Baby, Barney's, Beverly Hills, & Benji

Lara took a trip out to Beverly Hills today to accompany mommy to her dentist appointment. Pre-Thanksgiving traffic was pretty brutal and mommy and baby walked around Wilshire and Rodeo to kill some time.

Lara oohed and ahhed over some designer duds but quickly lost interest. The shopping excursion wasn't a complete bust- Lara ran into Benji Madden and his supermodel girlfriend, her first celebrity sighting.

One Month MD Appointment and Ear Piercing

Today was a very action packed morning for Miss Lara. We had a 10:15 am appointment with her lovely pediatrician for her one month checkup. Last time was a bit hectic as we were rushing to get to the appointment on time, along with my first time driving with baby, car seat, and stroller, still recovering from birth and lack of abdominal strength, and on top of looking for metered parking to avoid any possible tickets. Nevertheless, we were determined to be early this time around. Mission accomplished today; we arrived today with 6 minutes to spare. We decided that today we would be "Very LA" and valet-definitely a great decision. We arrived to the appointment and handed over Lara's personal insurance card and awaited to see the Doc. The nurse arrived and Lara was weighed and measured and the little string bean made a lot of progress. She is now 9lbs 5 1/2 oz and 21 1/2 inches, that's a whole two more pounds heavier and 1/2 inch taller, all thanks to her mommy's milk diet. Apparently, this is all mommy's doing and the MD actually gave me a high five-I felt very proud.

We decided during the previous appointment that we would be getting Lara's ears pierced today to celebrate her monumental 1 month birthday. Lara laid on the table with eager anticipation and then before we could even react to the sight of the needle gun, there were two gold studs in her ears. She took the pain like a champ and belted out a few screams before she began to self soothe, but this was after she remembered to start breathing.

A Sunny Day in Santa Monica

Today was a beautiful sunny day in Santa Monica. It rained overnight so there was a freshness to the air this morning. Some friends made brunch plans to go to our favorite place in Santa Monica, Jack N' Jills. Obviously, it's always a place that we love to go. We've gone so often that one of the girls that works there (Neva) actually has my order down cold. And it's not just a simple...I'll take the garden omelet, but rather it's Rob's Combo, Chocolate Chip Pecan Pancakes, without the Pecans. For the eggs, egg-whites scrambled, and choice of meat is Turkey Sausage. And a coffee. Impressive.

It was also good to see some of our friends make their way over to Santa Monica to accommodate us and allow us to make it out to brunch with them. Going all the way Redondo Beach might not have worked out. Although Lara has been great, it's nice to stay in the neighborhood. Plus, we haven't driven out too far with her yet. Plus, it's nice to have friends that make that effort to see us and the baby.

Nadeem and Farah joined us only for the initial brunch at Jack N' Jills. Ultimately, we ended up spending much of the day with Noreen and Moin. We walked around Santa Monica Place for a bit and then ended up on Montana Ave. with them. It was fun and it was great to be out with Lara almost all day. Oh yeah, and Lara got to wear daddy's aviators around. As you can see, she makes it look good...

Lara's First Eid

It's Eid and our family of three is looking forward to a little holiday celebrating. On the west coast, away from family in NJ and Indiana, it just won't be the same! Luckily, Nani and Nana Jan from NJ sent over an adorable Eid outfit for Lara to parade around in Santa Monica. Lara was very excited to receive her new outfit by mail, which fit in a really small envelope. Lara looked beautiful in her Purple and Gold shalwar kameez with fitted pajamas, made from a beautiful piece of silk fabric the size of a handkerchief! She indulged her parents and allowed us to have a mini photo session and even gave us a half enthusiastic look towards the camera. Eid Mubarak everyone!

First MD appointment (2 weeks)

Today was Lara's first MD appointment and Mommy and baby hustled to make it over on time. Unfortunately, we made it over to the doctor's office a wee bit late which is expected for a new momma driving her new baby for the very first time. Mommy was a little discombobulated as she tried to get out the car seat and stroller after circling the block many times for some suitable metered parking. We finally made it through the door of the doctors office and Lara squirmed on the cold table and needed her pink fuzzy blanket to keep herself warm. She was weighed and measured and gained a little milk weight and is now 7.6 lbs and 21 inches long. She's regained her initial lost weight and has now passed her birth weight and is feeding well. All in all a successful appointment! Next visit will be for her one month visit. She's excited to be able to celebrate her one month birthday with some shiny gold earrings!

First Bath

Lara still recovering from her journey into this world and sore belly button, took her first bath at home today. Still a wee little baby, it was a cute little sponge bath. She felt safe in her Daddy's arms as she tried to recreate her favorite Johnson and Johnson baby commercial, complete with a little hair brushing for her shiny little locks. Lara is very private so we will leave out all the private little details but here's a picture of Lara relaxing in her bathrobe post-bath.