Caution: baby ahead

our son loves caution signs. 

something about the yellow?

the foldability?

the nearness in height to himself?

the challenge of dragging it around, then making it stand up again?

probably a little of all the above. 

the problem is that when we see a caution sign we just can't get it off our mind. 

and by we i mean him. 

he starts the kicking to get down, pleading with you as he jerks his head in the direction of the sign, longing to be freed to go and touch it. 

then he starts his happy baby giggles.

anyways... yesterday we were at a hospital visiting a friend and while eli did quite well (and gave our friend lots of laughs and smiles), we needed a little "hall time" during the visit. so baby and i went into the hall. we had dachshund with us so we pulled him around for a while. and then he spotted the sign. he played with it, dragged it about, collapsed it, propped it up, studied it, the usual. this was by no means the first time we've encountered one of these signs. he was in trader joes pushing his little cart when he spotted one and immediately dropped the cart and made a beeline for the thing. then after i finally managed to get him back to pushing his cart we got halfway down an aisle and he just let go and started running to the sign. thankfully when it's really, truly time to go he does pretty well. a bit of fussing but no screaming.

so then fast forward to later in the evening and we are getting some dinner as a little weekend treat to all the amazing family time we'd been getting (2 days with daddy at home!). eli runs about, coming and going from the table, finding dogs he can play with, charming others or interrupting their dinner, and so on. then he sees a caution sign. he's gone. so we actually dragged the sign with us to where we were eating, just hoping that no one would slip on the floor and sue us because the sign was missing. 

eli was happy.

now we need santa to do a little research and see if he can find us a caution sign for christmas. 

 

       

Playing

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.