First Weekend Away from Chloe

Nick and I had a wedding to attend in Healdsburg this past weekend which is about an hour or so away from San Francisco. We had decided before we left that we were going to leave Chloe here in San Francisco while we went. Her Grammie and Nana were nice enough to come all the way out here to watch her for the weekend.

We left on Friday afternoon once Chloe went down for her nap. Our plans were to visit a few wineries on the way up but unfortunately the traffic was so bad that it took us a few hours to get there so we went straight to the hotel. We had dinner that night at a wonderful restaurant called Zin in Healdsburg. Deep fried green beans were their specialty so we tried those, along with a caeser salad, a pork chop for Nick and hanger steak for me. It was a HUGE meal, but we got through a lot of it! That night there was a get together with some of our friends from Nick's program in Fresno at the Barn Diva. It was a quaint little bar that was really quite fun, but a little too small for all the people who showed up.

On our way to Healdsburg, passing over the Golden Gate Bridge!

We were so excited to finally get to sleep in on Saturday morning and of course, we woke up at 7:00am on the dot! We refused to get up and ended up falling back to sleep, phew! We had a great, leisurly morning walking downtown and looking in the shops. We ended up back at the hotel for a nap before the wedding.

The wedding was at 3:00pm at a beautiful "faux" winery. They don't actually grow grapes there, but it looks just like a winery and overlooks another winery...beautiful!

"Faux" Winery!

The wedding ceremony was beautiful with great readings and two wonderful pastors. There was a cocktail hour after the ceremony and then dinner which consisted of Chicken Marsala, Portobello Ravioli and Korean Beef with steamed rice. It was wonderful!

We danced the night away and had a great time!

The Bride (Diane) and her Father

We ended the evening reletively early, but that was fine with us, we were looking forward to another great night of sleep. We woke up the next morning, went to breakfast in town and then headed back to San Francisco to see Chloe.

We had a wonderful weekend away and couldn't have asked for a more beautiful place to spend our time.

Chloe's 9th Month

Chloe turned 9 months old on May 15th! I can't believe how fast it has gone. People always say it goes by fast, but I would have begged to differ during the first 4 months! Since then though, it has flown by...wow!

I don't know if I just get caught up with being so busy at home to notice, but it seems like this month she has changed drastically! Her whole personality is just so different. I was watching her on our bed the other day and she kept huffing and dropping her shoulders like a pout...what?! Where has she seen that? It must have been Nick and all his pouting! =) Just seeing her doing silly things like that just makes me wonder where the time has gone.

So a few milestones for her 9th month: She finally cut teeth! Not one, but two on the bottom! She is also (very roughly) saying four words, Dada, Mama, Bottle and Apple. The first time I heard Mama was on her 9 month birthday and it was from her crib..."MAMA!!!" She is also so close to crawling, but hasn't quite done it yet. She did her now infamous "push-up" that day (video). She is also eating so many new foods. Lots of finger foods like beans, peas, bread and turkey. It is so cute to watch her maneuver the food around on her tray and finally take a bite. Meal times take quite a bit longer now, but it is worth the entertainment!

So three more months and our little baby girl will be 1! I love that we are enjoying her so much right now and I can't wait for everything that is to come. Happy 9 Months Chloe!

Stow Lake

We went to Stow Lake at Golden Gate Park the other day. We were looking for a good place to take a job and this place fit the bill perfectly! We had so much fun pushing Chloe around the lake in her stroller. She also LOVED it. There were baby ducks that she loved so much that we pulled over to take a closer look. It was so adorable seeing how excited and nervous she got around them.

It is so amazing to me the places you can go here that are right outside your door. Whatever mood you're in, there is something to do, we have been so spoiled here. I think I am seeing how beneficial it is for all of us to get out as much as we can and experience all that we can. I've lived in Fresno my whole life and have never been to Yosemite. One of my goals when we get back is to live a more active lifestyle and really expose Chloe to all that I can. I can't wait to see what is in store for our family.

Some of our Favorite (San Francisco) Eatery's

Urban Bread~ this was the first place we went for coffee and the last...we loved it so much that we decided to make it our coffee place of choice! Tina the owner worked there all the time and seemed to love us and Chloe. She was always so nice to us and we really enjoyed spending a few mornings there.

