BB loves corporate finance!

Second lazy day in a row. I feel like we've been hibernating here in the apartment and I'm itching to get out and do something. Dave's been studying for midterms. As you can see from the photo, BB is trying to help out with corporate finance. I took this with the Nikon D70s (the one I have no idea how to use), and I got a few photos out of it that I am sort of pleased with. The sun was out but has been hiding behind some puffy, thick clouds the past half hour.

I've been trying to fight off a cold the past few days and I think I've finally got it under control. I napped an awful lot yesterday. I can't remember the last time I took two naps in one day! What else did I do? I made some strange tasting pasta (yuck) and a fantastic, juicy steak (yum). What is the key to a perfect steak? Sear it on both sides in a pan for 2 minutes a side then stick it in an oven at 450 degrees for 14 minutes. It was perfect!

I'm feeling so scatterbrained right now. Must get out and do something! Update on BB: She's is crawling less and less, walking more and more. It's adorable. Another thing she likes to do is bang on the bathroom door. Dave was finishing up his shower and BB walked over there to bang on the door. "Dada!"

She can say it!

Are you missing us?

Sorry, but I've been in some sort of blogging slump lately. I started a post days ago but never got around to/avoided finishing it. We've had many significant events happen since my last post:

1. We discovered two new teeth in BB's mouth coming in through the top gums.
2. BB started to feed herself! Seeing this always gets me excited and proud.
3. BB walked 13 steps -- the width of the hallway!
4. I finally sent out (most of) our Thank You cards for the birthday party.

We went out to the city yesterday to visit Wayne, Leslie, and the twins (even though the temperature was BELOW zero). I was kind of bummed that we didn't make it to neither the aquarium nor the science museum, but we still had a good time out (with the emphasis on OUT, as in AWAY from home). Wayne's pomeranian Boo Boo was much friendlier with BB this time, and BB enjoyed being licked to death.

So I'm sure there are many things that need to be done, but I'm feeling so scatterbrained today. I'm going to need to sit down and write out a list. Ughhhh. I'm trying to finish a cashmerino hat for BB since she's outgrown her purple one. This one is a berry color. Hopefully, I'll get it done by the end of the week.

And, since I didn't finish writing about Valentine's Day (the content of my abandoned post), I'll put it in a nutshell. I went out in the blizzard to get some wine and dessert for the dinner I was making (steak and asparagus, which Dave loves), but the liquor store rejected my license because it expired on my birthday! Yes, I know my birthday was back in December and I need to renew it ASAP, but I felt like an underage college student all over again! Luckily, when I called Dave, he had already bought some wine! I swear, we share the same brain. Dinner was nice, dessert was tasty (I got chocolate berry tarts from Whole Foods), and we ended the night by watching Lost in bed. The red tulips I got are pictured above, the dessert below. In a nutshell, a good night!

Amoxicillin Panini

I LOVE my new panini grill. My mom got it for Dave and me for Christmas and I finally took it out of the box yesterday. Tonight I made some pretty tasty paninis: italian bread, garlic sautéed baby asparagus, genoa salami, and mozzarella cheese. All those days of watching Everday Italian on the Food Network came in handy because I remembered to brush the bread with extra virgin olive oil, and voila, we have some pretty, golden toasted bread. Next time, I'm going to add more asparagus.

Update on BB: Kid had a tough day. We went to see Dr. Chang this morning and we were there for almost 2 hours. She did a urine culture and I took BB to the hospital to get blood tests done "STAT." It was so excruciating to watch the whole ordeal as a mom (it took awhile for them to find a vein and BB screamed the entire time). In a nutshell, BB has some sort of infection and we might have to see the doctor again tomorrow if her fever persists. For now, we're swimming in amoxicillin and Motrin drops. I'm not going to sleep well until this is all over.

My Brother is a Man!

Yesterday was my brother Matthew's 21st birthday. We celebrated at Max's Oyster Bar last night. When he bought a six pack of beer on the way to our mom's house, he didn't get carded. He also didn't get carded at dinner. Funny, huh? When you're underage and don't want to get carded, they always do -- BUT, the day you turn legal it seems nobody cares. The same exact thing happened to me when I turned 21. The first time I tried to order a drink at a lounge, I didn't get carded, and I was mad! Anyway, I hope my brother is not too hungover today. Happy Birthday, again, little bro. I still owe you a drink...and a birthday present (sorry).
I didn't take any of these pictures, but these were all taken with my brother's new Nikon camera. Some of the pictures he sent me turned out pretty well and I was amazed by the quality of some, but shhhh, I still like my "old" Sony Cybershot. Even if you have a super nice camera, you still need to pay attention to the light and angle. I just picked these because, aside from the first (which I chose because of the subject on the left and to show off the other subject's hat), they're kind of funny to me. This one above is of BB and our dog, Penny. BB is always interested in what Penny is up to, and Penny couldn't care less. In the one below, my mom claims that BB was intentionally trying to wink. I'm not so sure about that. I think she had something in her eye.
My mom and I made our own little plans for her birthday on Friday. She didn't want to do anything big. So, since BB and I will be the only ones around, I'm going to treat her to a nice all girls lunch at our favorite haunt, Iron Chef. We love their sushi. It's the best sushi I've ever had -- and I've eaten sushi at many different places. If you're ever in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, I highly recommend you try them.

