cafe bebe

we hosted our first cafe bebe yesterday, it was a big hit. the babies got to nosh on crackers, raisins, and blueberries while the moms ate pesto-mozzarella finger sandwiches and sipped organic green tea. the babes then splashed around in dylan's 12 dollar kiddie pool from kmart.

we even had a live music session, courtesy of mama yvonne. she cajoled her young fans luca, dylan and arriel to eat healthy, share toys, and behave. instead, they ate chocolate chip cookies, flung toys, and pulled and tugged at each other until they fell to the ground. in other words, a good time being toddlers.

dyl, arriel and luca contemplate just how much fun cheap plastic can be. very!!

NO!

dylan at lacma, on a big unnamed pink thing; navigating street lamps; crawling underneath a henry moore.


what we've learned... is that if you use baby sign language long enough, they will start to sign back. it just amazes me to see dylan use signs for food, when he's hungry or when he wants to feed the dogs or cats. he points up to the sky when he hears a booming sound, and will twirl his finger in the air for 'helicopter.' he will make whisker signs and say 'maow' when he sees the cats. and whenever he sees a dog, he pats his leg or chest. 

dylan is talking (phew!), and at 17m months i think he's making great progress, if you want to call it that. i've noticed that all the hours and minutes spent reading books to him have been paying off--all the words he uses come from his story and word books, mostly. oft-repeated words from dylster are:

ball, book, bird, duck, mama, dada (or just 'da'), ssszia! (for sophia our dog), and lots of animal and barnyard sounds. and 'nmo' (a very nasal 'no'). 

he has a new word for 'grandpa'--dylan loves his grandparents so--'papa.' we will point to pics in the photo album and he will point out his 'papas.' 

he obsesses reading his books, poring over his favorite nursery rhymes like 'bingo' and jack and jill and humpty dumpty again and again, and he loves looking at family and friend photos. 

now if he only voraciously ate everything his mama makes him for dinner, i'd be happy. 

don't break my heart, my achy breaky.....

we think...

it's about time... 

that dylan got a haircut. 

dylan says: rock out with your mullet out! 

more dynamic mullet looks here. 

a few playdate friends

dylan has been plenty busy with playdates, outings, classes now that it's summer. he just started swim lessons, and can now jump in the pool, put his face in the water, blow bubbles and generally have a fun time splashing about with other babies.

a stone's throw from redondo beach is wilderness park, a small wooded oasis filled with wildflowers, pine trees, and ponds filled with beijing ducks (the white feathered kind). we're learning about ducks and a pack of red-eared slider turtles, found breeding in the pond, even spotting a lone leather-back turtle sunning itself on a rock in a marsh. this has to be one of dylan's favorite places to hike and play. the best thing, according to dylan, is hanging out and romping in the grass with the likes of his buds arriel, matisse and arqum. 

a boy and his dog

'pssst, don't tell anyone, but that tv set is straight outta the 80s, i tell you!'

'i'm just lookin for my ball. and my frisbee. give a brother a hand here.'

'look, dust bunnies--and a corn chip! score!'

'and you kid, you look like you could use a haircut.' 

'you're right. i'm beginning to look a bit like peter frampton here.' 

'peter who??'

the 16 month old: milestones

dylan's hit 16 months! and what has he learned so far?

-- is learning korean (he knows one word well: bang-goo. when asked to 'bang-goo,' he will create a fart noise with his mouth. this makes me a proud, proud mama, yup)

-- can chew, then spit up and spread wet food all around the kitchen (yay for this! we say) 

-- he now brushes his teeth (sort of)

-- climbs on top of the stool in the bathroom and combs and brushes his hair; wants to put on lotion and lipstick; wants to put on sunscreen by himself.

-- knows sophia dog from django dog

-- can sip from a real cup and use real dishes (not just plastic!)

-- called the dog sophia by name the other day ('sophia' he said)

-- uses sign language often ('hot' 'dog' 'ball' 'phone')

-- can put his foot in his mouth if asked (literally and not figuratively)

-- throws a hot tantrum with ease and aplomb (toddlers, what joy!!)

-- is learning about the joys of irish music (seen here in this video hitting the bodhran and singing the 'mama' song)  

just watch and sing along and be irish like dylan: 

hot dance moves: the mall

we had unseasonably warm, humid climes here at the beach. so when auntie kathy came down to visit, we had no choice but to head to the mall to partake of a/c. and dylan did what he always does, when he's at the mall confronted with dance pop piped into each store: he went into the limited, and let his dancing feet take over. watch dylan dance like a celebrity who thinks he can dance (or whatever that crummy show is called). and if you think his moves are cool, then it's his dad you have to thank (or blame)!

 

if you notice, i've got on my very bossy 'stage mom' voice. DANCE, BOY, DANCE. 

dylan models spring fashions: project baby runway, part 2

dylan was all over the place this spring. here he is, with daddy in south redondo for easter, modeling the latest in baby outerwear. he wears his infamous hat, as always, to shield the bright hot sun. 

another look! having fun at the playground in kalorama heights, neighborhood of d.c.  

gettin' dirty in the dirt! dylan tries his hand at community gardening at kalorama park, d.c. 

