Amelia's 1st Birthday Party!

Saturday was Amelia's 1st birthday party. This was the second birthday party I attended in my 5 short weeks of life (I went to Rocco's 1st birthday party when I was just 16 days old). Amelia was so cute! I was pretty jealous of her BIG birthday cupcake, but I am still on mommy's milk only so I only get cake second hand. Amelia was a perfect little lady and picked at her cake so she didn't mess her birthday outfit.

I met a lot of people at the party for the first time, Erin, Sean, Amelia, Taylor, Nate, Jett, Raliegh, Lindsay, Eric...etc. And I got to spend more time with Melissa, Carlos, Landon, and Baby Tatum. Everyone had a lot of fun in the sunny East Bay.

Daddy tried to tell me it was a party and it was ok to have a drink. I learned from my mommy, 'Just say NO' I'm too young.

My 5 Week Dr. Appointment

Today we had to wake Barrett up from this very cozy napping spot and take him to his 5 week Dr. appt. Here are the new stats for our Baby Bear compared to his two week visit:

• Weight - 11lbs, 4ozs (88%) up from 8lbs, 13ozs. Someone is a little piggy, look at those cheeks...
• Height - 21 3/4" (75%) up from 20 1/2"
  
• Noggin' - in the 75% up from the 9% (what a difference three weeks can make, who knew your head could grow so fast) This was the one that Mommy was most worried about. I was upset that he had a small head, but problem solved I guess.
  

Dr. Trujillo said all was well, keep doing what we are doing because we have a happy, healthy baby. You can't ask for more than that!

Daddy is on Duty

My Daddy is getting good with the bottle. He was on duty Friday so Mommy could go work out. It was the first day Mommy was back in the gym since I was born (+plus a few weeks before I was born - maybe months - but who's counting)!

Daddy loves the Brest Friend too, it is so convenient...

Lunch in Berkeley

The grand plan was that Melissa and I were going to hang out all the time since we were both on maternity leave together. Reality check: Linsey with a newborn for the first time trying to get it all figured out, Melissa with a newborn and a toddler stretching her thin, Linsey in the East Bay, Melissa in the city. Do you see the obstacles? We have almost seen each other once a week, so I think that is still pretty good. This week we met up in North Berkeley for lunch. We arrived a little late which was perfect. The four of us practically had the place to ourselves, which is nice when you are taking up room with two strollers.

Tatum and Barrett enjoyed their lunch date. The two of them always attract a lot of attention. Melissa and I think it is funny how many people come up and chat with us. When we were pregnant we always had people ask us if we planned it together. I think people still think the same thing as we tote around our newborns.

My First Video Post

Jeff just showed me how to load the Flip videos on the computer and upload them to the blog. I am going to try to start capturing more videos of Barrett since the camera images don't always say it all. I am posting our favorite video of Barrett to date. Barrett was three weeks old in this video and he had just got up for the day. This is pretty much how all of his first days went, what a way to start the morning...

Playtime in the Rainforest

We unpacked Barrett's Rainforest Playmat yesterday after Auntie Melissa said it was time. He is still getting used to it and exploring it all but he seems very interested. He spent 30 min. today on his back staring up at the lights. He even reached up and touched one of the toys. So far, his favorite is the colorful toucan rattle.

Puddy saw how much fun Barrett was having and thought he would try out the playmat too...

Lunch at Google

Mommy and I spent all day in the house yesterday so we needed to get out today. Back in that comfy car seat again; we went down to Mountain View and took advantage of some free Google food. Mommy misses having dessert everyday for lunch (blackberry-peach cobbler today). I got to hang out with CC and Aidymar. They were both so surprised how much bigger I am and how awake I was today. I also showed them how I am learning to use my binkie. Before we left stopped by the Google store and Mommy bought my Google and YouTube onsies.

I'm a Music Lover

Barrett is spending more time awake and starting to move out of his sleepy baby phase. He is more alert everyday and responding to things around him. He sat in his swing the other day and listened to Daddy serenade him with his guitar. It was very cute!
Daddy had learned 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star' while we were pregnant but has since decided that is not the song for Barrett. Barr ett got his first taste of Alice in Chains during this session.