After, we are going to get a Christmas tree. My mom was worried we wouldn't do it at all since everyone is so busy and it's hard to synchronize schedules. I know it's something she loooves to do every year, so I am going to take her and BB to pick out a tree. How are we going to get it into the house without the boys? I'll keep you all posted...

I'm not sick anymore! My appetite is back and no longer does my back ache like hell! Last night, Matt and I split a plate of raw oysters for an appetizer. I also had a salad and fried oysters. They were so good, I wish I could have them more often. Those and steamers. I want summer to come around again so I can have buckets of steamers. Here I go running away with ideas of food. It feels good not to be sick anymore, especially since it means I am able to take care of BB now. I felt so bad because I wasn't playing with her like I normally do, nor was I really up to anything else. I need to gain a few pounds, but I'm not worried since the holidays are here!

Before I Take a (mmm)Nap

Quick (I hope) update. I'm at my mom's at the moment with BB:
1. Because I've been sick.
2. We have some very important birthdays this week to celebrate here (a. my brother, Matt's; b. my mom's...did I use that semicolon right?).

I knew I needed to eat, but it didn't really hit me that that was the reason I was sick to begin with. One bad day can trip you up and then you don't have the time or energy to recuperate -- especially if you're a mom. No need to complain about it and go into details, but the bottom line is that you have to take care of yourself in order to take care of others. And let me just say that my mom got me a sandwich on Saturday when she came to pick us up. Food shock. My body felt surprised that it got a whole sandwich in one day. That bad.

Don't worry, though. Getting back on track. One thing about going home to your mom's is great food, and we had a nice fish dinner last night. Tomorrow, for Matt's 21st birthday (yahoo!), we're all going to Max's Oyster Bar. I definitely plan on ordering some raw and fried oysters + celebratory drinks. Yum, yum, yum.

I want to try to make a trip to Westfarms today to see if I can pick out a gift for him. I know it's late, but you can't really go out when body works like that of old, rickety lady. I have no idea what to get...but I do know of something I'd like to get for myself: my own Restoration Hardware chenille blanket. It is heavy + soft + goodness. I've bought them for many (my mom, my dad, etc.) as gifts but have not received on in return. Since I've been so cold lately, I am treating myself. I don't care that I've gotten no Christmas shopping done. (Don't worry, it'll get done.)

My darling can stand now (unassisted for around 5 seconds). She is a furniture cruiser and that is why I am glad she's napping now. I can't keep her on the bed anymore, she crawls over to the edge all the time. My hair is going to turn gray by the end of the year!
I wasn't going to post this last picture cause it looks kind of funny (right?), but as I examined it in iPhoto I realized her teeth are showing! The one on her right is the bigger one, and the left is just poking out. She loves when I wag my index finger in front of her mouth and ask, "Where's your tooth?" She smiles and opens wide for me to tap the tooth.

It makes me smile, too.

Sorry if this post was a little out there. Still not thinking straight. Must nap while BB is napping! Going!

Here's the mail, it never fails. It makes me wanna wag my tail.

The holiday season feels officially here for me thanks in part to the lovely little gifts people have sent. Yes, they're for BB...but it kind of feels like I'm a recipient as well. We just received this adorable little snowman clip from Tina at GiddyGiddy. BB is napping right now, but when she wakes up she's going to wear this so I can take a picture. The little scarf flaps! (Don't ask me how I know the lyrics to the Blue's Clues mail song...)

I just caught a segment on the evening news about 2006's Ten Worst Toys list. At first I was very interested, but then I saw how generic the toys were. Don't get me wrong, it's good (especially as a parent) to be aware of such things, but I've never seen some of these toys ever in my life. Fear Factor Candy Challenge? Nasty...

Dave is going to have dinner in town with his management teammates tonight, an early Thanksgiving dinner if you will. It's just BB and me for dinner, so I'm thinking I might have to take a drive up the road and check out Oga's Japanese. I never contemplated going there since it's in this lame little strip mall, but I read that it's actually very nice inside. Citysearch gave it a high rating and all the reviews were very positive -- and I have one major sushi craving. I was going to try Michi Kusa, which is closer, but some reviews online said people got food poisoned...and I don't think I'm game for that tonight...