...poses for pics with mom at the tidal basin, cherry trees, d.c. at the mall. 

... points out his belly button with dad in his goldfish diaper.

... and wants grandpa's cell phone! 

learning how to share

some pics from a playdate at shiva's (aka shivvie), with fellow toddlers joelle (with her daddy), shivvie and his mama, charlie, and learning how to share with layla. thanks playdate mates--we had an exhausting fun-filled time, and looking forward to our next gathering--big thanks to anu and maneesh for a fab party! 

dylan jams!

dylan can say a few words, like mama, daddy, hot, and duck. but what he's really into is music, banging on drums, and making impromptu musical instruments out of found objects. he's also fond of dancing. he finally got a chance to jam with a local indie band over at the library yesterday. he, of course, chose to follow the beat of his own drum, as only a fiercely independent toddler can. 

the million dollar question

i get asked this question almost every day, sometimes twice a day, when we're out and about. 'where did you get that hat?' it's not the prettiest or coolest looking hat, but it's probably the most useful item for a tot: it stays on, has velcro chin straps and we got it at gymboree, similar to this one. now that we've got that cleared up, let's go out to play! 

(here, dylan sports his hat in embassy row in d.c. next to some brazen-lookin hyacinths, daffodils). 

it's spring in d.c.: our visit to see the sakura trees

we just got back from our d.c. trip, where sakura blossoms, tulips, magnolias, dogwoods made for a showy april. d.c. is a fascinating place, and not stuffy as i had perceived it to be. it's got a lot of history, culture, interesting neighborhoods and really great restaurants, not to mention a ton of museums to while away your hours. we stopped by the white house to say 'hi' to barack, michelle and the kids on our way to the jefferson memorial, where acres of cherry blossoms graced the lawns and walkways, hovered over the potomac river and made everything glow with snowy white and pink petals.

what i didn't realize is that d.c. is so green--the city is surrounded by parks, wilderness, forests, trees and miles of hiking and biking paths; the city may be chic and urban, but you're always reminded that you're surrounded by nature. 

old abe does his best to provoke tears in us tourists, at the awe-inspiring lincoln memorial. (not shown: THRONGS of tourists, international, national, local, and just plain loco as well). 

let me go, says dylan, i've got to make sand pancakes! grunt, grunt, stomp stomp. here, cousin julia contemplates a new career as a teenage-babysitter-in-training. 

aye, aye aye! mucho gente aqui. when i get stressed, i start speaking spanish. it was a bit nerve-wracking trying to get to the trees, as lovely as they were, when you're trying to navigate amongst humanity itself. the tidal basin was awash with tourists--we're talkin' strollers, families, ice cream, lemonade stands, people posing for pictures and digital cameras being held up in the air, everywhere you looked. once we got to the trees, they were lovely, and otherworldly, ephemeral, angelic things, petals landing in your hair and at your feet. 

hiking and belly buttons

dylan has been able to locate his cute little belly button these days, always pulling up his shirt and pointing to his navel, or pulling on your shirt to look at yours. when he hears the phone ring, he holds his hand up to his ear ("hello?"), point to his ears when asked, and is able to go and grab his favorite books (dylan, go get 'working on the railroad') and he'll go get it. here he is, being held up by his big buddy payton, as they hike 'burma road' in palos verdes. see all the wildflowers? apparently, these mustard grasses and yellow flowers are all edible, according to this latimes article about local vegetation in the peninsula.


here, mei mei and big bro payton give dylan a lesson in hiking.


'push!' says dylan, to mei mei, his newest bff.


if only all days were as clear as this, with sparkly views to catalina island that stretch as far as your feet, as high as the tallest oaks. here's to beautiful spring days, hiking, and belly buttons.

in your face, dad.

this entry is one in a series of 'like obama' posts.

in addition to working out, being stress free and practicing mindfulness, dylan has been nibbling organic goodies, like the folks at the white house.  fresh plums, bananas, watermelons, sweet potatoes, and cherry tomatoes fill this guy's snack bag. foods dylan rather give to the dogs include broccoli, blue cheese and peanut butter. thanks from django and sophia, who are happy to partake of scraps! 

all this organic eating will lead to organic peeing, we've found. st paddy's day, we all go to bed, after a night of corned beef, cabbage, guinness, the works. dylan gets up in the middle of the night, and i couldn't bother to wake up. so what's a sleepy baby to do when confronted with a midnight pee? so dyl did what every baby needs to do, when they have a wet diaper: he climbed up on the bed, crawled on top of john, and threw the offending diaper on his dad's face. 'dad,' he seemed to want to say, ' change my friggin' diaper.' NOW. 

here's to more organic livin'! 

