take me out to the opera

Last weekend, my friend Kayt came to hang out with us for one final hurrah before the big move. On Friday night we went to Opera in the Park--Twice a year the San Francisco Opera does a live simulcast of its performance on the Jumbotron at AT&T park (aka the Giant's Stadium). It's a blast--a total free for all. You sit wherever you want, in the stands or bring a blanket for the outfield. You can pack a picnic or eat brats + wine from the concessions. You even get to sing "Take me out to the opera" in between Acts II & III. So fun!

So on Friday we went to see Tosca, and decided to bring Graham along to get a little culture in his life. It was outdoors and family friendly--so no one would mind a little late evening fussing. Or at least that's what we thought, until the stranger sitting in front of us turned around and basically reprimanded us for bringing such a small babe to such a big stadium. {Mind you, this is all transpiring while I'm attempting to breastfeed him discreetly in public...one of my new favorite pastimes.} She then proceeded to stare and offer Jeff tips on how to burp a baby. That's right--she told him he was bopping his back too hard. At this point, we're flustered and Graham is screaming. That's when it gets good. She held out her arms and offered to take him!! Creeeeepy!! I'm thinking: I don't even know you. I just met you. You just insulted our parenting. And we're in a crowd of 20,000 people. But sure, take my baby! I shook my head, said no way, and whisked him out of our seat faster than Graham can fill a clean diaper. Seriously people. I know she meant well, but still, I was astonished.

this is...

...how my week is stacking up. The entire back wall of our garage is barricaded by boxes, but we're definitely weathering the cardboard storm. I'm feeling a bit reminiscent of how this all began. There's still sooo much more packing to do and this time it feels like we've doubled our collection now that Graham's in the picture. It makes me wonder why and if we truly need so much stuff. Seriously, I am feeling so materialistic right now.

This week I am spending every waking/baby sleeping moment on Craigslist. And who is Craig anyway? Sheer genius. We're lightening our load and trying to sell off some of our bulkier things and retiring some of our furniture. Things like my DIY upholstered headboard. If you're in the Bay Area and interested in scoring some sweet deals, check out some of our listings:
coffee table
upholstered headboard
vintage painted headboard
loveseat slipcover
ikea bookshelves
queen mattress, spring, and frame
DVD rack


But necessity or nicety, the rest is coming with us. And after moving in and out and even across the country once or twice before, I've devised an organizational system for all of the boxes...And I hope it works. Rather than wasting time ambiguously labeling everything, I am color coding this time. Each room gets a different colored index card (see above). Each box gets a color card taped to it, with its contents listed. We'll just have to clue in the boys who help us unload the truck. :)

And now back to packing.

2 months!?

Dear sweet lil' Graham,

You are two months old today. How is that possible!? You are growing so big and so painfully fast that we no longer count your age in days, or even weeks, but months. Your cheeks are getting chubbier, legs a bit more rolly, and that round little tummy of yours--oh my. Last week when we took you to visit the pediatrician, you weighed almost 12 lbs already and I almost cried more than you did when they stuck your chunky thighs with round 1 of immunizations. {We're glad that's over for 2 more months anyway.} It's no wonder that you've already sprouted out of your 0-3 months clothes! But growing into a whole new size means more fun for mommy when it comes to getting dressed in the morning.

Even more fun than watching you grow so big, is watching those bright blue eyes of yours become more focused and more curious every day. You've become so much more interactive; you've discovered your little hands, and just about every single facial expression in the book. You use your voice now for more than just blood-curdling crying. Your coos are irresistably adorable. The changing table used to be the most awful place--you used to scream when we tortured you by changing your dirty dipes. But now, you love it there. Just hanging out, doing your little boy thing. That's where we get the best smiles and coos out of you!But your most beloved activity of late (besides eating and napping, of course), is bathtime. You just drink it up--soaking, splashing, and wiggling around. So to celebrate today, we {accidentally} added 2x the bubbles! You are a fan.

brag book

I am all about simple, handmade gifts. A bit late, but this year for Mother's Day, I made mini chipboard brag books for Jeff's and my mom. Just a little something to stick in their purses and have handy for grand-baby flaunting. :) It was so fun to use some of the pics of the grandmas meeting Graham for the first time. Plus, it felt so great for me to get crafty again for the first time since he was born. This is the one I made for Jeff's mom {Oma}. Shame on me for sticking it in the mail before realizing I'd taken blurry pics. Well, you get the idea. ;)

fam'ly portraits

Yesterday the sun was shining and Jeff had the morning off--so we set out to Golden Gate Park for Round 1 of family portraits, courtesy of the tripod. We managed to get a few super cute shots before little Mr. Sunshine melted down:Edit: Thanks for saying such sweet things!! Headband here and Graham's sweater here. Jeff is jealous no one had much to say about his outfit. ;)

travel wish list: charleston

I've always wanted to visit Charleston, SC, but spying the city guide in Cookie magazine has driven me to the point of obsession. Gorgeous homes, southern gentility, amazing food, sunny weather, and even a beach. I am there. Once we move closer to half of our family, we might have more wiggle room in our travel budget. (That's 4+ flights/year to MN we won't be taking!) Plus, I'm sure we'll be looking for a warm + affordable escape come January.

begin again.

Oh my, this is a big one.

