Post #90: I promise, I'm still here!

I sound like a broken record, but I've been so awful about coming here to update. Something about uploading pictures onto my computer and then incorporating them into a blog entry (let alone writing that entry) just seems so tedious. Sorry. I've really been wanting to update but have been too lazy to put it all together. I have the day off today, so here I am and I am determined to get back into this! Whoever is reading this probably doesn't believe I'll be back, but I'm trying!

Things have been getting crazy around here again, especially since I have begun to train for my new J-O-B. I think it smartest not to divulge too much about work here, but I will say that I've had a blast so far and if it is any indication of how work will be on a regular basis, then I am absolutely thrilled. I've met a lot of great people so far and I am excited to have some adult social interaction beyond home and family & friend life.

Since the weather has been so nice this month, Dave and I have been trying to get BB outside as much as possible, and we try to do it when all three of us are together (it gets difficult with his work, my work, daycare, being tired, etc.). This past weekend, we went into the city and spent time in the Public Garden, strolling around Beacon Hill, and checking out the India Day celebration going on at the Esplanade.

BB snacking on grapes and Goldfish. Dave brought his WSJ.

BB had a lot of fun pushing her stroller around the green.

Watching the ducks, geese, and swan boat.

BB + a scenic view of the Charles on the Esplanade.

The India Day celebrations were neat. There was also a lot of food and we had some tasty vegetarian samosa and an even better mango lassi (it was like drinking a mango). We spent the day just walking around the city that day. Basically, it was Dave and me asking each other which street we wanted to turn on next and we just went wherever. I had never walked to the top of Beacon Hill before (posh) and I realized there is still a lot of Boston I still have not seen despite living there for a few years. I think I restrict myself to Back Bay too much.

Tuesday, I had to run an errand in Newton and I had BB with me. On the way back home we stopped at a playground in Wellesley so BB could play and have some fresh air. I wish I had some friends who had babies too, because something like this is perfect for groups -- so the kids have other to play with and the moms can sit and chat. Still, we did manage to have fun, just the two of us.

BB is all about throwing balls these days. Today, she just started jumping, too!

Had to bring her snack with her.

Screaming with excitement.

Modeling in the sandbox. Actually, there was a boy a little older than BB sitting right next to her who was making her laugh just by yelling "DIG!" He thought he was so cool, making her laugh.

BB enjoyed shoveling mounds of sand and then "gifting" it into my hands, followed by a xie xie (thank you in Mandarin) each time.

So, hopefully not jinxing myself, I must say that I've been very happy lately. I'm so enjoying BB and all the changes she's going through. She's learning to talk now and it is the most amazing thing. As I said before, she started jumping today and it is so funny because she barely gets off the ground but it so proud of herself. Whenever I ask her for a kiss, she leans in and plants one on me. It is the best.

I'm going to go for now, but I will try to be back soon. I've been taking more pictures (check flickr for more). *** JUST NOW: My computer shut down on me! I thought it could have crashed because the screen pixels just went nuts, but phew, everything is still here and THANK GOD FOR AUTOSAVE!*** Also, BB just spilled vanilla soymilk onto my keyboard...I need a new computer. Time to go now. That's enough excitement for one entry.

9

BB's ninth tooth has recently come in, and it's a big honking molar. I'm surprised we only noticed it recently because it's almost completely grown in. Teething doesn't faze my baby, no, no.

P.S. Just saw on the afternoon news that Natick Collection is going to have some new concept stores in the new wing. I knew that Ruehl No. 925 was an Abercrombie for those who are 22-30, but now J.Crew is opening a store called Madewell that features more casual clothes at more affordable prices (YES!) and American Eagle is opening a store for those who are 25-40 called Martin + Osa (interesting). I am going to go broke.

Our plates are FULL!

Spring is teasing us here in New England. Every time it gets warm, we're hit a few days later with cold air (or worse, snow). It's going to be a comfortable 65 degrees today, but if the weatherman is telling the truth then we're in the high 40's all next week. Not looking forward to that.

Not only have I been swamped with work this past week, we've had several engagements throughout. It's been a week of turning points and milestones. Turning points being: Dave's brother Warren moving to Arizona, finding out our old roommate Masaki is moving to Chicago, and weighing a positive but lifestyle-changing offer from my employers.

