Boys Night In

I went away from Joaquin for our first night apart last night. I spent the day on a wine-cycle for Melissa's bridal shower with eight of my very oldest and closest friends. The event included a sleep-over at Ginnie's house in Calistoga. I didn't miss Joaquin as much as I thought. I easily reverted to my old role of girlfriend, though possibly I am much less helpful as I enjoyed relaxing in whatever chair I found myself. Last Thursday while at work however I missed my smiling explorer so much. I preemptively missed him. Joaquin or Sillyboo or whoever he is to me at that moment is such a joy these days, I am reluctant to pass him off.

But Daniel was a willing and capable papa. In fact, he took Joaquin to the local lake for a swim with Chasin and Brian (also left alone for the night). And he organized a night of Baby Daddy Poker. Baby Daddy Poker is a semi-regular gathering of men with babes around 1 year old. The host rotates. The buy-in is low. The beer gets opened 5:00 pm (or so I gather from pictures.) The babies have their own set of cards to rumple and chew. Here is a great shot Daniel captured.


Click on the photo to see many babies you can count? Can you spot Joaquin?

I returned home with 12 ounces of milk in my purse. Joaquin was asleep in his room. When he woke from his nap, I found a smiling baby in his pen ready with baby hugs that encircle my neck. For once, Joaquin lay blissful content nursing in my lap. One little free hand reached out gently for my shirt and some how Joaquin seemed to realize that these moments are a treat.

The Intrepid Explorer

Joaquin flashes his jack-o-lantern smile. New meaning to toothy grins.


Joaquin is crazy for bikes. In particular for the wheels. I get bored before he does with spinning the tires and climbing around a parked bike. So I bought him a used tricycle. I figure its better without a greasy chain to turn his hands black. Here are some great 10 month pictures.

Here is Joaquin at our friends' Sarah and Renee's wedding. We set up camp but after foxes burglared our car and took our stroller for a joy ride and one night of wakeful sleeping and a very grouchy morning mama, we moved into a sunny room and enjoyed the festivities.

Menus Chez Claudia

Here is a sample of a weeks dinner menus

Sunday: Wedding Dinner for Sarah and Renee
grilled vegetables, cheeses, potatoes, tomato salads, bread, wine, cupcakes

Monday: Take out from Herbivore
seitan sharwma, potatoes, steamed chard, ceveche,

Tuesday:Zucchini mushroom frittata, Heirloom tomato and basil salad, lentil soup

Wednesday: Pasta with arugula and cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomato and basil salad, garlic garbanzos, chocolate chip cookies

Thursday: House of Curries
Chana Masala, dal saag, rice, naan

Friday: Salsa scramble eggs and toast

Saturday: Dinner at Ben and Ingrid's
squash coconut curry, yellow dal and rice, cucumber tomato salad

Daniel and I are competitively not cooking.

Ten Months

Fridays I stay home with Joaquin. Fridays are my favorite. Full of simple joys. Like this simple recount of a happy friday when Joaquin turned 10 months old.
The day was a lovely one. The family woke and had breakfast and we had a quiet morning and then Joaquin went for his morning nap. I was getting antsy to head to San Francisco to see my friends Jolie and Chasin because after two hours he was still asleep. I packed his lunch, his ergo carrier, diapers, water and snacks and he snoozed for another thirty minutes. Finally I heard him stir. After nursing, I packed Joaquin into his infant bike seat and we rode down the street to the BART train station.
Joaquin surprised me by sitting calmly in his bike seat. These days is the constant explorer and sits for nothing. But that Friday, he sat in his bike seat while the trained rolled to San Francisco. The train was fuller than usual for a noon time Friday because the Bay Bridge was closed for construction. That meant there were many women aboard to smile and coo at him. Joaquin returned their affections and even offered his newly learned wave, fingers facing in, to two sisters one of whom was newly pregnant. The ride was a breeze.
From the Civic Center station, we rode to Jolie's house. Chasin, our 13 month old friend and pictured on the 4th of July in this blog, was in his high chair so Joaquin joined him in the extra high chair Jolie keeps in her kitchen. The boys ate some lunch. Chasin always likes to eat Joaquin's food. Then we turned the boys loose to play with toys in the living room. Joaquin was usually shy. He was quite ready to jump into the fray with ever-friendly Chasin yet.
Our plans had been to ride to the beach but a fog was visible to the west. So instead we rode to a park in Noe Valley. The ride was fun. Two mamas, two babies, two bikes. The boys were happy passengers. They crawled around the park.
Joaquin started to get sleepy and it was time for us to head back to Berkeley so we all rode to the 16th street BART station. Jolie helped put Joaquin into the Ergo backpack carrier. I knew he wanted and needed to sleep and that was the best place. So walking my bike, with baby on my back I entered the station. On board the train, Joaquin fell asleep and stayed asleep until we re-entered the sunlight in Berkeley. He was a wonderful companion.
In the early days I had some doubts that mothering was what I wanted to do. But these days are who I always envisioned a baby- leisurely days of easy fun in sunny parks with mama friends. Lets hope this happy phase lasts.

