Cupcakes – my new obsession. Did you know people devote entire blogs to cupcake recipes and take beautiful pictures of them? Go here and tell me that you don’t want to lick the screen.

Lily Allen — thanks to Allison for turning me on to her. My favorite song so far is the very funny Alphie. Wyatt likes to have family dance parties to Lily Allen music too.

The “Born OK the first time” bumper sticker I saw right before the oil light went on yesterday. I like “01-20-09” even better though.

The Sopranos — I know I just talked about the Sopranos the other day, but we watched the penultimate episode Wednesday night and it was fantastic. I can’t wait for Sunday.

The new One Dollar Coins — I got my first $1 coin from a parking lot machine yesterday. It had John Adams on it. Words cannot express my love of one dollar coins (and you should ask my co-workers how many words they’ve heard as I try to express it).

A few weeks ago, Ali Edwards posted a link on her blog to this monthly round-up idea. I thought it was an excellent idea, so I’ve been keeping a running record of the smaller things that have happened to us this month. I’m going to try to do it every month going forward.

What special days did I celebrate and how?

Mother’s Day was the 13th and we had Zach’s family over to our place for a BBQ. We ended up with quite a crowd. Erin, Bryan and Moke showed up first. And then Tom, Dee and Kitty came by a little later. Just as everyone was arriving, our neighbors Randolf and Lenni came by to see if Wyatt could play so we invited them to stay for dinner too. Lenni’s mom, Beate joined us a little later as well. We had a great dinner of grilled steaks and chicken, roasted asparagus and chipotle potatoes. The potatoes were good, but you couldn’t taste the chipotle at all. For dessert we had a big, delicious watermelon. I was thrilled to have such a yummy one so early in the season as watermelon is one of my favorites. Wyatt and Zach gave me a gift certificate for a fancy haircut for my Mother’s Day gift. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, but I can’t wait because I’ve been wanting a haircut for a while now.

Zach’s birthday was the 22nd, the day after he returned from Montreal (see below). I got him a GPS for his birthday so he won’t get lost anymore. This will probably make his life about 50% better, because he gets lost a lot. I also hit Erin and Bryan up to babysit so Zach and I could go out for a birthday dinner. After much deliberation, we decided to go to Charlie’s restaurant, Cafe Rouge. We had an awesome dinner, complete with oysters, artichokes, and big steaks. Yummy — and so nice to get out by ourselves for a change.

Memorial Day was a little bit of a bust this year. We had a couple of invitations, but we’d been planning on going down to Santa Cruz with Erin and Bryan so we had to turn them down. We were going to visit Bon-Bon’s uncle’s farm and ride a train and what not, but we totally dropped the ball with the communication (Zach and I missed a crucial phone call from Erin) and with nap timing and whatnot we never got our act together enough to get down to SC. The day was saved though when Charlie decided to come over for grilled bratwurst at dinner time.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

Erin, Bryan and Mokey came over for dinner on the 2nd. Erin brought Moke over after Wyatt’s nap to help him get socialized. Wyatt is a little nervous around dogs, so we are also encouraging him to play with Mokey to get a little more comfortable. I stopped at TJ’s on the way home to pick up stuff for dinner and we ended up having a very similar dinner to the one we made for the Ponces on the Sunday before: grilled sausages, roasted veggies, grilled polenta, and green beans. I skipped the sausages for WW and just stuck with the polenta and veggies and it turned out to be a very filling, low points meal. I’ll definitely be having that again.

On the 7th, I went to see Will Shortz speak at Zellerbach hall in Berkeley with my friend Ellen from work. You can read a bit more about that here.

Wyatt and I went over to Manny and Allison’s for a barbecue on the 20th. Our friend Irwin and his son Janeil were there as well as Andy, Sara and their daughter Lula. The kids all had a good time playing together and Wyatt was all over Alex. He thinks he’s “loud” and hero-worships him.

Charlie came by for a surprise visit on the 25th. We were just about to sit down to dinner, so we invited him to eat with us. We were having barbecued shrimp, roasted veggies, rice and a bottle of rose which was pretty fancy for a weeknight dinner so he totally lucked out, if I do say so myself. We even had Zach’s birthday cheesecake for dessert. After dinner we sat around talking about the big trip to Europe he’s hoping to take in the next year or so and I tried to get him as fired up about it as possible. He’s hoping to travel around a bit and then get a job in a restaurant and work for a year or so. He’s 21, he’s got money in the bank and virtually no responsibilities (aside from his current job, of course) — I think he should just drop everything and go! I’m so excited for him at the thought of a trip like that. That’s something that he’ll remember for the rest of his life. I told him I’d be happy to help him plan his trip out because I love that stuff, so I might get to live vicariously through him.

What were my accomplishments this month?

I got parent hacked! Geeky, I know, but I was excited. They linked to my post on Wyatt’s Special Distraction book.

