Weekends

Weekends are great.  I get to spend more than a half hour a day with Blaire and also get a little face time with Ally.  The weather has been absolutely beautiful here for the last couple of weeks, something I've had to observe from my office window for the most part, so the weekends also provide an opportunity to get out and enjoy LA's best feature- clear sunny days.

Last week we took Blaire to the LA Zoo.  When Ally first suggested it, my response was "LA has a zoo?" That's how well I've done getting out and seeing the sights of our fair city.  Yes, LA has a beautiful zoo, and going there is like going anywhere else in LA...difficult and crowded.  We circled the parking lot for about 10min before finding a spot, and then waited in a "Splash Mountain" sized line to purchase a ticket to get into the actual park.  In just a shade under an hour we finally gained entrance and began the experience.

A couple of notes here about the zoo for those novices out there like myself:
1) Don't go in the middle of the afternoon.  This is when animals sleep.  Lions are much less interesting when they are huddled in a giant cat-mass in the corner, napping.  And no matter how cool you think Koala's are, when they are sleeping on a branch and all you see is an arm peeking out from behind the leaves, they lack luster.
2) Wear sunscreen.  Zoos aren't as shady as you might think.
3) Don't bring a 6 month old.  Your child may have started noticing your pet cat and may even track the occasional squirrel outside the window, but I'm willing to bet she isn't  prepared for a couple of hours of animal showcasing (especially sleeping animals).

Blaire had fun with the flamingos as we first walked into the park, but lost interest quickly thereafter.  By the time we got to the Giraffes she was o-v-e-r it.  Having said all that, we had a fun afternoon as a family and I thought it was still worth the time and money.

The monkey Ally's holding isn't the only one in this picture.

Parents- "look Blaire, Giraffes!"  Blaire- "who cares!"

I was having a Mufasa moment.  Notice the monkeys on Pride Rock?

Holiday Wrap-Up

The Holidays are over.  So is my obsession over finding the perfect "baby's first Christmas" everything (gifts, stocking, pj's, etc.)  I have now channeled that obsession into finishing Blaire's nursery.  Getting closer.  Pics to come soon!  For now, enjoy some of the highlights from Baby's first Christmas, New Year, trip to Ferron, 10-hour car ride ...

My gift this year

The gas station was all decked out

New Year's Eve at Papa's

Remind you of Ralphie's kid brother from "A Christmas Story"?

Christmas Eve

We just got finished with our Christmas Eve traditions and I have that nice feeling that only comes from spending time with loved ones during special times of the year.

We are spending this Christmas in Ferron with Ally's parents.  It's nice being here, and Mic and Marilyn are gracious hosts as usual.  We had a nice Christmas Eve dinner and then walked out to look at the lights on Mic's service station.  

One tradition Ally and I have observed each year since we were married is to read Luke 2 after dinner and all the secular preparations are done.  It's a nice way to get into the spirit of the season and remember what we are really celebrating.  It was nice sharing this tradition with our little girl for the first time as well as Ally's parents.

I was reminded of a Christmas memory this evening as I was finishing wrapping presents and putting Ally's stocking together.  The first year Ally and I were married, we woke up Christmas morning to find the Santa had only bothered to fill my stocking.  From the bottom of my heart, I swear the first thought that went through my mind was "why didn't someone remember to do Ally's stocking?"  No joke, not even at that moment did it occur to me that it was now MY responsibility to fill Ally's Christmas stocking.  The thought never crossed my mind leading up to Christmas morning.  It's one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.

Merry Christmas everyone.  I hope Santa finds you all.

Baby's First Christmas

How lucky am I?  We took Blaire to see Santa for the first time.  Magic.  As I handed her to him I thought to myself, "you will remember this moment for the rest of your life".  


The season of Wonder is upon us and I have a beautiful baby girl.  I know she is too small to enjoy it, but I am having the time of my life introducing her to all things Christmas ... lights, smells, snow (well, not exactly, but twice a night at The Grove we can pretend).  

Thanksgiving

Ally and I shared a lovely Thanksgiving with my parents at our apartment.  My folks made the long drive from Brawley to LA late Wednesday and arrived a little after 8pm.  We didn't do anything on Thursday other than watch football and cook and eat food.  It was GREAT.  Thanks Mom and Dad for making the drive, we had a great day!

Rolling Over

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!"

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.

Heading out to trick or treat

Sleeping bat.

At the trunk-or-treat

It's an upside down bat in case you couldn't tell

I love this B.A.T.