SORRY!!!!! / And Teo turns 7-months old

I know - it's been WAY too long since last post, and "what else can I say? All apologies!" (A nod to Curt Cobain for those sorry words.)
So... what's been happening? Hmmm, not much, except that Teo is now TALKING!!
Well, sort of. It's more like a yammering of incoherent word-like sounds, but it is markedly different from his previous ooohs and aaahs, and very apparent that it is his attempt at talking. I'm trying hard to get a video of it to post to the blog, since I know none of you will believe my own yammering on about our Golden Child.
His first time "talking" happened all of a sudden at dinner on Saturday. We decided to try out a new Argentinian restaurant near our place, and we were in the back room where it was a bit crowded and loud. After Teo woke up from his nap, he was all eyes, all around the room, checking everyone and everything out. After Candice ate her dinner (we take turns watching Teo while the other eats), she decided to feed Teo. Once he had his fill from a jar of sweet potatoes (one of his faves), she thought he could use some liquid to wash it down, and so let him have a sip from her nice - and very adult - crsytal glass of water. He sipped like a champ and the moment she took it away from his, lips, then it started: "mum-mum-mum-mum-mah-ma-mah-mah..." On and on every time. It was one of those moments where we just looked at each other in amazement and just laughed, as it was something so different.
Now, he'll do it for complaining purposes (as it began), or if he's very content and just babying about in his usual way, as if carrying on a conversation with himself.
Other news: We spent Halloween up in Utah, at Nana and Bumpa's (Candice's parents) house. They had not had the pleasure of Teo's company for a few months, and in Teo's world, that would be half his lifetime. As with Gil's mom, it took Teo a couple of days to warm up to the grandparents, but once he starts smiling, he has them right where he wants them. Tanner had a great time trick-or-treating and playing with his cousins (other purpose for trip), but on the downside, we didn't spend as much time over at the Hansen household as we normally would, as the place was a veritable petri dish of flu germs, with children and adults in various stages of sickness, and we did not want to risk Teo catching the bug. How Tanner spent three days holed up in germ central and walk away unscathed (so far) is baffling.
That's all for now. Enjoy the pics. As before, I will TRY to post more often! And do check back for that elusive video of Teo talking. I'll stalk him like a rare nocturnal animal, 24 hours a day, if I have to.

Our Budding Buddy

Welcome once again to the Terrifyingly Terrific Tales of Teo.
Updates since last post:
So you all already know Teo's been crawling for about three weeks now (terrific), and being the GOLDEN CHILD that he is (I warned all of you), he has it down pat and now has the entire apartment to discover and roam. And you all already know he's been pulling himself up to a standing position (since BEFORE he was crawling), and so now it seems as that has become his one goal in his little life - to stand at every opportunity he gets (terrifying).
Candice has now introduced baby food into the mix for our growing little buddy, so now he gets half a jar of pureed sweet potatoes or carrots (Candice tried peas, but that was not well received) after his visit to the milk bar. Today, though he ate almost a WHOLE jar of sweet potatoes and then had a milk chaser, so was truly stuffed. Part of it is to now supplement his milk feedings with other foods on his way towards solid food, and also to add some meat to his little bones and also - and the real hope here for Candice - to help him sleep for longer than two-hour stretches at a time. Last night he had a five-hour stretch of sleep, which is glory for Mom. So we're hoping the extra food makes digestion longer and makes him sleepy. I told Candice to get some pureed turkey - the tryptophan will knock him out for hours! But then the story (tale) goes that Leonardo Da Vinci slept two hours at a time, spersed throughout a 24-hour period, so who knows.
Golden, I tells ya' - GOLDEN!!

There's cute, and then there's....

Candice and Grandma Connie took Teo over to a mall photo studio in Arcadia to get some shots of Teo in his Halloween outfits.
Here are the results. (Please click on the thumbnail images; you HAVE to see the full-size pics. That face! Those eyes! That button nose! That mouth!)
Since there are no words that can do them justice, I will let the pics - and your comments - speak for themselves.
New post to come in a few days with lots new photos.
Only news of note to date: Teo is 100% crawling; he makes his way all through the house already. Please send padding. Lots of it. (For the furniture, I mean. Although I guess it would probably be easier just to pad Teo.)

Our Growing Boy

Teo is closing in on his 6-month milestone, coming up this Saturday. As stated before, and as known by all of you who are parents (with some many times over), it is a revelation to watch him learn and explore the world around, his own voice, his own body and motion - all too fun. Sometimes painful.
Our boy is perhaps a wee bit too precocious for his own good - and well-being. He is in the early stages of crawling and can almost sit up for extended times on his own, but his strength and his DETERMINATION to stand and GO are going to be reminders that he is maybe moving a touch too fast too soon. He is determined to stand every chance he gets, pulling himself up in his crib, next to the coffee table, Candice's leg, Tigger's cage, you name it; he either wants to stand next to it or climb over and on top or inside. That's fine, but the problem is getting down. He doesn't understand gravity and falling, but he's slowly learning what pain is, as he bumps his head here and there falling sideways into things or to the floor. Candice or I are constantly hovering over and around him as we let him explore, but we have to be ready to catch him at any moment, as he is still quite wobbly and not used to kneeling or sitting up, let alone standing.
Needless to say, the boy is already quite mobile and is ever so close to full out crawling. We'll probably have to cage him at that point. Or put him on a tight leash. (We are animals after all!)
As you can see by the pics, he is growing and filling out, and gets cuter by the day.
We have lots of pics and videos, but can only show a few at a time. I will try to post more - and more often - so you can bask in his cuteness, and I'll try and cut down on the verbiage and let you simply enjoy His Teo-ness.

