The Leaves are Falling

Christian stomped around in a leafy patch in our neighborhood yesterday. It's gorgeous outside!

Blogging Bonanza

I obviously have a lot of time on my hands! Here are today's highlights:

Playing at the park in Sunriver. Leelee insisted on going head-first down the slides. When Dae placed him the other way, he came out frightened and disoriented.

Shopping in the Old Mill District. We got a couple of items at Gap and Banana and then indulged in Happy Hour at Anthony's. It was delicious!

The Art of Stair Climbing + a new sweatshirt

I dig my new sweatshirt

Funny note about stair-climbing. Leelee is a cautious little guy. A stair descent always follows the exact same 3-step protocol:

1) Turn around, well ahead of the step.

2) Get onto all fours, well ahead of the step.

3) Dangle one leg cautiously until it reaches firm ground.

Success! Photo proof below.

Sunriver!

We're in Day 3 of 5 in Sunriver and having a great time! We're here for a Vascular conference but Dae hasn't had to spend too much time at the conference as they only have morning sessions.

Our days start with a run for me and Leelee, an egg, turkey bacon and waffle (Eggo waffles...nothing homemade!) breakfast, lots of lounging around, making pizzas for lunch and bike rides around Sunriver. The second we got here we felt relaxed and calm...what a change! Ev and family had rented a house in Sunriver that they enjoyed so we rented the same one and have been really impressed so far. They pretty much have all the amenities you could need, including two cruiser bikes so we can bike around the paths.

Some noteworthy items:

1) Christian does not like the Burley bike trailer. Cries when we put him in.

2) Christian does not like the sun in his eyes. Cries when the sun hits his eyes.

3) Christian likes climbing stairs. Cries when we try to take him away.

4) Christian does not like the bike helmet. Cries when we are putting it on.

5) Christian loves cereal. Cries when the bowl is empty.

So in a nutshell, there have definitely been some tears shed this trip. haha! Tonight, the Vascular conference is holding a "Western-themed" dinner, complete with hoe-down. We had entertained the idea of heading into Bend to find Leelee some cowboy boots but our plans were thwarted when Dae nearly passed out from the return uphill bike climb + bike trailer. Seriously, he was so out of it he couldn't even answer when I asked which outfit to wear tonight (dress or pants?). So, he and Leelee are currently lounging watching Sunday Football and I am blogging. This is the life :)

Photos...

Leelee loves this recliner. He asks to be lifted up many times per day.

Sunriver Village

Hooded up for our morning jog. It is cold in the mornings (40-50) then warms up to 80 during the day.

Mohawk at the Mac

Ev styled Leelee's sweaty mane into a mohawk at the Mac yesterday while she was babysitting.

The Three Musketeers (or Couch Potatoes)

"Hi"

This morning when Leelee woke up at 5am, I gave him his sippy cup and he went through his whole rigmarole again, but this time, he took a small swipe at me and I got a scratch on my face. So I sternly said "No" and put my hand over my face and laid down. Leelee paused for a bit, then leaned over, put his hand on my hand, looked at me and said "Hi". It was pretty funny, but I hadn't yet forgiven him so I ignored him and he did the same thing two more times, when I finally couldn't help but smile since it was so hilarious.

Tuesday Night sans Baba

Just when I think Christian can't get any cuter to me, he gets cuter. After the nanny put him down for a nap today (during my lunch hour) he cried for a bit, then stopped and I heard him recite "seven...eight...nine" in Chinese, and then continue to cry until lapsing into sleep. Rascal!

I took a bevy of miscellaneous photos this week, which are posted below. Both Ev and my husbands are out of town so we have been trading hosting dinners every night with a new recipe as the goal. So far: Black Bean Burgers on Night 1, Black Bean Burger leftovers (plus many random other foodstuffs) on Night 2, party at Kelly's house on Night 3, and To Be Determined on Night 4. Some might consider this a failure but we consider it a modest success!!

In other news, we have a raucous neighbor to our South. It's been going on for a month or more and I have tried earplugs (Dae can sleep through anything) but it goes from 10pm - 2am or so and finally on Sunday I was the annoying neighbor who filed a complaint to the HOA about noise. So tonight I am on patrol to scout out the noise and let our president know if and when I hear it. Our president might even enter our premises if need be! haha. Will let you know the outcome.

