Creature.Gorgeous.

14 Months: Gaahd, Where Does the Time Go?

2012-01-30T23:30:00.001-05:00

It's been too long since my last post. I've been busy with work and haven't really felt inspired to write anything. I have a bunch of stuff since Christmas that I want to share, but it's piled up so much that I don't know where to start. It's like hoarders, blog content edition.

However, I couldn't let Mr. Delish's 14 month birthday go by without a little post. Right now he's sprouting his molars, but doesn't seem to be having the same issues with sleeping and pain as he did at nine months with his front teeth. He got his first hair cut right after the new year.

He's getting so long and narrow like an Udon noodle (Udon!), still thick, but kind of stretched out, slowly losing his baby fat from all the walking. It makes me so sad!

He's walking very well, since his first steps the week before Christmas.

Lately, on occasion he'll walk around with his hands up in the touch-down position. Usually they're held bent at the elbow and hands near his shoulders, as if at the ready to catch his own fall.

He babbles and imitates sounds, pointing at everyday things. His regular words are (sorry for the tedious list; I want to look back and remember all of the little things):

-Dada (daddy, but also seems to be the default word for 'you' or 'that person')
-Mama (mommy)--I love the way he draws out the aaaa and contorts his lips to make the mmm sound
-Bahbahh (bye)
-Boo (bottle)--we're having a difficult time weaning him from the bottle
-Joo (juice)--he drinks juice and water from his sippy (Tommy Tippy) cup, but, milk, not so much
-Kiffff(Clifford, as in the Big Red Dog)
-Baaaal (ball)
-Boohk (book)--man, that kid loves books and will entertain himself with them
-Kway (Craisin)--like candy to him
-Kwahkwah (quack quack)--says the duck
-Grrrrrr (Grrr)--says the tiger
-No (no)--and shakes his head
-Ub (up)--on occasion; he used to say it more
-Prprpep (panda)
-And various hilarious made up rolling r and l sounds as he points to things

It's also incredible how much he and babies his age understand though they might not say the words or speak full sentences.

For example, we'll ask him where something is and he'll point to it, including:

-truck (the riding kind and a separate dump truck push toy)
-cart (his push cart)
-humidifier
-dryer
-light (anything emitting light)
-picture (we hung some artwork and taught him the word, which he got quickly)
-nose
-ear
-eye (sometimes)
-mommy's nose
-mommy's eyes

And what's interesting is he understand commands

-No means stop doing whatever (but he's starting to not listen)
-Go read your book (this was AMAZING to see for the first time)
-Kiss (love this; he doesn't know how to pucker, but will lean in with his mouth open for a kiss)
-Close the gate

Games he likes:

-Chase (he loves it when we pretend to chase him; he rushes to one of us and burrows his head in our lap, giggling hyserically)
-Hide and go seek (kind of; he'll hear G coming and crouch down behind the couch and look under it to watch G come for him)
-Opening and closing tubes, boxes, doors, cabinets, gates

He's a challenge to feed. Dinner time was a nightmare for several weeks. He hates most baby food. But he does like fish, rice, risotto, pasta, yogurt, pureed mango, grav lox, and this one not-so-appetizing Gerber chicken and gravy baby food. So one of these is usually dinner. I'd like to expand this, but it seems to be a texture thing. I need to figure out more flavors and introduce more textures.

I was really slow in introducing him solids because of his reaction to peas and then his allergy to eggs. But I don't want a picky eater. I do want a child who has a well developed palate and a willingness to try new things. We shall see!

Happy belated new year, friends!

13 months and happy holidays

2011-12-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

A little red rocking chair with his name (and his Santa jacket from last Christmas)

Happy holidays! Our first Christmas in the house was nice and relaxing. We kept things simple and low-key. No stress, no fuss and simply happy. We spent Christmas eve wrapping the few presents we got for family. I made Delicious small flash cards with a message on the back. I wanted something handmade to commemorate his first real Christmas. He loved it! The box especially! Ostentation 0; meaningful simplicity 1.

Delicious is 13 months and developing exceedingly fast. Right before our eyes. In the week he's been walking, he's become more confident each day and now can walk in circles and do right turns. Today he walked around the kitchen and family room for hours. We put up gates in the two entry ways to that part of the house (having not had any luck with gates for the stairs). And it's made life so much easier. We don't have to chase after him so much. He points to identify several things: lights, his foot, his nose (which he's now putting his finger in), his head (sometimes), his foot and his parents. He actually SAYS "dada", "ball", (sometimes) "boohhhk" (loves books and are his favorite go-to toy...knows how to turn pages), and imitates all sorts of sounds. But the best is that right before Christmas, he started to say "mama"! What a great gift! The walking and now MAMA! He's always known the word, as when G asks where mama is, Delicious would either look or gesture at me. Just so sweet. As I was rocking him during nap time today, he looked up at me with sleepy eyes, smiled brightly, and said softly "mama". So beautiful and touching! Brings a tear to my eye just writing this.

I think his molars are coming in as he is getting really drooly again and has woken up in the middle of the night the past couple nights. We have brought him in to bed with us. But I don't want to get back into that bad habit, so will stop that. And this month we found out he has a food allergy to eggs. We did the serum test as well as the skin test confirming. We'll just avoid the particular food, and we're not big eaters of it, so it won't be that much of a problem. Poor guy. So we have epi-pens at the ready ($25 bucks each). His favorite big people food is pasta and meat sauce (did you know that dried pasta doesn't contain eggs?). He also regularly eat Greek yogurt with jam and is now on cow's milk which we blend with prune juice because it makes him constipated otherwise. He's healthy with a great disposition and we're so lucky to have him!!! He's such a love.

Walking! Our Baby is officially a toddler

2011-12-20T21:09:00.002-05:00

When we picked Delish today, we were met at the door with my mom immediately saying, "He's walking!" And as she put him down, Delish waddled over to us! It was breathtaking...kind of like the first time he smiled. Our baby is officially a toddler. Bittersweet sigh.

Holiday Stuff

2011-12-16T22:58:00.002-05:00

Hi friends! It's been a while. Holiday stuff has kept me away. Here are some snapshots of our first tree shopping trip and some Christmas decor.

I tried to keep things simple and to not spend too much. The wreath (and table tree, which isn't pictured) are made of the most beautiful dyed wood. We got it as a gift from G's parents a couple years ago. The garland I made MYSELF from cuttings off a pine tree from the yard.

Wooden wreath: a gift from G's parents a couple years ago

pine garland I made from cuttings from a tree in our yard

As for our first real Christmas tree, we opted for a small tree after seeing our neighbor's Charlie Brown style Christmas tree. I think I like its diminutive size. Kind of like Mr. Delicious: Little tree for a little boy.

Delicious' first tree shopping experience

only $35 (it's a small tree)

keeping it simple: little tree for a little boy

Speaking of our little boy, we took him to the historic general store in town (bonus that we could avoid the mall) to visit Santa for the first time. He was terrified. Stranger danger, indeed!

waiting in line at the old general store for Santa

with Santa's helper

stranger danger!

not happy

Last week, we hosted a holiday happy hour with our neighbors and went to our first neighborhood party.Very nice.

We also sent out our Christmas cards. I used tinyprints and added photos from Father's Day (that Felicia and Rob shot in the alley near our old place in the city) and a couple that our friend, Graham, took after Delicious' birthday party a couple weeks ago. The rest I took myself. A short brief message on the back reads: "Big things in 2011: We moved from the city to a house we built in the burbs...where Delicious turned ONE!" I anticipate the notes will get longer as the years go on. But like many things this first year, we wanted to keep it very simple.

Hope you all are enjoying the season!

Delicious' First Birthday Party: Hand-made, Not-too-kiddy for about $100

2011-12-03T15:57:00.001-05:00

For Delicious' first birthday, we wanted to do something low-key and easy, but somewhat elegant, relatively speaking. Something not-too-kiddy and mainly for adults. Because babies and toddlers don't really remember these parties, right? Plus, it was also kind of a housewarming, as so few people have seen the house since it was completed back in August.

I tried to use things I already had on hand, as well as things that weren't too elaborate or fussy to execute-- but still elegant (i.e. frittata, smoked wild sockeye, etc.). I even simplified Martha's fantastic ham and leek frittata recipe by removing the potatoes (I also made a vegetarian version sans ham--but that was the most I went out of my way). My mother brought home fries and my MIL made a fruit salad.

We opted for cupcakes rather than a big, elaborate cake, because a) they're cheaper and b) we didn't want the cake to go to waste since Delicious would probably eat very little of it. And in fact, he preferred squishing it through his fingers.

Easy hypo-allergenic hippie cupcakes

Anyhoo, the cupcakes I made the night before from a mix. With all the allergies kids have, I was sure to use a hypo-allergenic peanut and egg-free brand: Cherrybrook Kitchen, which turned out amazingly moist. I was afraid these hippie cupcakes would come out dry and bland, but people loved them.

The one single candle identified Delicious' cupcake; bonus that there was no blowing all over everyone's cake

I also made it easy on myself and used frosting from a can (i.e. Pillsbury Easy Frost)! Quick, no mess, and actually tastes terrific (it's kind of along the same lines as glazing your holiday ham with Dr. Pepper: trashy, but good). I used the chocolate and cream cheese flavors.

We had Champagne, water, and juice available for everyone. I tried to limit the variety of things to keep it... simple.

A combination baby birthday and adult Champagne brunch

Juice for the kids (and whomever); beautiful pitchers we got from the estate sale for almost nothing.

Speaking of simple, for the decorations, I used scraps of fabric (that I had cut into triangles for another use last year) for the bunting. I just hot glued them to some twine. I like that I'll be able to use the bunting again for other birthdays and occasions.

Bunting of salvaged fabric scraps and rope twine

Simple party decor and stuff we got at the estate sale (the utensil basket, apothecary jars, and party trays=$20)

I also made a happy birthday banner that I just printed on some stationery ,through which I laced some rope twine for hanging.

A "happy birthday" banner I printed using a variety of colorful fonts and through which I looped rope twine

And, of course, I had to make hats and favor packs out of things I had laying around the house. I printed the party hat from OhHappyDay blog. For the party favors, I cut up brown paper grocery sacs with pinking sheers and sewed them closed. I wrapped them with twine and made a little sticky label with birthday boy's thank you message.

Homemade party hats

Homemade/upcycled party favors

I made little signs for the food out of cheap school chalkboards that I leaned up against some large apothecary jars that I got at the estate sale I mentioned a couple weeks ago. Filled them (and the favor packs) with Halloween candy (the leftovers that we purchased, that is). AND last minute, I added a photo of Delicious as a newborn and a print out of the invite (which I had created in Picnik and emailed) inside each jar.

Birthday set up

Food label signs; the grandmothers' contribution made it all the easier

Last minute additions of candy and photos to the jars

We purchased simple flowers and balloons and we were set. All told, it was about $100 for a party of 20 people. (That's not counting Delicious' birthday gift, the awesome wooden rocking horse Vespa, which was about $60 on Amazon.)

The birthday throne

We really enjoyed ourselves, and we think the birthday boy had a great time. Hopefully we can continue the non-fussy-not-too-kiddy-upcycled theme for as many birthdays as we can!

Vroom, vroom!!! A wooden rocking toy (scooter) we'll keep forever...

♥♥♥♥More scenes from the party below♥♥♥♥

Birthday boy didn't nap at all that day, but was in a good mood almost the whole time

Pre-party

Ham and leek frittatas

Wild sockeye and dill goat cheese

Groovy suit from Eileen

What's everyone looking at?

Cake is better for squishing...

Fastidious dad and uncle clean up sticky fingers. Three handsome men!

Surrounded by pretty ladies!

Adoring cousin M

With Baby M, just one month apart!

Baby E and dad, our awesome new neighbors!

Baby G, another awesome neighbor and first buddy to Delicious

Showing off his skillzzz

Checking out the details/refrigerator

Loves balloons and grandma

G playing bartender

Birthday boys; cousin M's birthay is one day and ten years earlier

Grandparents

Adult brunch/baby birthday underscored.

Friends

Grandmas

Buh bye (he kind of knows how to say it)

We bumped our head before this photo

It was quickly forgotten with paper to tear

G and his dad clean up after the party (as is tradition in his family...and now ours)

12 Months: A Year of Delicious

2011-11-30T20:49:00.001-05:00

12 months: He's starting to look like a toddler :(

Wow, 12 months. Twelve months?! There were several great developmental milestones this month, including Delicious' real first word: Baaal (ball). I say "real" word because it's actually one that he directs at something specific. Just today, he started saying "booh" for book, as he reached for a book. Reading is by far his favorite thing. He also understands "no" and will immediately stop whatever he's doing in response to the word. I try not to use it too much, though.

