Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Ana Moves Fast

Ana moves around fast and stands up holding on to every surface. She
doesn't forget to smile. I love that smile. She is just starting to
reach out at times, almost letting go, to get to a next surface. It's
only a matter of time before she is walking along the edges. Exciting?
Yes. More work ahead to keep an eye on her? Definitely.

I enjoy my job but it will be so nice to have the two week winter
break to spend with my family in just two and a half weeks from now. I
try not to live in the future but I am looking forward to that time.
For now, I have the evenings and weekends.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The Big Three Words

(Enzo laughing and playing peek-a-boo with his sister.)

My son said I love you for the first time last night.  Not to me, but he said it.

I had been thinking recently about him and this exact phrase.  We said "agua" often to him and Enzo picked up that word first.  I was thinking about how we say "I love you" to him so often that it's interesting that he hasn't said that yet.  I don't want to force him to say that.  But really, he hears it so often that I was wondering when he would say it.  Some phrases he says that he hears often like "bye, bye" and "Go Oakland!"  A funny one is that he was calling me "son" for a while.  I would say "bye bye son" in the morning and he started saying to me "Bye bye son."  That was funny.  I would laugh and say "you're my son, I'm your Papi!"  That reminds me of something else.  He is starting to say sentences.  "Ana play wi ball?" It's neat to see his sentence structure becoming complicated.  He is also saying "funny" as when he laughs and then says "Mama funny."  Where did he pick up "funny?"  I didn't realize he was hearing that word but I like that.  Funny is a great word to have in one's vocabulary.

So last night we did as we do every night.  With about 10 minutes to his bed time we say "casi tiempo para mimis" to get him thinking about bed time.  When it's time I say something like "Ok, tiempo para mimis.  Let's pick a book."  It's the "book" part that gets him moving.  Then he gets up ready to go.  We go around so he can kiss his mom goodnight and his sister goodnight.  Then, he goes potty, gets in pajamas, picks a book, and we lay on our bellies in bed to read.  Last night, after going potty, he ran back to the family room instead of to the bed room.  What?  I go walking after him and see him with his mom and sister and Tami tells me "He just said 'I love you baby Ana' to his sister."
What? I ask, "did he say it to you?" 
"No… to you?"
 "No.  Well at least he loves his sister."
I love this kid.  I have no idea what his concept of love is but I adore the fact that he told his sister that he loves her.  I am so looking forward to hearing him say it to me and his mom.

This morning over brushing teeth Tami and I were talking about this again.  It's interesting that he told Ana first.  It's interesting especially since she loves him too, she adores him, but she has never told him in words.  Her first words have not arrived yet.  He hears it in words and actions from us over and over but gave it to her in words as a gift first.  She deserves it.  Tami made a great point; "I guess it's good that he loves his sister so much because he is going to have her longer then he'll have either of us."  Good point love.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Poladroid App



Found a neat free app for computers.  You can download it at http://www.poladroid.net/.  It's fun and quirky.  You drag a photo on to it and it makes the sound of a Polaroid, then makes you wait as it slowly "develops" the picture for you to see.  You can even grab and shake the photo as it develops.  The picture comes out with the effect of an old Polaroid picture.  Because it is like the old camera, you can only do 10 pictures in a session because that's how many pictures could be made from a cartridge of film.  Here are a couple of examples.


Thanksgiving, Sunday, and a Norton

(Enzo helping in preparation for Thanksgiving.)

(Thanksgiving day.)

Thanksgiving was a delicious day.

(Grandma and Ana.)

We have started a new Sunday event.  Come on over if ever you would like Sunday breakfast.  Door opens at 9:30am to family and friends.  We want to be sure our kids see family and friends regularly so we thought this would be a great way to do it.  Inspired by the way Nino and Nina's were hosting weekly breakfast events and a desire to strengthen our children's village, we had our first Sunday breakfast/brunch today.  For this inaugural breakfast we had all grandparents, cousin Vincent, Tia K, Nicole and Shea.  We plan to get the word out more now that we realize it's not so difficult to do. If you read this, here is your notification.  Eggs, bacon, coffee, and waffles every Sunday with friends and family and at least two adorable children.  Today we had three adorable children with Shea.  Shea brought a bouquet of fall leaves and Nicole brought one of flowers.  Enzo loves playing with Shea.

(Playing in the leaves at the Farmer's Market.)

(The beautiful Norton rides again!)

