Ewan News

Standing

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Fri, 18 May 2007 00:36:00 +0000

Ewan has being doing laps of the coffee table and cruising along walls for a few weeks now, but he managed to stand without holding onto anything for a good 30 seconds several times today. It's only a matter of time before that first big step!

Clapping

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Thu, 17 May 2007 04:35:00 +0000

Just quickie, for a development uppdate.

We attended the USC MD/PhD program's graduation dinner this evening where Jen was able to bask in her new PhD status.

After dinner they always hand out awards to those who have graduated both the MD and PhD parts of the program, and during the ceremony Ewan joined in with all the clapping. It's the first time we've seen him do this in context and was an exciting little milestone.

Mommy Ph. D.

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Wed, 16 May 2007 05:34:00 +0000

If you've noticed the blog postings being somewhat sporadic, a major reason is that Mommy has been writing her Ph. D Thesis and her 2nd research paper, and today was the big day when she got to defend the thesis. We'd been practicing with friends for a few days, and refining the talk, but when the time came she did brilliantly and fielded some tough questions; which as it turns out were supposed to happen behind closed doors, but the examiners forgot to send out the rest of us when her talk was complete! the resulting closed door session was therefore really short, and Dad had not had time to finish getting Ewan form daycare when he got the call that she was done and had passed. Phew!

We all gathered at Broad cafe on Caltech campus afterwards for a few drinks with our friends and colleagues, and enjoyed fresh fruit from the wonderful Fruit bouquet that Grandma K and Aunty Martha was sent as a congratulations gift. Ewan enjoyed all the attention and although he didn't really know what was going on, Daddy kept telling him it was because Mommy had done really good today.

We adjourned to a local sushi restaurant for a meal afterwards, and then some celebratory bubbly when we got home and after Ewan had gone down for the night.

It has not really sunk in yet that it is all over and that after 6 years of hard work and a lot of frustration, Jennifer is finally Dr. Montgomery, or Jennifer Montgomery Ph. D., if you prefer.

Now all she has to do it get her medical doctorate in the next 2 years and we'll be set! Piece of cake Mom!

Teeth 5 & 6

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Tue, 08 May 2007 00:46:00 +0000

Ewan's middle front teeth broke through at last bringing his total to 6.

He's been working on these for quite a while now so we hope he gets a break from the pain for a while.

"Mommy"

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Mon, 07 May 2007 04:22:00 +0000

Mommy got an early Mother's Day gift this morning. Daddy and Ewan had gone downstairs to play and get some breakfast. When mommy came down a few minutes later, Ewan stopped playing, looked up, and clear as a bell said "Mommy." Well, mommy just about turned into a puddle. Ewan has said "Daddy" and lots of Da Da Da before, but this was the first time mommy got such a treat. Happy early Mother's Day.

Ah Da!

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Wed, 02 May 2007 05:11:00 +0000

"Ah Da!" = "all done!"

We think we can claim these are officially Ewan's first words. They are most often used when he is on the changing table naked in the middle of a diaper change, when he most certainly is not Ah Da.

He also uses it at the end of meals with the hand waving baby sign to mean the same thing.

A little bit of England

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:24:00 +0000

Today is Grandma Colleen's birthday. Happy Birthday!

For a day out on her birthday, Grandad and Grandma went to see the bluebell woods at Coughton Court. They sent us some lovely pictures of that we though everyone should look at to see the bluebells in England this spring.

Very Pretty!

More Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 05:41:00 +0000

Ewan now has 4 teeth, but the new pair at the top were not the ones we were expecting. Rather than the top front pair coming in, the ones either side have come in first. If the middle two don't hurry up we're going to have a little Dracula on our hands!

More Firsts

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 05:52:00 +0000

Since Ewan was born the we've managed to arrange things so that only one of has to go and do the grocery shopping while the other stays at home with Ewan. Today, Jen need to work on her thesis and so Fraser took Ewan to the supermarket for his first ride in a shopping cart. He loved every minute of it, being fascinated with everything on the shelves and all the other people in the store. The people he is always most fascinated by are other children and he had a few shrieks of delight for those that came up to our cart to waved and say hello to him. And being the charmer he is, he managed to get everyone in the check out lines to coo at him as we paid for everything.

