Halloween 2010: October 26 party at Ruby's!

Hi everybody!
On Tuesday October 26, Ruby hosted a Halloween party for our playgroup! It was really fun! Since it was the day after we returned from New York, DOJ came to assist for a bit.

Here's Ben as a bumble bee! Bzzzz bzzzzz...

Here's DOJ helping me with my costume.

Here's Ruby the Panda!!!

Here's Ben and Ben! There's also a third Ben, who moved to Mill Valley, so we don't get to see him as much. So it was great that he was here, even though he's not in this picture with Ben and Ben. I think I last saw him when he hosted a Farewell party to Ollie.

For whatever reasons, our mommies insisted on being in the group picture with us. They weren't wearing costumes, but after some resistance we agreed that it was acceptable. DOJ and Ashley's mother-in-law took a lot of pictures using different mommies' cameras.

Here's Ruby and her mommy! Ruby did such a great job for the Halloween party, so we all must thank Ruby for hosting.

After the pictures were taken, we had fun in the back yard! Ruby even had refreshments for us, but it seemed like the mommies were eating everything!

Cole was having fun in Ruby's car.

After Mommy changed me from my costume to my play clothes, I then got to have a turn in Ruby's car. That was a lot of fun!
I know it's a month after Halloween, but I hope that all of you enjoyed Halloween. It was a big holiday for me. Not only did we go to Ruby's party, but there were a couple other parties. Stay tuned for more blogs about my other Halloween parties!
Love,
Julien the Baby

October 23 - 25: The finale of our New York City vacation!

Hi everybody!
We were in New York from October 20 to 25. Even though the trip was relatively short, we had a wonderful visit! Here's the finale of our trip...
Saturday October 23 was my grandfather's birthday! So that was very nice, to honor his birthday with our New York vacation.

We started the Saturday with some upside-down time for me. I warned you that my parents are whacky!

My parents strolled me throughout the Upper West Side. Back in April when we were in Paris, my parents had some mirror fun. Here we go again...

Here we are in Central Park.

The leaves are beautiful, but I really just wanted to walk!

My parents kept me in the stroller throughout most of our Central Park walk, until we arrived at a playground. After my parents spent a decade or two trying to figure out how to actually *enter* the playground, we finally made it inside, and then they let me out of the stroller! I was finally free to walk and run about! Hurray! It was really worth the wait.

It's fun to walk through the park with a parent by my side. I get to feel like a famous celebrity with a bodyguard! Except it's even better because it's Mommy or DOJ!
We stayed in the playground until it got dark, then we exited at Columbus Circle (by the Lipstick Building at 59th Street), then walked all the way back North to 84th Street. But we met Michael around 82nd Street and had dinner together.
On Sunday October 24, DOJ and Michael went to the cinema and they saw the Facebook movie together. In the meantime, I had a leisurely morning with Mommy, and then we walked through the Columbus Street farmer's market. We caught up with DOJ and Michael and strolled some more. Then Mommy, DOJ, and I went to the High Line.

The High Line is an urban park set above ground! It uses the old railroad tracks that were above ground many decades ago! It's an architectural beauty where we are elevated above the streets of New York, in a very wide open space. Wide open spaces exist in very few parts of a city as busy and congested as New York City.

We enjoyed a fun acapella concert!

We got to enjoy wooden chaise lounges and watch the people go by for an hour. It was fun and relaxing. DOJ later read a fun interview with the actress Debra Winger, who talked about walking on the High Line with her son and a reporter, being unrecognized.

It's such a gorgeous place. We were sad to depart The High Line, but we wanted to get cupcakes at Billy's Bakery before heading home for dinner.
On Monday, October 25, we had a leisurely breakfast with Sara at Le Pain Cotidion. Then DOJ took me Michael's for a nap, and then we flew back home!
I had a great New York vacation and look forward to returning!
Love,
Julien the Baby

Friday October 22 in New York City

Hi everybody!
On Friday October 22, we had a fun active day! We decided to take a cruise to the Statue of Liberty! We stay on the boat the whole time, but we get to see the Statue from the boat. The boat ride was about 90 minutes total, which worked out great since there were still other things we wanted to do. We took a taxi to Pier 96, where the boat departed. We've found that it's actually easier (and not much more expensive) to take taxis throughout New York City when we're not going on a straight bus route, especially with my stroller.

