As Tall as a Giraffe's Tail

Lately, Joey has become obsessed with getting bigger. He still takes naps under duress, but tells himself that at least he grows while he's sleeping. He'll chug two glasses of milk at dinner because it makes him "stronger and bigger," and he constantly (to our chagrin) points out that he's taller than other boys at the park. So to celebrate Joey's half birthday -- the Fourth of July -- we hung a new growth chart in the bathroom, so that he can see for himself how much he grows over the next few years.

For the record -- and the baby book, when I get around to filling it in -- at three and a half, he's almost exactly as tall as the giraffe's tail (he's slouching a little in the picture), and he's still tipping the scales with his weight. According to http://www.pediatrics.about.com/, Joey:

is 43 pounds, at the 97th percentile for weight
and is 40.25 inches, at the 78th percentile for height

On this downward slide to 4, he's leaving babyhood behind a little more each day. But even though he's wearing size 4T and 5T clothes and fills size 11.5 shoes, he still loves snuggling and almost every day reports, "I'm still a baby. Sometimes."

From Glum to Yum

You would think Joey was as deprived as Oliver Twist. Here he is before and after lunch in Gilroy on Tuesday.




He was all smiles the rest of day at Gilroy Gardens, possibly the most toddler-friendly amusement park around. The lines were nonexistent, and we were even able to ask the operator of the goldfish ride to stop midway through, because Clara was wailing. Luckily, the only other passenger at the time was Joey ;) He loved every minute of being able to ride on race cars, fire trucks, fish, and strawberries all by himself.

Thanks for turning us on to such a gem of a place, Grandma Cecchin!

The Swing

Grandma Cecchin finally achieved a quartet of photos of her grandkids on the rustic wood swing in Gilroy, which her father built for his own grandkids in 1977. Here they are in birth order:

Joey


Tommy


Clara


Marco

Soup

I knew I wasn't exaggerating about all the fog... Tim sent me this lovely reminder yesterday, taken from his office window downtown, looking west toward our house. I think he's trying to torment me.

Even Joey is over wearing winter wear in July. Snippets from the past few days have included,

"The frog is blowing all around us!"

"We can't see anything!"

and, most tellingly,

"Mommy, why doesn't the sun like San Francisco?"

Midnight Hijinks

This is how we found Joey just before we turned in for the night last night... sound asleep and still silly.

Extremes

The reality of summer in the Sunset can be so depressing that yesterday, after taking the above photos in the morning at Stern Grove, we high-tailed it to a park in Orinda, exchanging a wet, drizzly 54 degrees for a perfect 80 degrees. The kids, of course, had fun in both locales, but it was nice to shed some layers and say goodbye to the fog for a few hours!

Can you believe these photos were taken on the same day, just 35 miles apart?

22 Months

One of the best things about having a 22 month-old baby girl in the house? Getting to smell the sweet, plastic-y goodness of baby dolls when they emerge from the box! Is there any smell that better defines girlhood??

It's Mutual

I think they're in love.



Joey drew this picture of Clara today, presented it to me shyly, and then said, "This is Clara. But it's not as perfect as the real Clara -- Clara, my little sister."

A Salute to Sourdough

Waffles, that is.

We derailed from the diet yet again on Sunday with brunch at Sarah and Jeff's house, but it was worth it! I think the littlest family members had a good time, too!

Not Going in the Food Diary

I think I'm going to have to keep our nutritionist in the dark about what was consumed at our birthday dinner on Friday night. She would not approve of the dessert, or the many glasses of wine!

I had a fantastic time at the Beach Chalet with Shawna, Stacey, Lori, and Michelle. Thanks for sending along these pictures, Stacey!

Braving the Ball Game

We left foggy San Francisco for a balmy night game in Oakland last week. Popcorn, peanuts, and hot dogs kept the kids entertained for a long time (along with Grandma and Grandpa Cecchin) and then the play area in the stadium filled in the blanks. Go A's!

For fun, here's a flashback to our chunkers at their first games (I think!):

On Time

As a birthday treat, I got to pick out this snazzy new watch, and in keeping with the gift, as I head into my 33rd year (keep your gasps to yourself... I think Shawna, my parents and I are already in enough shock), I resolve to:

• Stop asking Tim, "What time is it?"



