bonnie & jason

Alissa’s first party

We went to Jamie’s 2nd Birthday party this past Sunday.  Gladdie had invited Dora the Explorer to entertain the kids with some magic and other kid friendly activities.  I guess this is what I have to look forward to!  Also, here are a few other random pictures from the last couple days.  You may notice that Alissa is starting to get pretty chubby.  Also, she has some baby acne coming in. 

 

Alissa gets another bath

We still haven’t gotten good at bath time yet.  I think the water is still a bit cold (we’re scared of burning her) and it takes us too long.  As such, Alissa really hates bath time.  She made her feelings perfectly clear both this time and last by pooping in the bath water right as we finished the last rinse.  Oh well, at least she did it before we started drying her off.

I will say that babies do smell really nice after you wash away the poop and old milk.  I’m not sure if it’s baby B.O. or what.  Not sure how long it lasts either… maybe it’s like new car smell!  Anyway, a few more pics that show how fluffy Alissa’s hair gets when it’s actually clean!

 

 

Mmm… crab

We went to the Sunset Super today and bought four big ole Dungeness crabs for dinner tonight.  Yummy!  They’re really easy to make.  I think I spent more time and effort eating them and then cleaning up afterwards than actually preparing them.  Just throw them in some boiling water for five minutes.  Then put them in a 500 degree oven for 15 minutes after coating them with butter, olive oil, garlic, ginger, and salt-n-peppa.  Voila!  Serve with vinegar and your favorite white wine.

Alissa goes to Fisherman’s Wharf

 

Instead of yet another retail store, we went to Fisherman’s Wharf today.  It was beautiful out so we got a nice walk out of it and wandered among the tourists for a while.  As she usually does while strapped in her car seat, Alissa slept through the whole thing.

 

 

 

Alissa’s corner

Alissa seems to like this corner of the couch so I’ve been putting her there to chill out while I check email and watch TV.

 

 

 

 

The many faces of Alissa

They say that babies change in both look and personality every day.  I would argue that they change in look and personality every split second!  From crying to happy to sleepy to wired.  To illustrate, I took a few shots in quick succession this morning.

Alissa in macro

Some of you photographers out there may have noticed that most of the pictures recently have the same “look.”  That’s because I’ve been using my 50mm 1.8 lens almost exclusively.  So, to mix it up a bit, I took a few shots with my 100mm 2.8 macro today.  Here are a few.

Late night feedings

Self portrait number two is a late night feeding shot.  We’re pretty good at feeding by now and thankfully, Alissa pretty much goes right down after being changed (at least between 1 and 6 am).  That being said, we do look forward to the day when we can sleep through the night.  We ordered that Baby-Wise book to help us make that transition.  A lot of people have said it worked for them… we’ll see!

As for during the day, she’s usually pretty good.  First thing in the morning and last thing before bed, she typically gets a little fussy.  Not sure why.  But I did find that she likes being propped up in the corner of the couch all wrapped up like a burrito. 

Alissa’s Chinese Name

My parents came up with a Chinese name for Alissa derived from her English first name.  Wang Ya Li (王雅莉) is literally translated as King – Graceful – Intelligent.  The “Li” part can also be interpreted as beautiful.  It’s a lot to live up to, huh?  Also, in case you don’t keep up with the Chinese zodiac, she was born in the year of the dog.  Here’s a description from http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/dog.html:

People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other peoples’ confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.

Thankfully, I’m a Tiger and Bonnie is a Rabbit so hopefully we’ll all get along!