Another Beach Day & Teo's Early Crawl Stage

We enjoyed another fine day at the beach this past Saturday, going down to Santa Monica beach to help celebrate Auntie Monica's birthday with her and husband Ken and friends. It was a beautiful day, turning very cool - but refreshing - in the late afternoon. Unfortunately, Teo was sick and not having a good day at all; rough day for the little guy, and just as rough for mom. It's absolutely heartbreaking to hear such a sad and painful - and constant - cry coming from Teo. (He felt better the next day and is back in the pink, but now mommy is sick! Waaaahhhh!)
We played some volleyball, ate some good snacks and some amazing custard-type cake drenched in blueberries. Teo slept most of the day under wraps, and was awake for a brief spell to say hi to everyone and show off his incredible cuteness before we left. (BTW, the pic of Candice with Teo under the beach towel, in the background is the Annenberg Community Beach House, which is the newly restored house of the William Randolph Hearst/Marion Davies beach estate, quite massive for it's day back in the 20s-30s, and the only one on the beach at the time.)
Other random pics are from throughout the week, showing off some of Teo's new hats, him in his doorway jumper, and his cool shades.
As for this week's video, we submit evidence of Teo about to crawl, at 5-months old. We think it'll be a week or two before he is in full scoot mode, but for now, he's up on his arms and knees and is rocking back and forth, once in a while bringing one of his knees forward, just before he falls back to his tummy. But even since this video was taken, he's now even more up and so close to crawling.
Next post - things are really getting scary. We've caught Teo TWICE now pulling himself up to a standing position. Once in his crib and once over and into a wicker basket filled with his books. And caught on camera. Check back soon!

Labor Day Weekend/Dad's B-day

The Juarez family shared a fun and relaxing holiday weekend, and celebrated Teo's old man's b-day.
Friday night (dad's actual birth day) we went dancing to the sweet (and hot) sounds of the Jonathan Stout Orchestra, one of the very best swing bands out there. They were headlining the night at the Sweet & Hot Jazz Festival, which is hosted every Labor Day weekend at the LAX Marriott, and wanting to get out and dance a bit, we put on our dancing shoes, put on Teo's new sound-dampening headphones and headed out. Teo had a blast as well, as there was plenty of space in the big ballroom to lay out a blanket for him and let him roam around while mom & dad danced nearby.
On Saturday, we headed down Santa Monica and Venice way, to hook up with Unkies Ken and Jeff and Aunties Monica and Chiaki (and Jeff's sister and husband) at Venice Beach for a quick stroll on the boardwalk, and then went to C&O Trattoria for some great Italian food and song. After 7pm, the whole restaurant patio breaks out in song every hour to the tune of "That's Amore" by Dean Martin. (See video below. We caught part of it.)
On Sunday, Tia Sylvia came over for dinner and a visit with Little Man Teo and brought over b-day gifts for dad, which were actually gifts for Teo, which is really a gift for dad.
Sylvia bought him a pair of sunglasses, which totally fit his little face, and are a total crackup. He doesn't seem to mind wearing them either. Plus she bought him a couple of cool hats, among other great items. Thanks to the good tastes of friends and family, Teo is one sty-lee little boy.
Next up: Auntie Monica's b-day fun at the beach this Saturday. Pics/vids to come.

Aqua Baby

Here are some pics from Teo's first forays into large bodies of water - at least larger than the kitchen sink (which he has all but outgrown, we'll have you know) and the bathtub.
The first couple of pics are from the pool at our apartment. The water is fairly warm as to not shock his little system, but cool enough to provide some respite from what has been a very hot couple of weeks (not to mention occasional smokey days from the huge fires here; we keep him inside on those days). He seems to enjoy himself in the water. He'll splash around with his arms a bit, as well as his feet, and even if he splashes himself in the face (and eyes) he seems cool with it. Since Candice and Tanner and I all love the water, we're happy that Teo enjoys it as well.
The second set of pics are from a pool party/barbecue that one of my teammates from my Tuesday night volleyball league held this past Sunday. We ventured down to one of the rougher parts of town - Beverly Hills - to enjoy some good food and friends and let Teo frolic a bit more in the water. There were lots of kids around and they were definitely creating lots of commotion and splashing about, but it only served to pique Teo's interest even more. He'd just chill in mom/dad's lap and watch the goings-on. One of his favorite things to do lately - in the water and out - is to jump up and down over and over and over. We have to hold him, of course, but he pushes hard off of our laps with his little legs and goes up and down and up and down. And in the water, this really made it fun for him, it being a whole new sensation to create little ripples and waves and splashes.
We also put him up on a little boogie board-type thing and motored him around the pool a bit. There is a video of Candice and Teo cruising around our pool that's pretty cute (when ISN'T he cute?), but it's a bit lengthy. I'll try and upload in the next post.
Enjoy the pics!