Simon at Captain Vineyards

Day 88 (Lucky day!)

This afternoon, the Captains hosted a party for little Simon and our friends and family at their vineyard in Moraga.  We had beautiful weather for the breathtaking setting.

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Our little family.  Yes, I’m being nerdy again and tried to match out outfits.  Mine only by color but Simon and Ron are both wearing orange polos and jeans.

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So cute!!!  I can’t get over it…

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The Captains provided some yummy food and tastings of their wines.  Thank you to everyone who came to enjoy the day with us.  Special thanks to Henry for manning the BBQ grill for the evening.

Simon might have had a little too much to drink… we have photographic evidence…

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I had some time to do some baking yesterday so made these for everyone to take home.  They are banana pecan cookies decorated with “S” for Simon (and Superman! – Ron’s idea).

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Simon signaled the end of the party by suddenly having a tantrum and it took over 10 minutes to calm him down from screaming.  After screaming, it took another 10 minutes to calm him from his hiccoughs from the crying.  After that, he was perfectly fine by smiling and even laughing again.  Such a weird baby sometimes.

The Captains were very gracious hosts and we cannot thank them enough.  We look forward to when Simon is old enough to help them with their grape harvest and to learn from them the art of making wine.

For more photos, click here or if you are able to view slideshows (does not work on iPhone Safari), see below:

To find out more about Captain Vineyards, check out their website or if you would like to see photos from previous harvests, use the search bar for this blog (Search for: Captain Vineyards).

Looking more like daddy

Day 87

Soon after waking up, Simon posing for me.

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So who thinks this looks like “mini-Ron”?

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Ron’s wardrobe consists of many polo shirts or T-shirts and used to be khakis but now mostly jeans.  Sometimes when I shop, I think of the clothes that Ron has at home because I think it would be so cute if he and Simon matched.  Too nerdy?  Too cute!

Today I had a few hours of time for myself by going to two of my favorite stores: Michael’s and Target.  I just enjoyed some free time wandering around the aisles and just browsing.  I really love taking care of Simon but sometimes I just need a few hours for myself and not worry about Simon’s needs.  I was also able to do some baking and crafting which was nice since it has been a while.

Shop ’til you drop

Day 86

Simon spent a quiet morning at home preening in front of the mirror.

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Actually Ron put him in his Bumbo seat and then on top of the stroller.  We know that the Bumbo is not supposed to be used on elevated surfaces but Ron was standing right behind him should anything have happened.

Unfortunately for us, Simon has gotten really good at sucking on his thumb.  Before he used to struggle getting his thumb into his mouth but now he is just able to pop it right in.

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So sometimes we try to use something to block him… but it usually doesn’t help… instead he sucks on whatever is in the way.

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This evening, we went for our walk and stopped by Borders.  I had the cashier take a photo for us.  I was not ready for the photo and Simon is smirking.  I think his expression is pretty funny.

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Simon did really well for about 2 hours then suddenly got really tired and started to cry.  We were in the concourse level of the mall and it was quite noisy since we were near Jamba Juice.  So I took him upstairs to the 4th floor under the dome again and although there was a private event going on, it was quite a bit quieter and Simon konked out so I sat down to let him take a little nap before heading home.

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Literally, he shopped until he dropped (to sleep)!

They fit!

Day 85

What fits might you ask?  One, my wedding ring!  Two, my jeans!  I am amazed… and just a bit giddy that they both fit again.  Finally the swelling is completely gone from my hands and as for my jeans… either the Skechers Shape-Ups are working or else they are just motivating me to walk more and eat healthier so that the weight is coming off faster.  I am almost to my pre-pregnancy weight, only a few pounds left… plus hopefully a few more will join them.  It feels really good to wear my regular jeans again.

Simon is getting his workout too to strengthen his core.  I love how he looks sitting in the Bumbo Baby Seat.  It’s like he’s enveloped in it and he looks a bit perplexed and unsure what he should be doing.  If the TV is on though, he’ll try to watch TV… all he needs is his own remote control.

