Time for the big boy bed!

Enjoying the conversion to a "big boy bed", originally uploaded by jessicafm.

Recently, as I may have blogged here, David figured out how to climb out of his crib, thus signalling the imminent removal of said rail. Last weekend I bought a "toddler rail" and this morning Mark set to putting it in to use. He took the crib rail off and then installed the toddler rail. The toddler rail can fold down, though I think it's really made for a wider and taller bed. That said, it works but when the rail folds open, it hits the floor instead of lying flat against the side of the bed. No biggie.

Needless to say, Davey was very interested in the whole process. After Mark was done, Davey immediately was climbing in and out of his bed and bouncing up and down.

Let's see what happens at bed time tonight. Or, more interesting yet, when he wakes up tomorrow morning!

Annnnnd it's off!

Davey loves spaghetti, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

The house, that is. After about a month on the market, two broker's tours, two open houses and countless private showings, we have taken our house off the market. Despite how cute the house is, what great shape it's in and the bargain price, we did not receive even one offer! Mark is a little bummed, disbelieving that we didn't even get one low-ball offer. I'm okay with it -- I know we did not receive a low-ball offer because our broker, Tom Dreyer, told people not to bother as we wouldn't even consider taking a major break in our price. It's a sign of the market that our really cute house -- definitely the cutest in the county at our asking price -- doesn't get an offer. There were other homes that were asking a lot less but weren't nearly as cute or in as good a condition. People only want bargains / fixers right now.

So off the market it goes and we'll consider putting it back on in the Spring. Meanwhile, we can enjoy our holidays in our cute, de-cluttered house in peace.

Man from Marin

I don't know the lovely trio that came up with this, but it's very silly and funny and if I'm completely honest, the song reminds me of at least a few men I've known from Marin.

An afternoon in San Francisco

Watching a street musician, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

Last Saturday seemed like a good day to take David on his first cable car ride. He's so enthralled with trains, buses and trucks, Mark was working at the shop all day and Davey and I had no plans. I called Mom and told her about it and she thought it would be a fun time, too, so joined in on the adventure. I thought we could head over towards Ghiradelli Square, park the car and either let Davey run around the Square there and then go for a cable car ride, or ride the cable car to Union Square, let him run around THERE and then ride the cable car back to our car.

By the time we left our house, it was time for Davey to take a nap and he fell asleep shortly after we hit the road. We made a quick stop in to Sausalito to deliver a couple of pralines to Mark, which Mom had brought back for him from her recent trip to New Orleans.

Once we got close to Sausalito we saw that what was gray overcast in Novato was a very low to the ground, dense fog and threat of rain. Hmm. We continued across the Golden Gate Bridge and, seeing as David was still conked out, Mom suggested we head to the Ferry Building to get some lunch at Out the Door before heading to the cable cars.

David woke up just in time, as I pulled in to a parking spot outside Shanghai 1930. He was cheery and looking forward to whatever we had in store for him. We then walked the two blocks to the Ferry Building and oggled the stands at the Saturday Farmer's Market. Davey and Mom enjoyed listening to a street performer playing his steel guitar.

We grabbed some take-out lunch for Mom and me, picked up a basket of strawberries (straw-beech) and a Dagoba dark chocolate bar as a treat for Davey (I had packed a lunch for him already) and we quickly inhaled a bit of sustenance while Davey squirmed around and wanted to explore.

Once we reemerged from the building we found that the fog was so thick it was hard to tell if it was fog or rain. Mom and I agreed that this wasn't, perhaps, the best weather for the cable car. And, besides, we already had a parking place there. Why have to deal with that all over again in an even more touristy part of San Francisco? So, instead, we fed the parking meter and headed to a trolley stop on the Embarcadero.

The trolley was packed with people but a nice gentleman gave up his seat to Mom, who was holding David. A little while later, the gentleman next to Mom and David offered up his seat to me.

Needless to say, Davey LOVED riding on the trolley. "Trolley" is now, of course, a new word in his vocabulary, often said in a chant.

We rode the trolley a good ways up Market Street before getting off and walking down the sidewalk for a little bit. We headed in to the Westfield Mall for a short stroll, as I haven't had a chance to see what's in there since it was expanded. Mom and I agreed that we'd really like to go back there, without David, and shop together (unlike BOTH of us to want to shop). blIt was jam packed, bustling and I would never have guessed there was a recession based on how many people were in there shopping. Afterward, we emerged from the mall, got in line and hopped on to the next trolley heading back to the water. Trolley, trolley, trolley!

Next weekend, maybe we'll get on the cable cars.

Absolute and utter joy

Inclusion, hope and running a clean campaign won over mudslinging, lies, racism and fear.

The world is a better place today!

I voted for Obama

I voted for Obama, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

Woo hoo!

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My little sous chef

Eating molasses ginger cookies, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

In the past few weeks David has become my frequent sous chef. If I neglect/refuse to hold him to look at what I'm cooking or put him on the counter, he'll drag a chair over to the counter so he can stand up and see what's going on. "Help, help, help," he'll plead, meaning he wants to help ME.

Today he helped me bake cookies for the first time. We made some vegan molasses ginger cookies and he was terrific at helping me add ingredients to the dough and roll the dough in to balls. His favorite part, of course, was licking the beater and the finished cookies.

Also today: When he awoke from his nap, rather than cry out for me to come get him, he climbed out of his crib. I only knew that he'd awoken when I heard the handle of his door jiggle and then his feet padding down the hallway. Yikes! Time to convert the crib to a toddler bed ASAP.