Monday, November 28, 2005

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.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

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!

Friday, November 25, 2005

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.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

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.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

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.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

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.

Friday, November 18, 2005

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!

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

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.

Monday, November 14, 2005

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!

Sunday, November 13, 2005

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!

Friday, November 11, 2005

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...

Thursday, November 10, 2005

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.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

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.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

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.
Tummy 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.

Monday, November 07, 2005

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.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

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.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

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.

Friday, November 04, 2005

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.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

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.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

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.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

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!