Come On, Baby!

Baby's due date was July 16th, exactly 10 months after Ingrid and I got married, and 10 days after the date of this picture. So as the day approached, we had to continuously prepare for being out of the office. I had a huge deal closing at the end of the month, and Ingrid had some things to get in order as well, so on Sunday we headed to her job to pick up some stuff and then spent some time wandering around the lot.



Ingrid's 9 months pregnant here and looks great, doesn't she? Well Ingrid's belly won't be getting any larger because baby decided he wanted out the very next day!!!

Fly Fourth of July

This year my mom hosted a family get-together on the Fourth of July. Gunko, Granny and Aunty Kimi made it out from Manhattan Beach for the event.



As always, my mom prepared a litany of delicious entrees, enough to feed an army.



I think Granny's saying that there's nothing like celebrating the Fourth of July than with an ice cold brew.



Gunko obviously agreed.



So at one point during lunch, Granny tells us a story about a fly friend she made while feeding the neighbor's dog, Koa. And by "fly" I don't mean the informal "cool"... I mean the insect. Honest. Once I realized the story was about an actual fly, I grabbed my camera and started shooting. The video above is classic Granny. She may be the funniest person I know, without even really meaning to be. Crazy lady. After Granny told her story, we hung out until sunset to watch the local fireworks show from my mom's porch. And as I stood there, I couldn't help but think that next year at this very time, I'd probably be here with my son, watching the same show...

Fathers Day Feast

On Fathers Day, we all gathered at Granny's house for an afternoon feast to celebrate. Being almost a dad myself, I considered myself an honorary member of the club and posed here with the two dads I love the most.



The ladies assembled an amazing meal for everyone to enjoy. Hey, if this is what fatherhood has to offer, I'm all for being a dad!



On the menu that afternoon was sushi, Aunty Kimi's delicious steak, and a bunch of other tasty treats. Yum!



Uncle Shawn and Ingrid arrived ready to tackle the feast the ladies prepared.



We had asked dad to come up with a Japanese middle name for our son, and that afternoon, he shared with us his list of proposed names. Looks like Ingrid is fond of at least one of them.



Over lunch, Ingrid presented my mom, Aunty Kimi and Granny each with an egg shaped plant to grow as we waiting for baby to be born. In the meantime, I enjoyed my delicious meal. There's nothing like a fantastic meal at Granny's to celebrate any event.



After dinner at Granny's we drove all the way to Burbank to wish Ingrid's father a happy Father's Day too. I can't wait to be a dad...

Super Baby Shower

On Sunday, my mom threw Ingrid and me the most awesome baby shower a person could ever hope for. Tons of people were invited and a lot of showering took place that day. Good thing my dad has that umbrella sticking out of his head.



With the baby's birth only one month away, Ingrid and I have been actively thinking about names for our son. I'm a pretty easygoing guy, so I let Ingrid lead the charge. At the time of the baby shower, she had pretty much decided to name him "Rio", and my bought him the shirt hanging in the background with the name printed right on it. The shirt, of course, is referring to Rio de Janiero, but it says Rio nevertheless. I like the name, especially because when you add the first letter of our last name to it, it spells "RioT", which I'm sure is exactly what he'll be. And yes, Ingrid and I are now both aware of the Duran Duran song with the same name in the title.



We were expecting a huge turnout that afternoon and my mom arranged the entire backyard with seats both under the shade and under the sun.



Good ol' Darren arrived early to lend a hand (and a thumb) with preparations.



Frosty also arrived early and compared his belly with Ingrid's. Don't worry, Frosty, you're still the winner.



Ingrid's sweet aunt, Tia Paquita, flew in all the way from Guatemala to be there for the event.



Those of you who follow this blog know that when my mom throws a party, she really throws a party. Here, Granny's setting up party favors for the guests, which were two mini gourmet cupcakes. My mom had even arranged for a number of games to be played that afternoon.



As for the food, here's a picture of just some of what was served that day. Ingrid's folks brought several plates of food as well. So much food, and all simply delicious. Let's just hope the guests arrive with big appetites because not even Frosty could put a dent in all this grub.



Ingrid's cousin, Estella, brought over a batch of homemade horchata for everyone to enjoy.



Amelia flew in from the bay and not only worked the grill for a bit, but arrived early to help set up.



As I mentioned before, tons of people were invited and it seemed like even more made were in attendance, including a bunch of folks from Ingrid's side of the family.



Several of Ingrid's friends also made it out, including a couple of people I had never met before.



Of course my friends wouldn't miss the fun, or more importantly, the free booze.



Jeanine and Kevin looked good while basking in the sun, enjoying the smörgåsbord of food.



Aunty Ryoko made an appearance, together with my cousin, Ryan, who made his own appearance bright red after drinking just a couple of beers.



It seemed like everyone under the sun was there that day. Even my secretary, Marjorie, and her cute daughter, Bella (on the right), and Bella's friend came to celebrate.



