Thanksgiving!

We spent Thanksgiving up in Nevada City with my parents and sister. We were very excited for snowy weather - and my parents were excited that their electricity finally came back on at 11pm Wednesday night, after being off for 5 days!! Just in time for some serious cooking! After dinner at home we all went over to my uncle's barn for dessert. Eli had a great time with the horses and Uncle Ed even let him borrow his cowboy hat!

On Friday we went to visit my cousin Mark and his family at their ranch. They raise grass-fed cattle and have a bunch of animals! We took a nice walk and Eli went on his first hay-ride (a real one!...we got to feed the cows).

My cousin's daughter, Riley, has a goose that thinks she is her mother. Apparently it sleeps with her sometimes!!

On Saturday it was nasty weather, but my dad and I had plans to go pheasant hunting. So we all piled into the car with the dog. Mike, my mom and Eli stayed at headquarters with the heaters running full-blast and my dad and I tromped through the fields through the wind and rain to get us some birds. Cassie, the dog, did quite well chasing up the birds - I think she found 8 or so for us...but I only successfully shot one...what can I say, it's been a long time!

Though it poured rain on us while we were hunting, it filled the hills with snow! So on Sunday, Mike, my dad, Eli and I all headed up to go cross country skiing! We fashioned a mesh curtain around our backpack as sun protection for Eli - yes, only camo mesh would do!!

Mud Run!!

This is the first time that I have run, for "real"...I signed up for the obstacles and to be able to have a new adventure with Mike. Just to be sure you understand, I hate running! (still do) but I felt I needed to do this to extend myself a little and at least try to do something that Mike enjoys. Prior to the race Mike made me "train." Since I decided to sign up just one week before the race, we didn't have much time so we went on three 3-mile runs, of which I didn't ever run all 3 miles...maybe 2 miles tops!! But, I was in it for the obstacles!!! I didn't mind if I had to walk.

My dad came down and met us at the course to take care of Eli - he was a great stroller grandpa!!

The race was a 5K trail run with 9 obstacles: a 3-foot wall, a cargo net, 3-shoulder high hurdles, 2 mud pits, a 200-yard water jog and a 45-degree incline wall with a rope. The mud pits were my favorite!!...and my sparkly orange skirt! Here are the photos - more later when we get the post-race photos from my dad! And Mike was a trooper, he never complained about how slow I was going...or that it took me 56 minutes to complete...but I completed it AND had fun!!!

Grandma and Grandpa Grass!!

Grandma Carol and Grandpa Gene flew down just in time for a big rain storm! We had a very relaxing time indoors!! Fortunately the sun came out on Monday and it made all the rain well worth it. It was gorgeous, so we took a short walk up at Lake Anza. The eucalyptus smelled amazing! Eli had a great time hanging out with grandma and grandpa - especially listening to grandpa's clicks and bedtime stories from grandma!

Here are some pictures:

Pumpkin Patch with the Moms

Our moms group headed to Joan's Farm with costumes in tow for the little ones to experience their first pumpkin patch! It was a beautiful Fall day and all the munchkins were looking adorable! Lucio was a tiger, Noah a dragonfly, Dillon a lion, Maya a ladybug, Cody a skeleton and Eli a dragon...

Autumn camping!

Have I mentioned how much I love all the wonderful new moms I've met? We have so many common interests and completely enjoy one another! It is fabulous!!

Last weekend we took a short drive to Samuel P Taylor State Park for an overnight camping trip. There were five families, all with babies! The youngest was 5 months and the oldest 7 months. We had a beautiful day on Saturday - enjoyed lunch, took a short hike, played in the leaves and then on the blankets, put Robin to bed, ate dinner, put Noah to bed, ate some more dinner, put Cody and Eli to bed, cleaned up dinner, put Robin to bed again, had a beer, put Cody to bed again, then Robin to bed, then Cody to bed...then some dessert, then Lucio to bed, and more dessert, then Lucio to bed again...it was a long night! Overnight it started to rain and it rained all morning. So after breakfast everyone packed up and headed home.

Here are some pictures:

Things we will miss about Gus...