Later in the day, as it was Easter Sundayour friends Tim and Whitney, invited us and a few others around for an easter dinner. It was a much needed break for Jennifer who has been slaving over her thesis, and Ewan got to meet and play with a dog for the first time. Daisy was very mellow and a good play mate, although there were a couple of moments when there was issue over the ownership of some of the toys in the room.

Good Morning!

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:17:00 +0000

This morning Ewan had a feed at 5am then went back to sleep. We got up at 7 am and left Ewan still sleeping with his bedroom door closed. While we were getting dressed Jen noticed the door to Ewans room was open.

"Did you open that, Fraser?" she asked.

"No, but I think I know who did....."

Sure enough there was a smiling little boy standing at the end of his crib poking his head around the door frame. "Good Morning Mom & Dad! Time to get up!"

So not only is he now standing and babbling when he ready to get up, he can apparently use door handles too.

Time to lower the mattress height in the crib to the last notch at the bottom we think!

Chicken!

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:24:00 +0000

Chicken, Ewan's first meat was on the menu today. Dad made him Chicken with apple and sweet potatoes. Yum!

Pulling himself up.

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 05:24:00 +0000

Today Ewan worked out the final part of how to pull himself up using a table, chair or anything else he can grab onto.

He is VERY proud of himself

Mothering Sunday (UK)

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 06:00:00 +0000

Today is Mother's day in the UK. In the morning Fraser and Ewan took Grandma and Grandad to see the Rose Bowl, an icon of Pasadena. It was closed down for off season repairs, but the grounds were full of joggers and soccer players as always at the weekend.

After the Rose Bowl we went a short distance down the road to the Lower Arroyo Park. This park affords a great view of the Colorado Street Bridge. It is also quite a surprising little pocket of traquility below the 210 Freeway.

We stumbled on some archers while strolling around too and apparently they are there every weekend and are actively recruiting.

Waffles and airplanes

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 06:15:00 +0000

We started the day with home made "First Lady" waffles this morning. Fraser has learned well from Grandma Kristi how to put of a good waffle spread, including fresh scrambled egg
pineapple, and other fruit. We also broke out some maple and pear syrup we bought the last time we went to Santa Barbara county with Jay and Todd last October.

While Fraser was cooking, Grandad entertained Ewan with some chasing, rough and tumble and playing drums on an old formula can. There were plenty of giggles coming from their general direction. Grandad earned his waffles!

A bit later on Ewan got to open up a special present from Grandma and Grandad. A toy airplane which he can sit upon, store toys inside and which plays tunes and makes jet engine noises. Best of all it has a propeller on the front that spins and flashes . Ewan was a little in awe at first and just stared with his giant google eyes. But he soon stopped marveling and got on with playing. Of course, as with every new toy, it came with the most important accessory......the box! This was actually a pretty welcome distraction that allowed Dad to finish the assembly of the wheels. Thanks Grandma and Grandad!

Grandma & Grandad visit the Huntingdon & Family time

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 04:43:00 +0000

Grandma and Grandad visited the Huntingdon Botanical Garden s today. It's always a pleasure to visit the Huntingdon because the flora changes so much as the year goes by, and it is always beautiful. Here are some snaps of their afternoon.

Once everyone was home we had some great family time. Grandma joined in with Ewan and Daddy at bath time. As you can see we had a riot chasing dinosaurs, playing peekaboo and squirting Daddy.

Once in his PJ's Ewan also showed of how he stands and dances in his crib.

And finally......Cuddles before bed time!

Bistro K

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 05:10:00 +0000

This evening we ended the day with an awesome meal at Bistro K in South Pasadena, in honor of British Mother's Day, and Grandma and Grandad's upcoming Birthdays and a belated celebration for Fraser's birthday as we were all together. This tiny French restaurant only has 2 sittings a night, serves the most exquisite food and Grandma and Grandad's evening was the generous gift of Ewan's Aunty Caroline for their birthdays next month. Thank you to Grandma and Grandad for our meal!

The menu has several different kinds of foie gras which we know is not necessarily the most politically correct food, but oh my gosh with the Sautéed Duck Foie Gras, Lightly Smoked Eel, Caramelized Green Apples and a Splash of Xeres Vinegar was great! The other appetizer that is awesome is the “Tian” of Dungeness Crab and Pistachio Bavarois, Grapefruit Jelly, Chives, “fleur de Sel” and Grilled Pistachio Oil.

