Potty Monster

Garrett woke up around 6am with lots of grunting until more than an hour later he finally pooped. Then, he pulled one of his infamous "diaper duos", as soon as Andrea put a new diaper on he pooped again. It seems like we've done nothing but change diapers today (even more than usual). His record breaking total was 21 (you can only imagine how much he needed to eat in order to pee that many times). No wonder Andrea felt that she got nothing done today - the day was consumed by feedings and diaper changes, which have become a lengthy process filled with singing and a "zurburt" or two on the belly. The good news is that he likes diaper changing time! And its all because Andrea mentioned how much she hates the Baby Dry diaper and she wanted to use them up. Garrett understood and took care of the duty immediately!

A sign that he is hungry is when he eats his fist, which he has been doing quite often the last few days. Sometimes Garrett tries to fit both hands in his mouth. Today he did it basically any time he was not eating. He loves his "handburger".

I ran out to get some bagels for breakfast and Andrea showered. We enjoyed breakfast together (all three ate) and then we went for a family walk. When we got back to the house Garrett woke up with an explosive poop, which signaled his bath time. We bathed him and got him dressed, then took some pictures and video of him kicking and making noises.

I went to Vons to get a few things for our lunch and heavy cream to go with dessert for tonight. One of our Christmas presents was a cream whipper: pour in heavy cream and attach a NO2 cartridge and the whipper does the rest, instant whipped cream! We had planned to use it with an English Toffee Cake for dessert, but our plans changed.

Mom and Aunt Betsy were planning to come to our house for dinner so they could see our Christmas tree. Unfortunately their yorkshire terrier, Demi Tasse, is ill; the vet is waiting for lab results to make a diagnosis, but the x-ray suggests kidney failure on one side. Because of this we cancelled our plans for tonight. I hope she will get well soon!



Andrea and Garrett fell asleep on the couch about 7pm and slept until 9pm. When they woke up, we made dinner while Garrett played with his rocking chair. He has figured out how to kick in a rhythmic pattern to make the chair rock. After dinner we opened Hannukah present #5, a travel mobile that goes in Andrea's car. When Garrett got fussy, Andrea fed him and he fell asleep. Then, I placed him in the bassinet, where he slept for over an hour.

Lint Catcher

Garrett does not seem to like sleeping in his cradle. We have tried to put him in it several times, but he only stays asleep for 5 minutes or so. Maybe he knows we are not at home, so he wants to stay close to the parents! The same is true with our other baby. Katie always sleeps in bed with us when we stay somewhere, but she'll never stay in bed with us at home (unless its just one parent in bed).

This morning I slept in until 1pm! Andrea and Garrett were up at 10:30, but they let me sleep. We had a caprese sandwich for lunch, followed by bread pudding with homemade vanilla sauce, hot tea, and pepparkakor (Swedish Ginger Snaps). Garrett loves to be bounced like he is riding on a horse, the faster and wilder the better. While Andrea was playing with Garrett she sang "Giddy 'up, giddy 'up, giddy 'up, let's go!", which prompted me to continue singing the song, Sleigh Ride. Andrea did not realize that that line came from a Christmas Carole. I tried to teach Andrea the words, but we soon realized that Andrea is not an auditory learner. It has become Andrea's favorite Christmas Carole, and I promised to write out the lyrics for her.

We have been noticing lint in Garrett's toes for some time, but today it is especially bad. In fact, today he even collected lint between his fingers because he often grasps things and then keeps his hand closed, trapping lots of lint. His red christmas pants create a lot of it that got stuck everwhere.

By the time we were thinking about packing up it was 3:30pm and we feared we would hit rush hour traffic home, so we decided to stay until it passed. However, we did enlist Mariann's gardners to help me load our couch into the Explorer. We had hoped to make it home in time to ask our neighbor, Cy, for help carrying the couch into the house, but we did not leave Coto until 9:30pm.

Garrett woke up upon arriving home, but we needed to unload the couch together, so we entrusted him to our faithful friend, Mr Vacuum Cleaner, who sang his monotonous song to Garrett and put him to sleep. With Garrett and Katie staying warm upstairs, I brought in all of the pillows, while Andrea swiffed the floor where the couch goes. I pulled the car up as close as possible, and we carried it into the house. The hardest part was lifting it above waist-level to clear our back gate. Andrea's elbows were sore from baring so much weight and I felt guilty for having her lift it.

Once we attached new floor savers on the bottom, we slid it into place. We spent some time rearranging the pillows to try to find the right look. The new pattern is very elegant and warm and goes beautifully with the lighter color on the wall and the wood laminate. The seat cushions have gone from being too squishy to being a little too firm, but I am sure that sitting on the couch for a bit will soften them up.

Just as we sat down on the couch for the first time, Garrett started waking up. Andrea got ready for bed and fed him, part of their nighttime ritual. I took the opportunity to play with our new bottle sterilizer and start some laundry, then I came to bed around Garrett's second night feeding.

Since Garrett went to bed before opening his Hannukah gift # 4, we opened it the next day. It was a Play'n View with lights and sounds plus a mirror for my car. Now both Andrea and I will be able to see Garrett when we drive alone and he will have some fixed entertainment for car rides.

Always Up for Costco

This morning I brought Garrett downstairs earlier than yesterday, between 7:30 and 8:30, then went back to bed until about 10. We saw Andrea's dad before he left for his office, then Andrea and I had some breakfast, and a latte with Mariann (espresso for Mariann and me, Chai for Andrea). We spent most of the day lounging in our pajamas. Garrett was so smiley that we had a photo shoot on the couch.

Mariann told us she was interested in buying a video camera as a training tool for riding. She wanted our advice on selecting one. The prices on digital cameras have dropped amazingly. With new technology (hard drives and high definition) still several years from coming to the consumer market, it's basically a matter of choosing your favorite brand. There's no better place to purchase electronics than Costco, both price and their unbelievable return policy, so we planned an outting for the evening. Ultimately, Mariann selected the Panasonic model that Costco carries. As much as I am a fan of Sony products, I could not justify encouraging her to spend an additional hundred dollars when the Panasonic will function perfectly well.

Garrett was so calm during the entire trip. He was happy while I pushed him around the electronics and DVD sections, then he fell asleep while we compared Camcorder models. He got a little upset on the ride home, but quickly calmed and slept for the rest of the ride.

As we were leaving Costco, an employee who knows that Mariann is from Sweden approached me speaking Swedish. I did not hear him at first, but recognized that he was not speaking English. When I looked over at Mariann and she obviously understood, I realized he was speaking Swedish. Mariann answered for me that I "talar inte svenska". He and Mariann conversed in Swedish for several minutes and he spoke to Andrea as well, who understood the conversation. When we were loading the car, another Costco employee asked uswhat language we were speaking, and then wanted to know how to say something in Swedish. Per his request, Mariann and Andrea taught him to say "hurry up". This whole experience reminded me how much I have want to learn to speak Swedish. the first summer that Andrea and I lived in our house, I suggested we should speak exclusively Swedish; it was a very quiet hour!

Once we arrived back at their house, I charged up the battery and familiarized myself with the camera briefly as Mariann prepared dinner. We had intended to go over the cameras functions tonight, but started watching a movie after we ate, and Mariann fell asleep almost immediately. Andrea and I were interested initially in the story about foreign women imprisoned in Singapore by the Japanese during World War II, but decided to shut it after the third scene of graphic violence (when they hurt the dog, that was the last straw!).

Garrett was grunting like he was wanting to poop, so we put him on his play mat. Kicking normally helps him go! Only 5 minutes later, we heard the sound of thunder. Garrett had pooped!

Garrett's third Hannukah present was a butterfly with a mirror in the center that goes in Andrea's car, to let her see Garrett from the driver's seat. He smiled at the butterfly, and played with it as Mormor moved it around in front of him. The butterfly liked to kiss Garrett's nose and say "Puhpsies".

We spent some time going back through Andrea's calendar, compiling items for a pregnancy review blog entry. I will link to it when it is complete, but it will be dated October 13th and mention the major events in the 9 months after Garrett was conceived. When Garrett woke up we moved upstairs and continued reviewing the calendar until I fell asleep holding the sidekick.

