Claudia turns 33

Another birthday for me. Thirty three is no youngster. But I feel like I have a lot to show for my still tender age.

I decided to have a Backyard Cinema Party. The idea came from the backyard cinema I attended for my young friends Sophia and Mickey last month. The party was great. With the help of Jolie and Brian, I rigged a white bed sheet up high under the live oak tree in the backyard. I had the genius idea to duct tape change- quarters and nickels- to the bottom of the sheet to weigh the fabric down.
I set a table with soda, beer, rum, peanuts, M&Ms and fresh popcorn made on an electric popper in the backyard and tada! a great cinema was had. About 20 friends of all ages showed up. Joaquin feel asleep at 7:00 so hardly anyone got to get a peek at my cutie but it did make it easier for me to enjoy the night.

We watched part of the silent star Buster Keaton's the General which has a great steam locomotive chase scene. Followed by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which was the perfect movie for the big screen under the stars. The second movie went until almost 1 a.m. Mickey and Sophia made it past midnight. Most friends had gone home. I was happy to sit with my original number one boy and enjoy the film. Daniel even surprised me with chocolate hazelnut cake from La Farine.

The next day, Saturday, we took it easy and I received two great presents. First, Daniel and Joaquin took me to a frame shop. I thought I was getting a framed picture of Joaquin, I am a mama now after all. But the gift was much better. Daniel had taken a canvass painted by my grandfather Frank Duminil and had it stretched onto a wooden frame so I could hang it. Last year my Abuelita carried the painted roll of canvass from Paris to Berkeley for me. The second gift was from my pop. Daniel and he conspired to get me an Xtracycle. The Xtracycle is an amazing cargo bike that I have wanted for years. Pictures to come.

It was a lovely birthday that ended with a rare July evening rainshower followed by a beautiful double rainbow.
A rainbow is a blessing. I will accept that blessing for me and my tender family as I walk less than sure-footed through the new terrain of mama, baby and family.

Crawling

And then, finally, Joaquin learned to crawl. I thought he would crawl at six months. He looked so eager on all fours. Then he learned to sit and suddenly forgot about being stuck on his belly facing the floor. A few weeks later again he spent hours on all fours pushing up from his belly onto his hind legs. He got the hang of some locomotion but only in reverse. I would heard him crying out and come in to the room to find him stuck under furniture. His head still free but his butt and legs tucked under the couch. And he didnt know how to go forward.
Many times a day he tried this routine. 1. Lay flat on belly. 2. Push up to hands, chest off the floor. 3. Then get his feet and legs over him, butt high in the air. 4. Then stuck. No idea how to move his hands one pace at a time. From butt high in the air, Joaquin learned to push back to sitting. This is super satisfying. Suddenly, Joaquin could sit anytime he wanted. And if he was sitting and fell over, he could put himself back to sitting. It was a great development.
It seemed any day he would crawl. Daniel and I started crawling around the living room to show him how to move his hands. He seemed to getting tips. Then one day just before my birthday, he crawled a few paces for my cell phone. Here is a video of one his first successful attempts at crawling.


Now he can crawl at will, but slowly. And cautiously since his heavy head still bonks the floor sometimes. However, if my laptop computer is the goal all caution is thrown to the wind.
People tell me it only gets better. I have to let that reassure me because I want to hold each day with him as long as I can.

Fourth of July

We went camping in Bolinas, a small eco-hippy village about 50 miles north of San Francisco on the coast for the fourth of July weekend. We camped in the backyard of a friend of our friends. Bolinas is a beautiful, magical town with a tiny mainstreet, a beach, and surrounded by organic farms and hiking trails.
I feel lucky that now Joaquin loves riding in the car (after four months of screaming through ever ride excepting when I sang Two Little Kitty Cats). He slept the whole ride this morning.
We saw dolphins or more likely porpoises in the water on Saturday morning. Our family loves the ocean. Daniel likes to surf and sleep on beaches, I like the beach ecosystem and Joaquin loves the sound of the waves.
Joaquin learned to pull himself to standing on this picturesque bench. He seemed so pleased with himself. He wanted to stay there all night. We visited the bench again with his lifelong friend, Chasin. A good time was had by all.

Hey Joaquin remember that time...

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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