Chloe and Nick at Urban Bread

Firewood Cafe~ We loved going here in the late afternoon, early evening to feed Chloe her dinner. It was usually a bit early for Nick and I to eat dinner, so we would have a drink and a small bite to eat and people watch and play with Chloe. Some of our most fun times as a family were here. http://www.firewoodcafe.com/

People watching at Firewood Cafe

NOPA~ This restaurant was our first "date night" with Katherine and Eli and Nick Lee on Mother's Day. It was a trendy, all organic, fun little place. We ate like kings there, and of course, paid the price! It was a little pricey, but totally worth it. I had the pork chop (brilliant) and Nick had a sausage pasta. There were so many hip drinks to choose from and everyone at the table chose different drinks which all came in a different glass, it was really neat! http://www.nopasf.com/

Date Night at NOPA

Park Chalet~ We had actually been to part of this restaurant before. The restaurant consists of two dinning rooms, Beach Chalet and Park Chalet. We had been to brunch before at Beach Chalet, but this was our first time at Park Chalet. The "dinning room" is outside and it is basically picnic tables and lounge chairs. We chose to bring a blanket and do it "picnic style." A waitress comes out to your picnic blanket with menus and takes your order. You can order lunch and beers or any other drinks and just relax in this park atmosphere. It was a great day!

www.beachchalet.com

Chloe and Mommy at Park Chalet

A Day in the Life...

We have been here a little over a week now and we just keep having more and more fun. Yesterday was Mother's Day and we had a wonderful morning with breakfast at home and then we played at the park. Nick also took me out to dinner at NOPA (picture) with Katherine and Eli and another friend of ours from back East. It was an awesome restaurant and a great time with friends and without the kids.

We've started to get the hang of things, and so far this is what a typical day in San Francisco looks like for us:

7:30am Nick leaves for the hospital and Chloe and I eat breakfast

8:00am Morning run while Katherine watches the girls and then we switch, or just playtime

9:00am Chloe takes a nap and mommy has her coffee and computer time

10:30am We usually take a walk or go to a rec center while we wait for Nick to get off

12:30pm Nick is home and we either have lunch together at the apartment or we walk somewhere for a lunch out

1:30pm Chloe takes a nap and mommy and daddy have quiet time reading or playing video games for Nick

3:30pm We all go out to either a farmer's market, the park, a rec center or shopping

5:30pm Chloe has dinner while Nick and I sit outside and people watch or have a drink and snack

6:30pm Bedtime for Chloe

7:00pm Dinnertime for Manda and Nick. We've been either going up to Katherine and Eli's or they come down here to our apartment.

We have been really enjoying all our time together. We live in the Castro which makes it very fun to people watch and walk around. Chloe has made a big statement with her bright bows. We've figured out that little girls don't really wear bows here in San Francisco, so Chloe is a sight to be seen I guess. We get stopped literally 10 times everytime we are out with someone commenting on how "fancy" she is! You can imagine that the gay men in the Castro think she is an angel from heaven with her extravagant "hairpieces" as they call them!

Our time with Katherine and Eli has also been wonderful. We are truly blessed to have them in our lives. They are not only really great people, but they encourage and challenge us in our marriage and with life issues. They are a couple who are in it for the long haul even though the stress of residency and kids are sometimes overwhelming. It is good to see people who try really hard to stay together and stay happy and in love...such an inspiration to us.

Well, that was a long blog. So much is happening and we love every minute. We'll keep you all posted.

Noe Valley Rec Center

Yesterday we went to the Noe Valley Rec Center. Katherine and Madeline go there on a regular basis, so we decided to check it out with them. It is funded by the city and a really great place to go with your kids, especially when apartments here are so small and mostly without yards. I'm a bit of a germaphobe, but we just kept the wipes handy and wiped, wiped, wiped...a few germs never hurt anyone I suppose!

It was about a 5 minute drive from our apartment in a cute little neighborhood. It has a pretty big outdoor playgound and then an indoor play area for kids under 5. Madeline and Chloe had a great time playing with all the toys but mostly just watching the bigger kids race by them on trikes and carts! I don't think Chloe has ever been around so many kids...her eyes were so big the whole time!

Nick was able to go with us too since he gets off work around noon. I think he was one of the only Dad's there, but it was so fun being able to all go as a family.

San Francisco...Moving Day!

We woke up early on Saturday morning to get on our way to San Francisco. Nick had to work a moonlighting shift on Friday night so he got home at 7:30am on Saturday, took a two hour nap and we were off!

We arrived in San Francisco around 1:00pm to a surprisingly wonderful apartment! Our friends Katherine and Eli scoped out a few places for us and helped us settle on the "Garden Apartment" on Ford street in the Castro District. It is really quite nice. It is small, but completely manageable for us for one month. We set Chloe up in the hall closet, yes, the hall closet! It fits her pack-n-play perfectly and she seems quite comfortable in there. Nick and I have an AWESOME bedroom full of windows that overlook a beautiful garden (pictures to come)!

We had dinner with Katherine and Eli at their apartment. They live about a 10-minute walk from where we are staying. 10-minutes and a HUGE hill! Nick and I have never felt so out of shape, wow! In my defense, I was carrying a 20 lb baby AND a diaper bag!

Chloe slept beautifully on Saturday night. No big issues at all...PTL! We woke up Sunday morning and walked to a coffee shop called Urban Bread. It was so cute and not busy at all, it was perfect. The coffee shop is organic, so we had organic coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and Chloe had a banana! We then got our first shot at recycling our compost...oh, so San Francisco!

