I turned into the Hulk last week

I've been watching "Sister Wives", the reality series about a polygamist lifestyle (Think "Big Love" ...but real) Anyways, the patriarch of the family "Kody" is courting his 4th wife. He has said the word courting at least 15 times in the episode I'm watching. I am appalled and grossly intrigued by this series. I can not comprehend the lifestyle.

So enough about this ridic show. Everyone is getting their own reality show. We could have

This past week - the worst thing imaginable (for a mother) happened to me. I locked myself out of the house while Max was inside - thankfully, asleep. We have had some crazy weather recently here in Brooklyn and we had lots of leaves and branches in our garden. After Max went down for his nap, I rolled up my sleeves and jumped into cleaning up the back. I brought out the baby monitor so I could hear when Max woke up. I shut the door behind me as I didn't any bugs to get inside. Little did I know that the door would have locked behind me. I didn't realize that I had been locked out until I tried to dgo back in and get another trashbag. I grab the door handle and jiggle it. I frantically try to open the door. No luck. Sheer Panic sets in. I dont have a phone. No door Keys. And there is no easy way to get into or out of our back yard. Thankfully - the window in our living room was cracked open. It had a screen on it, which I ripped off while panicking. Picture me turning into the Hulk and taking the screen off. I jumped thru the window and I breathed. I was inside and Max was still asleep - unaware of the whole thing. Life is good.

MM out. Be back soon...

9 month visit

So Max is still on track to be the biggest kid in his class. He's nearly 21 lbs already.

Above you see my mad Photoshop skillz - we are the Three Amigos!

Max has been having a rough time sleeping the past week - which has been rough on Danny and I. Now we are trying to determine if we need to start "Sleep Training" him. We will see how he does this weekend - Hopefully it was a stage that he was going thru (Growth spurt? Getting an immunization? Getting a touch of a cold? who knows...) Fingers crossed.

We signed up to the Prospect Park YMCA this week. I have been taking Max to a music class there which he seems to really like. I have meet some cool moms there too. I hope that the Y membership will prove useful when its freezing cold outside - as we can go across the street and play indoors

Max is up from his nap. MM out x

urgh Laundry.

Why is it that everything is so much more difficult with kids? There are all the little things that I took for granted pre-baby (i.e. doing Laundry, shopping, cleaning, and most importantly - blogging) Max has a good 2 hour nap in the mornings and this is when I take advantage of the things I can't do during the day. Ok, so I am mostly looking online for deals on clothes for me. Gilt Group, Rue La La (thanks Truc for exposing me to that site!) But I digress...Laundry. Its on my plate of things to do today. The exciting life of a mom. I do have access to a "Fluff and Fold" where they come and pick up the laundry, wash and fold, and then drop it back off. But I used it on Monday and I feel guilty for using them twice in one week. Plus I have some things that I dont trust them to wash properly (Comforter, shower curtains, rugs, etc.)

Tomorrow - our couch comes. We have been waiting 6 [fucking] weeks for this couch. Try living for 6 weeks without a couch. I'm sick of laying on the floor to watch tv/movies. The couch was shipped from Texas and received last week by a receiver in New Jersey. The guy I have been dealing with has been giving me the runaround on getting it delivered. Yesterday was the last straw. The couch was delivered last [fucking] week and has just been sitting there. He apparently did'nt have anyone to move it to Brooklyn. They are a freaking MOVING company - how can they not deliver this couch. I am perplexed. Well I told him that I was going to rent a truck and come get the damn thing myself - and he quickly changed his tune. They are charging us [are you ready for this?.....] ....$400 to deliver the couch. I'm enraged. NJ is 45 mins away and we could have easily gone and got the thing last week. Again, Max I love you - but you make things a little more difficult :) So now Mister Mover, with the thought of being out $400, is delivering the couch tomorrow. Fingers crossed, and wallets emptied.

We had fun in Prospect Park today..

Thanks Paul for the video - had a great time in the park today. We visited the "Doggy Beach" and used the swings for a bit

We were in a Tornado last night. Literally.

Who would have thought that a Tornado (yes, a real tornado) would have hit Brooklyn? Max and I went out for a walk earlier in the day and it was muggy and overcast. We headed home and it started to get overcast. Within a matter of minutes the sky got dark gray and rain started to pour. I didn't think anything of it - until I looked out the window into our backyard and saw the top part of our tree fly away in the swirl of branches traveling past our backyard. It was unreal.

Max ran for cover - in a canvas bag :) I love this 3 Sprouts canvas bag I got last weekend from Giggle.

One thing I miss tremendously from the Mission (aside from my mom!) - is the produce. Give me Casa Lucas any day. I heart Casa Lucas. The produce here in New York is pitiful. The Cheap Ass Bitch warned me about the produce. "The Avocados here are 3 times the price and never ripe." I consider I had been forewarned. But, I didn't think it could possibly be this bad. I got a Spaghetti Squash from Fresh Direct the other day. Looked good from the outside. But, when I cracked it open, it was all green and not ripe. Living in California has set my expectations too high for fresh produce. I really took it for granted.



I was able to scoop out the middle of the squash and put a little water in the middle, cover it with tinfoil and cook it in the oven. It came out ok. I had to take a picture of it as I had never seen a green spaghetti squash before.



[Check out his 2 teeth in the pic!]--->
The Butternut squash I got the other day turned out ok. I made a nice pureed baby food for Max. He loved it - loved to smear it all over; His face; The Highchair; Mommy. It was a great success. I have been trying to make him baby food in an effort to save money and make delicious healthy food for him. I was using a organic baby food (Earth's Best) which is great. He really likes it. But I am part of a mom's group here in Brooklyn and one mom had to point out that there is BPA (the bad plastic compound that can leach into things) in the metal lid of the baby food. I look over at the 40 jars I bought, which are sitting in the corner and contemplate if I should continue to give it to him. I feel like not everything that he's going to touch, eat, etc will be "BPA Free." I try my best to be conscious about everything going into his body - but there are certain factors that I have little control off living in a city. Smog, Smoke, Dust. Whats wrong with a little BPA afterall? I'm sure all the bottles used when we (1970's era babies) were growing up were tainted with all kinds of good stuff. And I turned out okay. Or at least I'd like to think so. Am I a horrible mom for letting a little thing like BPA on the lid (which is not really touching the food) not really bother me? I just think of all the moms who take their kids to McDonalds[insert any Fast Food joint here] every day.

Max's first playdate

We had a great time up in Hudson. The Fair was alot of fun and we certainly saw alot of things that I hadn't seen in awhile (ie. Carnies!) We saw every kind of livestock available thanks to the 4H Club. The Budweiser Clydesdale horses were quite majestic - even though they were all squeezed into their individual corrals. There were so many people at the fair. We decided against riding any of the rides - so we did a walk around the fair. We saw a older guy (50's) getting his nipple pierced (yes, at the fair) and an older carnie (early 60's, sorry mom!)wearing CrissCross jeans


So I'm pretty wiped out - so going to try to make this posting short and sweet. Max went on his first playdate to Prospect Park today. I met some other moms (40 of them!) online with kids around the same age as Max. Today, 5 of us met in the park and hung out for an hour or so. It was great to see how happy Max was to be around the other kids. He sure is a social little guy.

I'll work on a longer posting at a later time - Max has been sleeping erratically, so I am going to snooze while he is!

