Getting ready for change

Louis is really all smiles, at least the first half of the day. As long as he can see a friendly face, he doesn't need much of anything. He tends to be a little frustrated/fussy in the afternoons, probably because his life is totally unpredictable and I'm putting him down for naps at seemingly random times. Or it could be that he is really constipated -- since he's started solids he seems to poop only about every 4-5 days.



Below are videos of Louis's first tastes of solid foods (a lovely melange of rice cereal and breast milk). Rosemary of course wanted to help feed him. She also seemed to be insanely jealous when we first put him in the high chair -- there was something about it (possibly the fact that food is a high priority for her and she realized she's going to have to compete for resources now, or maybe because it made him more like a little boy rather than a cute lump when he sat in the high chair) that really bothered her. She hasn't shown jealousy towards him in months, so it was a bit of a surprise, but of course she adjusted quickly.



Because of aforementioned jealousy, I left Louis for a morning and took Rosemary to have some fun. We went to Griffith Park to ride the train and say hi to the ponies (I offered her a pony ride and she was VERY clear that she was not interested in that -- only "say hi"), we went to the mall where there was a cool water fountain & escalator ride (highlight), and we ate lunch at an outdoor cafe that gave lollipops, and for dessert, a strawberry crepe that we watched the chef make. We even played on the playground before going home for a nap.




Because its been such a pleasure to see Rosemary play with her friends now we've been having playdates most days (its also much easier for me to get through the day with both when James is working if I have other adults to talk to and we get out of the house!). Below is a picture of her in the "ocean of balls" at "The Little Barn" -- we had a great time jumping into it (I even went with just her and no Louis once). Rosemary showed unusual bravery in this regard. There are also pictures of her with her best friends Shane, Henry, and Abby at Caltech feeding the turtles.
And finally, though its been a BIG month with a lot going on (many good things, including James successfully defending his dissertation!), including getting ready to leave for Chicago for four months, we've managed to do a few of our favorite family activities one last time. Below is a trip to the Arboretum. One of the pictures we took reminded me of something -- see Rosemary below at 2 in the cherry blossoms and Rosemary exactly 2 years ago (though the picture 2 years ago was at Lake Balboa).