Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to the amazing love of our lives and the cutest dinosaur in town! CALoween (yes, I went there) 2012 brought some super scary hurricane weather to Auntie Rosi and Grandma Rosie in New York and some spooky sniffles to our little family of thee here in SF.

Cal has, so far, managed to steer clear of the yucky cold Nick and I picked up (knock on a giant forest right now, please) and attended music class today outfitted appropriately along with an assortment of other costume clad cuties.

Thinking of our loved ones back East this Halloween and hoping for a safe and quick return to business as usual as soon as possible! 

Super Solids

This month, we started Cal on solids. Given our poor little munchkin’s bout with a pretty severe case of GERD in his early weeks of life (check out my tips on how to navigate that super fun journey here), we held off on this new adventure until he turned exactly six months. Since then, we have been introducing a new food every four days and so far so good!

I use the Beaba Babycook and this little gem has made steaming, blending and reheating extremely easy. I prepare the food on weekends, measure portions out into individual freezer trays, and we are all set for the week ahead!

Watching his little face as he explores new tastes and textures is truly a priceless experience. We started with rice cereal and then moved on to banana, avocado, butternut squash, and sweet potato. So far, I think avocado is the front running favorite but stay tuned as things progress!

Here are a few tips that have helped us along the way: 

1. Timing is everything. We aim for Cal’s happiest times in the day when he isn’t too hungry or likely to fuss. 

2. Simplify your spoon. Cal did not take to the spoon right away so we found feeding him from our finger worked well until he became more familiar with the process.

3. Model the method. Cal was happy enough “trying” solids early on but it was pretty apparent he didn’t actually know what to do with the food. We started taking a spoon ourselves and exaggeratedly “chewing” and swallowing and pretty soon he was following right along.

4. Bring a friend to the table.  To avoid restlessness, we bring a toy or two to the high chair to distract and refocus if he gets a little cranky.  

5. Know when to call it quits.  If Cal is over it, he is over it – and trying to proceed once we reach a frustration point is discouraging for all of us.  As with so many things, best to move on to something else and try again later!

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The Sitter’s Sitter

Last week, Nick and I indulged in not one, but two nights out of the home past 7pm at the same time. This is quite a remarkable feat for us having spent the last six months socializing in shifts so one of us is home to put the little one to bed.

The amazing Grandma Patti and her friend Nadine (a truly dynamic babysitting duo) took care of Cal on Saturday night so Nick and I could attend a party. Celebrating one of Nick’s good friend’s engagement was definitely a great reason to raise a glass, or four, but what I learned from this second night out was that the temporary freedom afforded by a wonderful care taker has its limits. Specifically, those limits become quite apparent at 5am when the wonderful babysitter has long since departed and you have a little early bird eagerly chirping from the room next door announcing his enthusiasm to start his day.

There is not enough water, Advil, and coffee in San Francisco to fake the energy needed to pull off this kind of early morning wake-up call with true gusto. Upon reaching the realization that the little bugger was not going back to sleep, I found myself whining into my pillow for Mary Poppins (or at that point, let’s face it, a Poppins intern on their first assignment would do) to magically appear and whisk little Cal into the living room for a few hours of quiet playtime while we slept off the night before. What I needed was a sitter’s sitter -someone to finish the job!

While at six months we are definitely turning a corner in terms of being more comfortable leaving Cal at night, I have to remember that, upon our return, our wonderful care takers will turn into pumpkins and we will ultimately be left with our own little pumpkin who has no idea that it is the weekend or that we might really need him to sleep in just 2 extra hours just this one time! I may have been too ambitious with two nights out in one week - take it easy with that return to socializing after hours, easy does it. 

Indian Summer

Summer has made it to San Francisco! As usual, the warm weather is showing up fashionably late around here providing a true Indian summer.  With the rest of the country breaking out the fall sweaters, we are soaking up some much deserved sun and today the high in the city reached 77 degrees!

While Nick and I stole wistful glances at the bright sunshiny day from our office windows, Cal beat the heat with Nanny R down the hill at Washington Square Park. With a little picnic blanket playtime (ahem –  note the unaided sitting position!) and a nice shady spot for lunch and follow-up nap, our adorable little munchkin really had it made.

We know the fog won’t hide out for long but we’ll happily take the t-shirt and bare leg weather as long as we can!

From the Weekend, with Love

This weekend we hit the road for an overnight visit with good friends. Lane was one of my very first friends in San Francisco and we have know each other for over 10 years. Now that she and her husband, Curtis, have adorable little Tinsley (and another baby girl on the way in early 2013!) they have settled back in their hometown of Fresno. We don’t get to see them as much as we'd like but when we do we always have a wonderful time!

Tote the Line

This week, San Francisco’s checkout bag ordinance took effect, requiring that all retailers make the switch from plastic to paper or compostable bags and charge customers a dime for each one. While we always make an effort to reuse shopping bags and request paper whenever possible,  admittedly there are many times when we fall short. 

The new ordinance has me renewing my commitment to this effort and embracing a whole new meaning of BYOB. Fortunately, the reusable bag business is booming and I am spoiled for choice.  My favorites include Flip and Tumble and Baggu. Surprisingly sturdy, they are also incredibly light weight and easy to scrunch up (many even come with their own little pouches) and stash in your purse, glove compartment, or desk drawer. 

Red and white, anchor, yellow seahorse, green, blue and brown, yellow and tan, stripe, elephants.