For over a month now, he's been turning the pages of his books that we read him. He pushes--now more confidently on the wood floors--his walking toy. He's also developing a palate (maybe?). He has taste preferences, whereas before it just seemed like he ate anything to satiate his hunger. I'm not sure that he's a picky eater, but he seems to have a nuanced preference for some flavors (i.e. of the same ingredient, but can differentiate brands or mixtures) over others. Like turkey and gravy versus turkey and vegetables. Lately, though, he also prefers to play than eat and dinner time is a real challenge. I'm not sure what to do at this point other than to wait it out. He has a one year pediatrician appointment on Friday, so we'll see.

It's a matter of time before he's walking on his own. In fact, he can walk with us holding just one of his arms.

Related, he might be allergic to eggs. I hope not. But on the evening after his party, we gave him some leftover frittata. He ate it and seemed to love it. But that night after we put him to bed, he vomited (not just spit up--vomit) and cried for 30 minutes (damn cry-it-out technique). I felt so bad. When I went to check on him (as this crying was totally uncharacteristic, since he'd been sleeping VERY well for up to 11.5 hours a night--but naps are a different story) he was covered in throw-up, sitting in the corner of his crib. We washed him up and I slept with him in my arms in the daybed in his room. (By the way, I love having a little bed in his room--it's great for clothing changes, and serves as a couch where I can recline and read to him.)

He climbs stairs, seems to be developing a strong will. On occasion he'll do the gasping cry thing when he doesn't get what he wants (say, the hand sanitizer to put in his mouth). But I just stare at him, and try not to react. And he quits rather quickly. I think not reacting is key to extinguishing undesirable behavior. Easier said than done; I know. But I make an effort. He's often clingy, pulling at my skirt or pants. But when I pick him up, he wants down. I read that babies this age just want your attention and to be near you (mommy), but still independent. That's fine with me! (One day he'll be off doing his own thing and I'll miss it.)

Clinging...in a good way

He has SUCH a personality now. Babies this age really start to become toddlers. They're mobile, they laugh loudly, explore, have apparent preferences, and are just so wonderful. I love this stage. It's like the reward for the early months of sleep deprivation, colic, and uncertainty.

This has been a really great month...and a fantastic year.

One year of Delicious

One Year Ago Today...

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

One year ago today, our little boy was born on a Monday night--five days early. After 16 hours of labor, we ultimately decided on a last minute c-section. He was 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 20.5 inches tall. And worth all the wait (and weight).

(One day I'll actually write about the birth story, the first weeks, the night nurse, all the firsts.)

Speaking of which, we celebrated his first birthday this weekend, and are in awe of how neat he is every single day. This tiny little person has effected huge change in our lives. Children are an incredible blessing; I never knew. Thank you, my sweet Delicious, for making me aware. Happy birthday.

November 29, 2010. Minutes old.

Two days old


11 months, 26 days old...celebrating his first birthday

...and this morning, officially one year old!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

2011-11-24T08:51:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We're up early cooking. Mr. Delicious is helping.

*Update*

...and through the woods to grandmother's house we go

Thanksgiving turned out nice. The weather was sunny and cool--no firey leaves like last year though. The turkey turned out pretty ok. The brine made it juicy and flavorful...BUTi think it was a bit underdone. Good thing no one was pregnant at this year's Thanksgiving. We enjoyed gathering together, relaxing, and gorging.

G and brother carve the turkey

Out of all the traditional Thanksgiving fare, I enjoy stuffing the most. We made it this year and used sausage, apricots, and sage. And I must say, it's a winner and we'll stick with it. (See recipe below.)

Though it doesn't look like much, the flavors in this stuffing are definitely nice.

Though MIL was not feeling well, she decorated for the occasion; very nice

Nephew M playing violin as his mother looks on

Grandpa (FIL) in charge of the drinks

My mother and her first grandson! His first Thanksgiving

The kale salad I love. Unfortunately, I over salted it, so it was kind of ruined. So only G and I really ate any of it.

Last year at this time I was HUGE with my belly in my lap (remember?)--this year, it was Delicious.

He played with his food and entertained everyone

We ended dinner with story time. He loves reading (being read to) and knows when to turn the page.

The End.

{Thanks for your sweet comments. Yes, it's true, it was a great reason to break the new kitchen in!}

Sausage, Apricot, and Sage Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (about 4 links)

• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)

• 1 cup chopped celery (about 4 stalks)

• 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped dried apricots

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

• 1 (14-ounce) package country-style stuffing mix (such as Pepperidge Farm)

• 3 1/4 cups hot Roasted Turkey Stock (or chicken stock)

• Cooking spray

• 1 tablespoon canola oil

• 3 cups water, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Trim excess fat. Do not trim excess skin around neck.

Remove casings from sausage. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and celery. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Place sausage mixture in a large bowl. Add apricots, parsley, sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and stuffing mix. Drizzle with hot Roasted Turkey Stock; toss well. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey. Stuff 2 cups sausage mixture into neck cavity. Fold skin over sausage mixture, and loosely secure with several wooden picks. Stuff 3 cups sausage mixture into body cavity. Spoon remaining sausage mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover dish with foil, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Brush turkey with oil; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover breast with foil. Pour 2 cups water into pan.

Bake at 325° for 2 hours; remove foil, and baste turkey with pan juices. Add remaining 1 cup water to pan, if needed. Bake an additional 2 hours or until thermometer inserted in meaty part of thigh registers 165°, basting every 30 minutes. Remove turkey from oven; let stand at least 30 minutes before carving.

Increase oven temperature to 350°. Bake the remaining stuffing, covered, 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Discard wooden picks.

WE are cooking the turkey? (And our little Butterball's walking): Part I

2011-11-22T22:19:00.001-05:00

We were only planning to bring the roasted kale salad to my MIL's for Thanksgiving dinner. But she was admitted to the hospital for observation this past weekend, was released Monday, but is still not feeling well. So, we're cooking the turkey, stuffing, as well as the kale to bring to her house. Pop-up Thanksgiving!

On top of that, on Sunday we're celebrating Delicious' birthday. Lots going on. Oh well. Good thing is we're done prepping for his party. So we've time to do the turkey. G is all about planning ahead. So I found some recipes online at work yesterday, and G went grocery shopping for the ingredients last night as I put Delicious to bed. (We take full advantage of the time we have after he's in bed--usually dinner, chores, or other things that you have to do in day to day life.)

And tonight, we did the brine. I borrowed part of a recipe (the technique from Alton Brown) and replaced most of the ingredients with things we have or actually like. The purpose of a brine is basically to tenderize the meat, using the high salt content of the brine as a delivery mechanism to infuse the inner flesh of the bird with the flavors of the liquid.

This will be Delicious' first Thanksgiving, so I'll name it for him!

Mr. Delicious' Thanksgiving Turkey Brine

Ingredients

3 quarts vegetable stock
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
6 garlic cloves, crushed
3 fresh bay leaves
1 lemon sliced
1 gallon ice water

Preparation

Combine first eight ingredients in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. Combine the brine, water and ice in a 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

The brine - lemon, lots of garlic, bay leaves, and soy

We'll put the turkey into the chilled brine tomorrow and let it sit in it for 24 hours before roasting it Thursday morning.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share our little Butterball walking with his push toy (finally). I don't really buy many toys for him, as he has plenty of hand-me-downs and gifts. But I thought he needed something to help him walk. So I bought this great Melissa & Doug wooden push toy a month ago. It's so beautiful and simple, but he refused to push with it, preferring to place it on its back to access the chomping alligators.

He did not want to walk with it even though he cruises easily and can stand on his own for a few seconds at a time. It turns out our floors (which are hardwood throughout the house) are too slippery. So we put him in the basement--the only part of the house that is carpeted--and voila, there is enough traction and softness to allow him to push and walk! So if you get this lovely, awesome (I recommend it!) toy, try it on a surface with a little bit of traction.

Handmade Birthday - Prepwork

2011-11-20T22:54:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I want to keep things simple (inexpensive, uncomplicated) for my little guy's birthday. But I do want to make it special with some handmade items. I love handmade things, but I also like to reuse things and try to avoid waste (and consuming/buying stuff). I guess that's the theme for this birthday. (I hadn't planned on a theme, but this is as close to one as I got.)

For example: I had saved a bunch of fabric triangles I had cut from free remnant fabric my mom gave me when I was pregnant with Delicious. I had planned to make bunting for my baby shower, but decided to just forget it. But I saved them. And this weekend, I hot glued them on to twine. Instant bunting decoration for baby's first birthday! Cost: $2 for the twine. We'll use these year after year!


Me cutting the fabric triangles, ostensibly, for the baby shower over a year ago. Now they'll finally be put to use for Delicious' 1 year birthday.

I also made a few hats for the wee little ones. I found the pattern for the paper hat online and then designed the labels and added the tuft at the top using bakers twine (I'll try to do a tutorial later). I had everything on hand, and just tried to be creative with what I had: Kraft card stock, bakers twine and my printer. As luck would also have it, we went to an estate sale the previous weekend, and I purchased a giant box of ribbon for $10. In the box, was this awesome red cording. Perfect! I estimate that the cost of the cording for this project was about $0.20

Simple party hats I designed from stuff I had on hand

Speaking of the estate sale, we also got these GREAT bamboo party trays. We got 24 of them for $12. They're perfect for when you don't have enough table space. Guests can eat off their laps! We'll get a lot of use out of these. (G's mom has these as well, and you see them in use in my baby shower post.)

Bamboo party trays

We had a ton of candy left over from Halloween, so I thought they'd be great as party favors. I cut up some grocery bags with pinking sheers, sewed them into a pocket and printed out some labels I designed to match the party hats. Cost: $0. Again, I did it with whatever I had on hand.

Recycled grocery bag party favor envelope

All for this little guy!

I feel good about recycling, repurposing, and reusing (bonus that some of the things are unique and made just for Delicious)! Honestly, we could probably buy a bunch of stuff and throw it away. But that just really bothers me. I'm no hippy, but there's just something about waste that is kind of ridiculous. Creative conservation (and limiting consumption) is something I want to instill Delicious as he grows older!

Stupid Good Roasted Kale

2011-11-18T21:20:00.001-05:00

Roasted leafy greens are all the rage now, apparently. And I just made the most stunningly flavorful roasted kale, which was based on a recipe found here. But I changed it up a bit, replacing the hazelnuts with toasted pumpkin seeds, and omitting the vinegar and mint.

It's hearty, utterly satisfying, and just suprisingly good. The edges of the kale get a little crispy, while the rest of the leaves get just slightly soft, but still firm. Not at all bitter and with the benefit of the toasted pumpkin seeds, there's an additional smokey flavor and crunch texture. The yogurt is creamy and tangy and a great foil for the roasted flavors. Just try it. You will not be disappointed.

Roasted kale salad with yogurt dressing and pumpkin seeds

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
2 bunches Russian or curly kale, stems removed
1 handful of halved cherry tomatoes
Preheat oven to Broil.

To prep the kale. First soak both bunches in a sink-ful of water for 10-15 minutes so the bugs and dirt fall to the bottom. Then take each stalk out one at a time, and holding the bottom of the inner rib, pull your other hand up the stalk to quickly strip the leaves from the rib. So much easier than slicing the leaves away from the rib one at a time! I will never go back.

For the dressing. Add the yogurt, shallot, garlic, mint, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk together. Then add a pinch of sea salt and pepper and taste. Add more as you like. This makes almost double the amount of dressing you need for one recipe. But you won’t be sorry because it’s delicious on anything.

For the kale. Lay the kale onto a large cookie sheet. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and toss as best you can with your hands. Put the kale into your super hot oven, preferably under the broiler (once it’s had a chance to wilt a bit). Takes about a minute--watch carefully. The kale will cook super fast and it’s totally fine if a few leaves get burned. Turn the leaves as they cook so that all pieces are nicely wilted.

Sprinkle seeds and tomatoes over the top. Drizzle dressing generously. Top with lemon zest, lemon juice, sea salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Enjoy!

Planning the 1st birthday

2011-11-08T09:48:00.000-05:00

Our baby is going to be one year old at the end of the month. Big sigh. We're planning on throwing him a small, simple party. I think casual brunch on a Sunday with a few friends and family would be ideal. I really like Kristina's easy, breezy style, which she applied to her son's 1st birthday lunch party. Simple and mostly for adults. And she's a designer, but the party wasn't over-designed, ya know what I mean?

