Joaquin Seven Months

Joaquin is turning into a lot of fun. He loves toys. He needs to be playing with something at all times, unless he is in motion strolling or riding in the car. His favorite toys are keys and crinkly paper.

Here are some great shots that I took with Daniel's iphone. Our camera is useless. Everytime I get out our big, excellent SLR digital camera, Joaquin stops what he's doing and becomes very curious about the strap, the lens cap and the zoom. He makes the same funny quizzical face in ever photo.
So nothing fancy camera phone shots are the best.

An old friend of mine and an older friend of Quito, my brother, recently had a baby. Ben has Sylvan just 7 weeks older than Joaquin. Sylvan and his family live just two miles away. Sylvan is the most angelic baby I've ever encountered. And precocious too. Sometimes it makes me feel bad, but mostly I love that we have a weekly babysitting trade and he's so dreamy. Joaquin is going to be lucky to have such a good friend to grow up with.
I never knew that the four leg holes in babyswings were for two. Its too cute.
Like the good little boys they are, they love the trucks in the sand yard.

Morning Coffee

Now that I am a working mother. That term comes with a lot of sociology and strong feelings. Mine are still to new to be formed.
Daniel and Joaquin drive me to my carpool most mornings. There is a coffee shop at the carpool stop where we often get a coffee. The coffee shop has a great red sofa where Joaquin takes it all in.
Joaquin also had developed lightening fast reflexes. We call him graby-graby because he wants everything in sight, including my glasses. I am surprised to find out that he does seem to understand the word gentle and is these fierce when he goes for my earrings or glasses.
As I head across the street to the carpool pick up, Daniel and Joaquin enjoy the coffee shop for a few minutes before they head off to drop Joaquin at the babysitter.

Father's Day

Joaquin and I were very excited for father's day. Mostly, I was excited about giving presents. I had thought of gifts that I knew Daniel would love. The best was to be a new pocket knife. When I met Daniel he always had a pocket knife at his ready. I liked that. He would come to the rescue. While other men were helpless to fix a jammed ... or slice a mango, Daniel would come to the rescue. Then rushing to catch an airplane, he had to surrender his knife.

One Wednesday, Joaquin and I rode the bus across town to buy Daniel at new swiss army knife at the Wilderness Exchange. Joaquin, now a master sitter, sat on the floor drooling onto miniflashlights, while I examined the various sections. I picked a nicely pocketable one. And Joaquin and I trekked back home. That night I asked Daniel if I could give him his gift now. He said no. I had to wait.

The next week I was invited by my friend Christianna to paint father's day mugs at Brushstrokes in Berkeley. At first I wrinkled my nose- a paint-your-own-pottery place. There is a hilarious music video about those place called Lazy Monday. (Actually its a response to an equally hilarious Saturday Night Live music video Lazy Sunday.) Why is there an assumption that paint-your-own-pottery places are kind of pathetic? Anyway the thought of babyfoot stamped onto ceramics was just to cute for me to pass up. Actually Brushstrokes is really cool. I would go back. I like painting and its a great studio with a wide selection of paint brushes and paints. And my mug was quite fetching, if I say so myself. Joaquin did a good job of foot printing and of course having adorable toes.

At last Sunday morning arrived. I planned to make breakfast with Joaquin and let Daniel sleep in. Joaquin decided to sleep in until 8:20 that morning. He's been a regular 6:30 a.m. early bird of late. So I rose alone at 7:30 and went to wrap the pocket knife. Suddenly I couldnt remember where I hid it. I started looking around in my usual hiding spots and I couldnt find it. Not anywhere. Lost.

I laughed as I told Daniel. He did drink breakfast tea from his new mug- his world's best dad mug as he calls it.

The day turned into a lot of fun. We worked on our outdoor kitchen with our neighbor, listened to an outdoor concert with friends at Stern Grove in SF, and stayed for a city barbeque with fellow parents Jolie and Brian and their babe, Chasin. Joaquin has quite a joyful cooperator. It was a day to remember.

Epilogue:
Daniel found the pocket knife himself in my messenger back as he scrounged for bridge toll money on Monday night.

Firsts

First backward crawling last week. First swing ride ( he laughed so hard!).

Here is Joaquin's first strawberry. Possibly one of the best strawberries I have ever tasted, at Full Belly Farm in Guinda, California.

Hmm, what's that?

That's good

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