our busy bee

Such a nice toy! A kind gift from friends. Eli loves hopping right on and scooting all over.

Christmas tree!

Moon does love his Christmas trees.
This year he cut one down for us!
Eli and I watched.
And now I can take pictures of the baby in front of the tree! (while he thinks to himself why in the world his mother dressed him so ridiculously).

Story time

Yay! We finally made it. Mostly thanks to Eli's one long nap mid-day. Well, he's mostly doing that. And story time was great! At our library...

to travel with a baby

there were some firsts on this trip. 

first time falling asleep in the stroller, for example. 

we were in whole foods picking up a couple things and moon walks over to me with the stroller. he whispers, "hey, ellyn." and i'm wondering why he is whispering when it is the loudest, craziest, downtown san francisco whole foods... there was noise everywhere. 

and he was like, "he's asleep." and then i think i probably started whispering too.

that was an exciting first. 

and then watching our little guy run around the hotel room in a diaper and onesie. 

he was happy as could be... picking up whatever new little items and things that lie around. 

learning how to child proof a hotel room was also a first for us. 

and then there is the learning to "figure it out" component that is so healthy for us as parents. to roll with the plans you've made. remembering they might be changed. 

we didn't get to see the MOMA. he just wouldn't have enjoyed it. so we'll do that later (like in our 50s?). or never. it's ok. 

there were melt downs. well, from 2 out of 3 of us. 

but even that was, dare i say it, good for us. 

we learn to push ourselves when traveling. 

we aren't in a comfortable place all the time. 

on public transportation. 

in hotel rooms. 

on the busy streets. 

but we must learn to be patient, to show love, to care deeply for the people who matter most, even when we have no idea what we are doing or what to do. 

airplanes do this to me. 

but that was also a gift.... eli did great and slept both ways.

the return flight in particular was special. 

eli was so, so tired before boarding. 

moon put him in the ergo and just walked around with him. 

(now for the first many months of this kids life he could fall asleep in seconds in that thing, but now he's older and i can't remember the last time he fell asleep in the carrier. we use it all the time still, but not for getting him to sleep.)

he fell asleep. 

and he transferred to my arms on the plane. and just kept right on sleeping. 

and it felt like a gift. 

and then the airline gave complimentary drinks (it was thanksgiving day). 

and so to push ourselves a little. or a lot. outside our comfort zone. and then to remember that it's not my doing. sure, i can plan, bring all the right gear, do my best to know my child well and know what they might need. but i can't control. i can't guarantee. he could fall apart. 

so learning to let go. to co-parent with my amazing partner on this journey. 

and opening myself up to some really beautiful moments. 

some great memories.

i guess that's why we travel, and will keep doing it, with our little guy. 

SF days 3 and 4

cable car with daddy

cable car with mama

reading before bed

meeting up with a good friend and his family

hotel pool

thanksgiving

As we depart from SF and head home we are full of gratitude. Happy thanksgiving! And more pics of SF coming...

blue bottle coffee

Simply the best cappuccino.

urban baby

SF day two: a beautiful park

We did a lot today, but a definite highlight was heading to the Mission district and discovering Dolores Park.

SF day one

Autumn in CA.
Lovely.
And a good city to match the weather.
Full days with our busy baby boy.
Much needed rest (when he lets us!).
And much indeed to be thankful for. Now if I can just stop myself often enough to see all these blessings before me...

Playing in park
Eli asleep in stroller (a first!!)
Playing in hotel room

Daschund

Faithful pet companion.
A favorite birthday present.
Daschund will get walked, or pulled, in one direction and within seconds Eli will emerge with him by the tail, the ear, or mid-air by his pull string. Now that's a good pet!

Baby clean my floors?

Sure, why not. Really baby mostly creates constantly dirty floors for me to clean. He is completely taken by the swiffer to the point it is now a nap time chore for me. He just really loves those clean floors I guess. Must be his Korean side. Smile.

To the love of books! (and an escapee in Powells)

Eli does love books.
He got some new ones for his birthday.
And some had flaps.
He looooves flaps.
So I made a little box for his books.
And now he wants to methodically remove the books, look through them, and sit in the box.
And I guess his love of books extends to their source... Powells.
He ran and ran and ran around the same aisle until I was getting dizzy chasing him.
He squealed as he went.
Then he was scooped up and back to the home we went.

Lunch playgroup

I've been really enjoying my involvement in the family network at Ohsu. I've met some awesome moms who are fellow travelers on this medical training journey. And with family in tow. We meet periodically and today was a great little cafe spot that is very kid friendly. Oh, and not photoed because I left my phone in the car, but Eli drove his first trader joes mini cart through the store on a quick errand. It fit him pretty well (bar was at his nose, but he pushed just fine) and we got LOTS of looks and comments from people who thought such a little person doing such a good job steering was cute. Maybe next time with daddy so one person can shop with babe and one person can really shop.