Einar is a Giant!

Do you remember those new yard sticks that I told you all about? The night that I installed them Einar figured out how to snap the one in the kitchen and then he got lots of pleasure teasing me by using the broken piece to bang on a cake pan and make lots of happy music. Jared caught him asleep with it in bed too.

On Wednesday I took him for his one-year check-up and everyone at the hospital thought he was a giant. He is way off the charts in height and already weighs in at 24lbs 13oz--15lbs more than when he was born. He also got 4 shots including his first for Measles, Mumps and Rubella and one for chickenpox. Those two caused a bit of swelling in his little thighs, but with some Tylenol and lots and lots of sleep he's doing much better now. Wednesday night he slept for 13 hours and last night was a solid 11 before I had to wake him up to go pick up little Kailani who is staying with us today.

They are both taking naps, but it sounds like Kailani might be waking up from her nap.

Active Einar

If you haven't guessed by now, Einar likes movement. One of his favorite activities is now spinning. Jared puts him in the desk chair and spins him and they both just laugh and have a grand old time. We think that he will be someone who enjoys the high-flying, fast, and scary for the rest of us rides at the amusement parks.

He has also been getting into EVERYTHING! Before cooking dinner tonight I made a point of going out and finding 5 yard sticks to insert in my various drawer handles to try and keep him out of things a bit. I have stepped on a few too many of my kitchen utensils that he had pulled out of our drawers and I was worried about the safety of our china that we keep in our purple buffet cabinet. I guess I need to be concerned about things that are close to the edge of the table as well. Right before dinner he reached up and yanked Jared's placemat off of the table along with the plate and silverware. Nothing broke and there wasn't any crying from the surprise, but I don't think that's the last of the shenanigans that we will see!

Hanging out with cousin Sammy

Last night Jennifer, Mary and Sammy came into town for a visit. When Einar woke up this morning he had to check out his cousin Sammy a bit closer. When they had met before Einar was recovering from a cold and really interested in poking with his fingers and not being gentle at all--he didn't get too close during that visit. They've been very curious about each other today and Einar gets a very concerned look on his face when Sammy cries and she just watches him as he motors around the living room. They both seem to like Einar's new easy chair and ottoman.

Today we woke up to waffles that Jared made us for breakfast and then the kids took naps. Unfortunately that was the last nap for Einar all day despite several further attempts later in the afternoon. Once we got out of the house and got everyone into the car, we went to Mission Viejo for carne asada burritos from Albertacos. It was a gorgeous clear day and we enjoyed our burritos with the sun on our backs and shoulders at an outside table. Afterwards we drove down to an overlook off of Interstate 5 to watch some of the navy boats that were offshore doing some manuevers. There were an amazing number of squirrels living at this overlook, so Dad when you are down here next time I'll have to take you there for an amazing squirrel fix. We also drove through base a bit for the novelty of it and went to the exchange and commissary for some Pepsi.

Einar finally went down around 8pm. I think he was just having fun with all of the new people and was a bit wired from the excitement of going for a ride with everyone in the car while sitting forward facing. Being a napskipper didn't seem to make a difference in his happy attitude and I guess we'll try again tomorrow.

Happy Camper in the Back Seat

Einar likes his new positioning in the car. He might also like men in uniforms. Can you tell by the way he's looking at Officer Chris Goodwin who helped switch around his seat? We went this morning to the CHP office down the road for our carseat appointment and did the switcharoo. Not only do we have more room for passengers to sit in the front seat, but Einar no longer thinks that I disappear after he is put into his seat--before I just became "mom's voice." He was grinning and giggling all the way home and it was fun looking around and seeing him having so much fun.

After we got home it was time for his breakfast--milk will only hold a guy so long. He had a blueberry cereal bar, some wheat 'n' bran squares, water, and applesauce mixed with cereal. He has been practicing for a few days with the spoon, but the dexterity is still not quite developed enough yet. His eyes definitely watch my every move at the table and it seems that he understands what a spoon is and has the desire to do it himself. At least when the applesauce is mixed with the cereal it becomes thicker and doesn't splatter so much when it is dropped or thrown.

The wooden puzzles that he got for his birthday occupied his attention for awhile after breakfast and then it became clear that it was nap time for both Einar and Mom. He's still asleep and I've just finished a veggie burger for lunch. Einar will be sorry that he missed lunch because he really likes the Dr. Praegger's California Veggie Burgers that I brought home from Costco. At least i have some time to play on the computer a bit before he comes upstairs and wants to push buttons on the keyboard.