At 3am, Garrett woke up with a wet diaper, so I brought him downstairs to change him, which woke up Mariann. Andrea helped her rinse a few dishes and take the dogs out. Garrett decided he wanted to eat, so we all had an after-midnight snack and returned to bed at 5am.

Recuperation Day

After getting to bed at 4am, everyone was pretty sleepy. I was rocking Garrett between 9:30 and 10:30, when Andrea brought her boys back to bed. After that I slept until 1pm and woke up in time for a yummy sausage omelete.

Afterwards, I was burping Garrett when he fell asleep on my chest. He
slept as I read and Andrea took a bath. Then we swapped so I could
shower and get dressed.

For the second night of Hannukah, Garrett's gift included 3 Onesies and 2 pairs of socks and a stuffed Zebra. The Zebra perfectly matched his green and blue outfit, a gift from Mormor.

Tonight's dinner was a recombination of items from Christmas Eve dinner, startng with the pate. Then we had meatballs with cabbage, followed by lox, and then ham with squash.

After the main course, we played a card game called 500 (although we modified to only play to 200, which took an hour and a half). Garrett slept through most of the card game, but woke up for the last round and helped Mormor play. After cards, we enjoyed a very diverse cheese plate, followed with frangelico cake and espresso.

At the end of the cheese course Garrett got very upset. He has spit up a lot more than usual today. We changed him into pajamas and Andrea fed him, but he seemed unable to focus on eatting. After a long burping he settled down to eat and fall asleep. While Andrea and Garrett slept on the sofa, I showed Ron how to load music from CDs onto his iPod and imported enough music to fill it.

Then I prepared for bed (and wrote this blog entry) before waking Andrea and going to bed.

On the First Day of Christmakkah...

When I first woke up this morning there was a thick layer of white out the window, so I sang White Christmas to Garrett. Of course, being Southern California, it was a super thick fog rather than snow. We all fell back asleep for a little while. Once we got up, we brought Garrett downstairs to see that Santa had filled his stocking with Monkey themed gifts: a stuffed monkey, a "5 Little Monkeys" book, and another book about monkeys "Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb

After some breakfast, we got ready for the day, and dressed Garrett in his "Baby's First Christmas" outfit. We were the first guests to arrive at Mom and Aunt Betsy's house, so we chatted and unloaded our presents under their tree. My Uncle Andy and his girlfriend, Carole, arrived next, followed by Aunt Bev, Rachel and Betsy. Bill is sick this Christmas, so he stayed home with my uncle, Shawn. Once everyone got settled we started exchanging gifts. With my family, the process is quite different than with the Cordovas. There is only one gift opened at a time and the gifts tend to be wrapped individually. The advantage to this system is that you can see what each person is giving to the other person; however, the gift exchanged takes significantly longer (cumulatively we spent about six hours exchanging gifts, and had a fun time doing so).

As Andrea and I expected, people were especially generous with gifts for Garrett, since it was his first Christmas. He received lots of clothes and toys, with an emphasis from one branch of the family tree on basketball themed gifts ;-)

We enjoyed a delicious prime rib dinner with baked potatoes, a corn casserole, salad and rolls. During dinner, we received a phone call from my cousin Helen, who was celebrating Christmas in Nashville, Tennessee. She sent her congratulations to Andrea and I on Garrett's birth and a Merry Christmas wish for all. Dessert included an amaretto cake that was a gift to Mom and Betsy from Andrea's parents with homemade Devonshire cream to accompany it. There were also cookies, peppermint bark and fudge on the table!

Being the first day of Hannukah, we also opened Garrett's first Hannukah present. After describing the festival of lights to Garrett, someone said "we should get this on video". As soon as we pulled out the video camera Garrett grinned from ear to ear! It was one of the biggest smiles in a day filled with big smiles (in a week that has been categorized by his increasing smiles!). After describing the festival again for posterity we unwrapped his "Little Piggies" hand puppet & book combo and we read him the story right away.

After the presents were opened and the other guests were heading home, Garrett fell asleep on Andrea's chest while I quickly tried to fix a problem with the component video on Mom and Betsy's new home theater set-up. Apparently my diagnosis of a bad dvd player was incorrect, so we reconnected the cables as they had been and then I packed up the car. Garrett slept the whole ride back to Coto de Caza and stayed asleep while the parents got ready for bed. However, he woke up as we transferred him into his cradle, too hungry to sleep by himself, so Andrea fed him before we all
fell asleep for the night. Merry Christmas (and Happy Hannukah) to all, and to all a good night.

Merry Christmas Eve

Garrett's first Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. We spent the morning wrapping gifts and Garrett sat in his swing and watched Andrea wrapping for almost an hour. We all bathed and got ready, Garrett weighed in at 11 pounds and 1 ounce. Then Garrett fell asleep in his bouncy chair (with a little help from the hair dryer) so we could pack up the car.

We had to drive separate cars in order to be able to bring our couch back on the way home, so Andrea arrived a few minutes before I did and she began feeding him. When I arrived with Katie, we alternated unloading the cars and holding Garrett.

Tonight's dinner was a lengthy affair, but Garrett slept through the majority of it, allowing Andrea and I to eat together with Mariann, Ron, Danielle and Justin. We started with Gravlox on a Corn Pancake with Creme Fraiche. Then we had two kinds of pate with bread and mustard. Next was Swedish meatballs and cabbage followed by ham with acorn squash (all of us except Ron combined those two courses).

At this point, we exchanged gifts and Garrett woke up to take part in the evening. Exchanging presents with the Cordovas is a bit of a blur because there are always two or three people opening at a time. However, it was a lot of fun to see people open from us, and we received some wonderful gifts. I think the most fun was opening the gifts for Garrett.

By the end of the exchange, cheese was served, but Garrett needed some quiet time to eat. Andrea and I each read part of "The Night Before Christmas" to him and he fell asleep eating. When Andrea and Garrett returned for pie, he was ready for another nap, which lasted long enough to enjoy dessert and say goodbye to Justin and Danielle who leave for Vancouver tomorrow morning.

Finally we put Garrett in his pajamas and he snuggled with Andrea and Mariann on the couch. I think I heard Santa down the block, so I'll rush to bed myself and wish all readers a Merry Christmas.

Proof in the Pudding

Today was a very big day at work for me. A project I have been working on for about 5 weeks was scheduled to be demonstrated to my boss and a colleague. The goal was to make it "good enough that I would buy it"! It was originally scheduled for 2pm, then moved to 11am, then 10:30am. At 10, I was struggling to finalize a few things, so my boss "granted [me] a reprieve" until 1:30. I worked through my lunch hour and by 1:30 was compiling and updating our history file (a record of what has changed). I walked into my boss' office at 2:05 ready for the demo, so all the rescheduling was for naught. However, the feedback was mostly positive with some detail changes to work out.

The demo went from 2 to 4, so when I left at 5, I was pretty wiped out. I stopped at Von's to pick up a few things, and then home to prepare appetizers because we had planned to meet with Patti & Cy this evening for dinner.

It took me a while to shake off the long day, but we all had a very fun dinner to celebrate the holidays and Garrett had a lot of fun with Patti & Cy. They gave Garrett a set of 4 hand puppets that he starred so intently at. They also gave him a light maker that shines animal shapes on the ceiling and plays music. Cy turned it on and we dimmed the lights so it would show up on the ceiling, but Garrett liked to stare directly at the light maker.

By the end of the night Cy had fallen asleep and I was feeling tired as well; however, once I started putting the last few branches on the tree I hit a second wind. After eatting, Garrett fell asleep and he slept in his bassinet while we decorated the tree. I needed Andrea's help stringing the lights, as my attempt was incredibly uneven. We both enjoyed hanging ornaments and were extremely happy to have decorated the tree. Following a tradition from Andrea's family, Garrett's snowman stuffed animal became the tree topper for this year, which is more fun than having the same one every year. Last year's topper, Baby Elmo, was very gracious in
passing on the title.

Sleeping Beauty

This morning Garrett played on his playmat while Andrea pumped. He enjoyed grabbing the Parrott as well as hearing and feeling it crinkle. When he had enough of that, he had Tummy Time. After a few head turns from side to side he had enough of that. Andrea gave him a bath that he really enjoyed.