1. Needing to be watched while he eats

2. Putting me to sleep every night by laying on my chest

3. His uncontrollable tail - it fwapped everything and cleared every counter!

4. Wanting to sit on your lap while you were going to the bathroom

5. After getting the boot from your lap, in the bathroom, banging his head against the faucet until you turned it on

6. Fighting with Surgi over the best sunny spot

7. Chasing the chickens...and being chased by the chickens

8. Thinking he was a great hunter after catching a moth

9. Retrieving hair ties or rubber bands that had been flung across the room

10. Totally soaking his tail while sitting on the edge of the bathtub - and then looking very confused as water flung around when his tail got aggitated

11. Being startled by my purse being left in a new place

12. Leaving stuffed animals around the house for us to find after being gone for a few days - even hours, sometimes!

13. Sitting on the bed and howling at the ceiling, for apparently no reason

14. Nearly getting stuck in a tree, multiple times, after frantically running about the yard and scampering up about 15 feet

15. Hearing his bell jingle as he romped around

16. Watching him stalk and "attack" a bird with all limbs flailing about like a puppy dog still growing into his feet!

17. Weaving in between your feet as you try to walk through the kitchen

18. Riding in the hood of my sweatshirt when he was a kitten

19. The white strand of fur that started just above his lip and slid down to his chest patch like milk

20. Laying on my stack of grading or across the keyboard of my laptop while I tried to continue working

21. Hopping up and laying on my back as I leaned over to give Eli his bath; laying on Michael's stomach as he worked on the pipes under the kitchen sink

22. Meowing relentlessly if he could see the bottom of his food bowl - even if just a speck!

23. Giving me head-butts

24. Always acting like a toddler

I will miss you Gus!

Zah Zoooooo!!

My friend, and co-worker, Ellie has a beautiful girl, Cambria. Last Friday Ellie played hooky from work and we headed off to the Oakland Zoo. Can anyone guess Eli's favorite animal?...well, really it was the only animal he showed interest in and he was completely mesmerized by it's antics - less than 30 feet away! Here is a sloppy video:

It was a beautiful day, so we were able to see a bunch of animals. The chimps were especially loud and crazy, but they were too far away to get good pictures. The primates and the elephants were our favorites!

First Golfing Trip

Last week Mike took a day off to hang out with us. First, we headed out for a morning treat at a new cinnamon bun restaurant...yep, all cinnamon buns!! Little did we know it's other uniqueness: it is ALL vegan. This did not disrupt the taste of the cinnamon buns, just their appearance/texture - they were a little limp...but it did make our coffees less tasty with only soy creamer - as a half and half girl, soy milk is blehhh!!

Then we headed off for some disc golf and a picnic! We took Eli off-roading in his stroller and I think he was able to pick up some disc throwing technique!...hopefully from me, dad kept shanking it left :-)

Jump, jump, jumperoooooo!

This is Eli's latest "big" toy, and he loves it! He jumps more vigorously everyday!!

I love watching his little legs :-)

More lovin' for Surgi

Eli gets soooo excited when Surgi hangs out with us (which is pretty often!). Fortunately, Surgi is very patient and sometimes I think he likes being harassed by Eli.

Camping in Mendocino

We had very drizzly weather for our weekend in Mendocino, but it was a good time nonetheless! We met our friends Nicole, Phillip and baby Noah in Fort Bragg for two nights of camping on the coast. We had a fun time at the tide pools, enjoyed a long walk to the North Coast Brewery,eating many many s'mores and visiting a Pygmy Forest!!

Mt.Tam hike

I have met a small group of amazing new moms and we enjoy a hike/outing every Tuesday. About once a month we try to organize a weekend outing to get the dads out too! The weather was great for hiking up a big hill, but not so great for enjoying the view from the top. On this day Mt.Tamalpais was nestled into the fog...we had a few pockets of blue sky to the east, but not for very long. A fun day though!

Eli's 2nd Taste of Avocado...

YumYumYummmm?...not so much!

Massachusetts!

We had quite an eventful (or some may say uneventful) trip to the east coast. My mom and I got bumped from our red eye flight to go visit my grandpa, my mom's father - after Mike had already dropped us off at the airport. So he had to come back and get us. We were rescheduled onto a flight the following morning - whereupon the plane was downgraded and my mom and I were no longer seated next to each other... After about 10 minutes 3 men reluctantly shuffled their seats so we could sit next to each other. Eli was a trooper and received many accolades from the stewardesses and our neighboring passengers!

