robobebe

Happy New-ish Year!

2012-01-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

My New Year's resolution was to update this blog more often, to keep family and friends up to speed on the little rocket but mostly as a reminder for ourselves. Since we last posted, when Ida was 19 months, she's changed so much, but the days, weeks, months are all blurry. I don't remember when she started talking in complete, complex sentences. I don't remember when she learned to write her name. I don't remember the first time she called me "dumbass", a word she hears more often than she should (drivers in Chicago drive like dumbasses).

Tomorrow IRX turns 3, which astounds me. I miss all the past iterations of her. When her personality started to show around 6 months. When she started walking at 13 months. Her hair at 19 months. Full-on talking soon after she turned 2. Sassiness about 3 months ago.

Today, we are spending the morning at a cafe/playspace. A little town with a kid sized grocery store, firehouse, gas station. There are slides and puppets and books and trains. I love watching Ida interact with other kids. She She has no qualms about going up to someone and striking up a friendship. A few minutes ago, she came running up to me because the little girl she was playing with was crying. I guess she had had an altercation with another girl over a doll. Ida went into “fix it” mode and found another doll for the little girl who was crying. That’s one of the traits I’m so proud she has. She has been empathetic since she was tiny. Always worrying about other kids. That’s not to say she’s completely selfless. She just asked me to hide two sticks of fake butter so no one else could play with it.

Ida as a 2 year old, about to be 3:

+Her favorite color is pink, something she feels everyone must know. She is unwavering in her love of pink. Black is her second favorite color.

+She is obsessed with princesses. She wants to be Cinderella when she grows up, even after we’ve told her that Cinderella was an orphan who lived with mean women who made her scrub toilets all day. I wouldn’t mind if this Cinderella obsession manifests into clean floors and toilets in our house.

+She is dying to take ballet and soccer lessons. She practices at home all the time.

+She can spell her name and CP’s name.

+She loves to sing and dance. I love listening to her sing when she doesn’t know we’re listening. I love that her first criteria for a dress is if she can spin in it.

+She is crazy verbal and since starting at her new daycare, understands (but won’t speak) a lot of Spanish.

+We still haven’t cut her hair.

I’m a little over-caffeinated and I seem to have lost her amongst the roomful of children. So I’ll let CP fill in some other stuff and post pictures later.

19 Months!

2010-08-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

A few things about Ida:

Still small. She's still not forward facing in her carseat. Ours has a 22lb minimum to face forward and Ida has been hovering just under and just over 20 lbs. We got a stern talking to from one of the pediatricians (not our regular guy) and have been adding tons of butter and oil to everything she eats. She's just SUPER active and probably burns it all off as she puts it on.

She's got lots of new words and phrases, mostly related to food, animals, and body parts. She says "igotcha", "idunno","goce" (gross),"howyou" (how are you), and "thanks".

She's learned "me" and "mine" but loves to share. She wants to do everything by herself these days.

She's very particular about what she wears and is actually pretty good at accessorizing. The other day CP put her in a denim dress and tried to put on some navy socks, but Ida protested. She wanted the pink socks, which she paired with a pink barrette and her "puhse."

Here she is wearing my socks (with help from her friend Tin) and galoshes.

Her new favorite activity is hanging from a bar at the park. And climbing up the slides.

Practicing for sullen teenagerhood.

She loves spending time with her cousins.

She is very affectionate. The other day, she was the first one to wake up and she demanded "a kiss...a kiss" from her sleeping parents. She hugs, kisses, laughs and dances when she's happy.

Favorite foods: balki (broccoli), papas, rice, beans, peas, mame (edamame), gapes (grapes), m m m (m&ms), cheese, and pasta.

Favorite favorite: still elmo, always elmo

IRX at 18 Months

2010-07-15T09:07:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I love IRX? I think I'm feeling it today because she and CP left for Washington DC yesterday. I'll be meeting them out there on Saturday to go out to Virginia with her dad and family.

She's just a great kid and more and more her personality is showing. I mean, she's always had the same personality, but it's getting more and more developed and nuanced. She is fearless. She never scared of going down head first on a slide. She is not afraid to explore unfamiliar places. She loves with all her heart and will show affection when she's happy. Luckily, she's a very affectionate kid. Days are filled with kisses and hugs.

Days are also filled with dancing. There's a dance she does when she's excited to eat. And then the dance she does when she's excited to go outside. And the dancing she does for fun. And singing. She can sing her ABCs (thank you, TV) although you can't really make out any of the letters except G. She sings the songs she learned from her music class. She just sings.

She's a sweet and caring child. If she hears one of us say "ow" or hears a loud crashing sound she will ask "you okay? you okay?" until we confirm that, yes, we are okay. Of course, she will sometimes purposely throw something at us, say "uh oh..you okay?"

Her latest things that I love include asking people "how u?" which she got from our neighbor. Sometimes we wake up early and sit on the porch and look at the disgusting, ugly pigeons that congregate in our yard every morning and she will say, "hi birds how u?" Same to the neighbors dog. But not the neighbors. And hand shakes. And cheers-ing everything she eats or drinks. She loves carrying a purse. The other day, a woman almost ran her over with a shopping cart and she looked at her and said, "ohmygod". Hasn't said it since.

Finally, my baby has learned to pose for the camera. Unfortunately, we can never get her to do anything on video. Should could be singing for 5 minutes but as soon as she senses the camera is on, she stops. Anyway, here she is saying "cheese".

2010-07-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

IRX is a year and a half today. This realization is stunning, exciting, sad...

Recently, we've had a few flashbacks from the past that remind me how little she used to be and how much she has grown in a very short period of time. We attended the premiere of a movie she shot last summer, appearing in the part of "baby." Of course, I am infinitely biased, but she was very good. That is my professional opinion as an actress and a director, and also my gooey melting mother's opinion as well. She was cute, cried on cue, stopped on cue. Possibly sound editing had a lot to do with this, but like to think not. And oh - she was amazingly and impossibly small, a BABY. Now, even though I call her my baby, in reality she is a toddler - an insanely active, reckless, constantly in motion toddler, basically a kid, and practically a teenager!

