Biking in Golden Gate Park

We had received a BoBike (european model) but it didn't fit on my bike, so we finally purchased an iBert. We took full advantage of the great weather and Zealand loved it. We even went on some single track.

Dear Zealand at 10 months

Dear Zealand,

It feels like you are fast accelerating toward the big one years old! I can barely keep up with all of the changes. I feel like the baby is fast slipping out of our hands. You haven't started walking yet which will keep time hovering just a little longer around our "baby."

This month you began to cruise furniture and anything else you can hold on to. You spend a lot of time holding on to our dining room chairs and playing under the table. You also cruise the couch and hang on to bookshelves. Throwing books off of the shelves is one of your favorite activities. In Tahoe you also climbed stairs for the first time.

I am really struck by how competent you are with your body. You are very careful and adventurous at the same time (a characteristic of your father). Every morning before your nap I watch you maneuver yourself up and down, side to side, in a manner that is almost calculating. You have learned how to fall gracefully (if there is such a thing with a ten month old), landing in such a way that you don't bonk your head and you figure out how to get in and out of small spaces. It is as if the world is a great puzzle offering acrobatic challenges that you are more than willing to try at every turn.

Your father's bike that stays parked in our living room (a sign that you are growing up in a San Francisco apartment) is a favorite challenge. You pull yourself up using the frame of the bike and then throw toys through the spokes of the wheels and you side step from one part of the bike to the next.

You are also quite the contortionist. You make your way through the smallest of spaces in a way that brings a smile to my face. The other day you managed to crawl under a wood chair and then sit up completely surrounded by the bars of the chair. You also enjoy pushing chairs and boxes around the living room.

This month you had your first carousel ride in Golden Gate Park. I sat behind you on a horse that moved up and down while your father took pictures from the side. You immediately grabbed the gold swirly pole on and began kicking your legs. You loved it.

We also went to the zoo this month with your friend Juliun from your playgroup. You and I continue to meet up with the same moms and babies every Tuesday. We also meet up with a few moms in the neighborhood each week for walks and time in the park. It feels very important for both of us to have time with other mommies and babies each week.

Also, each week you see your grandparents here in the Bay Area - "Ami" and "Papa." You have really warmed up to them and offer them wide smiles regularly. You and Papa play a special game of knock the block off of the tower which you enjoy a great deal. I am very happy that you see them as often as you do.

You continue to have us count our blessing each day for your first rate temperament. Each morning when we open the door to your room you are standing up in your crib with a huge grin on your face. Your father and I hop around like fools to make you giggle -which happens often (us hopping around like fools and giggles). You find us extremely funny and you just really seem to enjoy a good laugh. We are turning out to be a very goofy family. You fit right in. Or, I should say you bring it out in us. Lots of silliness all day long.

We love you Zealand bear.

Love,

Momma

On the porch in Tahoe

How to empty a bookshelf (video)

Obviously none of them were the right book.

Sunny SF Weekend

Roar!

Dear Zealand at 9 months

Dear Zealand,

If last month was the month of saying "mamama," this was the month of "dadada." Or, you will say, "ded" and even "mum." You also started with what we call the tugboat - you blow air through your mouth to make a vibrating sound with your lower lip. You make this sound while scooting intently across the floor and reaching for toys.

This was also the month of getting to standing. Your favorite "toy" is the footrest to my glider chair. You love to lean on this with your butt in the air. Now that you have mastered this, pulling up to standing is your new favorite thing to do. Oftentimes you will use us to pull yourself up or the couch, changing table, and dining room chairs. Another favorite is the bottom shelf where our stereo stands. You love to crawl over there and play with the stereo buttons while you half stand.

You aren't quite cruising furniture as you mainly stand stationary when upright. But, the other day you braved a few side steps. Your main mode of transportation remains the Zealand commando crawl. You are unbelievably quick. It is as if you were born to crawl just this way. Although your activity level seems relatively normal to me just lately I have been getting a lot of comments about how active you are from moms with older boys. It is true. You are not one for sitting on your tush. You like movement.

Going for walks remains a steady source of enjoyment for you. Recently we bought a fancy backpack to carry you in (get ready for a backpack this Summer!) and you love it. Your head darts from side to side taking everything in. You become especially excited when a doggie crosses your path of vision.

This month was full of adventures for you. I took you to Muir Woods for the first time. As evidenced by the picture in this post, your whole soul lit up under the canopy of redwood trees. You wiggled with excitement and were all smiles. The creek running through the forest was especially fascinating. I mainly carried you as you didn't want to miss a thing. An older man passed us and asked, or more stated, "baby's first Muir Woods." The way he said it had a nice poetic ring to it. It really hit home the fact that yes, this was Zealand's first time in this grove of trees. There are so many "firsts" each week that you sometimes lose that awesome perspective.

You visited Yosemite for the first time and we slept in a tent cabin along with Peter and Liz. All of us were pretty snug in a single cabin with three beds and your co-sleeper. It rained the whole time but with rain came some beautiful hikes with huge snowflakes falling like cotton puffs from the sky. You noticed snow for the first time and stared and stared as it fell.

The other day it was sunny and you and I took the train to the beach. I could feel you stiffen with excitement on my back when the ocean came into view. You were making all kinds of noises and kicking your feet as we walked along the shore. Later I took you out of the pack and brought over some rocks for you to play with. Within seconds you were chewing on the rocks and your face was covered in black sand. At one point you started to crawl on the sand with a rock in each hand. If I didn't stop you I think you might have gone straight into the ocean.

You seem to already be a California boy through and through, coming alive in the presence of mountains, surf, and trees. Already the landscape is shaping who you are and your sense of the world. I am grateful that the West is the backdrop for your childhood and that we are never but a quick drive to the Sierras, the Pacific ocean, or the rolling hills and trails of Marin.

A few other notes of interest. I am beginning to sense a very strong will under that easygoing demeanor of yours. You have decided that lying on your changing table while we pull off your diaper is the last place on earth you would like to be. You howl and twist with a great deal of force - emotional and physical. I could be wrong, but I would not be surprised if this is a sneak preview of more to come.

We love you and we love watching you become less and less a baby and more and more a toddler. You are such a wonderful person to get to know.

Love,

Momma