Jared is coming home tonight! His class in Coronado is nearly over and he has to turn over his room down there today. He will also have Monday off for President's Day so we will all be able to hang out with Jennifer and Mary when they bring Sammy down to visit.

Happy Birthday Einar!

The little guy turned One on Saturday and we celebrated with a fabulous party thrown in his honor. All four of his grandparents came down to spend time with the birthday boy and we also invited a couple of his new California friends and his San Clemente Church Grandma. In the morning while his parents went downtown for haircuts, Einar hung out at home with the granparents. When I got home I frosted cupcakes and the two little cakes for the birthday boys (Einar's friend Nathan turned 1 on Tuesday so we had a double party for him too). For lunch we served salad, broccolli, roasted turkey breast (too bad we didn't do the whole turkey because there weren't any leftovers!) and fresh rolls that Grandpa Lee made that morning.

Of course you want to know how the cake eating went....I put the cake down in front of Einar with the #1 candle lit and I blew it out for him before he grabbed the wick. Then he picked up the plate and threw the cake down on the floor. Well that wasn't going to work well, so I picked it up for him and put it frosting-side down on the table in front of him and he thought that was much better. It turned into a pile of crumbs, but I think that quite a bit of it ended up in Einar as well. I had made banana cake for him since he really likes bananas. He also enjoyed the scoop of ice cream that Jared fed him.

I will write more later today, but now I must go down and wake up Einar so that we can make our appointment at the California Highway Patrol to get his carseat turned around now that he is one year old and definitely over 20 pounds. They offer appointments so that you can be sure that your seat is installed properly. The kid gets to ride facing forward now!

p.s. being the father of a one year old is hard work! One of those pictures is of Jared snoozing on the couch during the birthday festivities and I couldn't help myself from getting the camera and snapping a picture of him.

A Night to Remember

Well tonight was an evening for the record books. Jared called around 4 and was already through with work for the day so he suggested that we meet for dinner. We decided on a pizza place in Del Mar--halfway between San Clemente and Coronado--and headed out the door. All was going well until we placed our order and then Einar just started crying. Who knew he didn't want spicy Italian sausage or Mediterranean pizza for dinner?

We couldn't comfort, entertain, or interest him in any of the food. Thankfully it was a relatively noisy restaurant, but even so we ended up leaving in a hurry with our pizza in boxes and a very upset little guy. Not even when we got outside did he settle down. He essentially cried in pain for nearly an hour. We noisily made our way over to the Ralph's grocery store to buy some more Vitamin T (Tylenol) to get Einar dosed up. We figured that it had to be another tooth making its way into the world since I'd seen a bit of a swollen gum earlier in the day. It was so sad and absolutely hair pulling at the same time not being able to do anything to help him feel better.

So much with a nice dinner together as a family. I felt like the best thing to do would be to just get him home even though the hour long ride home was bound to be loud. We had to say good-bye to Jared who made his way back to Coronado to watch the Gilmore Girls and do some more studying. I hated to see him go and the trip Einar and I had to make back to San Clemente. I even offered to take Jared's navigation course for him if he would trade. Einar cried on and off nearly all the way home and crashed about 5 minutes before we pulled into the garage.

I got him inside and changed his diaper and took off his socks. The Tylenol must have kicked in on the ride home because when I took off his shoes and sweaty socks, Einar just started giggling. When I leaned down to make sure he was laughing and not crying, he gave me a grin and then a big raspberry. My little boy came back! I could even see the tip of a tooth peeking through his upper gum when he smiled. Those teeth come in so fast!

He's sleeping now and I have the Vitamin T out on the counter ready to help him with more tooth pain should it start bothering him again.

You read about having to leave restaurants because the baby is inconsolable, but it just hadn't happened to us yet. I just wish we had been able to spend a more relaxing evening with Jared, but thankful that Einar has recovered from his episode. Oh, and this entry doesn't have pictures because although I brought the camera with us, it wasn't really a picture-taking evening.

New Hairstyle for Einar

Now that he has hair, Einar is venturing into the world of crazy hairstyles. Tonight after dinner I styled his hair into a pretty cool mowhawk. During dinner he had smeared so much sweet potato, bread, and yogurt into his hair that I had to scrub his head with a wet wash cloth several times to clean him up and after I was through, his hair was damp and just asking for some attitude. I don't think he really knew what I had done to his hair, but I hope he'll appreciate the pictures in the years to come!

