May

On to what I remember of May. Here's a cute picture of Z with Paul. Have I mentioned he just loves Paul?

One weekend we went to Lake Chabot and rented a boat. It was cold and windy, but we made it. The warm weather finally has arrived, but it took a while. Anyway, it was Z's first experience on a boat. We had told him that we were going to play in the water, but there's not really a place for people to do so. Don't really think we're supposed to. But even though we got to see lots of birds and even some turtles, he still wanted in the water. So Paul held him over the boat so he could dip his fingers in. 'Course he ended up dipping his toes in, too. We had one dry sock and one dry shoe. We put one on either foot to stay warm :).

Z just kept wanting the water, and we got a big kick out of it.

And all three of us.
After some serious discussion and research, we bought a child carrier!! I was so super excited. We had thought about getting a used one (how used are they, really?) but couldn't find one that both J and I liked. So we spent some time at REI and finally came to a decision. But it was more than we wanted to spend, and REI didn't have the color we wanted. Didn't help that it's a brand new style this year, either, so there was no option of buying it used. So online I went. I was super stoked because I found it for about 20 bucks cheaper than REI, and in the desired green. Yay! There are lots of trails just a block from Paul and Maggie's house, so now we can all go hiking. Paul had been training for his Rainer trip before we got the pack, and J and I had to take turns going with him while the other stayed with Zach. But now we can all go! We've actually gone hiking a fair amount, though we'd like to go more.

Jason really wanted to go to San Fran, so we spent a day there. With our new "Zach pack." It's pretty fun to carry him, and really good exercise.

We walked around pier 39 for a while, then stopped at this little park to feed Zach. Not sure if we bought anything, but we did find a store devoted entirely to left-handed people. It was pretty funny.

Sometimes just one person has their eyes closed, while other times everybody does!

I'm pretty sure they're both pointing in this one. There was a really cool sail boat, but it looked just like a pirate ship.

This sequence of pictures is really funny. Zach just thought something was hilarious. I didn't realize Jason had been trying to get us with the bridge, so I didn't return the favor.



Jason wanted to walk over the golden gate bridge, but I didn't really want to. So we played in a patch of sand for a little while. Zach just loves sand. Then we tried to find a park Jason had heard of, but it took forever. And it was so dang windy. And cold. Just unpleasant to me. Jason loves big cities, but the older I get the farther from people I want to be - give me a piece of land where I can garden and not be harassed by others. Not too far out, mind you, just not in the middle of a huge city. It just seems so fast-paced, and at a price of not being very personable. And if you want to find something, you better not be in a car because parking is a super huge pain. We'll probably take another trip back there, but maybe do a few different things.

Shortly after we got here, Zach mastered getting onto the couch by himself. Ours had always been too high, but Paul's is just right for climbing. At first I was a little hesitant to leave him there as the wooden coffee table is pretty close, but he seems to be aware of how to be safe. Which is good :).

Sometimes he does weird things, though. One day I walked over to find him doing this.

We've had some pretty hot days so we figured we should try to find a pool. After much searching, I found one that we could go to. We were having unseasonably hot weather, so it was open extended hours and only cost us a buck a piece. Currently it's only open 1:30-5 - what a sham! It's warm, people! Anyway, last year we had found some swim shorts for Z that had a little cloth diaper, so we looked for that again. And we found these things :). We tried a shirt to match but it was too small, so we just use this shirt of his. He was pretty excited about going to the pool, but once we got in he was pretty afraid. I thought he was going to have a melt-down, but after a few minutes he calmed down. By the time we left he was "swimming" - I'd hold him under his arms and float him on his belly while he kicked. Even in the bathtub I've been telling him that he can put his face in the water, he just can't sniff. I think at one point he inhaled some water, but it happens. And he likes to jump up and down, a lot. It's fun.


Paul and Maggie's race season ended sometime in May, I think, so we had some more time with them on the weekends. And they were training for Rainer, so we tried to come with them on some hikes. I had done a pretty good job of carrying Z in the pack, but one morning we went out and I got cocky. We went before I had done my stretches and my shoulder was unusually stiff. And we went for the long loop, which is about an hour at a good pace, but for us turned into 1.25. By the time I was done, my shoulder was done. For several weeks it hurt so terribly awful. I had a very hard time turning my neck, and I couldn't lift my arm up very well. I tried to use some of the techniques I had learned from the massage and physical therapist, but finally I just decided I needed to stop everything and give it a break. I'm still not back to carrying Z. I've recently started my own "training" with my pack, gradually adding weight 'till I can carry the 35 that's the Zach pack. That's been going well. I think I just shocked my shoulders.

Anyway, one day we went hiking through some redwood forests. It was just beautiful. It always surprises me that while California is so populated, it's not a very far drive to go somewhere pretty secluded. Paul and Maggie had their packs while J carried Z...and I didn't have anything. It reminded me of the Sesame Street "One of these things just doesn't belong" song. Nevertheless, it was a great day hiking. We stopped at one point to take a quick break. Trail mix is so yummy!

Speaking of, Zach has been slowly introduced to the world of nuts. Some people say wait until three years, but the doctors I've talked to say 18 months is okay if no one suspects allergies or there's not a family history. So we got some nut butter from the store. It's the best. Jason's hooked on the honey roasted peanut butter, but Zach loves the walnut butter. Some of them we can grind ourselves (at the store), while others are already in containers ready to go. Z's since had walnut butter, peanut butter and almond butter. We tried cashew butter a few weeks ago, but he got a runny nose the next day. Could have been total coincidence, but we'll try to introduce it again later.

Funny story about the nut butters, though. When Paul and Maggie had visited us last year in KY, we had shared real maple syrup with them. We had a "snooty" friend so we always kept it for her. Paul was hooked. He's been going through about a bottle a week. Then when we started getting walnut butter, he was hooked on that. Combined with the maple syrup, it's just awesome. Really wonderful.

But here's some pics of us taking a break.


Z just loves the bicycle bottles!

It seems like to get a grand experience at the zoo, you have to go multiple times. That's been the case with us, anyway. We went with Paul and upon walking back past the giraffes noticed something a little unusual - feet sticking out of the back of one of them! I had no idea they had a pregnant giraffe (their website sucks), but apparently it was time for the baby. They started closing off that exhibit so it would be a little more peaceful, but how often do you see the beginning of a baby giraffe being born? It was intense.

Then another time we showed up just in time for the elephant feeding. They don't always do this, but the zookeeper was throwing treats (apples, I'm pretty sure) into the water to coax in one of the animals. Finally she went in. It was totally awesome! Apparently elephants understand commands just like sea animals - she started splashing, going under water, even rolling upon command. Then she'd be rewarded with a treat. It was Jason's favorite experience at the zoo, and was really cool. Of course, that day we didn't have our camera, so I took a picture with my phone.

One weekend we were able to get together with Luke and Tiffany and just chill. We went back to Lake Chabot, but just threw around a frisbee and football for a while. Save for all the goose poo, it was fun. Then we came back here, Tiffany cooked over a pound of bacon and we had some blts (with the option of turkey). It was really fun, but also really relaxing.