Teo Tops SanFrancisco

Teo and entourage took a trip recently to San Francisco. Aside from a bit of a heat wave for a couple days (and we thought we were escaping the Burbank heat), the weather could not have been better: sunny, clear and with a cool, crisp breeze.
The city is a very beautiful and picturesque one, for sure. And hilly, as Candice will attest as we slogged up and down many a hill on our way to the various sight-seeing spots we had planned.
Our hotel was ideally situated, center of town and slightly North, so the Wharf was within walking distance, and many (MANY) restaurants were down the street, as well as a Walgreen's just down the block. Very convenient on a trip!
So Little Man Teo enjoyed the sights an sounds of the Wharf (always jammed, day and night), Golden Gate Bridge (we walked across; we were originally planning to bike, and pull Teo along in a trailer, but turns out he was too young; 6-mos minimum) and Sausalito, Chinatown, Union Square, Golden Gate Park (where they've held their "Lindy in the Park" weekly swing dance on Sundays for the last 13 years; very fun); and for you swing friends in-the-know, Club Verdi on Tuesday night, where Stompy Jones is the house band every week. (For those of you NOT in the know, Stompy Jones is one of the best - considered THE best by some - swing dance bands in the world. It was their song "Be Mine" that Candice and I danced to at our wedding for our first dance as a married couple.) Nice venue, great floor, but unfortunately Teo was not in his usual cooperative mood, so the night was cut a bit short, and mom spent most of her time caring for the boy. Mom and dad had a few dances, but not nearly as much as hoped. The sacrifices of parent hood. (Well, if that's as bad as it gets, then I will thank my lucky stars, right?)
The photos here are but a small sampling from the trip. There are MANY more, and some really great ones (as well as a couple of funny vids), and I will provide a link here to the rest of them in a few days. Please check back.

4th of July Weekend

Went to Utah this past holiday weekend; short visit for me, but a nice extended stay for Teo and Candice, up to visit the rents and other family for the holiday.
On the Fourth, we went over to the Hansen's compound to watch Lt. Col. Don and his platoon of pyro-tastic children light off fireworks - which are legal in Utah (with some restrictions), for those of us in states more wary of missing digits and burns of varying degrees - and we weren't sure how Teo would react to the fireworks and loud booms going off throughout the day and especially into the night.

He seemed to be mostly fine with it. His eyes opened VERY wide for the big sparkly displays, with slight jumps when things got loud and crackly. After a while, though, he got bored with it all and fell asleep, and managed to sleep through the rest of the cacophony.

The other big trip news was that Teo LAUGHED for the first time. Not a coo, as he's been doing, but a real big laugh. His cousins (Daniel, Jenna and Sophie) and brother Tanner were making faces and chanting silliness, and being unable to contain his giant smiles any longer, Teo burst out with some laughs. He did it a few times, and on the last one, seemed to surprise even himself with this new sensation and then began to cry, but with a smile on his face. Too cute and way too funny to watch.
Next up for the boy - a trip to San Francisco, leaving tomorrow. Little guy gets around! Look for pics around this time (Thursday), next week.

CARNIVORE!

Teo's developed a taste for meat.
That, or he's a vampire in the budding.

Teo is Walking!

Teo is 2 1/2 months and loves to walk around our apartment. He gets a little better everyday. Enjoy this fun video.

AWESOME Father's Day

I couldn't have asked for a better Father's Day than the one I had.
Thanks to My Little Buddy Mr. Teo and my beautiful wife Candice, I had an amazing first Father's Day (biologically speaking - I've had a couple of great Father's Day celebrations in Utah thanks to TannerMan!)
First: breakfast in bed. I didn't realize how good a cook Teo has already become! I know he's gifted, but...
Then: sleeping in. I really needed a nice, long sleep-in to catch up on all my zzz's.
After relaxing at home with my family, we headed out to the Griffith Park Observatory, in, where else, Griffith Park, a mere 15-minute drive from home. We were astonished by the number of cars on the winding drive leading up to the parking lot, so much so that the lot was closed off and we had to wind DOWN the other side of the road and park some distance from the entrance. We couldn't quite figure out why so crowded. I know it's Father's Day and all, but this seemed quite out of the ordinary even for that.
We parked and headed up the hill to the Observatory, where it was a spectacular day - sunny and warm but with nice and steady cool breezes to complement. (See the one image of Teo and Candice looking up at some trees that Teo noticed right after we parked; you can see his little face bracing for the wind.)
The Observatory is on a bluff overlooking the city, and for LA, it was a clear day and you could see pretty far into the distance. We walked around the grounds for a bit and then went up to the Observatory roof for some real spectacular city vistas.
Due north from the Observatory is a trail that leads up to the top of Mt. Hollywood, the sign of the same name of which you can see quite close from the trail heading up. Unfortunately, the sun was directly behind the sign on our way up (having had a late start to our hike), so all pics of the sign are blown out. (There is, though, one pic of Dad cradling Teo up on the Observatory roof, and if you look directly above Teo's head, you can make out the sign.)
The trail is actually a wide dirt road, so it made it easy to push Teo up in his 4-wheeling-capable Jeep stroller, absolutely MADE for this kind of terrain and hike. Parts were a bit steep, so we were more worried about the ride DOWN for Teo, even though he'd be strapped in pretty tight.
We made it to the top, and from the vantage point there, we were rewarded with a 360-degree view of the sprawling metropolis that is LA. We stayed for a short while to enjoy the quiet (considering how many people live in LA and that it was Father's Day on a beautiful sunny day, there were far fewer people at the top than I expected).
We decided to wrap Teo in the big Moby wrap for the trip down, since it was maybe a little too steep in parts, plus the fact that he had just eaten and we didn't want him spilling his guts out from the constant tug at his belly from the straps. Dad had the honor of carrying his son down the mountain (He Ain't Heavy, He's My Teo), back to the safety of the urban wildlife.
Afterwards, we ate at a GREAT Italian restaurant in downtown Burbank that we had passed many times on our way to and from the movie theater. Great food, great company, GREAT crying from Teo (we think he's in the first stages of teething), and the end of a truly great day. Thank you, my beautiful son (and wife).