MM out xo

We are going upstate with Auntie M

So excited. We are going out of town for Labor Day weekend. Heading up to Morgana La Fayes roommates families house. Its sure to be packed full of excitement - We are going to the Fair, and to a Super Wal-Mart! (Never thought I'd be so excited about going to a Wal-Mart - but there aren't any in the city)

I hear the little man rustling - Thank god for this baby monitor.

One little tidbit more - Living in SF, I loved our Quinny stroller. But here in Brooklyn. its like driving a "Big Rig." I can't get that big fucker [pardon my french] up and down stairs, down narrow store isles and thru our front door. I think I have to recant one of my first blog postings. I am starting to hate the Quinny. Maclaren fo' life!

Our Neighborhood Restaurant...and the BEST cheap Brut I've EVER had.

Wow. We went to AppleWood last night for dinner and I'm still thinking about it. We got the Tasting Menu with Wine pairings and it was out of this world. We had this amazing Brut with the first course which I need to find. Its from a California winery called "Wycliff." I thought they said Wyclef - so I've been Googling and getting nothing but results on Wyclef Jean. I found bottles of the champagne online for $5! Time to Case up! Too bad they won't ship to NY unless you are a restaurant or a liquor store. Its honestly the best (cheap - a Ernest and Gallo product!) Brut I have had. And I've had my share of cheap ass Brut.

So I read not ONE but TWO articles on Bedbugs on the NY Times today. The first article was about buying second hand and vintage clothes/furniture. The overall consensus of the article was that it was generally "OK" to buy second hand, but to be cautious. This scared the shit out of me, since I LOVE to thrift store shop and LIVE to find Vintage goods. I haven't bought anything second hand since we've been here however.

The second article was out right scary. Literally skin crawling. Danny and I have developed a phobia of Bedbugs (having come from a environment that was entirely void of bedbugs - for states and states). I had to Google bedbug bites when I first arrived here in NY, as I had amassed a number of bites on my legs. We were able to deduct that they were not, in fact, bedbug bites - but mosquito bites. (I had been out in our garden cleaning up brush and must have hit a swarm of those blood suckers) But still we are nervous Nellies about Bedbugs.

So - what did I just go and do? I bought some second hand stuff around the corner at a childrens resale shop. Swimtrunks for Max (in case we go upstate this weekend), a summer hat and some super cute winter booties. Yes, I'm living life on the end, I tell you.

Max is up! Madre out...ttys

Holy Hell - Part Trios

Max's First Night in BKLYN with Daddy

Ok Ok - its been rough finding time to update my blog. (Thanks for mentioning that....Gloria) I have SO much to bitch about too. I apologize if the Mission Madre blog has turned into a platform of "Busch Bitching." I think I am the only Busch that bitches - so, why not have my own platform.... And also, wanted to comment on my no longer being the "Mission Madre". I will always be the Mission Madre. Even though I am no longer "geographically" located in the Mission District, I will always be the mommy ON a Mission - whether it be finding the best fun activities for Max or scoring cheap shit on Craigslist... My mission never ends.

Ok carrying on...going to try to wrap this one up

2a. The Move, Movers, lackeys, idiots, and ass kissing
3. Selling the House, Car, Bike, Kidney (kidding on that last one - but email me if you might be interested? hah!)
4. The Rendezvous
5. Operation "Move to NY"

2a. The Move, Movers, lackeys, idiots, and ass kissing CONT.
So, to make a long story short...there was some back and forth with the DB's (yes mother, I know douchebags have a use) that work at the moving company. They tried to delay our stuff arriving by a week - I had already bought plane tickets for my mom and I based on their original dates. After much "Busch Bitching" I was able to get them to commit to deliver our goods - on the day that we arrived into NY. Danny had his work cut out for him - he had to get a bed and get all our stuff delivered and partially unpacked. Not to say I didn't have a HUGE task as hand in getting Max, my mom and 170lbs of luggage from SF to our place in NY. Yes, that was NOT a typo - 170 POUNDS of luggage. More about the trip in Part 5.

3. Selling the House, Car, Bike
Things in our life somehow sold UNBELIEVABLY fast. This made me question whether we sold it for TOO good of a price? The house had an offer after the first open. The place looked AMAZING (will post a pic later) - so its not a shock that it went quick. But we were uncertain how the market in SF was going to be so we didn't price it too aggressively. Our car sold to the first person who say it - again it was in GREAT shape and we took care of it like our own child. So it was not a shocker that it went quick - and the guy who bought it brought cash. It was nice to have a ton of cash when I walked into WellsFargo. [plucking down a nice wad of hundies] "I need to make a deposit please". Teller: "Damn Gina!" And then I had to sell the AWESOME vintage Bianchi (which I never rode). I paid $125 for it down in Orange at the Salvation Army. I put it on Craigslist for $350. I don't know shit about bikes. But I DO know that hipsters in the Mission are always riding around on Vintage Bianchi bikes. I was able to sell the bike to the 2nd person I showed it to. Thankfully, my bro was there to answer any "bikey" questions.

4. The Rendezvous
Danny flew to Orange, CA to meet us at his parents house for the weekend. My mom, Max and I drove down from SF. It was a great weekend - and it was a really nice birthday present to be able to see my husband (who we had not seen for nearly a month) It was SO hard when Danny left. But I told myself, it was only another 2 weeks until we were in NY. Danny flew out on the 26th at night and we drove back to SF the next morning. I showed the car to someone the day after we returned and it was sold. Just like that the pieces to the puzzle fell into place.


5. Operation "Move to NY"
Luckily, we flew JetBlue which lets you check the first bag (up to 60lbs) for Free. I had to pay $30 as I checked 2 bags and a $50 overweight fee. Thankfully, Erin (my Bro) dropped us off at the airport and helped us get all the luggage to the counter. We said our goodbyes and I watched him walk away. And then I lost it. I sobbed uncontrollably, as I tried to check in at the JetBlue counter. I just couldn't help it. The culmination of our being apart from Danny for so long, stress of selling our house, living with my mom, leaving the life that we had built in SF - it all just came to a head and emotionally erupted - right in front of the poor JetBlue agent. "I'm - sorry - i'm-moving...sobbbbbb...." Gawd, I felt like a 5 year old kid. I quickly composed myself and we headed on our adventure. Needless to say, Max was great on the flight. We were able to get an entire row to ourselves, so had an extra seat where we could put Max's carseat. The flight was fairly quick and the flight attendants loved Max. We had a car pick us up at JFK and arrived at our new place around 8:30pm. I got out of the car, saw Danny, and started crying. "This really did happen, this is our new home, we did it" I told myself. I walked in our apartment and felt a HUGE sense of relief and the weight had lifted off my shoulders.


xx MM Out

Holy Hell - part Duex

Hi all my faithful reader(s) - well we made it to NYC in one piece. We could not have done it without the help of Meemaw Bootsie. Literallllly, (wink, wink for those of you who get the joke in that) my mom has been a lifesaver. How do single parents do it? I have much respect for those of you out there without any family nearby to help out with your little ones.

So to pick up on some points I mentioned in my previous post: (I'll try to be short and sweet on them, since Max is sleeping and who knows how much time I have here!)

