Florida

Otto and I skipped town for a week and headed to the sunny south to visit Czarina, Ben, Adam and Matt and all the Fla crew. We had a great flight out-I got a bit sick on the first leg (pregnancy related) but the second puddle jumper was AMAZING. We sat next to a very sweet lady who I chatted with and after a few clues realized was TIM TEBOW'S MOM!!!!!!!! OMG!!!! She was lovely and really admired Otto. It was just a big love fest all around. So our trip started out on a very high note and only went up from there. Staying with Czarina was perfect. Her house is amazing and truly set up for kids. Ben and Otto got along famously. We had a great time just chilling at the house and walking around the neighborhood. There is a great park in the neighborhood that we went to a few times, Nikki and Sharryce came over with their kids, Liz and Molly came with their families, and Shana came up all the way from Naples with her kids. Czarina's house was really the hub for the weekend. We took the boys on lots of walks in the wagon or on the skateboards we also went to this amazing park by the beach. It has a huge labyrinth of play structures and a fountain that kids can play in. Ben and Otto got soaked and had a ball! The last day of the trip was the only bummer. Otto got sick and threw everywhere and after several sheet changes we were finally was able to get some uninterrupted sleep. Czarina was AMAZING-the world's best hostess, mom, and nurse. She helped with everything and was so sweet and understanding. OTTO AND I LOVE YOU, CZARINA!!!!! Unfortunately on the morning of our flight I woke up with Otto's sickness. I threw up several times and we pretty much just slept most of the day. Fortunately the last time I got sick was en route to the airport and actually ended up feeling OK in time to fly home. Even thought we both got sick, Otto and I had the most wonderful time seeing our friends and meeting Adam, Caroline, Parker, and Michaela for the first time. It really made me miss home and all my friends but soooooooooooo thankful that I have everyone in my life and now little Otto has all their kids in his life. I'm looking forward to many more vacations with the crew!!!!!

What Otto is up to Now

Otto surprises us everyday with his vocabulary and memory. He can sing just about any song that I regularly sing to him (which is A LOT), he knows the alphabet, he can count to 20 in English and to 5 in Chinese, he speaks in 7 word sentences, he can spell his name, and he says please and thank you regularly. I guess every parent is stunned when their child learns language and I'm no different. It is a remarkable thing to witness. I wish my brain was as absorbent as his. Plus he is just so funny and has Trevor and me cracking up all the time. He is a dancing machine and insists we listen to music or sing songs. We have regular night time dance parties with Trevor and Tam Sam. He loves to laugh and asks us to repeat over and over again words and phrases that he likes the sound of. He is also getting very agile and dexterous. His balance is terrific. He can walk up and down stairs no problem, cruses around on his scooter like a pro and is getting the hang of his park friends' balance bikes (we got him one for his 2nd birthday nest week). He is also running really fast! Trevor has to jog to keep up! He is climbing up the ladders at the park and sliding down the super duper big slide (face first-once) and really becoming a dare devil. He also likes to walk sideways especially if he wants to look at something-he kind of sneaks up to it sideways. Here are a few recent photos. One of Otto in the bath smiling (when we ask him to smile he puts his lower lip out), one on a motorcycle, and one in his proud toddler shirt.

Fall

We had a truly wonderful summer. Otto had so many cool adventures and he was really big enough to take part and enjoy all that summer had to offer. But I have to say that I'm excited that fall is here. The weather is perfect and getting cooler and we are getting excited for Halloween. We've had a couple of fun trips up to Lake Arrowhead. Once with Fisher's family and once for Trevor's 40th birthday party with close friends. Otto loved all the hiking and the boats and enjoyed hanging out at the little beach and feeding the ducks cheerios. We've enrolled Otto in soccer classes. He goes every Saturday morning and although class takes place in a super cool park and it gives us something to do every Saturday morning, I don't think we'll enroll again for a while. He is just a bit to young for the structure of the class. He's slowly learning the routine but I think he'd just rather play "kick the ball down the hall" at Goa's house. I do think he's a pretty good player though and will keep helping him score goals and dribble and get the basics down...but just in our backyard! Otto and I also had a wonderful trip to Florida to see all my friends but I don't have pictures yet from our trip so that will be a later post. Daddy has been working around the clock so I've been trying to keep Otto entertained outside the house but Otto has been wanting to hang around home more these days. Maybe he's getting sick of all the stuff we currently do. I hear Disney calling!!!!

