Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The "Byron" and Pam and Joe's
We went to Dallas this weekend. Joe got passes to the platinum club at the Byron Nelson golf championship, so even though none of us play golf, we left the kiddoes with Mimi and Grandpa and went for a few hours on Saturday in search of a "platinum" experience. Having attended the GGCC when I lived in Greensboro, I had this idea that the event was going to be this big party scene with exclusive tents and lots of designer clothing. The GGCC in Greensboro was a blast back in my young single days. There were all these tents and if you got a wristband, you could drink yourself silly and delight in lots of good people watching. There was some great people watching, but on the day we went, the BN was more about the golf during the day, but things were just heating up with the "after dark" tent on our way out. It was fun to go. Just don't bring your clubs or call it the "Byron."
We had a lot of fun at Joe and Pam's the rest of the weekend, hanging out by the pool and playing with the kiddoes. We left at 7 on Sunday night thinking JM would fall asleep, as that's his normal bedtime, but he didn't conk out until we were almost home. Now that his seat faces forward we think he's more distracted, maybe?
Joe, Brooke and Mike at the Byron Nelson
Backyard fun by the pool at Joe and Pam's. This pyramid was tons of fun for Blake and JM
Hot, hot, hot tub!
We had a lot of fun at Joe and Pam's the rest of the weekend, hanging out by the pool and playing with the kiddoes. We left at 7 on Sunday night thinking JM would fall asleep, as that's his normal bedtime, but he didn't conk out until we were almost home. Now that his seat faces forward we think he's more distracted, maybe?
Joe, Brooke and Mike at the Byron Nelson
Backyard fun by the pool at Joe and Pam's. This pyramid was tons of fun for Blake and JM
Hot, hot, hot tub!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
1 and crying?
separation anxiety has made it's way to our little one year old.
for the past 3 weeks, every time i go to the gym, they have had to come get me, because JM will.not.stop.crying. he is perfectly happy before we get there and after i return, but the time in between is filled with lots of alligator tears, loud wails, the inability for the caregiver to put him down and a refusal to play with toys. he has been going to the same daycare at the gym since he was 3 months old and the manager LOVES him. prior to now, he has also loved her. today we went extra early and i sat with him for a while to try to set the scene and he clung to my neck like a wailing monkey on a tree branch. eventually the manager told me to leave and i could hear him wailing for about 200 feet out of the daycare and knew my class was going to be cut short. i even brought his special lovey from home and a special sippy cup of water to make him feel more comfortable. he wasn't having it.
let's talk about what JM is up to these days:
teeth- still only has the 6 (4 up, 2 down) and continues to drool like a bulldog, so i keep thinking one of them is going to spurt up, but not yet.
movement- can take 4 or 5 steps but then quickly remembers he is walking and is down quickly, speed crawler, very confident with walking holding on to something and even will use a moving human as a means to cruise to the next thing! impressive, we know. this picture SERIOUSLY makes me smile. we christened the new baby pool the other night and afterwards, he was so wet that we stripped him down for his bath and he started trying to "mow the lawn" in the buck. sorry, jm for the embarassing/cute picture... love those cottage cheese buns!
language- his vocabulary is still pretty limited. he says: mama, dada, bella, uh oh, ba (for ball or balloon) and wa wa (for water). he has recently starting pointing at everything and i am trying to help him name things. he also has a new book fetish and will pull up on his bookshelf and try to pull books out.
food- he still loves to eat. he still has milk 4 times a day. twice is formula out of a bottle morning and bedtime. twice is whole milk out of a sippy cup at lunch and after afternoon nap.
sleeping- let it be said that my previously "bad" sleeper has been successfully sleep trained into a "good" sleeper. he sleeps from 7-7. two naps: 9:30 and 2:30 for about an hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours each.
