This week I had the immense honor of meeting my Gran for the first time! My brother had told me about her A LOT in the past few weeks, in anticipation of her arrival...I had heard about toy stores, and feeding ducks, and long walks by the river, but he didn't do her justice. She is enthusiastic about everything...even my poopy diapers! She was especially enthusiastic about my early morning feeds, which was awesome since Mama doesn't seem to enjoy them too much.
We had an awesome adventure to Rodeo Beach, the Marin Headlands Marine Mammal Center, The Calistoga Geyser, and MORE...Even big brother hadn't done some of the things that we got to do this week.
I'm almost 2 months old (but only 1 month adjusted) - I can sometimes hold my head up, but other times, I forget and smash my face onto Mama or the ground. I'm 7lbs 9oz now, and my nickname is Fat Raptor. While at first it doesn't sound too endearing, apparently I make raptor-ish noises when eating and occasionally shriek for no reason at all - simply because it sounds cool. I've gained 2.5lbs in 2 months, so that makes me FAT according to Mama and Dada. Big brother was so much smaller than me at this point, so I guess I'll let the folks call me fat...for now! I'm a champion eater - of the bottle - the booby scares me so I avoid it. I enjoy tummy time for 37 seconds, before I give up and lay there motionless until someone rescues me.
Gratuitous cute Valentine baby photo - Fat Raptor in all my glory!
Gran is an excellent bottle holder!
A wonderful day in Marin. At this point, I was finally settled in the car seat...so Big Brother Hercules got to take these photos instead of me. But, I watched him from the car!
Hercules and Gran go Way back!
Watching Gran and Hercules at Rodeo Beach
Mama and I loved hanging out with Gran while we watched brother and Dada run around. When do I get to chase the waves too? Please say it's soon!!!
Dada, Hercules, Gran and ME
A trip to the Marine Mammal Center - a hospital to help seals and their friends get healthy again
I fell asleep, but Big Brother loved watching the Elephant Seal pups barking!
We went on an awesome hike too, where big brother practiced his rock climbing skills!
Gran also took us to the Calistoga Old Faithful Geyser. I stayed bundled up in my Moby wrap, but enjoyed the spray on my face! Big brother had a blast. I was too afraid of those crazy zoo animals to touch them - they appeared ready to eat me...and Mama has always said I'm cute enough to eat, so I stayed safely swaddled.
Enjoying a family trip to the Geyser
Gran and Hercules with the Geyser
Who is better? Big brother's spin moves make me dizzy
Getting ready for a fancy sushi dinner with Gran - I'm asleep on the boppy pillow, and big Brother has gotten himself dressed - a bow tie AND a regular tie, and TWO plaid patterns! I can only hope to someday be as inspired by fashion as he is!
Sushi dinner with the family - you can't see me but I'm asleep on Mama's lap under the table.
I can't wait to enjoy ice cream popsicles with Big Brother!
We also had a fun dinner with our friends, the Rivests. A personal chef came to cook and clean so Mama could spend the whole night loving ME!
Chris, Jessy & Huxley; with Dada, Mama and ME
The dadas with Huxley and me; Huxley is 1 day younger than me
Declan and Finley
All set up for a movie while the grown ups eat dinner - I can't wait to join them!
My first boyfriend Huxley; comparing our machines at an early age!
Does this menu seem crazy to anyone else? Why do people need so much more than Mama milk?
It's me, Declan Hercules! I've let baby sister write the last few blog posts - Mama tells me it's nice to share, so I'm working on it. I guess I'll have to work on sharing even more now that there's a new small person in my house. Baby sister is pretty cool, and I've had fun watching some of her funny faces. I cannot believe how much she sleeps, and I'm particularly intrigued by her poopy diapers - I've even helped Mama change her a few times.
I still call her baby Candle. Mama and Dada picked a new name - Keevah Nyx - but I like Candle Serena better, so that will be her name for now. She doesn't know how to do anything...nothing at all! I keep trying to show her how to use fans, but she's not interested and keeps falling asleep. Hopefully she'll be more interesting soon.
One thing baby Candle didn't know anything about was New Year's Eve. We celebrated with Gee & Grandpa at our home in Napa. We had a fancy dinner and then watched the big ball drop in New York, followed by the Auld Lang Syne song.
First New Year's Eve
On New Year's Day, Mama and Dada packed us up for a long trip to Tahoe. This time we got to stay for 10 days! It was awesome to have a little friend sitting in the back seat with me. The drive was uneventful until we were 20 miles from the cabin - then traffic got AWFUL! We had to stop to feed baby sister and for Mama to pump milk. Baby sister was fussy and there wasn't much room and she spit up all over Mama! Then I announced I had to go potty, and not just pee. My bum sure was cold out there in the snow! Finally we were at the cabin and I got to show baby Candle all around. Not only had she never seen the cabin before, but she had never seen snow! My job as big brother is to show her all these new things and I am taking this job very seriously.
We all loved the fresh snow - sledding and making snowmen and snow angels was awesome!
Mama and her babies!
Family photo - ready for a snowy afternoon!
Snow Angels!
Baby sister went sledding at 9 days old (just a tiny baby hill)
Exploring ice sculptures at Heavenly Village
A very cool ice bench
special Mama time while baby sister relaxed inside the cabin
El Nino is awesome!!
Catching snowflakes on our tongues
Gee & Grandpa were in Tahoe too!
Grandpa and Hercules in jacuzzi during the snowstorm
Mama also surprised me with my very first sleigh ride! I loved it, especially the horses and their jingle bells!.
Mama's really good friend from med school, Miss Catherine, also happened to be in Tahoe at the same time. She came to visit for a night with her family, and I had a fun time with Celso, Noah & Spencer!