1. Danny starting work, my 'quittin' that shit'
2. Max and I at my Mom's
2a. The Move, Movers, lackeys, idiots, and ass kissing
3. Selling the House, Car, Bike, Kidney (kidding on that last one - but email me if you might be interested? hah!)
4. The Rendezvous
5. Operation "Move to NY"

Chap 1 Cont.:
Danny has been having a great time at his new job. He really enjoys his coworkers and (I think) is loving being part of a team. I on the otherhand am loving not being part of a team (not that I ever was) - I quit my job as upper management was not willing to accommodate my move to the East Coast. I worked remotely and it was pretty much bullshit that they wanted me to continue to work my West Coast hours. Working until 9pm with a baby - I think not. The company was heading in a vicious downward spiral (due to changes in management) so I am grateful that it didn't work out - as I am enjoying be able to spend more time with Max. There was a part of me that felt guilty dropping Max off at his sitters (Paula, who he LOVED). But now I am so excited to be able to hang out with the little guy all the time. Granted, this is my first week where Danny is at work and my mom is gone - so I will be flying solo.

Chap 2 : Max and I at my Mom's
Max and I stayed with Bootsie for just over a month. It was fun - and trying. I felt bad invading my mom's space and bedroom. Plus, Max was going thru some crazy sleep pattern, waking up crying every 3 hours (yes, I was just loving life....not).

Not only did I hijack her room, but I also took over her parking spot (which is a GOD send in the Haight). I quit my job July 5th and I planned on taking full advantage of the child care while I could. Facials, Massage, Yoga, total pampering was the plan - I deserved it afterall! However, my delusions of grandeur were short lived. Even though I wasn't working and Max was at the sitters all day long - I seemed to get caught up in all the little things. My days were filled with working on selling the house, sorting out insurance issues on a few Medical bills, and other things I had put off for ages. I got so much done - however, I was not able to squeeze in any real pampering (I did get my hair cut and colored tho!) The month blew by and before I knew it - it was time for our flight to NY.

2a. The Move, Movers, lackeys, idiots, and ass kissing
Picking a moving company was pretty much a pain in the ass. They all come and look at your stuff and then give you an estimate based on how much stuff they think you have (based on weight). We were rather short on time - so we picked a company, Crown Relocation, which had a moderate price and fairly good reviews. Maybe its the same with all moving companies, but the people that we worked with after we signed the contract were complete morons. There was NO communication - I had to call the Friday before our stuff was scheduled to be picked up on Monday to see what time we should expect them. I had to pay $150 to get parking permits to reserve parking in front of our place for the truck. This proved interesting as people in the neighborhood just didnt give a shit and parked there anyway. I had a few cars ticketed and ready to get towed when the owners decided to move them. And don't get me started on the assholes who work at the restaurant across the street, El Metate. Don't believe the hype about the food - its not that good. The owner of El Metate comes over to the DPT person (who I was in the middle of talking to) and he had the gall to complain about me securing permits. OH, Don't even get me started Mister ManBoobs Metate.


Ahhh Max is waking up...to be continued.

Holy Hell. What a month its been...

There is SO much to talk about that I feel almost overwhelmed trying to organize my thoughts. So I am going bust out my English 101 outlining skills. Might have a few blog posts on this one....but let me [rolling up the sleeves, tucking a pencil behind my ear, pouring myself a nice glass of wine] get started

1. Danny starting work, my 'quittin' that shit'
2. Max and I at my Mom's
2a. The Move, Movers, lackeys, idiots, and ass kissing
3. Selling the House, Car, Bike, Kidney (kidding on that last one - but email me if you might be interested? hah!)
4. The Rendezvous
5. Operation "Move to NY"

Chapter 1. Danny starting work.
Danny thought it would be best to start his new job on July 1st to maintain a integrity of work and while also keeping continuity of benefits and paycheck. No disputing that. But God. July 1st came too fast. He flew out on a Tuesday night. I stayed with Max at our place one last time. We had no furniture [mattress on the floor 'bachelor style' - Max in a Pack N Play in the other room]. It was the last night that we'd stay there as it was too lonely without Danny. Danny job was going great and he was having lots of fun in NY, staying at Morgan's place in the East Village. Ah the time I have spent in the East Village - I was certainly envious when he mentions that he went to some of my favorite bars/restaurants.

{need to resume this post at a later time - helping my bro out)

Mission Madre Out

Does Max have two moms?

Max's first wedding in Napa (he was in his PJ's by 8pm)

Hello all my faithful followers! I'm sorry its been ages - but we've had a lot going on. Selling our place here in SF and moving to New York for starters. Also, I quit my job (Amen!), Danny started a new Job in NY July 1st, so Max and I have been crashing at Grandma's house until our apartment in NY is ready the first week of August. So, as you can see we've been busy.

So tonight, my mom and I take Max up the street for sushi in Cole Valley. The place gets packed quick. At the table next to us is a cute little girl (Nicola, 5) and she is quite the entertainer - Max is just loving it. He's all smiles and laughs, as she sings him "Twinkle Twinkle Little star." It really is the cutest thing I've seen. So she stops singing and then asks my mom "Does Max have 2 moms?" Hahaha! Only in SF would a 5 year old think to ask such a question. I loved it. Granted, it made me think "Oh My gawd. I must look like a lesbian*" (*not that there is anything wrong with lesbians, its just that I am not one.) But then I thought, wait...my mom must look like the lesbian! hahah

Ok I promise to post soon - If not, then I will post when we are settled in NY.

Sorry but this has to be a short yet sweet post - Max is sleeping in the room with the internet connection (stealing internet from my mom's neighbors hasn't worked out that great)

Big love to all my peeps out there...esp. Danny cause we miss him so much

Is my head still attached?

I feel like I've been running around "like a chicken with my head cut off." As it turns out, moving to NY is back on the table for us. Danny decided to take the job in NY (which starts July 1st!). This means we are selling our place here in SF and hauling all of our shit, errr precious goods, across the country. Danny was in NY this past week looking for apartments and had little luck. That meant that Max and I had to fend for ourselves this past week. It was lonely and Danny missed his First Father's Day. So this week, we have to finish packing our place and be ready for the movers who are coming on Monday to pick up everything. Max and I are going to stay with mi madre in the Haight until Danny has been able to find us an apartment. Needless to say, Max and I will be living out of suitcases for the next month. He's just 6 months old (on July 4th) and already he's living out of a suitcase.

For all my cheap ass bitches out there, I found this 15% off coupon at Kohl's which I just used tonight! Yeah...you can thank me later. Max has been getting so big that he has nothing to sleep in. I feel like I'm doing a load of laundry every night just so he has something to sleep in. I finally broke down and bought his some 12 month old Pj's. He might be living out of a suitcase, but at least he's got his pj's!

So much more has happened recently and I will have to elaborate more on it very shortly. I hope to have more free time coming my way very soon.

Looking forward to seeing my bestie DesNeiges this week and next weekend at her brother's wedding up in Calistoga.

Max's First Meal...almost

I swear...I'm really trying to blog more often

I can't believe how time has been flying by. Work has been so busy and I have been working on a big project which was completed today. Whew.


My life has been like this: (I know - its SO exciting.)
- Wake up at 6am to pump for Max's day at the sitter.
- Feed Max when he wakes up around 7am.
- Get him dressed and ready for the day.
- Entertain and play with him for a little bit. Get online for work, calls and emails.
- Run Max two blocks to the sitters.
- Come back, work and not lift my head up until an alarm appears reminding me to pump.
pump.
- Back to work. Eat lunch. Work. Pump. etc etc until 5pm.
- Run over to Paula's to pick Max up.
Let the good times roll....


Here's a cute pic of Danny and the little man on 24th Street, after having dinner at Sushi Bistro. Love love love this pic of Max wearing my sunglasses.