We had a very relaxing stay in Pittsfield, Massachusetts - it was wonderful seeing my grandpa and sharing Eli with him! The weather wasn't the greatest, so we spent a lot of time wiggling around on the floor and watching my granpa's favorite team, the Red Sox!!

Next stop, Boston! Unfortunately, Eli must have caught a bug during our flights and on day 3 he started getting cranky and on day 4 he crashed. He had some kind of stomach/intestinal virus and a 103 temperature. His temperature lasted for the next 3 days - fortunately the weather was awful so at least we weren't pining to be tourists outside!! On our last day in Boston Eli was feeling okay, the sun came out and my mom and I were ready to see the sights...so we had 4 hours to see Boston before heading to the train station!

Next stop, Gaithersberg! Peggy scooped us up from the train depot and we had a wonderful few days! We ate lots of tasty meals (always a Grass favorite!), we went berry picking, we took lots of walks and, of course, we had lots of tasty ice cream (Paul really needed the Calcium or was it Vitamin D?!). Sadly, we forgot our camera in Boston, so no pictures from this part of the trip.

Here are the pics from the rest of our trip!...

Giggles

At the Creek!

On our way home from Oregon we swung by Nevada City to visit the Prechter clan. Here are some pictures from our day at Deer Creek.

Bend with the Grass Family!

Every year we get to spend a wonderful week with the Grass family. This year we rented a big house in Bend to accommodate all of us: 7 adults and 5 kids!! Here are some pictures...

And Eli had his first swimming adventure!

Rolling Over!

Eli rolled over for the first time a few days ago. But since then he has been practicing (A LOT!). Now whenever I put him on his back he rolls over to his stomach - crazy kid!! I think I'm going to need to put down a bigger blanket! Every day seems like a new milestone, it's so much fun!

Kitty Massage

I'm not sure what's up with the cats - perhaps they are feeling a little jealous of Eli and are learning to pleasure themselves now that we aren't cuddling with them as much. Here's Gus giving Surgi a little rub!...

Sharing "secrets" with Daddy

My boys having fun together!!
(might need to turn your volume down a bit!)

Stuffed Animals

Eli is becoming good friends with his stuffed animals!
Here are a few of his favorites: turtle, caterpillar, pig and dino...

Happy Father's Day!

For Mike's first Father's Day he had to work...so sad! But, at around noon his co-worker kicked him out of lab so he could spend the afternoon with us. We opened a couple of presents, packed a quick picnic and walked down to the park. It was a gorgeous day and very relaxing hanging out in the shade of a tree!

Grandma Carol and Grandpa Gene got Mike an East Bay T-shirt to match Eli's onesie...I've got a super cute pair of dudes!!

A BIG smile!!

His biggest smile is a little blurry - but pretty darn cute all the same!

One of Mike's coworkers gave us this bouncy chair. Eli hasn't quite gotten the hang of making himself bounce - but he loves being able to sit up and see everything. The other day I had him in the kitchen and he was mesmerized by the knobs on the cabinets!!

Don't forget the chickens!!

We have two videos of the chickens that have been waiting to be posted. They're pretty amusing! We hope the boys enjoy!!

When the cats and chickens are playing in the yard together one usually attempts to chase the other...and yes, it goes both ways - cats stalking the chickens and chickens stalking the cats. Here, Gus is the pursued!!...pretty funny how relentless the chickens are!

During a few warm days in March we noticed some holes in the chicken coup where they were dusting themselves. Sometimes they are so vigorous about it they have dust flying everywhere! This is supposed to help keep mites and dander under control.

Smiles...

Well, I tried...but I wasn't prepared for his big display of smiles and giggles moments before I caught this. Enjoy!!

Eli working hard

Eli has done well lifting his head and wobbling it around since he was born. But now he is gaining much more control and he can lift it a lot higher. Here is a video...not too exciting, but an animated look at the little guy!!

The beginning of Eli's 2nd month

Since Mike has gone back to work and I am learning to schedule my days (feed Eli, do laundry, nap, feed Eli, me eat, play with Eli, feed Eli, fold laundry, me shower, get ready to leave the house, feed Eli, leave the house for a walk or errands...and throw in some diaper changing)... not many pictures are being taken. Now that I am more adjusted to this "routine" I'll try to be better about working in more picture time (especially since Mike just got a new portrait lens for the camera!!).