I've also been trying to sort through all of the photographs I've taken of her in the past year and a half. So far, I've gone from 3500 to 2500, which is no small task - especially when each photo brings me back to the day it was taken, to my memories of what she sounded like, acted like, looked like then. Facial expressions she only made for a while... Facial expressions she makes now, with words attached to them. I see pictures and video of her struggling to roll over, and remember how much time I spent trying to get her to do it how proud of her I was when she did. And then I think of this morning, when she busted her chin climbing over a chair. Or yesterday, when she climbed onto the windowsill and stood there, surveying the room.

Meanwhile, we have a new niece. At two weeks old, she seems like a (gorgeous) creature from another planet - incredible and tiny and alien. She was a pound bigger than IRX was when she was born, and yet - how can it be that IRX was ever that little? It happens so fast. And yet, when I see her next to her cousin P-LO, who is three, she seems so young. Just a baby, really. My baby.

Teeeeeth

2010-06-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

After months of no new teeth (she has 8 now), IRX is cutting 3 teeth! Poor thing, she's super crabby and biting her mama while nursing. She was banished from nursing after 4 incidents of biting and responding by running around the house until almost 10pm, all sweaty and with a glazed look in her eyes.

Don't know if it's because her nap schedule was compromised, she missed her afternoon nap and we put her down at 7pm, hoping she'd sleep through the night, but that was just a dream we had. It didn't work out that way. She finally fell asleep, in my arms, watching Maisy (don't judge, I can't lactate, I have nothing to offer and it was the only way to calm her down).

I hope the teeth come in quickly and that there aren't anymore for awhile.

17 Months!

2010-06-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

The other day, I called IRX a baby and my sister corrected me, said she was a toddler and it hit me. Whoa, she's a toddler! She's a walking, talking, singing, dancing toddler! I didn't listen when people said the time would fly by. It totally flies by.

New words: broccoli (balki, which she LOVES and asks for ALL THE TIME), cookie (another new favorite, but she says it like Cookie Monster does), robot (bobot - she puts a "b" in front of everything lately, like biaper and bapple), go, bird, ice, ca-te (aguacate) and a whole mess of words why can't decipher and feel bad we can't decipher because she says them with such urgency and confidence.

Her Zadie came to visit over Memorial Day and we took Ida to her first baseball game (but not her first sport game, that honor has been taken by the Bulls). In true Cubs fashion, the were losing 5-0 within the first 10 minutes. I guess this is an early glimpse into the heartbreak/disappointment of being a Cubs fan, if Ida decides that's where her loyalty lie.

It was a gorgeous day for a game though and Wrigley is a great place to watch a game. Being a kid has it's benefits. A nice usher brought Ida a ball, said it was because she was the youngest person in his section.

I think it's safe to say that summer is here in Chicago. I think the last time I got hopeful and finally took down the rest of the plastic (in May!) we had a cold snap. But corn is good again, so that means summer, right?

Summer in Chicago can't be beat and so far IRX has gone to a concert in the park (and another one next week) and various neighborhood festivals, like when her Uncle Tom came to visit. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of them:

2010-05-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

The warm weather is here, which is good because Robobebe was going STIR CRAZY inside! She's a super active kid, and loves running around after dogs, cats, and bubbles.

Here she is discovering her first puddle:

IRX and Rain from coya paz on Vimeo.

And here she is discovering her first Cadbury egg:

And here she is relaxing with a drink at the bar. She's watching the game. Really.

I bought her a baby pool today, so more summer pictures to come!

Spring Update

2010-04-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted since February? The last time I posted, Ida wasn't walking yet. Now she is full-on running. She cannot be contained. She cannot be stopped. One day, we were at the airport, waiting out a delay, and she took off. From our arms to some stranger's lap. And she has not stopped since.

irx runs from on Vimeo.

Going out to eat has gotten tricky since all she wants to do is explore. And she is a terror at Target and the grocery store (I lost her for about 5 seconds at a computer store, which seemed like 5 days). But everything else is more fun. Going to the park, going for walks, her music/dance class.

She's a daredevil, not scared of anything (except trees, for some reason). She loves dogs and cats and going down the slide. Her new thing is going down the slide head first.

Probably the biggest change is her ability to communicate. She has about 25-30 words, 3 signs (more, milk, please), and she is very resourceful in the way she communicates. She can say "book" but if she wants you to read to her she takes your hand and puts the book in it.

She knows how to fake laugh, which she will do when a group of adults is laughing, but she's recently learned how to fake cry, telenovela style (hmmm...I wonder where she picked that up). She's very affectionate, always doling out kisses and hugs, for her mama, her toys, and picture of babies.

February Update

2010-02-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

When IRX was 4 months old and starting on solid foods, we tried to teach her the sign for "more" to no avail. We kept using it until we gave up, maybe 4-5 months later. Well, all of a sudden, a few weeks ago, she learned that she could get things if she asked for them and now signs "more" all the time (I think she thinks it means "eat"). Unfortunately for CP, it's always for more breastmilk. We've been trying to teach her the sign for milk and please, but she just stares at us blankly and furiously signs "more."

Not much going on otherwise. Lots of snow, but now as much as our east coast friends. Ida is somewhat interested in snow, but being a Chicago January baby, she just loves being in the cold. The first step out the door always produces a gasp and a smile.

She's also been sick off and on for the past 3 weeks. First it was a cold, which everyone in the house caught and then a stomach thing that has been going around. CP dubbed Feb 14th St. Vomitines's Day. Now she has an eye infection, which prevented her from going to her friend Harold's pool party.