I still can't believe he's one!
for the past 3 weeks, every time i go to the gym, they have had to come get me, because JM will.not.stop.crying. he is perfectly happy before we get there and after i return, but the time in between is filled with lots of alligator tears, loud wails, the inability for the caregiver to put him down and a refusal to play with toys. he has been going to the same daycare at the gym since he was 3 months old and the manager LOVES him. prior to now, he has also loved her. today we went extra early and i sat with him for a while to try to set the scene and he clung to my neck like a wailing monkey on a tree branch. eventually the manager told me to leave and i could hear him wailing for about 200 feet out of the daycare and knew my class was going to be cut short. i even brought his special lovey from home and a special sippy cup of water to make him feel more comfortable. he wasn't having it.
let's talk about what JM is up to these days:
teeth- still only has the 6 (4 up, 2 down) and continues to drool like a bulldog, so i keep thinking one of them is going to spurt up, but not yet.
movement- can take 4 or 5 steps but then quickly remembers he is walking and is down quickly, speed crawler, very confident with walking holding on to something and even will use a moving human as a means to cruise to the next thing! impressive, we know. this picture SERIOUSLY makes me smile. we christened the new baby pool the other night and afterwards, he was so wet that we stripped him down for his bath and he started trying to "mow the lawn" in the buck. sorry, jm for the embarassing/cute picture... love those cottage cheese buns!language- his vocabulary is still pretty limited. he says: mama, dada, bella, uh oh, ba (for ball or balloon) and wa wa (for water). he has recently starting pointing at everything and i am trying to help him name things. he also has a new book fetish and will pull up on his bookshelf and try to pull books out.
food- he still loves to eat. he still has milk 4 times a day. twice is formula out of a bottle morning and bedtime. twice is whole milk out of a sippy cup at lunch and after afternoon nap.
sleeping- let it be said that my previously "bad" sleeper has been successfully sleep trained into a "good" sleeper. he sleeps from 7-7. two naps: 9:30 and 2:30 for about an hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours each.
I still can't believe he's one!
Monday, May 18, 2009
My baby is 1... and walking!!!!
It's hard to believe that a year ago today we met John Michael. It is very trite, but a year really does fly by. We had a wet birthday party day, like torrential downpours. Mike tried to sweep off the back porch, but there was like 2 inches of water, so the pool party became a garage party. 
John Michael was his hilarious self at the party. Sire waved his sceptor, wore his crown for a surprisingly long time and took about 30 minutes to consume his cupcake start to finish. He didn't know what to do at first, but after a few tastes of frosting from mama's finger, he was all over it.
The lemon thyme chicken was quite good, if I do say so myself. The peanut sauce was divine and it was easy to eat on the skewers. A keeper.
We celebrated today by having some of JM's little friends over for a cupcake/pool party. Our son is a little fish. He loved crawling around the pool. And, he took his first steps tonight! I was holding on to a little toy and trying to "bribe" him and he walked 4 steps from Mike to me. Woo hoo, John Michael! Thanks for a wonderful year.
John Michael was his hilarious self at the party. Sire waved his sceptor, wore his crown for a surprisingly long time and took about 30 minutes to consume his cupcake start to finish. He didn't know what to do at first, but after a few tastes of frosting from mama's finger, he was all over it.
The lemon thyme chicken was quite good, if I do say so myself. The peanut sauce was divine and it was easy to eat on the skewers. A keeper.
We celebrated today by having some of JM's little friends over for a cupcake/pool party. Our son is a little fish. He loved crawling around the pool. And, he took his first steps tonight! I was holding on to a little toy and trying to "bribe" him and he walked 4 steps from Mike to me. Woo hoo, John Michael! Thanks for a wonderful year.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Happy chef and a recipe
I write this note from the trenches. I've pretty much been camped out in my kitchen the past 24 hours, getting ready for the party. I am having so much fun reeling in the happy housewife vibe that I actually put an apron on to grill these lemon-thyme chicken skewers from Barefoot Contessa we are having tomorrow. I tasted some of the chicken and I must say they are tasty!
.... excerpt from Barefoot Contessa Cookbook:
“This is a famous Barefoot Contessa recipe. I’d hate to have to add up how
many millions of pounds of grilled lemon chicken we have made over the
years. We use this as an appetizer, as shown here with a peanuty satay dip,
but we also mix it with vegetables and a fresh lemon vinaigrette for lunch
or serve whole grilled chicken breasts for a delicious and healthy dinner.
The longer you marinate the chicken, the better.
Serve warm with Satay Dip.”