Chloe is now down for a nap and then it's off to Coscto for a big shopping trip. We are already having so much fun and feel so blessed to be here.

Miss USA Pageant

I tend to get myself worked up over political issues and most times get myself in trouble for speaking my mind or not being "politically correct!" I thought about posting this on Facebook, but then thought better of it and decided that I would blog about it since it's my blog and I can write what I want!

So Sunday night Miss California was given what I feel was a loaded political question asked by openly gay internet blogger, Perez Hilton. She was asked what her stance on gay marriage was. She explained that for her she felt that it was to be between a man and a woman and apologized if that offended anyone. She was promptly booed by the audience. Miss California went on to be first runner up leaving many to wonder if her politically charged question was the reason she lost the crown.

Since that night, Miss California has been all over talk shows trying to defend the answer she gave that night. She has been dragged through the mud by the Miss California Director, who only nights before was touting her as the best woman to win. She is being called ignorant, stupid, multiple expletives and is now in jeopardy of losing her Miss California title because she is such an "embarrassement" to the organization.

I don't care what your stance is on this issue, or whether or not you think what she said was right, but how she is being treated now is sickening. I understand that times have changed and the Conservative Right is now the minority and it is not popular to have religious convictions or views, but to be harassed and condemned for your opinion is horrible. Since when is there only one right answer, and one right way to think...come on!

My stomach turns just thinking about where our country is going in this regard. I am proud that we have moved forward as a country in regards to gay and lesbian rights and racism, but at what end? Are the people who have religious beliefs and values no longer relevant and all the sudden ignorant? I am ashamed that we have moved so far forward only to take a HUGE step back in not allowing all Americans to have a right to belief how they want to. We talk about tolerance, respect and equal rights for gays and lesbians, but where is the tolerance and respect for those who oppose those same issues?

Our Little Easter Bunny

The Hamilton family had a wonderful Easter Sunday. We were lucky enough to see lots of family and go to a wonderful Easter service. On our way to church Nick and I were remembering how we use to go to Arlington Cemetary on Easter when we lived on the East Coast. Arlington Cemetary is one of the most popular locations to celebrate the holiday and we always enjoyed participating in such a neat celebration. The only downside to attending the service at the cemetary is the cold weather and COLD concrete benches you have to sit on. After our first year we learned that you need to bring lots of blankets to keep you warm during the freezing sunrise service...what fun memories!

As Chloe is a little bit too young to understand the meaning of Easter, she did seem to enjoy the other fun associated with the holiday. She received two Easter baskets filled with lots of fun things, her favorite being her new pair of sunglasses! What a fun day!

The March that was Madness!

March came and went so fast this year...I think because we were so busy enjoying so many things!

Nicks Favorite March Activity: March Madness! Ever since I can remember, Nick has loved NCAA basketball! He is a sports maniac and 32 basketball games in one day is like a dream! This year Nick entered a pool of 350 people and unfortunately took a stab at Oklahoma winning it all and they lost in the Elite 8...oh well, there's always next March.

Manda's Favorite March Activity: My Birthday! This year seemed like I was spoiled more than ever before. The presents were fantastic, Nike Shox, lots of Aveda, Clothes, Personalized Stationary and a to die for ERGO and an annual Zoo Pass! My mother-in-law had a cake made especially for me in the shape of a huge cupcake...awesome! I can't remember enjoying my birthday so much but everyone made it so special.

Chloe's Favorite March Activity: Chloe took her first trip to the Zoo! We thought she would be a little young to enjoy it, but we were wrong, she LOVED it. Grandpa Mark is a docent at the zoo so he was able to give us a wonderful tour and tell Chloe all about the animals. We are really looking forward to many more trips to the zoo.

So now we are on to April. The weather is great, Chloe is at a wonderful age, Nick is loving the ER and I am just sitting back enjoying it all. We are in preparations for our month long move to San Francisco in May so this month will be full of planning and lots of anticipation of our adventure that awaits!

Saying Goodbye to my 20's (almost)

I'm sitting here alone at 7:00pm on March 11...my birthday. Some would feel bad for me because I am alone on my birthday, but really, I have enjoyed it. I have spent a good part of my day thinking back to the things I have done in my 20's. Yes, I know I have one more year but it kinda makes you think when you near the big 3-0! So here is a list of a highlight from each year of my 20's:

20--Moved to Pomona, CA to attend Cal Poly Pomona (i.e. be closer to Nick)

21--Travelled to Europe! One of the best experiences of my life, but took me 5 years to pay off the credit card...no joke!

22--Got married!

23--Was relieved to get through my first year of marriage...it's hard work!

24--Lived in one of the greatest cities in the world and worked at a law firm in DC (maybe the best year of my life to this point)!