Lil Life of Lil Buddy

It's been a week or more since our last post, and a lot has happened in between.
There was Teo's Blessing/BBQ Party on the 7th, with lots of family from both sides coming to town for the occasion. He wore the same gown/dress that his dad wore at his baptism, and which 15 others in dad's family (cousins) wore on the same occasions througout the last 54-odd years. Despite Teo's screaming at the top of his lungs throughout the ceremony, Bumpa's (Teo's grandad) infinite patience made sure all was good with Little Buddy in the Big Guy's standing.
The party was no less fun, and many friends also pilgrimaged from parts far and near for their own blessing from the Golden Child, except for Dad's probably having put too early a start time on the evite, so that a few folks had to leave before said Golden Child arrived for the laying of tiny hands.
Heartfelt thanks to all who attended, and for all the unexpected gifts, which were all quite fantastic and as useful. Thank you cards will be arriving right behind the wedding thank you cards we're sending(!) (Teo might be 10 years old by that time.) Pictures of the party can be seen here:
www.revdesign.com/TeoBlessing_BBQ/index.html.
Other days of note: Teo had his first visit to the famed Rose Bowl last Friday. A Pasadena parish held their annual circus fundraiser at the Bowl, with many fun game booths for the kids, a Chinese Acrobat show, and food booths for the bigger kids. Teo, Mom, Dad, Tanner and a friend of his all went and had a marvelous time. For mom and dad, there was swing dancing later in the evening, so we parked the stroller inside the enclosed dance floor area and danced the night away, with Teo watching courtside from the confines of his stroller, popping out for a dance or two in Mom's and Dad's arms.
Teo was weighed again this past Tuesday. After going the two weeks prior gaining only 2-ounces in that time (we think instead of putting ON the weight, it was distributed to his height; he eats plenty all the time), he gained a whopping 12-ounces in 1 week! So on Tuesday he weighed 12lbs-15oz, though is probably 13lbs or more by now.
Next up: video of Teo walking! No kidding! You WILL be amazed. Stay tuned.

Teo Turns Two Months

Yesterday (June 3) was Teo's two-month birthday. Two-months! Candice commented how it feels like ten-months. I guess if you had a small, living - and very needy - entity attached to you (literally and figuratively) for 2-months almost 24/7, then it would feel like that much longer. And not to mention the 9-months prior. Even from my perspective, it does feel much longer than that.
Watching him grow in size, awareness, recognition and motor skills is quite the revelation. He's so much more interactive these days. I know it sounds like a small thing, but it was truly a big change to see when he learned to turn his head in the direction that he wanted to look. Now he's looking everywhere. Big world out there.
Teo and dad have also taken to conversing quite a bit more these days. He's slowly realizing he can make sounds via his mouth, and he watches me intently when I make all kinds of mimicking baby sounds from my mouth. He then chimes in with his own two cents and we go back and forth for quite some time. What on earth we talk about, I have no idea, but it is incredible fun and funny, and to watch him seemingly struggle (and sometimes nearly start crying out of frustration) when he tries hard to make words and sounds.
His blessing and "coming-out/debut" party is this Sunday, and many family members and friends who weren't able to visit him at the hospital will have their chance to gaze upon and bask in the presence of the Golden Child for the first time.
We will have plenty of photos to post from that party. Please come back the middle of next week for more Teo (and extended family and friends) pics.