And I love her invitation concept. Very sweet. I borrowed the "He'd love to share his cake with you" and applied it to a photo I took of the Delish while he was cruising in front of the oven. All done in Picnik.

Lovely Fall Weekend

2011-11-06T21:28:00.000-05:00

It was beautiful this weekend. G made a yummy, hearty breakfast of from-scratch home fry potatoes with fried eggs and bacon. He's been cooking a lot lately. I really appreciate that. It hit the spot with a nice cup of coffee. It's nice to have morning weekend rituals. We went for a walk through the park to town. The leaves have turned and were gorgeous in the Fall sun. Delicious has been climbing the stairs and cruising around the house. Home. All the things that are good.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:39:00.003-04:00

I must be insane to post (and wear) this, but anything for my little Superfly! Hope you had a fun night!

We were surprised to have very few trick or treaters. Our impression of our new neighborhood was that it was full of kids (like the rest of the town). On second thought, our house is located in a more isolated area, flanked by two dead end streets. There are probably 40 homes in the entire neighborhood, and only a handful of families with young children.

So next year, we'll know not to buy so much candy.

Phone booth and Superman

Scaling air exchanges

Super Delicious

Funny, he has no idea what candy tastes like, but got really excited over the colorful, crinkly packaging!

Eleven Months and a highly effective new sleep technique

2011-10-29T11:12:00.001-04:00

Our boy is eleven months old today and more alert, engaging, and communicative than ever! These past two months in the new house have been challenging sleep-wise, but very productive from a developmental perspective: Delicious cruises; imitates sounds (including saying, Ahhhh, after drinking); turns pages as we read; says, Ba!, to go out; opens cabinets (without closing the door on his own head); and climbs stairs.

11 months and someone doesn't like to lie down; but at least we have cute slippers (thanks to our awesome new neighbors from whom we got three pairs of hand-me-down, in perfect condition, shoes!)

But sleep has been a nightmare (pun intended). When we moved into the new house, we expected there would be some adjustment. To make it even more challenging, baby boy was teething and very uncomfortable. It wasn't the time to reinstitute any sort of sleep training. Plus, I didn't think I could go back to the Baby Sleep Solution technique that was so effective (when we trained him at the age of three months), because we screwed up a couple of the elements, primary of which was the rocking him to sleep rather than putting him down.

Sporadically, we'd be disciplined enough, as I mentioned in last month's post, to put him in his crib half awake to fall asleep on his own. And that worked off and on. Very unreliably. Unfortunately, because of the teething and then a head cold, he was getting up a couple times a night. And we, being really tired and exhausted, would just bring him in to bed with us. For two months we did this--creating lots of bad habits and taking the path of least resistance. We weren't really getting productive sleep. It was alway interrupted and--oh yeah--have you ever slept in a bed with an agitated baby? Not fun. I'd have to sleep with him in the crook of my arm. Not comfortable.

Often times during these nocturnal fits, we'd run into his room at the first scream, to find him standing, sobbing hysterically. And that was the problem: we ran to his aid immediately. We effectively trained him to call on us, and was dependent on us to soothe him to sleep. We had to change this behavior in ourselves and restructure the conditioning with Delicious.

Sick of surviving on three hours of sleep a night, we knew we had to do something. I've come to realize that babies change, and what works at one point, may not work at another. I avoided Ferberizing and the Cry It Out (CIO) method when Delicious was a young infant because I wanted a gentler technique for sleep training. And the Baby Sleep Solution program of progressively transitioning feeding to exclusive day feeding and eliminating night feedings (along with other behavioral conditioning, including association of a routine with bedtime) worked like a charm for six months. But our more alert, older baby needed something more.

NOTE: I am not necessarily advocating the following technique (and would not advocate it for a young baby). I'm not an expert or professional in child development, and this is just a description of what I did, and what worked for us. Use good judgment and pay attention to your child's cues if you try this.

I was familiar with the Cry-It-Out method of Ferber. It's basically letting the baby cry for progressively longer periods until he falls asleep. The key is to put him into bed half awake and NOT pick him up when you come in to soothe him. So how it practically works is 1) you have a night time routine (ours includes book, bath, and bottle), 2) you put the baby into the crib half awake, 3) you pat his back gently to ease him into the transition from your arms to the bed, 4) you leave the room. He may cry. Let him cry for a short interval (say five minutes) before you go in to pat him on the back, shoosh, or do other soothing gestures. Stay for only one minute then leave the room again, this time for a little longer, say eight minutes, before you go in and repeat the soothing for one minute and then leave. Next time, let him cry for a little longer, say 11 minutes and so on. Eventually he will fall asleep and the next consecutive nights, he may take less time to fall asleep. They say that it can take about a week of this and quite an investment of time and patience per night, but the reward is great for both parent and baby. Babies thrive when they get enough sleep, which effects their mood, development and overall health.

Well, we did this method a tad differently. Last week Friday, we did everything as we previously had: rocking him to sleep, putting him into the crib totally asleep. And he, as he typically would these two months, woke up a couple hours later crying loudly. This time, we did not rush to pick him up to soothe him. In fact, we didn't do the progressive method of CIO. We let him cry for 30 minutes before he fell asleep on his own. A few hours later, at 4 in the morning, when, again, he'd typically wake up in tears (btw, the hours between 4-6 are when babies have the lightest sleep), we, again, let him cry until he fell asleep. This time, it was only 10 minutes.

Unbeknownst to us, this method is called Extinction (meaning extinction or elimination of the behavior of crying). It is a more emotionally demanding technique than the Ferber progressive technique. But it is more efficient. On the second night, I was more cognizant about putting Delicious into his crib (after his night time routine) half asleep. We also pushed his bed time back an hour, so he was definitely more sleepy when he went down, and was really yielding. I stood over his crib with him and patted him on the back for quite a while. He didn't cry, and was really ready to sleep. I left the room. He started crying. He cried for six minutes and fell asleep. He woke up once that night for less than a minute, cried, and fell asleep again. On the third night, I did the same thing. He cried as I left the room...but for exactly one minute before he fell asleep. On the fourth night, I put him down as I had done the few nights before, after the sleep routine, sticking with the later 8 o'clock hour, and having him be half awake. He was content in laying in his crib...even as I left the room. He did not cry. He woke up the next morning and sat in his crib and chattered to himself, as he waited for us to come get him. I was SHOCKED. One morning we found him standing quietly in his crib with his pacifier that he put in his own mouth. It's really incredible. So after five days of sleep training (which was effective after the first night), we are back on track with sleep and are incredibly happy!

So where did I learn this? I just read things in my Google search, but apparently, you can get it in the book that Jenny at GeekInHeels used, called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (thanks, Eileen for identifying the name and book for the Extinction method).

For naps during the day, it's not as smooth. But my mom watches him during the day, and I think she naps with him, which is fine. This morning, the first of the naps that I've been present for since really training him, he just wasn't falling asleep after crying. I realized he was still hungry after his four ounce bottle and wanted more milk. So I gave him more and then did the progressive Ferber thing and he fell asleep after the ten minute interval. He's been asleep for over an hour now, as I write this.

Again, I'll underscore that you have to be alert to your child's needs and trust your instincts. For corn sake, don't do this when he's sick, adjusting to a new environment, teething, or otherwise in extra-normal discomfort. At nine months, Delicious was going through sleep regression, and that would have been the best time to apply the technique, but given the teething, the new house, then the cold, we chose to wait. This is a challenging technique and may not be right for you, your child, or the point in time. You may want to wait until the baby is older or when you desperately need sleep. Good luck!

Birthday Staycation

2011-10-20T23:17:00.001-04:00

We celebrated my birthday this weekend! G typically plans some sort of getaway. This birthday, he told me to pack for a very casual weekend. I knew that we'd probably go somewhere within driving distance because of the baby. I thought we'd go to either the Homestead or Charlottesville.

It was hilarious: we did a staycation of sorts. He planned a weekend around a formal farewell to DC!

But before that, we had a little happy hour at our neighbors' house Friday night after work, where he surprised me and Renee (the new neighbor who's birthday it was the weekend before) with cupcakes and Champagne. David (the new neighbor's husband, and of course, also our new neighbor) had invited us, unbeknownst to me, over for drinks. G turned it into a celebration. It was cute and a great way to get to know our neighbors just a little bit more.

So back to the weekend getaway: That Saturday, when we pulled up to the Park Hyatt in the West End neighborhood, right above Georgetown, I giggled. To me it was funny because we live only 12 miles outside the center of the city, but a world away. And as many of you know, I was loathe to move from our downtown place back in February. I wasn't really quite ready to say goodbye. But of course now, I'm in love with our new home and the life we're building in the suburbs.

So Saturday afternoon we got into town, dropped off the luggage at the hotel and walked to Cady's Alley, a cute little design district within Georgetown. Our destination was Kafe Leopold, one of my all time favorite lunch/brunch places. It's styled after an Austrian cafe with great desserts (yes, Lindsor tortes) and a really clean, contemporary and smart yet casual atmosphere. It's also very popular, so we waited in the alley and took some photos. It was a perfect Fall day, cool, sunny and crisp.

We're a fan of alleys!

Father and son (and Glow Worm)

Kafe Leopold

Lunch

Champers and Chardonnay

I always celebrate with fries

Two of my favorite things rolled into one: Foie gras gougeres! That is, puff pastries stuffed with duck liver!

So incredibly decadent--the gougeres were light and airy and the foie gras was melt-in-your-mouth smooth and creamy

A walk through Georgetown

The mod-country decor of our room

An industrial meets spa meets farm house bath

Can you believe this shower ROOM?

Little portable crib...

...with a gift of Baby Burt's Bees--nice touch, hotel!

Mr. Delicious being a boy--he's really good at standing up and walking alongside furniture (and grabbing things along the way)

Uh oh!

Delicious cheese, crackers and compote...another little amenity from the hotel...

...along with complementary Champagne!


...and simple flowers!

That evening, we had dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern, the fantastic hotel restaurant. Years ago, we had dinner there for my birthday, and it was just as fantastic as I remembered. It's a take on country cuisine, lots of red, braised meat, Southern-inspired sides like collard greens and grits (polenta) all done up.

Of course, we also brought our own wine, including this Cab from Hendry vineyards in Napa, which we visited last year.

The relative calm before the storm...

We pushed the envelope in terms of Delicious' bedtime

It was tough trying to have a nice dinner while occupying a tired 10-month old. The sous chef in the open kitchen helped by dicing up some apple for the baby

Unfortunately, Delicious hasn't really mastered eating solid foods, and gagged at the small bite of apple...and threw up all over G's shirt. Good thing we were staying in the hotel. He went up and changed and returned to enjoy the dinner.

I started with Little Neck clams

My main dish was the most beautifully done, medium rare Muscovy duck with quince. To die for.

The splendid Fall meal was very well complimented by a lightly smokey-sweet side of collard greens and blue cheese polenta.

We had to take turns eating and walking Delicious around. Again, we were really pushing the envelope in terms of his schedule. I opted to eat half of my meal and the rest was sent up to the room. As we were hurriedly packing our stuff to go to our room, pastry chef, Peter Brett, came to our table to ask how things were going and to see if we were going to have any dessert. We couldn't, but told him everything was amazing. Well, when room service delivered the rest of our meal, it came with a tin of warm sugar cookies from Chef Brett. So thoughtful!

Sweets from Chef Peter Brett

The next morning, G and Delicious gave me some alone time and went for a walk as I did some yoga. Nice that the hotel provides a mat and dvds!

In-room yoga

Then we walked to Adams Morgan and met up with our old neighbors at another one of our favorite haunts: The Diner.


Our neighbors from the old neighborhood, Generous Jen and Eric


And Baby S--who's no longer a baby! She knows how to do 'cheers' and clink glasses/sippy cups!

Delicious' first kiss from a girl (who's not related to him or older than 35)


A gift of chocolates from Jen and family...perfect since they're from one of the neighborhood chocolate shops: ACKC.

After breakfast, we took a leisurely stroll along U Street, near our old home and browsed two great vintage furniture and home stores: Good Wood (I love it! And purchased some repro apothecary jars) and Miss Pixie's (which is actually on 14th Street--around the corner from our old house on R Street--and where I picked up a vintage escargot dish which I plan on using as a dish to hold the kitchen sponge).

A display at Good Wood

So much is changing and developing in the old neighborhood, and on our street in particular! They're building new condos and repurposing an old Verizon building. Kind of sad to see life move on (so quickly) without us!


Our old street is almost unrecognizable with all the new construction

We went back to the hotel and Delicious helped me open my gift...some boots!


