Mommy and daddy both opted for flex-time to spend more time with me

Starting on June 1, 2009, Daddy's company offers flex-time so he can work longer hours four days a week and spend one day a week at home with me. But just because he asked, and because daddy's company knows how valuable he is, daddy gets to start his flex-time schedule on January 1, 2009. I appreciate the extra time with daddy. He's fun. And oh-so-snuggly!

Mommy's firm doesn't officially do flex-time, but mommy's boss is letting her work from home a little so she can also spend extra time with me. And she's so glad! Mommy's kind of a sap, and is having a hard time coming to terms with leaving me at home. Plus, my nanny is only available three days a week.

I am so glad that I get my nanny, mommy and daddy to take care of me all week! Who wouldn't want to play with ME all week?!

I'm intrigued by the magic box on the wall

On the weekends, it reflects a beautiful green color that I love. I just can't look away, even when there is a bottle in front of me. Mommy and daddy watch this interesting sport called "football" that has a lot of that green. Here I am struggling to watch the halftime report during a recent game. Mommy is rudely trying (but failing) to make me look away from the magic box so I can concentrate on eating. It's a good thing I'm so strong-willed!!

When the big guys in the red and yellow uniforms trounce all over the other guys, mommy and daddy get really happy. Sometimes I also cheer. On occasion, I've also been known to make the USC "victory" sign with my fingers!

Binge eating rocks!

I definitely got into the Thanksgiving spirit this year. I learned all about eating a huge dinner, then taking a nice nap.

But this isn't news to me. I am a hungry little monkey from 10pm until 2am. Sometimes, if I'm feeling like an overachiever, I can last until 3am or 4am. I eat a whole bunch, much more than normal, and fill my little tummy. Then I sleep for several hours, until about 7am. I'm a Thanksgiving professional!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm going to gobble gobble up my bottle.

Mmmmmmmmm... fist.

About a month ago, I discovered my thumb and started sucking on it. But sometimes you need more of a snack than a mere thumb can be. That's why we have fists. Sometimes, when I'm really hungry and mommy and daddy need to do something before feeding me, like change my diaper or take the 7,000th picture of me that day, I suck on my fist. That gets their attention.

I love to play peek-a-boo with my hat!

I see you!

Poop on Polycose!

My doctors had mommy add polycose to my milk so I could get extra calories to offset how much I burn just breathing. This was designed to help me pack on some pounds so I could get bigger really quickly. But polycose was a real pain because it does not dissolve and instead, just mixes in the milk, and the little grains would sometimes plug up the nipple on my bottles to prevent milk from coming out. It was really frustrating -- I would suck and suck, and I wouldn't get any food! That wasn't very nice of the polycose.

At my last checkup with my pediatrician and cardiologist, the doctors were so pleased with my growth and weight gain that they told mommy she could discontinue using the polycose. We were so happy that we almost threw a "toss the polycose" party. Instead, we just flipped off the polycose can and put it in the corner for a much-deserved time out. Ha! That'll show that stupid polycose.

Now I don't have anything blocking the milk from flowing from the bottle to my mouth! Yaaaaaaay!

Playing "airplane" with daddy is so much better than tummy time!

Daddy puts me on his legs and talks to me, encourages me and makes funny faces for my amusement. It only takes a few seconds before I start laughing. Then mommy gets all excited and snaps pictures of us. All this fun, and yet I still get my exercise in to build up those neck muscles!

After helping daddy feed me, I rewarded him with a nice big cuddle

Lucky daddy.

I'm SO helpful -- I helped daddy feed me

Here I am showing him how and where to hold my bottle for me. His thumb was a little off initially. I'll bet daddy was thankful to have my help!

Mirror, mirror on the wall, WHO is that pretty girl?!

I love looking at myself and others in the mirror.

When I'm a little disorganized and don't know what to do, mommy takes me to the mirror so I can look at myself for a while. After a few minutes, I regain my composure and go back to eating, or go to sleep.

I can't wait until I can sit up on my own so I can sit in front of a mirror whenever I feel like it!

Off my heart meds, and feeling fine!

My cardiologist has been slowly taking me off all of my meds to simplify things for me. He has been impressed with how well I do without them! My heart is working really well, and my pulses and blood pressure readings have been great. So I get to stay off my heart meds! Yaaaaay!

Very thankful for that.

Showing off for grandma...

Grandma has an awesome work schedule -- she gets every other Friday off. Yesterday was an off day, so she came to visit me. Here I am chilling on grandma's lap.

