5Ks and Birthdays

As usual, the weekend flew by. After breakfast with my parents on Saturday, my mom and I decided to run by Michael's (the craft store) to pick up a few things. My dad offered to take Luke into the nearby Toys R' Us. When we met up after our shopping I found something that looked a lot like this:

Yes, Grandpa bought Luke a giant monkey. His reasoning, "It was the only one he laughed at." So, now we have a giant monkey friend! :)

On Sunday, we started off the day by heading to Elk Grove for a 5K run/walk with my Aunt Pat. This was the first race my aunt and I did when we started running a few years ago, so it's kind of tradition. The best thing about this race is the theme, "Nutrition Fuels Fitness." The shirts have smiling produce on them, a giant carrot starts the race, and there are other costumed fruits and veggies running around. It's amazing. They even have an ages 5 and under run where the kids chase the giant carrot. Even if I have to carry him for the 1/4 mile race, Luke is totally doing it next year!

Luke with his "carrot" hat. (Technically I think it is a pumpkin hat, but I bought it because it could pass for a carrot too.) You can't see his t-shirt, but it has a brocolli and a cookie holding hands on it. Awesome.

The giant carrot starting the 5 and under kids run.

After we got home from Elk Grove, we got ready and headed north again. This time to Davis to celebrate our good friend Ryan's 30th birthday. Justin and Ryan have known each other since they were twelve. They were also the best men in each other's weddings. Now they are both awesome daddies. Next month we celebrate Justin's 3-0!

And one final picture of the weekend - Luke with Grandpa Rick - so you can see Luke's awesome woodie aloha shirt a bit better.

Luke at 4 Months

Luke turned four months old this week! It sounds cliche, but he really is the light of my life. So much fun! My favorite thing is going into his room in the morning when I hear him waking up. He grins ear to ear and wiggles all over because he's so excited. (I tell myself it's because he's excited to see me, but it's probably because he knows that food is coming.)

I've been back at work for four weeks. It has been a challenge to keep everything balanced and to manage our new routine with caregivers rotating in and out throughout the week. It is a huge blessing that we can keep Luke at home with family members right now and that I don't have the added guilt stress of taking him to a stranger's house every morning. And my house has never been cleaner!

Luke is hitting all of his developmental markers well. We started getting our first REAL giggles a couple of weeks ago, which was one of the greatest days of my life. Grandma and I swear he can say "hi," but that could just be our proud mommy and grandma ears. Regardless, it's going in the baby book. Ha ha. Luke started sleeping at least 8 hours at night THE NIGHT BEFORE I went back to work. Praise Jesus for my little buddy! Our only challenge so far is that he's still super duper lean. (Probably due to all those 5K's we have him running.) :) We had his four month appointment Thursday and the doctor says he needs to bulk up, so we began the journey of solid foods yesterday. I'm not ready for this! He'll be in college before I know it!

Here are Luke's 4-month stats:

Weight: 10 pounds 15 ounces (eek!) - 1st percentile
Height: 25.5 inches - 65th percentile

What I Want Now...

While at Starbucks for my free pastry, I noticed this album of famous rock songs remixed as lullabies.

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From Starbucks.com
Rockabye Baby transforms timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies. Guitars and drums are traded for soothing mellotrons, vibraphones and bells, and the volume is turned down from an eleven to a two. Rockabye Baby is the perfect way to share the music you love with the littlest rocker in your life.
TRACK LIST

1. Bohemian Rhapsody From lullaby renditions of Queen
2. Dream On From lullaby renditions of Aerosmith
3. Sweet Child O’ Mine From lullaby renditions of Guns n’ Roses
4. Across the Universe From lullaby renditions of The Beatles
5. I Still Haven’t Found What I am Looking For From lullaby renditions of U2
6. Just Like Heaven From lullaby renditions of The Cure
7. Clocks From lullaby renditions of Coldplay
8. Lucky Star From lullaby renditions of Madonna
9. No Surprises From lullaby renditions of Radiohead
10. Nothing Else Matters From lullaby renditions of Metallica
11. Ruby Tuesday From lullaby renditions of Rolling Stones
12. One Love From lullaby renditions of Bob Marley

Best Day of the Year

I chose the cranberry orange scone.

Week. Made.

Week in Review

Well last week was crazy so I never got to my recap post. Work's been busy - I was working our alumni table in the bookstore for Grad Fair part of the week, our alumni table at the Career Fair on another day, and attending the inauguration of our new University President on Friday. This meant, no extra time at my desk for blogging purposes. :) Here's a recap:

Last Saturday we headed to my in-laws in Lafayette and got up early for the Dublin Shamrock Run on Sunday morning. It was touch and go there for a few minutes because the clock on my phone didn't update automatically for daylight savings like I thought it would, so Luke and I got up much later than we intended. This was my first "race" in well over a year and my first time actually jogging more than a mile in many many months. It felt so good to get out on the road and run! The second mile was kind of hard. I kept reminding myself that I went through childbirth, so there was no reason for me to wuss out over 3 miles. I broke through the second mile wall and mile 3 went great and sprinted in the last 50 yards. Even with training I'm not a fast runner, so I was proud of my 12ish minute miles! This run was especially fun because all of Team Perry did it together! My father-in-law started jogging this year, so this was his first race! Yay Rick! Here's Team Perry in all our post-race glory. Luke wasn't too thrilled with our accomplishment - he just wanted food at this point. After some showers and a meal for Luke, we went to our favorite restaurant, Harry's Hofbrau. Sooo amazing. I had my usual, a hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. Yum!

