Shots, Virus and E-I-E-I-O

Rex received a flu shot and his polio immunization yesterday. He didn't cry at all thanks to my friend Megan. She gave me a tube of topical lidocaine to put on his legs an hour before the doctors appointment. It numbed the shot spots! THANK YOU MEGAN!! We are going back next Monday for his official 18 month check up and 4 more shots. More lidocaine then!
(Rex is learning the word "light". I say light and he points to it...)




Yesterday morning I noticed a little rash on Rex's hands and feet. He also has a small cancre sore in his mouth. It turns out that he has Hand, Foot and Mouth Virus (not related to Foot and Mouth Disease in cows!). The rash looks like small pimples. Evidentally it's really common right now in kids and lasts about a week. It can cause sore throats and fever. This explains why Rex woke up with a fever 2 nights ago at 2:30 am and has been pickier with eating! He has been teething this week too (4 molars coming at once). He is in pretty good spirits during the day despite the circumstances.




Last Christmas Rex received this Old MacDonald Book from the Mullins family. For the past year we have been singing the song and showing him the animals on the book. Now he is finally singing "E-I-E-E-OOOOOO" with us!

Rex's 1st Train

Rex received his first Brio Train Set from our friends Guillermo and Laura! He loves watching the train, but wants to destroy the track after about 5 minutes....

Morning Hike to Baker Beach

Rex and I went on a hike this morning around the Baker Beach headlands. He's very happy to be outside in a nice wide open space. We bought a backpack a few weeks ago and I've been trying to make more use of it. Especially before the rainy season comes. Rex really likes riding in the pack. When we got to the beach he ran around for awhile, but mean old dad wouldn't let him jump in the water. This kid has no sense of self preservation!
Couldn't really see any evidence of the oil spill, but how would I know. I just tried to keep Rex's hands out of his mouth. The beach was as beautiful as ever. Great time to be out there.

Failure at the Christmas Tree Lighting

Rex and I spent the afternoon with our friends Kenny and Megan. Brandi was sleeping off her graveyard shift from last night. We had turkey day leftovers and then took BART to Union Square for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree. I usually try to get out of the house even if I'm not sure how Rex will behave. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't. Tonight's trip to Union Square was definitely the latter. What I learned is that a crowded square jammed with thousands of people is not the best place for a 1 year old just an hour away from bedtime. Good to know!
Rex was screaming in the stroller when we got there, so I tried holding him. That was just as miserable so he got his wish and I put him down. And here I am, chasing this kid through throngs of shoppers/tree gazers, trying to keep him from danger. After about 15 minutes of that, he finally punched his ticket out by flailing around in a frenzy on the sidewalk, banging the back of his head aganist the pavement. His head made a thump sound and I heard another father nearby say "Oh, ouch!" Perfect. We're out of here.
We had a great time at Kenny and Megan's house by the way, so it wasn't all bad. Maybe next year Rex will actually know what a tree is and we can try again. Until then, I'll add tonight's misadventure to my list of bad ideas.
We did manage to get this photo taken when all was happy on the subway.

Happy Thanksgiving

Since Feb I have a new job and am low on the seniority list. That means I get to work most holidays or atleast the day after and before for the next few years. This year we are here for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have been pretty bummed that we won't be with our families eating oodles of food. Nick convinced me that we should just make the most of the day with our own little family. So, last night I started a little cooking....Butternut Squash and Carrot soup. It turned out to be pretty yummo. Today I slept in while Nick watched Rex (gotta get a little extra sleep before working tonight from 11:30 pm- 8 am). After I woke, NIck made a couple of pumpkin pies. He has made these the past 3 years and prides himself on each little detail. I tried to help him roll the dough...He told me to stop mico-managing. The pies look good! So here is the meal that we threw together...


Crackers with Brie and Manchego Cheese
Rotiserie Chicken (made by Whole Foods) for Nick/Veggie Pot Pie for Brandi
Salad
Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
Steamed Green Beans
Artisan Bread with Butter
Pumpkin Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Wine and Coffee

The meal was simple and really good. Rex ate everything except with chicken and wine. Nick actually tried to shove a piece of meat in his mouth, but he promptly spit it out...he's just like his Mamma!


Speaking of Mamma, Rex has been doing this funny thing where when I say "say Mamma", he says "DAAAAAA-DAAAAA' really loud. It's actually pretty funny. He says "Da-Da" all of the time, but usually only "Mamma" when he's distressed. Isn't that odd? I guess it feels good that he looks to me for comfort!

The last pic is of me feeding Rex his first bite of pumpkin pie with ice cream. Notice that we actually used the fine china today!!

I am so thankful for my little family. Happy Thanksgiving!

First Burger Blog

Hello. We are now blogging. So look out! Brandi has been keeping a written journal since Rex was born, but we decided to get with the times and post our photos, etc. so more people could check in with us. So what's new? Let's see. Nothing. Well, we did host Brandi's dad Paul and his wife Lisa last weekend. They came for four days and we spent most of the time kicking around San Francico with Rex. But we did manage to get out to wine country on Satruday and then a quick trip to Muir Woods on Sunday. I don't think we convinced Paul to move to California, but we did change his mind on California wines. It was great to see them. We have been mostly immobile since Rex was born. Brandi and I are both too scared to get on a plane with him. He can be a screamer.
Brandi is working every night of this Thanksgiving weekend, so that means when she comes home in the moring to sleep through the day I'll take care of Rex. So if you're looking for something to be thankful for, be thankful you're not chasing a 1 year old around San Francisco for 4 straight days. Actually, that sounds too harsh. The first day is really great. It's fun to be with him. The second day, it's still pretty good. Third day is when the fatigue sets in and I'm looking forward to Brandi waking up. Fourth day I hide in bed.
That's it for now. Enjoy these photos!

Love,
Nick and Brandi