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
3/4 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, halved and skin removed
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour
over the chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate in
the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
Heat a charcoal grill and cook the chicken breasts for 10 minutes on
each side, until just cooked through. Cool slightly and cut diagonally in
1/2-inch-thick slices. Skewer with wooden sticks.
Satay Dip
Makes 1 1/2 cups
“Inspiration for this recipe came from a wonderful caterer in Philadelphia
who wrote the Frog/Commissary Cookbook. I love the complexity of the
flavor in this recipe, which is so quick to make.”
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2/3 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Cook the olive oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger root, and red
pepper flakes in a small, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat until
the onion is transparent, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar,
sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, Sherry, and lime juice;
cook for 1 minute more. Cool and use as a dip…
Notes from MB:
-I grilled on our gas grill for maybe 7 minutes a side...
-I marinated for about 16 hours using fresh thyme and fresh lemons (I told you I was channeling Ina Garten- normally you know I'd use the dried/bottled!)
.... excerpt from Barefoot Contessa Cookbook:
“This is a famous Barefoot Contessa recipe. I’d hate to have to add up how
many millions of pounds of grilled lemon chicken we have made over the
years. We use this as an appetizer, as shown here with a peanuty satay dip,
but we also mix it with vegetables and a fresh lemon vinaigrette for lunch
or serve whole grilled chicken breasts for a delicious and healthy dinner.
The longer you marinate the chicken, the better.
Serve warm with Satay Dip.”
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
3/4 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, halved and skin removed
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour
over the chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate in
the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
Heat a charcoal grill and cook the chicken breasts for 10 minutes on
each side, until just cooked through. Cool slightly and cut diagonally in
1/2-inch-thick slices. Skewer with wooden sticks.
Satay Dip
Makes 1 1/2 cups
“Inspiration for this recipe came from a wonderful caterer in Philadelphia
who wrote the Frog/Commissary Cookbook. I love the complexity of the
flavor in this recipe, which is so quick to make.”
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2/3 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Cook the olive oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger root, and red
pepper flakes in a small, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat until
the onion is transparent, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar,
sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, Sherry, and lime juice;
cook for 1 minute more. Cool and use as a dip…
Notes from MB:
-I grilled on our gas grill for maybe 7 minutes a side...
-I marinated for about 16 hours using fresh thyme and fresh lemons (I told you I was channeling Ina Garten- normally you know I'd use the dried/bottled!)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
On approaching one
We are at only a few days and counting until JM turns one. It's so cliche, but it really has gone by so fast. Inspired by the PigBear blog, I slurped over my blog content from this first year and started making him a blog book of memories and it still seems like yesterday that we brought him home. To be honest, I look at the pictures from the first months and still feel sensitive that he was so little in weight. Despite the fact that our pediatrician said we were doing all the right things, I still worry that my breastmilk alone wasn't enough to sustain him to a healthy weight. Thinking about it, I think I am not so saddened by his first birthday because I am so much more confident now. We went to a playgroup the other day with some other little ones his age and the 3 year old older sister of our host called JM the "fat baby" and I truly delighted in it. My scrawny baby is now the fat baby, he sleeps on a really regular schedule and our lives are pretty much the same day after day. I guess the Virgo in me likes the predictability.
Approaching one, I am more nervous about the party than anything, which is really dumb because we decided to "keep it simple" and family-only. I guess I didn't consider that family-only for us is 25 people, which is a large gathering and considering I really love to try new recipes and be creative, it makes me both excited to cook and anxious that I am going to forget something major. I don't want it to be a big scale dog and pony show (literally, maybe next year), but I also want it to be nice, since it's his "first birthday." Hence, since we jokingly call JM sire, as in we are his loyal subjects, the party will have a royal theme. We will be serving sire's favorite delicacies (stuffed shells, grilled chicken, various international cheeses, red grapes and bananas, cheese goldfish plus his non favorites- salad and french bread), swimming in the "royal" baby pool and if it's not too hot eating at a long banquet table in the backyard... and sire will be donning this lovely homemade birthday crown I made for all of the time it takes until he pulls it off. Hopefully he'll keep it on as long as we can take a picture with his cool crown cake one of the cupcake bakers from Cupprimo, my new favorite cupcake place, is making.