The entrées are all spectacular, and as the restaurant has no license we brought our own wine from our trip to Los Olivos at the weekend. And finally if you ever get to go, you must have the chocolate pear tart or the pistachio/chocolate sponge.

Ewan being a little young to sample our meals was entertained chewing on Grandad's glasses case instead and settled for his bottle for beverage. He has plenty of time to develop a more refined palette!

The temperature was perfect for sitting outside all evening and we while away the hours with our meals as the sun set and had a thoroughly great evening.

Willful? Me?

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 05:13:00 +0000

We unleashed the beast on Grandma and Grandad today! They had Ewan all day......and he did not slow down in consideration.

They did the usual routine after breakfast of some play then a nap. Once he was up they took him for a walk around Caltech campus and met up with Jennifer for lunch. They all met a the Broad Cafe and had a picnic. Ewan had fun wearing Grandma's sun hat and flirting with other folk at the Cafe. However, he also showed off his latest little developmental trait. Despite having his own food he was determined that he was going to have the tomatoes off his Mom's plate, and put on quite the tantrum when he did not get his way. This was probably the most willful he been about anything to date.

_________________________________________________"Do you like my cool new hat?"

"Hey I want Mom's tomatoes!"________________________"NO? Then I'll just pout under here!"

Grandma Climbing Frame_________________________________Playing horsie with Grandma

___________________________________________________________Grandad talks to the turtles.

__________________________________Playing "peekaboo" on the bench.

Ewan, Grandma and Grandad spent the rest of the afternoon touring more of the local area and then playing together at home. It had been a busy busy day and lots of fun! It hit's you when when he's gone to bed and you stop though. The little guy is super fun, but just has boundless energy and if you've not had a slow warm up (and especially if you still have some jet lag and an early start) then taking him on can be quite exhausting.

A Day in Wine Country

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 06:08:00 +0000

Today Fraser took Ewan, Grandma and Grandad to Los Olivos and Solvang near Santa Babara to taste some wine. We got going bright and early and Ewan slept most of the way there which was nice for everyone! It was time for a coffee stop and mid-morning snack for Ewan when we got to Los Olivos. Apparently we were great entertainment for the other customers who thought it was highly amusing to watch three grown ups all making big open mouths and closing them again every time we gave Ewan a spoonful of food. While Ewan was having a change, Grandad also managed to get talking to another Englishman who happened to be biking through town. I know there are a lot of English people about out here, but you could put Grandad in the middle of Tiananmen Square on May day and the first person he spoke to would be English....

After our coffee break, our first stop was the Daniel Gehr winery. The big hit was their Port which is so smooth. Try it if you ever go yourself!

We also met "Chloe Bear" the winery cat while we did our tasting. She was very friendly and had a passion for the wine herself, sipping the leftovers from the pots that were there for the slops.

After Daniel Gehr, we walked down the street to the local park for a picnic in Los Olivos Park.

We brought a some goodies with us and while we ate, Ewan loved playing on the picnic blanket and on the grass. Some local kids were having a scavenger hunt birthday party there too and Ewan loved watching them. He is fascinated by older kids. They can be 6 months older or 6 years older, but either way you can see him watch them and think " I'm going to do that!"

After lunch we called into the Arthur Earl and Alexander & Wayne wineries. Arthur Earl is one of Jen and Fraser's favorites, and Grandma and Grandad left with a couple of bottles to take back to the UK.

The weather was VERY hot for this time of year reaching well into the 90's at one point. So we called it a day in Los Olivos and drove the short distance to Solvang for proper danish pastries, tea and some long cold drinks too. We had a short walk around the pretty town and then it was time to go home because Ewan was done for the day.

Let's go home!

Settling in

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 05:07:00 +0000

Having slept well after their long trip, we took Grandma and Grandad to Old Town Pasadena. We strolled up and down Colorado Blvd, talked about the local history and did some shopping for clothes and knick knacks for the kitchen, and then had lunch at Gordon Biersch.

We went home after lunch so Ewan could take his nap, and once refreshed it was time for him to show off all his toys to his grandparents. He demonstrated very well how he knows where all his toys are, and that he can cover every inch of our living room floor with all of them.

