Sittin' Pretty

This evening, we finally captured some photos of Mateo's newest talent -- sitting up.  These three photos are pretty similar, but we just couldn't decide which one was cutest so we're posting them all.  Enjoy!                                                                                                                                

1,000 hits!

Owing mostly to Mateo's cuteness and his devoted followers, our blog has recently received its 1,000th visit (and that's only since we added the hit counter after the first month).  Thanks to all of you for your loving support.

Sit Up and Be Counted

Mateo took us by surprise by starting to sit up over the last couple of days. Although he topples over when reaching too far to the side, he successfully balances using his hands.  We'll try to capture it on film soon -- for now our hands are needed for spotting.

Some Firsts

FIRST DAY WITHOUT MOMMY: January 17th was Anita's first day back at work. It was really sad to drive away with an empty car seat, and even sadder to be without Mateo for 6 hours. Both mom and baby are having some tough adjustment time, but love it when they are reunited.

FIRST MOVIE: Last weekend, we took Mateo to see The Business of Being Born. Although we generally try not to expose him to TV and movies, this was a documentary about birth, so we figured it couldn't be too damaging. It's a great film about the birth industry and very pro-midwife and natural childbirth, so we encourage folks to see it. Mateo loved listening to the "experts" interviewed and watching the babies.

FIRST ILLNESS: Mateo has his first cold, complete with runny nose, drippy eyes, mild fever and nasty cough. Although he is a little subdued and sleepy, he is still his cheery self. We are just grateful that he didn't catch the awful stomach flu his mom had. Hopefully he will be in tip top shape soon.

How Much Do Those Cheeks Weigh?

We recently took Mateo in for his 4 month (actually 4.5 month) check-up. As expected he is doing well, and now weighs 16.5 lbs, and is 25.5 inches, which puts him in the 75th percentile for size. This isn't surprising since mom & dad are both above average size, it is a big leap from his 25th percentile birth size. No wonder mom feels like she is lifting weights all day!

Here are a few recent photos:

Mateo's 4-Month Photo Grab Bag

Anita and Mateo partying down at Jen & Mike's house on New Year's Eve. Don't let the picture fool you -- they're actually not partying all that hard. The glass on the table is filled with merlot grape juice (yes, vintage grape juice really exists in California).

Mateo's new and improved play area in the corner of our living room (formerly Daddy's office area, which had to be relocated to the guest room for childproofing purposes).

Ana's 7 month-old baby Surya helps Anita see what it would have been like to have twins (and gives her new respect for her mother). Surya's big sister Nalini plays in the background and brother Taj (not pictured) was there too. They all enjoyed playing with Mateo's vast collection of toys.

After the big rainstorm subsided (the one that made national headlines and almost left Daddy stranded down at Stanford), we headed up to the roof patio of our apartment building to check out the eerily majestic post-storm glow over the cityscape.

Anita and Mateo take a moment for peaceful reflection after the storm (you can see the overturned BBQ grill in the background).

Mateo having fun in his exer-saucer. He's still a little too small for it, but he really seems to like it since he gets to be upright.

Our four month old hipster.

Mateo thinks Mommy is quite the comedian.

Mateo's monthly portrait in the glider chair.

Mateo's biggest achievement of the month: discovering his fingers! After four months of trying to shove a clenched fist into his mouth, he has finally realized how much more satisfying it is to put his fingers in there.


Does he still look more like his Dad?


Or is he starting to look more like his Mom?

Our Trip to Arizona

After our visit to Anita's mom's house in Las Vegas, we headed to Anita's dad's house in Cave Creek, Arizona (30 minutes north of Phoenix -- they moved there this summer from Colorado). Mateo was very excited to see his Granddad Fonz, or "Papi" as he'll be called, and his "Nana" Sherry. Three of Sherry's five boys were also there: Jacob & Sam who live with them, and Charles who was visiting from Texas. We had a fun time, and here are some photos to prove it:

Papi led us (and the dogs, Nina and Harley) on a nice walk around the neighborhood.

Nana gets a big smile from Mateo.


"That was a fun walk."

Admiring how much their first grandchild has grown since they saw him in October.

Papi heeds the advice on Mateo's shirt ("handle with care").

Mateo demonstrating two of his loves: putting things in his mouth and standing up and trying to walk (while supported).

Mateo decides which card to play next in our game of Chicago Rummy.


Mateo's three step-uncles (from left): Charles, Sam, and Jacob

Of course, whether in California, New York, Nevada, or Arizona, there's no place he'd rather be than in his mommy's arms.