Clever little stinker

Today, I came out of my room and despondently plopped my animals down in front of me on the floor. I said, "Look Mommy, I farted in the tent, and now my friends are all sad!". Another one of life's little lessons. Too bad Dad still hasn't learned this one.

I'm gonna be a big sister!

Mom and Dad have told me I'm going to have a little brother soon. (Dad: real soon - less than 2 months!). I'm excited to be a big sister, but I am pretty sure I'm going to have to make some adjustments. ; 0

Meanwhile, I've started taking ballet lessons! It's super fun! As you can see in the video, I am definitely not shy about dancing! Do you like my tutu?

Some of you may wonder why it's taken Dad nearly 2 years to post to my blog. Well, between working too hard and choosing to play with me over blogging about me, he claims to have adequate excuses... But some of you out there have pestered him recently, so he's gonna do his best to keep y'all more up to date, with pix, videos, etc. Keep the postcards coming!

-- Lil J.

Wow, I've got some catching up to do!!!

I've been keeping Dad too busy to let him write more stories for us. (OK, Dad promised he'd put money in my piggy bank if I said that, but don't tell him I told you!). Anyway, we've been pretty busy out here. I spend most of my time watching myself get big, Big, BIG! Now I weight nearly 16 lbs, and I'm so chunky I look like the Michelin man! Hopefully you've been keeping up with my photo uploads to track my progress in the growth department. Dad uploads about 20 zillion photos once every 200 years. When I get a bit older, maybe I can teach him about the concept of editing.

We had a great visit from Grammy and Grampy last week. Here's a nice pic from a walk we took down the street. They left Tuesday and I miss them already. While they were out, we shot a video of me cracking up while Mom made funny noises and faces. Mom is turning into a computer whiz: she figured out how to upload it to YouTube!

If you have't already seen it, it's here. People tell me it's a sure-fire cure for the blues. Since Gram and Gramp left, we've been getting a bit of the blues ourselves. We sure miss having family around. More visits, please!!! Aunt Sue, Uncle Phil, and Cousin Carly are coming out in June, so we have that to look forward to. Any takers for May? Oh, Mom's good friend Kathy is coming in May, so that'll be good. But the more the merrier, I say! And what about April, even? I'm not gettin' any younger!

My Uncle Dave just turned 60, but he was in Spain so I decided it was just too much for me to make the flight. Mom says the jetlag would be really hard for me. Speaking of birthdays, today is Grampa's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMPY!

So, what else have I been up to since January? Well, we went to Lake Tahoe to sell the furniture before we sold the house. It was sad for Mom and Dad, but we had some fun too. Here is a picture of my first winter walk. Dad bundled me up tight inside his big fluffy jacket. It was really cozy. I loved seeing all the snow and trees, and watching Chloe bounce around.







I got dressed up for Valentines Day in a silly hat. I think Mom made it out of wrapping paper from some flowers. The things parents will do to get a cute shot of their kids!







Later that night Mom and Dad took me to my first concert, where I met Tuck and Patty.

Cousins Wes and Dory came out for a visit. We went to an awesome beach and I saw my first starfish.

We visited Yosemite, which was totally amazing.


Our 2nd day there we all went for a walk in the woods with showshoes.


We stayed at a fun hotel with a huge swimming pool and hot tub. Too bad I was too small to enjoy it. But Mom and Dad did.




Chloe had a blast! They had left her a special doggie bowl full of snacks and treats.

Next time we will head to a campground rather than a swanky hotel. Hopefully I will relish sleeping on a foam pad instead of a fluffy matress.





A few weeks ago, we went for a hike much closer to home in search of wildflowers. There is so much more to write, but I will sign off for now, cuz Mom and Dad are rushing off somewhere (what else is new?).



That's all for now. I love you! -Julia

My first trip to Big Sur

Mom, Dad, and I just got back from an awesome trip last weekend. Chloe couldn't come because we were staying in a place that doesn't allow dogs, so she stayed with Uncle Mike. It was really fun. Dad and I spent some alone time together while Mom collected on her Appreciation Gift for having given birth to me. It must have been good cuz when I saw her she was actually glowing!

Then we went to this really cool inn called Deetjen's Big Sur Inn to stay for the night. They had heard about my legendary lungs, so we had to stay in a remote shack, far away from all the other guests. I say shack, because it basically was: not much bigger than Chloe's old doghouse. But really cute inside. I felt so cozy and at home. There was a little brook babbling outside the window. I was really happy and relaxed, so didn't really fuss at all, even when we went out to dinner. I got to eat some really good food. Mom had Filet Mignon and a nice glass of Pinot Noir. And the dessert, ooooooh the dessert: triple chocolate mousse cake and a glass of Vin de Glacier. It's a wonder I was able to get to sleep at all.