Helping me open my present (aka, eating string)

Later that night, we returned to 14th street to try out the new restaurant, Pearl Dive, an oyster PALACE. Did you know that oysters, fries, and Champagne are my all-time favorite treat combination? I had it at my bachelorette outing, and it's what I wanted for my birthday. So it was perfect that Jen had mentioned the place at breakfast that morning, and also perfect in keeping with our Farewell to DC theme (out with the old: us, and in with the new: the oyster palace). It was a great birthday, low key, leisurely, and very sweet. Eating my favorite foods, bidding a fond farewell to our old lives, and spending quality time with my favorite guys. I couldn't ask for more!

My two best guys

A very sweet birthday

Pumpkins and other Fall things like roasts and strep

2011-10-12T15:20:00.002-04:00

Pumpkins!

This weekend was absolutely beautiful. It was sunny and warm. We got a lot of things done, including more unpacking and organizing (of the basement mainly). I even had some time to buy some decorative gourds and pumpkins for the porch and made a roast and some cookies. So Fall! So suburban!

Rib eye roast. Easy: pierce fat with knife and insert garlic cloves; rub with rosemary and olive oil; season; sear all sides in a pan; roast in oven on low (250 degrees F) for three to four hours (for an approximately 4.5 lb roast, medium)

Roasted root vegetables: quarter carrots, potatoes, celery, parsnips any other root veg of your liking, along with onions; toss with rosemary and olive oil; roast on 300 degrees F for about an hour.

Au jus: deglaze pan that you seared the meat in with some beef or veal stock; bring to a boil; add cup of red wine; reduce to half; strain; return to pan and add butter and stir til glossy.

I like using this old cake plate as a cookie "jar"

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (from a mix); I sprinkled sea salt on them while they were cooling-- amazing!

In other news, I went to the doctor's during lunch today and found out I have strep. Dangit! Fortunately, babies rarely get strep. But to be sure, I'm taking the Delicious to his new pediatrician tomorrow. Bonus that the office is just down the street and within walking distance. I digress, but I must say living in the town limits of this suburb is almost as good (in terms of walkability) as living downtown in the city!

Oktoberfest 2011

2011-10-06T21:54:00.003-04:00

Sad news about Steve Jobs, huh?

In happier news, our new town is always hosting festivals and family-friendly events. This weekend some of our new neighbors invited us to go with them to the Oktoberfest. We talked the whole time, so didn't really walk around. It was cold and a little rainy. G thought it a bit lame, but the day was redeemed by after-Oktoberfest drinks at the neighbors' house. I'm not sure they'd want me to publish pics of their kid, so you can only see the back of his head (cute hat though). I think he and Delish will be good friends!

10 Months: Crawling!

2011-09-29T19:13:00.000-04:00

10 months and eight teeth!

Today Mr. Delicious is 10 months delectable! He's finally crawling, finally has a high chair (actually a booster seat Wendy recommended), and loves to climb and stand with the support of furniture, and chatters and pseudo-sings! He feeds himself Cheerios and pieces of fruit, but is still working to coordinate chewing and swallowing. He's also starting to wave! And he loves to get into things and scrape his nose!

Safety 1st Deluxe Snack and Go Booster seat is a great high chair and will grow with him...for only $26!

Crawling!

He's happy and oh-so smiley. I think we're over the hump of painful teething, but unfortunately, his sleeping has only marginally improved. Where once he was sleeping 10-11 hours a night, he started waking up twice a night in fits since we moved in the house, which coincided with his top four teeth and an additional bottom two coming in. But in the last week or so, he's been sleeping a lot better. However, we've developed a bad habit of picking him up to console him and also taking him to our bed to sleep with us now, even though he is only getting up once a night. Must stop that!

They say it was the nine month sleep regression where multiple teeth (he has eight now!) come in at once and babies are cognitively more alert, that makes them wake up. In desperation to get him to sleep, I'd rock him, whereas I should have put him in to his crib a little bit awake. Well, I read somewhere that by eight months, they really prefer to fall asleep in the crib rather than in your arms. So in the past couple nights, that's what I did. After his routine of bath and bottle, I'd put him down and stay with him, resting my hand on his back. And it works! He falls asleep after a few minutes of flopping around, trying to find a comfortable position, but without wailing. The key is to make the environment extra comfortable, so now I leave his bathroom light on dim (instead of turning out all the lights), give him a blanket (he's old enough now--but I wouldn't recommend it for young babies), and turn on his sound machines (Sleep Sheep and Giraffe). This has helped my own back immensely, since I don't have to walk around with him to lull him to sleep.

But he's in the habit of waking up early morning around 4:00 or 4:30, which isn't bad since we get up at 5:00. But we'd take him into our room for that precious additional 30 minutes to an hour and he goes back to sleep, and we eventually have to wake him.

I've read that feeding babies carbs (as opposed to sugar and protein) before bed helps to increase their melatonin levels and thereby fall asleep. And that's just what we've done, feeding him cereal and bananas. It seems to work, and the result is his sleeping until 4:00-4:30 rather than midnight after being put to bed at 7:00. (And yes, we've also been trying to put him to bed earlier, as well, which seems to help.)

Hopefully by next month, he'll be back to sleeping 10 hours. He's so much fun and has a great personality--very mellow!

This week: Pie, Polo, and Paul (and Chung)

2011-09-23T12:17:00.002-04:00

We've had another busy week, but in a good way. Last weekend, we went to watch Wyatt play polo--one of the last matches of the season. We usually go more often, but with the baby, it's been difficult to manage. We threw caution to the wind and kept him out past his bedtime. So this was special. It was a pirate theme, so Suzi, in her usual form, did up a great tailgate for their box. Bean and coconut soup, jerk chicken, tropical fruit (which Delish sampled for the first time and loved)! And by the way, having a station wagon, especially an all-wheel drive, is perfect for things like this! You can haul all your baby junk PLUS your cooler and tailgating stuff. And you can drive over grass and fields with wreckless abandon.

Delish's first match

First pineapple

Pirate theme -- Suzi always does it up!

Bean and coconut soup -- Suzi is an awesome cook!

I can't believe I'm actually saying this: I really love having a station wagon/junk hauler!

House warming stuff: My mom gave us a bouquet of flowers and some fruit as a housewarming/good luck thing. What remained of the flowers, I put into a jelly jar. So cute. And Monday, our dear, sweet neighbor, Nancy brought over a fudge pie to welcome us to the neighborhood. She said she had baked one a couple weeks ago, but with the storm (Irene), her basement flooded and she injured herself. When her daughter came to help, and moved the pies, they went flying. So she finally go around to baking new ones for us. How incredibly sweet! We love our neighbors! It's an excellent mix of families and old timers. The couple across the street, just moved in and are expecting a baby any day now. They already have two girls, and they're hoping for a boy. The neighbors behind us just had a baby girl back in July. And a couple two doors down have a 15 month old boy. Then there's Nancy, and other long-time residents of the very quiety neighborhood, made up of a handful of the original ranch houses alongside newer in-fill properties like ours. It's so lovely!

House warming flowers from mom

Sweet neighbor Nancy brought over fudge pie!

Fudge pie closeup

Back to the pie. It was perfect because the next day, we were planning on having our friends, Paul and Chung who were visiting from China (and whom we, coincidentally, visited in Beijing exactly one year earlier--see last post) over for dinner. He's Australian and she's Chinese. Both have limited experience with America the beautiful (other than the usual globalization of American culture), having visited maybe only once before. Anyway, after we had a simple dinner of grilled steaks, baked potato and salad, we served up the pie!Chung called it American pie! Indeed! Can you get any more American than this? I do not think so.

Our first use of the grill and patio-Paul and Chung visit from China.

First meal on our farm table. Simple steak and potatoes.

...and American pie!

We also got to use our farm table for the first time ever, and we love it. No worries of banging it up, spilling stuff. It'll be great for Delish as he grows and destroys things! ;)

Life is busy as usual. We're settling in nicely. Need furniture and more sleep, but we're happy and comfortable. The weather is getting cooler and the leaves are starting to turn. Looking forward to the fall!

Rewind: Babymoon in China (2010)

2011-09-15T12:35:00.007-04:00

Deeeeep rewind! One year ago this week, we went to China for our babymoon! I was 27 weeks pregnant, tired, but loved our 10 days in three cities: Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai!

Shanghai - 27 weeks preggers

I hate that I don't remember all the details, but these images provide some semblance of the memory of a good time full of art, food and friends. Though I was so pregnant, I recall that travel was not all that bad. We saved up a bunch of miles to fly business class, which on United's new business class, was (is) pretty fantastic. China is a magical place, full of contrasts. At once backwards (censorship run amok--Blogger and Facebook blocked!), it is also light years ahead of the U.S. (super high speed rail; sleek and overcompensated decadence).

We've been many times before, as G still has expat friends from his days of living in Beijing. We usually go every year, but knew that the babymoon would be the last time we'd be doing that for quite some time. So here's to our last (for a while) trip to the "middle country".

Hong Kong

View of Causeway Bay from our hotel room

Breakfast at the hotel - East meets West!

Surprisingly good lunch at the hotel - the chef is known for his traditional Cantonese fare

Lounge for drinks (service is AHMAZING in China. Amazing.)

Subway - Heading to Wan Chai area where locals shop street markets

Hong Kong is an island and thereby extremely hilly. In the middle of the city there are pedestrian trams (flat escalators), which I definitely needed

Street market scenes

Headed over to a more corporate Central Market area to see Johnny Leung of De-Luxe Tailors, G's long-time tailor (who also custom made his wedding shirt)

Hong Kong is heavily commercial and has the most outrageous showy consumer culture. We browsed, but didn't buy. Check out my dweeby look in these glasses (they were VERY expensive)

Scenes from Bo Innovation, a funky molecular cuisine take on traditional Chinese cooking; with chef Alvin Leung - an engineer by training, he was self taught as a chef, and it earned him two Michelin stars. Good food, amazing deconstruction!

Beijing

Next stop: Beijing. It was cold and rainy. We stayed outside of the city with G's expat Danish friend, Alan, and his wife in their villa (that's what they call Western-style mcMansions-villas).

G in Alan's living room. Alan is also an art collector. Love the way he mixed traditional Danish, contemporary, and Chinese elements in the decor

Alan and G were part of the Beefsteak and Burgundy club: good food and wine. And like G, Alan is an oenophile with an impressive collection of bottles

Dinner with Alan's family

They had two ayi's (Mandarin for "aunties" - nickname for nannies) who cooked and took care of their two children; domestic help is very cheap in this country with gross income disparities.

Some traditional Chinese food made by the ayi's, including a bun hinting of the Islamic influence, reflective of the large Hui population in western China

We visited our friend and artist Lao Wang at his studios outside of the city, near SongZhuan art village

The government confiscated his house and now he's building a new one. Here, he and a friend demonstrate an old-school planing technique for the timbers he'll use to adorn his new abode

Poverty is apparent in the provinces

Songzhuan art village and its expo (a bit of a departure from the famous 798 art zone in central Beijing)

Lao Wang is hilarious!

Scenes from the art expo

A Chinese truck - like a motorized tricycle with a cab and flat bed thrown on

In front of a school-turned-restaurant

Lunch

Chinese food is so much better in China (although I had to be very careful about what I ate). Food pollution in mainland China is a problem, and was a topic of discussion.

A visit to Aussie friend, Paul, and his family in the Lido neighborhood of downtown Beijing

Paul's daughter, K. She could easily be mine, dontcha think? (see below)

With Chung, Paul's wife. She and I could be sisters (all look same!)

Dinner at Capital M, where Paul and Chung were planning on having a reception for their renewal of vows ceremony that October (we missed it by a month)

Yummy, western/French cuisine

When in Beijing, you must have Peking (roast) duck! The best is at Da Dong restaurant. They slice it table side (with masks on - how sanitary!)

Crispy, golden yummy skin

You put it in a rice flour tortilla of sorts. Like an Asian duck burrito!

It was near time for a huge holiday for the Chinese: Mid-Autumn festival. So there were moon cakes everywhere. Complimentary from Da Dong.

Shanghai

Next stop: Shanghai. We flew out of Beijing Nanyuan airport, which operates domestic flights. It's everything you'd expect from a state-run airport: chaotic, backwards, and slightly stinky! It's a stark contrast to the uber sleek Beijing Capital International Airport, which got a facelift with the opening of the Terminal 3 in 2008 for the Olympics.

Nanyuan airport

G's friend, Roger (an expat New Zealander - Kiwi?) picked us up from the airport. Here's a shot of the city skyline from the car. Glitzy! (If Hong Kong is like New York, then Shanghai is like Vegas, but without the casinos.)