Even though she took her first steps almost a month ago, she's still not interested in walking. Although we've been taking her to a music and movement class and most of the kids are mobile and more and more she's standing up by herself for long periods of time. She's just too scared to move her feet. We've been encouraging her to walk holding only one of our hands (and not two) which has been going well. Although, if we're both holding on to her hands, she runs. So my prediction is she will go from crawling to running.

Having some formatting issues. Here are some miscellaneous pics: hanging out with Sabina, kicking back with a bagel.

Our Little Tiny

2010-01-12T14:47:00.001-08:00

IRX had her 1 year check up today and she continues to be our tiny (with a big head): 17 lbs, 7 oz and 29 inches with a head size of 45.5 cm. Small but with a double chin and big belly.

Baby's Got a New Pair of Shoes!

2010-01-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

IRX's new shoes, on deep deep discount. To paraphrase AshmanLisAshman, I could die. Baby shoes are definitely my weakness.

Ida Turns 1!

2010-01-09T18:44:00.001-08:00

IRX's first birthday and we couldn't be more proud of the little person she is at this moment: loving, caring, silly, and fun. A wild child. Full of life.

Her birthday proper was almost derailed when CP tried to bake a cake and then ran out of time, so they scooped me up from work on Friday and we went to WF and picked up a cake. I was tempted by the mini tarts, mini pies, and mini eclairs, but we were there to pick up a cake. You only turn 1 once.
What's going on?

Hesitant. Memories of Mamas shouting "Ida, no!" running through her head.

Okay, no one is stopping me...

Going for it!

Can't eat anymore. I've loosened my diaper. Maybe if I move around a little...

All that exercise has made me hungry.

They don't call it a "smash" cake for nothing.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Robobebe! Ida's first Xmas was great. She got to see (either in person or over the internet) all of her grandparents and almost all of her many aunts and uncles. And she got to spend lots of time with her cousin P-lo, which was great.

Getting ready to go see Grandpa Ed and have Christmas Eve Pad Thai! And then off to see the James family at their annual Christmas Eve open house.

Watching her mama get ready.

Ready!

With Grandpa Michael and Aunt Molly.

Aunt Casey and Uncle Cadien

Marveling at the miracle of crackers.

A present from Aunt Molly!

Christmas Day and IRX has presents to open. Kind of. This was a box with an old blanket in it. Yes, for Christmas, Ida got the joy of unwrapping. Don't worry, we're not scrooges. Ida got lots of presents from her family this year.

After presents IRX had her first Skype experience with her Grandmere and Uncle T.

And then off again to the James' house to retrieve a lost boot and to hang out with her aunts and uncles.

IRX gets her hair braided by Molly while eating a cracker and playing guitar with Uncle Cadien. That's multi-tasking.

And then later, Jewish-Buddhist Christmas Chinatown dinner with her Zadie and her aunts, uncles, and P-lo.

Wiping P-lo's face.

Out in the snow.

Boxing day and reading the book her Pawpaw and Grammy bought her.

Time for Jewish Boxing Day Salad Bar Buffet (creating new traditions all the time) and Ida caps off her huge lunch of pasta, peas, potatoes, and beans with a fro yo.

Ida really likes fro yo.

Relaxing at home and a lady always crosses her legs when checking her iphone, pantless.

11 Months, 2 Weeks

2009-12-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

Another mini update about our little Mini.

Two weeks from her first birthday and here are a few highlight:

-She LOVES Beyonce. She starts dancing when she hears "Single Ladies" and can sing along to the "oh oh oh oh oh oh" part.

-Her first word might be "Ida", "huh?!?" or that part of "Single Ladies". Or "uh-oh". She is a chatterbox, but those are the only words she uses in the right context.

-Her mullet goes down to about mid-back, still no hair on the sides, but the back is growing in more.

-She loves to eat. French fries are her favorite, followed by guacamole, rice, cheese, and beans. Oh, and ice cream. She doesn't get a lot of it and doesn't get it often, but you should see the look on her face when she does.

-She's really good a crawling, she's a very fast crawler, but still doesn't show any signs of wanting to walk.

-In the past few weeks, she's learned to share, always offering part of her dinner to people, sometimes she's nice enough to start chewing on the food before offering.

-Our little mini is getting bigger. She's finally outgrown about 95% of her 3-6 month clothes and now wears mostly 6-12 and 12-18.

-She has eight teeth.

-She understands simple commands, like "give me..." and "kiss the baby". She also understands "no" but chooses to pretend that she doesn't understand.

-Her nickname is Ida the Destroyer or Godzilla. She is much more interested in tearing things apart than putting them together.

-She is a joy. A happy baby with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

Almost a year

2009-12-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

Why do I find this video endless amusing? There's nothing cuter than a baby eating.

Ida, CP and I were recently guests at a Big Ten university where CP was an artist in residence. This video was taken in our glorified dorm room.

eating cheese from on Vimeo.

Password: rocket

I realize we haven't posted here in a while, but updates to come. I promise! There's so much to tell!

Summer's Almost Over...if it was ever here

2009-09-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Poor Ida has been sick the past few days with a runny nose. We interviewed a bunch of nannies and families for a nanny share, so we're thinking that some how, somewhere, she picked up a little bug.

She's been keeping busy though, moving around on her belly (strong legs, not arm strength whatsoever), she heads straight for anything and everything she can't have (wires, shoes, newspapers) and doesn't seem interested in her many toys. And if it does interest her, it's usually the tag that she likes best.

Remember these pants? They are a size 0-3 and I remember when I had to fold the legs because they were so big on her. They still fit, but they are way short.

Ida is very glad for summer to be almost over and very grateful for this unseasonably cool winter. Our baby, born during a blizzard that lasted 4 months, did not like hot weather. Especially with all that hair.

We've been going to the farmer's market on Sundays every chance we get. We spread out a blanket, listen to music and buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Ida is a big fan of peaches. And all the other babies that hang out on the grass.