After getting dressed he spent time in his bouncy chair. He likes to swat his hands at the toys, especially the lion, which he stares at intently. As Andrea was getting out of the shower, he made noise that he was done - a kind of pre-cry. Andrea quickly dried off and then turned on the blowdrier, which calmed him and he fell asleep, allowing Andrea to dry her hair and dress.

He continued napping while Andrea attacked the mess that had been growing downstairs since the couch left. At noon, Garrett woke up to eat and I came home for lunch. He snuggled with me for a few minutes after we all ate, before I had to go back to work. Then he went into his rocking chair while Andrea continued to clean downstairs and he fell asleep to the sound from the vacuum cleaner.

When he hears a white noise, like the vacuum, his eyes get glossy as if he is tuning out visual stimulus and focusing on the sound. His whole body relaxes and he is hypnotized. Eventually, his eyelids become heavy and he falls asleep.

Andrea finished cleaning the downstairs just in time for Garrett to wake up. When he awakened, he did not cry like he usually does, but rather sat there contently. Andrea thought it was time for a diaper change and some food. For the next hour or so, Garrett kept falling asleep on the breast rather than eating. Andrea decided to take Garrett and Katie for a walk. It was a little too cold to stay out, so they went for a short walk to the mailbox and returned home. Of course, Katie really wanted to walk! Garrett was asleep when they got home, so Andrea fed Katie and bathed her. Garrett still had not woken up, so she did some laundry and dishes. Andrea was feeling that it was time to feed Garrett, but he was still asleep, so she pumped again. I came home and we made dinner together - a mache salad with pear and pecans and then a delicious tilipia main course. It was great to cook together. In fact, it was the first time since Garrett's birth that we have cooked together - a
pasttime we used to enjoy on a daily basis. (He is worth all the changes, but it was nice to cook and dance in the kitchen together again!) Of course Garrett woke up just as we were sitting down to have the entree. Although Garrett seemed hungry, he was more interested in suckling than actually eating. Andrea thought maybe a burping and diaper change would be a good break and help him focus on eating when he
returned to the breast.

He has eaten so little today that his courdoroy pants fell off as soon as Andrea picked him up. Andrea was having so much fun playing with him during the diaper change that he got the hiccups, which he usually gets when he is cold. They must be contagious because Andrea has been having them a couple times each week lately. Andrea never had the hiccups before Garrett was born, although Garrett had them in the womb every day the last month of the pregnancy. The only thing that gets rid of
Garrett's hiccups is milk. (I made pumpkin cake and chai latte while Garrett fell asleep snuggling and Andrea finished writing this entry!)

He is spending so much time sleeping, especially the past few days. Could it be because he is growing?

Rip Van Tom

Andrea was awake early with Garrett and Katie, but came back to bed for a short stretch mid morning. I slept in pretty late, as I tend to do on the weekends. Although we had intended to make our way back with some time to do stuff at home, it took most of the day for us to get ready and pack up.

We enjoyed some more time with Mariann, and a quick visit from Danielle on her way to the barn. However, a big portion of the day was spent enjoying Garrett who probably ate extra to make up for not having Mommy around for several hours yesterday.

Daddy's Day

Today Andrea had plans to meet Danielle, Darci & Natalie for Holiday Tea. That means I got to spend the day with Garrett. However, I was not alone, Andrea's mom invited us over. The plan was to put up the Cordova Family Christmas Tree, but plans change when you have a little bundle of love to spend time with.

The morning was the usual scramble to get everything together. I dropped Andrea off at Danielle's house right on time, but I would find out later she was the only one! As soon as I pulled out of the driveway, Garrett began to vocalize, and it quickly turned to crying. I drove as quickly as I safely could, and arrived at Mariann's with an upset little man. She took him immediately so that I could unload the car and once we had his things we changed him and gave him a bottle.

Unfortunately, the bottle holder we used for the first time today is not as stable as the other. The advantage is that it is tall enough for 4 oz bottles; however, the disadvantage of spilling more than half the milk out is a big downer. Fortunately, we had enough milk to make due despite the spill and Garrett never drank the last bottle in the refrigerator today.

The time passed quickly, Garrett napped on and off and ate the 3 bottles that now only contained one ounce of milk each. Mariann and I discussed the different careers she has had in her life and how opportunity happens (the old saying, "When God closes a door, he opens a window" seems exceptionally true in Mariann's case, with opportunities arising at just the right moment; however, it could also be argued that someone like Mariann makes her own opportunity). Garrett was amazingly good as usual, but he was very happy to see Andrea when she returned in the evening.

The four of us had a nice evening and a delicious dinner. Katie and Bella got along better than some of our past visits and they spent time sleeping on Bella's bed without any trouble.

The story of our couch fabric continued as we debated a similar fabric that is less bold. Of course, the fabric that is no longer available is still our favorite and we may find ourselves waiting until March for the it to arrive again. This would mean having to take back our couch for a few months. However, I am sure whatever we decided the end product will be well worth the trouble.

I Know That Voice

This evening we went to Andrea's OB checkup. Dr Cropper immediately beamed upon seeing Garrett and held him for a picture. After our horrible experience with her partner, Andrea and I had both wondered if our expectations for the experience with Dr Cropper had been wrong, if it would have been more like the actual experience. However, this visit completely convinced us that it would have been a really positive experience if Dr Cropper had been delivering. Not that it changes what happened, but it was yet another confirmation to trust our instincts.

We spent quite a bit of the visit explaining our experience. Dr Cropper was appauled to hear about some of the things we described. We had prepared a short description of our experience that we left with her so she has the option to discuss it with her partner. She also informed us that the policy at the hospital is to call in another anaesthesiologist if the wait is longer than half an hour. Since Andrea waited about 3 hours, this is clearly in violation of that policy. Dr Cropper encouraged us to write a letter to the hospital administration and I think we will.

The entire time that Dr Cropper was holding Garrett he was staring at her, as though trying to remember her. I think he must know her voice from the pregnancy. It's amazing how much babies can absorb from the womb.

Special Delivery

Andrea can say more about what happened during the day today; however, I did hear that Garrett made his first visit to the barn and that Bebe liked Garrett a lot.

I was at work until just before 5, when I rushed home to make sure I caught Cy at home (he had promised to come by at 5). Cy was nice enough to help me load our couch into the Explorer so I could bring it to Orange County and drop it off at the upholstery shop. The living room looks so bare without the couch, but we are looking forward to having it restuffed and reupholstered.

After dropping the couch off in Laguna, I headed to Danielle's. Garrett and I had some time together and then I tried to help Danielle with dinner. Garrett had fun swinging and then bouncing on Danielle's knee during dinner. Danielle is such a great aunt and loves Garrett so much. It is wonderful to see them together. We could not get Daisy (Danielle's dalmation) to sit still long enough to take a good picture of the three of them. Of course, Bella is super curious about Garrett and can't stay away. Or maybe its that she wants the attention that Garrett is getting, so she tries to sneak in and steal the show! After dinner, Garrett had a long feeding, with a few interruptions for diaper changes, while I packed up and did dishes (bottles create a lot of extra work!). By the time we got everything in the car and headed out it was after 11, so once we arrived home we simply unpacked and headed to bed.

Last Minute Change of Plans

So this morning I was rushing to finish packing for my 11:30 pickup to LAX when I got a call from my boss. When he asked me "Did you check your email?" I figured there was some piece of software I was supposed to make sure to bring. But then he told me that there was an email copied to him saying that my trip was cancelled. It turns out that the person I was supposed to work with in Germany had to make an emergency trip to Malta, and my visit needed to be postponed. Although I had told them on Wednesday that the rest of the week was a holiday in the United States so I would not be at the office, I also expected to check my email from home before leaving. However, due to some problems on a borrowed laptop, I almost left for Germany where I would have been unable to complete my trip goals!

The upside of this situation is that I got to spend the rest of the day with Andrea and Garrett. We spent the afternoon at the house, steralizing and putting away broken swings! Andrea used the breastpump for the first time. Her comment during the process was "this is absurd", and I definitely understand her feeling. However, we both feel that having a bottle as a backup is important.

Our second attempt with a Graco Swingomatic was only marginally improved. The motor in this unit did not automatically shutoff; however, rather than maintain the swinging motion, this one only slows the decent, so after 5 minutes the swing is going slowly and after 10 it has completely stopped, not what I expected at all. I have boxed it up and we are trying to decide if it would be worthwhile to try a third time, or if we will give up on a "full size" swing.

