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We took Maddox on his very first camping trip this past weekend.  I’d say it was a smashing success!  He had a lot of fun staying up late enough to see bats and the moon, playing in the river, playing with buckets of water at the campsite, eating every meal outside, having a constant companion (he couldn’t be left alone in the wilderness for even a minute so he always had a buddy), taking his very first shower (not counting the time grandma turned the shower on him while he was in the bath!), and having 4 dogs at our site!

Maddox is in bed, Dallas is out.  I’m browsing through old photos that never made it to the internet.  Here are a few…

Pomona College, Claremont
9-14-09 (1 year old)

New Carlisle, OH
Oct – 09

Colfax, CA
Nov – 09

Maddox helping to shell the Fava beans…

He was actually really good at getting the bean out of the pod.  I was impressed. I’m doubting he’ll be able to do the next step of getting the bean out of the sheath, but I guess there is still time for that.

I’m looking forward to cooking them up for dinner. Yum.

The main playground in Golden Gate Park is our new go-to place for outdoor fun. It is a pretty close drive and it is big enough to fit tons of kids, moms, and nannies with no problems. One of the sandboxes has a fake stream that goes right into it. I try not to think of the possible cooties, and just let Maddox have a good time. I bring his water shoes, and a full change of clothes every time.

On our last visit one of the moms showed me how the stream works. Turns out there is a giant red button on the ground that can be stepped on or pushed to start the stream. The stream will then go for about 5 minutes then stop. If there are big kids there that know how to operate the system, the stream is running full-time. If its only little kids (not strong enough to push the button), then it only goes off when someone’s nanny gets bored.

Here is a photo (Hi Grandma!) that shows the path of the stream before it falls into the sandbox.  Maddox thinks the water in the sand is pretty great, and I agree. Someday when the shores of San Francisco aren’t better suited for Polar Bears, we’ll head out to the real beach.

Just up from a nap.  Eating a banana. Waiting for the fog to lift.

A little while back I started to incorporate purees back into the dinner routine so Maddox could get some practice with the spoon and bowl.  By the end of the meal there is goop above his eyes, on his nose, in his hair and smeared all over his tray. Here is a little video of him finishing up dinner tonight.

[Photo by Aubrey Trinnaman]

Maddox and I have been starting to get our groove back. We are starting to think about falling into a routine here in the new house. With Halloween travel behind us we have a few weeks to settle in and unpack. Part of our daily routine is taking Charlotte to the new dog park (Stern Grove) which we all really enjoy. It is so relaxing. There are trees, and ducks, and dogs – all things Maddox knows well and loves to point out. He also enjoys holding a stick while we walk around. Inevitably though, Charlotte yanks the stick from his hand and chews it to bits while Maddox just stares in disbelief. Life with a dog.

After days of packing, work people in and out, agent phone calls, bank delays, and 2 moving trucks – we finally transition into our new home. Although our “stuff” life is in disarray, my emotional health has already greatly improved, and Maddox seems to be sleeping better (though I know I shouldn’t get too excited yet). The house itself is fantastic, the neighborhood is amazing, and the people have been so nice! The local Italian restaurant owner noticed our moving trucks and brought us over a free large pizza. It hit the spot. The neighbors behind us in the nursing home sent us a gorgeous flower arrangement, and people stop to talk WITHOUT asking for money!

We are a stones throw from a cute village with most things we need (Coffee, Hardware, Pharmacy, Toy Store). Also we are right by a MUNI stop which makes it super convenient for Dallas to get to work, and for people to visit. I’m totally in the Honeymoon Period with this new house and neighborhood. I look forward to raising a family here and calling it home for a long time to come.

[Our new back yard]

Every morning Maddox and I go out to the yard to let the dog out and just sit and enjoy the trees and fresh air. Its a very relaxing 15 minutes and a great way to start the day on the right foot. I went out to the yard today to rake some leaves and do a general poke and prod of the yard. While I tinkered, Maddox played and hung out without my needing to intervene to say things like “Don’t put that in your mouth”, or “No”, or “Don’t go over there”.

Maddox dug in the dirt with a spoon for a while, and he tried to help me rake, but the rake was too heavy. Now I see why “They” make kid sized everything (brooms, play vacuums, kitchen appliances, cell phones etc). Just this week I was pa-shawing them, now I want a baby broom or rake. Maddox just loves emulating and helping, it seems a shame not to give him the opportunity. Also today while I was raking he started yelling “Da! Da!” to get my attention and was pointing under the stairs. I look over and Charlotte is going to town digging a hole in our new yard! It was so funny that Maddox totally told on Charlotte!

[Charlotte on squirrel patrol]

Its been a busy couple weeks! We just moved into a new home in a new neighborhood. Grandma was here to help during the transition which was an immense help. She was able to hang out with Maddox, and we were able to focus on getting our house ready to sell, get our new house through escrow, pack and move!

Turns out we have a LOT of stuff. It will take us weeks to unpack. We set a really early date for a housewarming party, so that will help light a fire under us. Multiple people have told us to just get it out of a box. Whatever it is, get it out. Even if it is in a pile in the corner, its better than in a box. I guess the thinking is that if it stays in a box too long, we’ll forget it, and never unpack it. So I’ve been doing the best I can to unpack quickly, but it isn’t the easiest thing to do with a 1 year old around.

Packing with a 1 year old was equally difficult (though in the end we hired packers to help out). We would pack things in a box, and Maddox would pull them out again. It was impossible to make much progress without the hired help and the help of some very nice friends.

I must say he has been much more helpful with the unpacking! He loves pulling things out of boxes. So I have him unpack things like dvds and books. The dvds end up all over the room, but for some reason he is fairly gentle with the books and enjoys stacking them. He is quite the little helper these days. Today he helped me push the shopping cart. I was wearing him in the Baby Ergo and he had his hand right next to mine on the shopping cart. He helped me clean up a spill today with a towel. So cute! I love all the imitation that he has been doing lately.

The other day on the shuttle between the airport and the parking lot he held on to the bar just like I was. Everybody on the bus thought it was hilariously cute (and it was). I took an iPhone photo to remember it: