First Chanukkah

Continuing on with the "First" themes...I guess this will get repetitive for the first few years....

This week marked the start of The Festival of Lights, or Chanukkah. Little Z Man loves lighting the candles or to be more precise, he wants to eat the candles and that's when they are lit! We're teaching him that this isn't such a good idea....

Things I like to do

With all the music in Little Z man's past -- Grandma Barbara plays the piano and write songs as did her father. Papa Jeff plays guitar and was in a band growing up, his Aunt Nicole Boxer sings, writes songs and plays guitar and piano and his cousin Big Z plays the piano and his mommy has music on all the time-- it's no wonder he likes the piano.

Here he is tickling the black and white ivories with his cousin Zach and his Aunt Nicole for the first time.

Who Do I Look Like Now?

Believe it or not, the jury is still out as to who the Z man looks like now. When he was first born everyone said he looked just like Daddy. A few weeks later, it was Grandpa Stew. Now most people say he looks like Mommy. We need to find a few pictures of Papa Jeff when he was a baby, because I think that may be the winner.

Here are a couple of great shots from over Thanksgiving. We will let you be the judge of who he looks like now. We welcome comments via email and on the blog...

If you notice a trend in the photos, you are right. We have very few pictures of the three of us together! We'll fix that over the Christmas Holiday as Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Stewart and Papa Jeff and Nana Donna will be with us to snap away.

A Week In The Life

Many people have asked about Zain's daily activities, so we thought it would be appropriate to highlight some of his everyday adventures (as opposed to monumental achievements such as getting both of his hands in his mouth at one time). His usual schedule is Monday and Wednesday with his sweet nanny Ashley; Tuesday at Welcome Home in the office with Mommy; Thursday at home play day with Mommy; Friday at home play day with Daddy. Saturday and Sunday he usually gets to play with Mommy & Daddy and has regular visits from Nana and Papa, Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Stewart (and a round of visitors from Aunt(s) Nicole, Uncle Kevin, Marc, Aunt Maureen, Cousin Adi, Aunt Dottie, and many friends).

One thing is for sure.... there is no shortage of people around Zain that care about him and love to spend time with him. In this series of pictures (taken between Aug and Nov), we have highlighted his days in the office at Welcome Home. He plays with Jesus, the warehouse manager, hangs in the kangaroo sling and works on the computer with Aunt Tanya, writes up orders with our office manager Nancy, and used to sleep under Mommy or Nana's desk! He is already known as Chairman Of The Board.

A Boy Named Ziv

On the 18th, many of Zain's family members gathered to participate in his naming ceremony.

About the naming tradition:

It is customary for Jewish parents to give their children two names. A secular name for use in the gentile world, and a Hebrew name for religious purposes. Hebrew names are used for calling men and women to the Torah. Certain prayers, such as the memorial prayer or the prayer for the sick, also use the Hebrew name. Legal documents, such as the marriage contract or ketubah, use the Hebrew name. Today, many American Jews give their children both English and Hebrew names. Often the two names start with the same letter. Judaism places great importance on the naming of each new child. In the Hebrew Bible in particular and in Jewish tradition generally, a person's name reflects his or her character. It is also believed that the name of a person or thing is closely related to its essence. In the act of naming, parents connect their children to the traditions of the past and previous generations, and in so doing, literally bring those traditions to life. In the act of naming, the parents are also making a statement about the future and express their hope for what their child will become.

Zain was named after Amy’s great grandmother, Zina, who was tough as nails and sweet as sugar. Ian, after Doug’s maternal grandfather Ira, who was a hardworking immigrant who had a special impact on Doug’s life.

We gave Zain the Hebrew name "Ziv" which means radiance or brilliance.

During the ceremony, Aunt Nikki presented the Whiting family quilts. Grandma Reta's cousin Annie made Zain an amazing colorful quilt that Zain plays on everyday. Gradma Reta's sister Dottie and cousins Ila, Lynnette, and Connie remade a red and white quilt that Zain's Great Great Grandmother made for his Great Grandmother Rieta. It was very touching.

Teething Anyone???????

What can I say, other than my little teethums are hurting SO bad!!!!! My gums are aching and I just want to bite down on everything. Mommy's nipples are dreading the day that they actually appear, but they are coming and it is quite an experience!!!

Gives Peas a Chance

Life is moving fast in Zain's life these days! His primary diet still consists of all breast milk, but he has just started his first solid foods. By his second bowl of rice cereal, he decided he was big enough of a boy that he should feed himself. He really is pretty good at it, he just nails his nose a lot and nearly takes out his eye every other bite. We decided to let him have some peas the other night and here are the results...

Once he nails peas, it's on to turkey!

Aunt Dottie Comes for a visit

The little Z man got a welcome visit from his mommy's Aunt Dottie last week. Dot made the trip out from Salt Lake and got to spend some good time with the little guy. They played and strolled the neighborhood for a few days and really got to know each other.

