of bouncing on the exercise ball has begun to fail me. I feel like Goldmember did about Austin Powers- "So Miss Blaire, there is no pleasing you."
I find myself fighting these awful thoughts of wanting Blaire to hurry and grow up, just a little, so that she can spend more time with us awake, but happy awake. But of course we don't want these moments to pass too quickly. Oh, the mental battles of parenthood...
Blaire has entered into this new phase where she likes to have some awake time during the day, which I'm all for except that she doesn't seem to spend much of that awake time being content. When I'm holding her she just squirms as though she's not comfortable. When I lay her down she cries. The swing consoles her for approximately 90 seconds, and my go to move of bouncing on the exercise ball has begun to fail me. I feel like Goldmember did about Austin Powers- "So Miss Blaire, there is no pleasing you."
I find myself fighting these awful thoughts of wanting Blaire to hurry and grow up, just a little, so that she can spend more time with us awake, but happy awake. But of course we don't want these moments to pass too quickly. Oh, the mental battles of parenthood...
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| She hates tummy time. |
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| What you lookin at? |
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| Go Dojers! |
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