Since grandma drove all the way here, I felt an obligation to entertain her. I smiled and laughed for her. But the serious entertainment came later. While I was eating, I was also playing with my bottle, flapping my arms and kicking my legs. Mommy reminded me that I couldn't eat *and* play at the same time, and I asked "why?" Grandma laughed and laughed. Mommy did, too. And when daddy called to see how I was doing, grandma and mommy told him what I said, and he laughed, too.

What can I say -- I'm a constant source of amusement!

I don't just smile -- I audibly laugh!

Mommy and daddy love my laugh. I flash my big, toothless grin and chuckle with mommy and daddy. They say it's the most beautiful sound in the world.

My carseat puts me to sleep -- I think it's baby kryptonite!

Mommy and I went to see my cardiologist today. She fed me, held me, then put me in my car seat so we could travel safely. Then, almost as soon as she put me in the car, I fell asleep. I slept soundly until we arrived; and I slept all the way back, too!

How am I ever going to see LA with this powerful baby kruptonite?!

It was chilly last night, so daddy put me in a baby sack

This is called a sleep sack, and it is supposed to keep me warm without blankets. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the manufacturer claim that uding the sleep sack reduces the risk of SIDS. I'm thankful that mommy and daddy are anal enough to research all of this and buy only the safest, best products for me. They're a little overprotective and cautious, but that just makes me feel even safer.

Mommy and daddy hired an *awesome* nanny for me!

She's great. My mommy said she is like Mary Poppins. Although mommy has misgivings about going back to work, she feels much better about it, knowing that I will be so well taken care of.

Mommy and daddy told me that, by having a nanny, I could be guaranteed immediate attention to all of my needs (I like undivided attention!), clean surroundings and the safest of everything, whether it be toys or cleaning products used on and around where I eat, sleep and play, all within the comfort of my own home! And best of all, no pesky other kids to mess with my stuff!

Time for a celebratory birthday nap!

Is there anything better than falling asleep while being cuddled?

I'm three months old!

92 days! A whole quarter of a year!

Mommy and daddy celebrated by giving me 92 kissies and 92 hugs first thing in the morning. I don't kiss back yet, but I smiled at them; and I hugged back. I'm thankful that I'm so adored.

I'm thankful that pumpkin pie isn't made from *mommy's* little pumpkin!

Phew! That was a close one!

Daddy was big when he was born!

I'm almost three months old and I'm still way too small for the cardigan daddy wore when he was a newborn. I'm glad grandma kept it, though, so we could play the "when will I fit into daddy's newborn cardigan" game!

Daddy gave me a faux-hawk

I guess I'm his little PUNK-in today. Ha ha.

Mommy treats me like a little doll

She dresses me up in a new beautiful dress every day. It's like she owns stock in Janie & Jack and Baby Gap. But like an authentic California kid, I kick off any socks she puts on me so I am almost always barefoot! It's funny to watch her search for my missing little socks. Daddy keeps telling her the dryer ate them, but I think he secretly knows I hide them under my crib. Hee hee!

Making a difference, one Sesame Streeter at a time...

Proof that we all voted. It's important, you know. Thank goodness for Acorn!

I'm going to start crawling soon!

I've been practicing! Not that I enjoy it. Really, it's just a way to get out of tummy time. I DON'T enjoy that. Neither do any of my baby friends. We all agree - unanimously - that the only good thing about tummy time is when it ends. BUT it helps build my neck muscles so I can hold my head up better and better every day, which will help me sit up and crawl well. Plus, mommy and daddy put interesting things beneath me so I can look at something fun -- so I suppose it's for a good cause.

Mommy and daddy are thankful that I have hit all of my developmental milestones, and some even early!

Thank goodness for daddy's chest

When daddy reads to me or talks to me, he positions me facing him, laying on his legs. He wears fun shirts for my entertainment, like ones featuring SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends Patrick and Squidward. In this position, not only do I get to look at daddy and daddy's fun shirts, but daddy's chest also makes a most excellent foot rest! Sometimes he even reaches down to kiss my little feeties. It's really sweet.

I'm smitten with the monkey on my rainforest bouncer!

Every time I see him, I can't help but to smile, because I know that he will sing, dance and swing from the vine all to entertain me! This is the smile I give the monkey as soon as I sit in my bouncer. Sometimes I even squee audibly!

I visited mommy's work today!