25--Bought (with A LOT of help) my first car, a Hyundai Elantra.

26--Became the wife of a Doctor, one of the proudest moments of my life (not being a Doctors wife, but watching Nick become a Doctor after all his hard work...amazing)!

27--Bought our first house.

28--Had our baby girl, Chloe, the third best day of my life! (the first being the day I became a christian, the second being my wedding day).

29--???

I enjoyed so much remembering all the fun (and struggles) I've had in my 20's. As much as I have loved the last 9 years of my life, I am so excited about getting older because I know my 30's are going to be even better!

Daddy Bonding Time

So I left Chloe for the first time (while she was awake) with Nick for an extended period of time on Sunday. It sounded like it was a little rough, but overall they had a great time. I'm not complaining, but I did come home to a huge "toy mess!" I think Nick was pulling out all the stops because every toy she owns was on the living room floor, oh well!
Nick also managed two feedings while I was away too which is a feat in itself...good job babe!

Six-Month Pictures and Crying It Out (unrelated!) =) And NO MORE CALL!

This week we finally got Chloe in to take her 6-month pictures. We have a wonderful photographer, Jennifer Wycoff who somehow always gets a great picture of Chloe. I tell you, it takes a special skill to get babies to sit still and smile at the same time! Chloe was doing great until her bad mommy took her eyes off her for one second and "bonk," Chloe tumbled off the little pillow she was on and bumped her head...oops! The worst part was she had these huge angel wings on and I couldn't get a hold of her to pick her up after the fall, so sad! She's a trooper though and all was well once Daddy walked in (thankfully right after the falling incident). We will post pictures once we get them back.

So whoever told you crying it out was hard on the parents WAS RIGHT!!! Chloe is an outstanding sleeper, but lately we've been realizing that she has been getting mommy into her room in the middle of the night just for fun and company. We decided to let her cry it out and see what happened. After feeding and changing her we put her back to bed and the crying began (at midnight mind you). This lasted until 2:00am when she finally gave up on getting me in there. Whew! All my friends tell me that this will only last a few nights, a week at the most...lets hope!

On a lighter note, Nick is, as we speak, finishing up his last call night EVER! He will officially be done with 30-hour shifts forever. We have been waiting for this day for years and it is finally here. Nick is so glad that he is finally in the home stretch and only has ER related rotations left, praise the lord!

A Praise, Blessing, Answer to Prayer...whatever you want to call it

I just wanted to share a small (but awesome) incident that happened the other day. As you all know, Nick is an ER resident on a (small) residents salary. We made the decision to have me stay home with Chloe while Nick worked and picked up the allowed 2 moonlighting shifts a month. The moonlighting is what would make it possible for me to stay home. Over the last few months, the hospital that Nick works at has cut moonlighting shifts thus making it almost impossible to get them. We have been going to the Lord with our needs and concerns as far as our finances were concerned knowing that he would provide for us.

A couple of weeks ago we had bills that were due and not enough money to pay them since Nick's moonlighting check from the month before hadn't come in yet. The day the bills were due we got his check and it was exactly (to the dollar) the amount that we needed to pay our bills this month. Praise the Lord!

We continue to trust that the Lord will provide for us during this time that Nick is a resident and I am staying at home. We know that there are less fortunate people and feel blessed for what we have been given by and in Him.

Chloe's 6-months old!

It is hard to imagine that our little baby girl is already 6-months old...half a year! When she was only a few weeks old I thought we would never get past that infant stage! Then I blinked...she is growing up so fast I can't belive it. Over the last few weeks she has literally done something new everyday. Right now she is enjoying her bouncer (video attached) and eating all kinds of new foods. So far she has had sweet potatoes, pears, squash, peaches and oatmeal! We gave peas a go and she hated them...just like her mommy! Today we are going to try out carrots and maybe berries in a few days.

At her doctors appointment she weighed 16 lbs, 2 oz and was 25 1/2 inches long. She was ammusing everyone at the office with her (loud) happy screams and rolling all over the exam table. Everyone kept asking if she was always this happy. As you can imagine, it is so wonderful for a mom to hear how happy her child seems. Chloe is a happy baby and I couldn't feel more blessed with what God has given us.

Welcome!

One of my "stay-at-home mom friends" was telling me about her blog and I looked it up online and oh my goodness, it was so good! I thought, geesh, I should get with the program and take advantage of the fact that I get to be a stay-at-home mom and wife. I'm not saying that I have a lot of time, because it's a wonder how the day goes by so fast and by 5:00pm I'm still in my sweats. This "momming" thing takes a lot of getting use to and it is hard...nobody told me! =)

Anyhow, I'm going to try to keep you all informed on what is going on in our lives and post pictures from time to time. My goal is to have a new blog once a week, so keep on checking and hopefully I won't dissapoint!