Here we are at Pier 96, by the Hudson. We arrived early so got some time to take pictures.

I had a great seat on the boat.

The boat was slow enough so that we could admire the lovely New York City architecture.

There are some fun modern skyscrapers! And they're more fun to see when you're outside than inside them.

Here are Mommy and DOJ in front of the Statue of Liberty.

Here I am in front of the Statue of Liberty. Yes it's true - I was sleeping at this time!

After the boat cruise, we strolled along 9th Street, before heading to the MUJI store by the NYT building - it's also near Penn Station, so I think it's at 41st by 8th Street. At MUJI, my parents shopped while I got to walk along the long ramp. I was practicing my walking and running.

After MUJI, we strolled through Times Square and headed to the Japanese tonkatsu restaurant Katsu-Hama. They have 2 locations, and we went to the one that's on the 2nd floor, on 57th Street. My parents used to go to the one on 45th Street. In this picture, I'm sitting on a booster seat, because they didn't have high chairs. And this is the FIRST TIME I've ever sat on a booster seat at a restaurant, without any strap support. I guess I'm growing up!

I enjoyed reading my book and drinking milk. But I also ate a lot of rice. Because of the distractions from reading and dining, I also dropped a lot of rice on the ground! DOJ sure was busy cleaning up the table after we ate.
After dinner, we took a taxi home and I had some good slumber!
Love,
Julien the Baby

October 21: Dinner in NYC

Hi everybody,
On Thursday October 21, we went to the pizzeria Otto for dinner with Michael (Double M).

Here we are outside of Otto. Dinner was yummy!

After dinner, we took a taxi home. Michael held me tightly on his lap!

DOJ sat inbetween Michael and Mommy.

And I held onto the strap for safety. I actually love riding in taxis, it is so fun!
Love,
Julien the Baby

NYC visit October 20 - 25

Hi everybody!
It's me, Julien the Baby!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I've sure been busy lately, which is why I've not been blogging for awhile. Between my morning activities of Music Together, Tot Gym, sharecare, and Bernal Playground, combined with my afternoon naps and activities, I've just been very busy. But I'm having fun with my baby friends and I'll share more pictures of us together separately.
In the meantime, I wanted to tell you all about my vacation to New York City in October! We were there from October 20 to 25, so it sounds like a short trip, but we did a lot of fun things together.
Here are some pictures from October 20 and 21!

Here I am drinking milk on the plane ride on October 20. I drink milk as the plane is taking off, so that the air pressure doesn't hurt my ears! It's very important that I'm making a suction motion with my mouth during this period. It may sound whacky, but I've yet to cry when we go up in the air! I also have my BaaBaa green silkie blanket to hold for additional comfort, even though I'm sitting next to my parents as well :-)

Here I am on Thursday, October 21, at the Popover Cafe on Amsterdam (Upper West Side). Here I'm drinking water from my Green Zoli Cup! This restaurant is famous for their... popovers!

Because we were in New York, I had to dress appropriately, even though my hometown team The San Francisco Giants were in the playoffs for the World Series at the time.

Here I am at our friend Michael's apartment, after the Popover Cafe.

I was going to take a nap, but I wanted to look out his window onto the street beforehand.
Love,
Julien the Baby

Happy Mitzvah to Abby and Sam!

Hi everybody!
It's me, Julien the Baby!
Today Saturday November 13 is a very special day for Abby and Sam! They are fraternal twins, and it's their respective Bat and Bar Mitzvah day! This means that they basically are now grown ups. They're no longer children. Now please don't get Sam confused with Sam - there's Sam the twin who's having his Bar Mitzvah today, and then Sam the Baby who is 4 months older than me. Let's also not get this Abby and Sam confused with Lynne and Dick's children Abby and Sam! This can all get a little confusing at times!
My mommy has known their mommy for years, like for 40 or 80 years! A very long time, ever since they were younger. Here are some pictures of us together from last December at a Hannukah party!

Here I am with DOJ, posed with Rich their daddy, Susie their mommy, and then the twins themselves: Sam and Abby!

In this picture, I probably dropped something so I'm looking at the floor. Everybody else is looking at the camera, so they don't see what I'm seeing! Their loss...

Later in the evening, here I am with Susie, the mommy of Abby and Sam!

