Ronin's Rolling with the Homies

Ronin's new swing

Well we've been adjusting back to life on the east coast. I am actually really happy to be home and Darryl is just such a wonderful dad. I don't know how I would do this without him.

In order for our adjustment to the East Coast to go smoother, Uncle Pete bought us a swing just like the one we had in L.A. He's Ronin recounting find memories of L.A. on his fancy swing.

More photos from Cali and Ronin's return home

So on our last day in L.A. we walked down to the Redondo Beach pier and I ordered oysters from their live oyster bar. It's a total scene with mostly Asian and Latino families enjoying the seafood bar. My brother-in-law claims it's because the Redondo Beach Pier is the last stop on the bus line...insinuating that this is the reason the population of the pier doesn't reflect his idea of Redondo Beach's population. I love it of course. My mom looked a bit scared and out of place but tried to hang with me anyway. She even tried some fried shrimp. The oysters were actually too big and I took them home and we made some rockin oyster stew.

Then Ronin and I flew home (first class, thanks Tori!)

and Ronin was reunited with his Daddy!

Day 7 in Cali: Sporting my new duds

Auntie Tori bought me some cool Cali clothes!!! I am sporting it!

Then my mom and I went out and enjoyed the sunshine before heading back to Virginia.

Day 6 of California: Beverly Hills

Today I had a full day in Beverly Hills doing what Californians do:

Went to therapy,

got my brows done at Damone Roberts,

shopped on Rodeo

and had good deli food at Nate and Al's.

Day 5 in California: on the set of Burlesque

So today we went to visit my uncle Johnny who works for the big movie companies. We got to be on set of the movie "Burlesque" and I even got to watch them rehearse a scene before they shot it. Kristen Bell "K-Bell" was the star of tday's shoot and she even pointed at me and asked why there was a baby on set. I don't think she liked that I was taking the attention away from her!!

Day 4 The Getty Villa

So the next day we were invited to the Getty's ocean view house and this time we drove up along the beach for miles until the mountains rose high and the water fell below. Then we drove up a bumpy road that my mom said was built by the Romans or at least looked like it and then we came to a bunch of houses. Again I was just pushed around but this time there were big lighted boxes with shiny things in it (which I really liked) and people who didn't move. My mom said alot looked like me.

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Then I saw lots of other cool things and women and lots more faces.

Day 3 of California..The Getty Musuem

Today was a phenominal day. We traveled up a mountain in a large white room to more big rooms and buidling built out of rock and it was like it was coming from outside the mountain. Inside the rooms we saw lots of things, standing and colored squares and even more people who greeted me as they passed. I speciallly liked the brigth shiny things and colorful squares.

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Day 2 in the land of sunshine and free love

So a few strange things have occured since I got here. I have been following the sounds that have been coming out the mouths of everyone here and started to imitate them. I really like to open my mouth wide like they do and I am pretty sure that what comes out my mouth is just what comes out theirs. I think I have got this talking thing down pat....what do you think?:

Day 1 Ronin's travels in the land of plenty, sunshine, and free love

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.

Going to California

"Going to California with an aching in my heart!" Or just a really fussy baby on my lap! I have no idea

"Taking my chances on a big jet plane never let them tell you they area ll the same"

Ronin is sleeping! Oh the glory!

So as the days pass I keep trying to remind myself that he is only two months old and I need to give myself a break. It's been rough going as he has acid reflux and sometime a week after I stopped giving him breast milk and went to full formula he started getting really fussy. There was a week there where we couldn't even put him down without him freaking..it was so exhausting but then we figured out the culprit. After lots of wonderful advice and support (thank god for facebook and good friends) and lots of websites, we have tried everything and he is a better but as we have learned it will never go away until he grows out of it. It is so sad as I can hear him waking himself out of his sleep from it. You would think from what I hear from other websites that the pharmaceutical companies would do more research on this...they would make a fortune from parents dying to help their suffering babies.

This past week though was wonderful in that he is starting to come alive and smile and coo and just be his own little person. It is divine.