Shanghai, as an old port city, is CRAZY COMMERCIAL. Because of its favorable trade location, it saw an economic and political boom in the early 20th century, and a lot of Europeans settled in the city, with their various concessions (territories). So there's a lot of western influence there.

When I think of Shanghai, I think "old Shanghai" of the 1930s. And so it was appropriate that we had our first meal at an old stalwart, the 1931 Cafe and bistro, where they combine local Shanghainese favorites with a bit of France. With velvet drapes, rococo mirrors and Chinoiserie, it totally worked! I even took note of the glass droplet chandelier above the table (and it inspired the two hanging in our home now).

Lots of interesting architecture on the Bund, the waterfront in central Shanghai, with neo-classical and art deco influences. On one side of the Huangpu river, it's historic buildings, on the other side, the recently developed super high rises are a stark contrast.

The old International settlement on the western side of the river

The new, modern skyscrapers on the eastern side, an area called Pudong.

View of it from M on the Bund (yes, the same restaurant group as Capital M in Bejing) is amazing at night.

Shanghai has a very strong contemporary art presence. We visited Shanghai Sulpture Space, a public art gallery of sorts.

Super decadent brunch with Roger and his fiancee at the top of Vue Restaurant. They had stations of everything from locs to steak to design-your-own-risotto to desserts. The space is designed thematically, like stylized rooms of a house. Incredible view, of course, of the city. Ridiculous!

Walking off the too-big (like me) meal. Of note, Shanghai was hosting the World Expo. But we avoided it for the jostling, sneezing, loud crowds, which were already too much on the streets.

Lastly...

Shopping in the hutong, alleyway shops

Drinks in the French Concession with friends

Our last night in China! At M on the Bund with a view of Pudong in the background. A very memorable babymoon!

Our New House!

2011-09-12T21:51:00.002-04:00

This is the move that won't end. We did the walk through on the 20th and got the official hand over on the 29th of August and moved in the furniture Labor Day weekend.

We've spent this week unpacking and getting settled in. Moving from a 1700 square foot condo to a 6300 square foot house underscores two things: we have zero furniture and this house is substantial. I love it, and look forward to the years we'll spend here!

Here's a glimpse of our new home:

Remembering

2011-09-11T15:58:00.000-04:00

Ten years ago today, I was in my office on the 14th floor of a building downtown DC. Someone in the office called us to the conference room, where we witnessed on the news with confusion and disbelief a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. Then the news cut to the Pentagon. Again confusion. From our offices, we could see smoke rising in the distance from the Pentagon. We thought the world was ending.

It took about two hours before anyone could make any sense of it. But when we did, others around the city had already made their way into the streets. Chaos. Congestion. The subway was closed, our phones weren't working. It was our first taste of calamity. I don't really remember how I got home that day, but I do remember being glued to the television that evening, to the other-worldly lack of air travel, no planes, military personnel in the transit system with assault rifles for months afterward. A heightened sense of vulnerability, a dreadful calm.

Our lives and the world changed because of that day.

This morning, as G went for coffee and Delicious played in a box that I was unpacking (we're still unpacking), I watched the memorial on television and was moved. It seemed like yesterday, not ten years. But then I look at my son playing, only nine months old and not even alive, his parents had not yet met on that day. I realized life is fleeting and short and should never be taken for granted. I feel for those who lost family members and loved ones. Some of the readers, especially the grown children of those who perished, were particularly wrenching. One young man, 21 years old, spoke of his father, how he hoped that he was proud of him, how his mother and brother moved on, got jobs, but still remember and are inspired by the man. There are many stories like this. I can't even imagine.

Nine Months: Top Teeth and A New House

2011-08-29T22:59:00.007-04:00

Delish is nine months old today! So much is going on with him and our lives. Today is also the official hand-off of keys to the new house. More on that later.

We took the day off to make a big, giant trip to Ikea to buy all of Delish's furniture (happy birthday, buddy!) and an equally gargantuan trip to Costco to stock our pantry. We loaded everything up in G's parents' van, and it all went smoothly. We did another walk through of the house with the builder, and found only a few minor things, including the paint that had washed of the foundation from the storm. By the way, Irene was nothing, thank God. We had some rain and a little bit of wind, a few loosened branches, but no damage at all.

Big boy has more hair now and starting to look less and less baby like. Sadness!

But back to baby. On Friday we went for his nine month well visit, and he is doing just great. He's in the 80th percentile for height and weight, coming in at 29.25" and 22 lbs, 10 ounces. We actually thought he weighed much more than that, but it must have been his big head. It's in the 95th percentile. It's definitely an Asian thing. I have a big head, too. Anyway, he got one shot, and cried a little bit, then quickly forgot about it. Husky boy. It was also the last visit to the downtown DC practice. Now that we're in the 'burbs, it makes sense to find one closer to home, instead of trekking husky pants into the city. It was kind of sad to say goodbye (but maybe our next pediatrician won't have the horribly long wait time).

Husky!

He's teething and it's not fun. For over a week, he's been getting up in the middle of the night. His top two teeth are giving him quite a bit of pain apparently. We've been giving him Advil to reduce the swelling, which is the major source of the pain. It helps some. But he still cries and I'm avoiding Benzocain products like Orajel. So unfortunately, we've also been allowing him to sleep with us. I wouldn't do it if we were in our own house, but I don't want to disturb my mom. When we move in (in the next few days), I will let him cry. Poor guy. Maybe not.

Ouch! Top two (maybe four) teeth!

In other milestones, he does the army crawl instead of a real crawl, although he does get up on his knees. He just can't seem to coordinate! I think boys are much slower than girls in these developments. Lily, Fay and Josh's daughter, is exactly one year to the week older than Delish. This time last year, when we visited them in Chicago, she was crawling like a champ! But my mom suspects Mr. Delicious will skip it and just get up and walk. Because he LOVES to walk holding our hands. We got him his first pair of shoes this month for $12.99 at Baby's R Us. They're just brown velcro city-sneaker looking things. The fact that they're brown remind me of old fashion baby shoes. Anyway, he can also stand up pretty well on his own when braced against a table or chair.

Can't seem to coordinate knees and hands beyond rocking

But he can "stand" - need to lower the crib mattress!

In the new house with a new -- his first -- pair of shoes

He's growing feisty and more rambunctious each day. We just love him so much! Truly, when your baby starts to exhibit a personality as the months go by and you really get to know him, you just become more and more attached. I'm stating the obvious, but I just have to say it!

Twas a Beautiful Day for an Earthquake!

2011-08-24T15:49:00.001-04:00

Did you hear? We had an earthquake yesterday. It was a little before 2pm, when I was sitting at my desk. The building started to sway, like a big gust of wind was blowing. It made everyone pause and perk up. Then it happened again, underscoring that it indeed wasn't just wind. The office is on the sixth floor and overlooks Chinatown. I could see people spilling in to the streets, looking confused.

Of course the first thing that came to mind was terrorism. But I received a text from G, who works across town, asking if I was ok. That clued me in that it might be an earthquake...something far reaching. (But then again, it could have been a really lethal bomb reverberating.)

The funny thing about human reaction, it's always a bit delayed. People need/want guidance. I wasn't waiting around for it. My immediate thought was to get out of the building and move away from the center of town, where it's congested and there's an abundance of tall buildings.

I headed northwest into the residential neighborhoods. Of course, cell phones weren't working, but text and email were. Note: texting is the best way to communicate in times like this. G and I updated each other on our whereabouts and agreed to meet at a central location in Cleveland Park, which is over two miles from my location. I walked it. It was a beautiful day, but I had wedges on. Not so good for the feet.

As I left the building, I saw crowds gathered on the streets -- office workers, waiting for direction. Again, really? Standing under a tall building after a big tremor (with the potential for aftershocks) is not the best idea. Anyhoo, I walked the two miles. In the residential areas, you would never know anything was wrong. People were scarce, save for some dog walkers. As I crossed the beautiful Klingle Valley Bridge, which runs between Kalorama and Cleveland Park neighborhoods, the crush of traffic re-asserted that something was amiss. I eventually met up with G a little after 3pm, who had the car and we drove home. It took us almost two hours to get home because of the traffic. We were only going eight miles out. Grrr.

So weird that we experienced an earthquake. It's apparently the strongest this area has felt in 67 years. But, I totally forgot that we actually had one last summer in July. Not as rare as you'd think at this rate! Earthquake 2011!

p.s. No damage to the house! Knock on wood.

Station Wah? This Car Screams, I'm a Mom!

2011-08-23T10:59:00.004-04:00

Thank you all for your love on the house! (And hello new followers!!!) We had the walk-through this past weekend and are very excited! A new chapter!

Speaking of which, these past nine months have been full of changes. There's the obvious: the kid, the house, leaving the city...But other fixtures in my (former) life are also transitioning out. Bear (my dog), who was a loyal friend for almost 11 years, is gone.

My car, which I've had almost as long, is about to die. There's this weird vibration when we drive it over 60 mph; it needs transmission work; the electrical system is acting up causing the windows to go up only half way. The list goes on. But I love it since I've ~~abused~~ had it for so long. It's an old Volvo -- very practical and safe. But less so now. With a baby, we need something like a tank with a lot of capacity.

And so it is, I'm fully entering into surburban life with a station wagon. G had been on the look out for a good used one (because cars are a money drain, and the best valued ones are previously owned). He found this one for me, and purchased it yesterday. It still needs detailing, as it only came in to the dealership Saturday. We'll pick it up later this week. I haven't even seen it in person. You're probably all wondering if I'm crazy. The fact is, cars are not my thing, and I don't really care just as long as it's safe and will last a long time.

So can I get an air hug? I'm a full-fledged, card-carrying member of suburbia. Station wagon! Whoop!

House Progress: Home Stretch

2011-08-08T14:43:00.000-04:00

We're in the home stretch of the house construction, and will get the keys at the end of the month! Knock on wood, it's been such a painless process!

Some photos from this weekend. Some of the landscaping is done, and the appliances have been installed. There's still a lot of finish work to be done, but it's really coming together! Can't believe how quickly these five months have flown.

Strollers: Really - You Need Two?

2011-08-06T22:30:00.005-04:00

Your choice of stroller is kind of like shoes: it really depends on your lifestyle. Do you live in town or in the burbs? Do you travel a lot? Will it be one or both parents doing most of the strolling? Are you going to buy a separate umbrella stroller in addition to the infant stroller or would you like to combine the two with a car seat attachment? The possibilities are endless.

G did all the research on the pram, and we decided on the thing below for several reasons. However, we didn't even use it until Mr. Delicious was several months old. The thing with having a winter baby is that there isn't much opportunity to go for walks in the stroller. Or maybe there was, but I was too afraid, tired, and lazy to do it. In my defense, it was a bitterly cold winter in DC. Delicious brought the frigid temps with him when he was born. (I mean, I did go out "wearing" him in various carriers, but that's different.)

It wasn't until the middle of May, when baby was five and a half months old, that we broke it out for the first time. Note the plastic still on the handles in the first photo.

Breaking out the stroller, the UPPAbaby Vista, for the first time this past May

Delish's very first stroller ride (he was five and a half months)

As you may already know, we registered for the UPPAbabby Vista. My mom and G's mom went in on it together. I'm embarrassed to say that it wasn't a value purchase. At almost $700, it's a substantial commitment.

For us, the selling point was the solid construction. But that meant a heavier stroller - not good for city dwellers. Perhaps it's just another reason we didn't break it out until *after* we moved out of the city. (Ironically, it was also when we went downtown for a little visit a couple of months after our move). I can't imagine lugging this thing up a flight of stairs. At around 25 lbs, it is not easy to carry. Having said all that, we LOVE it.

The second point was the cargo space. The basket below the stroller is large and can accomodate our big diaper bag along with other things. The handle telescopes, so it's perfect for couples like us where there's a substantial height differential. It also has large wheels that provide a smooth ride. We push it across bumpy, broken sidewalks, across grass and gravel - you name it - and it feels smooth.The Citymini - a close contender, and very nice option - felt rickety in comparison. But at a fraction of the price and weight, you can't lose if you live in the city.

Another great thing about the Vista is all the configurations. The seat sits high up; it can face the front or the back; tilts at the center; has a variable foot rest; comes with a bassinet (at the recommendation of Fay - shhhh, don't tell anyone - we used it as an additional sleeping bassinet the first few weeks he was home); and finally can adjust for a RUMBLE SEAT for a second child (not that we're planning on that -but a nice to have).