So much has transpired in the last week. It's so bittersweet. While we've been weighing options since well before baby G was born, God has finally led us to some concrete decisions. We knew we wanted to make some changes, but were dragging our heels, just wanting to focus on bringing Graham safely and smoothly into the world. Now having adjusted to the idea of parenthood, here we go again--beginning again. Taking the plunge into a big fat unknown:

We gave 30 days notice to our landlord. We are leaving here at the end of June. Leaving the city. Kissing urban living and the schlepping of 4-5 loads per week to the laundromat. In fact, we are leaving California. Moving back across the country to good old Minnesota. Man, I hope we won't regret this. We booked a big Budget truck for Jeff and a one-way flight for me+G. And in the mean time, there are sooo many boxes to pack.

I mailed off my letter of resignation. It was weird, but not as hard as I thought it would be, considering how long I've been away on maternity leave. I don't think I could have asked for a better, more rewarding nursing job. I already miss my little patients and coworkers. But for right now I am planning to stay home as long as {we can afford} possible with Graham...because being the mama, tickling tiny toes and trolling for smiles is all the job satisfaction I need for now. Maybe this fall I'll apply for a MN license and begin the job hunt again once G is sleeping through the night and transitioning to solids. But 'til then...I am enjoying every minute.

So right now Jeff is feverishly job hunting. We've been pricing out housing, but don't have a definite place lined up yet. It's such a scary time to drop everything and start fresh--with the economy and job market in such a state. But we're trying to be smart about it all. For example {this is lame!}, we're planning to stay with my parents for a few weeks while we make the transition and until we can get all of our ducks in a row. Somehow I don't think that my mom will mind having a grandbaby around for an extended stay.

There's so much to leave behind, yet so much to look forward to. But I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be to leave this gorgeous city. It's officially summer here--that means the forecast is foggy, damp, and 50 degrees every day. We haven't seen the sun for a week and that's making the packing+planning just a little easier. Am ready for some sunnier days ahead, or whatever the road may bring.

and then the smile.

This sweet little face will be tattooed to my heart forever. Bald little head and all. Somewhere in the madness that was last week {packing for the trip, getting ready for the parties, and just plain keeping up with this boy} he smiled. Yes, his first true smile. Those curious blue eyes just lit up and his lips curled into this unmistakable, purposeful expression.

I don't think my heart has ever burst with so much unexpected joy in my entire life.

And that's when I knew it was all worthwhile: the acid reflux and shrinking jeans of pregnancy, the exhaustion of labor, the stretch marks and squishy belly that followed, and the insane sleep deprivation and frustration in our early days together...

I never knew I had so much to give. And that there could be so much more in return. Seriously, this little man is pure bliss. An unimaginable gift.

Although, I have to admit, he has been fussier in the last month--and it's sometimes tough. But I know it's just a phase that he'll hopefully be outgrowing soon. I am thankful for those healthy lungs and praying for a little more patience for the times he is completely inconsolable, crying his face off. We've been going for walks on the coast in the evenings. The baby front pack and sling are my saviors. He falls peacefully asleep almost instantly and gives me quiet time to breathe a little fresh air, listen to the waves, and just reflect. And that warm, sleepy little head curls into my chest and melts my heart all over again.

kellie's shower

On Sunday 2 of my girlfriends and I threw a baby shower for our lifelong friend Kellie. {She's about to pop any day--so glad her babe waited for us to throw the shower before making its debut!} It's tricky to shop and throw showers when the gender is a surprise...but we were up for the creative challenge! We whipped up a diaper cake with paper coordinating with the invites, hung a clothesline of either/or baby layette and even found an awesome tissue paper flower banner to pull it all together.

We lined up small potted flowers in the kitchen window. They doubled as decorations and favors for everyone to take home when the shower was over! To drink--cute bottles of Izze soda. Sarah made some amazing artichoke dip, almond bars, and a heavenly trifle. So yummy!
The hostesses--Sarah, me, and Kayt with cute prego Kellie! She will make the best mama!

jenny's shower

Last Friday, I got to help throw a bridal shower luncheon for my sil Jenny. Keeping things simple, we stuck with a yellow + gold theme with an around the clock twist. Each guest was assigned a different time of day and brought gifts that Jenny might use at that time.Invites: were very basic, straight out of my printer and tucked into curry-colored A2 envelopes Paper Source, jazzed up with yellow+gold paper liners. I enclosed a time tag with gold satin ribbon {not shown}.
Decorations: A little hard to see in the picture, but I whipped up a fabric banner and added gold stickers that read "Happily Ever After." We wrapped potted yellow daisies with extra yellow+gold paper from envelope liners and yellow satin ribbon. To reiterate the around-the-clock theme, a pretty wooden clock served both as the centerpiece and a door prize.Entertainment: We pinned a mini daisy clothespin to each guest's shirt...And told them they weren't allowed to cross legs or ankles for the entire shower. If you spied someone with legs crossed, you could steal her clothespin! The lady with the most clothespins at the end of the shower won the clock centerpiece. It was highly entertaining...It's so easy to cross your legs without even realizing it! We also tucked a little card at each guest's place setting where they could offer up some advice for the bride-to-be. After everyone jotted down a few pearls of wisdom, some of Jenny's favorites were read aloud.
Food: Giant croissants stuffed with delicious chicken salad, fresh fruit, sweet lemon bars sprinkled with powdered sugar, and the most amazing lemon-layer ice cream dessert!Favors: We sent each lovely lady home with a square of yellow pineapple scented soap, wrapped in coordinating paper and satin ribbon.