Most remarkable events - he has more control of his arms (this is very subtle!). When we hold him he will actually "hug" us to hold on. I love the extra cuddles! He is also smiling, true smiles, not just gassy ones!! He is especially smiley in the morning - hopefully I'll get some good picts soon! He is also a lot more alert when we go on walks. Sometimes he stays awake for 10 or 15 minutes of our walk (previously he would fall asleep on the first block!). So here are a few pictures from the first half of Eli's second month...

Eli's first month

Some of these may be repeats from the first albums posted - but here is
Eli's first month, a few pictures from each day!

Newborn Photos!!

On Day 12 Eli had his first professional photo-shoot! We found a wonderful San Francisco photographer to do both maternity and newborn photos. She came to our house and captured some wonderful images of Eli and our new little family! Here are a few...

Eli and the Cat

Eli turned one week old on Saturday! We can't believe it's already been that long. He is doing very well and we are hanging in there too :) Grandma left yesterday to go to work for a few days, but she is coming back on Wednesday and we can't wait to see her again!

Yesterday, Becky was nursing Eli in the chair and the cat Surgi decided to come hang out with them. After nursing, Surgi and Eli decided to become best pals:


On Saturday, Eli received his first bath. He wasn't too sure he liked it, but he pulled through in the end. Here's a few pictures of the bath and the events (or non-events) of the weekend:

Eli: Week 2

More Pics...

I've just been adding photos to this picture album, so you can check back now and then if you like:

Eli!!

Baby Eli!

Eli Lawrence Grass was born April 24 at 4:27 pm at 8 lb 2 oz and 21". He is adorable!! Today we had great visits from Grandma and Grandpa Prechter and Auntie Sarah. We also enjoyed visits from "Aunties" Colleen and Erzsi in the afternoon. Mom and Dad are doing well and in good spirits, if a wee bit tired (well, OK...really tired!). We are headed home tomorrow.

Here's a few pictures from the first few days:

2010_04_24_Eli Birth

Nesting Mama

Here's a quick video of Mama chicken on her nest. She really doesn't like being disturbed. Usually she puts up a bigger fuss - squawking and tousling her feathers all up. Today she just cackled a bit. I thought the boys would get a kick out of seeing/hearing her!

Belly Pictures!

Here are some belly pictures! Last weekend Mike and I went on a walk up at Lake Anza in Tilden Park, about 10 minutes from our house. Peggy had asked for a picture, so here it is! It was a chilly day - my non-maternity sweater makes me feel chubby!!

On Wednesday this week I played in San Francisco with my friend Erzsi. We ate a delicious lunch (we got extra strawberries from the chef!...pregnancy has its many benefits!), we cruised Embarcadero and visited the TCHO chocolatier. They offered a surprising number of free tastings!

Most importantly SF had gorgeous weather and I had a fun time toddling around the city! Can you see Coit Tower behind me?!

Backyard Fun (and Work)

This last Sunday, Mikey put up some garden lights that Momma Prechter gave us 2 years ago (better late than never, right?). Our late-night porch dancing now has much better ambiance :)

On Monday, we played board games with Nick and Gus was very jealous that we were outside and he was not.

Gus is taking claim...

Ever since re-doing the guest bedroom into a nursery and bringing in a bunch of baby stuff the cats have been testing the ground to see which items they're allowed to "claim" for themselves. Surgi has been caught peering into the crib from the dresser in the nursery (he didn't get into it though). One afternoon I got home from work to find both Gus and Surgi curled up together inside the bassinet...they quickly learned this was off-limits and haven't returned. This morning we found Gus testing a new locale...a perfect position to catch the air from the heater vent.

Valentine's breakfast

On Saturday we took a walk to the market to get the fixin's for our Valentine's dinner and breakfast (we celebrated Saturday evening because on Sunday we've got the Chinese New Year to celebrate with Mike's co-workers...looking forward to homemade dumplings!). We didn't think to take pictures of our fondue feast - but here's a delicious peak at our breakfast!!

Well, here's a belly picture! Still not looking large - but it's definitely poking out now.

We've had a gorgeous weekend, with sunny weather to spend outside in the yard. The chickens have been enjoying scratching around unearthing all the bugs and worms that have come out to see the sun.

