Happy Weekend!

Tomorrow (Saturday), Jason and I are going to have a (much needed) mini-vacation! We're spending the night at the Westgate Hotel downtown, having dinner at a fancy-schmancy restaurant in the Gaslamp, and then on Sunday, we head to a spa for some pampering. Suh-weeet! I am so excited!

Many, many thanks to Lolo & Lola who will be babysitting Saturday night and Sunday morning. Have I mentioned that I would probably go crazy if it weren't for their help??

Have I mentioned how freakin' excited I am???

The happy couple pre-Boba. By Sunday night we'll have the same smiles on our faces!

Born comedian

Is it just me, or does she look a little bit like Moe...you know, of the Three Stooges?

We may just have a little comedian on our hands. I have a feeling.

In praise of STUFF

I'm not as big a shopper as some people think. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love to shop for my little girl just as much as the next new Mommy. But I'm quite wary of unnecessary materialism. For instance, a few years ago when I first got engaged, I was hell-bent on being a smart and educated consumer, and refused to get caught in the throes of wedding-planning hysteria (you know, where brides spend ridiculous sums of money on items they will only use for maybe 4 hours of their lives). So, I went out and bought a fabulous book called Bridal Bargains, and attempted to follow their advice so that I would not only be a conscientious buyer; I could rest easy in the fact that I was not falling for the numerous scams that trap unsuspecting couples who just want to make their wedding "the best day of their lives", no matter the cost.

(Um - I think I was successful. I'm not sure. All I know is that it was definitely was one of the best days of my life. Whether or not I spent more than I should have...well...you'd have to ask my father.)

Anyway, I've tried to employ the same discipline with buying for Boba, seeing as having a baby is definitely the kind of event that retailers try to capitalize on. Courtesy of my cousin Chamina, I was able to read up on Baby Bargains, which I believe prepared me quite well for the onslaught of BABY CRAP that would be thrust upon me every time I ventured into a mall. I only bought or registered for stuff I thought would be the most essential, and the rest I got as I went along.

The result of all this preparation was this: less clutter, more space for Boba to roam, a functional AND cute wardrobe, an efficient diaper-changing space, and the ultimate bottom line: NO CRAP.

Nope, no crap here

(Now, this is not to suggest that I was fully prepared for motherhood. Totally different thing, motherhood! There is no adequate manual for that! I am just referring to actual stuff.)

SO...this has been a long-winded way to get to this, BUT...the reason I bring this all up is because I have an endorsement to make, and I wanted to emphasize the fact that I do not do this lightly.

My Uncle Arthur ("Clart" to us cousins) has designed kid's furniture. Like, really really cute and functional kid's furniture. (Here's his "rocking chair"!) And because I believe not only in the design and purpose of these products, but also in the integrity of their creator, I would like to encourage those with children to at least give this stuff a look. My cousin Melon, who is one of Clart's three daughters, writes more about the genesis of this furniture line in her blog.

Anyway, loooong story short, I totally plan on purchasing a couple of these pieces, not just 'cause they're my Uncle's, but because they're really adorable, they're cheaper than traditional kid's furniture, AND they're foam so they wouldn't completely injure my little darling should she happen to bump into one of them. So go to Babyage, type in "foamables" in the Search bar, and take a peek. All the cool kids are doing it!

More cute things that Boba does

She's cute and she KNOWS IT

1. She can wave now! If you say "Bye bye" she picks up her right hand and waves it around. Actually she kind of does it at odd intervals - like when you make a sharp turn while carrying her - but 9 times out of 10 she'll do it as a response. Adorable!
2. She's got a sound she makes while she eats which we all refer to now as her word for food. It's "Dabin-dabin." (That's DAHbin like Robin.) Sometimes it's "Mabim-mabim." Or "Nabim-nabim." Okay, I admit it - it's a bunch of different sounds but I think they're all in the same phonetic family, so it's all one word to us!
3. She loves to drink from a grown-up glass. When I'm carrying her and I take a sip from a glass, she grabs it and pulls it to her mouth. It doesn't matter if she's just drunk a full bottle of milk and her tummy is sloshing with the stuff...she'll grab that glass and chug from it. And I do mean grab - the girl's got some strong fingers - and then yank it to her mouth! Crazy little Boba!

Still no teeth...

And now...about last weekend

"I'm much better now, thanks!"

I should have mentioned that the haircut was one of the more memorable moments of last weekend. Then all you people wouldn't be waiting at THE EDGE OF YOUR SEATS!!!

(As IF.)

Actually, the "weekend" I was referring to in my earlier post was more about Katrina's health. She has been very ill the last few days. She's much better now (thank the lord), but for a while there Mommy was beginning to develop stomach ulcers from the stress. For all you non-parents, IT IS ABSOLUTELY AWFUL WHEN YOUR CHILD IS SICK. Not that you couldn't figure that out, but you really don't know what it's like until you're there. And for those of you who have been with me from the beginning of this blog pretty much know that I am a basket case if Boba gets even the slightest sniffle.

