First Haircut and Golden Road Brewery

Hank had his first haircut this weekend and thankfully it was 100% tear free. We decided not to take him to one of those places where your child sits on some kind of animal and watches television while he or she gets their cut. I can understand the appeal of something like that but I just chose to have the lovely woman who cuts my hair trim Hanks. She has a little boy almost the exact same age so she was totally flexible and had no problem crouching down on the ground and cutting his little curls as fast as she possibly could. Believe it or not two other kids got cuts that very same morning at this little Echo Park salon. At one point Hank did sort of give her a serious glance and eyed those scissors with some concern but I am not ashamed to admit I gave him my iphone at that point to distract him.

It didn't seem like much right after the cut but today his hair seemed much shorter! I kept stealing glances and wondering who this big boy is? 

This morning we checked out Golden Road Brewery. If you live in Los Angeles I think this is a great place that is definitely worth checking out. It's sort of in no mans land in an industrial stretch of Glendale that actually isn't too far from where I work. There's a lovely beer garden/restaurant connected to the craft brewery next door. I have to confess I am not much of a beer person but beer people tell me this is quality stuff. More importantly you can sit outside and enjoy some delicious food all while watching the trains whiz by aka kid heaven!

On Not Sleeping Again

found here

This photo pretty much sums up where I am at today. Last night Hank woke up at 2:00 am convinced it was time to giggle and play. In the last week or two we have totally regressed on the sleep front. It is pretty heartbreaking because it took us a LONG time to conquer the sleep issues and get our son sleeping through the night. Hank was very colic-y in the beginning so our first few months were spent endlessly rocking, swaying, and living on one of those giant exercises balls bouncing for what felt like most of the night. Colic eventually passed but Hank didn't sleep through the night until long after he turned one. Full disclosure I am 100% the reason it took so long to get Hank to sleep. My husband pushed us many times to help him through some form of crying and I would end up crying, and give up after a try or two. Sleep is so necessary.  I have read quotes like in the first year parents lose two months of sleep, and boy do I believe it. I tried many failed attempts to get him to sleep through the night with minimal tears but ultimately we had to succumb to a version of crying in order for him to sleep for more than two consecutive hours. This was painful and hard but he always woke up a a happy boy, and the benefits were that my husband and I would find ourselves going to bed and sleeping for up to eight hours in a row! It seemed like a miracle. Hank has never been a late sleeper so most days he wakes up at 5:30 am which would bother some parents but I will gladly take it if it means he sleeps through until then. Why then in the last week or so is he suddenly resistant to be left alone to fall asleep? Skills he had mastered long before he was sleeping through the night? Does this mean he is simply more aware and therefor fearful? Is a new nightlight the answer? Should we put some books and toys in his crib so that he can entertain himself at 2:00 am or 5:00 am if need be? Why is sleep so hard for some kids?

Carriers for Big Boys

I have been using carriers forever with Hank. I love the Ergo but now that Hank is almost two and close to 30 pounds this doesn't seem like a good choice anymore. I learned so much about slings and carriers in the beginning but I know nothing about the backpack carriers that I think come next. Before Hank was born we hiked a lot around Los Angeles. I am ashamed to admit that I haven't been on one single hike since I've had Hank. Does anyone know what is the best kind of backpack carrier to get? Kelty? REI?

Sans Husband

This weekend Mike will be in Vegas whooping it up for his good friend's bachelor party. That means Hank and I will be flying solo this weekend so I am trying to think of some fun activities for us. To be honest my husband isn't always as much of a fan of a super-planned weekend as I am so since he is gone I can plan, plan, plan without fear of cutting into his relaxation time too much. So get ready Hank. So far I am thinking we will go here  because we just became members and here  because frankly it's the most lovely botanical gardens ever. Seriously if you live in Los Angeles and have not yet visited the Huntington Gardens you should stop reading this and go now. We also have plans to have a picnic with the other moms I know who are flying solo this weekend, and maybe just maybe Hank and I will get our flea market on this Sunday at the Pasadena City College flea, which isn't as big as the Rose Bowl but definitely has some treasures.

Huntington Gardens 

Huntington Gardens 

Huntington Gardens 

Elmo

I really enjoyed the documentary "Being Elmo" about Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo. In the film he describes Elmo as being the personification of love. Whatever he is exactly Hank is hooked. One of Hank's favorite words these days is Elmo. He loves this guy. The other morning he wanted to be seated in his favorite chair next to his pal Elmo (this particular version of Elmo sings! So he is not for the faint of heart, in fact I resisted my family giving it to him but there's no denying his love for Elmo). I think you can see from this photo the feeling is mutual!

The Weekend

This weekend we enjoyed the beautiful weather in Los Angeles. We got amazing backyard furniture. We basically spent the entire weekend in our yard. Here are some pictures taken with my Iphone (trust me they don't do the weather or our new furniture justice!):

My Little Ham

When I was in Chicago we took my son to a well known Chicago photographer. Marc Hauser actually took pictures of me and my siblings when we were little. My Mom saw a groupon coupon for him recently and quickly snatched it up so we could take pictures of Hank. I wasn't quite sure how Hank would do. It's strange to be placed in front of a big camera and lots of lights but wow, he did great. In fact the folks who worked there remarked that usually kids freak out, but that Hank was quite the ham. Here are some of the best pics:

I think he might even be smizing in some of these. Tyra would be impressed.