We've also gone to the park a few times, now that Ida is big enough to go on the swings. She has a great time flying through the air, legs pumping like she is running. Of course, she's more interested in what other people are doing.

Exciting new, IRX will be making her film and print modeling debut this month! She will be playing the part of "baby" in a master thesis film that our friend Jessica is starring in and my friend Leigh, who makes t-shirts and baby onesies on Etsy asked her to model the designs. We're big fans of Leigh's, so we're excited. We'll post pictures once they are live.

Ida looking serious (and model-like) after brunch.

The Summer is Almost Over!

2009-08-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

These calendar photos are getting challenging!

Ready...

Set...

Go!

She finding all kinds of ways to get around. Crawling. Scooting along a table:

Riding on NX's shoulders:

Swinging:

But not quite ready to walk:

Riding out the summer in style:

In her "pool":

Nice chair!

Tuckered out:

And now for your viewing pleasure, an assortment of funny IRX faces:

This one wasn't very funny at the time:

Vacation photos coming soon!

July

2009-07-22T08:31:00.001-07:00

IRX is getting so big...

...but she's still so little.

Check out the vacation photos below.

Summertime, And the Living is Easy...

2009-07-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

IRX was born during a snowstorm, and is a little confounded by summer. Heat? Sun? Blue skies?What are these things? We've been having lots of summertime adventures, far (this photo was taken in Vermont) and near.

Hanging out in the wading pool with PLO.

Going to the "Bean" statue downtown.

Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, MI.

"I love you, man...!"

Enjoying the open road...

"Brake! Brake!"

Boating with Captain...

Hanging with her Zadie...

We're MOOSE!!!!

Happy Half Birthday, IRX!

2009-07-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Today, Ida is 6 months old and continues to be a happy, active baby. Always moving, running in place, kicking, rolling over, always engaged in the world. We've introduced solids, but she's not interested in baby food. That's for babies. Ida wants grown up food.

Last night, we turned our backs for a minute while doing dishes and making dinner and when we turned back, she had opened a box of pizza, grabbed a piece and was stuffing it in her mouth. It had to be pried from her fat greasy fingers. Can't turn your back on this one anymore! She's also a big fan of baguettes, beer bottles, and hot coffee. As in, always grabbing for them. She doesn't actually drink beer or coffee. And she mostly likes to hold bread and lick it.

I've got a ton of photos to post from the past few weeks, and until I do, here's a video of Ida with her friend Asha.

Password: rocket

Untitled from Nina Xoomsai on Vimeo.

5 Months

2009-06-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

June is here and Ida Rocket is 5 months old! Technically, 5 months and 1 week old. Boy, how time flies.

IRX is getting better and better at sitting up by herself, she's able to sit up for about 20 seconds unassisted and she's getting better and better at pulling herself up and it's been that way since Titi Annie gave her P-lo's old high chair.

She likes to sit in her chair and when you put something in front of her (lollipop, spoon), she grabs it with her hand and puts it in her mouth.

IRX is sick of being strapped in all the time.

Here she is holding on to our leftovers.

Ida is shocked at the price of potatoes.

Her mullet is long enough to put in a ponytail! Although she still doesn't have any hair on the side of her head.

Asleep in a booth a Edna's.

IRX got her learner's permit and has been taking the car out for spins around the block (supervised, of course).

Waiting for the light to turn green.

Parallel parking for the first time. Success!

Ida will now show you to your seat.

Bedtime funtime

First Food!

2009-06-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

IRX has been intently watching us eat for the past month or so and when the pediatrician said it was okay to give her some rice cereal at her 4 month check up, we decided it was time for some solids. Well, kind of solid, not really I guess, still kind of liquidy.

Password: rocket

IRX Eats from on Vimeo.

She seemed to like the rice cereal, ate about half of it each time, signalling that she was over it by blowing raspberries with her mouth full.

Last weekend, we went to NYC to visit a bunch of friends and family and go to Connecticut for Great Grandmother Florence's 95th birthday. We stayed with Uncle Jesse, Uncle Kostas, and Cousin Olympia, who Ida adored.

IRX waiting for someone to take the NY Times out of the wrapper.

Out and about in NYC.

Ida in her stoner hat, given to her by her new friend Ima.

Password: rocket

Untitled from on Vimeo.

Olympia with Florence's walker.

Florence and Beau

Uncle Kostas with IRX, OBJ, and DSW (Cousin Dean)

IRX and Aunt Molly

Ida was a big hit at the party, here she is with neighbor Sally.

Lounging around Westport style

Windblown hair

Hair from on Vimeo.

The weekend before, Memorial Day, at Uncle Kostas's poetry reading with Casey Blue and OBJ.

Stop the Presses!

2009-05-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

Just a few minutes after my last post, IRX rolled from back to tummy to back to tummy for the first time!

Of course, we took a video of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th time.

Password: rocket

IRX Rolls and Rolls from on Vimeo.

Spring...Finally!

2009-05-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

If you can believe it, we've been slacking on the taking of pictures of IRX. Since the day she was born, we've averaged about 19 photos taken a day. It would be more, but the past few weeks have been weak.

The good news is that winter seems to be gone. The plastic is still up on the windows though, I guess it's time to take it down. Ida has been having lots of fun outside. She's very curious about the world. We go for walks in the evening, after work and she sits back in her stroller and "talks" the whole time, narrating as we walk.

Here she is with her new friend Lola, watching (sleeping through) a sunset.

And then some friends dropped by the street corner and brought presents while Lola and Ida got to know each other better.

Ida keeps my Chik-fil-a from Lola.

At Brooklyn's birthday party. Here she is with two other Pazes.

IRX and COX

Leaving the party, all bundled up.

Sleeping baby photos

4 Months!

2009-05-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ida Rocket turned 4 months last yesterday and celebrated with shots. The kind that involves needles. She also weighs in at a whopping (not really) 11 pounds 8 ounces, which is almost double her birth weight. She's 24.5 inches long and has a 40.5 cm head circumference. She's small, but growing steadily.

