Of course I haven’t written in about 3 months. That last blog post felt like a whole other lifetime ago. We have so much to report, and will start with the highlights:
Arden scooted up the stairs to the second floor today! She is hyper-mobile and we’ve been child-proofing the house in a hurry.
She’s started eating solid foods. With a Singaporean mom, and another mom who used to work at a James Beard restaurant, it is no wonder she is a good eater 🙂
We took a trip to Madison to visit family. Arden met her cousins and had a blast!
We don’t have any consistent help yet. Tandy is amazing 😍❤️
I have been back at work three months now, and just completed 3 years at Zoox!
This was early March, reaching for Curious George. This was end March, browsing the Gettysburg Review and the Hobbit at Auntie Ingrid’s. Arden in January, getting the hang of tummy time. My work set up just before I put Arden to bed. I miss that Moose suit – that was for Arden at three to four months and it was a sad day when we had to put it away. Another sleep sack we’ve had to recently retire. I loved it! And Arden loves Sophie! Learning to sit up sometime in JanuaryIn March, pretty much sitting up by herself and not toppling over 🙂Just before she turned 6 months, she started crawling! This was the containment strategy. She has certainly outgrown this now!! Little miss monkey pirate butt making her way up the stairs at about 7.5 monthsNext level containment strategyShe does love being outside and crawling on the grassWell most of the time. Sometimes the sun is in her eyes and she doesn’t like it so much. Yeah doesn’t like the sun in her eyes so much. She sat up by herself, for the first time, on her sixth month birthday party! And Auntie Sarah was here to celebrate with us! That avocado outfit is simply one of our favourites. Thank you Auntie Andrea! Here she is at our local dragon park playground. I can see already that we will be spending a lot of time here!!Thank you Grandma for that Christmas gift outfit! it keeps me warm inside. En route to Madison! In Madison! I love this image of TandyThe cousins meet! Her first proper lunch date! She loves broccoli! And very much enjoys celeryAlso Sully’s trucksAnd other kitchen implements. Hi baby! Trying to prevent her from flinging herself off various pieces of furniture is a full time job. She loves climbing!! A climbing buddy in the making ❤️Grand uncle Robert’s containment strategy Two generations. Love you Jason!Family photo! With a squirmy baby, we don’t get many of these! Thank you GAGA and Uncle Robert for having us and taking care of Arden while I went to work and Tandy to visit her parents. We had a great time and hope you come visit us again soon! Cos it’s a blast when you visit!!! This Chinese New Year outfit was Rachel’s! Thank you GAGA and Rachel for passing this along to the next generation ❤️ wish you were closer Rach and love you too. I’m looking forward to being outside a lot in Spring. As does Arden I think 🙂
As is probably apparent from these photos, I think I can safely say we are enjoying motherhood! We are very fortunate Arden is healthy and a relatively easy baby with reasonable demands. She is serene, curious and very busy exploring the world. Day to day, it’s a delight to re-experience the world through her eyes and see her discover new skills that she so proudly shows off.
At a more meta level, being a mother has added a layer of richness to many existing relationships in my life, especially with my mom. Arden allows us to relate to each other in a new way and allows us to inhabit new roles in our lives, and relate to each other in those new roles (mother / grandmother vs mother/daughter. )
Being a mother has also made me deeply aware of this community called “mothers” that spans centuries (past and future), and that is imbued with wisdom, love, tradition and mutual caretaking. It is a community we are now a part of.
Gratitude on all all all levels. I am sitting now in the Chicago airport, coming home from my second work trip to the Bay Area. My heart is full from being with my friends and colleagues who I love and feel so connected to. And i am so looking forward to being reunited with my family. How lucky I am.
Old friends who fill my heart so. See y’all soon. And of course my wife too. Thank you honey for holding down the mothership. ❤️
Adventures with Arden 
Spectacular update! Thanks so much for continuing to hold me in community as you and Tandy and Arden make this journey together. Love to you all!
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Spectacular update! Thanks so much for continuing to hold me in community as you and Tandy and Arden make this journey together. Love to you all!
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