The milestone is that my little brother Sam turned the big 1-6 yesterday. He also took his permit test and, damnit, I was worried for him. I honestly failed the first time I took it, so I was on edge because he admittedly didn't study. I should have known that Mr. Nonchalantabouteverything would ace the test... just like every other test he takes.

We went to dinner with Masaki and friends Wednesday evening. We initially planned to go to P.F. Chang's, but it was SWAMPED. Stephanie's on Newbury (one of my favorites) was next on the list but, as we parked the car, another restaurant across the street caught our attention. That building was under construction for the longest time, but this time a finished and operating restaurant was in its place. Bouchée is a much needed economical French option (forget L'Espalier!) on Newbury Street, even if its menu is practically identical to one of my old haunts, Eastern Standard.
The food was decent. I wish I tried something other than coq au vin, but I couldn't decide what to order and that's what I ended up blurting out. The dessert, Crêpes Marscapone, was definitely tasty, though. I wish there was more than one on the plate, like maybe...hmm...a STACK! BB was, as usual, a hit with the staff, and we had such a great time catching up with our friends.

Anyway, I can't believe it's Friday again! The weeks go by so fast. Dave's birthday is tomorrow, so I have to go confirm some plans. I feel like I have so much on my plate at the moment, for the first time in a LONG time. So much to do today, so I'll stop here for now. I'm getting all scatterbrained!

weekend romping

What a crazy week. So exhausting. Even though we had a little time this weekend to recuperate, we're all still lethargic and sleepy. I figured I'd just post some pictures instead of write a lot, because 1) I should join my two babies who are already both asleep and breathing loudly, and 2) If I don't post my pictures, I'll have too many "unused" ones on my hands. Here's a glimpse of our weekend (not including the 2 nights Dave and I got to GO OUT -- yes, into the city -- to drink and have fun with friends!).

(( First bubble bath. Hated it at first, but eventually warmed up to it. ))

(( What happens when Daddy gets to dress BB... ))

(( Always one to show interest in the lens of a camera. ))

(( Toy overload in BB's toy corner. ))

(( Rearranging the furniture. ))

(( Fuzzy pictures, fuzzy friends. ))

(( Tallest baby ever. Touch the ceiling? Piece of cake! ))

(( Daddy's favorite: chicken & veggie pasta in vodka sauce. ))

(( Exhausted BB, doing what we do best! ))

This week is going to be hectic. Dinner with Warren before he moves to AZ. Dinner with Masaki before he moves to Chicago. My brother Sam's 16th birthday on Thursday. Dave's 22nd birthday on Saturday. Work. Work. Work. I hope we'll be able to fit SLEEP somewhere in between...

Snow blows...

What is with this weather?! Just two days ago, it was 68 degrees. So nice, but what a tease. It's been snowing all afternoon and doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime in the near future.

What's been up the past few days? Work, work, work, and...
-Wednesday: Met Dave in Boston in the evening, went out to eat at Charley's Saloon. BB flirted with the entire waitstaff. Ate a tasty mahi mahi. Later that evening, BB actually drank from her sippy cup. Hallelujah!
-Thursday: Lazy day in. Watched Casino Royale on DVD. Best Bond movie to date.
-Today: Day off! Stranded here since Dave took the car.

I mainly wanted to post because I wanted to record that BB drank out of her sippy cup. I need to take some photographs to post, but the sun has been hiding the past 2 days. Time to go. I'm hungry!

Little Miss Bigfoot

It's amazing how much BB has physically grown over the past year. She's so tall and sturdy. I don't understand why some mothers want small babies. Personally, I'm very happy to have a chubba wubba on my hands. How can you not love those marshmallow cheeks and tree trunk thighs? Haha! Dave and I took BB to The Atrium the other evening to buy some bigger pants and shoes. BB is graduating from her Robeez to some big girl shoes. Tip Toey Joey's. Her feet are huge! If Dave and my feet are any indication of how big BB's will be when she's grown up, then I guess she'll be a great swimmer -- she's going to have big flippers to help her out! I found a pair of socks she wore when she was a newborn. They were so tiny and it made me sad that I didn't remember her feet were that small.
I mentioned in the previous post that BB is walking a lot now. I also forgot to mention that the poor thing is tripping all over the place. She's so cute, but I'm a nervous wreck these days!

