A++ for effort!

Time to gush and go gaga. Sometimes, there's nothing sweeter than when your man comes home with a surprise gift for you -- especially when there is no occasion. When Dave came home last night carrying a shopping bag, I assumed he purchased something for himself (something he actually hasn't done since BB was born). When he said he got me a gift, my reply was, "Are you kidding?" I think I asked him that question at least five times, poor guy. He picked up Lacoste's new longer stretch pique polo. I've always loved quality polo shirts, but can rarely bring myself to splurge on them. He chose a great color that complimented my skin, a tropical green (not pictured), and it fits like a glove. Tempted to go and get it in another color, but I should really save my money. I'm still in shock when I think about it. What a nice surprise, and how sweet! In addition to his doing the dishes, vacuuming, and playing Mr. Mom, this is icing on the cake! I'm one lucky chick!

Daddy's Day Out

This post is a little late, but I've been so swamped with work that it had to wait til now. Saturday was Dave's birthday and we spent some family time together. I'll keep it brief since I have to get to bed as soon as I can. We drove into Boston and had breakfast and a little stroll in the North End. We found this little square covered in cobblestones we had never seen before, and we also passed Paul Revere's house.

Walking up and onto Hanover Street.

Dessert for breakfast. Yes, dessert! Plus, the best caffé mocha I've ever tasted in my life. Caffé dello Sporto.

Next, we trekked over to the aquarium for BB's first visit. I always love watching the penguins. They were getting a shower when we arrived.

Views of the gigantic center fishtank from the tippity top. Was so scared I'd lose hold of BB!

Standing on the ledge, watching the fish, sharks, and turtles go about their business.

Zoom!

After, we went to a diner in Cambridge for lunch and went home to pass out. It's difficult getting around town when you've got a little person in tow! Later that night, we went to the restaurant for Masaki's farewell dinner. I'm going to miss him so much. Will post pictures later. BB made a few new friends, particularly a little boy about her age. His mom and I exchanged contact info, so hopefully we'll be able to squeeze in a playdate or two. They had so much fun chasing each other around!

Yesterday I was so frazzled from running around all day preparing for a little surprise birthday dinner for Dave. New shoes, sushi from Samba, baking strawberry shortcake, lighting some candles, PLUS work. Forgot my wallet at the shoe store and didn't realize until 20 minutes later when I went to buy a platter at Crate & Barrel. Not a good feeling since my house and car keys, credit cards, license, and some git cards were all in it. Luckily, I retrieved it and all was well. Felt good to do something special for Dave, but too bad we were so exhausted by the time we sat down to eat.

Ok, now I've really got to get to bed! More posts and pictures to come soon!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Did I forget to mention Chinese New Year? It's the year of the Golden Pig (it's only "Golden" once every 60 years) and it's the first year I didn't really do anything for "CNY" as some have been calling it. When BB gets a little older and can understand it I'll definitely make a big deal of it, but it seems like Dave and I are perpetually exhausted these days.
I finally compiled a little album of photos for my Popo (Cantonese for maternal grandmother) who lives in Toronto. I'm so awful because I kept saying I was going to send pictures and didn't put in the effort to make time for this. It's a Noci brag book by Kolo with a little card stock tag message attached. Kolo has some great products and I hope Popo likes it (the pictures too!). You know what else I did? I renewed my driver's license! The picture is enough to scare your pants off and it cost a ridiculous $40, but I feel MUCH better now that I got it done.

I came across this website called Branch (via Design*Sponge). I love these bamboo pieces by Bambu. I'm really tempted since the prices are great...but I don't think our cabinet has any more room for bowls and such...(pout).
Lost is on tonight! American Idol, too. I watched the top twelve males last night. Umm...how was that Blake guy's version of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" deemed the best performance of the night? It sucked! Anyway, gotta go. BB pooped. Whoopie...

Be Mine

Happy Valentine's Day! We've been hit with a lot of snow today, but luckily Dave and I decided to celebrate over the weekend instead of today. I couldn't imagine going out in this weather! I got in touch with my inner-Martha yesterday and pumped out some Valentine goodies for Dave. Lately, I've been in bed by midnight (and if you know me, that's EARLY), but I stayed up until 3 am working on this and that. I'm pretty proud of these handmade cards and tags and plan to make these on several occasions and holidays.

I made this card with pink card stock and semi-translucent black paper and sandwiched a photo from BB's birthday in the middle. The pictures, again, aren't as good as they should be since there is no sign of the sun today. Boo!
This is a little gift "from" BB to her daddy. It's a bookmark, again used with card stock and the black paper. B&W photo of Dave and BB in the middle. I included little quotes found online. So simple and easy.Tags for Dave's gifts...of which I only have gotten half... The round tags are for some wine glasses I picked up, and the square is for a bottle of wine I have not purchased yet. And with the weather, it looks like that tag won't be adorning a bottle at all. Foiled.
I received some lovely red tulips and essential oils for Valentine's Day from Dave. I love the essential oils (he got me lavender and grapefruit/lemongrass) and all their uses. I read in the little pamphlet that came with them that lavender oils can be applied to wounds for fast healing and can be put in BB's bath to calm her down. The grapefruit/lemongrass is meant to awaken the senses. Pictures to come when we get some sun. I can't stand these dim pictures!!!

So BB and I are hanging out today. Should probably do some laundry. Definitely want to bake before Dave comes home -- maybe scones or banana bread...

How am I going to get that wine?!