Michael 1.1

Mikey got his eyes zapped! And one day later he has better vision than me!...These are the sexy goggles he gets to wear to bed for the next 5 nights. His exercise regimen has been limited...and now he has removed onion cutting from his resume - much to my chagrin!

The Nursery

Here are some pictures of the nursery! A few weekends ago my mom and dad came down and helped us transform the guest bedroom/office. We sold the office furniture, gave the room a fresh coat of baby inspired paint and rearranged everything...a few times! And believe it or not...all the drawers in the dresser are pretty much full!! Peggy and Anna gave us lots of clothes and my volleyball team added to the collection with blankets, bottles, stuffed animals, wash cloths, towels, onesies and on and on and on!! I think we are pretty set for the first 6 months of growing!!



My mom brought her sewing machine down - we only had time to do a valance for the window, but she is making the rest of the bedding items for me at home. We picked out patterns together - I just wish I could be there to help with the rest (really all I am good at is cutting in a straight line though...doing a straight seem on the machine is still a struggle!). But I think she is having fun learning how to add some fun extras to the quilt - I can't wait to see it!!

A New Backyard Resident!

Meet Bunny!!

Bunny lives under our deck. She(?) greets us everyday after work and every morning on the weekend. She isn't friendly...yet. But I think with some coaxing of delicious treats she may realize the advantages of allowing a pet every so often!

Goodbye Coco

Coco had a tragic ending to the laying of her first egg. Apparently hens that are underweight may experience difficulties causing the oviduct to protrude after laying. We tried our best to nurse Coco back to a healthy state, but she stopped eating and after a few days she died. Mike kindly buried her next to the strawberry patch. We will miss her feathery footed antics and her super fluffy soft feathers.

Mama...meet Surgi

When we're out working in the yard we'll let the whole crew out together. The cats are usually scared of the chickens, especially when they all gang up chase after them out of curiosity. I think Mama is the most brave - she walks right up to the cats to investigate. In this encounter, the other chickens were too busy scratching around and Mama was left nose to nose with Surgi. He played tough, but I don't think he was interested in taking her on. I particularly like that Mike was able to catch him licking his lips!!

Tamalis Bay hike

Before we started back to work after the holidays we decided we would take advantage of a sunny day and drive up the coast to Tamalis Bay. We found a pretty short hike to enjoy a picnic lunch and some gorgeous, isolated views.

Most of the hike was wooded with moss dripping from the branches and ferns crowding the undergrowth. During our picnic we spotted some kayakers enjoying the calm waters and a moored sailboat. Despite the high fog it remained pretty chilly, but by the end of the hike the sun poked through and we enjoyed about 5 minutes of direct sunlight!

Views of Shasta

We made the return journey home during the daylight and had some spectacular views of Mt. Shasta. It was a nice excuse to get out and stretch our legs and practice some of the features on our new toy...an DSLR camera.

Christmas

We were slackers this year and didn't tote our camera around on our Christmas travels...and we haven't collected photos from all the relatives. So currently, our Picassa album has a gap! And no photos to post here...

The weekend before Christmas I headed up to my parents' home to have an early celebration (Mike remained in Berkeley working). Nevada City was beautiful, it was nice being in the crisp mountain air - playing with their dog and seeing all the Prechter family.

Much attention was given to my belly bump - which was finally beginning to show its prominence. At this point Mike and I had only settled on a middle name, Lawrence after Mike's grandfather - so my parents quickly began referring to the little guy as Baby Larry...I have to admit, it was cute and much better than calling him "It" or "The Baby". My mom, sister and I spent a few afternoons fabric store hopping, looking for the perfect combination to adorn the awaited nursery.

The days passed quickly and soon I was meeting Mike in Sacramento to drive up to Portland to visit his family. Unfortunately this was my first day of being sick - I felt so awful Mike ended up driving the entire 10.5 hours (not to worry...he got sick just in time for our return trek...). We had a great time up north, playing with the nephews, enjoying a blanket of snowy weather, eating lots of tasty treats and visiting Mike's grandparents up in Auburn, Washington. And of course, the nephews quickly picked up on the soon to be new cousin - Baby Larry was a hit...although it was pretty adorable to hear Andy say, "Having two cousins is going to be a lot of work!" This as they tirelessly played with their first cousin, Zachary. Truly a blessing to have everyone together!