More Summer Happenings

Unfortunately, we got some bad news this summer. My aunt Karen, who had given Otto his favorite motorcycle shirt, passed away. It was unexpected and so soon after Grampy that Goa, Otto, and I had to go to Wisconsin to see the family. We had a very nice time seeing everyone despite such sad circumstances. We stayed at a great hotel with Uncle Jim and Aunt Janine and had breakfast together every morning. The hotel had a water slide and huge pool and allowed dogs so Otto had fun with all of that. We also took an afternoon and went to a very typical huge mid-western water park which was so incredible and brought me right back to my childhood in Illinois. So we really did make the best of a very sad situation and Otto got to meet his family which I was so happy about. The photo of Otto on the 4-wheeler was taken at the Harley Davidson shop in Wisconsin where Aunt Karen spent quite a lot of time. Otto was in HEAVEN!
A week later Goa left us for Texas and the twins but we gained "Tam Sam" as Otto now calls Sam. Sam came for a visit from Florida and decided she would move back at the exact time as Goa left to stay with Cooper and Tucker. With Goa's room vacant Sam moved in and has been a GODSEND helping me with Otto and also doing tons of babysitting. Plus along with Sam we gained Otto's doggie best friend, Maybe!!! They love each other and have developed such a wonderful bond. They love playing and Otto looks for Maybe every time we are home and vice versa. They really are so close-it is a joy to watch! Another fun addition to our summer was the sweet 3 foot deep kiddie pool that Rachel gave us! It provided us with so much fun this summer. And it was hot enough to really warm up the pool so even this Fla girl enjoyed swimming in it. Otto and Dad took a few trips down to San Diego to play with Morgan and Troy and now that Otto is getting a little older we've even been taking him to a few restaurants. Summer 2011 has been a blast!

Alaska

Ok, summer has officially ended without another post. I'm the worst! But fortunately I took lots of pictures. Summer was really highlighted by our amazing trip to Alaska. We had the best time. Otto was terrific on our flight there despite a several hour delay. We got in very early in the morning, had a short sleep, and got picked up in a huge "Monster Truck" as Otto calls big pick up trucks and taken to a small bush plane airport. Otto was THRILLED and ran up to each one inspecting the wheels and propellers. We got in our airplane and flew about 60 miles north to our lodge located right in the middle of nowhere. It was a absolutely perfect day-very clear, sunny, and warm. And our first order of business-a fabulous lunch followed by a helicopter ride surveying the region (glaciers, ice burgs, trees, rivers, and TONS OF EMPTY LAND) and salmon fishing on the rocky bank of a pristine river. Every day brought more helicopter rides, fishing, and delicious food. We were unsure if Otto would enjoy the fishing but he loved it. He had fun sailing down the rivers in boats and loved playing on the banks and loved spinning the reels and playing with the the lures. And of course, who loves helicopters more than Otto? He squealed and kicked his feet when we were on the helicopters and talked about them when we were not. Another added benefit of the lodge were all the 4-wheelers, tractors, snowmobiles, and big farm and building equipment on sight. It really was a vacation dreamed up in Otto's head. Unfortunately we had to leave the lodge but we still had a day and a half in Anchorage which was really fun. By then the weather had turned pretty chilly and overcast so our hike to the city's overlook took place entirely in dense fog and a bit of rain but it just made for a more dramatic feel. We still had a great time and stopped for pizza on the way back. The morning before our airplane took off back for LA we met up with my high school friend, Amanda Loach, and her family. We went on a long walk along the coast and stopped at a playground. All in all, Alaska was a really perfect family vacation! Here are a few pics.

Summer!!!