The full story on our favorite travel swing, the Fisher Price Open Top Take-Along Swing, will come when I have a chance to turn my notes from Thursday and Friday into the full posts. However, the end result is that unless the opened box unit had a damaged motor in addition to the missing screws, this swing is not for us.

The Fisher Price Aquarium Take-Along Swing is too flashy, plus it is more expensive than the Open Top Take-Along, but it has one important feature that the other seems to lack... it works! Despite our feelings about the look of the swing, the rocking works well and Garrett likes the lights and sound on the upper bar. Unless another contender presents itself soon, his response to it will outvote our feelings.

We spent the evening with Danielle and Justin, as Andrea had planned to do when I was supposed to be in route to Germany. Toby and Liv, who we also spent dinner with last New Year's Eve, were invited to dinner and Danielle and Justin made enough food to include me after we learned I was staying.

Garrett enjoyed his Aquarium Swing during dinner, but soon after was ready for bed. Andrea fed him and snuggled with him, although Garrett did let her break long enough to have desert, home made pies, before they both went to bed. I watched the last half of Matrix Revolutions with Justin and Danielle before calling it a night, and I was the only one to make it to the end without falling asleep. As the credits were rolling I looked at my watch and realized that it was approximately the time that I would be landing in Frankfurt if my plans had not changed. I am very thankful for every extra moment I got to spend with my family today.

I repeated tried to wake Justin before retiring for the night and learned an important lesson: you do not wake the sleeping bear!

It's always the last place you look...

We spent most of the day at home, enjoying time together before I leave for Germany tomorrow. We enjoyed a family bath this morning. we thought it would be fun to bring Garrett into the bog bath tub, although i am not sure he agreed! This evening we did run to Victoria Garden's to pick up a birthday present for Darci. Andrea had decided on what to get for her, so it was just a matter of fighting the holiday shopping traffic to get it. Overall it was less than I feared, but I still would not want to do any more shopping on "the busiest shopping day of the year".

On the way back we took an alternate route home that took us by Macaroni Grill, where we intended to eat dinner. Next door to Macaroni Grill is another Target. I decided to return the opened Fisher Price Open Top Take-Along Swing, and sure enough, this Target did have one in stock. So now we have both the Aquarium and the Open Top model. That ensures that Andrea will be able to bring one of them to Orange County next week.

It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing...

Based on the problem with the swing we bought yesterday, we stopped at the San Dimas Target that is next to Trader Joe's to exchange the swing that was returned without screws for a new unit. Unfortunately, this store did not have one in stock, despite assuring me that they did have one when I called. We decided to try the Fisher Price Aquarium Take-Along Swing, even though we do not like the way it looks. We definitely want a swing for Andrea to take to Danielle and Justin's while I am in Germany next week.

More than Batteries not Included

We had a hard time locating a travel swing for Garrett. Our model of choice, the Fisher Price Open Top Take-Along Swing, must be on the way out because we called three different Target stores before finding one that had it in stock. We would not have made it in time except that Target stays open until 11pm during the holiday shopping season. However, when we arrived I found out that what they had was one opened box. That was the only one in the store. Since I knew there was no way to get to the only other Target in our area that has one before it closed, I bought it, intending to return it if needed. When I tried to assemble it tonight, I found out that the open box is missing the two screws. So obviously this unit has to go back to Target.

Lilla gubben

This was a very relaxing day. This morning I went to a facial that Andrea had scheduled while trying to plan for Natalie's birthday. She offered for me to have it, and I am quite glad I did because it was incredibly relaxing. Then I got home a few minutes before Natalie arrived to celebrate her birthday. Andrea and Natalie had massages while I stayed home with Garrett. He fell asleep in the bassinet while Andrea was getting ready, a few minutes before I arrived home. We expected he would awaken soon after Andrea left, but he stayed asleep almost the entire hour Andrea was gone. A few minutes before her massage was over he woke up, but changing his diaper and setting out for a walk put him back to sleep. Andrea and Natalie met me halfway through the walk and finished a loop with me.

Once Garrett had eaten we set out for lunch for the three of us. We had decided to visit Victoria Gardens since it was such a beautiful day. First stop was to the Yardhouse for lunch. None of us were especially happy with our selections, but we did get a fun picture of me with a half yard tall beer. Apparently somewhere along the chain, somebody thought that because I had not specified a size, I wanted the big one. The waitress was kind enough to exchange it for a pint and still let us use it as a photo opportunity!


It's amazing how many people tell us that Garrett has an adult face. I can definitely see a maturity to his features, but I am surprised by how often people mention it. In Swedish, there is a term of affection for a little boy, lilla gubbe, which translates to little old man (Lilla gumme, which means little old woman, is also used for little girls). It seems very appropriate for Garrett, so "lilla gubbe" joins the growing ranks of nicknames for Garrett. In the last week Monkey has stayed very popular, but Gherkin is loosing frequency. I think the more I know Garrett as a person, the less I associate him with his in utero name.

After lunch we set out for Mimi's Maternity, which carries the kind of nursing bras Andrea prefers (if you want more info, you have to ask). However, Garrett was hungry, so Andrea and Natalie went into the bathroom at Robinson's May. Andrea, knowing me as well as she does, could tell I was interested to visit the Apple Store, so I browsed there for a few minutes while Garrett started his feeding. It is absolutely amazing how small the iPod Video and iPod Nano are. The video is much beter than I expected from such a small screen. It makes me wonder what will be around when Garrett is old enough to start being interested in gadgets. I also peeked inside the Coach store on the way over to Robsinson's May. I must say that nothing caught my eye, although without Andrea, my shopping skills are severly hampered. She always manages to find something interesting that I missed.

Once Garrett had finished eatting we went to Mimi's to complete our quest. Andrea tried on a few nursing tops, but only liked the bras. I had my first experience changing Garrett on top of his stroller. He's so good, I practically redressed him in my arms and he basically let me, sometimes even helped, and rarely moved in ways that complicated the process.



At home we big farewell to Natalie and had dinner. Garrett wanted to eat a lot after spending the middle portion of the day asleep, so Andrea has been cuddling and feeding almost non-stop since we came home. It's time for bed soon; we are looking forward to celebrating two family birthdays tomorrow, Justin's birthday was yesterday and Mariann's is on Tuesday.

Dance Appreciation from Day One

Today Garrett went to his first dance show. Andrea & I were invited to the Citrus College Fall Dance Concert, since Andrea had worked in that department and we have danced and filmed several of their shows. Garrett slept through most of the first half of the show, although he did open one eye during a "Singing in the Rain" number with 4 - 7 year old tap dancing girls. During intermission we visited with the Citrus faculty who know Andrea.

As the second half of the show was beginning, the director of the program came out to announce that due to the last number of the first half being cut off by a technical glitch, that the piece was going to be danced again. Obviously Garrett doesn't like repeating because he began crying right after the announcement. After he was changed, Andrea found an empty classroom where she could breastfeed him. She encouraged me to return to the show. She tried to come back in a piece later, but Garrett wanted to eat again.

Just before the finale I saw Andrea peak inside and I decided to hold Garrett in the back of the theater so as not to disturb anyone. This gave Garrett a brilliant view of the multi-colored lights that were flashing during the finale; he was totally entranced by them! Afterwards, we chatted a bit with the director and then headed home.



We stopped on the way at 21 Choices, a frozen yougurt shop in Claremont. However, fifteen minutes before closing they were out of almost everything, but they did mix up our requested conncoctions, unfortunately the yougurt they used was not as good as usual. We wound down before bed and Garrett ate too.

This morning Andrea weighed Garrett, and he is 8 lbs and 3 ounces today!

Garrett and the Older Woman

This morning, after breakfast and getting ready, Garrett took another nap. At first he did not want to lay by himself, but eventually he fell asleep in the bassinet to the sound of the hair dryer. Andrea is doing a really good job of making him comfortable during the day so he can get used to napping.