Later in the afternoon it came time to open gifts. As luck would have it, in the middle of unwrapping them all, work called and I had to step out.



I managed to pop in every now and again between calls to share in the gift opening. Here I am wearing this sweet frog towel... just one of many wonderful gifts we received that day. A big thanks goes to everyone for all the thoughtful presents!



Eventually it came time to cut the cake. Let's all celebrate Riot! Hooray!



What an awesome party it was! Mom, we cant thank you enough for the amazing shower. It was absolutely wonderful and everyone there had a delightfully splendid time. Riot will be blessed to have you for a grandmother. We love you so much.

Sneak Peek-a-Boo

On Monday, Ingrid and I met up in the afternoon for our final ultrasound. It had been some time since we last saw baby and couldn't wait to get another glimpse of the little guy, and this time the ultrasound produced a three-dimensional image of baby.



The ultrasound turned out to be simply amazing. The ultrasound technician and the doctor spent about 10 minutes taking various measurments of the baby to confirm he was as healthy as could be, while Ingrid and I got an exciting sneak peek at our son twisting and turning in mama's belly. I've always said that the more the baby looks like Ingrid the better, and it was clear from the images that the baby had Ingrid's mouth, among other things. Only one more month to go until baby arrives. Can you believe it, Ingrid?



Take a look at my beautiful baby (the unborn one)!! This the three-dimensional image ended up very closely resembling our baby (as you'll see for yourself in a later post). My mom told me that they didn't have technology like this when I was in the womb and that the first time anyone "saw" me was after I was born. Ingrid and I could hardly wait until we could see baby in person.

Spontaneous Spago's

On Saturday afternoon, we went to Beverly Hills so Ingrid could do some shopping. Then, we did something we'll likely never get to do again... or at least for the next few years. We made a spontaneous stop at Spago's for an early dinner.



Last time we were there we saw Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey together at the bar, so it had clearly been a while since our last visit. Things may have changed for those two, but my appetite was still the same and I ordered these short ribs, which were very similar to the meal I had last time we ate there and just as delicious.



Ahhh, yes. Life is good. Ingrid, we better enjoy this freedom while we can because something tells me that after baby is here, days like this will be history.

Vincent'sss Birthday

Over the weekend, we made our way to Ingrid's (the other Ingrid) house to celebrate Vincent's 4th birthday.



Before heading out to the party, Ingrid and I finished up our weekly birthing class at Cedars Sinai, where we planned to deliver the baby. We've been attending these classes (as well as infant care classes) on a weekly basis to prepare us for the inevitable. After several weeks of this, I've found that I've only taken away a few tidbits of useful information. Admittedly, part of the problem is that I forget half of what we're told as soon as I step out the door. On the other hand, there are some images that I can never forget no matter how hard I try (if you get my drift). Here's Ingrid giving an illustrative demonstration of the birthing process. Thanks, Ingrid.



Ingrid (the other Ingrid) hired a reptile guy for Vincent's birthday, and he arrived with tortoises, lizards, snakes and more snakes in tow. It was great to watch the kids go absolutely crazy over the different types of reptiles, and think to myself how my son will soon love to do things like this.



The feature creature was this huge python, which required several kids to hold up. It was interesting to see the kids approach the huge snake without an ounce of fear, while some of the adults refused to even get within five feet of the beast.



Another thing all four-year-old boys love are dinosaurs, which was the inspiration for Vincent's birthday cake. Happy birthday, Vincent! You're growing up so fast.



Oh, one more thing... both Ingrids are pregnant. I swear these two do everything together. Vincent will soon have a little brother, and my son will have a playmate. Congratulations, Ingrid (the other one)!

Mother's Day Lobster

For Mother's Day this year, we all gathered at The Lobster in Santa Monica for something that every mother I know loves -- lobster.



As the newest member of the group, there was no doubt Ingrid would be enjoying some lobster. Hopefully, she'll share some of it with baby.



These fine looking non-mothers also joined the outing and were ready to eat.



If Ingrid looks a little Angrid here, it's because we had a little tiff shortly before we arrived. Let's see if a little lobster changes things.



I started my meal with this seafood chowder, which was delicious.



And for my main course, I feasted on this scrumptious piece of fish. Mmmm.



Leave it to Shawn to order steak at The Lobster. Sure looks good though, doesn't it?



Granny and mom took the advice of the server who recommended this lobster dish, which turned out to be not as good as the plain ol' lobster they originally planned on ordering. That's the last time they'll do that, I'm sure.



The lobster seemed to do the trick and by the end of the meal, Ingrid was smiling just like the other moms, although she looks ready to punch me in this pic.



Speaking of getting punched, here's Granny telling us a story of when she got smacked by Gunko. She's so funny. Happy Mother's Day, Granny, mom and Ingrid!