We then went to dim sum for the first time, which was lots of fun–Jacob’s favorite by far was his sesame ball, but he humored us and also tried a little egg tart, soft tofu, sticky rice, and roasted duck.

After lunch, Neil let Jacob help him rake leaves.

Well. Help is putting it a little strongly.

Then Stacy and Neil, saints that they are, watched both children so that Jon and I could escape alone for an hour or so. We went to a local, quaint little downtown and walked around, sipping latte (me) and talking about this and that (Jon) and generally enjoying one another’s company. It’s the first time we’ve been really without Jacob since we arrived here, and it was incredibly refreshing. It filled all of our reserves back up, both for one another and for Jacob.

To make the weekend even nicer, Jon took his Veteran’s Day holiday today and we spent a quiet domestic day at home.

And right now I’m listening to the rain drip outside, and all things are quiet, and I’m in awe of how lucky I am to be in this life. I hope it’s going as well for all of you.

Of course, it turns out he needs to practice at language like everything else. And to complicate matters, we’ve been signing with Jacob and he uses that about half the time. So by some metrics, his first “word” was probably the sign for ‘more’; by others, the excited “Meh!” for me/milk/nursing/food and “Deh!” for Jon/wanting something/wanting to know what something is.

If we cut the confusion, though, and declare “first word” to mean “first verbal utterance that sounds very much like an adult”, he’s just gotten there recently. At the dinner table the other night, Jon and I realized that Jacob has gotten quite articulate at “No”. He even gets the O sound right. “Jacob, would you like this food?” “No!” “That food?” “No!” “To get down?” “No!”

…and on and on. Yup, you read that right. Our kid’s first real word is No. I suppose it could be worse–Jon’s first words were apparently “Me first!”–but something tells me that our parenting ride is not going to get any easier.

At least he’s a helpful boy, too.

(I swear to God that was not staged in any way.)

We went to a park, and swung on swings, and chased dogs.

Today, we saw some friends up in San Jose and had fun shopping. We accomplished a lot, too–the garage is mostly organized, nearly all of the art and drapes are hung, all of the boxes are unpacked, and so forth. The house, and life, is really coming together.

We like it here, so far. The house we’re renting, as I’ve said before, is extremely nice inside and out. As our neighbors assured us it would, the fog seems to be lifting and we’re treated to sunny, 65-degree weather every day. It’s practically beating down our door and dragging us out to be active. Jacob is a joy to be around, getting him to bed seems to be going better (keep your fingers crossed for us), and I’ve found a “Stroller Strides” exercise class that might help me meet some other moms around here. I hope it continues to be as pleasant once Jon begins work.

See you on the other side!

Jonathan has recently accepted a position as an Associate Professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. This will allow Jon greater research freedom and me the ability to stay home with our children. We’ll be moving there in mid-August.

Given that this move will take us far away from our families, I’m starting this blog as a way to keep in closer touch. Look to it for news updates, thoughts on our new locale, movies, and pictures. Check back often!