She's also a girl on the go. It was hard to get a picture this month because every time I'd put her on her back, she'd flip over.

This is something new-ish. She first flipped over about a week ago. She goes from back to tummy but then doesn't know what to do after that. Password: rocket

IRX rolls over from Nina Xoomsai on Vimeo.

More pictures of our rocket girl dressed as "Gossip Girl meet Star Trek" according to her Aunt Seth.

What else? Still as active as ever, baby likes to stand. She's really good at standing up from a laying position. Here she is "standing."

IRX Stands from Nina Xoomsai on Vimeo.

She's a pretty happy baby, the daily evening witching hour is mostly a thing of the past. She's a pretty good sleeper, going through the night once a week or so. Hopefully more often now that she's starting put her thumb in her mouth. Or at least trying to.
Just missed it!

There we go.

Ida is quietly judging you.

IRX has been spending time with her cousin P-Lo.

And P-lo's pig chair.

At brunch.

Hanging out with her monkey friend.

Another first

2009-04-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

IRX has her first cold, which she caught from CP. It's on its way out but she was having a hard time breathing last night because her nose was stuffed up, therefore I got no sleep. Plus it CP had some meetings and I couldn't bear to think of IRX outside on this rainy, dreary day. So far, she's been a perfect angel, except during my conference calls. She is very opinionated about banner ads. One exciting thing happened today, she rolled over for the first time! CP caught it, but I was running past her and I missed it. She hasn't done it since.

Here's a video I took a few weeks ago. I think we have a soccer player on our hands. Or maybe a drummer. Password is rocket.

IRX Kickin' It from Nina Xoomsai on Vimeo.

Ida just recently had a lovely visit with her Grandmother, Leslie, who was here last week. Ida hopes she comes back to visit soon. Or at least when Ida is allowed to eat cake.

Glorious hair

Glorious face

Horsey

Relaxing

In the rainforest

Pretty in pink
Living the dream: in her underwear and socks, asleep at the pizza place after being carted all over town in a stroller. As our friend Megan says, get that baby a remote control!

Crabby?

IRX refuses to turn over all the way

Crabby!

Ida at 3 months and a couple of weeks

2009-04-20T05:20:00.000-07:00

As CP said in the previous post, IRX is growing like a weed! Kind of. The number 1 diapers are still a little too big, but all of her pants are too short. And she's fattening up a little.

We used to have to fold the legs of this jumper.

But her she is in, drowning in her Bumbo chair. She hasn't quite gotten the knack of sitting up yet, but she tries all the time.

She's discovered her hands and feet for real and will spend 10 minutes just looking at her right fist like she's on LSD or something. Also, this morning, she grabbed something for the first time. We were putting her in her outfit for the day, and she grabbed the dress and wouldn't let go. Later, in her bouncy chair, we caught her grabbing the dangling toys. She's great with standing. All she wants to do is stand.

CP and IRX at the overpriced grocery store.

Ida's spring outfit

Ida is ready to get out of the house

Sleeping angel

Some photobooth fun

And finally, her April calendar shot

2009-04-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

You can't tell from this picture, but IRX is getting BIG.

She still seems so tiny-tiny, but she's outgrown a ton of her clothes. One day she's swimming in a sleeper, and the next day we're cutting the feet off of our favourite one so that she can wear it one more time!

NX packed away all of her too small clothes and moved a bunch of stuff into rotation. And, of course, we seized the good excuse to go shopping and buy her some cute new outfits. Pictures to come. In the meantime, here are two photos I like!

Ida Laughing

2009-04-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

Ida thinks Coya is high-larious!

Password: rocket

Ida Laughing from Nina Xoomsai on Vimeo.

Adoption Finalized!

2009-04-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official as of Tuesday. CP and I are official Ida's two parents.

To celebrate, here's a week's worth of outfits.

Determined!

2009-03-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

Ain't No Mountain High Enough from Nina Xoomsai on Vimeo.

Happy Monday

2009-03-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

The many faces of Ida, taken last week.

Spring!

2009-03-23T10:40:00.001-07:00

This weekend, the temperature reached the low 60s and we took advantage and took IRX for a walk around the neighborhood.

Up early in the morning. Like before sunrise early.

Waiting for Mama to finish checking FB on her iPhone.

Diaper changed, ready to go out:

With her Mama, in matching outfits.

IRX reacts to me saying, "Make a cute face..."

Ida got to spend lots of time with her Cousin Penelope this weekend, pictures to come.

2009-03-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

IRX is just about 10 weeks old, and still tiny enough to fit on a calendar!

I love her model-esque pose in that photo, and I promise we had nothing to do with it (short of placing her on the calendar). The one leg up is her own signature style.

We have been having a lot of fun dressing the baby, although NX and I don't always see eye-to-eye when it comes to Ida Fashion. She likes a mismatching stripes kind of look, while I like to dress her like a leprechaun. Hey - it is the right time of year!

NX changed her outfit as soon as I wasn't looking!

Anyway, the shoes she's wearing are Ugg rip-offs from the Gap, a hand me down from The Cutest Toddler Ever, our niece P-LO. IRX has a lot of shoes. I mean, a LOT:

My current favourites are the polka-dotted Vans:

Almost all of these have been gifts, and I get it. Baby shoes are tiny and adorable, just like baby feet. What's not to love?

2 Months!

2009-03-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

It's a good things babies don't remember much of anything, because a lot of IRX's earliest memories would consist of waking up to me staring lovingly at her with either a goofy smile on my face or tears in my eyes. Creepy. Like in the movies when someone is washing their face and when they close the medicine cabinet, there's someone standing behind them. But creepier.

Either that or waking up to both her parents on their iPhones, looking at pictures of her, even though the real thing is inches away. Here's a sampling of the phone pictures:

Lost in a sea of comforter

We're seeing a lot more social smiling and laughing.

