February 11, 2008

• Gorgeous weekend

  I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend. The weather in LA is nearly always nice, but the last couple of weeks, it's been rainy and/or freezing (which, for LA, is in the high 40s). On Friday, though, the sun came out and stayed for the whole weekend! It was in the 70s on Friday and in the 80s on Saturday and Sunday. So perfect after a couple of cold weeks! The air even smelled like summer (but without humidity), and everyone put on T-shirts again. As much as I miss New York and Chicago, I was very happy to be an Angeleno as I drove around on my various errands, drinking in the humidity-free warmth. Jack seemed to be extra-jolly because of the great weather, too!

  On Friday, after my work was done, Jack and I spent some quality time together reading an adorably illustrated but very trippy book about the Octonauts, some cute sea creatures who live in an octopus-shaped submarine. The whole time, I felt as though being high may have enhanced the reading experience. We also played with his froggie finger puppet.

  It was a very hands-on experience for Jack

  

  Jack loves his finger puppet!

  

  After playtime, we put Jack in his skull-n-crossbone PJs and dumped him in the laundry basket. Haha!

  

  After Jack went down for the night, Johnny and I watched the movie Waitress. I really liked it!

  Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day. After spending the early morning with Jack and Johnny, I met up with Tomomi, a friend from my mother's group, for some baby-free conversation at the Coffee Bean. We sat outside and chatted about our babies (her son is two weeks older than Jack), our husbands, video games, preschools, strollers, work, and all sorts of other things. We might make it a weekly thing; it was a really fun hour! Afterward, I picked up groceries for the week at Trader Joe's, which is next door to the Coffee Bean. Johnny and I have been planning our weekly menus in advance, and it's worked out really well. I love the produce and meat at Trader Joe's. I actually think I love everything at Trader Joe's. It's so fresh, and I feel like I'm being all eco-friendly when I shop there.

  After grocery shopping, I spent the rest of the day with my wonderful boys (Johnny, Jack and Atari, of course). Jack was very happy all day (extra-happy!).

  

  Jack's figured out how to drink from a sippy cup by bringing his mouth down to it ... but he knows how to hold a bottle and tilt it, so I'm hoping he'll figure out the cup soon!

  

  After lunch, we all headed to the park (along with all the other families) to soak up the sunshine.

  

  

  

  Saturday night, after Jack fell asleep, we bundled him into the car seat and went out to a self-serve Brazilian barbecue place for dinner. Jack slept the entire time as we ate; we felt very lucky and indulgent as we had a sneaky date! I had some veggies, spicy chicken and garlic beef, with one of those yummy cheesy rolls (yes, I was able to restrict myself to just one!). After dinner, I was really tired, so I fell asleep almost as soon as we got home.

  Sunday, I met up with my friend Courtney and Karthika for tea at the Huntington Library. It was another beautiful day, and as much as I missed Jack and Johnny, it felt really good to meet up with girlfriends and catch up without any husbands, boyfriends or babies!

  Here we are on the path between the Japanese and Chinese gardens (Karthika, Courtney and me from left to right)

  

  I also took some pictures of the koi pond and other nice scenery from the Huntington.

  

  

  

  After our leisurely tea and stroll, we parted ways. Before leaving Pasadena, I stopped by the Whole Foods to get Jack some teething biscuits and baby oatmeal. Wow, that Whole Foods is like an amusement park. I seriously want to devote an entire day to wandering around in there. It's two stories tall, and while you go up one side of the escalator (or down), your shopping cart rides on its own escalator next to you. I love those dual escalators. They have a cosmetics counter full of organic makeup, a huge bath & body section, a big cafe and of course all the groceries. They also have kitchenware and china, all very eco-friendly, expensive and attractively packaged. I gawked for a long time before getting to the baby aisle. I discovered that they have this great baby oatmeal that's already in a cylindrical container, so I didn't have to transfer the oatmeal to an airtight container. This oatmeal has probiotics in it, too, to promote a healthy GI tract. And it's organic, of course. I don't buy much at Whole Foods (it's too expensive!), but for Jack, I have been splurging. He doesn't eat much compared to an adult, so I figure I might as well pamper him while his GI tract is still developing. I fed it to him this morning and have to say that it smelled really good even in its dried form, and especially after I mixed it with breast milk and homemade apple/pear/cinnamon puree. He ate it in like two seconds. When Jack's done with the teething biscuits (which are whole wheat and taste just a little lemony, but not sweet), I think I'll go back and buy the little puffs (like Cheerios except organic and shaped like little bears) for him. This weekend I noticed that he's grabbing things with his thumb and index finger (the pincer grasp!) and feeding himself Cheerios. He's been trying for a long time but finally he's succeeded. He's still not great at releasing from the pincer grasp, but he can definitely grasp. I'm proud!

  Wow, I just spent a paragraph talking about Whole Foods, baby oatmeal and my son's pincer grasp as though they were the most fascinating topics in the world. Time for me to get a life!

  • 6:11 pm
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