And then, there was time to work on the Norton.  The garage now has TWO running motorcycles!  It was so easy.  Why did I take so long?  A slight adjustment to the pilot screws and the Norton now idles correctly.  A change of the front wheel to include a hub with a friction including surface and now there are brakes too.  Well, drum brakes which really are not all that effective but they work.  I took some time to clean up the bike and ride around the neighborhood.  Don helped to adjust the rear tire and chain and then took his first ride on the Norton as well.  It looks great clean.  There is plenty of patina and I have no intentions of making it a show bike but it looks great and runs great now and it sort-a-kinda stops.  I feel so good having the bike running well.  I feel so good having my kids play with family and friends.  To top all of this off, Tamales will be done soon.  Yumm.  Turkey tamales from the left over Thanksgiving dinner.  Tami, her mom and cousin Vincent made them.

(Don tried out the Norton for the first time.)

Monday, November 21, 2011

Ana at 200 and a great Fall season

(Tami and Ana sitting near the grapes on our Napa vacation.)

Ana has been on the outside for 200 days.  Tomorrow, at her birth minute, she will have completed 200 days worth of hours.  As of today, she has been on the outside for 200 days of the calendar.  Here is a pretty cool website http://nerdiversary.com/ if you want to check out some of the temporal milestones of your life.  I'll be 555 squared hours old on Friday, Enzo 99 weeks old tomorrow, and Tami will be 4321 squared minutes old in early January.  There are a lot of opportunities to celebrate.

A little more common to celebrate would be a 6 month birthday and we did that for Ana two weeks ago.  We had an impromptu celebration with all of her grandparents, Aunti Tia and two of her cousins.  Part of the celebration was that Ana tried her first solid food; butternut squash.  To be true, it didn't go down very well.  Ana coughed it up for the most part but she kept trying and bringing the spoon to her mouth.  Eventually we decided to wait a few days and try again.

(The very first taste of solid food.)

The wait of a few days was worth it.  Ana is much better at eating and since has enjoyed avocado and green peas.  She is pretty good at bringing the spoon of food to her mouth and very good at applying just enough of the food to all of her face to perfect that adorable dinner time look I love.

(Seconds before the face painting in organic mushed green peas begins.)

She is growing beautifully and healthfully. Over the last couple of weeks Ana has become adept at rising to her feet and standing vertically along a table, a couch, her Mama, or my leg.  She smiles, she laughs, she is gorgeous.  Her skin is an immeasurable softness.  Her little laughs and open smiles send happiness through the air.

(At Aunti Tia's house for the annual Dia de los Muertos brunch.)

(This year's sugar skulls.  The one on the left I made with my Nina in my thoughts.)

Last year Tami and I made sugar skulls for Dia de los Muertos for the first time at an event about the day.  This year Tami made a batch of skulls herself and prepared the decorations at her sister Traci's house for us all to decorate.  The two above have found a place on our new family shrine that we created on a shelf in our living room.

(Ana as our pumpkin for Halloween.)

This year, Enzo went trick-or-treating for the first time with us and Cousin Vincent.  We went to a few houses near by and then returned home so that Enzo could hand out pencils and erasers.  Yes, we are that house.

(Enzo the caballo trick-or-treating with Ana resting on Mama's back.)

At the first house, Enzo was not very into the event.  By the third house, he had it figured out.

(Enzo and Grand Papi carving pumpkins.)

I must say that it has been a fantastic October and November.  Pumpkins, trick-or-treating, my Ducati out and about again, time with family, playing with my kids, and a motorcycle show.  Thanksgiving is just three days away and that means 4 days off to enjoy family, friends and motorcycles.


(A ride to Alice's Restaurant with Don for breakfast.. and the first ever photo of me with the Ducati.)

(I love this picture taken after breakfast.)

This last Sunday, we all went to breakfast where we met Don, Nicole, Shea, Greg, Nathan, Laurie, and Charlotte.  Afterwards, Tami and Ana went to do their own thing as did Nicole and Shea.  The rest of us headed up to San Mateo for the annual International Motorcycle Show. Here is a picture that I particularly adore.

(Enzo on a Yamaha.)

The Kid adds words to his vocabulary seemingly every day.  It's clear he is hungry for more words to express his thoughts.  One of the greatest parts of my life is the ongoing and growing relationship that I have with this kid.  I think gratefully of the time we play, read books, hug.  I know that he is just developing himself as a personality and I appreciate so much that I get to bond with each layer of his personality as it develops.  I get to be here.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Bye Bye WaWa


Our family cat Maggie, WaWa to Enzo, long time friend of Tami, pain in the ass and still well loved by many, died today.
Bye Maggie.  We love you.  And even as I call you a pain in the ass, it is with tenderness. I'm glad that you had Tami to love you all of these years.  I'm glad our children met you.  I'll remember you always.