Today at lunch was Garrett's first play date. The playmate was Jeanne Poirier, 7 1/2 month old daughter of Marilee and Charlie, who both used to work at ECT with me. Marilee had offered to loan us her Maya Wrap sling after reading what a terrible time we had trying to use the Infantino sling on Andrea. So we made an event of it, meeting for lunch at Memorial Park in Claremont. Jeanne and Garrett were very curious about each other even though they are too young to really play together. We ate lunch and swapped stories about babies. It was a lot of fun!



After lunch Garrett went to his first Pilates session with Andrea. First he slept through Andrea's session in his car seat. Then Andrea taught a session while holding him in her arms. Afterwards, Vicky's daughter, MacKenzie, held Garrett and played with him while he was bounced.

After Pilates, Andrea and Garrett ran errands, including a pickup at the dreaded Walgreens. Apparently he did cry while waiting inside, but it was a quick trip. Then they stopped at Trader Joes to get food.

We had made a plan yesterday for our neighbors, Patti and Cy, to come over for cheese tonight. We had a wonderful time, but our appetizer turned into a full blown meal after Cy made meatballs and buffalo wings. It was good that he did though, because we enjoyed each others company until it was time for everyone to go to bed. I am the last one awake in our house, finishing up this post, then I'll do some quick cleanup and off to bed.

The Most Extraordinary Month of My Life

Garrett Michael is one month old today! And what an incredible month it has been. According to our scale, he is 8 lbs 6 ounces today, but we are suspect because that would be an enormous increase since Friday. However, he does keep growing cuter by the day, which I did not think was possible.

Today was also my first day back to work, which was hard for me, but he seemed perfectly happy spending the day with only his mommy. Although yesterday afternoon he cried each time I left the room, he does not really know the difference as long as his needs are met, which Andrea handled beautifully today.

First they snuggled listening to lullabies. After that they ate breakfast and walked Katie. Then Garrett got a bath and a mommy mani-pedi. Next they snuggled on the bed until Garrett fell asleep. Andrea was able to sneak away and Garrett stayed asleep for 10 minutes, but then had to move to his bouncy chair in order to nap for an hour while Andrea got to shower and get ready, then clean up from the morning.

I came home for lunch and got to snuggle with Garrett. After I left, Andrea, Garrett & Katie took a long walk. Then Andrea took Garrett to InnerWorks and showed Garrett where he developed his love for bouncing while in the womb. Once I arrived home we put out the playmat for tummy time & play time while Mommy and Daddy cooked dinner. After we all ate, Garrett fell asleep on my chest, giving Andrea the chance to clean up a few things.

Our neighbors' younger dog, Sophia, is obsessed with Garrett. She used to come up to Andrea or I to say hello and be rubbed, but yesterday as I went out the back door with Katie, Sophia ran right past me to bark at the door for Garrett. Whenever Sophia comes over she sniffs his car seat if it is out and makes noise towards whoever is holding him. Apparently she formed a similar attachment to a young boy who used to live several houses down named Michael. Sophia liked to steal his pacifiers as a game. I actually saw one in their house on Saturday, yet Michael moved away several years ago. I'm sure once Garrett grows old enough to play with Sophia she'll have a new best friend!

Gilmore Guy

This morning Garrett was very snuggly. He only likes sleeping in the bed between us and he has gotten less and less willing to sleep in the snuggle nest. We know he is supposed to have his own space, but it is the only way he will sleep for more than half an hour at a time. After snuggling, we got up and made breakfast. We have noticed that Garrett loves the theme song from the TV show Gilmore Girls. When it plays he opens his eyes really large and if he is in his bouncy seat he looks
around.

Today he had several diaper changes without any crying. We've been discussing if you can tell the difference between cries when he is wet or hungry and so far we agree that the cry sounds the same, but we often know which it is based on when he last ate and was changed. However, we also noticed that if you change him when he starts making sounds, but before he starts crying, he calms down almost immediately when he reaches the changing table. However, once he starts crying he does not stop until you distract him, sometimes after he is totally changed. The best things to calm him that we've found are singing, shaking his rattle, and the newest one, making high pitched noises. Andrea makes a trilling sound that I've tried copying that gets his attention and sometimes is enough to calm him down

After breakfast we went for a family walk. He got upset about half way through, but Andrea found the way to make him happy, she raced ahead a few steps, then slowed down and paused, then repeated. Apparently my constant even rate is too boring, he likes more excitement in his stroller. He may have a race car driver instinct in him, we'll have to wait and see. When we came back, he played on his new quilt - a gift from the Luera Family - with his animal stacker rattles - a new toy from his great grandmother, Lya. It includes a duck, pig, lamb and cow. During his tummy time we videoed him rotating his head from one side to the other.

While we made dinner I needed Andrea's help, so we tried putting him in the sling. I was able to whip yams while he lay in the sling in front of me, it was pretty cool. You have to stay very aware of where the sling is, cannot make sudden movements or stand too close to flames or the oven, but it does add a bit more flexibility to holding him when you have both arms free. I feel a little guilty because it was supposed to help Andrea, but it only works for me. Still, I think we'll keep it because it does give us a chance to both make dinner together.

Latest update, the swing is still not operating properly. Apparently we got a bad motor unit because I've swapped batteries and reverse the legs and nothing helped. The next step is to contact the customer support number and get a replacement. In the mean time, it works perfectly fine on parent power!

Saturday at Home

Today was quiet compared to yesterday. We spent the morning at home, although I spent some time with our neighbor Cy helping set up a new DSL connection and connect the DVD player to their new TV. After all the help that Cy has given us over the last five years living here, it was wonderful to be able to help him with something. Around noon we decided to take a nap because everyone was tired from the late evening last night.

When we woke up we went for our family walk and then to Costco, specifically for batteries. However, once there we did some Christmas shopping. I am really enjoying shopping this year. I think it's because we've come up with part practical, part fun ideas for almost everyone on our list. Back at home we had dinner and spent time together. I go back to work on Monday, so I am savoring every second left of being home. I forgot to include it yesterday, but Garrett weighed in at 7 lbs, 14 ounces!

Family Friday

Today was Cordova Family Friday. This morning we went to Beverly Hills so that Garrett could meet his Great Grandparents, Lya and Harrison Cordova-Latta. The woman who delivered our lunch from Shanghai Grill, Leann, is a friend from many years of Lya and Harrison visiting the restaraunt. She came in to see Garrett and brought him a gift of "money to bring him luck". We enjoyed the meal very much, as well as discussing Garrett. Lya and Harrison gave Garrett a stacking animal set, which will both entertain and stimulate him once he develops the hand-eye coordination to play with the stacker.


On the way home from Los Angeles, we made a stop at the San Dimas Trader Joes, while I took Garrett to look for a gate at Petco and then Target. We want to be able to restrict Kiss Me Kate to the downstairs so that she does not injure herself while climbing or descending the stairs. While at Target, I not only found a gate, but a sling carrier also caught my eye. Andrea and I have been discussing a sling because Garrett is still too small to fit into the carrier that has leg and arm holes. The package specifically said "Perfect for Nursing", which was my biggest hope so that Andrea would not need to hold Garrett every time she breastfeeds him. However, after experimenting tonight, the combination of Andrea's small frame and Garrett's small size does not seem to work with the sling. Because I have broader shoulders, I can carry Garrett inside it without his neck collapsing, but when we tried it on Andrea it was not working. We'll experiment more before we decide if we will return it or not.

This evening Ron and Mariann stopped at our house for dinner on their way back from the desert. We had a nice dinner and the highlight (in my opinion) was a very elaborate cheese and fruit plate that followed the main course. While I was busy finding a gate and the sling, Andrea found a wonderful selection of cheeses at Trader Joe's. Ron fell asleep and Mariann snuggled with Garrett for a few hours. Once Ron awoke refreshed, they said goodnight and returned home. Now Garrett is sleeping next to Andrea and I feel the need to hurry and join them...

A Swinging Time

After a morning of snuggling with me for a couple hours, Garrett was bright eyed and bushy tailed... ready for a day of stimulation.

We put him on his tummy on the play mat again. He actually lifted his head and turned it to the other side, then a few minutes later switched back. After a while we turned him onto his back and he reached and hit the hanging animals. He doesn't have the fine motor control to grab them yet, but he definitely likes interacting with them already.

