Home Sweet Hawaii

Another flight survived! This was the first time that we didn't have an extra seat next to us but we survived none-the-less. Esme was on her best behavior again and slept most of the way. She occasionally woke up to eat, talk, and smile at the other passengers. The hardest part for Esme so far has been the adjustment to the weather here in Hawaii. She's been hot/sticky/clammy ever since we set foot in Hilo. I think the travel also wore her out cause she was in bed early tonight after a lukewarm bath. She's most likely still on west coast time so that might mean she'll be up early too. Yikes!

It's Nana time!

Showing off her neck straining skills to Aunty Amy

Tummy time with cousin Charlie

Esme the Jet-Setter

I've barely unpacked everything from our California trip and now we're taking off for Hawaii tomorrow. This time it'll be Esme, my great-uncle Richard, and myself flying to Hilo for the last of my maternity leave. Allen has to stay home this time and work :( We'll be sure to take plenty of pictures to share with him and of course, all our blog followers! If anyone's in Hilo lets get together!

Happy Mother's Day

I've been pleasantly surprised by the random Mother's Day wishes from strangers as we made our way from wine country to Oakland and back to Seattle today. The best gift yet was that Esme surprised me with a sleep-in special this morning. I put her bed at 9pm last night after the wedding and she didn't wake up till 8am. I was shocked! We thought she'd be our alarm clock for the wedding guests farewell brunch at our hotel but we were wrong. Luckily we didn't miss it and some of the grandmothers among the group offered to hold her so Allen and I were able to eat without interruption.

Since we didn't leave California till this evening Esme got to meet her "Awnty Bee," one of my best friends who lives in San Francisco. It was short but sweet and Esme was awake for most of the time. That's impressive for her these days!

Esme and "Awnty Bee." Esme forgot her sunglasses :)

Esme reached her limit and was ready for a nap :)

Talking to dad during the flight.

Oh sooooooooooo cute!

Esme's First Wedding

What a day! The sun was out nice and early so we walked to downtown Healdsburg, strolled through the main square and surrounding shops, visited the local farmers market, and then decided to hit the hills to tour a local winery. We went to the Francis Ford Coppola Winery which also had a large collection of his movie memorabilia. Esme enjoyed the fresh air, sun and being able to wear some of her summery clothes that she NEVER gets to wear in Washington. Ha ha! Then this afternoon the wedding was at the Trentadue Winery nearby. Fun was had by all and Esme made it through her first wedding without a peep but once the band started playing, Esme and I headed back to the hotel cause it was a little too loud for her. Dad got to stay and enjoy the 80's cover band :)

eating breakfast at the hotel

Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Cyclops - the third headlight!

Alex & Rob get married on the grand lawn

our one attempt at a family photo

Weekend in Wine Country

Early this morning we left Seattle for Healdsburg, CA (part of Sonoma County) for a wedding. This time it was Allen, Esme and I so getting through the airport was a lot easier. We were even able to bring her carseat on the plane so that she could be buckled up too. We made a quick trip to Saratoga to see Allen's family before heading out to Healdsburg so Esme got to meet her other great grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins.

Apparently no one brings their baby to wine country cause Esme has been the talk of the town since we've gotten here. We strolled around the main square this evening and people were coming up to us constantly to ask about her and coo at her. She's been nice and alert most of the time cause she got in a lot of sleeping on the drive up here :) Wedding is tomorrow afternoon at a winery but hopefully we'll be able to explore some more in the morning.

meeting great grandma Shih

lucky little girl

Esme, Aunt Nancy and cousin Cynthia

it was sooooooooo windy

the touristy picture we had to take :)

Deep In Thought

We usually put Esme in the bouncer and place it near the dining table while we eat dinner. She stares at the mobile or just looks around but last night she must have been pooped cause she fell asleep. We think she must have been deep in thought :)

Esme's First Graduation

Today Esme graduated from the " little snugglers" parent-baby class for 0-3 month infants that we've been attending every Wednesday. Next week we'll be in Hawaii at this time and when we get back she'll be able to join the 3-6 month group. We've made some friends in the class and hopefully we'll see them in the other group also. The topic today was about what Mother's Day means to the new mom. Some moms hadn't even thought about it and others had elaborate plans of what they wanted on their first Mother's Day. Some ideas included breakfast in bed, a nap, dad to do all the household chores, a Mariner's game, going out to brunch or dinner, whale watching, and many more. There was one dad in the group and he feels much better informed on what he should do for his wife on Sunday. Ha ha! We'll actually be in Sonoma County, CA for a wedding so we'll see what the day brings for us :)

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The rain is back so it's a good thing we took advantage of the nice weather this past weekend. Here's some pics from our little outing to Gasworks Park in Seattle. We're looking forward to our trip to California this weekend cause the weather is supposed to be in the 70's and 80's!

Busting at the seams

Yesterday I was getting Esme dressed and was barely able to button up the outfit I was putting her in. I decided it's time to go through her clothes and pull out the outfits that she's outgrown. She's sort of in that inbetween stage where some 0-3 month clothes still fit and some are now too small. Then 3 month clothes are a little roomy and 3-6 is still too big. I'm sure it won't be long till she fits them perfectly though. Also we're about to transition her from size 1 to size 2 diapers due to the increase in blowouts recently :)

Does this outfit make me look fat?

Happy May Day

Esme's been enjoying the nicer weather we've been having this weekend. We've been taking walks outside and playing in the backyard finally. She just likes dangling her feet over the grass :) She's also been getting lots of sleep at night which has been awesome for all of us. We put her down after a 9pm feeding and she's been waking up at 6am when Allen leaves for work. I can totally handle that! I've even caught her rolling over on camera. Check it out!