Go Big Red!

My Aunt Robyn bought me my first Husker gear that I can finally fit into this week. I think I look good in this color...Go Big Red!

A Visit from Sandy and Rachel

Last Sunday Sandy and Rachel made a special trip just to visit me. I was a good boy for them all day, they were so impressed! Mommy told me to be on my best behavior because this was an important visit. I needed to convince Rachel how you can have a good, easy baby so that she will hurry up and get pregnant already. I think I did a good job.
After a visit at the house we all went to lunch at Cafe Esin. I slept the entire time and let the ladies enjoy their lunch. Just like old times, they enjoyed a glass of wine, cheese plate, and yummy dessert.
Another good sign for Rachel that your life doesn't have to change completely...

Tummy Time

Dr. Trujillo told me that I really needed to work on my Tummy Time before my next appointment at 5 weeks. I am trying, but sometimes I am just not in the mood. It is hard work. The other day I just told Mommy, with a very adamant cry, that I was not doing it today.

Mommy understands what I mean, she says it is very similar to the feeling she gets when she thinks about going back to the gym.

A Visit from Aunt Holly and Uncle Doug

Aunt Holly and Uncle Doug came by to meet Baby Barrett last weekend. They had heard all the news and seen all the pictures but needed to hold the real thing. Aunt Holly said she didn't want to put Barrett down. She misses when Kylie and Jake were babies, but now they have two amazing 'grown up' kids!

Uncle Dougie, who is an expert Daddy, showed us a few new techniques. Jeff said it was nostalgic to see Doug and Holly with our baby. We remember visiting them after Kylie was born and watching them as new parents.

The Archers were in our neck of the woods because they were looking at homes in Tracy. Uncle Dougie has a potential job in the area. We hope he takes it and we can have them 30 min. away. We would love to have our friends close so we could spend more time together and watch our kids grow up. We're keeping our fingers crossed!

Fish in Sausalito

Last Saturday we jumped in our car seat and headed out for lunch at Fish with Cheri and Gareth. We have been wanting to go to Fish for over a year now. The last time we tried I was so disappointed, we showed up only to find they were closed for the entire month of January.

It was a gorgeous day in the North Bay, warm and sunny. We sat outside (in the shade of course to protect our precious baby skin) and enjoyed the food and the company of the witty couple. We always thoroughly enjoy Gareth's lessons on words, phrases, and etiquette from the English culture. And I'm sorry Cheri, I have to agree that the accent is sexy!

Evening Strolls...

We have been trying to get out in the evenings after Daddy gets home from work and take evening strolls. It has been getting pretty hot out here in the East Bay which makes it hard to go for walks during the day. Our UppaBaby stroller (which I absolutely love...) came with a bassinet attachment so we lay Barrett down and hit the road. He loves being outside and is usually very content as we cruise around the neighborhood. It's good for Mommy to get out of the house and get moving too, we have a few more lbs to shed to get back to pre-baby weight...

My First Bottle

Barrett was served his first bottle the other nightfrom his Daddy. It was a rough day for Mommy feeding him on demand every hour or hour and a half. He must have been going through a little growth spurt. I just couldn't imagine he could still be hungry so I thought he must have drained my milk supply for the day and he wasn't getting enough each feeding. I felt so bad thinking he was still hungry and not going to get anything from me so Jeff broke out the first bottle. He drained 2 oz in no time flat!

I was a little upset because people say you should hold off on offering the first bottle until your baby is 4 to 6 weeks old. I now realize what people say and what you do are not always going to be in sync. Every baby, every situation is different. Sometimes you do what you have to do and just go with it...

Sleepy Smiles

While we love it when our little man is awake, some of the best moments with Barrett are when he is sleeping. Jeff and I love to watch our baby's sleepy smile. I've been reading up on why newborns smile in their sleep and no one really knows; dreams, memories, reflexes, even gas they say. I don't care why, I'm just happy he does it.