Summer is officially here and it feels like it! We have been having so much fun. Trevor has been gone a bunch but we've been really getting out while he's away and when he is home we have that much more fun. We've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and hitting up the beach and the meadow at the Silver Lake Reservoir as much as possible. It has been so fun bringing toys and a picnic to the grassy meadow and now that we have our tent and kid bike seat the beach is a whole new adventure. We've been playing with lots of friends-Gus and Luke, Remi (and her new brother Beau), Agatha, Wyeth, Ella, and Bo have all been in the mix a bunch. Otto has two friends named Jack (Tarmy and Lawson) who just had super fun birthday parties and Agatha and Bo and Mila had great birthday parties too. Otto is taking swimming lessons with Ella and Bo every Saturday and it has been sooo wonderful getting together with their mom's and playing in the pool. Ali and Rachel have been hanging out a bunch too so I've been loving having them over for big long walks with Otto. And Otto has been getting a bit better in restaurants so we've been venturing out (to outdoor venues) and meeting friends for food or drinks on occasion. I love summer.
Just a quick note so I don't forget when it happened-Otto learned how to count to 10. He learned last month (19 months) and I've been meaning to make note of it for a while. And he's getting pretty close to being able to recite the alphabet song. He knows parts of it and I'll have to prompt him with a letter and he'll continue on to the next part. He's also memorizing his books. He can fill in the blank if I leave parts out. And he is still repeating our words and phrases like crazy. And Otto is beginning to use them in the correct context unprompted. For instance yesterday he was riding his scooter and we were cheering him on saying "you are doing it" then he stumbled a bit he said "almost." It was pretty darn funny.

Cabin

Otto, Trevor and I went to Montana for the week around the 4th of July. We look forward to this trip every year and this time was no exception. Even being at the airport was a blast. As Trevor and I say, the travel fairy was on our side-everything was seamless. All 3 of us slept the first leg of our trip and then our little puddle jumper over to Montana from Salt Lake had the best crew in the history of the world. They made the hour flight a blast. As we were taking pictures walking to the airplane (the first photo I posted) the flight attendant saw us and asked if we'd like to get a shot of Otto in the cockpit. AHHHHHH YES PLEASE!!!! The pilots could not have been nicer and even let Otto push a few buttons...we joked that he was in "Otto pilot" mode! Grandma Deidra and Grandpa Ray picked us up from the airport in West Yellowstone and after a bit of grocery shopping we headed out to Hebgen Lake. Once there we were greeted by a huge crew-Cori, James, Andreas, Sophia, Kodiak, Taz, Carrie, Anthony, Ellie, Stormy, Rick, Piper, and Tammi were all there. Otto LOVED playing with all the kids. Unfortunately they didn't stay long but the time we all did spend together was wonderful. Otto especially loved Pipie. She payed so much attention to him and Otto looked for her every time she wasn't playing with him. Once that crew left it was time for Jay and Jada's arrival. Otto loved having them around and we are extra thrilled because Jay was our staff photographer. He got some really great shots of our vacation. Otto spent most of his time running from car to truck to jeep to semi to suv to station wagon and to race car. Oh boy was he ever in heaven playing inside such a vast array of vehicles. He also loved the sea doos (which we called water momo's for his benefit) and playing with the wheel of the boat came in at a close second place. Otto also really enjoyed watching Trevor and I wheel the bicycles around. He'd run up to them and spend a bit of time spinning the wheels and pedals then he ask us to move them around the yard. He LOVED the trampoline as well. We would jump with all the kids and then we would jump alone and he would run around and we would sing "Who let the momo's out, who let the "fill in the blank" out over and over again. He couldn't get enough. Otto also loved looking at all the baby frogs in the yard-there were tons this year. He enjoyed playing in the lake and loved all the go-go's (Chinese word for doggie)and really loved the guinea pig (who he called gee pee). The highlight of our trip though was a really great long hike to Moose Meadow with all the family. I've never seen Otto run more in his life. With Kodiak helping him along he was unstoppable! He was adorable and it was just the cutest thing to watch his cool, big cousin helping him up up up the hills and down down down. It was just a great bonding trip for Otto and all his cousins. I think Otto really enjoyed himself!