Finally, with Dae out of sight, I set my sights on weaning Leelee from the bottle permanently. He was particularly dependent upon the early morning bottle of milk as a soother, and I decided if I didn't take it away from him now, it would never happen when Dae (aka Softie) returned. First night, Leelee spotted the sippy cup from a mile away and was mad, mad, mad. That guy cried and screamed, for about 10 minutes. After that, he asked for the milk, I gave him the cup, and all was settled. Second night, same story except he woke up later (yay!) and only cried for about one minute. He realized I meant business, so he played around for a little bit, talked to himself, then eventually asked for his milk, even in cup form. Dae has been properly warned about our major progress and has been informed that he is not, under any circumstances, to give in and give him a bottle, no matter what tricks Leelee is likely to pull!

Burgerville

Need to stop posting photos of him crying, but they are the funniest!

OMSI Fish Tank

Return of Hipstamatic

Bellingham

Christian has learned so many words recently it's hard to keep up. I am very proud of him (it is, after all, the one area where he has not been drastically behind in development!). He calls everything a dog, including squirrels, cats, birds and, fortunately, dogs. He also calls every moving vehicle a bus, or "Buh" (I kept reiterating the S in Bus and he now says it like "Butts" - hehe) He knows the difference between a sock and a shoe and loves to point them out and say the words. It is so much fun teaching him different words to say.

This past weekend Dae was on call so I drove with Christian to Bellingham, by way of Seattle for a drop off with my mom. I would say the trip was a success, as my mom reported back to me that they spent 3 hours playing in Toys R Us and were only derailed when my mom realized Christian had peed clean through his diaper and into jeans. Considering his infatuation with the bottle and any liquid that the bottle contains, I can only imagine the damage.

Meanwhile, I drove up to Bellingham to visit my friend Terra and her new baby Noah. My two other friends, Trena and Jessica from dental school, drove up for the night to make it a mini-reunion, and it was great to see everyone! Below are some pictures of them and their boys.

Evan (almost 3) , Trena and Grant (3 months)

Noah (5 months)

Logan (almost 2)

There was certainly not a shortage of cute kids running around! I was sad to have left Christian in Seattle, but at the same time I was happy that I was able to just see and meet Noah and not have to run around!

Monday was Labor Day. Leelee and I hit the gym while Dae made rounds, and then we walked around the Pearl and let Leelee have at it in Jamison Park. Here he is, with soaking wet 10 pound diaper and completely soaked shirt.

A Good Birthday

Today was a great birthday. Dae sent me flowers as well as a canvas tote (love canvas totes) filled to the brim with goodies from Broadway Floral. I had insisted I didn't need anything and actually stuck to it this time, and so did Dae. So I got my canvas tote, flowers, champagne (love bubbly!), dinner at Le Pigeon and Baskin Robbins cake. All in all, I could not have asked for more. One sad note: we arrived at Le Pigeon for our 6:15pm reservation and were out of there, including a glass of champagne, by 7:15pm. Only us! Jeff was pretty surprised to see us on their doorstep at 7:30 ready to pick up Leelee.

So the only hiccup came from my end. I decided today was the day to ban all bottle-related devices from our household. Leelee has taken to the bottle like a fish to the water, and as a dentist this is pretty much my worst nightmare (baby bottle tooth decay is something we learn from Day 1 in Dental School). Suffice it to say, Leelee was mad. The crying for hours, lying on his stomach, tantruming mad that we thought would come at some point has come with a vengeance. So Dae talked me into doing a "soft ban" where we are still able to give him a bottle after waking and bottles of water. I am more of the all-or-nothing mindset, but I can see how Dae might be right on this one (for once! haha). So, Leelee got his before-bedtime bottle and was as happy as we've ever seen him.

Lying prostrate on the floor after his first (unfilled) request for a bottle of milk. See busted open bag of mangoes in background. I chastised him for the mangoes.

I told leelee to blow but he was too interested in his milk

Another photo my mom sent of a "terrified Leelee at the beach" (her words)