The Kremer Family

Everybody's Sick

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Aside from the trip to Napa, we've all been couped up in the house down with the cold that won't go away. Isabella had it first, then gave it to Ed, and then gave it to me. Ed and Isabella got better, but then I (or someone from her daycare) got Isabella sick again. And now, the fog has finally lifted from my head. I am finally feeling better. Isabella, however, has only gotten progressively worse.

I took her to the doctor's last week and, of course, the doctor says it's just a cold. She had a runny nose for weeks, a new cough that just begun, and a persisting fever that wouldn't go away. She started to feel better by Tuesday. But by Thursday her fever came back again. We monitored her daily, taking her temperature at least 20 times a day. It fluctuated throughout the day from 99.0-101.3. When it seems like its getting better it gets worse. So I finally took her to the doctor's this morning and it's confirmed...she's got a cold and an ear infection. I don't remember getting them when I was young and Ed doesn't remember if he'd gotten them either so we're hoping it's just an isolated case. They tend to be hereditary. Some kids that get them may get them all the time and others never have even one.

Despite all the illness around the house, Isabella has still had moments of lucidity and happiness. She's such a happy baby in general. We have truly been blessed with an easy going baby. Here are some pics that we took in the last few weeks.

I know Ed's got a crazy face in this picture, but look at how Isabella learned to grab on.

Here are some recent shots of Isabella.

The poor thing has liquid coming out of all areas: eyes, nose, and mouth. See the little tear running down her cheek?

Merah and Jack came over last weekend for Easter. We had an Easter egg decorating contest.

I don't mean to brag, but I won first place...that's right people. Look out Martha Stewart. Two of Jack's eggs were tied for second and Merah came in third. Okay, so there were only three of us that entered the contest....and it was judged by us, plus Ed.

Jack being Jack.

The Big 30

So I turned 30 last month. Ed surprised me with a trip to Napa. He secretly planned a nice three-day getaway and did a great job keeping me in suspense. The only thing I knew was that he was taking me away. I only found out when he took the off ramp to the airport and while checking in I saw the only flight that made sense with our arrival time.

We flew into Oakland and had a short drive to Napa Valley. We had such a great time. The weather was good up until the last day when it drizzled all day. But, it was still beautiful to see the vines budding. On this wine trip we decided to stick to wines that we never been to but knew we would enjoy. The most enjoyable vineyards on this trip would have to be Cakebread, Nickel and Nickel, and the best of them all, Far Niente. Loved these for their tastings and insightful tours. I didn't come back with any "wine notes" but have a few raves to share.

Cakebread's tour was nice and informative. I definitely recommend checking them out; just be sure to call ahead for a reservation. I didn't care so much for their white wines (in fact, I didn't like too many whites from Napa Valley); they weren't terrible, just not my favorite. We ended up purchasing the 1998 Dancing Bear Cabernet. It is fantastic. It wasn't a part of the wine tasting, however, we asked if we could taste before making the purchase and they opened it up. I can't wait to open this wine up.

Nickel and Nickel, and Far Niente had prepared tastings. Each pour was prepared in separate wine glasses to allow you to go back and forth between similar varietals. If you like spicy Zinfandel's, Nickel and Nickel have a few good ones to choose from. We had a hard time deciding which ones we loved the best because they were all very good. We joined their wine club and can't wait to see what we get. You really can't go wrong with any of their wines. Nickel and Nickel are owned by the partners of Far Niente.

Far Niente's grounds were out of this world. It was so enchanting and park-like. The tour was by far the best of the three. They provided cheese to give the full experience of the wines. I think what made each one so great was the people that represented the winemakers. They were educated and charismatic. All the wines in the tasting were great. Any one of them would make a great purchase. They showcased the following wines: 2003 Cave Collection Chardonnay (my favorite white on this trip; not buttery at all), 2005 Estate Bottled Chardonnay, 2000 Cave Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Estate Bottled Cabernet, and a 2003 Dolce. What I found interesting is that the Cave Collection is just a reserve of the same wine that is set aside. When the production begins to dwindle, they release the "Cave Collection" for much more $.

These are some pictures that we took of our trip to Napa.

We stayed at this great bed and breakfast, La Belle Epoque, right in Downtown Napa. I highly recommend it. They just had a change of owners that were fun to hang out with. Ed had a purchased a heart-shaped rose pedal arrangement on the bed. I couldn't help myself but jump in and make a mess.

This is the driveway to Far Niente, which is in Oakville. If you are interested in a tasting call in advance. They are a bit pricier then the rest, but is well worth it.

These are pictures from their grounds.

Pictures of the tour at Far Niente.

Dolce, also known as Liquid Gold, is a label of Far Niente's wine. It's the only single, late harvest wine in North America. It's a very sweet, sweet wine, hence, the name.

Here's a nice map of Napa should you want to make your way out there.