On Monday evening I met up with my good friend Ancelle in Elk Grove. We've been trying to get together for  weeks so she and her little boy could meet Luke. Here's cutie pie Caden with his birthday present from Luke. (Caden loves to help his mom cook!)

And here is the best picture we could get of the boys together.

On Tuesday night we took advantage of having my mother-in-law here (she watches Luke a couple of days a week and stays over), so we could use passes I got for a free moving screening. We tried to get some friend time in as well and invited some of our favorite friends to go along. My MIL made us all an amazing enchilada dinner and then we went to see...

It was awful. I mean, there were a few funny parts and the overall absurdity made it kind of humorous, but the raunchy sex and gratuitous drug use made me give it two thumbs down. Soooo dumb! I kept thinking, "I left my baby at home for this?" But, at least it was free AND I got to spend some time with fun friends!

Wednesday night was church. We go to a great home group meeting on Wednesday nights and that serves as our church for the week. We've grown very disenchanted with the traditional church, so this group of sold out believers is right up our alley. Miracles are happening in Stockton people! Look out!

The rest of the week is a blur. My parents came in for their stint as Luke-sitters. I visited with an old friend from The Record who came by the house on Thursday. Had to be at work early on Friday for a special alumni breakfast and the inauguration of our new University President. Since I work at my alma mater, I sometimes take my school pride for granted. Friday's ceremony reminded why I love UOP - Pacific as we call it now. Singing the alma mater always brings a tear to my eye. Oh yes, and I met an alum who just happened to be in 5 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (He was also in 60+ episodes of Little House on the Prairie, but that's secondary to Buffy-ness in my book.) I had ample opportunity to talk to him about this while he was sitting by himself in my boss' office, but I chickened out. I didn't want to look like a dork. :)

Yesterday we played it kind of cool. Went for walks in the sunshine and drove to Tracy for some steak at Texas Roadhouse. I made Justin stop at the outlets so we could buy something fun for Luke to wear on Easter. I'll be honest, I am SO happy to have a boy, but they get the shaft when it comes to clothes. Little girl clothes are sooooo cute! I keep asking Luke if he'd be willing to wear polka dots or one of those cute gauzy skirts. Even if he said yes, I'm sure his dad would put his foot down. Sigh.

This has been a ridiculously long post and reaffirms why I need to blog more often! And take more pictures of our outings! Have a great week friends!

Feeling Nun-ish

I got dressed this morning and thought something about my outfit felt strikingly familiar. I couldn't put my finger on it until I came home at lunch and looked in the mirror. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a full length picture of Sister Mary Robert, but if you've seen Sister Act you'll get the idea. All I needed was a crucifix and a head covering.

Weekend Snapshot

My friend Kate has started doing weekend snapshot blogs about her family and their activities. I think it's a great idea! Even though Luke is little, he's still got a bit of a social life going on. :) Here are some pics from some recent weekend highlights.
Two weekends ago, we celebrated Luke's buddy Gianni's first birthday and his soon-to-be-born baby brother's pre-birthday. The party was Nemo-themed. Love it! There were lots of little kids at the party, but only one that was non-mobile like Luke. Her mommy and I sat in a corner and watched all the crazy toddlers running around, a little dazed about what we have to look forward to in a few months. Gianni's mommy was a rockstar and gave all the grown ups their own favors. Here's Luke posing with both of our birthday party gifts. One is more appropriate than the other.

Last weekend we went to a baby shower for Luke's new, yet-to-be-named baby friend. While there, I got to hang out with an old friend from high school and her little boy who's two months older than Luke. Luke was really interested in this other boy baby and even tried to put Logan's hand in his mouth. I had to gently remind him that we can't chew on other people's hands without asking. Fun times. Coming this weekend:  Luke's first 5K run and St. Patrick's Day celebration!

Bittersweet

I go back to work in a few hours. It makes me sad. I've thought of nothing except Luke for the last 3 months and 6 days and now I'm going to have to push him out of the forefront of my mind for 8 hours a day to focus on work. If I don't it will drive me crazy. I'm incredibly bummed out to leave him, but I have to be thankful that 1) I have a job to go back to AND it's a job that I really do enjoy. 2) For at least 3 months, I have assembled a crack team of caregivers that includes both grandmas, Justin, and hopefully myself in a cobbled together schedule that should cover all 5 days of the week - fingers crossed. 3) I'm a short walk away from home, so I'll be able to come home and see my munchkin at lunch.