 

ec update at 14 months old

after the heavy rains, flowers and grasses and dewy clover have carpeted the walks and parks and playgrounds. which means dylan has been exploring, and this is a beautiful thing. dylan plucks dandelions, daisies, and takes us toward shady trees, for him to straddle and climb. he points upwards with his hand, toward leaves, branches, or toward a swatch of dandelions, and watches them blow in the breeze. he makes me get down on the ground next to him, and makes me look, for a moment, at the wonder he's experiencing, and for that, i thank him. 'thank you,' i say. for making me notice. 

and speaking of heavy rains, dylan has been having quite a few great weeks, the past month or so, in the ec realm--not only has he been signing 'toilet,' 'milk' and 'diaper change'--just this morning, he stopped and paused next to the potty when he needed to go. i de-pantsed him, he sat on the potty, and he went. just like that. well, this didn't happen overnight. to get here, i had to take another deep breath, and just trust that he will want to sit on the potty--by himself, that is. this month, we've had the wet accident here and there--on the floor, on the bed, on the couch. but i had to trust that if i put him in underwear, and diapers when we go out, that he would have 'body awareness' and not want to sit around in a wet pants. so according to the 'ec' method, there is reward for just observing your baby, and that is all one needs to really parent. trusting this is not as simple--you sort of have to have blind faith about this method--but millions of women around the world have been doing this for millenia, and they haven't been wrong. 

and it's never as simple as just putting dylan in underwear, of course, sometimes i miss the signs and urges and cries completely. sometimes i forget to sign to dylan, sometimes i forget to explain what i'm doing, sometimes i forget that he needs me to communicate to him, that there's an actual person--a brain--behind the baby smiles and spittle. 

but when i get quiet, and let dylan do his thing, he lets me know with a wave of his hand if needs to pee or poo. as easy as picking dandelions on a grassy knoll. just amazing. 

dylan is signing, OMG! ec journey continues!

dylan has been officially signing 'toilet' to me this week. first time it was in the car, john's driving, i'm in the back seat next to dylan. he starts signing, and unfortunately, we can't stop to let dylan go pee. 

today, he stops playing with his toys, looks at me, sticks his left hand out, makes his fingers into a 'toilet' sign and waves it back and forth. 'you gotta go potty?' i ask. then he starts running away and i take him to the potty. he does his thing, i put his underwear back on and i give him a high five!

omg! so they are listening! they are paying attention to the sign language!

too good to be true! 

we love life!

we love to play, grow and have fun. 

we love family and cherish each moment with them. here's 96-year old great-grandma playing with dylan. 

we love art and big feet (ucla sculpture garden, westwood).

we love flowers on valentine's day! (thanks john and dylan!)

we love making everyone laugh!

happy valentine's day!  

love, dylan. 

cupcakes for change!

at times, being at the inaugural felt like we were navigating a souk of obama-gear, from the white house to the capitol building to the lincoln monument. a ginormous obama swapmeet, if you will. reportedly, over 550 licensed vendors were showing their goods, all manner of tacky t-shirts, hats, backpacks, baby onesies, pins, pens, mousepads, bags, totes, magnets, postcards, calendars, you name it they had it. on second thought, i shoulda grabbed that pink 'michelle first lady' apron when i had the chance!!

top photo: dylan models an obama hat  with dad at bull run battlefield in manassass, va.  

but here's our favorite: cupcakes! dylan grabbed his at the newseum cafe, the first museum dedicated to the history of print and broadcast news, a fascinating, engaging place in d.c. it was definitely a highlight of the trip.

yes we were there! inaugural photos with barack!

we just returned from a whirlwind baltimore to arlington to d.c. inaugural trip to see the 44th president sworn into office. here a few photos from our trip. lo and behold, we had our photo moment with barack, though we'd have to admit that he just didn't have that 'star quality' that we've heard about. he looks a bit flat in these photos, no? judge for yourself.

the night before the inauguration, we took a stroll around the national mall and saw the parade floats, up close. this is barack's hawaiian float. you can see dylan asleep in his stroller, he was so tired, but check out his little feet! i'm not sure what the big blob is on top of the float--kilauea, about to erupt, i imagine. all constructed with cans of spam, probably. 

who's the cardboard cutout in the photo (bottom)? john looks a bit like a cnn hologram in this farewell-to-inaugural-festivities photo, taken the day after the big event at john's cousin glenn's house (l to r). glenn, dylan, me, barack, lori, cheryl and john pose for our unofficial inaugural portrait. unfortunately, john has decided not to deed his sweater to the smithsonian for its inaugural exhibit. too bad. 

we also want to send a big 'thank you' to glenn, lori and the kids in arlington for giving us shelter, and for shuttling us to and fro around d.c. (though we'll have to hit the chili bowl on our next trip!). they were the best hosts, and we couldn't have done our inaugural trek without their help and hospitality! these pilgrims are grateful! 

happy new year! a song from dylan

dylan's been practicing with john's ukulele. this baby is self-taught! watch the video:

here's to the year of the ox!