catching up

I have been meaning to post some recent video of Isaac for a little while so here they are. I have selected five that highlight how we spend our days. There is lots of laugher and discovery.

#1: Playing Harp with Dad: Isaac has enjoyed listening to david play the harp for a while now, but this was the first time that he actually tried to participate.





#2: Finding Ernie: It has been amazing watching Isaac show us what he has probably known for a long time. He is now getting things we ask for and pointing to things we mention.





#3: Cuddling with Mom: This past month Isaac has become a lot more cuddly. I am not sure if it is because he has been under the weather, or if he is just enjoying the some down time, but I am loving every minute.





#4: Laughing,Laughing,Laughing : Need I say more?





#5: Being Silly : This is how we spend most evenings... just being goofy and having fun.

takashi murakami @ moca

Today we ventured to the temporary comtemporary at moca to see the takashi murakami show. We entered just as Sasha Baron Cohen , Isla Fisher, and baby Olive were leaving.
The show was phenomenal. I felt like I was transported to a whimsical alternate world for a an hour. Isaac was fixated on all of the colors, textures, and shapes. Each room had a wonderfully different feel, but at the same time managed to feel a part of the bigger collective. It was so much fun taking Isaac to the museum, especially to this exhibit.

11 months

I cant believe Isaac is 11 months, and that we are celebrating his last 'monthly' birthday. In so many ways it seems that he has been in our lives forever, but then again I cant believe what a little boy he has become in rapid time.
Izzy is now pointing to everything. Most of the pointing seems quite intentional, as if to say, "Hey mom, look at ____." He seems so proud of this new accomplishment.
In addition he has become incredibly decisive about what he wants and doesn't want, likes and doesn't like, etc. He will bring us a book to read, and once we are done reading it he makes sure to let us know which one to read next. If you choose one he doesn't like, he shuts the cover immediately. If there is a food he isn't interested in eating, there is no way he will eat it. He now picks through his plate and enjoys what he wants, leaving the things he isn't interested in.
Isaac is able to retrieve items by name. If you ask him to get ernie, a truck, his Gandhi doll, or a myriad of other things, he will get them. If you ask him to point to certain items in books he knows, he will point to them. He knows where the cats are at all times.
In addition, he is climbing up and down the stairs in our house, quite gracefully I might add. He is cruising around, standing with very little assistance. He is sporting 6 teeth, and eating almost everything.
Other than the colds he seems to get every other week, he is a wonderfully happy little guy. Each day brings new adventures, challenges, and milestones. I intend to savor every day of this first year, and am so looking forward to whats ahead.

the steamiest star spotting

I had to post just to say today on our Monday lunch with bubie, Isaac and I had the greatest start spotting. McSteamy, aka Eric Dane of Grey's Anatomy, was eating at Hugos today too!!! Holy stars HE IS STEAMY. I am not one to be easily "star struck", but I have to say this was one of my most delightful run ins. For those who care, or want to know, he was wearing a plain white tee, jeans, and a pair of gold rimmed aviators. He wasn't with his wife, but seemed to be with family friends including two young kids. Always fun to see someone who you enjoy watching on the tube. Hopefully next time, McDreamy will come popping in.

a glorious grey weekend

Hubby and I ventured north this weekend to Santa Barabra... our first weekend away since the bambino entered our lives. David just finished a grueling week at work. And I was spent after dealing with back to back illnesses with Isaac.
On our agenda for the weekend: DO AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. I think we accomplished our goal. We took a long wonderful uninterrupted nap in the middle of the day (without baby monitor). We took a walk on the beach and gathered drift wood. We visited the spa and enjoyed a jacuzzi and steam. David read, I knit. I took a bath, a long shower, several hours to get ready for dinner. We then headed out to Downey's for dinner. I had wanted to try this restaurant for a long time. Husband and wife, john and liz, own and operate this tiny jewel. I have to mention that we were the youngest patrons in the joint (second to dennis franz). The food is carefully crafted from Santa Barbara's local farmer's producs. Everything was at season's peak. The butternut squash soup was in both of our opinions, the best soup we had every eaten.
We woke up the next morning and headed to IHOP. That's right... David and my guilty pleasure. We have to hit at least one on every road trip we take. Every time we leave, we concur that we have had our fix for the year. We are both fans of the german pancakes with a side of hash browns - well done, of course.
On the way back to Westlake to pick up Isaac, we stopped in Camarillo for a movie. We saw Into the Wild, which far surpassed both of our expectations. I can tell a good movie by how it resonates with me, and I am still thinking about it. I would highly recommend it to anyone. The soundtrack was wonderful, the imagery beautiful on th eyes, and the storyline inspiring to say the least.

mr. roseola

Our poor little guy, and frankly, poor mama and dada. This has been quite a week. It all started with a little Isaac getting a little fever. It continued to come and go for the next 3 days. We would give him Tylenol, and it would go down. Once it wore off, the fever came back. Every time I called the pediatrician's office, the nurse said "sounds like teething". I continued to watch him, but seeing that he does have tooth #5 and #6 pushing through, I hoped that it was the teething. On Thursday the fever went down, but he still wasn't himself. He was incredibly fussy and just not himself. Friday he woke up at 5am (not our son),and voila, the rash appeared. I freaked out having no idea what it was. I thought chickenpox? measles? what the ****? I called gramma barb, and she immediately said "sounds like roseola".
She was right. As if parenting isn't hard enough, it seems that I continually learn about new stuff AS IT IS HAPPENING. Dr. Shulman promptly yelled at his nurses for suggesting that a fever could be a result of teething. Apparenlty 80% of kids under the age of 3 get roseola at some point, and it is highly contagious. The kicker is that it is most contagious before the rash presents itself, so you really don't know what it is until the end. I am convinced Isaac contracted it from one of his little friends, and returned the favor to several others over the course of the week.
To those babies with high fevers followed by rashes, and to those parents who are pulling their hair out... we're so sorry.
Our little man seems to be on the mend. He had a 3 hour nap in his stroller (yes he is not feeling well) at Topanga Mall. When we got home he was in good spirits, eating well, and (im crossing my fingers) seeming much more like himself.

the first sweater

So I tried my first garment and loved it. I thought I would start with something small, so of course a sweater for Izzy came to mind. I also wanted to do something classic... so cabling was in order. It was easier than I thought. After knitting turtles, and chipmunks, the shaping was a breeze. I spent a fair amount of time at la knitterie parisienne on Saturday getting some help from edith on putting the thing together. I finished it off with a few vintage woven leather buttons. I made a 18-24 months size thinking it would take me a long time, so little Isaac has some growing room.
My current endeavor, a little sweater/jacket for me!

trick or treat

Last night we celebrated Halloween with our little one. Those who know me can attest to the fact that I am not a huge fan of Halloween, and I loathe costumes, but I have to admit that it was a pretty fun holiday now that Isaac is in the picture. Bubie and Popu came in spirited seventies costumes. Me... not so much. I put a little glitter on my eyes and called it a day.
We took Isaac to the Beeman park area to trick or treat. There was a carnival at the park, and the houses around had great decorations and fun jack o' lanterns.

and hey, who can pass up free candy.

As David said, we 'rented' Isaac just so we could score a little loot, but as rentals go, we thought he was the cutest, granted only, itsy bitsy spider out there.