Today we woke up and went to the park after breakfast instead of Einar going back to bed right away. The sun was shining and we met up with some other kids and moms to swing and play in the sand. Einar left the park with sand on his chin from trying to eat it. He also really enjoys the baby swings.

Veggies and Coronado

It's been awhile since I've updated the blog. No excuses, just haven't been taking many pictures or keeping up with my updates. I'll try harder this week.

The past week was the first week that Jared spent in Coronado learning about marine navigation and small boat raids. For three weeks, he'll be gone Monday thru Friday and home on the weekends. Then we'll have a week of normal and then it will be back to Coronado. It makes for long weeks for all of us.

On Friday, Lynn and Dennis came into town and joined Einar and I when we went down to pick Jared up and have dinner with him in Coronado. They stayed until this morning when they headed out for a Death Valley Elderhostel. They'll be back on Friday to celebrate Einar's birthday on Saturday. Mom and Dad will also be coming down on Thursday for the first birthday. Don't worry, I will take pictures on Saturday.

The vegetable picture is from last Tuesday. Einar and I pick up our CSA (consumer supported agriculture) basket on Tuesday afternoons.

Now it's bedtime for all of us. Einar has recovered from his ear infection and I've just about kicked my bug as well. I think sleep will probably help me finish it all. Jared just went down to bed since his alarm is set for 4am. I think I'll follow. Good night.

Dana Point Harbor Pictures

Each Wednesday, Einar and I try to meet some other moms and babies for a walk at Dana Point Harbor. It's a quick 5 minute drive for us, which is good since we are usually running late. We meet at 9am and since Einar and I wake up anytime between 7:30 and 9 it can be touch and go to get there before the group takes off. The walks aren't usually very taxing, but it is nice to get together with the others and the weather is lovely nearly every week. The harbor is home to two tall ships as well as a marina and restaurants and shops.

As you can see, Einar is very interested in helping with the dishes. I'll have to show him these pictures when he's 12 and trying to get out of that job. It's nearly impossible to load the dishwasher without him scurrying over to "help." Today I coouldn't keep him from yanking my cookbooks down off of the shelf. At least 10 times he had to be removed from the temptation with a firm 'No.' Eventually we had to leave the house to preserve both my sanity and the cookbooks.

Tonight Jared is staying really late at work because the guys can't seem to clean the barracks properly for an inspection. His job is not to do the cleaning but to stay until it is done to satisfaction. At least last night he was able to come home early and the three of us went out for pizza and to get some more loose leaf tea from Peet's Coffee. We've been drinking quite a bit of tea lately and even Jared has developed an interest is good teas after watching a tea episode of Good Eats a few weeks ago.

My eyes are getting tires so I might have to go to bed before Jared comes home. At least he'll have a warm bed to fall into and the other good thing is that tomorrow is Friday.

First Ear Infection

Does anyone recognize the "pink stuff" that Einar is holding? Yep, it's Amoxycilin to treat Einar's first ear infection. Things were just not quite right with the little guy so we took him to the Naval Hospital to have him checked out. He'd been having meltdowns when meltdowns just aren't his style as well as throwing a fit when put down on the changing table--anything that would make his ears shift quickly. He still is a pretty happy guy for having a raging infection in his left ear, but I think he'll be even better in a few days.

Today before we drove down to the extreme opposite end of Camp Pendleton to visit the hospital (1 hour each way) Jared got up early and made us a delicious breakfast of waffles. Then he took off to get his haircut, wash his car, and workout in the weight room on base. After he got home, he met us in Laguna Hills at a restaurant called Islands where we had hamburgers with my friend Susan, her two kids, and her mother Jean.

Now Einar is in bed and Jared and I are going to watch the Straight Story. It's a Netflix DVD that Tor whole-heartedly recommended when he was in college. WE haven't seen it yet so I'll have to let him know what we think.

Ball Obsession

At the moment, Einar is obsessed with plastic balls that he can hold in his hands. No longer is the sound of him coming to find me the rapid pat-pat of his palms slapping the hardwood as he crawls. More often then not now, it is the sound of his elbows hitting the floor first and then maybe the brief contact of a hollow plastic ball on the floor. His legs somehow follow and it kind of sounds like the thump and drag sounds of a monster in a scary movie when it is really only a little boy who is trying to get around the house while holding a ball in each of his hands--it's quite comical.