So today I went to Whole Foods determined to get Max some rice cereal. Danny and I have been debating when to start him on solids. At his pediatrician's office, there are 2 doctors. One said to wait until he was 6 months and the other one said we could start now. Gah doctors always contradicting each other. He's just turning five months. The reason to wait, would be that it gives his body a little longer to develop more digestive enzymes. However, I feel like a good indication that he's ready to start on "real" food is that he always is chewing on his fingers/hands. Also, when we eat dinner, he sits on the table in a bouncer and stares at us while we eat. Max is already almost 20lbs (roughly) so he's not starving :) I say 'roughly' as I weighed him last week on the Wii Fit Plus and he was 18 lbs. 5 months and 18 lbs - he's going to be a Big 'Un Ok getting back to his "first meal" - We weren't able to give it to him tonight as he was too sleepy and almost falling asleep at dinner. Tomorrow night it is. I got the Earth's Best Rice cereal - anyone use this before? It seemed to have gotten good reviews. Look at me - I'm such a mom now - I am fricken reading reviews of rice cereal! Cmon now! as Sawyer from Lost always says, "Son of a Bitch" Actually, I am secretly addicted to reading reviews of EVERYTHING. I live and die by reviews....and coupons.

As the Cheap Ass Bitch will agree, I am a deal finder. I found Max a Jumperoo this past weekend on Craigslist. I've been on the thriftstore circuit finding lots of great clothes and books for Max. He's growing out of clothes so fast, I just can't see spending alot of money on them. However, I have found some darling stuff at thrift stores. Thrift Town on Mission Street is my favorite so far. I am very careful not to get any older clothes as some of the zippers or buttons can contain lead. So no cute vintage Levi's jean jackets for Max. Only Gap jean jackets from last season. He's still styling. H&M has some absolutely darling stuff too...and its not too costly.

I've noticed that I have no time to shop for myself - and when I do - I end up shopping for Max. This has really put a damper on my deal finding of designer goods. This means that I have been doing alot of shopping online. Actually I do a lot of shopping cart filling online. I never seem to be able to convince myself to purchase. I monitor the items that I like such as this cute cardigan... But once again a slave of reviews, read the 1 review and was deterred from buying.

ahh I forgot just how good Hoegaarden beer is. I'm having one while I blog and Max's sleeps. This is the life.

Ok MM is going to look for some bargains while enjoying the rest of this Hoegaarden

xx

Potholes can suck it!!

So in my last post, I mentioned that I wanted to talk about:
- Potholes in SF
- Graffiti in our hood, no more Bart Simpson
- Max! Sleeping more, updates on 4 mo old visits, to vaccinate vs. not vaccinating.

Potholes can suck it: On Mother's Day we are heading back from Palo Alto after having a great meal with the family. I exit the Potrero exit and head up Ceaser Chavez, which I have done a thousand times before. This time however, I hit a MASSIVE pothole which popped our front tire. Thankfully, I was able to make it home before the tire went totally flat. What a great way to end my first Mother's day! I was fuming. We had extended warrenty which covered problems such as popped tire/bent rims and was able to get it fixed no problems. I went onto my fav local blog, Mission Local and filed a ticket with the city. They have a Google map where you can tag and ticket issues in the hood. Little did I know, that in filing a ticket it submits it to all the government agencies. I made a snitty little remark mentioning that I'd like to see some Tax Dollars at work for a change - and the pothole was fixed 2 days later! To quote He-Man, "I have the power!!"

Graffiti: On Alabama and 22nd, the corner is continually tagged with our local gang insignia. They cross one out and write another - which goes on for ages and it only covered up when the building owners paint over it. The reason I see this every day is I walk by it to drop Max off at his babysitter Paula's house. The graffiti that never seemed to get painted over was a character that looked like Bart Simpson. I loved seeing this "tag" with stand all the gang tagging. So the other day, I turn the corner and felt my heart drop. Bart had been covered up. Noooooo! But it was covered up by a group of guys commissioned to cover up the entire wall with art. The wall is still being worked on but looks amazing. I mentioned to one of the guys that I was sad to see Bart Simpson gone and he mentioned that he was going to try to work it into the piece. Yay! Bart lives on!!

Last but not least - the little man has been sleeping so great. Happy Days are here again! His 4 month old visit went very well - He's getting so big at already 17lbs and 27" long. He did well with his vaccines, which is the most painful thing for me. The first time he got a shot I made the mistake of watching. The needle was so long going into his little leg. It was traumatizing for me! But he was a champ.


Max has been able to almost sit up - thanks to the Bumbo. He's getting stronger so fast.
Quite the happy little guy - always smiling and laughing. His new thing is sucking on his fingers. Does not like pacifiers whatsoever.

MM out. Be back soon. xo

Feliz Día de la Madre!

The Madre had a great first Mother's Day. We got up early and hung out with Max for bit. Those morning cuddles, smiles and laughs are the best thing. Being that we were up early, we decided to head over to Berkeley (as it was raining in the city). I had never been to Tilden Park before so we decided to take a drive. By the time that we made it to the park, which is nicely tucked behind the Padre's alma mater, it had stopped raining and the sun was peaking out.

Auntie Morgan was in town so we got to hang out with her a bit. She got to "wear" Max around the block.

The best part was watching her blatantly check out a cute hipster on a bike. I think she forgot that she had a 17lb darling little baby strapped to the front of her. Classic.

rarrr. I was going to write a bit more tonight but Danny just started "Moon" and I want to watch!! Ok stay tuned - I need to blog more about :
- Potholes in SF
- Graffiti in our hood, no more Bart Simpson
- Max! Sleeping more, updates on 4 mo old visits, to vaccinate vs. not vaccinating.

MM out - be back soon my trusty readers. x

Oy Vey! Has it really been a month since I have last blogged?

Geez. Madre's been busy. Hopefully my faithful readers (Renee) can cut me some slack. So... as I alluded in a previous post about making a big decision - well we've made it. What was the big decision you ask? Packing up our entire life and moving across the world. Ok, so it would have been only across the country, to a tiny village known as New York City. The Madre y Padre were excited about the possibility of moving to NY but its just not in the cards at the moment. And by not being in the cards, I mean that the Real Estate market in San Francisco right now is the shits for sellers. Its a true buyers market. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to rent our place to cover the mortgage...booo.

So when I learned about the chance of living in NY, I was flabbergasted. It was never really a possibility, but then things changed and the offer was on the table. From there, it was a whirlwind. Call realtors, get their opinion of what we can sell for, determine if we could sell and not loose everything, scour CL for apartments, look for childcare.

The Realtors we met with were all super positive about our place and not loosing all the money we had put into it. Great, we thought, we'll be able to sell with no problems! We then decided to go to NY and check it out for a weekend. I had heard that Park Slope ala Brooklyn, was a great place for kids and for making a transition from SF. Great, Park Slope it is. I found a broker on CL and lined up a few places to view. We flew in on a Wednesday night red eye (Max slept the whole flight, phew!) and were so tired when we got into JFK. But we were short on time and needed to squeeze in as much apartment hunting as possible. So, we checked into the hotel, fed Max and then headed over to Brooklyn to see a number of places. Before meeting with the broker, I was very clear in the types of place that we were looking for - not more than a 2 flight walk up(hello, lugging a stroller and baby!), Washer/Dryer (Max creates lots of laundry) and 2 bedrooms. Maybe a little too precise. He took us to a few ok places and a few shitholes. Honestly, if the place has no drywall up and we have to walk across a ladder to get into the apartment - I don't want to see it. I've only read about brokers trying to rent out dumps as the ones we saw, so it was interesting to see it in action - however time consuming it was. Seeing the shitholes, gave us a better perspective of WHAT we were looking for. I found another Broker on CL, who had a great posting and a wonderful price for an apartment that sounded right up our alley - prime Park Slope, W/D in unit, 2 bedrooms, 2nd floor. The Broker was so rude on the phone but I thought we'd give it a shot. She agreed to meet us on a corner near the apartment. She was late and had her dog with her. At first sight, I thought "this person can not possibly be the broker - she's so unkempt." Red jacket, pink shirt and furry boots. She looked liked the hairball a polar bear would cough up after eating Cotton Candy and Hot Tamales. Honestly, I was afraid of what the apartment was going to be like. The apartment was nice and we agreed to put a deposit down on. The Broker was a rude bitch (apparently most brokers are) and I should have known then that we were going to have problems with her incompetency. There was a lot of back and forth, but needless to say we got the apartment, after the owner of the apartment called me to clarify a few things the broker had said. Anyhow, it and she were a disaster.