Since I am going back to work on Monday, we attempted to get a little done in the nursery. We started with the fun stuff; we took out all of the toys Garrett received as gifts and showed them to him as we organized

them into a box. We also attached toys to his car seat, stroller, Pack 'N Play, Bassinet, and Diaper bag, so he'll always have some fun things to look at. After her bath, big sis Katie helped with the toys. The toys are so snuggly soft, even Andrea wanted to cuddle with them.

While those three were occupied with the stuffed animals, I put together Garrett's swing. Garrett likes swinging a lot; we got it on video and it is very cute. Unfortunately I did not have enough of the right size batteries so I had to keep pushing it to make it go. It's not hard to do, but it's not as consistent as when the motor is running. Garrett did not complain... except when it stops!


After a day of play, Garrett wanted a nap and the bassinet just won't do. He's such a cuddler... so Andrea held him while he slept. We finally understand the expression "sleeping like a baby", the harder he plays, the harder he sleeps. It's fun to have all these things set up and see him playing with them, we just have to figure out where everything is going to live.

Ontario Thrills

Our outing for today was to Ontario Mills. We went to Motherhood Maternity to find some nursing tops for Andrea. We also went to Baby's 'R Us. Garrett did not show much interest in either store, but he made it very clear that he does not like it when the stroller stops! We also bought a few Christmas gifts, but to say where or what would ruin some surprises.

Garrett really likes to arch his back. Not only does he do it during tummy time, but also when he's on my shoulder. He has very strong back and neck muscles for a newborn, and he uses them to arch so much that I have to hold on with both hands.

I found out today that my company wants me to go to Germany for a week starting November 26th. I don't like the idea of missing a whole week of Garrett's life, especially so early in it, but Andrea has assured me that she will take lots of pictures and video, and she's going to post on "What's Up Cordova-Caddes", so family and friends won't be missing out.

Three Firsts

Garrett had a few firsts today! He was pretty tired this evening so he fell asleep and when he woke up, he did not cry, he just woke up and looked at us. Before tonight he always woke up hungry or upset about being wet.

After his nap we put him on his play mat for the first time.

First on his tummy. He can already bring his head up really well. He enjoyed the lights on the mat and music. Then we rolled him onto his back and he stared at the hanging toys. Andrea showed him how each one worked: one spins, one crinkles, our favorite one you pull

down and it vibrates as it retracts. He did not grasp any of them tonight, but he was very intrigued by them.

Finally he had his before bed feeding. For the first time he ate from both sides for a long period without falling asleep. This plus his nap from earlier tells me that he is starting to regulate his sleep, which is wonderful. I am hoping he'll be sleeping more time during the night before I return to work next Monday.

Trader Garrett

Today was a day to take a breath after such a hectic weekend. We spent the morning at home together. In the afternoon, I had to drop my laptop off at work for some maintenance, so Andrea and Garrett had time together. I had my snuggle time with Garrett last night while I was trying to let Andrea sleep and he fell asleep on my chest.
In the early evening we took a family walk, then did some house work and made dinner. After dinner we made it out to Trader Joe's, the best grocery store. This was Garrett's first visit, so I took a picture of him. This is in the cheese section of the store! It's amazing how Garrett can make a trip to the grocery store a fun event. Everything is new when you have a newborn.

Super Bath Day

This morning my cousin, and my Godson, Bill, was confirmed at his church in Claremont. This meant that we had to be somewhere at a particular time in the morning. Things were looking OK at first. Garrett had eaten and was not suffering from gas as badly as last night, I was showered and dressed, Andrea was getting ready, when suddenly a little unexpected shower during a diaper change threw the plans into the trash bin. I am pleased to report that Garrett's first actual bath, in his tub with water, was very successful, despite the fact that I have no photographic evidence. I do however, have a new weight report. Today Garrett weighs 7 lbs 5 oz. Unfortunately, the bath seemed to coincide with his tummy bothering him more again and he needed some extra attention while we were getting him ready. By the time Garrett was washed, dressed and ready to go, we had missed the confirmation service entirely. These are the unexpected things that happen when you have a three week and two day old baby I guess.

I did however, get to visit and congratulate Bill, who responded with detailed analysis of the proper technique for sliding on one's knees. The fact that he was doing this in a suit definitely added to the absurdity of the scene, but I am happy that he is excited about his new hobby. Because Bill was confirmed at the church where my mother, aunts and uncle grew up attending and where my grandmother was very involved until she passed away, there were many people who know our family. They all wanted to see Garrett. Most of them remember me from when I was a boy, and I heard several comment that they saw a resemblence. I also heard many comments about how small he is.

After the reception at the church, my family met at Chili's for lunch so Garrett had his first visit sitting indoors at a restaraunt. For the most part, he was content as long as he could see a parent, and Andrea was directly in his line of site for the meal.

I must really be slipping at my job as photo historian because I did not take a single photo during the reception or lunch. However, I do know that some pictures were taken so I will track down the files as soon as I can gain access to them. I have to admit that I have sensed some lack of creativity about how to continue to take daily photos of Garrett. However, I feel that a picture a day is the best way to avoid the opposite condition, where all the stuff of life takes precendence and years later you wonder why you did not take more pictures. I think I just needed something like this to remind me that because it is important to me, I have to make the effort to keep the camera close at hand (Andrea always has it, I just have to ask for it).

After lunch, we took my mom and Aunt Betsy to Costco because they are shopping for a Plasma screen in the near future and I wanted them to see what Costco had to offer. Garrett was very calm while we browsed and picked up a few things: water, cleaning wipes, and a birthday present for Garrett! I cannot say here what it is, that would ruin the surprise, but I will hint that it's the current version of Andrea's favorite toy growing up.

Our little Garrett loves to be naked. We decided to let him be without a diaper for a few minutes tonight. He was very happy during this period; however, it ended abruptly with yet another unexpected potty and another unplanned bath, this time Andrea needed one too, but I think she wanted to take a bath tonight anyway. However, once again his bath in the tub went undocumented. Third time is the charm, right? Unfortunately Garrett still has some excess gas into the evening, but it definitely peaked last night and this morning.

We spent the rest of the evening catching up on this blog! I must admit I have been quite behind, posting either a picture or some text, but rarely both and for the last few days neither. Andrea and I brainstormed the major events that had not been blogged, going back to Halloween, with the post we wanted to write together the next day. If you're a frequent reader, this is a time to peek at the last few entries that you've already read. Recording the history of our family's life is time consuming, but I must say it is also very rewarding. If you are enjoying reading it half as much as I am enjoying writing it, then you must be having a great time.

Slow March to the Painted House

This morning I caught up on a lot of lost sleep. Andrea was up with Garrett before 8am and I fell back asleep until 12:15pm. It felt good to sleep so long, although I feel guilty that Andrea cannot sleep so long in one chain.

When I woke up Natalie had come to Danielle and Justin's to visit with Garrett. Her birthday was on Thursday, and she had told us her birthday wish was to spend time with Garrett, which we were happy to fulfill.

After Natalie's visit, we went for a family walk in the same area as yesterday; however, soon after we left the house, Garrett was upset about riding in his stroller. He refused to stay in the seat without crying, so we held him for the majority of the walk. Bouncing soothes him temporarily, but he does not like it when you stop. I was surprised when he calmed down during the drive from Danielle's to my Mom's house, but he did insist that Andrea keep the light on so he could see her in the car until he fell asleep.

When we arrived at Mom's house he was asleep, but once he woke up he was very fussy. He would cry when he was not being bounced or fed. Grandma Caddes seemed pretty confident that the problem was gas, and I was very surprised that with persistent burping, Garrett would produce 3 or 4 burps between feedings, while usually I can only induce a single burp. We suspect that some rice that we had with lunch may have given Garrett gas. On Friday when Danielle offered it to us, she mentioned it was made with curry. Even though neither Andrea nor I could taste it, we remembered tonight that she had said this. Andrea avoids curry as a rule because it gives her stomach cramps. Although Andrea did not feel sick tonight, it's possible that her intolerance for curry combined with a dish with a very small amount, still produced an increased amount of gas in Garrett's tummy. Whatever the cause, we want him to feel better soon. It's so sad to see him in pain.

