5/29/09  -  posted by Hogers at 5:17 PM  -  1 Comments

Allie has been smiling, laughing and cooing for a few weeks now. But she's now smiling often enough where I can actually capture her smile on camera.


Occasionally people will mention how alert or developed Allie is for her age. But to be honest, I have no clue how Allie's progressing since this is my first baby and have nothing to reference against. I suppose I can read up on baby development on websites like www.babycenter.com. But a part of me just wants to experience these things along the way and be surprised when she does something new.




Before I became a parent, I wondered why parents took an excessive number of photos of their kids. But now I'm beginning to understand that there's this fear inside of me that worries that Allie is growing too fast and that I'll forget what she was like when she was smaller.

5/27/09  -  posted by Hogers at 6:37 PM  -  1 Comments

Allie was able to visit one of her cousins for the first time when Calvin, Renee and Dennis made a visit to LA this past weekend. Although Allie and Calvin weren't able to interact too much, it was still fun to see them together. Calvin thought Hogan was annoying though, and didn't like it when Hogan persisted in invading his fort.


Calvin and the gang were only in town for two nights, so we had a compact schedule which included visiting the La Brea tar pits, BCAM museum, Malibu beach and H&M. This visit definitely had a different "vibe" compared to when my sister visited. We definitely ate much less this time around.


I'm so scared!

5/16/09  -  posted by Hogers at 2:10 AM  -  0 Comments

Oh hell yeah. NBC LA recently did an investigation story on all of the shady things LA valet companies are doing. This includes taking up parking meters they're not allowed to occupy, getting in accidents and allowing cars to get parking tickets and not informing the car owners.

This means next time I go out, I'm pulling up to a valet stand, leaving my car on the street and walking away...hahahaha.

5/14/09  -  posted by Hogers at 3:04 PM  -  1 Comments

Allie will be two months old tomorrow, and she seems to be growing at a rapid rate before our eyes. No longer do we have our small, cute bundle of joy we brought home the hospital. Instead, we have a big milk consuming machine occupying our crib.


Judy and I are pretty much getting used to the routine of Allie eating, sleeping and playing during the day...and then getting up once during the night for a feeding. Allie sleeps pretty well whether she's in a crib, car seat, swing or on the floor. She also takes up some peculiar sleeping positions like the iron cross pose below.


Judy is able to enjoy the increasing amount of sleep as well. But last night, Hogan started barking furiously around 3am. We've recently discovered that there's a family of possums living in our front yard trees. I often run into the baby possum when I'm sitting on my front steps...the baby possum is only 6 inches long and looks like a rat. Judy doesn't want Hogan going near them, but I'm curious as to whether Hogan can give them a decent fight...


My brother and his family will be visiting us next week. We're looking forward to seeing my nephew, Calvin, interact with his new cousin Allie. BTW, I was referring to the possums as being the unwanted visitors and not my brother and his family.


One of Allie's favorite positions is to hold her fist up to her chin.

5/7/09  -  posted by Hogers at 2:17 PM  -  0 Comments

Manchester United 3 - Arsenal 1


Ji Sung Park scores the first goal in this UEFA Champions League semi-final match. For those of you who are unfamiliar with soccer, the UEFA Champions League is like the NBA/NFL/MLB playoffs.

5/6/09  -  posted by Hogers at 8:55 PM  -  0 Comments

Los Angeles Times
By Chip Jacobs
6:15 PM PDT, May 2, 2009

The confident smile Sam Rivero wore as he hunted for his first house had a lot to do with the buzz thumping in his ears. Ever since home values began sinking, pundits have touted the juicy opportunities for aspiring buyers priced out of the market before, and the young business-development executive heard that cue like a sonic boom.

Out he ventured into Mount Washington, Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, Montecito Heights and other desirable middle-class communities northeast of downtown Los Angeles, searching for a bargain in the $400,000 range. Candidates came and went, and Rivero, who is getting married, was upbeat. Considering the pulverized housing values, with the median price of a Southland home today -- $250,000 -- at half of its 2007 level, the properties should come gift-wrapped, right?

More...

5/4/09  -  posted by Hogers at 12:43 PM  -  1 Comments

Six weeks is supposed to be the pinnacle of when babies become the most fussy and are unable to sleep. Allie just passed the six week mark this past Friday, but her fussiness and sleep are pretty tolerable. She still gets up around twice during the night for feedings. And she does seem to cry when she wants to be held occasionally. But overall, we feel fortunate that Allie has been pretty good and is not making our lives difficult.


We usually swaddle Allie when she's sleeping, but she'll occasionally break out and loves to sleep with her arms raised above her head. She also likes to place her fist on her chin like she's thinking.


My sister, Alice, flew in from Chicago to visit her new niece. We spent the weekend playing with Allie and eating. We also ate, went to a lot of different restaurants, and ate.


Allie outside the Redondo Beach crab house with dungeness crabs in a tank.


Allie sleeping with Redondo Beach shoreline in the background.