In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle

Lions and tigers and bears.

Lucy and I went to the LA Zoo in Griffith Park this week. We met my friends Marion and Lindsey and Lucy's friends Wes and Izzy. Sounds like a nice afternoon, non? I'll let this picture Lindsey took of me and Lucy Loo speak for itself. Although it was a hard day and I was forced to have a cocktail when I got home (forced I tell you!), I'm glad it happened and I learned what to do when your kid freaks out in a public place: You get in the car and go home! Not a big deal. And then later you call your Mom to cry a little. Also not a big deal.

Lucy also wore her first pair of pants this week and I've attached a photo. It's actually a pants "outfit" (there is also a jacket) that she got from her cousin Tess. Lastly, there are her feet. I've included a picture of them for no reason other than that I think they're cute. I will do that from time to time, so bear with me.

Before Lucy

We're going back in time.

I'm not sure if Lucy will ever see this blog but just in case, I wanted to post some great pictures I found from right before she was born. The first is of me and Michelle three nights before Lucy arrived. We were at a Thai restaurant celebrating our friend Tom's birthday. Michelle is the lady responsible for introducing me to Chris and therefore Lucy is the product of that handiwork. Chris and I are aware that Lucy must become an indentured servant to Michelle when our daughter's little hands become nimble enough to darn socks.

The second picture is her Dad and I two nights before Lucy was born. We went out to a fancy dinner at The Little Door and ate every dish on the menu that even mentioned foie gras. This picture is taken in "Tallman/Stanard family" style and is great to me because it shows how absolutely giddy with happiness we were on that night in anticipation of Lucy, and I have some food in my teeth which makes it extra hilarious to me. We love you little peanut!

Cutie

Lucy has had a great couple of days.

She started off the week a little fussier than usual which left us a little puzzled since she's usually pretty un-fussy. Turns out she is going through a growth spurt and needs to eat a little more often, so eat a little more often she shall because I aim to please. She's back to her normal self now; calm, sweet little Lucy, and Chris and I are delighted. There's no real story to either of these pictures except to say I think she's cute in both of them, so I thought I'd share.

Five Weeks Old

Lucy went to the doctor last week for her four week check-up.

As you can see by the bottom picture, she likes the feeling of paper under her body. She was ten pounds eleven ounces for all of you keeping track at home. Dr. Shapiro said that she should be gaining a half to a full ounce every day at this time in her life, so she's right on track. The top picture is Lucy on her changing table where she also delights in hanging out. Her Dad bought her the cool onsie she is wearing by the way.

Lucy and I have been venturing out a bit lately. Once a week, we meet a group of other moms: Marion, whose son Wes is almost eight weeks old, Lindsey, whose daughter Izzy is almost four months, and Stephnie, whose daughter Birdy is nine months. So far Lucy and I have met them for coffee, gone to a breast feeding group, strolled in the Descanso gardens and gone to the farmer's market in Hollywood. It is so great for us to be around other moms and even better that these moms are great women. I've learned so much from them and am happy that when Lucy can hold her head up by herself, she'll have kids to play with.

Lucy just smiled at me. Holy cow.

Four Weeks!

She's growing up too quickly.

Sarah and I were talking about Lucy the other day (which is not unusual), and Sarah mentioned that she'd like it if Lucy remained at age One Day forever. That would be okay with me, but I'm excited about all of the Firsts that are coming our way: First steps, first word (I'm hoping for either "Mom" or "Batman"), first hug....

This week we learned THE FIVE S's, a calming technique that seems to work with Lucy. Kind of unbelievable, but she settles down within a minute and then just stares at me with a "What's the haps, Old Man?" look on her face. Pretty great.

Over the last couple of weeks, Sarah's been meeting with some friends who've also had babies within the last year. They'll take a class together or meet for coffee or hunt the most dangerous prey in the world (Man) for a few hours and it has been sooooo great. Sarah gets a break from the apartment, she sees smiling faces other than mine (not that I'm a drag, but come on -- I love chocolate cake but I don't want to eat it all day, every day), but most importantly, we're figuring out what the new Normal is for us. That's one of the surprises we've had; you don't go back to "the way things were" once the kid's home and everything starts to settle. You learn a new routine, a new way to live your day-to-day life. It's nice. I'm so grateful for this month at home. It's given us the chance to snuggle, make mistakes, and be a family of three for the first time.

And that's so much better than Batman or chocolate cake.

Family Visit Wrap-Up

And baby makes three.

Lucy is three weeks old today and everything is wonderful. Sarah + Lucy are hanging out with a few of our "New Family Friends" today, which is great for both of them. My Mom and sister spent Labor Day Weekend with us, where we were able to check out the UNBELIEVABLE Memory Quilt that both families made as a surprise for Lucy. Everybody had a couple of segments of their own, resulting in a beautiful image of everybody who loves Lucy. Sarah and I are overwhelmed and secretly covet it, although stealing gifts from your newborn daughter is considered poor form.

It's nice to be home.