Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Postponed

Today was supposed to be our final day as California residents. We were being forced to move out of our student-housing-apartment due to UCSB Housing's 6-year maximum limit. Instead of finding another apartment for just 3 months while Brooke finishes her dissertation, we had planned on moving to Seattle and flying back down for Brooke's defense. So a month ago, I gave my employer 1-month notice and started making arrangements for professional movers. My coworkers immediately started planning a going-away picnic for me, but two weeks later my employer made me an offer that made it worthwhile to stick around for a few more months.

Last week we signed a 3-month lease for a new apartment (which is only a mile away from the old place) and today we're finally done moving. Here's a photo (taken with my phone) of our final moment in the old apartment....
moving out of FSH


Photos from last week's anti-climactic going-away picnic at Goleta Beach.
The hat belonged to a coworker's 5 year old son, but it fit perfectly over Ryan's helmet....
DSC_1722_R
DSC_1747_R

A familiar sight: Me with a camera and beer in hand....
DSC_1709_R

Mmmmm....carne asada....
DSC_1714_R
DSC_1717_R

At an adjacent picnic area, we saw a group of people slacklining, and of course I had to try. I made about 4 attempts, but managed to get no more than a couple steps away from the tree....
DSC_1740_R
DSC_1734_R

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Ryan update

At Ryan's 9-month pediatric appointment on Monday, he got another set of vaccination shots. His stats were:
20 lbs. 9 oz. (50th percentile)
29.75" long (90th percentile)
18.25" head circumference (75th percentile)

The pediatrician said Ryan's slow weight gain was normal due to his high level of physical activity, but she also suggested that we feed him an additional 300 calories per day. Ryan had already been eating 4 times per day, with every meal consisting of 3 ounces of pureed fruits or vegetables mixed with 1 tbsp of oatmeal cereal, then followed by 5 to 6 ounces of breast milk....all of which add up to about 700 calories. To incorporate 300 more calories to Ryan's diet, we've added calorie-dense foods like hard-boiled egg yolks and pureed chicken.

Ryan has become a good eater, eating just about anything, but he still has his likes and dislikes. I categorize his foods into 3 levels of preference...

Most Preferred:
Apples, pureed
Pears, pureed
Butternut Squash and chicken broth

2nd Most Preferred:
Congee with pureed chicken
Carrots
Cauliflower
Sweet Potatoes
Yams
Bananas

Least Preferred:
Avocado
Peas
Hard-boiled egg yolk

According to the pediatrician, Ryan has a mild case of carotenosis, the yellow-orange discoloration of the skin, due to eating so many carrots and sweet potatoes. The condition is completely harmless and should be considered a sign of good nutrition.
I think the yellow tint is noticeable throughout his body, but it's most obvious in the nose....
DSC_1679_R
DSC_1676_R

Ryan has 8 teeth....
DSC_1692_R

Ryan's cranial remolding helmet is working great. We noticed improvements after 2 weeks of wearing it. Now at 4.5 weeks, the lab measurements show that the problem is 25% corrected, but visually it appears much better.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Beach Day with A/C and the Twins

Two weekends ago, we had lunch at The Beach Grill at Padaro....
DSC_1602
DSC_1581
DSC_1591
DSC_1600
DSC_1597

A walk to the beach....
DSC_1610
DSC_1613
DSC_1624
DSC_1644
DSC_1649

Ryan didn't enjoy having his feet in the frigid ocean water....
DSC_1635
DSC_1641

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Babble

Singing at 8 months old. I think he's got a future in the Chinese opera....


Now at 8.5 months old, he's given up the high pitch singing for more normal baby babbling....

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Standing (almost)

Birthing Class Reunion

DSC_1546_R

Yes, that is a girl's blanket wrapped around Ryan. We were caught unprepared for the much colder weather just two towns away. We had Ryan dressed in short sleeves and shorts and didn't have any jacket for him. Luckily, we had some extra pants to put him in, but we had to borrow a blanket from the other parents there (Ryan was the only boy in the group).
DSC_1496_R
DSC_1473_R
DSC_1488_R
DSC_1482_R
DSC_1565_R

He didn't like the swings at 3 months old, but he loves them now....
DSC_1502_R
DSC_1512_R
DSC_1520_R

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Ryan and Friends

Hanging out with Amelia....
DSC_1267
DSC_1272
DSC_1273


Hanging out with the wine crew for homemade pizzas....
DSC_1316
DSC_1317
DSC_1321
DSC_1307


Hanging out with Leah....
DSC_1340
DSC_1353
DSC_1344



Hanging out with R&A for a gourmet brunch. The meal included the following homemade items....
- Endless mimosas and bellinis
- Brioche
- Duck prosciutto and chicken liver pâté
- Little gem lettuce salad
- Quiche Lorraine
- Cappuccino semifreddo with donuts
Brunch collage
DSC_1360
DSC_1398