It's been quite a first year with our Naomi. Shortly after she was born, our midwife pronounced that the 9lb 5oz newborn was quite "rugged." Her size, her presence, and her volume in those first moments of life indeed have revealed a rugged spirit in Naomi.
"Gusto" also comes to mind -- every accomplishment, milestone, injury, and sickness has been done, met, survived, and weathered with gusto. On the eve of her birthday, true to form, Naomi split her lip in the bath, an injury that led to a gory scene, more gray hairs for me and Bret, and a 1-year-old who's little worse for the wear.
We celebrated her birthday today at our favorite family place, Tolo Cellars, a quaint and comfy winery in Paso Robles. It was a lovely summer scene made complete with family and dear friends, a picnic, strawberry cheesecake, our favorite wine, and a birthday girl who, surprisingly, did not put her face in the cake (she did, however, touch the burning candle, which left red wax on her finger).
and other July activities
The girls have been so cute together...
Natalie is allowed to jump on our bed only with Mommy or Daddy in the room. This time, I had the camera...
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and some random photos
We're healthy! Naomi's walking! Natalie's writing! Naomi's almost 1! The sun is shining (more than it was a week ago, anyway)!
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It's been a bit of a gloomy summer, in more ways than one. The fog has kept things cool (no complaints here) but may also be to blame for keeping us sick. From a vacation-canceling stomach issue to a lingering Kathleen-Turner-sounding sore throat and cough, the girls and I have been weathering more than our summer share of sickness. And we're not the only ones to be sicker than usual for the season -- lots of yuckiness seems to be going around...
But we're still managing to have a wonderful time with friends and family, with plenty of outdoor fun. Here are some photos to chase the gloom away.
Natalie shares one of the strawberries she picked herself at a farm in Arroyo Grande on June 29.
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I'm hooked on making Etsy treasuries. It's like being a curator for a private art gallery. But there's also a small element of competition involved -- the loveliest treasuries get featured on the front page of Etsy. In further trying to justify my recent addiction, I've thought of this treasury-making kick as shopping without spending any money, making wish lists, playing an online game, supporting fellow Etsy sellers, and creating an art project -- all at the same time. Here are the titles of the treasuries I've created thus far:
Typing in Technicolor
Christmas in July
Affordable Treasures (my birthday wish list)
First birthday (with Naomi in mind)
32nd birthday (with myself in mind; not a wish list)
Sassy Summer Fruit my newest, inspired by one of Naomi's cute summer outfits
I challenge you to create a treasury. (I think you just need an Etsy account -- you don't have to be a seller, as far as I know.)
Enjoy!
a book review
I just finished a thought-provoking book that takes a look at data collected over the past couple generations. I'm glad I read it, and am eager to recommend it and discuss it with anyone...
'Generation Me' reads like an essential textbook for those of us born in the 70s, 80s, and 90s who want to gain the big-picture perspective on why our generation is the way it is. The author is also of this generation and handles the myriad data with self-awareness, wit, and expertise.
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Here are some photos of early summer fun, indoors and out... As you'll see from the last two photos, Naomi is close to walking!
... anywhere my kids are happy
In this case, my happy place was a very kid-friendly winery in Paso Robles last month (I've been meaning to post these pics for a while). I could use a reminder of happier times. Right now, I'm in the third day of a gnarly stomach bug that's forced me to scrap my travel plans. I was going to take the girls up to Santa Rosa for a week, but now I can't stray more than 10 feet from the bathroom... And this is the fourth time since Thanksgiving that sickness has ruined vacation/party plans for us!
On the flip side, I feel a peace about scrapping the travel plans, and I know something good will come of my staying home this week. Maybe some more blog posts, at the very least...
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