Here are the pictures from Julie’s visit! Despite James’ and my anti-social tendencies, Zachary really likes being in the company of other children. He followed Max everywhere and wanted to play with the same toys – amazingly, they played together and didn’t fight over the toys. What good boys!  Max is going to be an excellent big brother (Julie is due with next month … yep, she flew across the country at 37 weeks!)

Max is almost 2.5 yrs old. Zachary is almost 15 months. I don’t think Zachary is 5th percentile in weight anymore – well see at his doctors appointment next month.

This weekend was so busy! On Saturday, we met up with a friend and his son from Santa Rosa. We went to Fairytale town and the Sacramento zoo. Zachary loved the slides at Fairytale town. In addition to the park-like play structures, there were farm animals to pet, garden plants to water, and teepees and forts to play in. There was also a winding balance beam path called the “crooked mile.” Zach had so much fun – I think toddlers like these types of basic playgrounds better than the flashy animatronics at Disneyland.

Next, we went to the zoo. Zachary liked the fish the best because it was hard to see any of the animals. There was a bug exhibit he liked too. He likes anything hands-on and active over observing … his maximum attention span for TV is 12 minutes.

That evening, his Graeber Grandparents came over for dinner. We had a casual BBQ of burgers and salad. Zach liked playing with his Grandpa. He loved it when James blew on a whistle and pretended to choke. Early signs of schadenfreude?

And that was just Saturday! On Sunday, he went to EncouraGYM and later this afternoon my friend Julie, Keith (husband), and Max (son) are coming to visit. Julie is my high school friend from Maryland – she went to a wedding in/near Yosemite, so they are going to visit us. Yea!

Hello! My first week of work went really well – I like my manager and coworkers so far … and that’s very important to me. Also, the work is similar to what I did before, but different enough to be challenging and interesting. Everything totally worked out – at first I was worried about losing my job – but now I have a severance package, a starting bonus, and a job I think I’m going to like better!  Zachary also likes his new daycare – I’ve heard from multiple people that it’s a really good place.Last weekend, we had some friends over for a BBQ and a game of croquet. This weekend, we babysat Zach’s friend Maia. Pretty laid back, which is what we want right now.

Two days after starting my new job, I got sick. I was so congested and also had a sore throat. I’m just finally getting over it. I feel like I’ve been sick at least twice every month – I think Zachary brings it home from daycare.

My week home with Zachary comes to an end…  (Next Monday, I start my new job) This week, Zachary and I went to Encouragym twice, visited his new daycare twice, and went to two playgroups. Not bad, considering we were home sick the beginning of this week! We also ventured out for lunch once (Olive Garden) and walked around Old Roseville in the evening. We definitely played lots at home.

Here are some Zachary tricks. He can’t talk at all, but we think he might understand what we’re saying. Consistently, when we mention the “morning commute”, he’ll get into his Little Tikes car. He’ll also turn off the lights, shut the door, and lead his dad to the glider at nighttime. (For those wondering if Zachary is super tall… no, our light switches are super low.) Today, he took out a bunch of water bottles from the cabinet. I told him in Chinese that he needed to help put them away – and he did! One by one, he gathered the bottles and put them back in the cabinet. I think it is amazing to watch children learn! He has a friend who is 12 months and can use a remote control!

We are back from our trip to southern California. First stop (Friday), we visited my grandparents. Zachary had lots of fun in the backyard! We all went to Chinatown for dinner. (Thanks Grandpa/ma Chen for dinner and letting us stay with you!)

Bright and early the next day (Saturday), we headed to Disneyland. It was a total bust. I had food poisoning. I felt sick as soon as we got there. I made it until around lunch time and then spent the next hour or so in the public bathroom. James took me back to the hotel, and then went back to Disneyland with Zachary. He stayed until the fireworks, which we had high expectations for. James even staked out a spot quite early – only to find out he could barely see the fireworks, which were low and near the Fantasyland castle. He thinks at one point Tinkerbell made an appearance.

Zachary had a tendency to fall asleep on the rides – especially the boat ones. He did really like the Dumbo ride though!

The next day, I was still feeling woozy, but we visited my grandmother. It was the first time I’ve seen her. I felt bad because she made lunch, but my stomache was still too sensitive to eat anything. She gave Zachary a red envelope – Thanks, Grandma!

On the way home, Zachary started feeling sick, and now he has a fever.

Last day of daycare.  Then he’s off for the week (since I’m between jobs) and starting a new daycare. I really like his current daycare – the teachers are great and Zachary is finally getting used to the routine. He knows where the snacks are “hidden”, and he goes to his sleeping pad after lunch all by himself. The teachers tell me he shows them what he wants by leading them around by the hand (he does this at home too). Yesterday, I visited in the afternoon, and he was having so much fun!

“Dear, I have brought you a radish to cook!”      “It’s 6pm – where is my dinner?! My plate is empty!”

Oh – and guess what? Zachary gives kisses on demand now. I have no idea how he learned that! Probably daycare since there is very little kissing in our household.