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He had a rough napping day today, he couldn’t really stay asleep.  He seems to be having more digestive problems the last two days because he’s been having more gas and it’s been difficult to get him to burp completely right after eating.  So we would burp him, he’d let out a few small ones, then he would sleep for about 20-30 minutes then wake up crying and after picking him up and patting him on the back, he’d let out a huge burp.  So by evening, poor Simon was exhausted and fell asleep right before I was to go out to meet Vicki for dinner.  I was able to wrangle him into the Baby Bjorn and he slept pretty soundly for the next 3 hours.  He must like the motion of walking, it feels like I’m constantly rocking him probably.

As for our adult part of the evening, we did a bit of shopping and had dinner at Cocola Bakery.  We wanted to try something different since we usually eat on the lower level food court.  They don’t have that much selection and they ran out of our original sandwich choice but it seems like a good place for a quick bite and bit quieter than downstairs.  My only complaint is that the server was kind of unpleasant.  We had asked for our sandwich with potato salad but it came out with another salad so when we asked him to change it, he seemed exasperated and that he was doing us a huge favor by re-plating our sandwich with the potato salad.  I could hear him slamming plates behind the counter.  The person we placed our order with was much nicer.

This is Vicki with our chicken sandwich and potato salad.  It was a very simple chicken breast on a baguette with some lemony sauce and the side of potato salad.

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We decided to have a light dinner and then having two desserts.  On the left is cappuccino mousse cake.  The cake itself was a bit dry but the mousse was yummy.  On the right is a slice of millefeuille (or Napoleon).  The pastry cream was light and fluffy but the puff pastry was already a bit soggy so kind of tough to eat.

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I also decided to try the banana hot chocolate.  I loved the design in the foam and the mug was great, easy to hold and held a lot of hot chocolate.  The banana flavor was light so not overwhelming.

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I might not go back for the food but I do want to try their French macarons.  They have a rose flavor which sounds yummy.  I think they are only $1.50 each which may sound expensive but they are usually $2-$2.50 per piece.  They do take some work to make so I can understand the cost.  I would make them myself but they never turn out as pretty as the ones in the bakery.

An update on Simon’s sleeping situation.  We started him on a sleep routine two nights ago to see if this would help him sleep longer through the night.  Around 8:30 pm, we give him a bath, put on a fresh diaper and put him in some long sleeve PJs, feed him, wrap him in a blanket, put him down in his crib and whisper “shh shh shh, it’s bedtime Simon, good night” a few times.  He usually gets really drowsy after eating so it’s been easy to let him fall completely asleep on his own.  So far it seems like it’s been helping.  The first night, he slept 5 hours then woke up to eat and slept another 4 hours.  Last night even though we were out late, we did the routine with him and he still slept 3 hours then 4 hours.  Just a few days ago, he had still been waking up after 1.5-2 hours.  I hope this is a good sign that’s he’s getting more restful sleep so that we can get more restful sleep!

San Francisco Giants versus Washington Nationals

Day 84

Simon’s Bumbo Baby Seat finally arrived so we have been having him test it out.  His back isn’t quite strong enough yet so he kind of slouches a bit so we don’t let him sit in it very long.  The seat is made of a firm foam-like material so seems pretty comfortable.

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Wearing your baby is a unisex fashion accessory.  Now don’t you want one of your own?

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Tonight, Simon attended his first baseball game at AT&T Park, the San Francisco Giants versus the Washington Nationals.  My friend Kathleen organized the gathering and it was a lot of fun.  It was Chinese Heritage Night so we also received a Year of the Tiger Bobble Head to take home.  Simon did great and overall was not too cranky.  During some songs and loud cheering, he did wake up, and fussed a bit when he was hungry but mostly slept and entertained some of Kathleen’s friends during the game.  It rained a bit but since the section was pretty empty, our group moved so that we had some cover.  I have to admit, I did not really watch or pay attention for most of the game because we were wandering around but I did manage to pay attention enough so I know the Giants won 4-0.

Just a few pictures to share:

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Me and Simon, Aileen, and Kathleen.

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The rest of our group:

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Simon received this certificate from Guest Services for attending his first baseball game.  A nice little gesture from the ballpark although I wish they would do a polaroid or something but still cool nonetheless.

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A close-up of the “2010 Year of the Tiger” Bobble Head.  Pretty cool, huh?

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Kathleen went on a little photo-taking spree with my camera so there are more photos if you click here.

Or if you are able to view embedded slideshows:



I hope we can do it again soon!