What were this month’s disappointments?

I didn’t really have any. Yay, me!

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

When we were visiting Adam and Riko, Adam recommended the Rei Shimura mystery series to me and let me borrow his copy of The Salaryman’s Wife (Sujata Massey is the author). I started reading it at the beginning of the month and was instantly hooked. Before I even finished the first one, I logged onto Paperback Swap and ordered all the rest of the books in the series. Of course, the fourth one came first, then the third and then finally the second one got to me. I dove right in when it came and now I’m on the third book. The series focuses on Rei, a half-Japanese, half-American woman in her late 20’s living in Tokyo. She speaks fluent Japanese, but she grew up in America so it’s interesting to hear her perspective on Japanese culture. The mysteries tend to focus on one or two areas of Japanese culture in each book — corporate life, ikebana (flower arranging), Zen Buddism, etc. I imagine I’ll finish the series in the next few weeks.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

We watched a lot of tv this month because we’d been letting it pile up a bit. It’s always nice to be able to binge on shows, especially now that all the exciting season finales are going on. Lost finally got good again and the finale was the best episode in a long while. Two of our favorite shows Veronica Mars (mine) and Jericho (Zach’s) had very exciting cliff-hangers in their last episodes, but that was a bit frustrating since they subsequently got canceled and we’ll never know how they turn out. And then we come to The Sopranos, probably our favorite show of all time. We still have two episodes left before the series is completely over and we can’t wait to see how the show turns out. The longer I watch, the more likely I think it is that Tony is going to end up dead, but the longer the show goes on, the more it seems like he deserves that fate. They have done an excellent job of slowly making him look like a monster again and now there is very little to like about him. It’s such an excellent show.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?

My new favorite WW food is roasted zucchini, peppers and cherry tomatoes. I chop everything up (except the tomatoes), toss with a little bit of olive oil, spread them out on a cookie sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for about a half hour. So yummy and I can eat a ton for only a point or two (for the oil).

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

I bought Zach a GPS for his birthday.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

I had routine doctor and dentist appointments this month. Both were fairly uneventful, but the dentist did tell me that I have “beautiful gums.” That’s always a lovely compliment.

I got sick after our Memorial day cook-out. I felt like I ate too much at dinner, but otherwise things were going OK until I woke up at 3 a.m. that night with a bad stomach-ache. I laid there for a bit, feeling really bad and then I threw up a bunch of times. I didn’t feel up to going to work the next day, so I took a sick day. My stomach still felt queasy yesterday (three days later), but I think I’m doing better today.

Anything else noteworthy to record?

Our family had a couple of pretty big things happen this month. The biggest event was that Zach went to Montreal for five days for an unconference. He just wrote up a big blog post about his trip that you can read here. That meant that Wyatt and I were completely on our own for five days — the longest time we’ve ever gone without Zach. The first day was pretty normal because it was a Thursday, one of Wyatt’s regular baby school days. I then took the Friday and Monday off work to watch him. I was pretty nervous about going that long without Zach to help me, but it ended up going very well. It was hard not to have any breaks, of course, and absolutely exhausting, but in some ways it was easier too. When you’re by yourself, you’re the final decision maker so I found myself being a lot more decisive about parenting decisions than usual. Since I couldn’t ask Zach, “What do you think?” I just immediately did what I thought. It sure did streamline stuff.

The other big events happened at my work. My immediate boss, my VP and Nolo’s CEO all resigned within a three week period. As you can imagine, that shook things up at my job quite a bit, but I’m hoping that things will settle down a bit more in the coming month.

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Well, that’s it. My nutshell version of the month turned out to be a pretty big nutshell. I think next month I’ll have to try to write about these things a bit more as they happen instead of saving them all up for the end of the month.

As a liberal, Berkeley attachment-parenting type, I’m loathe to admit this, but my son watches TV pretty much every day. Of course, when I say “TV”, I’m using the term pretty loosely. When you don’t have a television, it’s pretty hard to watch TV proper. Instead, Wyatt watches DVDs and an occasional download on my laptop.

In general, I think this is a pretty good compromise. We get the convenience of using movies as a distraction technique when we’re giving him his nebulizer or trying to get dinner on the table, but we also have absolute control over what Wyatt watches. He never accidentally turns on a violent show like the Sopranos, for example, and he rarely sees commercials. The one notable exception to this is the commercials on the DVD’s themselves. Even there, we usually can skip ahead to the menu to bypass the “previews”, but Nickelodeon DVDs don’t allow you to do that. I find that to be particularly unfortunate because Nickelodeon has some of the most irritating shows. And by the most irritating shows, I mean Dora the Explorer. Dora is one of Wyatt’s favorite shows and the one I most despise, but that’s a different topic for a different day.