Smooth ride over bumpy city sidewalks

The canopy on the stroller is great; it also comes with a clear, plastic rain guard. But for extra sun protection, we LOOOOOVE to drape the muslin swaddle blankets from Aiden and Anais over the top. They're breathable and airy, so there's no worry of baby getting overheated or suffocating. (But I don't like using them as swaddle blankets so much, as in my experience they come undone too easily, and a couple of times baby was all twisted up in it - kind of dangerous.)

This is in Logan Circle park in our old neighborhood - just had to throw in this picture. He was so little!!!!

The second stroller: the UPPAbaby G-Luxe umbrella stroller. Look how big Mr. Delicious is now!

So about that SECOND stroller. Apparently, after baby is a bit larger, you should consider getting a travel or umbrella stroller. That is, something that folds up like an umbrella for short little jaunts - something you leave in the car. We are UPPAbaby fans. G had been keeping an eye out for sales on the internets and offers on Craigslist. Sure enough, two weeks ago there was post for a brand new UPPAbaby G-Luxe, still in the box and we got it for $40 off the retail price of $190. Did I mention it was still in the box?

It's awesome at just 11 lbs. You're probably wondering why we just didn't get this in the first place. Well, it's not an infant stroller. It's best for babies who are at least three months old. Now, had we known we wouldn't use the Vista until Delish was five months, then maybe. But then again, this thing is JUST for quick trips and travel. I don't think it'd be comfortable for the little guy to ride in this across town. Anyway, it's nice to have in the car. It has a couple notable features, including fully reclining seat, stands when folded and is the lightest full-size umbrella stroller in the US.

We used it for the first time today when we went to visit a friend in the hospital. It's very convenient and seems comfortable for Delicious...at least indoors on smooth floors!

I never, EVER, wanted to spend this much on strollers. Thankfully, we have generous family members and great deals can be had on Craigslist.

What kind of stroller do you have, and what do you like about it? Please share.

First Dip in the Pool

2011-07-31T21:44:00.002-04:00

It's been miserably hot here all month. Record high temperatures for July - a fact made all the worst by my head cold. I feel like I'm suffocating doubly from the heat and the congestion. But what can you do?

So this weekend, as Congress was working hard (and still is as I write this) to come to some sort of resolution for the debt ceiling, we went to G's parents' to go swimming. They were away, so we had the pool all to ourselves.

It was my first time in a bathing suit since last summer, before Delicious was born. I still need to lose about 10 pounds. The body changes after having a baby. It shifts and the weight is distributed in weird ways. It's all in the middle, upper arms and thighs now. Thank goodness one pieces and tankinis are in. I got this mix and match job from Target. I think it was under $25 for both.

Thank goodness for tankinis

We didn't plan on putting Delicious in the water, as he didn't have swim trunks/diapers. But it just so happened that after drinking his bottle poolside, he did a big poo-poo. After we cleaned him up, G suggested we just dip him in the pool for good measure. Boo-boo's first pool experience!

A little unsure at first

There was a shady corner, so I handed him to G, sans clothes, save for a hat. As you can see, Delicious was a bit unsure, but soon got used to it. He loved it!

Skinny dipping is so fun!

How was your weekend?

Eight Months: Almost There!

2011-07-29T21:42:00.001-04:00

Good morning!

Delicious is eight months old today! He's so close to crawling and walking...at once! He loves to tuck his knees under his belly and rock back and forth as he tries to reach towards things. He is really confident in the steps he takes as we hold him up by his arms, moving super fast. It's hilarious. All day long, he wants to walk. Anywhere. Everywhere. He pumps his legs when he's in our arms to be let down to go, go, go!

Almost!

I walk fast!

We've also found that he loves picture books, and prefers them to toys. When given the choice, he reaches for the book. It's funny, the only time he sits still is when we read to him. Even funnier, he'll calm down and listen intently if we recite him "Good Night Moon" even without the actual book. Interesting!

I <3 books!

He also sits fully upright without support now. I seriously contemplated the Bumbo chair, but decided not to get it after all because a) I already bought the Excersaucer and didn't want a redundant item; b) Delicious is very active, and I was scared he'd tip over in it; and c) at 20-something pounds, I think he's too large for it. So we just kept sitting him up in the middle of the bed or floor, spreading his legs into a "V" shape for balance. And in no time, he got the hang of it!

His bottom teeth are almost all the way in, and it looks like the top two will soon come in. He's sleeping through the night, still. But I've heard that the top teeth are very painful, so he may have trouble sleeping in the next few months. Fingers crossed that he'll sleep through it.

The coolest development by far is his ability to imitate! He now shakes his head if we shake our heads. And he's starting to imitate sound like 'kuh'. I was saying "clean, clean, clean" while giving him a bath, and he started saying, "kuh, kuh, kuh." SO NEAT!

Delicious' Room

2011-07-26T16:06:00.006-04:00

My friends! It's been too long. Thank you for your thoughts about Bear. I miss him, but know that it was the right decision.

We've been busy with just the day to day. Last weekend we went back down to Ikea to buy stuff for Delish's room. With only about a month until we move in to our new house, we're doing all the preparation purchases. Here's a little glimpse of the items we purchased (or plan to).

**NOTE: There is a voluntary recall on the Ikea Sniglar cribs (similar to the Somnat that we purchased). The issue is the bolts under the mattress support. If you have the Sniglar or any other Ikea crib for that matter, check to make sure the bolts extend beyond the nut. If they do not extend longer than the nut, there is a chance it might come undone and the support could collapse, posing a suffocation hazard. (Thankfully ours are the correct bolts.) Double note! Ikea USA no longer carry cribs on their website.

Delicious' Room by pcolquet on Polyvore.com

Good Night, Bear

2011-07-07T23:40:00.000-04:00

It was an unusually quiet morning. On any given day, I'd wake around 5:30 to a babbling baby or my dog, Bear, barking to be let out. This morning, I looked at the clock and it was 6:15. Delicious was still asleep. Bear was, too. Typically I'd be happy for the extra 45 minutes of sleep and the peaceful quiet. But this was a sad morning.

There was no barking. Bear laid in the same spot he was in 12 hours earlier. He couldn't move, except maybe a few inches. I could hear him stirring in the night, his nails sweeping the floor. The evening before he had great trouble walking, his thin legs trembled as he struggled to stand. He couldn't muster up the energy to go out. But he held it. Even when in so much agony, he was such a good boy. I tried to help him by lifting him, but he yelped and nipped at me because of his soreness. I fed him bits of luncheon ham that I know he's not supposed to have, but he loved. He ate it out of my hand, seeming to enjoy it. I'm glad he did because I think he otherwise felt incredible pain.

The back story, as some of you may know, is that last fall he had developed a terrible skin condition that was the manifestation of an enlarged liver. Given his age, we decided to not do any invasive medical interventions, and just give him as much comfort as possible. I expected it would be a matter of a few weeks before he'd pass. I purchased Sam-E liver supplements to give him with his food. Months went by, and he seemed to do well. His hair grew back some, he had a good appetite, barked, enjoyed going out (though he could no longer run).

Yesterday evening I heard my mom--who had been urging me to put him to sleep for a couple weeks--talking to him. She said something about his not being able to stand. I had just gotten home from work and was feeding Delish in his room. Then G came in and told me Bear was having trouble getting up. I knew--finally had to face the fact--that this was it. I cried without even seeing him, knowing that the time had come. I had put off the inevitable, convincing myself that the dog wanted to live, and had much life left in him. Just that morning he was barking and begging for table scraps.

But his listlessness and trouble walking was a clear sign it was time. Every once in a while he'd lift his head up, perhaps an attempt to get up, but then let it fall down again. He had lost a lot of weight in the past couple months. His head felt boney, the healthy fat and life gone. But he ate well; he just wasn't metabolizing the food. So I called the vet last night and made an appointment for this morning to put him to sleep. It was scheduled for 9:30. G and I took part of the morning off. We had planned to put him on a blanket to carry him out to the car.

I went about the usual routine of changing the baby, feeding him and playing with him for a bit. I went check on Bear occasionally. I gave him more ham, which he still enjoyed gently. I cried knowing that it would be his last meal. He perked up a bit after that. I opened the door to see if he could go out. He struggled with all his might, and got up and went. He clearly had been holding it all night. It seemed that getting up and walking around, made him feel better. I watched him in the yard. I had hope that maybe last night's episode was just a passing thing. So did G. He kept asking me if I really wanted to do it. My mom was encouraging me to have mercy on the dog and put him out of his misery. I let him out to walk freely to the front yard and the driveway. He looked like he had more energy. It was an agonizing decision, because his eyes were still bright and he still enjoyed his food.

He walked around and came to me and put his head under my hand to be petted. He wanted to go back inside, but I knew that if I let him in, he'd probably go back to laying down, and we'd have to carry him out for sure. So I had a good cry as a sat on the front stoop and petted him for a while. Then I put his leash on him and walked him to the car. He was always such a good dog and rode well in the front seat. It was like old times, and he got in, with much trouble, but he tried really hard. He ended up just sitting on the floor of the front passenger side.

We got to the vet's office and he had a lot of trouble getting out, but again was so obedient and tried his hardest. It was awful watching him try to get out of the car, but he made it. And then he could barely walk up the three stairs, falling, and having to start over. Though it broke my heart to see, it just made it more clear that it was time.

We were one of the first appointments of the day. Only one person sat in the waiting room. Lucky guy was probably waiting to pick up his pup after getting kenneled or something. I told the receptionist that I was there for the 9:30 appointment for Bear. She looked at me with pity and said sorry. That just made it all the worse. We were put in room #3 where there was a box of tissues at the ready. It all went pretty quickly. Apparently, there was a mass on his liver and it had grown. The vet assured us that it was definitely time.

G's dad, who is a dog lover, once said that we often hold on to our animals longer than we should...

Happy 4th!

2011-07-03T14:08:00.000-04:00

Celebrating Independence Day with a visit to Mr. Jefferson's University (where I went to graduate school)

Happy 4th of July!

Rewind: Two Year Anniversary (Cotton and Delicious)

2011-06-30T23:10:00.006-04:00

It's been over a month since we enjoyed our second (cotton!) anniversary! It was a quiet, SWEET, and low-key weekend spent back at the Homestead and surrounding county. Delicious came along to help us celebrate! I want to post something before too much time passes, and I forget the details and give up writing about it (like the babymoon, birth story, and night nurse posts). So here I am doing a diligent rewind.

Before we got married, we'd go on long weekends down to this beautiful part of Virginia. Just over three hours from DC, Bath County is a really nice, easy getaway from the frenetic pace of the city. If you're ever looking for a little pastoral therapy, why not try Bath and surrounding counties in Virginia? The Allegheny mountains are magnificent!

Clockwise: Back to the Homestead again for the third year in a row; last year (I was three months pregnant and would announce that weekend); our wedding day two years ago

Pit stop: Staunton, Virginia

On the way down, we stopped in Staunton. When I was growing up, Staunton had a reputation for white supremecist activity. These days it's known as a beautiful, sleepy historic town with antique shops and more cosmopolitan attractions, including great restaurants, like Staunton Grocery. At the recommendation of Mary and Ryan, we tried out the gastronomic surprise. They have a really nice wine list and the food is a sophisticated, yet down-to-earth modern interpretation of Southern cuisine (e.g. herbed hushpuppies with bacon butter and chicken confit bbq!!!!). We celebrated with lunch, real vintage Champagne and some nice local asparagus with coddled egg, moules frites, and oyster poboy.

Mmmm

Next stop: Inn at Gristmill Bed and Breakfast in Warm Springs

We spent the first night at a local favorite. Just a mile from Hot Springs and the Homestead, the Inn at Gristmill Square is a very quaint group of guest houses and rustic rooms--a departure from the more commercial Homestead resort. We love it, and have made friends of the locals of the little town of Warm Springs, including Ryan and Mary, as well as Barbara of the Warm Springs Gallery. We each got an amazing massage at the Warm Spirit Spa (better and less expensive than what you can get at the Homestead) from one of two sisters who operate their independent practice at the Inn. The combination of Swedish, deep tissue, and hot stone massages was one of the best massages I've ever had. I highly recommend. We spent the late afternoon sipping wine, which we brought, on the porch of the spa house. Idyllic.

Scenes from the Inn

Barbara and G catch up; Maggie, Barbara's dog, on the porch of the Warm Springs Gallery; Delicious having his lunch in the gallery (after which we had to change his very full diaper...right there next to the artwork)!

Wine and rocking chairs on a porch in the country with nothing to do except...rock. Sweet.

The Inn also has a great little country restaurant that we love for its rustic but elegant fare. Every time we're in town, we have a meal there. The neat thing is that the place changed ownership just a couple months ago. I didn't really pay attention, but we were seated by a young woman, Kate Loeffler, whom we met two years ago. She recognized us from our wedding, as she was one of the sales reps at the Homestead who worked with us. In the couple of years since we last saw her, she had moved to another resort and then returned to buy the Inn with her husband, John. I love that this young, energetic couple bought the place and are starting to make some great changes, while still keeping the spirit of the place. For example, the Inn has this great wine cellar (literally an old root cellar), where you can pick from their selection. With John, who was the beverage manager at the Homestead, at the helm, the selection has grown and is now fantastic. They even started using real wine glasses, rather than just one-size utility goblets. Small but important details.

The food was great, as usual. G had the lamb, and I had a little filet. It was an interesting challenge to have dinner with Delicious in tow. He's on a schedule of eat, bath, sleep which starts at 7-ish. We pushed that a little, and he was good watching us eat for the most part. (I can't wait to give him a taste of real food.)

Dinner at the Gristmill is always nice (in a cozy sort of way). Bonus now that 1) Delicious got his first experience of it and 2) The new ownership knows what they're doing! Love the country plates and Delicious's expression

They also offer a cute little breakfast that they bring to the room in a basket. The guest rooms are in need of updating, but they're relatively inexpensive. We brought along the Pack n' Play, and Delicious slept well without complaint. (We were really unsure about how he would do on this, his first trip.) I guess the smell of home was still in the sheets.

Homemade biscuits and muffins; Delicious enjoying his Pack n' Play; breakfast delivered in a basket!

Backroads: Douthat State Park

After our one-night stay at the Inn (a Christmas gift from G's parents), we did some exploring of the county. G's dad lent him a guide to Virginia's back roads, and we found Douthat State park. It opened in 1936 and has some of the most breathtaking views in the area, and features a large lake for fishing, swimming, and boating. It's voted one of America's top ten best parks, with a neat little restaurant that offers southern/local treats like fried pickles (!) and sweet tea.

Destination: The Homestead

Our final destination was the Homestead. Our second year celebrating the anniversary at the place we were married. (Read about the first year here.)

The room was nice. Bonus that we got the second night free! (The resort is offering a lot of these discount packages lately.) As I walked into the room, there were Amnesia roses waiting on an end table. G surprised me once again, as he did last year, with the same flowers I carried down the aisle. So sweet. These unusual roses always take me back to that day. I love them!

The side view of the Homestead--a gambrel roof like our house ;) ; our room; Amnesia roses; scene of the surprise

We had dinner in the main dining room that night...with Delicious, of course. There's nothing like formula bottles and a stroller to up the class and romance! I had the mountain trout (the same as I had on the wedding day) and G had the Rib Chop. These days, after being acquired by the big ClubCorp, the resort management has made some changes, including the addition of a "new classics" section to the menu. They also painted the previously yellow dining room a grey-purple and styled it in a lot of mirrored, neo-art-deco fashion. I don't like it, but apparently, KSL/ClubCorp know how to run a resort and business is good.

We went for a walk around the grounds afterward. It's such a lovely place, especially in the Spring when everything is so green and in bloom.

Dinner scene; mountain trout, rib chop; after-dinner stroll along the grounds; Delicious in the ~~wine carrier~~ stroller

The next day, we walked around some more and stopped by our wedding site in the garden. Sigh! We also ran into Esme, our coordinator. She's part of our story, practically, so it was nice that she got to meet Delicious. Full circle.

The garden where we were married; Esme, our wedding coordinator with Delicious

Then we spent the rest of the day hanging out with Ryan and Mary at their Memorial Day trout cookout and then came back to the hotel room and had some special wine...from our wedding. G went to great lengths to reserve several of the bottles (which he had hand picked and arranged for the wedding). Delicious watched tv as we relaxed. We skipped the annual Memorial Day cookout (it's kind of a zoo and pretty expensive), opting to watch it from our room and order room service, as we opened our gifts to each other. The second anniversary is cotton. I got G cotton embroidered pocket squares and G got me a cotton apron, handmade by Etsy seller, Pamwares! Love it--the fabric is Ikea pattern Fredrika!

Two years!

Seven Months: All sorts of stuff!

2011-06-29T19:13:00.004-04:00

Hello! Delicious is seven months old today!!! He is literally a bouncing baby boy--loves to bounce! He also has two bottom teeth; likes to suck on his toes, hold his own bottle (grabbing it as if to say, "gimme that!" is hilarious), and continues to roll over--now both front-to-back and vice versa (which makes me slightly concerned about him sleeping and rolling over onto his face, but he seems to manage breathing just fine). It's something new every day.

It's a little late, but he's finally also sitting! Sidenote: I was really considering the Bumbo chair, but ended up just getting one of those Exersaucer "stationary walkers," which serves the purpose of both getting him upright (and off his back--don't want him to have a flat head) and as a place to feed him (the damn Ikea high chair broke the first week we had it).

We started him on rice cereal two months ago, in the bottle, but it was making him constipated. Then two weeks ago, we started giving him oatmeal cereal from a spoon. It was so funny to watch him try to make sense of the texture!

They say to wait as close to six months as possible before starting solids, so you can monitor allergies. We switched to the oatmeal at the advice of the pediatrician. It's apparently less binding. We also tried out some organic mashed peas from the fantastic Sprout line. But he immediately showed an allergic reaction with watering eyes and inflamed cheeks and lips. Even his nose, where the peas rubbed off was red. Poor guy! So it might be a legume (e.g. peanuts, lentils, etc.) allergy. Sigh. I don't think it's the processing or the brand. It's most likely the ingredient. I think we'll try the roasted squash this weekend. Starting babies off with vegetables rather than fruit is key, as you don't want to get them accustomed to sweetness first and rejecting everything else!

This month has been so fun and his personality is really coming through!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-20T12:49:00.008-04:00

Did you do something special for the father(s) in your life yesterday?

Father and Son (Memorial Day weekend at the Homestead)

*****UPDATE: Pictures below*****

G is such a good sport with so much patience...on top of being a great dad and husband.

It was his first Father's Day. Poor dear, I think it could have been better! We met wonderful internet friends, Felicia and Rob downtown for the first time and had some coffee. They also took some photos of us! That was super nice. But unfortunately, it was an unnecessarily shitty drive into the city, as all the streets were blocked off. DC--you suck sometimes. Totally frustrating. I felt bad (for him and Felicia and Rob who had to wait 45 minutes, walking around in this crappy heat and humidity).

Felicia and Rob (THEY ARE SOOO TALENTED AND GENEROUS) with Delicious

With the lovely and svelt Felicia

LOVE Rob & Felicia's work! Thank you, guys!

Then we went to G's parents for lunch. I made an iron-on onesie for Delicious with his name on it, and the exact same for G...but a t-shirt with Delicious' name on it...and added "Big" to it. As in "Big [Delicious]" (instead of little G, get it?). We got his dad a bird feeding book, since that's his new thing. Really cute. Small little gestures, but hopefully meaningful.

G and his dad tried to watch some golf, but poor G kept getting interrupted. All he wanted for Father's day was just to watch a little friggin golf. In peace. No such luck. He's such a good sport; he took it all in stride. (Next year will be more relaxing and more of your day, G! Promise.) But hopefully, his first Father's day was still special, though.

First Teeth!!!!!!

2011-06-15T09:03:00.005-04:00

Quick milestone post: Teeth!

You can see the shape of the two front bottom teeth under his gums

Delicious has been waking in the middle of the night on and off for the past couple of months. We suspected it was probably him teething, as he's been drooling like a dog for months now. And sure enough, we saw two teeth trying to break through (it's hard to capture on camera)!

On closer inspection, you can see the teeth (well, only one tooth is visible in this photo) breaking through the surface

I was anticipating a terrible time of it (maybe that's still coming?), but teething has not been horrible. At the risk of sounding like a STFU parent, Delish has a very good disposition. So it's obvious when he's feeling uncomfortable, as he just looks kind of sad and , of course, cries. Yet, he's easily soothed by walking around outside or ceiling fans, just anything distracting. I feel sorry for the little guy because he's also constipated-- maybe from starting solid foods (a subject for another post). Despite the teething pain and the broken poop machine, he still manages smiles and playing.

Note: we have not used Orajel or any Benzocaine products. Apparently, they can be dangerous resulting in a rare but serious condition called methemoglobinemia. So we just give him teething toys and things to chew on.

SMILEstone!

Trout Picnic

2011-06-09T17:17:00.072-04:00

I've been MIA for a little bit. It's so hard to blog on the aircard that I use while living with my mom. (Sidenote: the house is scheduled to be done a month early!!!) But I digress.

I've got a ton of pictures from our anniversary weekend that I'd like to share. But to segue from Delicious' six month birthday post, here are the rest of the photos of that lovely, lovely afternoon spent with our dear friends, Mary and Ryan (whom we spent the same anniversary weekend last year!), the Sunday of the three day-weekend we were in Hot Springs*. They know how to live well. And by well, I mean, simply and elegantly.

They invited us to a little Memorial day cookout on Fassifern farm, on the edge of the Jackson River. They had fished the morning of and Ryan grilled up the trout. It was such a beautiful spread. Mary is an incredible gourmand (and also runs the new farmer's market in Hot Springs). There was Hank, the dog, who liked to hunt rocks in the river, friends visiting on horseback, and even a bald eagle! Such natural beauty in Bath County. I'm so glad that we've established friendships here.

It was Delicious' first picnic, first river, first nap under the trees. We want more of this life for him as he grows.

*For those who haven't been following since my wedding blog days, Hot Springs is the town where the Homestead resort (where we were married and where we've been spending our anniversaries) is located. Throughout the years, we've made friends with locals in the county, including Ryan and Mary.

Six Months: Abooooo!

2011-06-01T14:33:00.005-04:00

Thank you all for your nice words for our anniversary. Days are long, but years are short, they say!!!!
**************

Delicious turned six months old this past Sunday--the day before our anniversary. We were down at the Homestead for the long weekend, and it was his first big trip. He slept well in his Pack n' Play the first night and just as well in the hotel-provided (CUTE) roll away crib the remaining nights.

Crankypants slept well after getting used to the crib at the Homestead. They say to provide baby with something that smells like home (either a blanket or soft toy). He's trying to soothe himself by eating his toy here.

He is getting so big. Yesterday we were at the pediatrician's office and he weighed in at almost 20 pounds. He's in the 75%-tile across the board (weight, height and head circumference). This month he rolled all the way over, loves to blow raspberries, is incredibly dexterous (has been trying to hold his bottle since he was three months old, and now can fully hold it on his own). He refuses to sit in his tub, and stands up, holding on to the sides of his bucket and leans against its side. He loves to say "Aboo, aboo!" and does these funny barking sounds.

Strong enough to hold the bottle on his own

For his 1/2 year birthday, we happened to spend a magnificent afternoon along the Jackson river, eating fresh trout and enjoying the beautiful view. I dipped his feet in the river and he slept under the trees. Not a bad way to celebrate, huh?

The good life: sleeping under the trees next to the river

Drive-by Hello: Two Years

2011-05-28T23:21:00.002-04:00

Happy weekend! We're away, back down at the Homestead celebrating our 2nd anniversary. This time last year, I was exactly three months preggo, and we made the same trip. The year before that, it was our wedding. Time flies!

Weekend: Town & Country (Or Old Neighbors and Luckett's Market)

2011-05-24T20:27:00.003-04:00

It was a nice, warm weekend. We met up with our former neighbors (Generous Jen and family) for brunch back in the old neighborhood at our favorite haunt, Cafe Saint Ex. Babygirl S is so tall now!!! Last time we saw them was the weekend before our move. Seems so long ago (Delicious was barely lifting his head back then). (It's been three months.)

We had a nice time catching up. For some reason Delicious started crying when he was being held by our friends. I think he's getting a bit of stranger anxiety. Funny thing, crying is contagious. Once he started, so did Babygirl S! I somehow remember doing the same thing as a child. Sympathy crying, maybe? It was also fun to see the dads and their strollers.

Life as parents includes adjusting one's concept of dining

Generous Jen and Delicious (before the tears)

Consoling our crying children

Saint Ex's signature fried green tomato BLT

Men with strollers!

On Sunday we drove out to the country to an AWESOME brocante (vintage/antique/flea) market called the Old Luckett's Store. They were having their annual Spring Market on the grounds of the shop and it was FANTASTIC. If you've read my wedding blog, you know I love this kind of stuff.We found some GREAT things, namely, industrial galvanized steel trays (great for serving outdoors or for holding stuff in the kitchen), a tin watering can, and an INCREDIBLE farm table made of salvaged wood. It was an absolute steal at $495. It's 10 feet long, perfectly and authentically distressed (i.e. weathered and old) and will be perfect for everyday family dining (read: child proof).