So we have the apartment all lined up. Our trip to NY was a success - in light of the fact that I didn't get to go shopping AT ALL. Uniqlo was a block from our hotel. I'm crying inside still. I also did get a clogged milk duct bordering Mastitis (Yes, TMI) the first day, which was no fun at all. I was hurting bad and feeling worse.

We get back to the Mission and have follow up meetings with Realtors. Things have taken a dive - the market in SF has been bombarded with properties for sale. People are cutting deals left and right. Our heart melts. But, I still have a smile on the outside. The Madre was so sad to think about leaving this life we've carved out. Also, having family(mi madre) nearby made me ill when I thought loosing that in moving to NY. So all and all, it was a stressful few weeks, but I think we made the right decision by staying put.

Ok, I'm a little rusty at this blahhging, as its been a month. But I think it will be like learning to ride a bike again. I just got to get back on it and give it my best shot.

Here's the one pic we took of Max in NY - so sad, as its in the hotel! I hope to go back soon and get some real good touristy shots of him :) Yay for bathtime in the world's smallest sink - welcome to NY!


MM Out (be back soon, I promise xx)

One more thing...

Max has a new bad habit - courtesy of Daddy. He loves to stick his tongue out all the time now!

First day at work and daycare: great success!

Today was a pretty good day. I must admit I was stressed out about returning to work and taking Max to daycare. I tossed and turned last night. Thankfully I had a nice glass of wine before I headed to bed and it calmed me out enough to fall asleep. I read a little bit of this horrid book I am determined to finish - 'A Reliable Wife' - Honestly, its like reading a softcore porn. I dont know what I'm more ashamed about, that I'm actually trying to finish it or that my mom is reading it at the same time as me. Eww...Weird.

Again, my A.D.D. kicks in and I digress. Today work was ok - had 7,500 emails in my inbox. Honestly. I even took a screenshot and was going to show you - but I got busy and forgot to save the screenshot. So yeah work was a-ok. The day seemed to fly by and before I knew it, it was time to pick Max up from Paula's, his new abuelita. She is such a nice lady and I feel so lucky to have found her on the last day of my maternity. Its such a bummer that she doesn't speak English, as she seems like a chatty kathy and I love that. She was telling me stories this morning for a short while, but my Spanish is so bad that I just caught a word here and there and nodded and smiled. I searched high and low for about 6 months for childcare and had come up dry. Danny and I were going to try to juggle him while attempting to do our jobs. Thank god we were able to find someone to entertain Max and keep him happy. It was such a relief to get him home (Danny picked him up) and see him smiling and happy. Sure leaving him in the morning was a bit difficult, but I got back home and jumped right into work. Its so great that she lives only 2 blocks away. Yes, we are SO lucky.

Here's Max smiling after a fun day with Paula

Last night we went to Auntie and Uncles for dinner. It was fun to see the family and to have a great meal.

Ok the Mission Madre has lots to do before we head down to Orange on Wednesday afternoon. Hope to blog again soon

...as my Maternity leave comes to an end.

Its been a wonderful three months that I've had off work. I don't know how mothers have a baby and then go right back to work. This three months has blown by and I'm going to be so sad not spending all day with Max. There is a guilty part of me that is excited to get back to work and have a little "free" time during the day. But there is a larger part of me that feels nervous about leaving him at a nannies house all day. We've found an abuelita around the corner (thanks to Jane!) who will be able to watch Max for us. She doesnt speak any English (but her daughter does) so it will be interesting trying to communicate with her - as the Mission Madre knows very little Spanish. Tomorrow is the first day that Max will be with her all day (and I'm bound to be a nervous wreck) I'm also back to work tomorrow - so I will be a hectic, nervous wreck)

I wish we had moved to Canada awhile ago - as my Uncle tells me that Canadian women get 12 months maternity off! I'd be up there popping kids out every 12 months. ha!

So aside from having to go back to work, we'll be pretty busy with some important life altering decisions (I'll blog more about this later as I don't want to jinx anything!!)

Ok back to Max...He's getting bigger (or maybe it just feels that way!) We weighed him a week or so ago on the Wii Fit Plus and he was 14 lbs. I then was out with another Mission Madre the other day and stopped by Natural Resources and plopped him down on the scale there (which he barely fit length wise) - 15 lbs! No wonder I've lost so much weight - this kid is sucking it out of me!

After Natural Resources, we hit up Salvation Army where I scored a super cute vintage OshKosh B'Gosh jacket for Max. He's going to be one stylin dude - I'm going to make sure of it! Here's a cute little hat I got for him at H&M (Danny has a grown up version)


We will be busy taking Max on trips the next 2 weekends. Going to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Orange, CA (driving) and then the following weekend we are heading to NY(flying!). It will be interesting to see how he handles the car ride and flight!

Ok I want to squeeze as much Max time as I can out of whats left of my weekend...MM out

Happy days are here again! Sun in SF

We've been having some really sunny and warm days lately (fingers crossed they continue!) They are LONG overdue with all the muggy rainy days we've had this year. It's nice to throw Max in the stroller and go for a little walk in the hood.


This past weekend was certainly trying with the absence of the Padre. Thank God for my mom and brother, who came over every day and hang out and help with Max. Its amazing how much work I was able to get done this past weekend. Cleaning, vacuuming, laundry....all that fun stuff! I was so relieved last night when I sat down and thought of all that I had accomplished that day. The accomplishments of the day, matched with a glass of Nigori sake - and I was in heaven. Thanks to Grandma Bootsie for helping me out by watching Max. Sorry he Shat on you :)

Danny got back last night (after having been gone since Thursday) and he was astonished how much Max had "grown" in that short amount of time. He said that his face was filling out (maybe because the little guy EATS all the TIME!) and his neck is getting very strong, thus no more "infant floppy head"

One thing I have really noticed lately is how much I've been "standing out" for the past year. I feel as if I can no longer just blend into the crowd. For those of you who know me, I am a definite extrovert - but I do have a little bit of a shy side with the public. Maybe I'm just not use to all the extra attention I've been receiving from strangers. If you think about it, I was pregnant - thus people stared at me and strangers offered advice while trying to touch my growing belly. Now with a child, I still feel like people stare and offer advice while adoring "His Highness" :) At least they aren't trying to touch me anymore.

I lay in bed at night and think about all the things I want to discuss in this here blog - and I come up with some great stuff - but when I actually have the time to sit down and blog, I feel as though my well is dry. I guess I understand what women mean by saying they have "mommy brain." First it was "Pregnancy Brain" (forgetful, can't remember shit) and now its "mommybrain" (worn out and exhausted, trying to do 10,000 things at once - while only successfully completing one thing) Wonder whats next...

