Monday, March 26, 2012

I Found Love in Tahoe!

This past weekend, I got to go to Tahoe again!  It is definitely my favorite excursion - I think this was my fourth time there this season.  Yet again, I had a blast.  There wasn't much snow at the cabin, but Daddy said that the skiing was still ok on the mountain.  They haven't let me go up on the gondola to the top of the mountain yet...but I will get to this summer when the weather is nice.

We had 15 of Mama and Daddy's awesome friends join us.  Five people, including Serena, Mark, Jess, Bunmi & Emily, flew in from the East Coast (and I know where that is now that I've been to New York).  The grown ups enjoyed yummy food, cocktails, and skiing throughout the weekend.  Mama stayed with me and the "non-skiiers" at the cabin, and we had a fabulous time playing by the fireplace.  I insisted that my walker come up to Tahoe too...so I was scooting all over the hardwood floor.

Jessy, Libby, Mike & Emily


Chris, Cara, Jess, and Serena


Cara made Daddy a cake to celebrate his 34th birthday...he's so old!!!
The gang at dinner

At one point, I got to go for a walk along a Nature Trail to the Lake with Mama, Serena, and Jess.  I love having the ladies to myself!  It was a bit windy, but that made these things called "white caps" on the water.  Those were mesmerizing!  I sat in my chair and watched them for a long time.  Now I know why the ocean noises on my white noise machine are so soothing.


Mama and Serena walking me.  (Nice photo Jess!)


Mama and Serena at the Lake
Windy but super fun!


The second best part of the weekend is that I was the star of the show!  I love love love love getting attention.  I made the rounds to each and every person, and sucked up love from all of them.  Everyone loves my killer smile and my big eyes.  I'm definitely a charmer!  

Bunmi held me and I fell asleep instantly
Chris and I having fun on the pool table  (side note:  Has anyone notice my new skill?  I can sit up by myself!  ...most of the time...)

Mama, Barclay, Jess, Emily & Bunmi think I am a super little dude!

The single best part of the weekend is that I finally got to take my first jacuzzi!  Hooray!!!  I had been begging for this for months, but Mama always said NO!  It was too hot in the water, or too cold outside...excuses, excuses!  But this time she surprised me and put me into my new swimmy diapers and plopped me in the jacuzzi with some of our friends.  I was a bit skeptical at first (not of the jacuzzi, but of all the other people staring at me).  But, I soon became the ham that I am, and started splashing all over the place.  I have no idea why there isn't a jacuzzi in every home...they are perfect!  In fact...I may refuse to go anywhere that doesn't have a jacuzzi from now on!

Barclay holding me in the jacuzzi
Emily, Barclay with me, Daddy, Mark, Jason & Jess
Even more people fit into the tub...Barclay, Cara, Mama with me, Daddy, Serena, Jason, Emily, Mark & Jess...not bad for an 8 person tub!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The World Is My Oyster...and now I can grab the oyster!



For the past nine months, I have been incredibly patient.  Eager and interested…but patient. For the first three months, I was confined to a small plastic tub in the NICU.  I was too busy growing to worry much about exploring the world.  Still though, I loved looking out the window at my rooftop garden, and I loved examining each and every person who came to visit me.  Finally, the time came for me to take my first car ride home, and I suddenly realized what a vast world I live in.  I have now been all over Northern California, including up to Tahoe four times, and even to New York City.  The past few months, I have been slowly learning to accomplish my milestones: holding my head up, rolling over, and standing with some help.  These are important in and of themselves, but now I have accomplished my true mission.  As I lay frustrated on my activity mat, or confined to my vibrating chair or Bumbo seat, I was so jealous of how the grown-ups could just do or fetch whatever they wanted.  I could see so many interesting things from my stationary vantage point, but they were perpetually out of my grasp.   No longer! 

Grammie assembled my new toy just before we went to New York.  My walker on wheels!  I didn’t know what to do at first, but within a day, I was zooming all over the house!  I shriek with delight each time I bang into a new object.  I saw Mama’s soft coat from across the room, and just had to have it for myself.  So, I motored on over there, and grabbed it…then tried to eat it (which is what I do with everything except for my bottles!)

The world has always been mine, but now I can actually explore it on my own!


Finding the coat.....

                                                    Eating the coat....

         I discovered the box my new highchair came in...and kept trying to talk to the little boy on the box...

