Officially Not a Padres Fan

Remember the last post when I mentioned how drama-free Cole was at the wineries? And how we got to spend a lovely afternoon with friends?

We thought it would be a fun to take Cole to his first baseball game with Uncle Mike and Aunt Sarah. Uncle Niemi was in town, so we got $5 tickets for last night's game. Everything was great until the 5th inning. Cole started SCREAMING. I took him off to the side... Rocking, food, singing, kisses... Nothing was working and it went on for an eternity until it magically stopped. I took him back to the grassy area and the screaming resumed. We left the game, totally dejected.

When we got to the car, I went to change his diaper and his stomach was rock hard. Ends up Cole may like baseball, but he hates rice cereal! We had stopped putting a teaspoon in his bottle last month, but had been trying small spoonfuls the past couple of evenings and just before we left for the game. Googled "rice cereal allergy" and he had 3 out of the 4 symptoms. Is there anything our little man isn't allergic to?

We're going to try an afternoon game at the end of the month. Mets are in town and we'll hopefully catch all 9-innings! Otherwise, our goal of seeing all the baseball stadiums may be on hold for a bit...

Wine Tasting in Temecula

For her birthday, Aunt Traci wanted to go wine tasting in Temecula. The young, cool crowd rented a Hummer limo. Tom and I didn't want to miss out, but went the responsible-new-parents route. Nothing like traveling in the family sedan with a baby in the backseat!

We skipped the first winery and met the crazy bunch at one we had never been to before. Everyone was so sweet to Cole and he loved taking it all in. He's usually only awake 1 1/2-2 hours before he fades, but he stayed awake the entire 4 hours... staring, grabbing fingers and smiling. He didn't cry or fuss once! We were thrilled we could enjoy the afternoon with friends.

Longshadow Ranch Vineyard & Winery





Enjoying the chocolate boot filled with port

Four Months

Cole is now 14lbs 1.8oz and 25.75 inches. Long and lean! He was quite the trooper at his appointment - Another round of vaccinations, but a bottle stopped the tears after a few seconds.

Cole is such a joy and keeps us laughing on a daily basis. He growls now and shoves EVERYTHING in his mouth. If you have his bottle, he'll grab your fingers and force the bottle closer. Our favorite is when he fake coughs to get us into his nursery after we've put him to bed - The minute you walk in, his eyes light up and he smiles knowing he got us once again!

Bucket List

I decided to create a Bucket List for my first New Years Eve in San Diego. (We all know there's only so many days I'll actually work out and eat right, no matter how many resolutions I make!). I've scratched things off the list but I'm constantly adding new things - a safari in Africa, buy Tom a Guinness in Ireland, see polar bears in Alaska before it's too late... Hidden between the travels and new experiences, I've sprinkled in "must see before I die" musicians. Several have been crossed off - R.E.M., George Strait, Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Madonna... And thanks to Grandma Lundquist, Keith Urban!

My mom flew out on Thursday evening so Tom and I could head to Stagecoach. Stagecoach is a huge country festival in the desert that we went to last year for the first time - I go for the country music, Tom goes for the beer/camping :) I was reluctant to leave the little one, but I think it's so important for him to learn independence and spend time with friends/family. Might have been a bit early for him to learn anything, but Tom and I need our time too! We were gone for 24 hours... but in that 24 hours I got to spend much needed time with friends, dance to Sugarland and Keith, and SLEEP! That's right, I was pumped about the full night of sleep even before we left. Nothing like leaving the baby to have fun with friends and hitting bed early! The minute the concerts ended I headed straight to the tent. My first full night since I was 8 months pregnant. Heaven.

Grandma and my rapidly balding child







Still on the list:

• BON JOVI!!!!
• The Eagles
• Justin Timberlake (I know, I'll be the only one over 15... I can't help it)
• Billy Joel
• Elton John (I'm not really sure why... Think I just want to hear Tiny Dancer and then I'll leave. Not sure that is worth the $150+ ticket!)

A Walk in the Park

An amazing Foundation decided to preserve and renovate the former Naval Training Center located in Point Loma, a beautiful area near our home. Shops and restaurants have been filling the historic buildings for a few years (making my LEED certified husband very happy). Several weeks ago the tape finally came down around the new park. Today we picked up some sandwiches and took Cole for a walk... Think we'll be doing this just about every weekend this summer!

Afterwards we met the Welch's in Coronado for a tour of Hotel Del and a good-bye dinner. We hope they visit every year!

Fun with the Welch Family

It was so great having Shaina, Nate and Aurelia in town from Wisconsin! Yesterday they spent all day at Seaworld and met us in Old Town for dinner. Aurelia was too cute wanting to hold my finger as we walked around-

This morning Tom and Nate went kayaking in La Jolla Cove. You'll notice those that stayed on the beach were bundled up... Think it was 65? We're wimps.

After the beach we hit the zoo...

And topped it off with dinner in Little Italy! Hope you had a great day, Nate - Happy Birthday!