Technical Difficulties

Eek...I've been such a lousy updater! Sorry for the lack of posts in recent weeks. I have a few excuses: 1) I've misplaced the charger for my camera and therefore can't post any visual appeal, 2) I've been trying to organize/clean out the apartment, and 3) I swear, BB wants to eat every hour she's awake!!!

Seriously, though, I am missing this little site and want to get it moving again. Some goals are to learn how to use Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and this gargantuan Nikon D70 (?) camera we have. I might have to if I can't find my Cybershot charger!

I cleaned out our bedroom closet yesterday and today. It looks fantastic and I created much more space. I installed hooks on the inside walls to hang handbags, scarves, hats, etc. I've also thrown out many unneeded things and have bagged away all of BB's used clothes that are too small (since I'm thinking of taking them to Kid to Kid to make a quick buck or two). I'm feeling pretty productive.

BB is walking so much now, and it's amazing to watch! She's quite adventurous and daring now, which does have its dowside. She's been trying to climb everything! It's funny watching her lift one leg up onto the sofa, but honestly, my hair is going to turn prematurely grey!

Tickled Pink!

BB and I went to Connecticut this past weekend to visit my mom and we had a great time. BB's getting better each day with her walking and being able to feed herself. She stuffs her face now! I feel very fortunate that she's got a hefty appetite and is not picky.

On Saturday, I finally met my mom's friend of many years, Doug Brega, an accomplished watercolor artist. It was quite a treat, touring his studio and hanging out with him and his dog. He decided to whip out his camera and take some photos of BB toying around in his studio (there are also some of me, but I'll spare you the sight of them). We had them printed out at his house and I'm definitely going to have the photographs framed. As my mom would say, I'm so "tickled pink!"

The famous BB wink!

So I watched the Oscars, of course. Penelope Cruz, Reese Witherspoon, and Helen Mirren looked the best. I was pleasantly surprised by Diane Keaton's outfit -- it was chic and not...well...crazy! I was kind of disappointed that Eddie Murphy lost, but happy that Alan Arkin won (Little Miss Sunshine is fantastic!). Ellen was good and the show was very creative. Happy for Al Gore. This was his true calling. I could really go on and on, but I'll stop there since everyone is saying the same thing.

We're snowed in today, which means I MUST do laundry and organize everything. I don't have to vacuum or dust because, to my surprise, Dave already did it before I came home! Yesss!

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!

BB IS ONE!

I'm back! I am now the mother of a one year old munchkin! The past week + some has been hectic, and after the party I just wanted to rest as much as possible. Lately I've been resting and trying to tidy up. I finally uploaded the birthday pictures online, sent the album out to friends and relatives, and am finally writing this birthday recap post. I'm a little too tired to write, so I'll keep it short. And by the way, Dave and I just watched Lost. SO GLAD it's back. It's such a good show.

We didn't do too much the day of BB's birthday. I picked up a pretty little cupcake at Whole Foods and we stuck a candle in it and sang to her. She definitely enjoyed eating it.
Here are some pictures of the decorations and favors I made. Many thanks to Dave for humoring me when we made the BB heart magnets (pictured below) at 3am the night before the party and to Georgie for all the helpful ideas! (Some of the pictures aren't that great because of the lighting. I'm now thinking I should've just turned the dimmers up...)

The "Happy 1st Birthday" banner. It turned out great but is hard to see in this picture.

Boo, nobody took a lollipop from this heart flower bouquet. I think it turned out pretty nice, though. Here's something funny:
If you click on this picture to see this picture in a larger size, you'll see that the cake reads "Happy Frist Birthday." This is what happens when you leave it all up to Chinatown. I was mortified when friends called it to my attention, but in the end it was funny...I guess... BB really loved eating it, though, so I figured I wouldn't yell at the illiterate (sorry, English-illiterate) baker.
It was so great to see family and friends we hadn't seen in a long time. I'm so thankful they made such an effort to come to the party and that everyone had a great time. Let me tell you, I don't really like being hostess at all. I like to relax at a party and I didn't do too much of that. It was all worth it since it was all for BB, but man was I tired after. So I'll end this post with some of my favorite pictures from the party. I had to squeeze a picture of my little sister Emma in because she's just so damn cute!