More Vermont Photos

Click on the photos to see full pictures. Problems getting them to fit right. ce


The Sherwood Family


Emma with lily pad

Quito and Andria

Bianca and baby and ducks on Lake Raponda

Canoe life

Daniel and I have longed dreamed of bringing our family to somewhere beautiful to be together for family time. We both have the challenge of having two families each so there is a lot of family to visit with limited vacation time to do so. This year we gathered our families at a Lake Raponda near Brattleboro, Vermont. Lake Raponda was strategically located between Daniel's family in Ottawa and my family in New Haven, CT. Our dream plan worked. No less than thirteen family members came to enjoy the lake and the baby. David, Lucie, Camille, Erik, Caroline, Emma, Nathan, Susie, Bianca, Michel, Carlos, Andria, and Clararose. I am so thankful for everyone who made the drive. For Joaquin, the week was heaven. Here are some pictures. More to come from Susie's camera.

Full versus Busy

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday I am woken by Joaquin calling or crying from his room. Sometimes the sky is still gray and the clock reads 6:00 a.m. Other days I am already in a wakeful sleep when his first noises wake me. First thing I do is nurse Joaquin in my bed. If its six and I am tired, my sweetheart takes Joaquin to the coffee shop two blocks away to let Joaquin watch the ceiling fans and sip an early coffee. Then I get up, get dressed, dress Joaquin and one of us starts to feed him breakfast. At 8:30 Brenda and Sofia, our babysitter and her toddler, come in to take over. Daniel drives me to the carpool and I am off to San Francisco. Then I become solar evangelist and policy wonk. At 6:30 I return home and do a reverse order of the morning.
Wednesdays, Fridays, and weekends are a shuffle of fun and life maintenance while entertaining a munchkin on my hip.

I have often used the word busy to describe my life, meant as a positive response describing a lot of self subscribed activity, but I never liked the word. Somehow it also alluded to the notion that I was too occupied to appreciate what was at hand. And perhaps I bristled the most at the connection between busy and business. That somehow busy meant the substance of life had become business, not pleasure.
Now that my hands are so literally full. I could easily respond that I am busy.

But that's not how life feels. Life feels full. My hands are full of pudgy, delicious, squirmy baby. My mind is full of observations of firsts- was that a first baby kiss? a first wave, first tuna sandwich. My mind is also full of solar policy details, then add to that the many family connections that have been strengthened with the arrival of Joaquin. Somewhere pushed from the forefront are my old delights like my girlfriends, music, nature observations whose return I anticipate. And laced throughout every thought are the must-do errands of life.

My heart is full. I looked at that little face that I look at with wonder easily 50 times a day as he was drifting to sleep in his stroller this morning and my heart swelled to where I could feel the warm of tears in the back of my eyes. My love for Daniel has grown and my gratitude for his nature knows no bounds.

Life is full. Sometimes this is hard for my friends and co-workers without children to understand. I am sure I did not understand last year this time.