Oh, and for those of you who are parents, feel free to tell me, "Yep, that happens." Strangely, I find that so much more comforting than when people tell me, "Aww, poor thing, that's just terrible, she must be suffering, you must feel awful, what a heartbreaking situation." And stuff like that. Because, ultimately, as a new parent I just want to know that this is one more step in the long road of parenthood, and that in the grand scheme of things, this is just a momentary blip when Boba didn't feel well but it was temporary and she would be back to normal in no time. You know what I mean?

So here's the scoop. From Friday to Saturday, Katrina had a rising fever and was frequently fussy, but had no other symptoms. Okay, I could handle that. But by Sunday, she was totally inconsolable. Plus she was vomiting every few hours. We rushed her to the doctor, where she was diagnosed with an ear/throat infection. By then I was barely holding it together. I mean, she's been sick before, but you could tell she was crying out of pain, not just frustration. God, my stress levels rose to new heights that day.

Fast forward to Monday. Lola had originally been slated for jury duty that day, but was able to postpone it so that she could stay home with Boba. (You see, due to the lousy labor laws that require all new mothers to use up their sick days towards their maternity leave - I HAVE NO SICK DAYS LEFT.) Because of the vomiting, we couldn't really start her on her medication until Monday morning, which we did...and fortunately, it seemed to work almost instantly. By the time I was home Monday night, Boba seemed back to normal. She was no longer throwing up, or crying in pain - HOWEVER - the medication evidently was known to have some side effects; namely, "loose stools." As in, poop. Lots of it. Some might even call it diarrhea.

The fun never ends.

So now it's Wednesday and she's still pooping copiously, but the infections seem to be going away. The fever is definitely gone, so I think we're on the right track, aside from the poop. I spoke to a nurse about it last night, and she suggested some different stool-hardening measures, many of which I began employing immediately. We'll see if any of it seems to help today. If not, I guess we have to switch medications.

All I can say is....*SIGH*.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: good health is the most precious, yet most underrated virtue we have. We take it for granted when we have it, and when we don't have it, it's like nothing else even matters.

What a weekend.

Boba's brand spankin' new 'do

Over the last few weeks, it became abundantly clear that Boba needed a haircut.




I mean, don't get me wrong; she's cute no matter what, but the mullet was getting a tad unmanageable. Especially in the mornings. I just couldn't deal with all the snags anymore. So it was time for a haircut.

And what a haircut it was. I was planning on taking photos of the event, and had the camera poised and ready to go. But nothing could prepare me for the meltdown that ensued.

Simply put, Boba does NOT like getting her hair cut.

Our "stylist" Pattie, bless her heart, evidently had experience with this sort of thing, and was armed with toys, videos, and distractions galore. However, no amount of distraction could have prevented the screeching and howling emanating from my nearly-three-foot bundle o'joy. (That's just Mommy's guesstimate on her height.) It was heartbreaking. And funny at the same time.

Anyway, I decided not to harrass her after that with the camera, so Jason and I waited for a calmer moment to capture the results:

I think it's just as cute as the mullet, snags notwithstanding. She looks almost Dorothy-Hamill-ish, don'tcha think? Given that this is probably going to be her only haircut for a long time, I'm glad it ended up looking good!

Family fun

Jason's cousins (once or twice removed, I'm not sure) Paul & Val Ackerman were in town last week, and took us out to a fabulous dinner in Coronado prior to attending Jason's show, INTO THE WOODS. For those of you not in-the-know, Jason has been playing "The Wolf" and "Cinderella's Prince" at the Lambs Players Theatre to awesome reviews. (You can check them out on his website; just click on the link to "Daddy's website" on the sidebar.) Anyway, Jason has been wating for the chance to introduce Boba to the Wolf, and after dinner with Paul & Val, we finally had the opportunity. We thought she was going to freak out, but she didn't!

"Daddy...you didn't tell me you were in CATS!"

Paul & Val, thanks so much for dinner (and for introducing us to your wonderful friends!), and of course, thank you for this terrific picture! We look forward to your next visit!

Then, Jason's dad, known to Boba as "Poppy Tom", came to visit us. Remember when Boba was only a month-old, and slept peacefully on Poppy's shoulder? Well, she grabbed the opportunity to do so once again, only this time she covered a lot more space on Poppy's torso! Check it out:

Everybody together now....AWWWWW

Boba sure loves her grandparents. In addition to providing a cozy place to nap, they make great stroller-jockeys. Every morning Lolo takes Boba on a walk to the nearby park. Often the sunshine and gentle breezes will lull Boba to sleep. But usually she's just so excited to be outside, she just soaks in the scenery and babbles in delight.

Boba and her chauffeur off on their morning stroll

So last week was fun. Wait 'til you hear about the weekend! Good lord!

Zzzzzz.....

Although nighttime sleep has been pretty good for the majority of Boba's young life, her naps have always been quite a struggle. And now that she's having more fun exploring and discovering the world, it's become even more difficult. So when she finally does crash for an extended period of time, I rejoice to the heavens and often will curl up with her for a quick snooze myself. And on the rare occasions that I wake up before she does, I love to gaze at her little sleeping face.