This picture was taken at her 2 month check up, right before her shots.

She was great, only a minimum amount of crying. IRX weighs in at 9lbs 2oz and 21.5 inches long. She's in the 10th percentile for weight, 25th for length. A little peanut, but growing at a good pace. She's finally on the verge of outgrowing her newborn diapers and moving to size 1!

Hola, Ida!

2009-03-04T06:34:00.001-08:00

Password: rocket

Hola Ida! from Nina Xoomsai on Vimeo.

Bad parents!

2009-03-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Here it is, March 4th and I'm just uploading IRX's February portrait. But honestly, I think we took the picture just a few weeks ago. Where does the time go?

After a few sneak previews, Ida has started to smile and laugh. She's a very chatty baby, which is no surprise considering her parents. Video to come soon.

She's getting bigger and bigger, fitting into the 0-3 clothes, but still able to wear her newborn stuff. Luckily, she is starting to grow out of her preemie clothes. She's still wearing them, but with a few alterations (we cut off the feet):

Ida has lots and lots of family. Here she is with her Grandpa Ed.

Ida is over this whole matching thing.

So is Penelope.

Here's IRX at her first art opening, with our friend Amy. They often match, but not on purpose.

Sleeping baby.

Say cheeeeese!

2009-02-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

The elusive smile, caught on film!

1 Month!

2009-02-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

IRX had a busy weekend. She met her Zadie for the first time. They got along famously. She especially liked it when he sang to her. Calmed her right down.

Here she is sharpening her cognitive skills with the mobile her Bubbe (don't kill me Sue) sent her. She was scared at first, she'd look at everything but the mobile, but now she loves it.

She gets alot of tummy time and is getting really good at raising her head and moving it from one side to the other. She's also good at releasing the oxytocin because the minute she cries at night, all we feel is love.

First family portrait:

Morning stretches:

Random 4 week photos:

Ida is not sure about this outfit.

Weekend!

2009-02-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Today, Ida gets to meet her Zadie! She's really excited. CP is excited for Hamentashen.

IRX is growing and changing everyday. She's recently discovered that she can stick her fist in her mouth and suck on it to soothe herself. But sometimes she forgets. And neck control is getting better all the time. At night, now that we've tried swaddling once again (Houdini escapes every single time, but now we have a swaddler with velcro!), she's been sleeping in 4 hour chunks at night. Pure bliss.

One thing that hasn't changed. She's still super cute. More pictures and videos on Monday...

Photos from the past week

2009-01-30T10:19:00.000-08:00

Just some random pics.

This is our favorite Ida outfit so far...

We like to joke that for every outfit like this one, where we start laughing when we done dressing her, we need to put a dollar in her future therapy fund.

Ol' Big Hands in her swing.

Baby Vans socks, a gift from a co-worker.

Little bundled up cuteness.

Sideview

3 Weeks!

2009-01-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Ida Rocket's three week anniversary, may I present a video of her doing nothing! But looking cute doing it. The password is: rocket.

Untitled from Nina Xoomsai on Vimeo.

Roly Poly!

2009-01-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

Good news, Ida had her 2 week check-up and we were guessing she would weigh in at 6lbs, 9oz and we thought that was on the high side, but she weighed in at a whopping 6lbs, 15oz! She's gained a pound in 10 days! Sadly, she's only in the 10th percentile of weight in her age group. But on the bright side, she's super portable.

Ida's first trip to Target!

Ida no longer wishes to be at Target.

2 Weeks!

2009-01-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that Ida has been around for two weeks! She's a very sweet baby. And there's something about that baby smell that makes you forget that you now only sleep in 90 minute chunks.

She's still super tiny, but she's eating alot. We have a doctor's appointment on Friday and hopefully, she will have gained a bunch of weight. This is her in our queen size bed.

Although she's been working out...

From Ida Rocket - january

...and will not hesitate to hit you in the face.

From Ida Rocket - january

Highlights from week 2 include visits by Uncle Jesse, Grandma Stormy, Grandma Paige, and Grandpa Michael, Titi Irma, Uncle Arieff. And lots of visits with Cousin Penelope and Titi Annie.

Here she is in a new outfit from our friend C. It's a preemie outfit and just a tad too big.

From Ida Rocket - january

In a shirt that Uncle Jesse bought her.

From Ida Rocket - january

One of the onesies that our friend Tin and Heather made and sent to us, along with a bunch of clothes and an amazing handmade quilt.

From Ida Rocket - january

IRX is so cool, she pops the collar of the outfit Titi Annie gave her.

From Ida Rocket - january

She loves her arm up like that. Most nights she sleeps like that too.

From Ida Rocket - january

We also went to court yesterday to start the 2nd parent adoption process. It went well. CP and I now have temporary joint custody until the adoption is finalized, on March 31. Here she is in her court outfit.

From Ida Rocket - january

1 week!

2009-01-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe, but Ida R has been with us for almost a week now. It seems like she's always been apart of our lives. We're still trying to adjust to having a newborn around, but every day it gets easier. And she's such a sweet, gentle baby. We love having her around. All we do is stare at her. Even hiccups provide endless entertainment for us.

The password is: rocket

ida has hiccups from Nina Xoomsai on Vimeo.

She's growing and changing everyday. Just to get a feel for how smal she is, this is her next to an Ugly Doll.

Here's a shot of her skinny froggy legs, with the tiny socks falling off her feet.

Taking a nap in her crib for the first time.

You may kiss my hand.

Oh, and we have a court date to start the 2nd parent adoption, January 20th, an auspicious day.

Hola Robobebe!

2009-01-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Robobebe, aka Ida Rocket, is finally here and guess what? We like her!