MM out

La madre pierde el padre (I totallly Google Translated that) who am I kidding, I know very little Spanish...

The Padre has only been gone a short while but I(we) miss him terribly. Danny is on business until Sunday. I had a talk with Max and he agreed to be a good boy in his absence. Today was a good day, lets see how the night transpires.

Grandma Bootsie and Uncle Erin came over for dinner (which was a godsend as I dont know how I could have made a full meal without a little help) Looks like I will be living off El Metate(restaurant, literally across the street) for the next few nights. Ah who am I kidding, I can totally cook a full meal and have Max in the other arm. Its all about "hands free" sling.

I got to meet another Mission Madre today and it was so great. Having not really put myself out there, I haven't really met any other moms in our neighborhood. I feel like finding new moms/babies is a lot like dating. As my brother says, I should just go onto EBabyHarmony.com ha! Its just seemed to me like all the moms out there that wanted to meet other moms seemed too "Suzi Homemaker." But perhaps it is just me over thinking things.

Ok Max is asleep now, which means I should be asleep too. Having the Padre not being here means we will have to go and get coffee for ourselves tomorrow morning. It won't be sitting on the nightstand waiting for me when I wake up. Yes, I am spoiled. But I've work damn hard for it.

MM out

So my sympathetic cold is gone...mostly

I didnt really elaborate on "why" it was a sympathetic cold that I got. I was guessing that Max would feel a little under the weather from the vaccines (which he did not) so I am the one that got sick. Thus the sympathetic part. I think him getting the vaccines was harder for me - I nearly broke down crying in the doctors office.


Max had a serious of "firsts" Thursday.


- BART Ride - (The Pic below is not us, but I simply wanted to illustrate how hard it is to hold a stroller on the escalator, while people are whizzing by)

We went to go visit Grandma "Bootsie" at her new office at 45 Fremont. I honestly don't know how handicapped people get around using BART. The elevators outside the 24th street station are like walking into a men's urinal. I've made the mistake of taking them before - and they are so slow. Your trapped in this elevator with fumes of ammonia/piss looming all around you for a good minute. Its honestly one of the longest minutes of your life. I made the wise choice this time to take the escalator. I chose a time when I knew that it would not be too busy as I would be blocking people from walking down the escalator. Getting there was not the hard part, but the coming back was. It was 4pm Embarcadero station and the elevators are broken. There is a big sign on them saying, "If you need an elevator go to the Montgomery station." Yeah that helps me alot. I decide to brave the escalator with the stroller in the rush before rushhour. Most people were sympatic when I would say "Sorry, Elevator is broken" as they squeezed by us to make their way down the escalator. There was one A-Hole (a balding older man with thick framed nerdy glasses - think Stephen King) who was in a huge rush. First of all, he could barely squeeze by the stroller (Which I was holding onto with a deathgrip to ensure it didn't go flying down the escalator). Well this A-Hole squeezes by us, and then his bag gets stuck on the stroller - so he yanks at it. Honestly. I yelled at him, as I was trying to hold onto the stroller for dear life and here he was yanking his bag making the stroller inch forward. Some people just need a good smack upside the head. Good thing my hands were full, or I would have certainly delivered it to him.

- Large scale Protest - We round the corner of 23rd and Capp and I see Mission street is closed down and filled with people holding signs. They are protesting a school crisis here in the city. There were a good 1000 people marching along. Luckily, we were able to sneak into BART with no problems.
- Vaccines - this wasnt a fun "first" - Max got 2 shots the first visit and then I took him back yesterday to get his other 3 shots, getting him up to date for his 2 Month old immunizations.

Last weekend we were blessed with 2 nights of Max sleeping thru the night. It was nice to get ~ 8 hours of continous sleep. However, the nights of sleeping thru the night have passed as he's been up a few times the past 2 nights. Last night was the roughest. I am not sure if he was sleepless/hungry because of his vaccinations or maybe because his leg was achy. Hopefully tonight will be better?

I got a sympathetic cold

So the Madre has a touch of a cold that came on Thursday. Padre has been helping me get back on track with lots of sleep and chicken noodle soup.

Max had a serious of "firsts" Thursday.
- BART Ride (see Pic above)
- Large scale Protest
- Vaccines

Notice I list Vaccines last. That wasn't a fun first. Max had his 2 month well baby visit yesterday which went well. He's gaining weight (13 lbs now!) and in the 90% percentile for height (He's going to be TALL).

Ok must go take a nap...I'll blog again later. x

He knows when I'm just about to start a posting...cause he wakes up!

So Max and I were out in the Mission the other day walking around. We ventured into Therapy to look for some new clothes for the Madre. And the essential stop by Shoe Biz to check out the latest kicks. Heading back home we stopped by Thrift Town and Goodwill. Along our travels we found a new restaurant which was soon to open, Gracias Madre. I thought it was fitting for the long walk I had taken him on :)

BIG NEWS!! Max slept thru the night!!! Oh my. My life is grand.

Ok he's waking up...doing his Grand elaborate stretches...Madre out (to post again at the next nap)

What a nice weekend we had!

Danny took Friday off so we had a nice 3 day weekend. We got a lot of chores done which had been put off - vacuuming and laundry in particular.

I want to start this post by saying that Max now has a girlfriend. Our friends, the Au's came over for dinner/catchup on Thursday night. They have an adorable little 5 month old. She took an immediate liking to Max :)
We had our meal and set the kiddos on the table in front of us. It was adorable when she reached over for Max's little hand. (Ok maybe she had a little help) Anyways Max was in his fav bouncy chair looking like a little prince. It was a fun evening and so great to meet their little on as well as catch up with A and T.

Saturday we went over to Alamdeda. We needed to take some dishes back to the Ruports - so I looked on Craigslist to see if there were any good estate/garage/rummage sales. I found one posting that boasted a lot of vintage designer stuff (Cha ching!) and it was supporting helping seniors find affordable housing. I thought for sure it would have been a jackpot of goods. Which it was not. We walked into the community center and it was nicely organized piles of clothes. Nothing vintage - nor designer. Well, I shouldn't say nothing - there was ONE pair of Ferragamo heels which were so fugly that I'm sure Imelda Marcos wouldn't have them in her shoe collection. Danny was strolling Max around the Community center and getting nothing but ohhhs and ahhhs over Max. It was cute to see him as the doting dad. I shouldn't say the rummage sale was a total bust - I did find one thing - a Talbots silk top reminiscent of something Marc Jacobs would make. I paid and was out the door as Max was fussing. I certainly would have been greatly disappointed if we had ventured over to Alameda just for this sale. I am looking forward to the next Alameda Flea Market which is this coming weekend I think

We then stopped by the Ruports and had a great time hanging out with them the remainder of the afternoon. Andrea was trying her hardest (again) to get us to move to Alameda. We walked around their neighborhood and looked at a few houses for sale. To be honest, I'm not all that entirely opposed to moving over there. Great schools, safe neighborhoods, lots of families with kids. It was great to see the Ruport clan again, and A gave me her Kangaroo sling as her youngest had outgrown it. The sling works quite well.

Danny and I had to be back in the city in time for our babysitter(Grandma Bootsie!) to come over and watch Max for a few hours that night. Danny and I went and saw Avatar. It was in the Imax theater and in 3-D. It was a WHOOPING $17 a ticket too! geeebus. I haven't paid that much for a movie since I lived in England. Aside from being completely packed (we had to sit literally in the front row) the movie was great. After the movie we jumped on BART and ended up at Rosamunde Sausage Grill at Mission and 24th. We had sausages and beer before heading home. It was a good night..Max had been easy on Grandma Bootsie so everyone was in a good mood.