He is quite agile on his feet these days and will confidently drag you at warp speed across the yard holding on to his fingers, but the second you let go, he is down on his hiney. He will stand on his own without holding onto anything no problem. He allegedly took four baby steps towards my mom's dog the other day twice, but I didn't see it. Our goal for the week is to get him walking by his big birthday party on Saturday. He seems to be motivated by dogs more than anything so far.
My mother's day with him was nice. He made me a really cute mug with pictures of him on it and we went to breakfast at Maudies where I delighted in my huevos rancheros, good coffee and watching him consume an entire plate-size pancake with syrup. He also ate some of Mike's migas AND some corn tortilla. This was on top of some peaches we brought. Wow! Dinner at my mom's was also fun. I enjoy watching Peter, Sarah and Mom and Art fawn all over JM. He definitely has first grandchild syndrome on that side. Mom and Art got this rollercoaster thing for the grandkids and our afternoon entertainment was watchin JM go down it (slowly, of course) and after dinner, my mom insisted on once again giving JM dessert. This time it was blackberry peach buckle a la mode. The second my mom took her spoon away from him, he'd look at her with this annoyed face like "hey! bring that back over here." The kid loves food! What can I say? Of course, don't we all love pancakes and buckle a la mode? I promise that he gets plenty of wholesome food, as well. He will eat anything!
We are doing a heck of a lot better introducing the sippy cup of milk instead of the bottle. Right now I do two sippys and two bottles a day. Sippies are at lunch and afternoon feedings. The only sippy he'll take so far is the super duper expensive $10! Born Free cup that has this special suction system. (Why why do I insist on buying complicated feeding devices? I will SO relish in not having to wash all the damn Dr. Brown's bottle parts and now the Born Free suction stuff when this stage is over!!!!) JM is also going through some sort of separation anxiety thing all of a sudden at the gym daycare. Three times in the last week, they've had to come get me because he cries and cries! :( Poor little guy stops his wailing the second he sees me and is not apparently sick. I am going to try sitting with him a little longer from now on before leaving, leaving a sippy cup of water and also his favorite bunny lovey to see if those help.... He never did this before! So, I bought some organic whole milk last night to see if he'll drink it instead of the formula. Our little one is growing up! AC: willingness
Approaching one, I am more nervous about the party than anything, which is really dumb because we decided to "keep it simple" and family-only. I guess I didn't consider that family-only for us is 25 people, which is a large gathering and considering I really love to try new recipes and be creative, it makes me both excited to cook and anxious that I am going to forget something major. I don't want it to be a big scale dog and pony show (literally, maybe next year), but I also want it to be nice, since it's his "first birthday." Hence, since we jokingly call JM sire, as in we are his loyal subjects, the party will have a royal theme. We will be serving sire's favorite delicacies (stuffed shells, grilled chicken, various international cheeses, red grapes and bananas, cheese goldfish plus his non favorites- salad and french bread), swimming in the "royal" baby pool and if it's not too hot eating at a long banquet table in the backyard... and sire will be donning this lovely homemade birthday crown I made for all of the time it takes until he pulls it off. Hopefully he'll keep it on as long as we can take a picture with his cool crown cake one of the cupcake bakers from Cupprimo, my new favorite cupcake place, is making. He is quite agile on his feet these days and will confidently drag you at warp speed across the yard holding on to his fingers, but the second you let go, he is down on his hiney. He will stand on his own without holding onto anything no problem. He allegedly took four baby steps towards my mom's dog the other day twice, but I didn't see it. Our goal for the week is to get him walking by his big birthday party on Saturday. He seems to be motivated by dogs more than anything so far.