19 month Duck photo and other stuff!

Otto's 18 month doctor appointment came a bit late...just after 19 months. Here are his new stats-
Weight: 27lbs 4oz 65%
Height: 35in 96%
Head Circ: 45cm 52%
Otto is getting a little antsy with the duck photos and we aren't a diligent about taking one every month but we did get at least one cute photo. He LOVES his cement mixer (he calls it a mee mama) so we took his latest duck installment with him holding it.
Otto is just growing leaps and bounds. He is sooooo verbal and honestly can repeat anything we ask him to say. He's also beginning to say little phrases like "I love you" or as Uncle John taught him "Go get it." He is big into possessives-Aunt Maria's keys and Mommy's hat. And says hi and bye a lot to everyone and everything. He is just cracking us up with what he knows. Trevor always warns him if he gives him a big bite of food by saying big bite and the other day he ate a pretty big bite of watermelon and said on his own "big bite." He also really likes to ask us to "hold ba ba please." It has been great hearing what's on his mind. Otto still has love for fans (pronounced haaaa) and cars and motorcycles (momos) garbage trucks...really all vehicles including bicycles. Still loves balls and reading "booooooks" and he loves to run. That little baby is just a joy. I also included a photo from a while back that I've been meaning to put in the blog. It's just a cute one of Otto doing a rim rattle at the YMCA. Trevor is below yelling SLAM DUNK. The yellow-ish photo was taken by Ali in Otto's room and the last photo is of me reading to Otto before bed...which has become so easy since Grandma Deidra's visit. We now just read books, talk about our day, say prayers and then tell him night night as we put him in the crib and he goes to sleep on his own. Hallelujah!

Otto and Dad

The week we got back from Italy was a busy one. Goa got her neck surgery and I had a few jobs so Otto had his first babysitter. Olga, our friend's nanny, watched Otto for a few days and Jera, his Chinese tutor also watched him. He loved both and seemed to have a really good time. Trevor also pitched in a lot and took care of Otto over the weekend when I had a big catering job. These photo's are from his weekend with his Dad. They went to the car museum...how I've never taken Otto there yet remains a mystery. He LOVED it and ran around pointing out all the "cool cars" and got his photo taken in a real race car. The photo of him passed out holding two new cars is on the way home from the museum. Trevor also took Otto to a carnival in the Valley with Gus and Luke and Remi AND managed to fit in a trip to Chinatown. I think Otto was disappointed when things returned to normal and I took over watching him. The final photo was taken in his bedroom after he just woke up. Otto was stalling changing his diapers...he learned the word no now and he loves to use it!!!

Grandma Deidra and Goa

The night we flew home from Texas we met Grandma Deidra at the airport. The following morning I flew to France to meet Trevor and we vacationed in Cannes and Sicily for a week with out Otto. He didn't miss us for a second because he had his two favorite Grandmother's doting on him day and night! Grandma Deidra was the ring leader taking Otto to the park, indoor playground, children's museum, and buying him two really cool trucks from Costco. They watered the plants together and went on a lot of walks and played in the backyard and with his stroller. Otto was a different baby when we came home. He grew about a foot and knew so many new words-he was already really mimicking us quite a bit but he REALLY picked it up the week we were gone. His favorite word was "Owie." Grandma Deidra cut her hand and told Otto she had an owie and he still associates her with it. When we mention her name Otto says "owie" or-and this is the one we really love-he immitates her very sweet musical laugh. I love that when he thinks of his Grandma Deidra he thinks of laughter. I think it proves what a wonderful time they had together!