She is tiny tiny tiny - only 6lbs, 2oz at birth, and smaller now (which is normal). But she's eating like a champ and we hope that someday soon she will fit into the ten million cute outfits we've been amassing over the past 10 months. For now, even the newborn clothes we bought don't fit, so she wears a lot of blankets. It is worth noting that she is a TALL baby - 20 inches, most of which are in her super long froggie legs:

We are absolutely amazed by her, and spend hours staring at her and laughing at all of her funny faces. Beyond that, there's not much to life with a newborn - she eats, she sleeps, she poops, and every few hours she opens her eyes and looks around before falling back asleep. It is remarkably entertaining, but not so bloggable. There's probably a lot we could say about the labor (hard), breastfeeding (harder), and getting a 4 day old baby to pose on a calendar (hardest). But we'll just leave it at this for now: we're glad you made it Ida Rocket!

Come on, baby, come on!

2008-12-28T20:11:00.001-08:00

Robobebe has a robowardrobe, if only she'd come out into the world. Entering the 39th week, we are desperate for robobebe to make her debut. We are fully aware that she might not come out for another 3 weeks, but CP is ready to get her body back and we are both so excited to meet her already.

Notice a pattern here? Other than how awesome our friends are?

38 Weeks!

2008-12-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

We are at 38 weeks, and the baby is TO TERM! Everything from here on out is a waiting game. One of the little known facts about pregnancy is that a due date is only an average - it is perfectly healthy for a baby to come out anywhere from 37-42 weeks. The idea of being pregnant for another MONTH is unbearable - not only am I so excited to meet the baby, but I am also so excited to not be pregnant anymore! Everyone tells me I will miss being pregnant, and I can see why - there is something lovely and special about knowing there is a little human being growing inside of me. But I am ready to trade that for the lovely and special feeling of kissing little toes and being able touch my own toes. I really really am. So if you think of us and the little robobebe, please take a moment to stop and visualize the baby coming out, say, tomorrow!

We went on another shopping rampage yesterday - this child has more clothes than we do! Unfortunately, I can't post any pictures because the living room feels awfully far away and every time I move I think the baby and my cervix are going to fall out together!

Nursery Done

2008-12-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

Well, for better or for worse, all elements of the nursery have been delivered and put together. Everything turned out to be bigger than expected. Or we misestimated how big the room is. We're still thinking about moving the changing table out of the room, but here is where we've landed for now.

On Tuesday, we will be at 36 weeks. Eagerly counting down the days until she arrives. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. I'm a little scared of a past due CP.

33 Weeks!

2008-11-19T05:20:00.000-08:00

Twenty-eight days until full term! That's a little scary. According to one website, the fetus is the heft of a pineapple and according to another, she's the size of a honeydew melon. I remember when she was the size of a poppy seed. Oh, how quickly they grow.

Here's a picture of CP, taken a few weeks ago, at 31 weeks.

This weekend, we had our little baby party at the Red Line Tap. MJ provided some delicious food. Annie baked 70 (!) cupcakes and as promised, she went out and bought Popeye's. All in all a cool event, alot of our favorite people (the ones in Chicago and Milwaukee anyway) in one room.

So now we're in nursery mode. A few weeks ago, we painted. Here's a picture of the painting in progress. With the help of our friend N, we settled on a light orange. It looked yellow at first, which was fine by CP since yellow is her favorite color. It grew on me and now that it's been a couple of weeks, it's getting more orange. And when the sun is shining, the color is amazing.

Last night, we finally got around to putting up the wall decal. It was not the most fun thing in the world. But worth it in the end. I hope it doesn't give her nightmares.

On Friday, our mattress arrives, as well as the changing table (thanks to Irma and Rachel). So look for more nursery post in the next week or so.

32 weeks!

2008-11-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

I know I promised to post pictures of the nursery, a while back, after I painted it, but I was hoping to have some other elements (art, mattress, rug)in place before I did. But none of that looks like it's going to happen any time soon. So I will post some "in progress" photos. Except I have no time, ever.

This weekend is our Kegger for Pregger baby party. I'm excited to have all of our friends together in one place, except for the friends who don't live in Chicago.

Last weekend, we went looking for a rug and bedding. This is what we bought instead.

From Old Navy, of all places:

This was made for Robobebe, minus the shirt.

One of the very few pink things she owns, but I think we're okay with pink as long as it's not pastel or too saccharine. And by "we", I mean "me".

This is just cute. Love the use of orange.

And for when the baby goes to visit Sue and Gwen, her first pair of overalls.

Whoops!

2008-10-26T12:58:00.001-07:00

I meant to post pictures of CP!

This was taken a little over a month ago, when she was at 25 weeks:
And this was taken today, a few days shy of 30 weeks:

30 Weeks!

2008-10-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we're approaching the 30th week of being pregnant and so far, so good. Only 8-12 weeks to go! Two weekends ago, we went out to IKEA and bought the nursery furniture and last week, finally accepted defeat and hired one of CP's students to build the wardrobe. It worked out wonderfully. One of a handful of times there were no tears during assembly.

All of a sudden, the sight of this makes it feel so real:

The clothes (this is just half of it) have been washed, folded, and hung up in the wardrobe:

Our friend Nako came over last night for a color consult and to edit what we have, as we are the type of people who cannot make a decision to save our lives. She brought a present that she and our friend Sue bought for us while Nako was visiting Sue in Northampton. Our new favorite piece of clothing:

We're going to go buy paint this week and hopefully by next weekend, the room will be painted. Here are some "before" pictures.

The crib is IKEA. The Eames rocker is a Craigslist find. The guy selling it described it as "kitchsy" and was selling it for a steal. Five minutes after he said it was still available, I was at his door, cash in hand. The mini chair I bought for 50 cents at a garage sale in Milwaukee about 10 years ago. It's been waiting all this time for Robobebe.

I never thought I would have so much green and orange in my house. I never thought I would love the color combination of green, orange and blue.

Here's a view from the outside. The room is not that big. The artwork is by one of our favorite artists, Tara McPherson. The rocker was a splurge, even though it was on deep discount. But so worth it.