All of us stayed up late and played together. Making funny faces, cuddling, and basically loving each other up. Mom and Dad took lots of photos. Of me, of course! Here are some of my favorites:


Of course, Dad had to get all high-tech and create a collage using the latest Picasa. Check it out:

From Collages

Holy Crap!

Mom and Dad took me to church for the first time last weekend. When we got back, I had a special poo in my diapers:



I think there's some religious symbolism there, for sure...

Beautiful full moonrise

Before Alissa's party we all went down to the ocean. I saw my first tide pool:



Isn't that anemone (I'll be able to pronounce that in about 12 years, if I'm lucky!) beautiful? Dad wouldn't let me touch it for some reason...

And then we saw an amazing full moonrise:



It sure is pretty out in the world!

Our first party

I went to a party with Mom and Dad this past weekend. There were really old people there. Some as old as 22! That must be almost as old as Dad! It was for our friend Alissa, who made cupcakes and mexican food. I got a taste by way of momma's milk. I love guacamole!

The Julia Calendar (aka Baby Time)

A note about how one's external activity level is affected by newborns. The best way to convey its magnitude is by creating a new calendar system. In this system, everything is displaced by one unit. Things you used to do in a minute, can now take an hour. If you want to spend an hour doing something, you better be willing to put it off for a day (at least!). And any kind of planning that takes a week will take at least a month. In other words, you overall productivity is completely eviscerated by your little charge.

I'm trying to learn a new programming language, and on some days (like today) it just doesn't happen. It's a damn good thing I'm unemployed, or I'd be unemployed by now. ; )

When we tell friends we'll be over at 3, our friends know to ask AM or PM? We politely reply "AM", then show up at 3 PM. And they are expecting us.

All this is just my way of saying how much I now appreciate what parents have to go through to raise young ones. Whoa, this baby thing is hard work. And I wouldn't trade one minute of it!

Drowsy Dryer - documented

I forgot to post a picture of the "Drowsy Dryer" technique in action:

Out of the Woods?!?

I apologize: it's been quite a while since I've had a moment to add to our unfolding story. The simple reason, as you may have guessed, is that our little namesake has been more than a bit of a handful. Oh, and there was the road trip to Phoenix over Christmas (what!?, you say, but It's easier than it sounds).

Over that past several weeks, Julia has been a pretty fussy little girl, crying much of the time. I think Aunt Sandy got the short end of the baby during her visit. And still to this day, Julia manages to go into a crying jag whenever I happen to be on the phone with Sandy.

Well the good news is, Julia seems to be out of her cranky stage. We're working with lactation experts and our pediatrician and we think we may have a plan that is going to work for everyone. At least it seems to be at this point!

I have accumulated lots of pictures since that last time we wrote, so please do check out the Picasa link, which again is found here.

Bouncy Balls, Drowsy Dryers, and Calming Commodes

The quest continues for improved baby relaxation techniques. Today's installment, we'll cover three nifty tricks: the Bouncy Ball, the Drowsy Dryer, and the Calming Commode.

Bouncy Ball
So, the bouncy ball is a large inflatable ball (about 2.5 ft dia.) that is more commonly used to do floor exercises, build your abs, etc. But when you hold Julia in your arms and sit on it, it provides just the kind of bouncy action that gets her energy down. Ahhhh... another soothing scheme!

Drowsy Dryer
This may be obvious to some of you, but a clothes dryer is an amazing device for those late-night, Dad's-turn-to-calm-fussy-babe-so-Mom-can-sleep-for-a-change-and-nothings-working-help! episodes. All you have to do is turn it on (best to set it for 50 min, since if the buzzer goes off while you're doing this, all is lost!) and lay a towel on top. Put baby fussy-girl down (actually, even screaming monster-girl eventually gives in) on towel. Say soothing sweet nothings. Miraculously, within about 2 minutes, she will be asleep! If you do this in broad daylight, maybe she'll just be relaxed. Whatever it is, it's the most powerful trick in the book (next to maybe going for a car ride).

Calming Commode
This one might be specific to our house, or our baby, but it is working great! We have a pretty loud exhaust fan in our bathroom, and this sound (I've heard hairdryers have the same effect) seems to really relax her. It also happens to be a nice deep green color, so maybe it's a combination of the sound and the soothing color. Whatever it is, it works!

The Pinky Panacea

On of my obsessions of late is finding new ways to soothe the savage spawn (that being Julia of course!). And of all the tricks, my favorite so far is the careful insertion of one of my pinkies into her little mouth. It works better than anything except the genuine article (i.e. Momma's breast).

Pacifiers are passè, the Pinky Panacea Prevails!

More friends visiting!