Hank the Plumber

I've attempted to post a couple times since last week. It's been a while suddenly. But I haven't been able to finish much of anything lately. Between work and Hank and Mike (my husband) I just haven't had time. I am going to ponder clever ideas for future posts but in the meantime please enjoy this post of Hank trying out his skills as a plumber.

Palm Springs

This weekend we are heading to Palm Springs to rent a sprawling compound of a house complete with pool and tennis court with a lovely group of friends and their kids. This is our third year doing this, our second year going with a child. It should be fun to see Hank interact with all of the kids. He is the second youngest. Last year he could barely sit up. I am crossing my fingers for warm weather and lots of lounging poolside and reading at least one book. Here are some photos of our trip last year, can't believe how little he was.

My Son Is Not a Luddite

Having a child definitely forces me to take a long, hard look at my addiction to my phone/blackberry, etc. I have always had a pretty good excuse for constantly checking my email and keeping my phone close at all times. I really do have a job that means I could get in trouble for not keeping up with everything. I swear.

But when my 16-month-old wanders around the house with the phone up to his ear jabbering away, and speaking with real force and almost anxiety I start to wonder is all of this healthy. Even worse he can completely work the Iphone. I know everyone has different opinions about kids and technology. Maybe you think screen time and technology are 100% evil or you think the educational apps are good for him. I think I am more of the screen time is evil variety despite my own terrible addiction to it all. No matter where you fall you can't deny that it's remarkable that he can turn on the Iphone and select an app by himself! And I must confess I have downloaded apps for him. Sometimes it's all that saves us from a meltdown, and it's cute watching him stare intently at the animals playing peekaboo or the wheels on the bus app, but not nearly as cute as he is when is running wild and free in our back yard. Every time I grab my phone these days I know I run the risk of tearing him away from what he is doing because he sees me and wants to use the Iphone.

This morning I found him with my Iphone using the camera application and jabbering away to his image. It was cute and heartbreaking at the same time. I definitely need to be better about how and when I chose to peer at my phone.

The photos he took are ridiculously cute though. Here are his self-portraits:

February Photo Challenge Update

Taking a photo a day is proving harder than I had figured. I have already missed two days but I blame illness and work travel. Here are the photos I've managed to take so far:

My "View" at my desk :

I missed "Words" so the next one I did was Hands. Shot my Mom and I getting a mani/pedi while she visited:

I missed a "Stranger" but I caught this shot of Hank around 10:00 am:

This Photo for "Dinner" (this photos reveals a lot about meal time these days....not so interested in food I'm afraid): 

I took this photo of my jacket for "button": 

This photo was for "Sun":

This photo was for "Door": 

And today's self portrait at my desk at work: 

So far I have taken most of the assignments. It is kind of nice to have something you have to capture each day. Glancing back on the photos so far it is obvious I can't deviate too far from my favorite subject - Hank. He is my muse I guess. I recommend trying this challenge out for a month if you haven't tried it. 

LACMA

I rarely go West of Hollywood these days. Just about everything I need is on the East side so it's hard to get me to get motivated to go West. One of my big resolutions this year was to take advantage of more of what  Los Angeles has to offer and that definitely should include the West side, the beach, and of course LA's many museums (yes we have museums here). The other night I did find myself driving home from some place West of Silver Lake - Beverly Hills, on Wilshire and when I passed LACMA. I was struck by this beautiful light installation and knew I wanted to go back. Last night Hank and I spent an hour exploring the grounds of the massive museum campus over there. It is literally a kid's paradise. There is so much to explore and lots for adults as well.

This was an interesting sculpture that Hank and other kids had fun running through. It took some convincing to get Hank to run through these string things. He mostly just ran around it. 

Here is Hank running through the "Urban Light" a sculpture by Chris Burden that is made up of 202 restored cast iron antique street lamps. It was just beautiful as the sun was setting. It was quite a contrast from the urban landscape that surrounds the museum. Hank had a blast running around it. 

 They also have lots of outdoor seating options and food and even a bar. Who knew? 

 Hank couldn't get enough. He had so much fun running through the lamps. We will definitely be back again soon.

Bookworms

Just in the last few weeks or so Hank has become a real bookworm which warms my heart. Sometimes I will find him in his room just flipping through the pages of a book (yes sometimes it's upside down but it's still reading sort of). Also, he has developed a real opinion about what books we read. Sometimes he'll grab them off the shelves and hand them to me, and sometimes when I try and read one he has always loved he will push it away. It makes story time a bit dull since there are only a few rotating favorites. I am searching for more great books if anyone has any ideas but here are some of the favorites we read again and again.

Speaking of bookworms my friend Hanne, who is the queen of all bookworms, just introduced me to this book club through the Huffington Post. I have tried more then once to start my own book club and for some reason it has always failed so I am thinking of trying this one out. It just so happens that I am already reading the first book. Score.

Today is the first day and there is still time to read it. They have on-line discussions and then there is also a chance to have you own local little group. Maybe this is finally the way for me to fulfill my book club dreams.