Source

Market scenes

Beautiful vintage typewriter

Lovely, redesigned chest of drawers. Love the chevron stripes and punchy yellow knobs

G, making the table purchase

Our prized find: A 10' long farm table for the kitchen. The base is circa 1940s and the top is 12" wide vintage pine plank, probably flooring

Hot, fresh potato chips; hot, not-so-fresh Mr. Delicious (it was a very warm day)

It was a nice weekend and so much fun!

House Progress

2011-05-19T13:11:00.089-04:00

I've been remiss. About progress on the house. The builders have been very productive, and we've been working diligently with them to choose the finishes and elements that we want. Every weekend we stop by to take a look.

The latest progress: pillars and stones

The architect came by the other weekend to see his work come to life, and remarked about how pleased he was that it's a "four-sided house"--meaning the home looks correct and symmetrical on all four sides, every side being just as important as the other (not just the front). How many times have you seen a great house that looks nice from the front, but the sides and the back look like utilitarian afterthoughts?

If you've been following our home search, we started looking last year while our condo was still on the market. We knew we wanted three things:

1. A single family home that is
2. Architecturally thoughtful with
3. Mature trees

The project is called "in-fill". As I've mentioned, it's when you buy an existing property (ostensibly for the lot), tear it down and fill-in with a new structure. This type of home-buying is very popular now. Apparently people no longer want the cookie-cutter McMansions on tightly spaced, tree-less lots. Customization and green space are key elements.

The original house

Raised

Basement forms

Framing up

Roof on

Windows and pillars in, roof shingles on

The property is a corner lot in a quiet, older neighborhood with beautiful mature trees. The modest ranch-style house that sat on the lot was owned by one person for the better part of 50 years before we leveled it. The plans were already in place when we embarked on the engagement with the custom builders. They had spec'd the lot for stylized Dutch colonial, which the architect they commissioned with designed after an historic home called Windover (in our town about a half mile away). Needless to say, ours is a muuuuuch more scaled down version of Windover.

The historic inspiration circa 1906 (extensive reno in 2004)

What are the elements you want in your forever house?

We Time

2011-05-17T23:22:00.001-04:00

With Delicious' schedule well-established, and our feeling a little more ourselves (i.e. more relaxed), we got in a little "we time" by way of lunch last week. Given that we're still relative newlyweds (two year anniversary at the end of the month), it's important to nurture the relationship.

G and I work just a few blocks from each other downtown. We hadn't been out to a real restaurant, just the two of us, in quite a while. So we met for lunch at one of our favorite spots, Poste. Going out to a nice lunch is one alternative to date night if you can't get away or a sitter! (And it's cheaper than dinner at the same restaurant!)

Completely unrelated sidenote: With the exception of a few key items, most of our clothing is in storage while we're camping at my mom's. We recently rotated items from our closet and the storage facility for the warmer weather, and I pulled out this vintage dress.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T23:21:00.002-04:00

To all the moms and moms-to-be, hope you had a great day!

My first Mother's Day was sweet and low key. G took me and my mom to brunch. It was great except for the elderly hostess at the club who kissed the baby...ON THE MOUTH. Another lady pawed him on her way out. I don't consider myself a neurotic or nervous mom, but I really do not like older ladies touching Delicious. They have weird notions about what is appropriate for babies and children, and it typically involves liquor as a salve, germy lips on the face or dirty, arthritic fingers in the mouth. Really? (Sorry, had to get that out.)

The rest of the day was nice. G went for a walk with Delicious as I napped (because when G asked what I wanted as a gift, I said a bucket of sleep). I enjoyed the afternoon playing with Baby, and some quiet moments feeding him, smelling his babyness. It was a nice day topped off with a really sweet card from G and a bouquet of flowers that perfume the whole house!

Sometimes I can't believe I'm a mom

So delicious

Blog Party!

2011-05-06T07:44:00.001-04:00

The lovely and cool (not to mention very talented) Vanessa of Little Gray Pixel was kind enough to invite me to write for her blog party today!

Go over and take a look! Along with some of my very favorite bloggers and some great giveaways, you can view my post at 3pm PST. Enjoy!

Five Months: Roll-y Poll-y, Cheap-chic, and Handmade

2011-04-29T10:14:00.011-04:00

Oh baby! Delicious is five months old today! He is an active, good baby and seems to grow over night! He's starting to make 'b' consonant sounds, loves to grab and hold things, kicks, and screams with glee! He's also rolling to his side a lot. I'm sure soon he'll be going all the way over. Speaking of rolls, big boy has rolls everywhere. Cute, but the folds of skin can also get red and irritated.

Roll-y poll-y (hand-me-down onesie from girlfriend, Baby L)

A note on skin: Babies have really sensitive skin (bien sur). And Delicious has a bit of ecsema on his belly and a fungal infection under his neck from all the drool and wetness that gets trapped there. He also has irritation in the folds behind his knees and under his arms. Doctor says to put powder on those areas. We use 100% corn starch. I wasn't keen on it because Delicious may breathe it in, but I'm careful to blot around the area afterwards with a wet towel or wipe. For the fungal infection under his neck, Lotrimin is amazing. After two weeks of use, it's healed. We try to keep it clean and dry and apply the cornstarch there now. For the ecsema, per our pediatrician's instruction, we mix equal parts of Hydrocortizone 1% and Eucerin cream. (By the way, you save a ton of money by doing this yourself. My SIL paid like $100 for a small tub of the same mixture.)

Other than the minor and typical skin irritation, he is healthy and happy. He had been experiencing a bit of the wakefulness a couple weeks ago. I think it's due to him being more alert and starting to teeth (he's drooling like crazy!), and outgrowing his bed. So, as I mentioned, we got him the crib (the Pack n' Play served us well for almost five months). He is sleeping wonderfully now. It may be a function of both the new bed and just getting over that stage. I honestly think his sleep training also helps him self-soothe back to sleep. He often wakes up early in the morning, but lays there just cooing and playing by himself. (Don't get me wrong, he does have his fitful moments, and those are when he's sleepy in the afternoon or right before he goes to bed at night. But once he is put down, he needs little to fall asleep.) Anyhoo, the crib was $99 and the basic mattress (which is soft, but firm and very nice) was only $35. Seriously, why spend more than this? And it comes in vibrant colors like lime green and ocean blue.

SOMNAT crib ($99); VYSSA SUMLER mattress ($34.99)

I'm really thinking that vibrant colors are the way to go for Mr. Delicious' room in the new house (and for his clothing). I really like the Scandinavian aesthetic in children's clothing. But it's sooooo expensive. Colorful and graphical equals $$$$$. So I've been looking at fabrics to make jumpers and stuff for Delicious. But I've also found that Carter's is working hard to be more fashion-forward. (Apparently, Carter's is the crap-line of children's clothing. However, they're really trying with their "Just One You" spin-off.) I do like that they're doing some large, graphical appliques and prints and bright (not necessarily primary) colors. Pastels out, vibrant in. (It's hard to find cute baby boy clothes.) I got this jumper from Target.com for $6.99.

(The hat is from, as I mentioned,sweet internet friend, Kasia and the shoes are hand-crocheted from Eileen who got them from Etsy seller, Pleasantlyplumpknits.)

Speaking of Scandinavian children stuffery, G picked up this basic, but fashionable-in-a-clean-spare-kind-of-way, and not too plasticky, highchair from Ikea. Its body is made of wood. The striped support cushion is great and only $4.99. The pillow is a lovely gift from internet friend, Felicia (who got the pillow from Etsy and we got it the week Delicious was born)! It's the perfect size for so many uses (so sweet that it has an embroidered 'S' on it). Here it serves as a back cushion. Baby is starting to sit up, but still needs help.

BLÅMES Highchair ($59.99); hand-me-down long johns from girlfriend, Baby L)

G and I are finally back on track and feel that we're really part of the living again. I tell you, the first few months of parenthood are rough. To those in the thick of it right now, know that it gets so much better and really wonderful in the coming months.

To all the lovely preggo friends Elyssa, Rubies and others, how are you hanging?

p.s. Sadly, Delicious is now fully off the boob machine.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T11:23:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I made Delicious an Easter hat out of an old t-shirt and some ribbon (I got the tutorial here). It was a scene out of a Christmas Story . We went to visit the home construction site and took my mom for her first visit there. (The roof is up!) God love her, she can be so incredibly frustrating sometimes, but at the end of the day, she is always happy for us and means well.

How pissed is this bunny?

A better hat: A very sweet gift from Kasia of Good Finking. We LOVE it!

We Miss Our Friends

2011-04-21T14:27:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned, Fay and J (and Baby L) came for a visit from Munich this weekend. We showed them the home construction site. We had lunch at a local eatery, Maple Avenue Restaurant (I think it will be our new neighborhood favorite). Went to the Natural History Museum. It was a blustery and rainy day, but we had good times laughing and catching up. Baby S and L met for the first time. All of us, sitting there around the table at lunch hammered home our new state of being: parents. "Can you believe it?" was the question of the day.

Seeing them made us miss them even more!

Together again

Rainy day at the home site

Maple Avenue Restaurant: 10 tables cute

Love the way L excitedly points. "Babybabybabyaby!"

"I'ma gonna touch you!"

This is what it'd be like to have two kids...

Contrasts

Fried cauliflower. YUM!

Bulgogi PITA? Yes, please. With kimchee sauce. A fusion that works.

Panko chick sandwich. With a toy. Because that's what happens...

My how fast they grow...little baby L is no longer a baby.

Delicious' first museum

Flowers

What a day for a visit. It poured as we left. As we were sitting in our car, waiting it out, Fay & J got drenched to come over to say goodbye. SADNESS. Sad to know that we'll only see them for a few hours once or twice a year.

See you in Munich next year, guys!

Another drive-by: House Progress

2011-04-20T10:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks, sweet ladies, for indulging me in my last post with your nice thoughts and words. You guys are the best!

Delicious slept well these past two nights and I'm feeling all refreshed. So hopefully, we're back on track. We've been visiting the house site almost every weekend, and have a ton of progress pictures. But the best are the ones our builder took Monday. The roof trusses were placed and the framing is almost complete! Very exciting!

Front

Side

Drive-by Hello: Meatballs and Baby Furniture

2011-04-18T10:51:00.004-04:00

I had never eaten an Ikea meatball until this weekend. I've avoided the place for years, but now I have a new appreciation. With its great prices and vibrant design, it's great for a child's room. And the meatballs are scrumptious!

The past couple weeks have been busy. Baby S (aka Mr. Delicious) has been waking up randomly every other night. It's the four month wakeful period, they say. This is when babies start becoming more aware and may be either teething or starting to roll over (or both, in Delicious' case). It's been sporadic, so I am not tearing my hair out...yet. Hope it passes.

He is busting out of all his clothes and the Pack n' Play that has been his bed since he was born is now sagging. We worry that it might be adding to his waking up. So we headed to Ikea this weekend to see what they had in terms of cribs.

I haven't been to Ikea in decades. I never knew that it was so family/kid-targeted. Brilliant in so many ways. Walking through the place, I was inspired. It's smart, economical, and stylish. Perfect for children's furniture. It's not just for your starter apartment anymore (or ever)! We didn't buy anything, but are definitely eye-ing some things, including this crib:

At $99 bucks and a cool lime green what's not to love?

We were first introduced to the smart, basic, yet totally stylish and functional crib via Fay and Josh* (who visited from Munich this weekend--more on that later). It was back in August of last year, when we visited them in Chicago and saw their nursery, that I knew that when it came time to buy a baby bed, Ikea would be the place to go. I just never knew how great it could be. Seriously, why spend a ton of money on baby junk?

(*As a sidenote, Josh is the CFO of a major American food brand's Euro region. He and Fay can buy anything, but they're also smart about money and have backgrounds in economics and finance. So....I'm taking a page out of their smart bargains playbook for sure.)

P.S. I just re-read this post, and clearly, sleep deprivation and its re-emergence has clearly effed up my writing. All kinds o stuff firing. Thanks for reading and pretending it's not retarded.

First Laugh

2011-04-07T16:33:00.000-04:00

He started doing it a couple weeks ago, but his laughter is rare. He will do it at random times. There is no sweeter sound...

I love at the end when he realizes the camera on him (he gets fixated on the camera or phone) and stops laughing as if to say, "Wait a minute, did I say you could film this?"