The other news this week is that I finally met my cousin Nora who lives in Oregon.  She is my really my second cousin (her Mama Sharon is my Mama’s cousin).  She was born at the beginning of November 2011, about 6 weeks after my due date.   She is super cool, and very pretty with lots of dark stuff called “hair” on her head.  I never knew that other babies could have hair!  I got to play with her for an entire day, and we had a great time on our tummies together.   We sucked on each other’s fingers and of course had the requisite photo session.  We giggled together and practiced our bicycle kicks, but she scared me a few times too.  Every once in awhile, she would cry a little bit.  I have never heard a sound like that before (my own crying doesn’t bother me)…and it freaked me out.  So, every time she cried, I would break down in hysterics too.  What can I say?  I’m an empathetic guy!  I do not, however, understand why the grown-ups laughed so hard every time this happened.  What do two little people have to do to get a little sympathy around here?


Daddy & me with Sharon & Cousin Nora

Mama & Sharon with me & Nora

Nora and I...I kept trying to roll over onto her...

Practicing our bicycle kicking together

Cousins holding hands

Daddy & I with Cousin Tim & Nora

Sharon & Nora with Mama & me

Tuesday, March 13, 2012




Hercules in New York



Daddy always travels.

He goes to interesting-sounding places like Houston, TX, Boston, MA, RockSprings, WY, Dickenson, ND, Washington D.C., Denver, CO, and New York, NY. Every time he leaves, he tells me how much he is going to miss me…so, I always tell him to just take me along!

I want to see these far-off places. Remember, I got such cabin fever in the womb that I forced my way into in the world 3 months ahead of schedule…I am not one for hanging out at home.

Every time he leaves, I tell daddy to take me along, and every time he smiles and says, “I promise that I will take you everywhere.”  Then he leaves without me….

Last week was no different; Daddy left on Tuesday to give a lecture at some place called Harvard.  As a result, Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty typical. I spent the days playing with toys, hanging out with my nanny Heather, and loving Mama when she got home from work….but Thursday was different.

Mama got home from work at the normal time, but instead of playing with me as usual, she loaded me and bunch of stuff in her car. Then, she told me that we were on our way to New York City to see Daddy!

I pride myself on keeping my cool; Daddy always says that every hand’s a winner and every hand’s looser. But, this news was just too exciting for even me to play it cool…I was going to the Big Apple!

We got to San Francisco Airport at about 8:00 pm for our “Red-eye” flight. Not surprisingly, Mama had planned ahead; she had all my stuff and her stuff packed in just one suitcase! And, she expertly took me through security. When the TSA agents questioned me, I told them who I was…they didn’t seem impressed, which is bizarre – don’t you think?

My first time on an airplane was awesome!

We were in economy class – which Mama calls “cattle car.” I don’t quite understand why she calls it that because I only saw humans in the cabin. But, I sure enjoyed riding like the cattle that Mama thought would be there. I got to curl up in Mama’s lab for 5 straight hours!!!! It was awesome. I did not cry at all; I was too happy!

When we arrived in the Big Apple, Mama showed me how it’s done. She got our luggage, hailed a cab, and even fed me in the back seat of the taxi as we drove from JFK to the hotel that Daddy was staying at. When we got the hotel, the hotel staff rolled out the red carpet…they knew who I was.

We rested in the room at bit, and in the afternoon, we went out into the city to find Daddy. 



It turns out that Daddy had spent that day at a conference put on by Reservoir Capital, one of his investors. Mama and I met Daddy at the conference’s cocktail reception at the Pierre Hotel, which is very fancy. All the important looking people were drinking important looking drinks and talking about important sounding things, but I when I got there, I stole the show! The people love me…they really love me!

I got to meet Nora and Brian and Greg and Craig and Jenna and Eric and Dan and on and on! The Reservoir Capital people were very nice, and they showered me with well-deserved, but very sweet, compliments!

After the reception, things got especially interesting.

Mama, Daddy, and I went out to dinner with Brian and Eric from Reservoir Capital. Brian & Eric brought their significant others, Kat & Alex, respectively. The seven of us went to an uber-fancy restaurant called Wallse. That restaurant had 2 Michelin stars, which brought my lifetime total of unique Michelin stars to 5…I am hoping to keep my ratio of unique Michelin stars to adjusted months of life at 1.

