Since my arrival in Los Angeles I was struck the multitude of people approaching me and kissing me on my face and rubbing and holding me even though I have never met them before. This place is really friendly. There is one particular man who is what I beleive to be is a giant and he has long hair and a scruffy face (aka Uncle Pete). The woman who is always next to him and I sometimes confuse with my mom (auntie Tori) is also really touchy feely and takes me all over the place and has changed my clothes many time including clothing I had never seen before. She smells good and is often telling my mom what to do. There is another lady who also smells good and clearly loves me lots (grandma). I think there is someone else in the house but he seems like he's scared of me (aka "the curmudgeon" grandpa George).
When we left Richmond we got on a big plane and sat in front next to a guy with a really big ring and kept asking my mom if she wanted to help him pick baseball players in Florida. All my mom wanted was a pic of his big shiny ring with a big B on it and the numbers 2004).
California is a place where people live differently that where I came from. We go outside alot and do many things that are not familiar yet to me. My mom tells me we must follow local custom. So we followed our hosts and went and bought our food outside in the market. Our hosts carried me around alot and we visited with all the vendors. I liked all the love and attention I got from even more people I didn't know. It was real fun since I was with the giant and could see over everything.
I even got to eat outside in the strong sun and cool wind with the giant and my mom-alike.
Its been a while but life keeps moving along and motherhood couldn't be sweeter. After the first three months, which looking back now I can see were much tougher that I could describe, we have turned a corner. My post partum depression has seemed to even itself out, my post partum hypertension seems to have lifted, and Ronin has become the most wonderful little boy I could have never imagined. I knew I wanted to be a mom but I had no idea what I was talking about. This little guy is worth every exhausting moment. Here in Virginia, quite a few folks have said, "He's rotten". I guess this means I've spoiled him! In the past week he's started sitting up, holding his bottle, eating with relish, and saying dadadadadada. Moreover, there are the moments when he just looks me in the eyes and I just can't believe how fortunate I am. I don't take anything for granted. I just love this little guy. 
ll my friends were so generous with their baby gifts from my shower but there was one gift we got in the mail and didn't know who it was from? I even posted on my facebook asking who got it for me! 
I had received like three baby tubs already and this was so stylish and European I figured it must have been from my sister's Swiss friends.
tub since all I do is pull it together and throw it in the sink. It's really soft so no worries about him hitting his head against a hard side. Why it really works is that it creates a little pool of water that he sits in (enough to keep him warm) and the excess water goes out in two little holes on the sides. The water never gets high enough to worry about him getting into plus he sits perfectly in it. Also when I flip him over to wash his back..the puj is shaped so he's comfortable and his head stay away from the water. He stays in a fetal position, butt up, so you can clean all his parts!
