The Kids' Log: July 22-28, 2012

California is not a utopia. I am not complaining, just stating the facts. Every city has it quirks and I am going to have to get used to East Bay's eccentricities (you can drive on the shoulder during rush hour traffic!). I also have to get used to getting my shopping done by 4 pm because stores close very early, they also open late giving new meaning to CPT (which Damom redefined as California People's Time). Another hard pill to swallow are the drivers. They are the worst I have ever had the misfortune to be in traffic with. I am talking worst than NYC and Miami and that's saying a lot. Plus, there is never any parking because spots are limited. This is a city of walkers (probably because there is no parking). I am not used to looking out for pedestrians when driving. Finally, my internal compass is messed up from growing up on the East Coast where we always lived west, away from the Atlantic Ocean. Now inland is east and it's confusing!

The house-hunting continues. We have not found anything that fits our budget that isn't the size of a pea and the rental market is so competitive here.  We learned that the hard way after waiting 3 days after an Open House to apply and found out the property was already gone! One landlord told Damon on the phone that she didn't want a family with young kids moving in and disturbing the upstairs tenant. Um, isn't that housing discrimination? Damon reported her to the housing board. We have always been urban dwellers, but if we don't find something we both like soon (I am not climbing a million stairs with a toddler and infant!) we might have to sellout and move to the burbs. Or lower our standards...duplex with shared washer/dryer, anyone?

I've been taking time to do stuff for me too. I started walking again and I am thinking of joining a running/walking club. I went to the salon on Friday so a professional could fix the damage done by the beauty school dropout. I snagged a couple of books at this awesome used bookstore I found and can't wait to dive into them!

Toddler Log:2 Years 49 Weeks Old
Marlie woke up with a fever yesterday. I hope it's only a cold because we just enrolled in our new health insurance plan and I'm not even sure if we're covered yet. I have been trying to keep Miss Busy Bee busy because idleness leads to trouble. I took her to see Brave on Sunday for some mommy/daughter bonding time. She watched the whole movie but I don't think it made an impression on her the was Tangled did. She is loving her preschool, but she is home with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I have been making an effort to fill up those days with activities which isn't easy when you are also toting a nursing infant. We went to Totland Park in Berkeley on Tuesday and that was fun but exhausting trying to play with her while carrying the baby on my chest. Luckily our Joovy Caboose Ultralight Tandem Stroller arrived in time for me to take her to the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday. It's sleek, it's lightweight, it's so useful and it's affordable!

In scary news, she almost choked her brother by feeding him almonds. After a split second freak out, I calmly explained to her that he is too little to chew and babies only get milk. She was so remorseful and said sorry repeatedly. The next day she saw me nursing him and asked me if I was only giving him milk because babies are too little for food.

Baby Log: 16 Weeks Old
Desmond is such a flirt! He spent the whole time at the hair salon flashing his big toothless smile at all the women. That was until he got cranky from missing his morning nap and I had to force him to  go to sleep. I messed up his stomach earlier this week by gorging on pizza. He was gassy and pooping green stuff for a couple of days. I hope he outgrows this lactose intolerance soon.

He had is own Olympic moments this week. He has been rolling over like a log on a river. And he is creeping all over the place. He is never in the same spot that I left him on the mat.

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