We were trying to decide which prints to put in the nursery, the others will go in our bedroom and my office.

When I emailed the company to ask what color the "brick red" was, more salmon or more burgandy, I was told, "Brick red is the color of red brick." Thanks. Luckily, it turned out to be a lovely shade of red brick.

Check back next week to see which color we went with.

Shoes!

2008-10-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

These shoes are so cute, I want to throw up.

I've been thinking (again) about learning how to sew. Maybe I should learn how to make baby shoes.

We had our first Natural Birthing class yesterday. It's an 8 week class about childbirth and what to expect and strategies to get through it and all that. It was interesting enough, an introduction, things we already know. It took place at this pro-La Leche, pro-cloth diapering "progressive" place and I was surprised (and a little shocked, although I shouldn't be) that even there, how sexism rears its ugly head. They are pretty good about having clothes in a variety of colors, not just pink and blue. But we were looking at the toys and they had these wooden "dress up" puzzle toys and the boy costumes included fireman, policeman, and some other -man type occupation. The girl costumes included a flowered shirt in pink, a flowered shirt in purple, and some Blossom hats. It was sick.

Anyway, class was fine. We were the only same sex couple there, but no one seemed to care. In fact, we were the life of the party. We are going to make america love the gays, one person at a time. Love us enough to help fight for our rights.

2008-09-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

The best thing about having the one of the first kids in your immediate friends circle? Having friends splurge on cute things for your baby that you love but would never buy. Our friend Heather was in town this weekend and a few months ago she asked me if we'd rather have her buy us something practical, like diapers or something extravagant, like shoes. I think my answer was diapers. And I think I meant it at the time. But thank god she doesn't listen to me.

After a conversation with CP about how we want a little girl in a dress and combat boots, Heather bought us these:

They are my favorite things ever. And she was very thoughtful in getting them for us. They were taken away from us for a day when Heather's rental car was stolen and then taken for a joy ride, used in many robberies, and then crashed into someone's garage. Luckily, the guy was stupid enough to get out of the car to fight the people whose garage he hit, they called the cops and the guy was apprehended. Miraculously, the shoes were still in the car, wrapped in brown paper with a purple bow. So we drove out to some suburb in the middle of the night to reclaim them. So worth it, don't you think?

Also, we hit a milestone today! As far as the Countdown to Robobebe goes, we are now in the double digits. 99 days and counting...

2008-09-24T05:13:00.001-07:00

Plans to be not-quite-so-obsessed with buying baby clothes have been completely undone by this onesie:

NX saw it this morning on the Shop-a-holic list from NY Magazine, along with 134 other cute and affordable baby outfits. This is the standout for me, not counting a $54 owl print onesie that would be a ridiculous extravagance even for us. I have been collecting black baby clothes whenever I can, which is easier said than done because black is not a popular colour for baby outfits, unless they say things like "I'm the [beep]" or "I'm [Beeping] Awesome." I'm not ready to start our kid on cussing, especially before they can even talk. But I do think black is a fabulous neutral, the go-to colour in both my closet and NX's. So later today I'm off to Target to acquire the above, and then later next month I'll be stocking up on all the Halloween leftovers, if by "all" you mean "only those that don't have pumpkins and ghosts on them." In the meantime, if you see any black baby clothes - scoop 'em up!

2008-09-19T05:53:00.000-07:00

We have a problem.
We are obsessed with buying baby clothes.
Like... really obsessed.

NX called me the other day to tell me: "I think I have a disease." Turns out, despite our repeated vows to stop buying clothes for a baby who hasn't even been born yet, she'd dropped $30 on a baby outfit while trying to buy a present for someone else. In fairness... it is a really cute outfit! They all are. Which is why we've already had to move our stash of baby clothes from a shelf in our hall closet to its own little storage box.

When that happened, we promised to take it easy. We recited the cost of diapers. College. Buying a crib. No more baby clothes! No matter how cute and tiny and sweet they are. And we were great until yesterday, really, a whole 4 days! But then NX e-mailed me about a sale at minisocial.com. She says she was hoping I would tell her not to buy any more clothes. Yeah right - has she seen MY closet lately? No one ever accused me of holding back when it comes to shopping! And they were so cute! And tiny! And sweet! And ON SALE! Oh well... you know the end of this story... It involves a plum and navy tunic onesie and a shawl collared baby jacket.

Here are a few - just a few - of our favourite things:

We're going to have to take this obsession to the thrift store!

Week 23

2008-09-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

How does time move so slowly and so quickly at the same time? CP is entering her 24th week of pregnancy next week and it feels like months until the 3rd trimester (only 4 weeks) and years until we meet the baby. But when we think about all that we have to do to prepare, it feels like we're going to run out of time. First is the birthing classes, which last 8 weeks, so we need to get on that. Second is getting the nursery ready if we can ever decide on a color palette.

One thing that has been fun is stroller shopping, which is not different than buying a car. In fact, we met a enthusiastic salesman who turned us onto a variation of a jogging stroller (although neither CP nor I plan on doing much jogging, ever). He told me it was so sturdy even I could get in it and then told me to. I thought he was joking, but he insisted I sit in the stroller to see how strong it was and how smooth a ride it gave. I got in reluctantly, but he was right. I may end up buying one for myself. Perhaps a twin stroller so CP and push us both around.

It's a....

2008-08-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Chinese Calendar said: Boy!
Old Wives Tales about Fruit said: Boy!
Curandera said: Boy!
Position Coya is Carrying in said : Boy!
All of the dreams about our baby said: Boy!

Today's ultrasound said: GIRL!!!!!!!!

We're in shock but looking forward to all kinds of stylish hand me downs from her beautiful cousins Penelope and Olympia.

Here she is (a picture of a picture until we can get it scanned):

And some video of the ultrasound, unedited for clarity or to excise the evidence of our constant worrying about the baby: