:the blessings & well, the realizations of fear:

this has been an amazing week of firsts for chlo.

she started off with her hand raises when we say, "way up high!" this was actually taught to her a couple weeks ago by tia erin, but really came full circle this week.

then she started copying us when we'd shake our heads back and forth making weird sounds. surely, we thought, this is the cutest thing so far.

then she pulled out the clap from her newly refined baby repotoire. jared finally got her to do the infamous, soundless baby clap. for now it is the cutest thing.

and just as we were easing into the schedule, sleeping better and being more content, she learned to stand up in the crib. while cute, this skill carries along with it a double-edged sword. 2 days ago she was balls out, jumping, moving sideways, trying new stuff, taking a couple harmless tumbles to the mattress. yesterday, though, she learned fear. maybe she got a liitle bump on one of her falls; or maybe she simply realized that she didn't enjoy being out of control and falling. the latter is our assumption, which opens up a whole new realm for a child.

now, she will play, but if she is standing and wants to go down, she freaks because she knows the only way down is a tumble. tonight (the reason i'm up at 3am) she awoke crying and we figured it was just her normal thing. after a few minutes jared asked if she could be up. i thought no since it's dark; but sure enough, there she was, up on her little feet, desperate in the dark and needing help.

we still get some sleep, and i know the newness of it all will taper off, but for now we must embrace this new phase and love her through it.

God knows, we all need a little help sometimes.

shalom.

:up up & away:

i guess this marks the start of a new phase.

today chloe pulled herself up in her crib. thankfully it was with me in the room. actually, it was a test. i put her in there to play for a minute while i got ready, but realized (per previous behaviour that showed her ability) i'd better make sure she's not going to grab the rails. i've been telling jared we have to move the crib down before i hear a thump in the middle of the night. sure enough, as she looked right at me, she got up. and not only did she get up, she started traversing the crib, not upwards but across. clearly she's more coordinated than we originally thought.

when i went in an hour ago to put her down for a nap, i figured i'd wait until jared was with me to change the whole crib around. but i couldn't. she's smart; and now that she knows she can pull herself up, she'll likely do it again very soon. so i took 10 minutes to lower it and put new sheets on. she can still get up, but at least she can't get over the side.

anyway, here's a couple photos from her journey to the top.

shalom.

:8 months:

we forgot to commemorate the day, so here are a couple photos we took last night, chloe's 8 month birthday, along with one of myself at 8 months.

shalom.

:the photos:

here are some of the photos from this past weekend. jared took the ones on the plane. enjoy...







oh yeah...chloe has worn through all her pajama feet from being in the jumparoo...silly girl.

:good times:

we are happy to report that chloe was superb this weekend! i guess the decision to just take it in stride worked. the plane ride up couldn't have been better. not a peep out of her. of course, it helped that she charmed everyone around her. they immediately felt love towards her instead of frustration.

she also slept through the night, which was a surprise considering she was just in the pack and play in the closet. i guess she was revisiting her early days on hotel circle. i think she must have been spoiled with all the new fandangled toys that grandma had ready. definintely a treat for chloe.

she charmed everyone at the wedding, neighbors, random people walking by. she's a stunner...what can we say?

anyway, we had a great 4 days away, reconnecting as a family, as husband and wife, but are so glad to return to beautiful san diego.

there will be some photos to follow, lots.

pray for my ankle. i had a minor slip up and am hoping it doesn't effect the marathon.

:out:

we're out for 4 days to washington for a wedding...

happy mother's day!

:weekly recap:

sorry for the negligence. just haven't really made time to sit and type.

so, the other day i put photos from our trip to the zoo up. that was great! jared's one request was to go to the san diego zoo, which is just a couple miles away. while we weren't able to spend a lot of time there (chloe had been out of the house all day prior and fussing), we were able to see the pandas, primates, giraffes, lizards, etc. it was very busy! we hope to go back, and may even buy a yearly pass which would also include the wild animal park. since chloe is still under 3, she's free! yeah!

before the zoo trip, we were at balboa park for a fundraising lunch that jared's coworker invited us to. really, we got a a good deal: sit and eat outback for free. it was for a program called starpals, which serves underprivileged kids in the sd area. every year they have this celebrity lunch where local "celebrities" (mainly b-list) serve you lunch, while you tip them. the money raised goes towards the program. chloe wasn't so hot on the whole lunch thing. but, jared bought a baseball, which they were selling, and had mike cameron sign it. he was one of the servers, and probably the most notable. if you don't know who he is, he is the center fielder for the padres. one of the padres relievers, heath bell, came and talked for awhile, and signed a few things for chloe. he was very friendly, but honestly, i didn't know who he was until this season. ah well. maybe he'll be the next trevor hoffman and then we'll have some valuable stuff!

since that friday, we've just been plugging along as usual. i'm still training and completed 18 miles 2 saturdays ago. about 3 weeks until the marathon so keep up the prayers for stamina!

we went to the naturopath and had a brief consultaion. very sweet lady who seemed quite sure that both chloe and i are suffering from some sort of food allergy. we'd really like to continue with her, but it's so expensive to do. hundreds of dollars, none of which insurance covers. we're still thinking about it. we shall have to see how work goes for me in the next couple months before committing.

as for chloe, she'e feisty as ever. man, she's a terror, but in a good way. we started a very strict schedule set forth by Super Baby Food, and it has been so helpful. chloe essentially has five feedings a day. the first one and the last one are just breast milk, and the 3 middle ones (breakfast, lunch, dinner) are solids and breast milk. the solids are very specific: vitamin a, vitamin c, and a grain, which are made up of various fruits and vegis. her diet has expanded to apples, peas, broccoli, mango, sweet potato, pears and homemade brown rice cereal. so far, she loves it all. her sleep has been much better, her poop is more regular, and overall, she seems much happier. jared said it's been like night and day. she still gets 2 good naps during the day, but that's it. she's such a little person!

we're traveling to washington this thursday for a wedding. this will be the first plane flight for the chlo. please pray. it should be an experience. i hope to just keep seeing it as that, not as a nuisance.

love to all.

shalom.


photo by my dad, 5/5/07

:the zoo & such:

some photos :) more later...

:tryin' something new:

so, chloe has been having this weepy eye for a few days off and on. otherwise she seems fine, but i've been sort of watching it. i guess when you have a child, you are presented with many different options of how to tackle problems. before having a kid, you never realize all the struggles, like this, which parents go through. there's still that immunization issue, which we haven't completely decided on. then there's the choice between extensive use of antibiotics or limited use. tylenol or no tylenol? organic or conventional? etc etc etc.

today i finally just made a decision. chloe has been suffering from what seems to be some kind of allergies and i don't really believe in being given some baby meds just to treat symptoms. i'd like to treat the root. so i made the call to a naturopathic doctor team here in san diego. they work with all ages, but also have special experience in pediatrics. they are a husband/wife team. we are just going in for a consultation on friday. does it cost a lot? yes. but i finally had to make the choice about whether or not the money or our daughter's well being would win out. her well being must be paramount. jared agreed that it was a good idea. while i don't think he's as insistent about natural medicine, he doesn't disagree with it and is very willing to learn more. i appreciate that. these doctors don't do well baby visits, so she will still be seen by her regular lady if we choose to be treated naturally. the naturopaths will only treat specific issues. so that is that. we shall report what comes of our visit on friday!

shalom.