Sleeping babies...sigh...what could be more delicious? I mean, obviously there's the added bonus that you finally have your arms to yourself and you can actually do something for you (even if it is just for half-an-hour, and even if all you need to do is pee or eat a sandwich or whatever), but ultimately it's about knowing that your little angel is at peace. For a few moments - or more than a few for some of those lucky parents who have babies that nap for hours at a time - everything is right in the world.

Teething sucks...but at least I have a cool new playmat

"Check out my sweet new mat...."

Some new developments recently. Or, I should say, the lack of one particular development has created all sorts of hubbub in the Montelibano-Heil household. That is...NO TEETH YET! See below:

(This also displays her Asian-ness quite nicely, dontcha think?)

This lack of teeth, as of her 8-month birthday last Friday, has not been any kind of bother until this past weekend. Well, I confess...I'm not 100% sure it's the culprit of her nightly awakenings, but I suspect teething has something to do with it. I mean, how else do you explain the sudden, drastic switch from sleeping 10 straight hours through the night for the last month to screaming at hourly intervals beginning at 1 a.m.?

Well, yes, it could be any number of things, of course, but my guess is that those little chompers are making their way to the tender, unbroken surface of her gums. I mean, she's mastered crawling, is cruising like a pro, and babbles endlessly...isn't it time this milestone showed up? I know, I know, babies are on their own schedule, blah blah blah...but I do think it's high time these teeth finally emerged. Anyway, I sense they are to blame for Boba's and Mommy's recent sleep deprivation.

Obviously, I'm perturbed and I've been in a bit of a haze, but here's Boba's reaction to the whole thing:

"Whatevs, momma."

Anyway, courtesy of Grandma Robin, who Boba loves and misses dearly, we did get her a brand new play mat to brighten up her bedroom. It's really quite colorful and she seems to enjoy crawling and rolling all over it. Thanks, Grandma Robin!

Cuteness in Color

Jason did a nice job of putting all the tiles together. He of course pointed out to me that the letters and numbers have a tendency to pop out, and that Boba might like to eat them. Such a conscientious father. He forgets that I do not blink when I watch her and would most likely be able to sense such an event before it actually happened. After all, isn't intervention what Mommyhood is all about? Anyhow, the mat is staying. I think it's cute. Besides, if these damn teeth ever decide to show up instead of just tormenting the poor child, I'd be happy to see her finally putting them to good use. Foam's not toxic, right?

JUST KIDDING!

In case you forgot...

...how cute Boba is, here is a reminder:

But really, how could you forget?

Yes, that is a curler in her hair. We couldn't resist. Her hairdo has evolved into this Carol-Brady-esque style, where it's all sort of long-ish around her head, and then these long tufts curl up around the sides. Absolutely adorable. Her eye color still seems to change from day to day - sometimes I think they're brown, other times they look green. Whatever. She could turn purple for all I care; she's still gonna be the cutest baby ever to me.

Some more shots from the curler series:

Yes, that's Lola holding her (and she requested that her face not be totally visible in the photos).

And now, for the finale:

I'm a little obsessed with the curler shots. I'm sure that's fairly obvious.

Crazy week

It's been such a crazy week that I haven't had much of an opportunity to chase Boba around with a camera. I did go sort of overboard with my picture-taking last week, so I'll pepper this post with a couple of shots, as well as some random tidbits. Work has been so hectic that I can't really think to organize any current Boba stories, so here's just sort-of-an-update on the haps in the Montelibano-Heil household, and some links to my "favorite things":

• We are half-settled, half-living out of boxes and suitcases. Most of our stuff is now in storage, and the rest is sitting somewhere between the garage and our bedroom. Boba's room is, by far, the most organized. Her room is also twice as large as her first room in the old apartment, so she's got plenty of space to crawl around on. I think she's enjoying it!
• Work at the Globe has been nuts. Jason's schedule has also been nuts. We see each other for about 20 minutes in the morning. It sucks.
• Jason's cousin David, who was ex-Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham's aide for two years, was featured in the San Diego paper a couple of days ago. Pretty interesting. Here's the link.
• My cousins Chamina and Kimbina were inspired to create blogs after reading Flamboba these past few months. Yay! Here are Cham's and Bina's pages.
• I've been checking out the blogosphere, and boy, there are some pretty cool blogs out there. One of my favorites, which was introduced to me by our friend Derek, is Dooce.
• If you're a food lover like me, you'll love these blogs: Dessert Comes First, which is my childhood-best-friend Lori's site; Chubby Hubby, and Kuidaore, two food-bloggers who are both based in Singapore and have exquisite taste in all things culinary. The Singapore connection naturally means they feature AWESOME Asian food from time to time. Their photos are also to die-for.
• Veronica Mars is my current TV obsession. I love Jason Dohring! Yeah!
• If I were to pick the winner of this year's American Idol, I would pick Katharine McPhee. And Chris Daughtry would be second. And I would have Kellie Pickler and Kevin Covais win Congeniality Awards and tour the nation's Karaoke bars.

Okay, there you have it! Sorry I've been remiss in posting daily; maybe once things get settled at home I'll have more time (and energy) to track more of Boba's progress.

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!