Here I am discussing the likely composition of the Supreme Court in the next four years and its impact on recent conservative decisions with mommy's friends Christina and Lital.

I am 12 weeks old today!

Today, I can finally say that I have spent more of my life at home than at the hospital. This is definitely cause for celebration! Mommy and daddy dressed me up for the occasion. Isn't my dress so pretty?

Although I am thankful that, if I had to spend time at any hospital, it was Cedars (top-notch doctors, great staff, superior care, superb facility), I am especially thankful to be at home and not require hospitalization. My parents are *very* thankful for that.

Grandparents!

They're the best. They always come bearing gifts, they contribute to my college fund, they shower me with kisses, hugs and snuggles and they never say no. I am one lucky little girl!!

Hooray for Aunt Pook-Pook!

I like it when Aunt Pook-Pook visits. She's lots of fun. She makes all kinds of neat faces that I like and makes me smile. She's really smart, too. She went to Yale University, and for her graduation, she bought me a blue piggy bank that says on it "Yale Tuition." I think it's awesome that I got a gift for Aunt Pook-Pook's graduation. I wasn't even born yet, and she was already thinking of me! How nice of her.

Aunt Pook-Pook always has to be careful to time her visits for when grandma isn't there to hog the baby, because if grandma is there, Aunt Pook-Pook doesn't get baby time. She drove all the way to Lake Arrowhead to see me a few weeks ago, but grandma wouldn't part with me long enough for Aunt Pook-Pook to get a turn. Poor Aunt Pook-Pook. So she came to visit me yesterday after she left her firm's fall retreat (the firm put every new attorney up at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey and she had a beautiful view from her room -- she told me all about it, and even e-mailed me a picture!).

Bibs: they're not just for lobster dinners

Sometimes (okay, all the time) I smile at mommy and daddy while they are feeding me. They love it when I give them big toothless grins, but this causes some milk to dribble down my face. Thankfully, I have lots of bibs to catch the runaway milk so it won't get stuck in my neck folds or dirty up my outfit. That's why, today, I'm thankful for bibs, like the "babysaurus" bib I'm wearing here.

Mommy, seriously, enough with the pictures already

You have a problem. I'm just sayin'. But I'm thankful nonetheless for having parents who love, love, love me, even though they totally smother me and don't understand the concept of personal space.

I like naps!

After a long night of eating and sleeping, I like to take a little morning nap to give me energy to make it through the day. So I have mommy get my little bed out and put it on her bed so I can take a little nap with her. Then, when she wakes up (or when I wake her up), this is what she gets to see. Lucky mommy. I'll bet she's thankful! Actually, I KNOW she is.

I voted today!

I registered with Acorn! Eight times! Ha ha ha.

Actually, *I* didn't vote, but I told mommy and daddy how they should vote on my behalf, since both of the yahoo presidential candidates are playing with my future, and the propositions seek to spend money the government expects from my taxes... I sure hope government becomes more fiscally responsible soon, or my generation is going to be in big trouble! Maybe I'll run for president to make sure of it. Mommy already told me I'm the head of the cute party. Maybe I'll get the cute party nomination next time around!

I'm thankful that I live in an age and in a place that allows me to be anything I want to be when I grow up, even if I only want to be President (hey, W lowered the prestige of the office substantially!).

I like to drool, and I like to spit up

I have these adorable chipmunk cheeks, and I use them to store some extra milk. But sometimes, after feedings, I decide that I've had enough food, and I let the extra milk I've stored go. In order to save my outfits and to protect me from having to change my clothes every hour, my mommy has taken to using larger and ultra-absorbent Frette towels as burp cloths instead of the cloth diapers she had been using, and which were recommended by mommy's friend Tracey and the nurses at the hospital.

The towels absorb more of the milk I liberate than other alternatives my parents have tried. Plus, they're soooooft.

I'm thankful for Frette towels.

I am a happy baby

And my mommy and daddy are very thankful for that! They love my smiles, coos and big toothless grins. They even like it when I grin with the bottle in my mouth so the milk I try to suck in goes dribbling down my little chin. They think it's so sweet.

Things I'm thankful for

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought it would make sense for me to recount the various things I'm thankful for throughout the month of November. There are a lot of them, so it will probably take me all month to list them.

The first thing I'm thankful for is my health. Mommy, daddy and I had a big health scare after I was born, so my health is always first and foremost on their minds. We are all thankful that my issues are surgically correctable, that my first surgery was a success, that I will only need one more operation when I am older (around 4) and that I am doing really well now.