We drove back to our house in Claremont, later than we expected because Garrett was so upset this afternoon and evening. The paint smell is surprisingly mild, probably because we left some windows open while we were gone. I think the away time while the paint dried was a success, although I hope Garrett feels better tomorrow.

Quiet Day with Family

In contrast to the excitement of yesterday, we had a very relaxing day. First thing this morning, Andrea took her car to have the brakes replaced, which meant we had no car and therefore an excuse to stay at Danielle's and lounge. Just before Andrea returned from dropping off the car, Garrett became hungry and I thought we might have a re-enactment of the upset Garrett from last night, but she arrived soon after to feed him, proving that I overreacted.


Next I had a massage, followed by Andrea. We had been talking about doing this for Andrea since Garrett was born, but I was happy to have one too. Then we caught up on some Tivo'ed shows, while Garrett had frequent feedings. It was fun to spend the day with Danielle. In the afternoon Andrea, Danielle, Garrett, Katie, Daisy and I took a long walk around Las Flores. Then suddenly it was time to do stuff! They called that the car was ready and Andrea's mom wanted to look at fabric samples with us. We had to hurry to do both, but we picked out a really soft and fuzzy blue fabric for a chair that will go in the nursery, and we confirmed the pattern we are going to use on our couch.

We ended the evening with a wonderful dinner at Ron and Mariann's house. The appetizer was a seafood plate with shrimp and trout. Then a salad before the main course of lamb with mashed potatoes and yellow and green squash. The meal continued with three excellent cheeses with candied pecans and dried cranberries. Then a slice of pecan pie was accompanied by an espresso. The appetizer was accompanied by a Spanish sparkling wine, dinner by an excellent Bordeaux, and cheese by a nice pinot noir, but it is beyond my recollection to cite vinter. I've always said that the Cordova's is my favorite place to eat in Orange County, and this meal was one of the best.

It Seemed So Simple

Tonight I had an incredibly irritating experience. Before leaving Claremont for the next few days while the paint dries, I dropped Andrea at home to pack a few things while I kept Garrett in the car, and went to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription for his eyes. We had decided that his eyes were not in fact clearing up on their own, even though they had looked better on some days. Usually picking up a prescription takes less than 10 minutes. However, I'll ruin any suspense and tell you up front that the experience took an hour and a half.

It began when they told me that they could not locate any record of the prescription. All of Garrett's information had been entered into the computer system, but the prescription was not in the system, nor could they find the original prescription I had left the night before. The employee suggested that she would leave a message for the employee who had received the prescription and everything would be resolved the next day. However, since I was doing this as a last errand before leaving for days, this solution was not very appealing to me.

I asked to speak to the supervisor who managed to ask every question again. By this point Garrett was awake and not very happy. Twenty minutes later, when the supervisor was about to call the doctor and get a verbal prescription, Garrett was already crying. But suddenly, the prescription appeared! At this point I figured the ordeal was over, but unfortunately, another 45 minutes lay ahead. I won't bore you with the details, but essentially adding a newborn to your insurance is a frustrating process, despite the number of times it must happen every year. When we had exceeded one hour of time waiting and Garrett was screaming because he had been away from Andrea for too long, I asked them to forget the insurance and just let me pay for the eyedrops. I cannot explain why it took 20 minutes for them to charge me and put the eyedrops in the bag, but after everything leading up to this, it seemed only fitting. When I finally arrived home, Garrett was so tired of screaming he had stopped, but he ate like he had never eaten before.

Afterwards, we made our way to Danielle and Justin's house, where a superb meal awaited us. Danielle served Pumpkin Seed Crusted Chevre Salad, Homemade Butternut Squash Soup, and Citrus Chicken with Root Vegetables. The meal was excellent was a perfect counter to the frustration of the earlier experience.

Escape From the Paint

Today we spent the day out to keep away from the paint fumes in the house. We changed our living room from a dark green to a medium tan that should brighten up the room. However, we did not want to inhale those fumes, which gave us a wonderful excuse to meet Ashley at Taps in Brea for lunch.


Afterwards we headed back to Claremont, so Andrea could have a haircut, and Tom took Garrett and Katie for a walk around the Claremont Village. After a big loop around the Village, we stopped at Starbucks, then the ATM machine. Garrett was quite content except when we stopped in the small park across from Harvard Square, so we kept moving for the rest of the hour.

Once Andrea was done with her haircut, it was time for a feeding and changing. Breastfeeding in the back of the car was pretty easy, but the diaper change proved more challenging. By the time he was done, Garrett had blasted some poop on Tom's shirt, but with Andrea's help, everyone got cleaned up.

Our last stop before returning home was to the bank where Garrett was quite popular with all the employees. After the boring business of getting every account changed to Cordova-Caddes from our previous last names, we opened a savings account for Garrett. We also started an education fund for his college education.

Now we are heading back to check out the living room, pack up, and head to Orange County for a few family days while the paint fumes disapate.

Day Trip Turns Into Evening Out

It took a few hours to get everything gathered together this morning. We drove to Orange County to look at fabric and paint samples. Our day trip turned into an afternoon and evening trip, but Garrett was perfectly happy to go along for a car ride. We dressed him in a very cute suit and he slept through the drive (including a quick restart when we realized we'd left some things behind).

Garrett enjoyed seeing his grandmother, and we put him in the cradle that was built for Andrea. However, he still prefers being held. He slept a lot more today than the last two days. I have a feeling he'll sleep on the way home too in his car seat.

Halloween II

Since Garrett only wore two of his three outfits yesterday, we put him in his bumble bee outfit today.



Garrett had his first outting to a store today. We took him with us to Home Depot. And what did he think? He slept the whole time. Pretty much from the time the car started moving until we took him out of the car seat after we were home he was totally asleep. Unfortunately, that was his only nap today so he is over tired tonight. I think he knows he is supposed to be awake during the day with us, but he hasn't switched his clock completely so he is struggling to figure it out. It's like a horrible case of jetlag, when his two and a half week old system is not prepared to handle it. Hopefully I'll have good news to report on this front by the end of this week.

He has such a strong body that he likes to wriggle around with and long toes that he stretches out. We've been calling him "monkey" for both reasons. Garrett has so many nicknames, but I think one or two will stick andd the rest will be fads. Until then, he's our little monkey!

Happy Halloween

Wow, what an amazing day.

After many days stuck at 6 lbs 14 oz, Garrett has finally hit the 7 lbs mark! We put him in his "My Little Pumpkin" Outfit to start the day. In the afternoon our second big event occurred. I opened Garrett's diaper to change him and his umbilical cord stump had fallen off. After that we changed him into his first actual costume, Garrett the little Duck. Andrea set him down in the Pack 'N Play for a few minutes, but when she heard him cry she ran over to see that he had flipped himself over onto his stomach. We've heard this behavior usually happens between 3 and 6 months, so this may be a total fluke. He's been rolling on his side to get close to either parent at night, so this may have been the next step. Andrea would have taken a picture, but he was having trouble because his pacifier was in the way of his breathing (which is why Garrett was crying), so she moved him immediately.

We went for a family walk in the late afternoon, and on our return we stopped to Trick or Treat at the Dolce's, next door. They invited us over for a visit and Patty's daughter, Olivia, got a chance to hold Garrett. After returning home, we had our first ever Trick or Treaters in six years living here. It was Rachel and Betsy Kottkamp, two of my cousins, with their mom, Bev. They came to see Garrett in costume, and because they had heard we had the good candy! In fact, they even brought their friends by later, which was good because those are the only candies we gave out all night after buying a big package! After such a full day Andrea and Garrett fell asleep early and it lasted a few hours before the night feedings started.

Another fun event today was introducing Garrett to his Mobile. He loves to look at the animals and listen to the music. We attached it to the side of his Pack 'N Play and he starred at it intently.

Quiet Day at Home

The Kottkamps visited this morning. We looked through wedding pictures while Garrett finished eating. Then everybody held him.



We took a long family walk, then we had dinner at home and watched one of our all time favorite movies, Life As A House. Warning, curtosy of Justin, this is a very sad movie. However, the characters go through an amazing journey and it is incredibly moving.

Daily Dose of Dolce

Our neighbors, Patty and Cy Dolce, came over today for a visit. Garrett was very happy being held by Patty and looking at her and then at Cy, back and forth, new faces to study!