So it's now March and I am going to officially start freaking out about having to go back to work. Granted, I don't have to go back until the end of this month - but it scares me to think of how quickly that will fly by - as this past 2 months has been a blur. I've had some trouble finding daycare with any openings for Max, so I am now evaluating other alternatives - work Part-time? Sharecare? Hire a Nanny? God, childcare in SF is so bloody expensive.

This coming Thursday we take Max in for his 2 month doctors visit - which means he gets vaccinations. I'm not looking forward to it. I hate shots and I am sure he's going to cry bloody murder when he gets his. I know I will be crying inside for him.

Ok Mission Madre out.

Its raining, its pouring...

So I've been trying to get Max on some sort of schedule. Some say it may be too early, but I disagree. I'd love to get some structure to plan our day around and help him sleep better at night. I've also recently started pumping and letting Danny and my mom give him bottles. Max's doing really well with it, and I think its a great way for him to bond with them. It helps that the bottles we are using (Adiri) look like a mini boobs.

Its funny to see Danny feeding him with it - as I wonder if Max thinks its Danny's boob? Ah probably not...

So its raining today and what a better day then to go to Target! I strategically picked out which Target to go shopping based on the amount of overhead coverage from the parking to the store. While it is a little ghetto, I ventured out to Tanforam shopping mall to go to Target as they have a large parking garage - and I only had to venture 10 feet from the garage to the store in the rain. I had a gift card to spend that my friend Judy got us as a baby gift. I headed to the baby section and picked up some adorable Dwell Studio clothes (see my earlier blog about Dwell) I picked up the cutest old man sweater for Max. I wish that they had the same sweater in Danny's size. hah!

Yesterday, Max had another first! His first visit to Daddy's office! Danny forgot his glasses so we made a trip down to the Mission and 2nd Street to drop them off. I was able to find an open metered spot on the street, so we were able to go into meet Danny. It was nice as he was able to join us for lunch (Hot Hammer sandwich from Specialty's - yum!). We sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather by a fountain.

Ok have to run - will post again soon! Mission Madre out...

Max's 1st: Thrift Store, sleeping more than 3 hours in one stretch..

Today was a big day for Max. He went to one of Mommy's favorite places - a thrift store. It's the thrill of not knowing what treasures lie ahead. Today we went to Saver's (near the Cow Palace) with no intentions of getting anything in particular. I should have looked for a toaster, as our Delonghi toaster (which was a wedding gift) caught on fire (Yes - on fire!) and nearly burnt up our kitchen. Thankfully we had a fire extinguisher nearby and were able to divert any real damage. Again, I digress. Max was pretty chilled out, in his carseat attached to the stroller once we made it to Savers. We headed towards the books where we came upon a plethora of great children's books. Clifford, Bernstein bears and other great classics. We got about 15 books and made our way around the rest of the store. Max started to get a bit fussy, so no more treasures were to be found today. We headed to the register, paid for our finds and headed out.

Max has been sleeping longer than 3 hours at a time! We are now successfully up to 4 hours (fingers crossed that it lasts)

Have to run...Max is fussing for Daddy (Hungry?)

Mission Madre out

Happy Presidents Day

I'm tempted to dress Max up like a little Abraham Lincoln..but I'd have to go find the beard and hat.

I haven't really had time to post much as Max has been on a feeding frenzy and it makes it hard to accomplish lots of tasks that I need to - so blogging was put on the back burner. He's now eased up a bit (feeding every 3 hours instead of every hour.) I was starting to feel like a cow. Moo. If I had time and energy, I might have photoshopped my smiling face onto the body of a cow. You'll just have to visualize it for yourself.

This past weekend was a great one. We ventured down to Pacifica (Pic above) on Saturday to check out the massive waves. The renowned "Mavericks" surf competition was under way a few miles south in Half Moon Bay. 50 foot waves! It was nice to sit on a bench for a bit and watch the waves while cuddling with Max.

Sunday we headed over to Marin to celebrate Flo's sons baptism. It was nice to see friends I hadn't seen in awhile. It also made me realize that we are going to baptize Max one of these days. I think we are going to have the Baptism down in Orange at the church that Danny's family goes to. Even though I am not a religious person at all, it will be nice to know that Max will be saved from eternal damnation. Plus its a good excuse to throw a party! Woot woot - I'm all about parties :)

Today I realized something which is very important. I despise folding fitted sheets. Only today was I able to mentally address this, as I was voicing my hatred of this task to Danny. "Just how in the HELL are you supposed to fold this damn thing!!!" I don't know what it is, but folding fitted sheets ignites a fire in me like nothing else. Lazy parkers and inconsiderate people tend to fire me up just as well...but when it comes to a fitted sheet - nothing compares. When tasked with folding a fitted sheet I usually attempt to fold it at first, but then I fall apart. I think I need some Xanax. So after folding all the laundry, I look over and see the fitted sheet. Its in a nice pile. That should be folded enough - so I put it away with all the other sheets. Done done and done.

Ok enough of my ramblings. Mission Madre out...

Max's First Visit to Wine Country

I know, he's 6 weeks old and just now getting to wine country! Talk about neglect...

We had a great day trip up to St. Helena. Had both Grandma's with him and slept most of the day. We went to Casa Nuestra and Storybook Mountains and he slept thru both of the tastings. Well almost slept thru them both... I had to leave the pack early at Storybook to feed the little guy.

I think he's going thru some sort of spurt - or at last I HOPE thats what it is - as he's been feeding every 1.5 - 2 hours. Thankfully he eases up during the night and gives us a good three hours between his hunger cries. Oh god how I miss 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Wonder how long until I get that again...6, 7 years? To all my child-free friends and readers - how I envy you and your sleep pattern.

We were able to get "out on the town" for a good hour last Friday night. D discovered that it is SF Beer Week and that the *new* Rosamunde Sausage Grill had his fav beer in tap just that night. The grandma's were over for dinner and they offered to watch Max(I had just fed him and had a good 3 hours until he would be hungry again) while we ventured out for a few cold ones. My bro was over as well and joined us. Not an hour later (I had just finished a beer and Erin had ordered us another round) I check my phone and I see, not ONE but THREE missed calls from my Mom. Oh Gawd - I think something terrible has happened and immediately call her - but Danny answers his phone "Hello Bootsie....He's been crying? Ok we'll be home as soon as we can" We head out and jump in a taxi and make a bee line for home. Max is calm by the time we get there...

So today I had kinda a big day out with Max. We went to Lullaby Lane to get a few things (toys and a mobile for Max's crib)
and then we went to Whole Foods for fixins for dinner. Big day out, I tell you.

So we don't have Cable TV. Its a waste of money - TV has been reduced to nothing but commercials and reality tv. So Hulu.com has been a savior for me. We've been able to keep up with current tv - Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Glee, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I have been watching Modern Family on Hulu - that show comes in as a close second to Arrested Development. Hilarious family structure and ideologies.

Best thing since Astronaut Ice Cream

...Ok maybe not comparable to Astronaut Ice Cream - but it certainly is the Bee's Knees when it come to calming Max down.



MISSION: Throw him in the "Heart to Heart" sling we got (see my earlier post about this) and bounce up and down on a exercise ball. The exercise ball I got at Sports Basement with the intention that I was going to labor on the ball - which is a great comfort during the labor process and really opens up the hips. I didn't need to ball however, as the hospital had a few of them on hand. But I digress.... So this big purple ball has just been sitting in a corner collecting dust.