The dinner at Wallse was extraordinary. I had my standard milk, but the adults had the 6 course “chef’s tasting menu.” Judging by the hyperbolic expressions of glee, I think the adults got the better meal that night. They also drank copious amount of not inexpensive wine…Daddy sure does have some cool investors!



The group ate, drank, and talked until well past 2 AM! And I loved it all. Sure I slept in my stroller next the table most of the whole night, but just being with Mama and Daddy out late was special. It was neat to wake up temporarily and hear the joy in their voices. They had a rough year last year; so it makes me very happy to see them happy.

After a long and worthwhile rest, we woke up to a beautiful day in NYC. We met Serena Wong, Mama’s dear friend from medical school for lunch,// and then we went the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the special exhibit on the Stein family and their art collection. The exhibit was very well done; it reminded me that Matisse and Cezanne are, while impressive, quite derivative. That is a too say there is a near continuous path from Delacroix, Manet, and Pissarro to Cezanne, and, similarly, there is an obvious evolution from Russel, Gauguin, and Signac to Matisse….the two really were followers. 

But, Picasso is something else. No other figure in art changed its trajectory more dramatically than Picasso. And as such, I have limited time for the others.



After the MET, we went back to our hotel where, to my delight Gran Twiga (aka my Grandmother), was waiting for us! Could this weekend get any better?



That night Mama and Daddy went out to another fancy restaurant, while I got to hang out Eloise-style in a stylish Manhattan hotel. Gran Twiga ate room service while I drank my milk, and for the rest of the night, we sat on the couch looking out the window on marvelous Manhattan. As we looked at the lights, she explained New York’s importance…everything from the price of copper to the latest fashion is decided daily on that small island…I am going to lobby Mama and Daddy for a weekend place there.

Meanwhile, Mama and Daddy enjoyed a night on the town. They went to Jean Georges, a 3 Michelin star restaurant, with their friend Serena, and from what I understand, the night was magical. They had four courses of modern French cuisine paired with perfectly selected wine….my parents are a bit absurd at times.







On Sunday, the weather in NYC was even better! We walked up and down 5th avenue so that Mama could gaze in all the windows….she sure likes some guy named Harry Winston.  When we got to midtown, we all went to the top of Rockefeller Center. It was a perfect day to gaze around at the greater New York area. Daddy pointed out the 5 boroughs, and he showed me 3 different states!



Back on ground level, we continued our stroll along the avenue, when my eyes popped! There was a statue of Atlas holding up the world; that is very personal to me because, as you all know, my 9th labor involves temporarily holding up the world for Atlas. I had to have a photo of me with this statue!



As day turned to dusk, we headed back to our hotel where Gran Twiga and I were going to have another fun night of play in the hotel, while Mama and Daddy went to the Broadway musical called “The Book of Mormon.” Mama and Daddy had another marvelous night on the town. They saw the performance with Serena, and afterward they ate a late night sushi dinner with Mark and Jess. Mark and Jess are two of Daddy and Mama’s dearest friends, and they live in NYC. It was very special for them to be able to spend time with Mark and Jess who are doing remarkably well in their professions.

When they got back to the hotel room, Mama and Daddy were effusive about the musical. Indeed, Daddy said that it is the best stage performance that he has ever seen by a large margin, and Mama kept singing this sultry sounding song called “Baptize me.” Even as we went to bed, I could hear Mama sing,

Never known a boy to be gentle,
One like him is hard to find.
A special kind.
Who makes my heart kind of flutter,
Like a moth in a cocoon.
I hope he gets to baptizing me soon!

Monday turned out to be our last day in the Big City. We all stopped by Daddy’s investor’s office to say hi, and then we headed to the airport.

The flight left on time, but unlike the flight to New York, we were not in what Mama calls “Cattle Car.” We were in “Business Class,” and boy what a difference! Apparently all that traveling that Daddy does pays off in the form of Elite Status at United Airlines….and with this Elite Status comes the keys to the kingdom. The three of us got upgraded at no charge, and enjoyed big comfy seats all the way to the City by the Bay.

On our flight home, I had a lot of time to reflect. New York is a great city. It is a place where people from all over the world gather to do business, to discuss world affairs, to play, and to be entertained. It is a special place. But, more than that, this trip taught me that the whole world is there for me; it is in my grasp. Living in Napa, CA, does not make me a citizen of Napa; I am a citizen of the world, and I plan to never stop exploring my vast home.