It turns out that both of Patty's daughters had blocked tear ducts as infants to the point that they were surgically opened at 3 months old. It's always nice to talk to someone who has experienced something you are going through.

We went for a long family walk this afternoon and bumped into Patrice, one of the yoga instructors from InnerWorks. She was delighted to have a surprise meeting with Garrett.

Unfortunately, the Dolce's could only stay for an hour and a half because they were going to a gathering for a friend who just lost their pug during anaesthesia. Hearing the story would make any dog lover sad. After dinner, Patty came back over for another visit. Patty and I discussed all the propositions on the California special election while Garrett drifted in and out of sleep in Patty's arms. I have been especially interested in hearing Patty's opinions because she is a high school teacher, so 74 - 76 affect her directly, but I also enjoyed hearing a different viewpoint on the other propositions. Garrett did not vocalize a preference for any arguments; I think he is still undecided.

Garrett Video #2

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Keeping Busy

We visited Dr Warren again today to check Garrett's eyes for infection. He has been having eye goop for about a week, but yesterday it was thicker and a yellowish-green. Dr Warren prescribed some eye drops to make sure that there isn't any infection, but it is most likely blocked tear ducts.

One of Andrea's Pilates colleagues, Vicky, came with her daughter, MacKenzie, to meet Garrett today. Vicky thought he looked so small even though MacKenzie was only 6 pounds 1 ounce when she was born. I guess one forgets how small they are! When Andrea was about 2 months pregnant we were driving with Vicky and her husband, Rick, and trying to describe the size of Garrett in the womb. And that's when he got his nickname, Gherkin, which Andrea and I used for him through the rest of the pregnancy. At the time he was the size of a little gherkin pickle. The day he was born I called him Gherkin more than Garrett, but now I only use it occasionally as a term of affection.



Today Garrett is 2 weeks old, and he weighes 6 pounds & 14 ounces, which is
close enough to his birth weight for Dr Warren. It has gone by so amazingly quickly. When I look back at the pictures from his birthdate, I can see that he has changed a little, but seeing him every day I don't notice the change. I'm sure it only speeds up from here.

Bonus pictures are of Andrea & Garrett

Right Time, Wrong Zone

Our little Garrett still likes to be awake in the middle of the night. Last night I didn't fight it, but took him downstairs and watched some TV so Andrea could sleep. As long as I am holding him, he seems content to sleep in my arms, but when I snuck back upstairs he almost immediately awoke and started crying (so much for Andrea sleeping).

Since I was awake during the night, Andrea let me sleep in this morning. In the end I think I got more sleep than she did, so much for my brilliant plan. However, we each got some one-on-one time with Garrett, which was nice for both of us.

We've been trying to figure out how to wake him up during the day to help him change his schedule, and he does spend some day time awake and very alert. But when he decides to take a nap, he is sound asleep.

However, I think Andrea's client figured out the mystery. She suggested that our little Garrett might be on a different time zone. Our little Rosenheim boy is on German time!

Garrett really likes the sound of our spot remover, we call it a "Zoom Zoom". Every time we turn it on, his eyes open really big and he seems to be listening intently. We think he likes the sound of it, maybe it reminds him of the sounds of being in the womb.

This evening, on our way back from a family walk, we stopped by our neighbor's house. The Dolce's had only seen Garrett in passing, usually in his stroller and we were asking when they would like to come visit him, when it started to sprinkle. We brought Garrett inside so he wouldn't be in the rain and also so Patty and Cy could get to see him in some real lights. Patty's daughter, Olivia, was also there and we had a nice visit. We made plans to see Patty and Cy on Saturday, but I insisted Cy pose for a picture, although Patty wanted to wait until Saturday. Their pugs, Sophia and Darla, were very intersted in Garrett.

Time Flies When You Have a Little Boy

Today went by so quickly! This morning we had a painter come by to fix some bad caulking lines in our living room. Then Garrett had a bath before Danielle arrived in the afternoon for a visit. Since we had run out of Pampers earlier in the day, and since the Target brand diapers seem to guarantee a wet outfit with each wet diaper, I went to the store. Three stores later I had diapers, household items and food and it was 8pm! After dinner we spent some time together but both Andrea and Garrett fell asleep by 10:30. It's amazing how quickly the day whized by, and I want these days when I am home to go slowly...



Today I am posting two bath pictures. The first was taken after Garrett's bath today and it's coupled with a photo of Garrett in a bathrobe after his first bath at home. He is just so darn cute!




I have heard (and experienced) that the Flash Video from yesterday will only work with the latest version of the Flash plugin. Also note that the Macromedia website states that after installing the plugin you may have to reboot. I would change may to will since it seems to be a given. Sorry if anyone is struggling with the technology, that wasn't my intention. If I had a little more time and more control over the hosting I would post it in a format that had more flexibility (downloadable, etc). However, if I had not used VideoEgg to upload this video, it probably would have been a month before any video made it's way to posting, so hopefully we can work out the details.

Garrett Video for 10/25

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I found an easy way to get up to 30 seconds of video up on the web. It's called VideoEgg. Here's the first clip of Garrett.

Celebrating a Spectacular Year

Today Andrea and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. Last October 24th our (extended) family witnessed us declare our commitment to each other in a beautiful ceremony. Tonight we watched our wedding video and I was reminded both of what a fantastic event it was and what an amazing year it has been since then, most especially the birth of our son ten days ago.

Our day was much quieter than last year. We spent it at home with Garrett, made a nice dinner and watched the video. This afternoon we took a family walk which put Garrett to sleep for the next four hours. We may find that he doesn't want to sleep during the night after such a long nap, but he was so content in his warm outfit and bundled in his seat blanket.

Today's picture is of Garrett in his bouncer. It was actually taken yesterday, but it's a better picture than all the ones of him in his bouncer today. I made the 1 picture per day rules, I can bend them and ultimately, it's the better picture that matters.

Update: Close to midnight we had a piece of our wedding cake. We had been saving the top tier in the freezer since last year. It was not as good as last year, but it brought back memories and it still looks exquisite!

Busy Day for our Star

Garrett had a lot of visitors today! First his Grandma Marilyn and Aunt Betsy came to the house and brought lunch. Marilyn showed us pictures and gifts from the Grandma's Shower that the nurses at Head Start threw for her.

After lunch Aunt Bev brought Rachel and Betsy, Garrett's cousins to meet him. They both held him and commented on how cute he is. He was very alert and moving his eyes between them. You can really see him absorbing the world around him.

After they had left we tried our family walk for the second time, not waiting until dusk this time. Despite a chilly wind, we had a very nice walk around our neighborhood and I was able to capture Katie walking and Garrett riding in the stroller in a single picture.

This evening Andrea's parents stopped at our house for dinner on their way back from the desert. They brought the groceries and prepared the meal. Also Mormor (Swedish for Maternal Grandmother) brought a suitcase-full of gifts, mostly clothing. I think Garrett will be able to wear a different outfit every day until his second birthday at this rate.

Earlier in the day, Danielle called to ask if Garrett needed any more 5 - 7 lb clothes, the size he is wearing now. Garrett is lucky to have so many people who care about him who are buying him these presents, but it's amazing how much clothing he owns. I think the fact that Garrett's sex was unknown until birth only added to this phenomenon. People bought gender neutral gifts for our showers and now they want to buy "boy stuff", even though they have already given gifts.

It's been a very busy day, and I am impressed that Garrett handled it without getting fussy. He did nap on our walk, which probably explains why he is now wide awake when it's time to sleep. Pictures will be added at a later time. Right now I have to get some sleep so I am rested for our one year wedding anniversary tomorrow.

Update: Pictures were added on Monday, October 24th

Visit from Natalie & First Walk

Today Natalie came up to meet Garrett. We had a nice visit, and I took the opportunity to sneak away to pick up the second half of my anniversary gift for Andrea while we had company. Garrett had a lot of alert time today after sleeping for almost 5 hours in one block last night.

This evening we bundled Garrett up for his first family walk.

You Don't Get a Second Chance...

Last night we gave two baths, but only Katie's was planned. However, once everybody was clean, we had our first meeting between Kiss Me Kate and Garrett. Katie seemed interested in Garrett, but after a few moments she just sat down. However, I was happy to get some pictures of my two munchkins together.