The balls get quite a bit of Einar-time and if I want to get his attention, I'll find one of the 6 of them and roll it towards him. Two days ago he only had two in his possession and we spent awhile before Jared got home trying to find the rest. He crawled over to the desk and hunkered down with his butt in the air and tried to see if any of them had rolled under the desk. He found 2 balls and one of his shapes for the shape-sorter (now we have all 12 shapes again). After a bit more searching, we found the rest of the balls and then played with all of them for awhile.

He also likes putting them in shoes. Jared has found them in his slippers. I found him putting three of the balls in my ski boots. I didn't take them out while he was in the room and waited till later. This morning when he woke up, he went over to the ski boot and was looking inside for his hidden treasures--much like a dog that buries toys and bones in the backyard for future use. Einar is really starting to figure things out!

This week hasn't been too exciting. I've been trying to get over a nasty cough/yucky chest congestion thing and have taken it pretty easy this week. Einar helps me get the mail each afternoon from the garage and then crawls all the way back into the house and upstairs. Yesterday I took him to a playgroup in a park where he got to not only play with 5 or six kids around his age, but he also got to scavenge Ritz crackers and raisins that they were dropping from the snacks. He is definitely an opportunist when it comes to food. The five-second rule isn't in his books, it's more like if it's within his reach, he might as well give it a try--yum.

At the moment, he's sleeping and I've just finished some lunch and have taken the bread out of the oven. When he wakes up, it will be time to head to the Commissary and Costco to get some groceries in the house for the weekend.

On Monday afternoon, I took some time off by going to a movie and then enjoying a latte and a People magazine while sitting on a beautiful sandy beach just north of us in Laguna Beach. While I was gone, Einar and Jared went running and then did some weight lifting on the back patio. From what I hear, the pictures weren't posed--Einar just went up to the bar and was trying to do what he'd seen his dad doing. Don't worry, we won't be turning him into a young Hercules anytime soon.

Kermit's Travel Plans for 2006

2006 is shaping up to be a big year for the frog. 2005 was completely life-altering for him with the birth of Einar and Kermit's immediate change of position within the family--no longer the go anywhere frog, there doesn't even seem to be any room in the diaper bag for adventure-starved frogs! The move to California was exciting, but winter down here does seem to dry out frog skin a lot like Nevada. So when he was forgotton on the Christmas trip to Seattle, Kermit started to get fed up with his situation and started begging for some adventures of his own. He's a pretty persuasive frog who is now planning his trip to Heidelburg, Germany in March. He pulled out the map and made me open a beer for him so that he'll be ready.

Einar and I will be joining him on the trip to participate in the baptisms of Marlene and Amelia Cooper (Karin's two girls--the ones who visited us in San Clemente before Christmas). Karin is having them baptised in her church back home and has asked me to be one of the Godmothers. Unfortunately, Jared will be doing his boat training in San Diego during this time and won't be able to join us on the trip. We will be meeting Paula Grassell in Philadelphia after the first leg of our flight so we'll get to travel with her. I hope Kermit starts learning some German for this trip because I don't think that my Japanese is going to do us much good.

For Christmas, Kermit also got a certificate for a trip to the World Dragonboat Championships in Toronto, Canada this August. He can't wait for that trip and has been using his new dragonboat paddle in Einar's new bathtub. He doesn't practice nearly as much as Lee and Jean, but he's working up a killer cheer for the finish line.

As for a trip to Okinawa with Jared when he's deployed, Kermit will have to wait till at least after the races and will have to use more of his persuasive skills on Jared who still doesn't see the need for a frog to hang around with him on deployment. Kermit is trying to come up with a job that only a frog can do for Jared in Okinawa. Good Luck, Kermit!

Rip Van Einar

That is the little guy's new nickname that Jared and I use whenever he sleeps for an extraordinary length of time. Last night he went to bed just after 8 and woke up this morning almost 12 hours later! He usually wakes up around 8 am or so, but after waking for a snack or two in the darkest hours of the night. When Jared left for work this morning, he said, "Say Hi to Rip when he wakes up this morning!"

Yes, Jared is working on a Saturday this week =(. He's had several very long days this week and yesterday didn't even get to see Einar because he left long before he woke up and returned home about a half an hour after he'd gone to bed. Hopefully today will be better for Einar and Jared interaction.

