Hello Hello.  Here is the latest and greatest with the ol' escalante family:

Ahhhh...It just makes your heart melt, doesn't it?

Anyways,
It got really warm here for a few days last week...warm enough to let Dominic hang out in only his diaper, which is what I have been dying for.  Something about a little guy hanging out in his diaper is so cute.  Maybe it's the cute round bellies that all babies seem to have...

It got so hot one night, neither of them could bear to wear their shirts. 

This was us on an evening stroll trying to cool down.

For those of you who haven't seen Dominic in a while, his hair continues to grow longer.  And yes, it still sticks straight up on it's own!  No product necessary.  We keep wondering when or IF it's going to fall!

Catching some rays (not really-I'm a responsible mother and had him in the shade)

Yep-he pretty much sticks his tongue out at everyone.

We went to the beach with some of Michael's classmates last week.  We bumped a volleyball and had high aspirations of getting in the water, but it was pretty cold.

That didn't keep me from wanting Dominic to experience the Atlantic Ocean for his first time.

Needless to say, he also thought it was too cold and didn't really enjoy his first encounter with salt water.

I love our little family

Not sure what he's doing here, but I thought it was pretty funny and worth showing!

Natalie and Ian (friends from church) also joined our beach excursion.  Ian loved digging in the sand.  I'm sure Dominic will enjoy the beach more as he gets older.

I love my little guy

His eyes are often wide open and very attentive.  He's always taking in the world around him.
(Not to mention, this is one of those photos that we'll look back on in 20 years and laugh at my swimming suit!)

Saturday we went to a pig roast and Dominic got to give his first attempt at slack lining.  

(picture taken on my phone)

vs. picture taken by my friend Tahria on her Canon.--Thanks T!

We don't see him sucking his thumb very often...

...it usually looks more like this!  He tries to fit as many of his 10 fingers in at once!

Dominic loves to distract daddy from his homework.  Look at his face!! --He's very distracting!

He is so fun to play with.  He loves to smile.

For those of you who can't spend more time around him, I hope these videos give you a sense for how happy of a baby he is!

The last few days haven't been quite as warm as last week.  It has rained off and on this week, and now all of a sudden, New Haven's trees are sprouting fresh life.  The roads are beginning to regain their beautiful canopy of green leaves.  I have been out running and biking (still trying to recover from 9 months of pregnancy).  Michael has also been going to the gym a few times a week with our friend Todd.

As for a rough idea of the fun things we have been doing (in addition to the photos above):

Sunday April 15-We had a lovely Indian dinner with some friends, Priyanka and Gabriel (from Brazil) before going to the Bergin's house to watch their son (Ian) for a couple of hours.  Natalie had flown to Utah for her grandmother's funeral.  We watched Ian (while he slept) so James could pick up Natalie from the airport on Sunday when she returned.

Monday April 16-Dominic and I went to play with some friends (Audra and Andrew Grange, Alejandra and Mikaal Shafi, Julia and Bonica Teja, and Elizabeth and Kenny and Joseph Taylor).  See the pictures above with Dominic laying in the grass.

That evening, we had Julia, Hans and Bonica Teja, as well as Priyanka and Prashant over for a pizza party.  Michael and I really love making fresh pizza with fresh ingredients.

The coloring is a little off in the picture, but doesn't that look delicious?

Tuesday April 17- The day we went to the beach.  We had some delicious sushi for dinner (from Miyas-my favorite place in town), then headed to a comedy club to hear some of Michael's classmate do stand up comedy.

Wednesday April 18- I came down with a nasty fever so I took it easy for most of the day.

Thursday and Friday April 19-20th- We had a prospective Yale SOM student stay with us.  John was from California and came into town to check out Yale.  He ended up really liking the school/area, and I think he decided to come here in the fall.

Thursday we went to visit our friend Prashant, who missed a few days of school from an old injury flaring up, and ended up hanging out and chatting for a long time.  We had a great night.

Friday we went to dinner with Prashant and Heui Li and enjoyed some fresh seafood.

Saturday April 21st-Michael and his friend Danny released their first music album on Bandcamp.com.  They have put a lot of work into the album, and it is really exciting to have it up for sale.

In the evening, we went to the pig roast. (see pics above of Dominic slack lining).

This week, I have figured out how to put Dominic to bed with very little effort (I'm hesitant to mention this because I don't want to jinx the process):  Around 9pm I feed him and lay him in bed right after burping him.  Although he is happy and playful, if I lay him in his bed, with the light off (and lamp on), he has been drifting into a peaceful night’s sleep!!!—No fuss, no drama.  I love it!  He has been sleeping until about 8am with this strategy.  Not too shabby!

Aside from that exciting discovery, Michael and I have both been busy.  He is heading into the last week of classes and then finals.  Not to mention he is trying to promote his album!  If you want to support a good cause, you should purchase the album.  It's only $6 and they've worked really hard on it.  They aren't hoping/expecting to make millions.  They just want to raise enough money to help pay for some of the equipment they purchased to record the album.  Check it out:

http://songsbecomewater.bandcamp.com/album/hypnopompy?autoplay=true

I have been busy with Dominic, auditing a class, trying to find an apartment in Boston to lease for the summer, planning our trip to Europe, not to mention I have been working (yea!).  I am working remotely with a doctor (from Utah) interpreting brain scans (EEG's) used in diagnosing ADHD in children and teenagers.  This is great, because I can do it around my busy schedule (and around Dominic's schedule).

Well, I best be off to bed...we are headed to Boston first thing in the morning!!! This will be my first real trip into Boston.  We've been to Massachusetts a few times, but never really into Boston.  We are going to check out the city and look at some apartments!!  Should be a great trip!


Hasta luego!