Today, "Uncle" Jack and "Aunty" Dana came by, who are pregnant (due in Feb) with another potential future husband. They brought some girly things for me to wear, and I gave them some of my more boyish stuff. But the coolest thing? These awesome shoes! I can't wait to wear these out to my first formal shindig!

Another highlight for today: we went for food at something called a restaurant. I'm not sure what that is, but it looked like it made Mom and Dad happy. They were putting things in their mouth but they didn't have to visit the kitchen beforehand like they usually do. I'm thinking this may be related to the fact that I did not let them sleep for more than about an hour each last night. I'm not sure what it was, but something in Mom's milk really ticked me off. I was miserable. Maybe it was the cucumbers? Anyway, I wish kids my age could eat TUMS.

"Aunty" Taleese came by too today to say hello. We all hope her foot gets better soon...

Aunt Sandy arrives

My first visit from Dad's family. Aunt Sandy is really fun. She makes funny faces and noises, and seems to like copying what I do. But when I poop in my pants, she draws the line. She really likes my tiny feet. Who can blame her:

So long grammy and grampy!

Grammy and Grampy left a few days ago, and I miss them! We had so much fun together. My favorite was when we all went to pick out a Christmas tree together. Boy, did I sleep well that night! Since then, I've had some trouble in that department. Sometimes, I only let Mom and Dad sleep for a few hours before daylight breaks. Well, Mom, mostly. Dad tends to get the easy part of (sometimes) waking up briefly to burp and/or change me. Mom has the more time-intensive task of feeding me, and man can I eat! It's great having a 24-hr diner so close at hand. Since Mom is usually pretty darn tired by 7 AM, I usually give her a break and pretend to sleep until 11 AM or so. This way she can catch up on her sleep before my next visit to the diner.

We've had lots of visits recently: Corwyn, Margaret, Olivia, Cory (my future boyfriend!), Sol, Jean, Shari, Sloan, Mark, Jessica, and Ness. We also went to our first birthday party!

Dimitry's First Birthday Party

Today I got to go to my friend Dimitry's first birthday (see picture). It was really fun! Lots of kids there, though I was the youngest (unless you count Amy's little Sesame Seefeldt, who's not born yet). We had yummy snacks and a pretty great time all around. They tell me the birthday cake was really good, but I didn't get to have any, other than indirectly via Mom's milk...

For a link to a video Dad filmed, click here.

Oh, and here's one filmed by "Uncle" Kurt (Dimitry's Dad). Click here. Evidently, I slept through most of it! Musta been the cake!

Promised Bath Video is on YouTube

Sorry it took so long for me to post this, but at last I've gotten around to editing and publishing a short (3 min) video of Julia's first bath. Comments welcome! I could repost with higher quality if people think it appropriate. Anyway, click here to see the video!

Here's another first: she just grabbed her pacifier for the first time. Starting to control the world already!

First Bath and Bare Hands

Yesterday was Julia's first bath. She really seemed to enjoy it (or was it just the lactose?). I will be posting a video later on tonight, assuming I can get a decent edit done. I also went to a "New Dad's" class last night, taught by our pediatrician, Bruce Block. It was held at a Montessori School so that we could see some of the things montessorians (it should be a word if it isn't) would have parents do to prepare their homes for infants. It was a great experience: I came away with many great ideas, some of which I'm sure we'll actually do. For example, a low-lying play pad with a big mirror next to it so Julia can lie on her stomach and watch herself in the mirror. The Montessori folks really have it together and have many great materials to read. The basic idea seems to be to let your baby figure things out on his/her own even if there's some crying involved, rather than always intervening on their behalf. Also, give them lots of time to just play with their hands and feet and don't keep 'em wrapped up all the time. Obvious to many perhaps, but not me, was the fact that touching things with the hands at this age plays a key role in brain and cognitive development.

She's official...

I don't know why this seems so significant, but Julia got her Social Security Card today. I guess it's just to know that she's now a member of American Society and has a chance to participate in our democracy. Maybe it's just knowing she might get a good job and pay for Dad's nursing home bills one day. Either way, we're excited to welcome her to our system, warts and all...

Speaking of videos!

Lisa reminded me that not everyone may have gotten the email about the fantastic video our friend Jean created, taken only a few hours after Precious was born. If it doesn't bring a tear to your eyes, chop some onions. Just go to youtube.com and earch for "Baby Peevers". Or, just click here.

And on Thanksgiving day, our friend Mike came by with his remarkably small (but effective!) video camera and took the following videos:



This one shows her amazing blue (at least for now!) eyes:



We're so thankful to have such high-tech friends (well, Dad, too I suppose!) helping us out here. Come back for more! We'll post, post, post, till google blows a gasket!