Well, Einar just went back to bed for his first of today's naps. He managed to make it an hour and a half after waking this morning before needing more sleep. I was considering going to the commissary at 10 to beat the crowds of payday weekend, but I think I'll be changing my plans today. Maybe we'll just be walking down to Trader Joe's this morning to get our eggs and garlic.

Yesterday I took the day off, only cooking my oatmeal for breakfast, eating lunch with a friend and leftovers for dinner. Einar and I played all day and it was great. No dishes and no putting away the Tupperware and toys for the day. Today it's back to normal activities.

If you get a call from the guy in the pictures, make sure that you tell him to hang up the phone when he's done!

Self-feeding Experiment

Self-feeding is definitely a skill that requires a bunch of practice unfortunately. Einar is experimenting with all of the different textures of foods now and would rather get them to his mouth by himself, thank you very much. He no longer sits there willingly like a little bird with its mouth open while we spoon in dinner. No, the turns away his head and waves his hands in front of his face. Now every meal is going to be a production as you can see by the most recent pictures. Those are of today's lunch of Jared's turkey and rice.

This morning, Einar and I met 3 other moms and babies down at Dana Point Harbor to walk in the sunshine. It was a very mild morning with lots of sunshine and the ocean was beautiful. All four babies fell asleep on the walk today for the first time ever so we actually got in some good walking. Normally, at least one of the littlest ones won't stop crying and needs a diaper change or some milk so we stop for awhile and just chat while those needs are being met. Of course Einar is never one of those needy ones on our walks after all of his great walking practice around Greenlake.

I just took out two yummy looking loaves of banana bread that I made after one two many frozen bananas jumping out of the freezer when I opened the door. Einar's drinking up a bottle on my lap while I type and I think it's time for a refill. It might be time for a banana bread snack for me. Then as you may have guessed, I'll be mopping the floor. All of the chunky pieces are up of course, but the mop is required for this situation. Perhaps I should trade in some of that Starbucks stock for stock in Swiffer or Mr. Clean, maybe Lysol.

Was it Christmas only a week-an-a-half ago?

With the weather the way it is today and yesterday, I'd swear that we were already heading into the summer months. Yesterday it was in the 80's and today it is in the upper 70's. Einar and I are wearing shorts and t-shirts today and right now he's just in a onesie and not even wearing a pair of socks. I took off his outfit when he sat down for a late lunch of cheerios, an apple slice, bananas, and yogurt-cereal mix--the laundry is easier that way.

I've included a picture of Einar the way that I'd like to see him in about 30 minutes--asleep. It's approaching 4 and we got back from the commissary awhile ago and now it's about time for a nap. He has figured out and is diligently practicing fitting whatever toys or objects through the banister railing and watching them all fall down to the first floor. I guess he saw us throw towels and things down to the hamper one to many times. He is good at putting things into baskets and helping that way, so later on after his nap I'll employ him to help me put everything into a laundry basket to bring it back upstairs. That way he can do it all again!

Yesterday we went to Laguna Beach and babysat all day for a friend of mine who has gone back to work, but is still waiting for a place in the daycare near her office. So Einar and I spent the day with Kailani who is almost 5 months old. I had spent Wednesday night tossing and turning being anxious about watching the two of them in Kailani's place since it isn't set up yet for an inquisitive cruiser quite yet, but Einar was great all day. He and Kailani took 3 simulatneous naps and I even got to partake in two of them. Lunch for me was during the middle nap. We walked to the park where they watched the other kids play while drinking there lunch milk. Einar even got to swing on the baby swing. We were both exhausted when we got home, but the day turned out pretty well.

I'm going to start turning that picture into a reality. Say good-nap Einar!

Einar's Tour of Trees

Well, since we are still within the 12 Days of Christmas and it's not Epiphany yet, I present you with "Einar's Tour of Trees." While we were in Seattle for the holidays, Einar visited many gorgeous trees and we wanted to showcase them on the blog.

I know that those of you who check the site on a regular basis have a good reason to wonder where I've been the last few days. We got home safely, but extremely late on Sunday night after a really bumpy ride on the airplane. Monday brought a Pacific storm to the area with tons of horizontal rain and an urge to just hunker down in fuzzy fleece and snuggle up in our home. Miraculously, the sun and blue sky returned on Tuesday with no sign of the previous day's storm except for all of the palm tree debris in the streets. Today Jared returned to work and Einar and I enjoyed a gorgeous shorts and t-shirt day by doing some laundry, taking a walk, and then sitting out in our front yard for awhile with a book for me and a nap in the stroller for the little guy.