ALL ABOUT EVA

Eva does not like to eat avocado. She does like to spread it on herself though. She probably heard it does wonders for the skin.

Today the most important man in Eva’s life turned 30. I know what you are thinking. I am a cougar! Eva adores her Dad like no other and they definitely complete each other. He, of course, thinks she is the most perfect thing on the planet.

For this important birthday, I decided to take Eva’s Dad to the dump. We went to the Albany Bulb, which used to be a dump, then a homeless camp and place for artists to create art using found objects, and now a park. We had a great time and saw a lot of interesting things. We did not make it to the hobo hot tub however.

I must also remember and thank Grammie, who, 30 years ago today, gave birth (which, as previously stated, is really hard!) to an amazing and wonderful man.

Eva’s Dad in his birthday suit and other pictures after the jump…. Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago we bought Eva a jumperoo. Originally we were going to get a door jumper but, much to our disappointment, none fit our doors. So, at more than twice the cost and taking up more than twice the space, we bought a jumperoo. It has more gadgets than I have ever seen on one toy. It also lights up and plays music! I was feeling like a bad mom because we hadn’t bought Eva one of these, and it seems like all moms were using them. I was expecting Eva to happily bounce away for hours. She does like it, it just took a while to get her to jump in it. She mostly only jumps with encouragement. So essentially when Eva is jumping, everyone in our house is jumping. Family exercises! One funny thing: If Eva has had a pretty intense jumping session, she will continue to act like she is jumping even when you take her out of the jumper.  Stay tuned for better video.

Eva’s aunt, uncle and cousins got her this book entitled : The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook: Whole Foods to Nourish Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women and Their Families. We love this book! It lists the nutritional value for each meal, not only calories, fat, carbs and protein, but vitamins and minerals too. The recipes are easy to follow and the food tastes amazing. I just keep thinking up variations of each recipe. Some favorites at our house include: breakfast burritos, black bean and sweet potato enchiladas, and millet-veggie burgers. In fact, we make millet-veggie burgers at least once a week. Did you know there is a millet shortage in Africa?

Today Eva ate “solids” for the first time. I put solids in quotation marks because the rice cereal flakes (which look like fish food) combined with breast milk resulted in a pretty runny mess. After much debate between Eva’s Dad and myself about whether she was ready to eat solids or not, it has become pretty clear she is ready. Evidence she is ready: drooling significantly; sitting up; grabbing for food; imitating me when I chew (okay, this wasn’t on the list, but come on, this has to be a sign). The only sign she isn’t ready for foods is that she is lacking teeth. The most telling evidence that she is ready is the fact that she ate. And ate. And ate. And then sang a little song about how good it was.

Eva’s Dad feeds Eva first because there is a Vietnamese superstition that the baby will be the same type of eater as the first person to feed her. I am very picky, Eva’s Dad is a bit more adventurous. Guess who we want her to take after?

I apologize for the last three seconds. She was so cute, I became confused.

Today Eva was told she looked like Elizabeth Taylor. What do you think?

This weekend Eva went on her first flight to visit her Southern California grandparents. I was so incredibly nervous, but all in all, things went pretty smoothly. She cried at the beginning of the first flight and at the end of the last flight, but slept the rest of the time. There must be something about the landing/take-off strip in Oakland.

For some weird reason I am really self-conscious of what other people think of Eva when we are flying. I think it’s a new parent thing. Babies on planes have never bothered me. I was expecting dirty looks and mean comments, but everyone was actually pretty nice. Someone even said she was really good. (But I think he was flirting with our friend who, coincidentally, was flying on the same plane.)

Here is a scary thought: Not all airlines have changing tables in their bathrooms.

At just a little over five months Eva is sitting up! For the past week or so, she has been sitting for short periods of time. Today she stepped it up and sat on her own, without her Mom holding her up, for what seems like an hour, maybe more! I am so very proud of her. This new development introduces a new way of playing for Eva, and a little more freedom for Mom so I can put on my jacket without struggling and fumbling and embarrassing myself when out and about.

Some other milestones Eva’s been meeting recently: rolling over both ways in both directions (although she is not one of those roly poly kids, yet); standing with minimal assistance from her parents; straight armed push-ups with her head twisting every which way; and, I promise I am telling you the truth, Eva’s Dad was there too, and we are not exaggerating, Eva made a “th” sound.

Social milestones: we were invited to our first birthday party; Eva had her hair pulled by another older little one (she did not like that at all! Looks like her long hair might be a liability in some situations); Eva also had her toys taken from her by older ones, but she was willing to share. Who knew Eva had all the cool toys? (Here’s a tip: When going places where there will be lots of other moving babies, bring easily washable toys. You will be very popular with other moms if you and your child are willing to share.)

Oh! I almost forgot! The adults in this household are still sleep-deprived almost to the point of insanity, but Eva has put herself to sleep three times this week! We weren’t even trying to get her to do it! Go Eva!

Going on a trip with Eva is so much more complicated than before Eva. Packing all of her stuff is incredibly time consuming and stressful. You don’t want to forget any key things because if you do, I don’t know what happens, but I know it’s bad. Plus, all of her stuff takes up pretty much the entire car. This past weekend we took a trip to Calistoga. I was consumed with worry at the last minute. We would forget something. She wouldn’t sleep in a new place. She would cry the whole time. She would get bitten by something. Turns out we did forget two key things: birthing ball and thermometer. We didn’t need to use either! Eva fell asleep easily, and stayed asleep for the most part. She didn’t get sick either. She had a great time! Turns out she is a traveler. Next trip: Papua New Guinea.

We also had dinner at this fantastic new restaurant in Napa: Ubuntu. It has received rave reviews and is rated as one of the best new restaurants in the country. We had a six course meal filled with things I had never heard of or imagined combining together! It was an amazing experience and I wholeheartedly recommend eating there at least once in your life.

Today Eva’s Mama turns 30. My Mom sometimes says that on my birthday I should be celebrating her. I know she is being facetious (right?), but she is also remembering that wild journey between the first small pains to the first hours of your child’s life on the outside, which can be pretty hard on a mama. Birth is no picnic for the little one either. She has to struggle to get out while being squashed and smooshed by contractions and then be greeted by lights, sounds, people, and numerous other things she didn’t experience on the warm, cozy, safe inside.

Growing up isn’t easy either. These past 5 months (and 30 years) have been fraught with challenges, tears, and pain only to be countered by joy, love, and wonderment. Sometimes you have to deal with the hard stuff before you get to the good stuff. For example, Eva hasn’t been sleeping well. After thinking it could be a million things (teething, 4-5 month sleep regression, crib position, bedtime, etc.) we now believe she has made great developmental strides and is working these out in her sleep. She is working so hard on sitting and rolling over, she is doing them in her sleep, thus waking herself up. Last night we found her on her belly at the corner of her crib (not where we put her). This hard work will all culminate in a bright independent child who is able to move around and get what she wants by herself. And then on to the next milestone.

Turning 30 is strange. I guess I never thought I would be this age. But this is definitely not as big a deal as having a child. And having a child will make my 30’s the best years of my life thus far. 30 is the new 11!

Some things Eva and I had in common at our births: Kaiser Oakland, having to maneuver around that pesky tailbone we eventually broke, challenging ourselves by travelling out facing up rather than down, having supportive, loving and involved Dads at the birth, having supportive and knowledgeable doulas.
So Mom, on this great day, I salute you. And I also salute me.

Eva’s Mama in her birthday suit…

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