Call Me Martha

I made a batch of the yarn snowflakes I saw on Martha Stewart's website. The idea was listed in the kids section of the site and I don't quite see how this project is kid-friendly...unless you're willing to have your entire house covered in Elmer's by the end of the project. It was definitely a sticky job and I don't think I'll be making anymore. Eight is enough. I even managed to get a glob of glue in my hair. They look cute, though, don't they?

Our tree is definitely baby-friendly. Save the lights, there is no glass on it at all. BB hasn't really tried to grab the tree at all, which I am very thankful for. What's also great is that it's not a prickly tree. The ends of the needles are all rounded. I wonder what kind of tree it is.
I've been trying to make a bunch of pom poms to attach to gifts for my family's party on Tuesday. I'm just going to bake some great chocolate chip cookies for the younger kids, package them, and attach a pom pom and/or paper globe (yes, more paper globes) to each. Us adults (I'm an adult now) are doing a yankee swap (which I thought would suck until my stepmom informed me of some of the AWESOME gifts that are in the running). Even though there's the swap, I'm hoping I can make some time to make some ornaments for my stepmom and favorite aunts. I know they'll appreciate that sort of thing. The globes are a cinch, but I have many more pom poms to make...

We got some new Netflix movies in the mail. I just finished watching The Devil Wears Prada, and, like the book, I wasn't too impressed. I don't think I even finished the book. So predictable and overrated. The fashion was fun to see in the movie and Meryl Streep was great (of course), but the differences between the book and the movie bothered me. How could they change the boyfriend's job from inner-city, do-good elementary teacher to a line chef? And what is the point of that? I am in love with Adrian Grenier, but come on. We also got the second Pirates of the Caribbean, but maybe I'll wait for Dave to get home from work in case he wants to watch it too.

I officially weaned BB off one bottle. We're down to three 7 oz bottles a day and we're up on solids. She's doing very well. I have it too easy with her. One of her new things is standing on one foot (while holding something, of course). She's pretty silly.

It's time for Bottle #2, so I'm going to run. Later!

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...

Reunion: Baby #2

Oh, Apple. You are in my arms once again. My laptop is almost like my second baby. I cannot live without it. Using someone else's computer is just not the same -- especially when it is a PC (yuck!). I have access to my iPhoto library so I can provide you with some decent photos. The sun came out for a little today, but I didn't have anything interesting to photograph.

My mommy (yes, I still call her "Mommy") came to visit today! She brought over some things I had left at her house last week (like Baby #2). It was so nice to see her and to be able to talk to her in person. She gave me some wonderful (and much needed) advice and I am so happy to have her in my life.

She also brought me this little treat: a J.Crew Wellesley cable sweater. I <3 deep v-necks.

A couple we met at Ginseng came to the restaurant again while I was there with my mom. They have a daughter, Jasmine (sp?), who is turning 1 next month. BB and her friend seemed to get along very well. We've been invited to Jasmine's birthday, which is in a few weeks. I'm getting excited since there aren't many social opportunities right now for BB and me. Am looking forward to meeting some other parents.

The couple (eek, I need to learn their names...) also informed Dave of the local daycare they use and like. I think I'm going to make an appointment to check it out and get on the wait list (ugh). I would definitely love to have some kind of outlet. I love BB to death, but this 24/7 deal sure takes a toll on me sometimes. I need to be more productive and explore more things. Isn't that what being in your 20s is all about?
On a final note, BB stood up with (little) assistance! She was sitting next to Dave on our bed and hoisted herself up using his hip for support. Kid really wants to stand.

BB: KozyPal Kid of the Month!!!

Yes, that's right! In August, I bought a KozyPal shopping cart cover from Melissa. I waited a long while (a month and a half!) to get it, but it was totally worth it. I was able to choose the fabric myself and the batting inside the cover is nice and cushy. On Halloween I took a picture of BB in it when we went to Whole Foods. I submitted that picture to KozyPal's monthly contest and now we've won a $20 gift certificate and the honor of having BB's picture on the homepage! That's my baby!

I was reading someone's blog about babies and accidents (meaning poop accidents). She described a situation as a "where do I begin" accident. We've had a few of those instances here in the past couple days. The other night, I took BB out of her highchair to find a huge lump of #2 clinging to the inside of her pants. I had just given her a bath. Dave had to help me as I undressed her bottom half in the bathtub and then washed it. Just an hour ago, I pulled BB out of her carseat when we got back home. I'm wondering why she was sweating so much because her back was soaked. It was soaked, alright...with #2...and Dave wasn't around this time to give me a hand.

I seriously think that handling these predicaments become a well-developed skill. How do you pull the onesie off without smearing anything on the baby's face? Do you take the shirt off first? Or the diaper? I also forgot to mention washing the #2 off of the garment by hand before you put it in the laundry. Motherhood should be featured on that show, Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel.

No pictures today. I've tried to take some, but none are worthy of posting since the sun has been absent the past few days. The package we received in the mail yesterday was an early Christmas gift for BB: this cute onesie from Dave's friend Jillian in California.
Thanks so much, Jillian, although we have never met. It was very thoughtful of you!

Dave and I had an early dinner (with BB in tow) at this little yakitori (Japanese BBQ) place in Brighton. I tried chicken hearts for the first time. They were chewy, but good. They didn't have a single highchair. That is just so strange to me. Not even one?! Since Dave has the longer arms, he held BB most of the time (while she tried to swat at everything on the table).

Anyway, I have to go and feed BB her dinner. Later, Grey's and the BABA WAWA (if you didn't get that, see previous post) blooper special will be on. Ta ta for now!