So in this picture you may notice something a little different that Susie did - that's why she's laughing so much. She's a very funny friend!

And here are Sam and Abby, enjoying books they received for Hannukah.
My parents said that their Mitzvah were both very special! We are all very proud of Abby and Sam!
Love,
Julien the Baby

September 2010: the end of our New England trip!

Hello Everybody!
It's me, Julien the Baby! I am quite far behind with blogging about the rest of our New England trip! When I last blogged about it, we had been visiting Brown University on Thursday September 9, 2010. Basically, we had a great time visiting there, and we then drove to Middletown, RI which is right near Newport. Newport RI is famous for their beaches (touching The Atlantic Ocean) as well as the Tennis Hall of Fame. We stayed in the next town over, and quite enjoyed it!
We had dinner at Anthony's Seafood, where the locals dine! My parents are obsessed with having lobster rolls, and from what I understood, they quite enjoyed them!
On Friday September 10, we drove around Middletown and Newport. We stopped at Third Beach, so that we could be in the Atlantic Ocean water. But first we went to Anthony's Seafood where my parents had lobster rolls for their luncheon.

As you can see, I'm enjoying running around on the beach. Third Beach was actually very nice, but it isn't as popular as the other beaches (cleverly called First Beach and Second Beach), so we had the beach all to ourselves.

After the beach we went to Sweet Berry Farm, which is a you-pick farm. We didn't pick any fruits or vegetables, but I enjoyed walking among the flowers and corn fields. That evening, we went back to Anthony's Seafood and my parents once again had lobster rolls for dinner. Then we drove to Tiverton and my parents had ice cream at Gray's Ice Cream.

On Saturday September 11, we checked out from the house we rented and walked along the famous Newport Cliffwalk, which has a lot of nice mansions and cliff/water views. Here I am with DOJ and our stroller. The stroller was really nice to have on this walk - I got to rest in the stroller while my parents pushed the stroller!
From the Cliffwalk, we went to Second Beach and enjoyed lounging in the sun. We then drove back to Western Massachusetts... after we went AGAIN to Anthony's Seafood so that my parents could once again have lobster rolls. My parents said that this was so they would have energy for the drive back, but I think that they just wanted to have lobster rolls again!

Here I am in Western Massachusetts on Sunday September 12. You can't see my shirt too clearly in this picture, but it's for Elmer's, a fun restaurant and shop in the town where Michael and Jason live. It was one of the many fun gifts that they gave me.

And here I am with Michael and Jason - we enjoyed our final dinner together at The People's Pint (in Greenfield, MA) on Sunday night, September 12. I saw a few other babies there so it was nice to chat with the other babies while my parents and Michael and Jason chatted about adult stuff, like the home-brewed sodas at the People's Pint.
The following day, we flew back home! We first drove Michael into Cambridge, then drove into Boston so that my parents could change my diaper in the Back Bay. Then we drove to Logan Airport, and finally flew back home.
I can't wait to return to Western Massachusetts. I don't know if I need to return to Anthony's Seafood 4 times but I can imagine going there thrice.
Love,
Julien the Baby

Happy Birthday Uncle Justin!

Hi everybody!
Uncle Justin's birthday is October 29! Let's all wish him a happy birthday.
In honor of his birthday, here are some pictures of Uncle Justin with his lovely wife, my Aunt Chloe. They met in Hangzhou and got married in August 2005! In fact they have been married longer than my own parents. Not that anyone's keeping score.
I'll give more information about the below pictures...

Here they are with me on September 13, 2009; basically they're at my house for dinner!

Here we are on Halloween 2009, at the house of Veronica and Jennifer. And no, Aunt Chloe didn't grow white rabbit ears - she's always had them; she usually just keeps them covered!

Here's Uncle Justin with Aunt Chloe, and Mommy and Daddy. They came (as well as my paternal grandparents) to our house for Christmas dinner.

Here we are on Christmas Day, 2009 - in San Leandro at Great Aunt Katie and Great Uncle Hanley's house. Do you see the red hat in the picture? It's a hat that Uncle Justin and Aunt Chloe gave to me!

And lastly, here we are in June 2010, in one of my favorite restaurants for bruncheon and luncheon - Sally's, at De Haro and 16th Streets.
Have a great birthday Uncle Justin! Eat a lot of cake for me!
love,
Julien the Baby