Look at me play Grandma & Grandad!

We also opened all the lovely goodies and gifts that Grandma and Grandad brought with them from England. As well as our essential English Tea supplies and novelties like Guinness enhanced Marmite (Yum for Fraser at least!), Ewan got lots of lovely new clothes and several new toys. Grandad showed him how to do his new jigsaw,but Ewan though the best way was to take a couple of the wooden pieces and bang them on the coffee table. There were also gifts from other friends from England including a cuddly bunny "Thumper" thanks to Hedi. Here are some photos getting to know Grandma and Grandad better throughout the day.

Grandma & Grandad Arrive!

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 05:07:00 +0000

We've been waiting eagerly for months for today, when Grandma Colleen and Grandad Colin come to visit from England.

They arrived at LAX at 3.30 pm and Fraser was there to meet them. Evidently a very good flight (American Airlines can actually do it right sometimes apparently), and despite being on the go for almost 18 hours at that point both Grandma and Grandad were doing pretty well. Fraser whisked them straight to Ewan's daycare so they could go and me the little man ASAP.

Today was the first time Grandad Colin got to meet Ewan in person so it was pretty special for everyone. Grandma had not seen Ewan in person since he was weeks old, so it was like meeting a new person for her too. We've been Skyping most weekends since, but it is not the same as the real thing!

Ewan was a little stunned at all the attention he was getting when he was picked up, but soon warmed to his Grandparents and we went home to get settled for their stay.

Ewan the explorer

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 04:50:00 +0000

Even though Ewan is not crawling on his hands and knees that is not holding him back from getting into everything. He is a true boy and I think he surprised Zoran and Sanja with how much he wiggles and moves around when you are holding him. At home he likes playing with the cat scratcher, getting under the shelf that holds the t.v. and generally finding everything we would prefer he didn't play with while he is surrounded by toys just for him. Upstairs he loves to open and close the bathroom door while mommy or daddy is inside. Tonight he managed to "crawl" (belly scoot) his way onto the saucer bottom of his activity center. He needed a little help getting out although that may have been because he was so tired.

Mila's birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 04:14:00 +0000

While Daddy is away at the Biophysics conference in Baltimore, Mommy and Ewan drove down to Irvine to help celebrate Mila's 3rd birthday. Mila is the daughter of Zoran and Sanja who used to live closer when Zoran was a postdoc at Caltech. It was an extremely beautiful day and Ewan had a great time watching the big kids.

Ewan and Mila

Partied out

"Refused to Nap"

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 07:15:00 +0000

This is a phrase we read more and more in Ewan's daily daycare report when we collect him in the evening. It refers to the recent development of him being of the opinion that he no longer needs his afternoon nap. Obviously he has far more important things to do. We did not him to begin doing this regularly till he is almost 1 year old, but this is happening so often now we think this is now his routine. He did it again today, taking only a 90 minute nap in the morning. He was so tired by 6pm that he crashed out in the car seat on the way home and that was him done for the day.

9 month checkup

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 04:56:00 +0000

Ewan had his 9 month doctors check up today. No injections were due today and he was pretty much A-OK. He is still a little wheezy from the perpetual daycare cold so he will still need daily nebulizing to keep his airways fully open and increased doses when he is suffering more from colds, but its no more than we have already been doing. Once the true spring arrives we're hoping the cycle will be broken.

His official stats today were:

17 lb 12.5 oz (10th percentile)
28" height (45th percentile)
46 cm Head circumference (75th percentile)

So he's a little top-heavy! Apparently his low weight is nothing to worry about at this stage. A toe prick test showed that his hemoglobin was a little low, but he's not anemic. We'll just make a conscientious effort to up his iron intake, which means time for Dad to start cooking him some meat.

None of this effects his activity. He was all over Mom in the waiting room and into every toy he could reach for in the process. He's doing just fine!

Waving "Bye-Bye"

noreply@blogger.com (Fraser & Jennifer) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:22:00 +0000

Ewan started waving about a week ago, but it was never associated with any particular event. This week he is waving "bye-bye" to Mommy in the morning when Dad takes him to daycare and she leaves for work. It is very very cute. So far it is just Mommy that gets this special treatment but we're sure he'll start waving to everyone soon enough.