The 95th Percentile Lobster

Apparently, his time in Maui was well spent because the Little Z Man tipped the scales at 16 lbs. 13 oz at his 4 month pediatrician appointment today. He is 25 3/4 inches tall. This puts him at 95th percentile in weight and 70th percentile in height. (Daddy is thrilled since he NEVER ever sniffed either one of these percentiles!) In mid September, he weighted 11 lbs. 14 oz and was 24 inches long, putting him at the 50th percentile for weight and height.

His aunt Dottie (Mommy's mother Reta's sister) is here this week and getting her first visit with Little Z Man. She has been taking him for long walks, changing diapers and overall providing some nice relief for mommy and daddy. We can't wait to take Little Zain to Utah to meet the rest of his Whiting relatives.

The Z Man also had his first Halloween. see below.


As you can see, he dressed as a 16 lb. lobster. Mommy and Daddy definitely had more fun that Little Zain. We took him trick or treating to the neighbors who got a kick out of his costume and we handed out about 30 lbs of candy to the neighborhood kids. Papa Jeff had the most of fun of anyone, asking the various trick or treaters about their costumes.

Leaps and Bounds!!

Well, either the Z man really really really loves Hawaii, or he was just waiting to be around his parents all the time to learn some great new tricks! We are in a great condo on Maui with the Escue family and we feel so fortunate to be around Zain this week. He found his thumb! It's very cute to watch him suck on that little digit. He started eating cereal and by his third bowl, he was feeding himself! Choking on the spoon a bit, but he knew what to do... pretty amazing. The trick that surprised us the most, however, HE MOVES!!! Tuesday night he was whimpering a bit in the middle of the night and when we peeked in, he was laying on his tummy! So in the next two days, he figured out how to scoot around and get from one side of his crib to the other. This morning when mommy laid down next to him on the bed, he rolled to his side and gave her kisses! How sweet is that?

We had our first day on the beach yesterday. Given Zain's moms affinity for the ocean, we were very surprised that the ocean DID NOT go over well AT ALL. He screamed and shrilled and cried! Perhaps mommy was a little overzealous and moved a little too quickly, so we will have to try again today. He did, however go for a nice swim in the kiddie pool yesterday and despite the cool temperature, he liked it and splashed around.

Once again too long

Well we've learned that an angel baby can become a devil baby overnight. Our Little Z Man has decided to stop napping. This in turn means by about 6 pm he becomes a bit monsterous. We are trying to rectify the situation by instituting lots of new tricks -- strolls in the late afternoon, wearing baby bjorn a lot more. There is an upside..once he fall asleep around 10 pm he does sleep til 5 am! Woo hoo.

Anyway, here are some cute shots from the last few weeks.

How to Add A Comment

I've changed the settings on Little Z Man's blog so anyone can post a comment. Just click on the word "comment" below each entry and you should be able to make a post.

One more photo from Cal game day. Big Z, Daddy and Grandpa Stew.

Zain Finds His Voice

It's like someone flipped a switch. All of the sudden the boy speaks -- well not exactly but watch this (He's responding to his favorite toy -- the ceiling fan in mommy and daddy's room).

A Busy Week

In addition to meeting his "new" family, the Little Z Man had an activity filled week.

He started off by visiting Alcatraz and Fisherman's wharf with Auntie Nikki, Uncle Marc, cousins Sarah and Max, and Nana and Papa. (He's easily the youngest Boxer to ever visit Alcatraz. Daddy was probably 20 before he ever made it out there).

Here's Zain with Nana Donna and Papa Jeff at Fisherman's Wharf.



Later that week, other Auntie Nicole (Boxer) flew into town with Big Z and her fiance Kevin. Kevin got to meet the Little Z for the first time. See below.




On Saturday, Zain attended his first Cal football game tailgate. He's not quite ready to make it to a game but he enjoyed the festivities before hand. His whole family attended and even his Godmother, Maureen, flew in from Southern California to babysit so that Mommy and Daddy could go to the game!





The week ended with a bang as Jeff & Donna hosted what we hope becomes an Annual Labor Pool Party. Over 40 people came by to munch on yummy hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken drumsticks and drink the slushies that came from the margarita machine (there was one with punch for the kids).

Here Isaac Tilin helps out with the adult drinks.




And we were really excited because Little Z went in the pool for the first time. He totally loved it. The pictures we have aren't perfect -- that's because Uncle Marc wouldn't let me tell him how to use my camera ;-)



So that was the Little Z Man's week last week. I'm exhausted just writing about it.

Zain meets his "new" family

It being the traditional end of summer, the Boxer-Lynch families have made an en masse migration to the West Coast. Both Aunt Nicoles are here with the significant others and in Aunt Nicole Lynch's case, she is joined by her beau Marc and his two kids, Sara and Max. Aunt Nicole Boxer is here with her fiance Kevin and Big Z, back for a second meeting w/ Little Z. We are all headed to the Cal-Tennessee game on Saturday and a huge BBQ bash at Papa Jeff and Nana Donna's house on Sunday. Pictures and posts to follow.