Here are some of the shows our whole family enjoys:

Bear in the Big Blue House
This was the first plot-driven DVD we ever bought and despite lots of viewings, we all still enjoy it. We started with the Potty Time with Bear DVD in a futile attempt to get Wyatt interested in toilet training and later purchased Sleepy Time with Bear.
Wyatt likes: Luna, Ojo, and Treelo are his favorite characters. We all call the moon “Luna” and the sun “Ray” because of this series. He sings the “Goodnight” song.
I like: All of the characters are likable and speak in modulated voices. It’s a good teaching show and we use some of the plot points to encourage desired behaviors (using the potty, brushing teeth, post-nightmare recovery). The songs are excellent — something that is unheard of in most kids shows. I also like the episode where Bear’s girlfriend, Ursa visits.
Potential parental annoyances: Tutter is a totally neurotic nutter and has a grating voice. Shadow’s laugh bugs me a little too, but I think her stories are pretty funny. Trying to figure out the relationship between all the characters can be a little trying. Is Bear Ojo’s dad? It doesn’t seem like it. Why does Tutter live with Bear if he has a grandma? You get the picture.

Cars
Wyatt likes: Mater, Kachow and the Combine are his favorite characters. He likes seeing the cars race. He gets some of the sillier scenes with Mater.
I like: Excellent animation and a strong story. I like the emphasis on community, being kind to others and thinking about people other than yourself. I tear up every time I see Lightning push The King across the finish line in the final race.
Potential parental annoyances: Don’t think too much about the anthropomorphism of cars.

Curious George (movie)
Wyatt likes: He thinks George is hilarious. The Man in the Yellow Hat is pretty funny too.
I like: The animation on this movie is really cute, it has a good story and there are jokes for both kids and adults. The music is good too — I’ve got the soundtrack on my iPod. David Cross. “You gave a monkey a latte? Who gives a monkey a latte??”
Potential parental annoyances: Wow — I can’t even think of any.

Curious George (TV show)
Wyatt likes: George, of course. Seeing an animated version of the stuff in the books.
I like: Every episode teaches something about math or science, but in a fun way. They’ve incorporated a lot of stuff from the books, but reworked them so the pieces that are inappropriate for toddlers are gone. No more ether, broken limbs, prison, or exploitation of monkeys.
Potential parental annoyances: Pretty much all of the boys on this show are boorish, at least in the episodes I’ve seen. Sometimes I can’t believe the stuff The Man in the Yellow Hat lets George do.

Finding Nemo
Wyatt likes: Nemo and Dory. All orange and blue fish are named Nemo and Dory now.
I like: Finding Nemo will always have a special place in my heart because Nemo, Marlin and Dory lived with us (via Wyatt’s Uncle Bon Bon) for a long time. As with all Pixar movies it has great animation, great story, good humor, blah, blah, blah.
Potential parental annoyances: There are a lot of scary parts in this movie for a two-year-old. Also, I know dead/missing parents provide a lot of dramatic interest for kids, but I don’t particularly enjoy it.

My Neighbor Totoro
Wyatt likes: “Totororo” The little totoros. The cat bus. The scene with the umbrella.
I like: This movie has a great story. The kids act like kids, not like stereotypes of kids. The scene with the umbrella is my favorite too.
Potential parental annoyances: Sick mom, but this movie is autobiographical and she comes home in the credits so I’ll let it slide.

Pocoyo
Pocoyo is a computer animated show for preschoolers. It’s not available in the U.S. yet as far as we can tell. Zach came across a clip on YouTube one day and when he showed it to me I instantly loved it. When Wyatt saw it, he instantly loved it as well. Somehow, some episodes automatically downloaded to my computer when I was connected to the internet one day and now I can’t figure out how to get them off.
Wyatt likes: Pocoyo and Ellie. He enjoys dancing along with Pocoyo and answering the narrator’s questions.
I like: The animation on this show is great, the music is catchy and cool and Pocoyo’s dance is cute as hell.
Potential parental annoyances: The episodes are really short (6 or 7 minutes) so I have to pay close attention and start new ones frequently — not always very convenient when the reason Wyatt is watching TV is so I can accomplish something.

Thomas the Tank Engine
Wyatt likes: This show is all about trains — a super favorite of Wyatt’s.
I like: I love the detailed little sets. The stories are pretty good and attempt to teach moral lessons that I generally agree with.
Potential parental annoyances: The Thomas the Tank Engine marketing machine is a force to be reckoned with and these videos are the strongest weapon in their arsenal. The more we watch Thomas videos, the more Wyatt wants to acquire Thomas merchandise. The faces on the trains creep Zach out.

Toy Story (original and sequel)
Wyatt likes: Animated toys — what’s not to like? He especially likes Buzz.
I like: These are Pixar’s best movies — great stories, likeable characters, funny, ground-breaking, etc. Confirms my long-held suspicion that toys come alive when we’re not around.
Potential parental annoyances: None.