Sayulita

Relaxing on the Pacific coast of Mexico was a heck of a way to spend the last week before Ra returned to work and we starting the tag-team parenting we will be doing for the rest of the year. Most of our days were spent laying around reading, eating and playing with TJ before taking walks into town for more produce and fresh fish. We have piles of pictures, but these are a pretty good capture of the highlights of our time in Sayulita...

There's nothing better to start your morning than some light reading and a bit of baby flying.



Eventually, we motivated to dress and get ready to have a day.



Breakfast and a view.



Navigating down the driveway was never trivial.



TJ and Ra ready for adventure.



The hike into town took us past Playa de los Muertos (Beach of the Dead), named for the adjacent cemetery.



A favorite mausoleum decoration.



Sayulita is in sight!



A variety of protein options were considered.



We settled on smoked marlin burritos at Burrito Revolucion.



While waiting for our burritos, we did a photo shoot of TJ's sweet natural mohawk.



The reward for finishing the hike home via dusty dirt back roads and crazy-steep driveway was a quick shower and more gazing at the amazing view.



View through our open-air bathroom exterior glass walls.



La leche y la cerveza.



Ra cooking dinner in the main house.



White fish under a mango/lime "chutney" with rice and Greek salad.



Sunset view from our dining table.



Mid-day reading siesta overlooking our beach.



FYI - Babies hate sunbathing, even in paradise.



TJ and JT enjoy some time on the outdoor bed.



Uh oh, I sense a flying baby attack...








Babies sure like flying. :)



Chelesa and Carrie work on their sand surfing form before hitting the water.



Ra and Chelesa at Playa de los Muertos prepare to attack their pineapple-mango-cucumber-jicama treat (with chili pepper and lime flavoring).



TJ is strapped in and ready for a dusk jungle hike down to the beach.



Playa Carricitos (the beach below our house)



TJ napping at dusk.



Family photo at Playa Carricitos



TJ and Chelesa prepare for our final evening in Sayulita.
(FYI - the shirt says "Mysterio predicts I will be a: Romance Novelist)



Fancy final night dinner.

Toasting a perfect vacation.

Easter

For Easter, we joined Erin and Bean for brunch at their neighbor's house in SE (near our old, now rental, place). A lovely time was had by all, but most importantly, TJ had an excuse to dress up fancy and wow the crowd.

TJ spiffed up for Easter Brunch in some sweet Country-Club-style argyle.



TJ clearly upstages JT in the world of Easter fashion.



Baby and Mimosa = happy Mother

After brunch, we retired to Erin and Bean's for a private family photo shoot in their recently remodeled den. TJ was not happy with the direction we were getting from the photographer, so we had to work through a process to achieve the final result.

TJ was very unhappy with the art direction of this photo shoot.
Since he wasn't going to smile, we decided to join the dominant mood.



Family displeasure continues.



Let's practice some self-soothing.
(Of course, TJ stops just as the shot is taken, making us look like the babies.)



Easter joy (or at least contentment) achieved!

Bellingham and Babysitting (Weeks 9 and 10)

Ra and TJ took a trip to Bellingham for Grandpa Migo's traditional birthday. (He's more excited about celebrating his "new heart re-birthday" in September.) TJ got a lot of quality time with Aunt Wendy and Cousins Chelsea and Julia. We are certain that they will be great babysitters very soon.


Julia and Chelsea practicing their ace babysitting skills with TJ.


The other thing we've been getting a lot in recent weeks is a really happy dawn baby. He's active, alert and very happy in the dim light of the early morning. Ra has been telling me about it for a while, but since I'm usually off to work before it happens, I haven't enjoyed the pleasure until Easter weekend. The big payoff came Saturday morning when TJ and I had our first "conversation". Sure, it was all jibberish, but he really enjoyed the back and forth of him making noises and me repeating what he "said". Lots of smiles are on their way, and I'm excited about the increase in interaction.


I am thinking about smiling, but I'm not giving up the goods yet.


Okay, fine. I'm happy. I know it and now you do too.


After a long weekend in Bellingham, Mociute Vince came down to Portland to babysit on Thursday and Friday while Ra was in class for work. This was the first extended time with TJ and Ra separated, and everything went really well. Bottle feeding went fine, and Vince got some practice with pacifiers, bjorn and stroller.


TJ joins us at the table for our fancy grown-up solid-food dinner.


JT and TJ practice making faces and smiling at the goofiness of it all.


Coming next: Easter Sunday brunch was a great excuse to get pictures of TJ in his fancy tennis and yachting argyle outfit. We also captured a series of family photos that are sure to be instant classics.

Catchup

A bit after posting last time, I realized that we neglected to share some fun milestones. Around week 8, TJ had a few upgrades. He went from size 1 to size 2 diapers. We removed the newborn insert from his car seat and moved the shoulder straps up one notch. On the downside, he has outgrown some of his (our) favorite clothes including the cold weather brown reindeer outfit (which has now been replaced by a white bear suit that's pretty much just as fun... pictured below). Our little guy is growing, and his 14 pound weigh-in at the doctor today confirmed that he's heading in the right direction.

That's all cool stuff, but we're really excited about the first video clip collection that we've put together. These are a few highlights from TJ's first week home back in January. Enjoy!

Bumbo and Bacon (weeks 7 and 8)

It's been kind of a light week for pictures, but I'm close to having some short video clips to share. We are definitely getting social smiles, so they will be the capstone goodness of the first few installments. Until then, here are two fun bits...

Although the swing is very popular, we wanted to try a solution for TJ hanging out with us when we're working in the kitchen. He finally seems big enough to sit in the Bumbo chair, but his slouching is a clear indication that there are some size and body control boundaries between him and expert use of his first upright sitting furniture.

JT and TJ with Bumbo.



TJ isn't quite sure if this is a good thing, but he's willing to give it a try.

Joe and Jenny hosted their annual Bacon Party. This was TJ's first party outing, so he ditched those squaresville onesies for a schweet shirt and pants combo (with dinosaur! and socks that have alligators that say "CHOMP"!!!) He was clearly the life of the party, catching the attention of the hottest babes in the room. No hearts were broken, but some were bent.

Yeah, that's right. Shirt and pants. And dinosaur. How you like me now?



Babies love bacon.
(Kinda.)

(Not really.)

(So much to learn, baby.)

Marching! (Weeks 5 and 6)

"Sometimes TJ freaks me out.

He's just sitting there staring at me,
and I think he's thinking deep thoughts and may be judging me."
- Raminta
(this morning when hanging with TJ in bed)

Yes, folks, this is what happens when one spends most days alone with an infant. Thankfully, she has more regular company lately, as our neighbor Dorothy is on maternity leave, so they are starting to go on walks together to maintain their sanity.


...and now back to your normally scheduled series of cute sleeping baby photos:



The reindeer outfit has been our standby for cool weather outings, but we're starting to push the limits of its carrying capacity. Rigid upright posture is not something TJ can maintain outside of this suit.



Friday included the first use of the Baby Bjorn carrier.
The sling, although simpler and quicker, just wasn't cutting it anymore for TJ or JT.
Although neither of us looks especially excited in this shot, it was good times at the park.



We pause for a quick family photo between chucking the ball for our pups.



After our escapades at Fernhill Park, MJ and Gen brought over dinner before breaking into TJ's first game night session. He had some serious challenges navigating the resource market, but he and Ra pulled off the unexpected win.



...coming soon: video clips!
We started editing some stuff today and should have stuff to share soon.
Oh joy.