Below, you'll see the Little Z Man with his Uncle Marc and his two cousins Sara and Max (and Mommy).








More pictures in next post. Stay tuned. Daddy's too tired tonight to finish.

Mommy & Daddy's first night away

Another first -- Mommy and Daddy celebrated their 7th wedding anniversay this past weekend and did it without the Little Z Man. Papa and Nana agreed to take Zain OVERNIGHT! We don't have any pictures of his night in Danville but the report is that it went very well. Probably as well as this picture where Zain is asleep with Papa Jeff.




Back to Mommy & Daddy's anniversary. A night in Napa and dinner at the French Laundry. Easily the best meal we've ever had. We celebrated with our friends from LA, Jeff & Sylvia Le Sage, whom we met on our honeymoon. They got married on the exact same day and were on their honeymoon when we all met. We've established a great tradition by spending our anniversaries together. We figured this was our fourth together.

Here's a couple of shots of the four of us (fortuantely we didn't take any aftter the five bottle of wine/champagne meal).

It's been too long!

OK. Daddy is to blame for no posts to the blog for almost 21 days! We've been busy...

Zain had his first date. OK, it may not seem like a date but Molly Rosenthal and the Little Z Man connected. Well, at least she connected w/ a left hook! See the photo above. Zain took it in stride realizing this won't be the first time a woman objects to his flirtations.

On other notes...

Zain took his first airplane flight. He flew Southwest to LA and back. (He also had an airline lose this luggage for the first time).

He went to his first wedding too. He was so excited he stayed up through the entire wedding. Oh joy for the parents.

He also had his two month visit with Dr. Abbott, his pediatrician. The little guy weighed 11 lbs. 14 oz. (He was 7 lbs at birth) and he's 23" long -- just about 1/2 daddy's height!)

Here are some of our favorite shots from the last few weeks:

Don't worry Mommy and Daddy aren't feeding him coffee!

Mommy with her new Kangaroo sling! Both Zain and mommy love it.

Zain with Grandpa Stewart

Bragging Parents

Little Z Man had a busy week last week. He met two potential future girlfriends -- Molly Rosenthal and Zoe Johnson. Of course there wasn't much flirting going on. Pretty much just a bunch of grunts, coos and the usual poops and pees. The courting may begin in a few years. We'll see.

Mommy also had her first OB appointment in a month. She's doing great and the doctor cleared her to start exercising. She's very excited.

So here's the bragging part. Mommy and Daddy just walk around amazed at how cute this little guy is. Mommy's favorite line is, "How cute is he right now?" Well, you judge for yourself. More pics below. In the bottom one, you can see he is really close to giving us a real smile (not the one caused by gas).

A Week of Firsts

As you can imagine, we here at Little Z's house have had a whole week of firsts. This will probably go on for, oh, at least two years. But here's a list of things that he did for the first time in the last week:

1. Met his GaGa Lois (a/k/a his Great Grandma Lois) and a whole ton of Lynch family members including Aunt Pat & Uncle Eric, Uncle John, Aunt Beth & Cousin Christina, and Uncle Craig, and the entire Conley clan of cousins (Ray, Jenny, Colton, Mickela, Trent and Kadie).
2. Rode on B.A.R.T.
3. Shopped at Nordstoms
4. Experienced his first earthquake (and man it quaked!) Zain was unfazed but Mommy and Daddy were pretty shaken (pun intended) and immediately contemplated Earthquake Insurance
5. Went to his first non-profit fundraiser on Saturday night and got to watch his mommy introduce his Grandma Barbara
6. Smiled, for real (well sort of). Seriously, he is very close to giving us a smile. Pictures will follow.

And just to keep the photos flowing, here are a couple of cute ones from the past couple of days:

Zain meets GaGa (Greatgrandma Lois)

In Mommy's Arms (photo by Grandpa Stewart)

The Many Faces of Zain

The Little Z Man is now almost 4 weeks old. As any parent will tell you, babies are all about routines. Our little guy has started those routines as well. Right now, it's all pretty simple -- he sleeps, he eats, he poops and pees. In between these, he shows us glimpses on the personality that is underneath. He is becoming more alert each day.

During these routines, he gives us a few faces that we've learned to recognize (well, we think we know them). Why don't you take a look and in the comment section below this post, tell us which letter corresponds to which number picture.

Here are your choices (or you can make up your own):

a. Don't bug me, I'm poopin'
b. Man, I need a nap.
c. I can't wait to have the boob (i.e. I'm hungry)
d. I'm not sure Einstein's theory of relativity was correct.
e. Hillary or Obama in '08?
f. I'm almost asleep and man am I happy about that
g. Open up the window, it's hot in here.
h. Get me away from daddy, his breath stinks!

By the way, if you double click on any photo in this blog, a new window will open with a larger photo. Also, you can post a comment to any of the blog entries by clicking on the line that says, "0 comments." There is also a little pencil there. We want to hear from you!


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