So, my bags are packed and I will be returning to the "real world" at 8am tomorrow armed with 5 framed photos of my favorite Tiny Tiger, a breast pump, snacks, and an actual purse (whatever will I do without that bulky diaper bag for all those hours!) And, we'll see how it goes! Prayers or positive thoughts welcome!

Frame of Reference

Somewhat uncomfortable conversations I've had recently in the grocery store check out line:

Situation #1:  At Bel Air on my way to my cousin's house in Yuba for big Curry family dinner. My parents and Luke are out in the car. I am buying a German chocolate cake.

Young Male Cashier:  Do you need a bag for this?
Me:  No, it's not going to make it very far.
YMC:  Um, okaaaay then. (He acts slightly uncomfortable and eyes me suspiciously like I'm about to rip off the plastic cover and shove my face into the cake right there.)
Me: (slightly embarrassed, but not as much as I would have been pre-baby - having a million people see my lady bits has lowered my inhibitions considerably - so I say cheekily) Well, I mean, I'll at least make sure I get it out to the car ha ha (smile, wink).

Situation #2:  At Podesto's around 7:30pm on a weekday. J and I just finished dinner and I needed a cookie fix. I buy six cookies of varying kinds (hey - I'm breastfeeding and I can people!).

Young Male Cashier (Again!) must ring up about 4 different tags because my myriad cookies were all different types and prices from the bakery section.
YMC:  You guys have a good night.
Me (Winningily): Thanks! You too!

I get out to the car and began to wonder what he meant by "you guys." I was in the store by myself. He didn't know my husband and baby were in the car. By "you guys" did he mean me and my cookies? Did he think I was going home to have a fun night by myself with my six cookies? Did he just assume I was buying cookies for 2? Am I reading too much into this? :)

Bottom line:  I love cookies...and cake...and I don't care who knows it!

Luke at 3 Months

Luke was three months old yesterday. I love watching him grow! Here are a few things he's been up to:

• Lots of smiles and showing off his cute dimples. (It's been hard to get good smiling pictures because he likes to focus intently on the camera and when one does eke out, Mommy isn't fast enough or it comes out blurry. Argh!)
• Chattering and squealing (The other day we hadn't seen Daddy for more than a day and when he came in, Luke put his hand on Justin"s face and started chattering on for a good couple of minutes like he was telling him about his day. Cutest thing ever! He did it to me yesterday after a long afternoon in the car driving back from the East Bay.)
• "Reading" books.  Favorites to stare at are the Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, and an old ABC golden book.
• Talking to himself in the mirror. He just discovered his reflection and likes to touch and talk to the baby
• "Running" - He likes to stand and "run" across the floor (as far as mom's arms can reach. Video of this parlor trick coming soon.)
• Staring at one of his 2 fish mobiles
• Tummy time. He can hold his head up for crazy long amounts of time now and wants so badly to be able to crawl for the toys I entice him with. All in good time buddy, all in good time.
• Playing ball with Grandpa Curry
• Chewing on or staring at his hands

As far as sleep goes, he's consistently giving me about a 5 hour stretch at night. That should be fun when I go back to work next week! I love this little guy so much and it has been so fun watching him become more and more alert and excited about the world! Every day brings new joys and discoveries.

What's in Our Mailbox

Justin and I have really stepped up our game when it comes to our subscriptions to print products. Thanks to the downturn in the market, super cheap subscription rates, and a massive gift card to amazon.com, we have added several magazines to our repertoire. It's kind of ridiculous. There aren't many marketing tactics I give in to, but I'm a sucker for those "2 years for $12 and a free handbag" offers.

Here's what we're reading:

U.S. News and World Report 

Forbes

Outdoor

Wired

Inc.

Entrepreneur

Fast Company

Entertainment Weekly (I've been a subscriber to EW for years and years! I love it!)

Lucky

Parenting

Working Mother

Parents

Justin seems to think we also ordered National Geographic, but it has yet to arrive. And if I didn't put the kibosh on it, I wouldn't be surprised if we had added Cottage Living and Real Simple to that list. All in good time I'm sure.

**Side Note:  When I was in college my good friend Simon, now a dentist, MY dentist as a matter of fact, signed up for a credit card with the prefix "Dr." on it. That resulted in a deluge of magazine samples, presumably to get him to subscribe for his waiting room. He received dozens and dozens of magazines until he had a couple of stacks 3 or 4 feet high in his apartment. All with fascinating titles like American Horseman or Cowboy Life. It was awesome. Not sure if those samples inspired his current waiting room selection...

Oh and shoutout to my college roomie Diana who I just discovered is a reader of my blog. :) 

And then sometimes...

...I think my baby looks like this:

Liev Schreiber

Clearly I spend an awful lot of time staring at this kid.