Chicago and Texas

I have been so slow in updating Otto's blog. I'm sorry!!! We were really busy in May. Otto, Goa, and I went to Illinois for a week came back to LA for two days then went to Texas for another week. Sadly we were never able to take Otto's 18 month duck photo but I have other cute photos to add. Illinois was great. We stayed with Karin, Peter, Aiden, and Gillian. Otto was pretty shy around everyone but i know he was happy to have the kids around. By the end of our stay he was calling Gillian "Gia" and following her around. We visited Goa's friends and family and Otto really enjoyed himself at their houses. We also took a 4 hour road trip up north to Ann Arbor, MI to visit the Riley's! we had a blast and Otto really loved hanging out with Asher, Felix, and Hazel. It's a kid's paradise up there! We played at a bunch of parks, went to the petting zoo, hung out with neighboorhood kids, and walked for ice cream. We rounded out our stay by meeting Trevor in Chicago on mother's day and had a ball taking in the sites of the city. Otto loved playing in the fountains at Millenium Park. Later we went to aunt Janine's and uncle Jim's for a wonderful birthday/mother's day dinner. Our whole trip was outstanding!
Next we were off to Houston for Stacy and Ryan's baby shower. The party was all time and Otto really enjoyed playing with all the kids. Stacy's neighbor has a golf cart and he generously let Otto, Goa, and I take it for a cruise around the neighborhood!!! I've never seen Otto happier! I have to get him one of his own. We had lots of fun at the playgroung in the mall and swimming in the pool and playing with the twin's toys. Cooper and Tucker are going to love their new home!

What Otto is up to now

I forgot to add this photo of Otto and Goa under the most magnificent tree I've ever seen at the botanic gardens in Australia.  And I just took the one of Trevor reading to Otto in bed the other morning.  I couldn't resist sharing both and writing about what Otto is up to these days.  He is SO BIG and SMART!  He is really understanding language now.  It is remarkable how much he knows and how fast he is absorbing it.  So fast that I was compelled to introduce a second language and  I got him a Mandarin tutor.  Jera has only visited once so I'm not sure how effective she will be but I hope that just being exposed to another language will be a value.  He is getting very capable these days and can really navigate stairs well both at home and at the playground.  He pretty much goes on the play structures all by himself now.  He can go down the slide no problem and LOVES to hang from the bar above the slide.  He loves to kick and throw balls and play kick the ball down the hall at Goa's and can make a goal (and says "goal" while he does it) and can make a basket when I ask him to try.  He can make some new animal sounds-he says "Ba" for sheep "Whooo" for owl and makes a little snorting sound for pig.  He still raises his arms for ponies and does a little arm over the head wave for a duck.  And when we say flower he sniffs and when we have to go to the bathroom he says "shhh shhh shhh" a trick he learned from his Goa.  He also still likes to dance with a one arm pump, walk backwards, and jump, and turn around.  He also will kiss and hug us on demand!  Goa was the first to discover that new trick.  I was at work and she was watching him and she asked Otto if he loved his car and wanted to kiss it and he walked over to her and have her 4 little kisses on the cheek.  Oh boy, I've never seen her so proud as when she was telling me what he did!  He loves Aunt Stacy too.  Trevor and I went to Las Vegas for the weekend and she came to help Goa watch Otto and during that time they really bonded even more than before.  She told me he would fall asleep on her neck!  He is just so fun right now.  

 

San Diego and Ojai

Although Trevor and I have been working a bunch during the week we've had some pretty fun spring weekends.  We went to San Diego to visit Andy, Sarah, Troy and Morgan and had a ball.  Otto loved playing with the boys and they all got along great.  They have a million really cool toys (are we depriving Otto?) and Otto had an absolute blast playing with all of them.  Plus they have super sweet dogs and a monster truck that is always parked on the street a few houses up.  Otto was in heaven!  The first photo is of Otto taking in the truck and the second two shots are of him playing with the dogs in a little flowery filed.  The next weekend we spent Saturday in Ojai visiting Moira, Henry, and Jack.  Again, Otto had a great time playing with Jack and all of his toys (yes, we are totally depriving Otto and need to buy him more toys!).  We also spent a few hours at the Ojai Valley School.  They have an amazing playground, BEAUTIFUL grounds, and a stable of horses.  The first shot is of Otto and I at the playground and the second is of a Red look-alike.  Red was Trevor's horse when he was a kid and from the sound of it this horse seemed a hundred times sweeter than the real Red!  And the final photo is of Otto and Trevor under the wisteria by the school's pool. Beautiful!