Lauren and Jesse are here!

My sister Lauren and her boyfriend Jesse are here! I really do love having houseguests, as long as they don't mind holding a screaming baby every now and then. Lauren is a little nervous around little D, but Jesse has jumped right in and loves to carry him around.

They arrived yesterday and we were planning on going to the Kailua farmer's market, but it was a little too chilly and rainy. So we stayed in and had fun watching The Office and 30 Rock. Glad they came all the way to Hawaii to watch my favorite shows with me!

Today was a gorgeous day, so Lauren and Jesse went to the beach and hung out for a little while. They're driving my convertible (another incentive for people to visit us--an aqua Thunderbird is all yours) so I hope they put the top down. Tomorrow morning we're going to try our luck with another farmer's market. I know we'll get some great stuff that they probably don't see too often at their Kansas City grocery store.

Zach's off to Yuma for 10 days of training with the squadron. He didn't miss his flight this time (probably because he had to muster at the barracks beforehand. Ha!).

Here's Daniel on his 2-month birthday yesterday (please ignore my triple chin--it's a bad angle!):

Sleeping peacefully:
Looks like someone wants to go to Yuma with Daddy:

Thanks to Grandma Mary Ellen for a pumpkin shirt for Halloween (he wore his I Love My Mummy shirt yesterday):

Mommy's day out!

Or, more accurately, Mommy's four hours out! I was able to make my escape to go to the salon on Saturday morning because I desperately needed to wax my way back to having two eyebrows. After that mission was accomplished, I went to a charity wine-tasting event with my friend Laura. The event was held at the Paul Mitchell (the hair guy) estate in Lanikai, about twenty minutes from our house. It was great to socialize with adults and have a good time, all while helping out a charity. Win-win!

Zach stayed home with baby D and had a great time as well. He did ask me several times, "How does it feel to abandon your son?" My reply--"Great! Thanks for asking!" It was definitely a little weird to be out on my own, but I think it's healthy for all three of us for me to have some time away and for Zach to get a little taste of what my life is like everyday. He also asked me as I was heading out the door, "What does Daniel like to do?" Well, he's 8 weeks old, so there's a lot of sitting around, feeding, pooping, napping, etc. Not a lot of Lego-building together at this stage of the game.

Here are a couple of pictures of me. From my weight right before the baby was born until now, I've lost 26 pounds. As you can see, I still have a ways to go, but progress is being made! And say goodbye to my long hair--I'm donating it to Locks of Love on November 12th. I cannot wait to have a change!

Daniel's favorite game

The little man loves to sit in his vibrating chair and kick his blanket off. So I throw it back on him and he kicks it back off again. And again. And again. And again. It's fun to watch him work one arm out, then the other, then his legs, and then he's free! Until I toss the blanket back on him again. Sometimes he'll get this big grin on his face, so I know he knows he's playing. It's truly amazing how fast he's becoming a real little person!

Little Don Ho

Tiny bubbles.....

Doesn't Daniel look handsome in his Aloha shirt? Thanks to Danielle and her husband, Brad, for sending this cutest shirt ever. I paired it with a lovely pair of knit pants and I think Daniel looks quite dashing. It was the first time he has worn a button-down shirt and I think he was a little confused by not having a onesie on. Zach came home and said, "What the heck is he wearing?" I think he looks adorable! (And I actually managed to catch Zach in his flight suit after work. Usually he's stripped down to his t-shirt and underwear before making it all the way to the couch.)

A day in the life of Daniel

We're definitely getting into more of a routine around here. Which is good, because I am a very Type A personality and I like to have everything in its place! In the morning, Daniel usually wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30, so he eats a little and then we go for a walk around the neighborhood. I strap him into the Pikkolo carrier and we head off for about a 3-mile walk. We have some good hills, so I'm usually sweaty at the end of our walk. Daniel sleeps the entire time, even when dogs bark at us or the trash truck lumbers by.

After our walk, it's bath time! He's really starting to like the bath, but he HATES being dried off. As soon as that towel touches his head, he goes ballistic. So drying him, putting his diaper back on, and dressing him is a loud endeavor. After he's dressed, he's usually ready for a big meal, so we have a quiet feeding time. By now, it's usually around 9:30 or 10, so it's back to sleep for my little man. Daniel sleeps for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours during this mid-day nap, so I can take a shower and get some housework done.

When he wakes up, we do some tummy time on the floor. He's getting a little less mad at the whole process, but it's still not his favorite thing. He's lifting his head really well and using his arms to help him scoot across the floor. Then he eats again and we play or read some before he's ready for another nap. This one is usually short, maybe 1 1/2 to 2 hours. After this nap, we either take another walk in the stroller (down to the mall or the post office or the grocery store, depending on what I have to do--it's about a 2 1/2 mile round trip) or we get in the car to run errands. Daniel's getting much more cooperative about being in his car seat. He still likes to voice his disagreement at the beginning of the ride, but he eventually resigns himself to the confinement and falls asleep.

At about 5, I try and start making dinner. Nothing fancy, but usually very healthy--lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains. Maybe that's why little D is packing on the pounds. Zach usually gets home around 6 and then it's time for him to get good play time in with the little man. Daniel takes a little nap around this time, but he likes to eat when we're eating, so I've become very adept at eating one-handed. He starts being ready for bed around 8 but doesn't actually fall asleep until 9:30 or so, so some nights can be frustrating.

The last four (FOUR!) nights, he's slept for 6+ hours after putting him to bed. I think I cracked the code on what he likes. Daniel loves having a blanket over his legs, but he would kick it off and that would wake him up. So now I use the swaddling blanket and only swaddle his legs. So they're covered and he can't kick it off! Perfect.

So that's our daily existence. Here's a video of him falling asleep where he gets one of those cute sleep smiles on his face for a couple of seconds:

What a difference a baby makes

If someone had told me that I would be happy spending a Saturday night at home, eating a Weight Watchers microwave meal, watching the Sex and the City movie, and writing in a blog, I would have thought that I had taken a trip to Loserville (population: me). But I have a baby, so this new kind of Saturday night is perfectly acceptable!

Daniel and I are surviving without Zach, but we're really looking forward to picking him up at the airport tomorrow. I think he had a good time in South Carolina but I know he missed the baby. And me, too, but mostly the baby. (: Here are a few pictures from our lazy Saturday.

In the bath (isn't he getting to be a fat boy?):



This how I dress him when Zach's gone (I especially love the prominence of his newest chin in the first one):

The 5x7 choices...

Some more of the professional pictures! I just had to take the blue elephant blanket to the photo shoot because that was the first thing that Zach was really excited about buying (back in June, when we didn't even know we were having a boy!). He just had to have it because it was blue and because it fit the elephant theme. In a few years, it'll probably be dirty and grimy from being dragged everywhere by a little boy, so I wanted a picture of it nice and new.