Six Month Update

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Isabella is already six months old! I took her to the doctor's office for her next round of shots. She did so well. Since her last appointment at four months of age she's definitely gone through a growth spurt. Here are her latest stats:

Height: 26" (75th percentile)
Weight: 16 lbs. 6 oz. (70th percentile)

The Latest In Her Development:

We started her on rice cereal three weeks ago. She took to it right away without any digestive problems. Last week we introduced her first veggie, the sweet potato. This week we have introduced carrots. I bought some sweet potatoes from the market and made baby food at home. They were the white sweet potato so it didn't appear to be all that messy. When I started carrots I realized why all baby feeding pictures looked so unattractive. Feeding solids isn't pretty, but is sure is fun to watch them lean forward and open in anticipation. Next week we'll try squash and then peas. We feed her solids only once a day so far, but the doctor says we should start increasing it to 2-3 times daily. We'll see.

She's such a piggy.

Her favorite past time is jumping. She loves jumping in the Jumperoo. When she's not in the jumper she'll make you become the human jumperoo. She even jumps while lying down. She's a very active little one.

One day I was tidying up the office and I put Isabella in the Jumperoo. You can always hear when she's jumping. After a few minutes I noticed how quiet it had gotten. So I turned back to find Isabella in this position...

Bad mommy. Bad mommy.

Isabella and Asher Meet

Saturday, March 10, 2007

We had a Chung family reunion last week. My sister Susan, brother-in-law Michael, and nephew Asher, all flew in from Massachusetts to enjoy the great California weather. Asher and Isabella finally met. The two cousins are only two weeks apart, but look and act nothing alike. There are too many pictures to post, so I'm posting just a few that tell the story of their trip and put the rest on Shutterfly.

Where they met for the first time. Here they found each other's hands.

When Isabella was awake, Asher was asleep.
When Asher was awake Isabella was asleep.
Here are a few pictures where they were both on the same schedule.

Where one was looking, the other one wasn't.

But finally after many tries we eventually got it right.

Good times.

And lastly, there's always those few pictures that you
just don't know what to do with.
(tip: hover your mouse over pictures to make them bigger.)

85 degrees

Saturday, February 17, 2007

It's February and 85 degrees outside!!! Ed and I decided to take Isabella out for a walk to have brunch at this great crepes restaurant near the San Clemente pier. What started out as a walk to brunch turned into an all day fair. I think we walked around 5 miles today. It was so beautiful out and the new trails along the ocean is breathtaking.

When we got back we decided today would be the day to start solids. It's hard to say if she liked it or not. She would open her mouth to the spoon, but the cereal would just pour right back out again. A few times it looked like she was "chewing", but it would dribble back out. We filmed it and need to get it up online. By the end of the night Isabella was tuckered.

Last weekend was my dad's 73rd birthday. My sisters, Ed and I took him out to lunch. I took mostly video footage of the day, but here are a few pics.

Other random pics:

It's been too long

Friday, February 09, 2007

I know, I know. So much time has passed since I've posted an update. Work has been busy. We just had our annual retail conference in San Diego, CA. Boy did I have fun. Ed took care of Isabella all by himself for two whole (working days). And of course, they didn't miss me one bit. He did good all by himself. I cracked up when he told me how the first night went. Let me first preface with this. Since bringing Isabella home from the hospital I gave Ed an out from waking up in the middle of the night since I nurse her. So he's become accustom to sleeping right through her cries. Well, on his first night alone with Isabella he hardly slept a wink and she only woke up once at 4AM. Poor guy. I can picture him startling himself out of paranoia thinking that she may have woken up. Ed and Isabella came down to San Diego and stayed at the hotel with me for two more nights. We used a babysitting service through the hotel and went to my work party, Fire and Ice Ball theme (the fight between good and evil). Ed dressed in all black with a beanie and black makeup with a skull outline. I came as a fairy. It was so much fun. I had a little too much to drink...what a surprise. Hey, when they offer a martini bar with top shelf vodka I'm all over it. There were so many pictures taken, but I only got a few back to share.

This me and my training gals, Nicole and Megan.

This is me with our CEO, lol. He and my boss came to the party with these deadly tequila and vodka cocktails strapped to their backs. Tells you so much about Oakley. BTW, that's Ed in the background.

Here's Ed and Nicole.

On Isabella's Development
She's growing like a weed. She doesn't feel small anymore. Funny, a co-worker just had his second baby and after holding his little boy he turns to his 3 year daughter and thinks she's huge compared to him. I used to do the same thing with Isabella when I was on my maternity leave. After cradling her in my arms all day and night, I'd get in bed and then roll over to Ed and think dang his head is huge (compared to Isabella), lol.

When she gets to talking she talks up a storm. She loves to laugh. One of these days I will capture it on video. That will be my goal this weekend.

Here are the latest pics of Izzy.