Snuggle Up

We have a "nanny share" arrangement with another couple who have a daughter just around the same age as Jack.

Our nanny, Sarah, is a smart, patient, caring, young woman who has nannied for other families on the East and West coasts and is wonderful with the kids. She takes care of both kids at the same time as we alternate houses with the other couple every other week or two.

This arrangement has worked out really well for us. Jack benefits from a consistent caregiver, in familiar homey environments, and has fun with a playmate during the day. Typical along gender lines, the kids complement each other nicely as the other couple's daughter is more verbally advanced and Jack is more advanced in his motor skills.

One day the kids were playing and crawled into this little kid-sized armchair we have. Then, Sarah quickly immortalized this sweet moment and snapped this shot.

When Rocks Were Fun

Jumpin' and Jivin'

We have a lot of pictures of Stella the lazy lovebug - sitting, napping, smiling. She is a bulldog after all, and not a greyhound. But she also likes to chase a frisbee and play tug of war. She doesn't bring back the frisbee, but trying to pry it from her teeth is part of her fun. And you will rarely win at tug of war with Stella, but you'll both enjoy the game. Then afterwards, it's nap time again. Here are some clips of Stella jumpin' and jivin' at the park with Tom.

Dog Days of Summer

"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco." - Mark Twain

It's usually 60 degrees in San Francisco during the traditional summer months, and then we heat up during Indian Summer in September and October. Not this week. After weeks of overcast gray days and windy cold nights, we are having our first mini-heat wave. Today was 88 degrees in the city and there is more of the same expected this week.

However, poor Stella doesn't do well in the heat. We took her out for a quick "walk" this evening - down the block - and the dog days of summer just got the best of her. Tom had to carry her the rest of the way home.

Sunday at St. Francis Fountain & Diner

St. Francis Fountain & Diner, since 1918

There's this old fashioned diner in the Mission district called the St. Francis Fountain & Diner that serves a knock-out breakfast. The diner started out as an old fashioned ice cream parlor and expanded in recent years to include a full service kitchen. It has been in continuous operation since 1918.

The interior has a candy counter with "penny" candy in big glass containers, dark wooden booths line the side walls, and there's a counter with bright white tiles and black stools. There's even an abandoned wooden phone booth in the corner.

The menu, however, is decidedly modern with the usual brunch options in addition to vegan dishes and soy ice cream sundaes. Friendly hipsters serve up the food. 

It's become a weekend morning favorite of ours. Afterwords we go across the street to the playground and burn off a few calories before nap time.

Watch the videos below to take a peak into our day.

Baby Dal, Lullaby Thai, and Que Pasa Calabasas

You know we love love love to eat all types of food, but we are both very uninspired cooks.

So much like we "cook" for ourselves, we make easy meals for Jack that are organic and nutritious but are more like a mish mash of whatever's in the fridge that doesn't require a pot, pan, or stovetop.

Jack is past the baby food stage and has been self-feeding for months, but we still like the convenience of baby food - now it's more like a sauce to be combined with whatever is at hand and presto, you have the beginnings of a meal.

There are lots of international food options just outside our door, and we want Jack to be exposed to different flavors and spices. But we're not inclined to take cooking lessons on how to make a wonderful international dishes, and we don't want to solely rely on sharing what we're eating when we eat out since we don't always know the preparation of the food (could be exposed to peanuts, etc. which he's allergic to right now, etc.)

We recently found some great baby food at Whole Foods. With names like Lullaby Thai and Baby Dal, you get the picture. Each jar has a mix of organic veggies and spices from around the world. We use it as a base and mix it with tofu, veggies, etc.

Jack's a big fan of the Baby Dal (fun fact: Dal means lentil in India), check out the video below.

Buddha Belly

I recently upgraded my decrepit old iPhone to the new iPhone 4. The new iPhone has a feature where you can take videos and upload them easily to YouTube. So you'll be seeing a lot more short videos on the blog in the future.

This is one we call, Buddha Belly.