• Teach Joey to tell time, so he stops asking, "What time is it?"



• Treasure time (especially this fleeting toddler time, both sweet and challenging, which will be over in no time)



• Be on time more (or as much as the aforementioned toddlers allow)



• Make the most of our time with less TV, and more park trips, library visits, craft and coloring projects, and books!



• Mark time by capturing more memories on video



• Get with the times (yes, I may actually join Facebook soon)



• Make double time, by spending my Kindle time on the exercise bike



• Work overtime and finally develop a website for my freelance business



• Take the time to answer Joey's endless "whys" with thoughtful, complete answers



• Stop wasting time on mommy guilt (did I say 'because' too many times today??)



• Get my kids on the same nap schedule, so I can enjoy some me time!

Preschool Prep

I'm constantly amazed at Joey's ability to see shapes and letters in everyday, random objects. A day doesn't go by that he doesn't shout out, "Hey, you, me, and Clara are sitting in a TRIANGLE!!" or "Look, my peanut butter sandwich looks like a J now!!!" Or, in shock, he'll report that a passing car is missing a hubcap: "That car's wheels DON'T MATCH!!" Yesterday morning, he took all the animal magnets from the refrigerator door and arranged them on the trash can instead, and screamed out, "MOMMY, I MADE A T!!!!"

I'm hoping the enthusiasm will still be there by the time preschool starts in September -- and maybe he'll have learned a little volume control, too.

Amateur Photographer

I think the Chronicle got it wrong in the Sunday style section, when they profiled the differences between iPhone users and BlackBerry users. According to their profiling, the buttoned-up bankers will always choose the BlackBerry, while the iPhone is tooled for artists, musicians, and writers.

Tim bucked the stereotype and chose the iPhone last week -- and promptly took one of the most creative photos he's ever taken (well, it still involves the dogs, Joey, and Fort Funston -- I'm not expecting a completely changed man). That phone is already working its magic!

Life-Saving Lessons

After four long summers spent sitting in a lifeguard chair, scanning wave pools, administering swim tests, and catching kids as they rocketed down water slides (and making a few rescues along the way!), I should be pretty comfortable with lifesaving procedures. But I know for sure that if one of my babies was choking, unconscious, or unresponsive, all those years of CPR drills would fly out the window.

Which is why we jumped at the chance to get a refresher from our friend Mark, who packed up the necessary gear from his firehouse in Moraga, and gave a super professional tutorial to a bunch of his former fraternity brothers and their wives on Saturday night (it goes without saying that times have definitely changed). Despite the fact that his "students" were busy chasing around eight children under the age of three, we all came away with some crucial information:

• In an emergency, always call 911 from a land line if you can. The dispatcher will automatically know where you are, and can send help immediately, whereas with a cell phone, you may lose critical minutes trying to describe exactly where help is needed.
• Despite what you may have learned from past CPR courses, the current wisdom is that you administer 2 breaths and 30 chest compressions in each round of CPR, for both babies and adults.
• For a choking baby, clearing the airway can be as simple as laying the baby face-down on your forearm, pointing her head at the floor, and thumping her back with the heel of your hand.

After a friend's daughter choked on an apple peel a couple of weeks ago, we realized just how vulnerable all our kids are. She was breathing again by the time the fire trucks arrived at the house, but if her mom had been better armed with emergency skills, she may have felt (slightly) less panicky.

Check out http://www.americanheart.org/ for more info on CPR -- there's even an iPhone app for the ultra-hip! :)

Happy Birthday, Bridget!

A Sneak Peek

I guess we know what Clara will look like when she's sixteen now! Doesn't she look mature?

A Gang of Girls... and Joey

Aside from a brief visit from the daddies over the weekend, Joey was the man of the house all week in Lake Tahoe, dealing with the estrogen-rich chaos of five little girls, two mommies, and one grandma. Apparently, the life suits him - he may have a role in the remake of "What Women Want" in 20 years.

It was about as chaotic as you would expect, but there were still lots of smiles all around, especially when the baby pool and water toys came out!