OBJECTIVE: Max was fussing and I did all I could to calm him down and nothing was working. I held him in my arms and sat down. I bounced up and down 3 times (NO JOKE!) and the little buster was asleep.

MISSION COMPLETED! Down for the count. Out cold. I highly recommend to anyone who has a fussy baby to get on of these balls and try out this technique. I'm coining this technique as "Jenn's Mojo Mix for Max" of "Jenn's MCubed "if you will.

Anyways here's a closeup of the little guy in full 'MCubed'.

This weekend we have Grandma Busch and Betty visiting us. I was trying to align a Grandma vs. Grandma arm wrestling match for the coveted title of 'Max's favorite Grandma'. But neither Bootsie or Busch were having it. Geez! I was even going to get a trophy made up. Guess I will scratch that idea :)

Max got his first Valentine's Day card from Grandma and Grandpa Busch. They also got him an adorable outfit from Target. Its a one piece from Dwell Studio for Target. I love Dwell. And I love even more that they are collaborating with Target on putting out cheaper products with the same fun Dwell look. Interestingly enough, they don't have all the available Dwell products available online. ( I went into the store and they had loads more there). I was eyeing a cute scooter printed outfit for Max. After he was born, we recieved and abundance of clothes (thanks family and friends!!) so I am not allowed to buy him any clothes just yet. Although I think I might cheat and get this (how adorable, right?!) I know its not Dwell...but something so cute AND Piratey.

Ok Mission Madre has to run - Wake Max up (J MCubed in full effect!!), feed him, Grandmas coming over, go to get Mani/Pedi. Bring it!

One more thing to mention - Mission centric news - I'm super excited about Heart, a new wine bar that opened at 24th/Valencia. Hopefully it will not turn into a hipster haven or become overrun by Marina scuppies (Scum + Yuppies) before we get to check it out. Come on, they serve wine in Mason jars - how great is that!?

"Alameda is where hipsters go to have kids" - Ruports

So we had the Ruport clan over yesterday. Mad props to them as they brought us dinner (Chicken Enchilada's) which was delicious! It was so great to see Andrea and Matt as well as their 4 young ones. Their youngest Rex, 14 months, was a great trial run in how badly we will need to childproof our home. Starting with our dearly loved Noguchi coffee table. Rex attempted to climb over the glass top and nearly tipped the whole thing over. I wasn't too worried about the coffee table, but the 30 pounds of glass top that could have fallen on Rex and smashed the 28 lb bruiser. Next up, all our sharp corners on cabinets. Thankfully the little bruiser was able to skillfully navigate his way around all the possible bumps and bruises. Their other three kids had discovered out Bombo bar stools which we alot of fun for them to spin around and go up and down. And thankfully the bar stools withstood the test and no kids were hurt in the process.

Matt and Andrea live in Alameda. They really love living there and I think are trying to secretly (maybe not so secretly) trying to get us to move there. "Alameda is like where hipsters move to have kids." Do they have a Mommy and Me American Apparel there? I can picture a slew of hipsters pushing their babes in Paul Frank Bugaboos, decked out in American Apparel cotton shirt, skinny jeans and Toms Shoes. Oh don't forget the RayBans for the parents and the babes. Oh how I love to stereotype. Its only cause I am a honorary hipster that I can poke fun at my fellow brethren. Ok so I don't have Tom's shoes - yet. Cmon silver sparkle and you are helping a child in need get a new pair of shoes. "Danny can you hand me my wallet!?" Being a new mom - I am all about slip on shoes. I miss the time where I had the time to lace up my shoes, and accessorize my outfits. Perhaps wearing deodorant can count as accessorizing?

So my Uncle and Aunt in Canada got us a Heart to Heart sling.

Which is great! Danny uses it all the time with ease. I, on the otherhand, have had a little difficulty in making it work. Perhaps it is because I am not wearing my Kitten Heels like the picture on the Heart to Heart website (Gotta love those quirky Canucks!)

Oh I almost forgot! We took Max to his well baby 1 month check up this past week. He's looking good and growing fast. He's 22" long (which puts him in the 67% percentile for growth) and he's gained 2 lbs since we initially went to the doctors (so that's 2lbs in 2 weeks - which for those of you Metric users I think is roughly 1 kg.)


Lastly here's our little guy, who's so "beary cute." We are going over to family's for dinner tonight. Will be good to see Auntie and Uncle - as well as show off our little cutie. Next week, Grandma Busch and Betty are coming to visit us, which will be lots of fun!

MM out

Max's trip today - Post Office, Gym, and coffee shop - excitement!!

Hi,
It's been awhile since the Madre has posted. Max has been rather fussy the past 2 days and nights, which means the Madre y Padre are running on low. Last night was a little better, so we are getting our second wind. Yesterday Max fussed all day - so come today I was determined to throw him in the Ergo and go for a long walk. I had to hit up the USPS to send out a book I sold online via Half.com (love it!). I decided to go to the 'further' away post office (10 blocks vs. 3 blocks). It was rather nice out and I worked up a little sweat on the way there (not to mention that I had this adorable little space heater strapped to my chest!). There was the typical 10 minute wait at the post office as some A-Hole had 30 packages to send out and didnt have them ready by the time it was his turn. But I regress. Next up, Mission Cliffs to reinstate the Madres's membership. I've got to keep this svelte little figure! ha! I'm looking forward to finding other Mommies who want to climb, as well as start taking my weekly'ish yoga classes. On our way home, we stopped at our local coffee shop, Progressive Grounds, for a chicken wrap and Madre fuel (ala coffee). The people that work there are so nice and are buddy buddy with D as he goes in there everyday. I hadn't been in since I had Max so it was nice to be welcomed and congratulated as I walked in.

Here's our Lil Peanut just chilling in his crib

* please note, he doesn't sleep there at night just yet thus we have the bumpers there. We know that its advisable to not have bumpers in the crib - but they are just so darn cute. Plus Max likes to stare at all the animals on them!












We've been getting some fun videos with our Flip, which I will try to upload shortly.

Will this rain ever stop?

I still have yet to take Max out in his killer ride (aka Quinny Stroller) for a stroll around the 'hood. Its been raining and pretty cold, so I'm waiting till its a little nicer to venture out. I've been finding means to entertain myself - baking cupcakes, cookies, changing poopy diapers, organizing baby clothes and reading books that have been collecting dust (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). D just went over to Valencia street and got some more books at Dog Eared Books. He picked me up another book that I have been wanting to read, "Diary" by Chuck Palahniuk (honestly, how DO you say his last name?) I also have David Sedaris' latest book to start.

Ok let me forge thru P,P, and Zombies!

MM out.

Shout out to his homie, Whiskers...

So from time to time in the Mission, you see young kids walking around with tee shirts in remembrance of someone they lost. The shirt usually has a picture of the deceased along with the date. Hate to generalize, but its usually a 'young blood' gang banger that got shot or what have you. In homage to a loss so near and dear to me, I made Max a onesie with Whiskers, RIP 2006. I didn't go so far as to list out the name and date of the deceased. Anyone who has known me for an amount of time, knows that I loved that cat. I had her for 15 years. She grew up with me in Vegas and when I moved to SF, I had to leave her behind with a family friend for a few months. Once we found a place to live, I flew out to Vegas and brought her back with me. Kitty and I rocked it in first class too! Ahh the life. Well the cat had been given a hefty amount of tranquilizers so I'm not sure she remembers much. This one's for you homie [pouring out milk from a 40 bottle] Meowwwww.