Mama's Birthday Weekend

This week was Mama's birthday week.  Actually, she prefers to celebrate her birthday for the whole month to make up for the fact that she constantly gets jipped given that her birthday is close to Christmas.  Mama is getting pretty old, so she decided to really do something big for her birthday this year. So, she had surgery!  That's right...only my Mama would decide that it is a reasonable idea to have surgery on her birthday.  She had the septum removed from her uterus - the thing that divided her uterus in half, and forced me to grow in a much-less-than-adequate home for my 29 week gestation.  The doctors couldn't believe that I had grown as big and strong as I did inside such a small space.  Mama tolerated the procedure like a champ and was eating Mexican food within hours, and working full time the next day.  She told me that she couldn't have asked for a better birthday present than the chance to have a little brother or sister for me some day!  (but not for a few years....they are still traumatized from my birth story!) 

Mama waking up from anesthesia

Mama's other present to herself was to stop pumping.  She has been pumping at least 8 times a day since I have been born - occupying nearly half of her waking hours.  I have grown amazingly big and strong because of all the goodness inside her milk, but I was missing Mama holding me more.  As it turns out, Mama was starting to resent the silly pump, and she wanted to hold me more too (which she cannot do while strapped into that strange plastic concoction of cones and tubes).  The final straw was when my GI doctor told her that I might have a cow protein allergy, and that she would have to go on a cow-free diet for at least a month-long trial.  While I know that Mama loves me, she loves cow a whole lot too, and that was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.  So, she quit pumping, and I am enjoying my $50/can (that lasts two days) of hypoallergenic formula.  As it turns out, I probably don't have a cow allergy, so I should be able to consume the vast quantities of milk that Mama has stored for me in the freezer.   I will miss, however, Daddy singing his song to Mama that he made up to make her smile while she was pumping...appropriately titled "Get those boobies going...come on and make some milk!".   You should have him sing it to you sometimes, it's hilarious!

 

Quite the milk inventory I have waiting for me once the Doc lets me off of this nasty tasting hypoallergenic formula! 

Though Mama thought she had given herself the best presents, Daddy topped them.  The pictures here don't do it justice, but he (with the help of Gran) commissioned a large art piece depicting the 12 Labors of Hercules, along with watercolors of me with Mama & Daddy, and my birth announcement.  It is an amazingly grand piece that I will save for my entire life, and pass onto my children someday.  For now, it will go in my nursery, and Mama & Daddy will teach me all about the 12 Labors, and how I went to Hell and back in order to survive to enter this world. 

After opening presents, we all went to Morimoto Napa to celebrate with an amazing dinner.  I cannot wait to try sushi - all the colors and shapes are so amazing! 

 

I got to sit in my own chair at Morimoto!

Then on Saturday afternoon, we all drove to San Francisco so Mama & Daddy could go to the symphony with some friends.  They say Handel's Messaiah, which they told me is amazing, but I'm not quite old enough to go yet.  Mama played the music to me at home, and I loved being lulled to sleep, but it will be a few years before I can put on my best little dude suit and go with them.

 

This picture has nothing to do with this story, but Mama thought it was cute that I found myself in the mirror!

 Sunday, after a holiday brunch with friends, we returned to Napa for the annual back-to-back Chrismas present wrapping extravaganza.  Mama & Daddy have done this every year for the past 6 years, and this year I got to participate.  They wrap each other's gifts, while drinking fine Champagne and listening to Christmas songs, sitting back-to-back on the floor.  I think I may have even gotten a few gifts this year, but I can't be certain until Christmas day!

  Mama feeding me.  I love our tree...and Mama is loving the 3 dozen long stemmed roses and lilies that Daddy bought her for her birthday!

 Our family of Three!

 Daddy wrapping presents with me looking on patiently

 The back-to-back wrapping tradition continues with a new addition!

 Santa feeding his little elf!

In addition to perfecting the art of smiling, my new trick this week is that I've found my tongue.  I never knew I had one before, and it is quite intriguing.  In fact, I haven't put it back in my mouth for a few days, though we don't have a picture to prove it yet.  I've been licking my lips and pretty much anything else that comes close to my face.  I even licked Mama when she came in close for a kiss and it made her laugh out loud...which made me cry cause she scared me!   Photos to come soon of my tongue hanging out...my favorite new body part!