Alameda Easter Egg Scramble

Even though Zoey's a bit too young to fully participate in an Easter Egg hunt, we still decided to check out our community's event today - what a fun family outing we had together! It was a gorgeous morning out at Crab Cove, and there were so many excited families and kids running around. The Easter Bunny himself was even there. I look forward to next year when Zoey will be almost 18 months old and definitely toddling around with an Easter basket all of her own! : )

Our Friday night : )

Zoey got to enjoy some homemade butternut squash baby food, and later on David and I enjoyed some homemade mojitos. Yum!

Oliver wants to come too!

I've been maximizing my week off during Spring Break to get out in the sunshine with Zoey as much as possible. I love taking her out in our jogging stroller, especially since she can now sit-up like a big girl in the stroller without having to attach the carseat. But I think Oliver is a bit jealous that he can't come along too.... : )

Cassie comes to visit!

Cassie, one of my oldest and dearest friends from childhood, came up to visit us from LA last weekend! We had lots of fun catching up, sharing in some girl talk, and enjoying playtime with Zoey. We love you Cassie - come visit us anytime!

Green Beans!

Zoey's taste of her first vegetable!

Baby love!

Ok, so David and I have several silly nicknames for our baby girl.....but what parent doesn't, right? Our current fave is "Boo-Boo"...haha! She is such a goofy, observant, spirited, adorable little munchkin who knows what she wants and doesn't want, and who insn't afraid to let you know! I love my daughter. : )

Hoverball Cat!

This picture made me smile this morning...haha!

"This picture was taken just before Hoverball Cat took off at supersonic speed. It sounded like a whistle and a scream and the ground caught fire." : )

Zoey's first taste of solid food!

For the past week or so Zoey has been VERY interested in our adult food - she eyes us with longing jealousy as we eat our meals and put our utensils into our mouths. Our pediatrician gave us the go-ahead to start Zoey on solids over a month ago, but I was originally planning to hold off until 6 months (she is 5 months, 1 week now). But today as she watched David eat every bite of his breakfast cereal, I figured why not see how she'd react to some cereal of her own! Especially since my parents and my sister Leah were over visiting, I thought that would be fun to have the whole family witness her big first meal. So we mixed up some baby rice cereal with warmed breast milk and here was the result! I look forward to this new chapter in Zoey's life - the start of her culinary adventures! : )

Oh Berkeley, how I've missed you!

It feels great to be back to work at UC Berkeley. Now that I've been back from maternity leave for 2 days, I remember why I love this city and this campus so much! The vibrant diversity of people, cultures, food options, smells, sights and excitement around every corner! Ok yes, maybe I have been cooped up with my baby for 5 months and I'm easily entertained, but still.....there is no other place quite like Berkeley! : ) I love how I can walk down to Shattuck Avenue just one block from my office and have at least 10+ options for different culinary delights, how I can run to CVS, Starbucks, the post office, a bookstore, and the shoe repairman (just to name a few services!) within a quick coffee break, and never be left bored during a walk around the block at lunch given all of the unique characters that populate the streets Downtown.

A Big Day....

Today is bittersweet for me....my last day of maternity leave. Zoey also turns 5 months old today....wow! Time sure has a way of ticking by so quickly. On one hand I am excited to return to my professional life as a career counselor, and I look forward to reuniting with my co-workers and regaining more of my identity as an individual woman, not just a full-time mom. I know I'll really enjoy the intellectual adult interaction, the mental stimulation and challenge that my career provides me, a REAL lunch break that doesn't involve shoveling down my food while trying to entertain my little one, and some alone time driving to and from work where I can play my music as loud as I want. : ) It will be a nice break to have some ME time, I'm sure.

But at the same time, I know it is going to be a tough transition....for all of us. I know I will miss my little girl SO MUCH, and I know she will miss me. The last week has been so wonderful with Zoey as she is now on a much more predictable napping and feeding schedule, and she has really started to embark on a much happier, easier stage of baby-hood. Months 3 & 4 were very challenging for all of us as we dealt with sleep training, reintroducing the bottle that Zoey had been rejecting, trying to get her on a routine/schedule, and just lots of unexplainable fussiness. But that rough stage seems to be coming to and end now, and Zoey is starting to become so much more silly, interactive, playful, and happy! I will miss all of our relaxing, fun-filled days at home, our peaceful walks on Alameda beach, and being the first one to witness all of her cute milestones. And to complicate matters more, I am still breastfeeding Zoey so it will be quite a challenge to pump at least twice daily at work - but I'll do my best. At least Z will be in the loving care of my sister Leah and my mother-in-law Norma...that will definitely ease my mind to know that at least Zoey is with her family in my absence.

I have to remind myself that by no means am I the first woman in the world to do this....on the contrary, millions of women out there balance career and family everyday of their lives. If so many others can do it successfully, and even come to embrace and enjoy the multiple facets of their life, I can too. It will just take some time and some getting used to, that's all. Change isn't easy, but it is inevitable....and this is my new reality. I will do my best to embrace my new identity as a working mom, and I know I will now cherish and savor every moment I have with my little Zoey even more.

Happy 5 month birthday Zoey! I love you with all my heart baby girl!

National Cereal Day!

Yesterday, Sunday March 7th, was not only my dear husband's 31st Birthday, but it was also National Cereal Day! Those of you who know me well know that I absolutely LOVE cereal.....love it so much that I could eat it for any/every meal, and I've also eaten my daily breakfast cereal out of the same special blue bowl almost everyday for about the last 10 years (no joke!)

Supposedly this holiday is intended to commemorate the anniversary of the invention of corn flakes by William and John Kellogg in 1897. The product was labeled 'Sanitas Toasted Corn Flakes' and was introduced at their Battle Creek Sanitarium around this time (most likely in 1898), there is no verification to the exact significance of March 7.

And cereal is not just a tasty treat you can savor every morning, it is also good nutrition too (well, certain varieties that is....). A recent study demonstrated that children who eat cereal at least every other day skip fewer breakfasts than those who eat cereal less often. And, when they regularly eat cereal, studies show that children have better nutrient intakes compared to those who eat cereal less often. Frequent cereal eaters have higher intakes of calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C and B vitamins.

Similarly, adults who eat cereal at least every other day have higher intakes of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and lower intakes of fat, percent of calories from fat, and cholesterol.

Happy cereal eating! Below are some of my current faves.... : )

Beautiful Saturday at the park!

It was warm and sunny yesterday so we took advantage of the nice weekend weather to take Zoey out to our local park for the first time! We tried to put her in the baby swing, but she is still a bit too small....but perhaps next time we can put some blankets around her for support so she fits better. I look forward to spending lots of time outdoors with Zoey this summer swimming in our pool, playing at the park, and having picnics and play dates out on the grass!

Animal love!

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will! Thanks Cute Overload!

:-)

Zoey has discovered her tongue lately and loves to stick it out at the world...haha! She also loves to babble on and on and tell us extensive stories about her baby day. We love it! Such a silly, goofy little girl.

Baby Laila!

Last Thursday Zoey and I went out to Daly City to visit my friend Jenn and her sweet baby girl Laila, aka "Small Ball"...ha! She is just 7 weeks old and such a pretty little peanut!