Kokochi

Rachel and Cesar visit

Rachel and Cesar hadn't seen Tesla for quite some time, so I was delighted they came over to see Tesla. We hung out, ordered Japanese food for dinner, and caught up on our busy lives. It's so nice to have friends come to us. Although going out is fine, it does take planning and lots of energy. Having people over in the comfort of our home helps a lot. We have Ele and Will coming for a week beginning today, then Yuka (from high school) from L.A. will be up here and we'll hang with Kimi, then Lorene from DC is planning to visit for a week thereafter, and then Burning Man! A week after BM, we head for Tokyo. So although Tesla is a handful, she isn't really slowing us down...yet : )

New Behavior

New behavior for the rest of us, not Tesla, that is... Now that Tesla has a louder, angrier cry that is more than the cute newborn "I'm hungry" cries, she can make a real fuss. We've noticed that recently Wakame gets quite concerned when Tesla cries loudly. She comes around and meows at whomever is holding her. At first, I couldn't tell if Wakame was just complaining or if she was worried. But by the way she will actually come to wherever I am and hang out meowing distinctly at me until Tesla stops crying, I think she's definitely interested in Tesla getting the attention she needs. I guess some cross-species maternal instinct may have kicked in. Kats, on the other hand, doesn't care for the crying. He cuddles up to me every night in bed, leaves every time she cries at night, returns when all is quiet, and purrs very loudly if I'm awake and cuddle him back (I do miss hugging and smelling him, so I totally enjoy that he's back in bed with me). Me?

• I've vacuumed the whole house with Tes sleeping soundly in the BabyBjourn on me
• I've breastfed in a discount store dressing room
• I zoomed through Macy's to the 3rd floor ladies room only to hear that there are chairs for sitting on the 6th floor ladies room, so I raced up there holding Tesla with one arm, guiding the stroller with the other since she was about to cry for food. Got to the 6th floor to find - gasp - stairs to the bathroom! Put Tes in the stroller, lifted the whole dang thing up the stairs, ran to the bathroom and fed Tes in the nick of time. Sat there for over 30 minutes. But, I DID go show shopping even after that!
• I can grab things, such as the TV remote, with my foot when I'm stuck with Tes feeding on me and nothing to do but watch silly TV (strangest TV show I've discovered so far: "Sweet 16" that showcases Sweet 16 birthday parties of super bratty kids, costing $200K+)
• I've lost my ability to understand dates and times. This past week, I misunderstood 4 engagements. I didn't miss anything, but thought things were at different times only to luckily be corrected before the matter, but it all left me utterly confused. Where is my brain??
• I eat MORE than when I was pregnant. I'll finish dinner, then crave a PBJ at 10:30
• I don't need to sleep that much! I thought I'd die when I imagined this phase since I've always been a solid 8+ hour sleeper. We head to bed between 10 and 11 or so. Tesla gave up her 5 hour stretches, and now does 2 hours average. So I wake up to feed her at 1am or so, 3 am, then 5 or 6 am. But you know what? I'm ready to get up in the morning, and even though I wait for the need to nap in the day, I keep going...
• Went shopping in the morning and was swaying to and fro to prevent Tesla from crying when I was at the cashier. I looked up and saw several other mothers all swaying too.

Quick upload of pics

Boy, it is hard to blog! I take pictures, but don't get around to uploading...especially when I want to describe each photo since they mean so much. I'm gonna have to adjust to quick updates... First, Ms. Jen came to visit. I feel so honored as she squeezed in time to see me and Tesla after speaking at BlogHer and in between her various other engagements. I love her spirit, and got to hear some cool stories about her grad work in Ireland. She's planning on moving to the Bay Area in October when she graduates. Yay! She's an avid moblogger, and showed off her new Nokia phone. Darn, it's sweet. Would cost almost as much as it costs to fly to Tokyo...I'm so jealous. Me want! Other pics are of course, Tesla. Her on-tummy-time with daddy under her new play gimini, her cute cute butt, various expressions, and yesterday's dinner (green-tea soba with tempura and seaweed salad).

At Yerba Buena Park

To meet daddy for lunch on the grass.

Jazz and Blues

I wanted to listen to some 30's jazz, and when I asked Dav if he had some, he pulled out this old school record player and some nice albums he got from his mother years ago. The sun set, Tesla was sleeping, I munched on food, and blogged. All is well : )

new activities

Tesla has a few new "firsts": we decided to slowly introduce a pacifier. I've read a lot about this and initially didn't want to use one at all, but seriously there were way too many moments when Tesla used me as a human pacifier, totally not hungry for the boob but using me just for comfort. That's all nice and well, but every so often, I need rest. So in the interest of a balanced life, we decided to experiment just a little. Well...she doesn't really like it. But the few times she has sucked on it totally reminded me of the baby on the Simpsons with that sucking sound and the pacifier moving in/out...really cute! We also started giving her a few moments on her belly to let her use her neck. Daddy has been the coach in this. Lastly, we gave her breast milk in a bottle for the first time. We heard that some babies, if not introduced to the bottle til later, might reject it even when necessary (ie. when I go back to work), so we're going to have her use the bottle 2x a week with breast milk. She didn't seem to mind it. Plus, this allows daddy to feed her : )

Happy Birthday Elida!

Today is Elida's b-day. We did a small celebration earlier, but today is the day, and her family joined. It's the first time I got to meet her lovely parents and siblings. Elida has gone all out and spoiled me rotten on my b-day the last few years, but with Tesla on my hands, I wasn't able to do much special activities : ( The gathering today was a BBQ in Dolores Park. First, it took me about 2 hours to get there! First, to leave, I kept having to feed Tes, then change her diaper. Then our neighbors whom I've been wanting to meet saw me leaving and invited me to meet their baby girl. Then after loading the car with a mountain of baby stuff, I stopped by the deli for some items to bring. Then I had to feed Tes again...but I made it there! Once there, Tesla dozed the whole time. Elida's mom kindly held her while I chowed down on super yummy BBQ by Elida's dad. I was pretty tired by the end of the afternoon, but totally happy I made it out. Happy Birthday Elida!!

another mlle a. beautiful creation

I was flabbergasted (I love that word) when I received a beautiful gift package from mlle a. that contained handmade items for Tesla, myself, Dav, and my mom! I got a lovely hair pin, Dav got chocolate, and my mom a little something that I'm sending to her without opening since it's so nicely wrapped. And Tesla, my golly...she got the most precious handmade bib, with matching booties, and a burping towel. They are too nice to use, but I'm a firm believer of using lovely things instead of saving them away. So I get to relish whipping out a matching handmade burping towel that matches Tesla's bib. Thank you, mlle a. for taking the time and thought. It really really touches me!

Lots of cuteness

I love watching Tesla and Daddy cuddle up. She seems so big to me now as she grows everyday, but when I see her with Dav, I love noticing how small she still is. I also, um, love her cute butt. A butt picture is not easy to take, but I always give her butt a pat when doing a diaper change. Is loving her butt strange?

Daddy's big hand

Or Tesla's small head.