My mother's day with him was nice. He made me a really cute mug with pictures of him on it and we went to breakfast at Maudies where I delighted in my huevos rancheros, good coffee and watching him consume an entire plate-size pancake with syrup. He also ate some of Mike's migas AND some corn tortilla. This was on top of some peaches we brought. Wow! Dinner at my mom's was also fun. I enjoy watching Peter, Sarah and Mom and Art fawn all over JM. He definitely has first grandchild syndrome on that side. Mom and Art got this rollercoaster thing for the grandkids and our afternoon entertainment was watchin JM go down it (slowly, of course) and after dinner, my mom insisted on once again giving JM dessert. This time it was blackberry peach buckle a la mode. The second my mom took her spoon away from him, he'd look at her with this annoyed face like "hey! bring that back over here." The kid loves food! What can I say? Of course, don't we all love pancakes and buckle a la mode? I promise that he gets plenty of wholesome food, as well. He will eat anything! We are doing a heck of a lot better introducing the sippy cup of milk instead of the bottle. Right now I do two sippys and two bottles a day. Sippies are at lunch and afternoon feedings. The only sippy he'll take so far is the super duper expensive $10! Born Free cup that has this special suction system. (Why why do I insist on buying complicated feeding devices? I will SO relish in not having to wash all the damn Dr. Brown's bottle parts and now the Born Free suction stuff when this stage is over!!!!) JM is also going through some sort of separation anxiety thing all of a sudden at the gym daycare. Three times in the last week, they've had to come get me because he cries and cries! :( Poor little guy stops his wailing the second he sees me and is not apparently sick. I am going to try sitting with him a little longer from now on before leaving, leaving a sippy cup of water and also his favorite bunny lovey to see if those help.... He never did this before! So, I bought some organic whole milk last night to see if he'll drink it instead of the formula. Our little one is growing up! AC: willingness
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Pork like Prime Rib
... since I be so stuffed and tirrrred, I'll wait til later to tell you about my first mother's day. until then, I made what I thought was a kick arse meal for my mom for dinner tonight. someone gave me this recipe during a bridal shower, but didn't put their name on it. thank you, whoever you are! i have never made it before tonight and it is indeed a good one! a good Sunday dinner, indeed.
Pork Tenderloin and Mustard Sauce
(this tastes a lot like prime rib with the almost horseradishy sauce- I looooooved it)
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C bourbon
2T brown sugar
3 lbs pork tenderloin
1T dry mustard
1.5 tsp vinegar
1/3 C sour cream
1/3 C mayonnaise
1T chopped green onions
salt to taste
Combine first three ingredients for marinade. Marinate pork for several hours, turning occasionally. Remove meat from marinade and roast at 325 for 45 min to 1 hour, basting frequently. Dissolve mustard in vinegar and mix with sour cream and mayo. Fold in green onions and season to taste with salt. Carve meat and serve with mustard sauce.
I served with Barefoot Contessa's parmesan smashed potatoes. Have I ever professed my love for BC's recipes? Mmmmmm.
Peter brought asparagus for the side. I made Peach and Blackberry Buckle for dessert with vanilla Blue Bell, of course. Total food coma!
Pork Tenderloin and Mustard Sauce
(this tastes a lot like prime rib with the almost horseradishy sauce- I looooooved it)
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C bourbon
2T brown sugar
3 lbs pork tenderloin
1T dry mustard
1.5 tsp vinegar
1/3 C sour cream
1/3 C mayonnaise
1T chopped green onions
salt to taste
Combine first three ingredients for marinade. Marinate pork for several hours, turning occasionally. Remove meat from marinade and roast at 325 for 45 min to 1 hour, basting frequently. Dissolve mustard in vinegar and mix with sour cream and mayo. Fold in green onions and season to taste with salt. Carve meat and serve with mustard sauce.
I served with Barefoot Contessa's parmesan smashed potatoes. Have I ever professed my love for BC's recipes? Mmmmmm.
Peter brought asparagus for the side. I made Peach and Blackberry Buckle for dessert with vanilla Blue Bell, of course. Total food coma!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Mama
Water baby
Originally uploaded by our "nut" house
When his little arms grab me around the neck to lift him out of the crib (even if he grabs my hair half the time),
singing him to sleep with his head on my shoulder,
when he snuggles in tight in the crook of my arm drinking his morning bottle in his PJs,
driving in the car making animal sounds including fun ones like the gorilla and snake and hearing him try to imitate,
how his head always smells so sweet,
how he loves the pool as much as I do,
his giggly squeal.... i could go on.
He is my constant companion, my buddy, my baby. So happy to be his mama.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Zilker swing 10 months
Zilker swing 10 months
Originally uploaded by our "nut" house
this is from a month ago when we took JM to Zilker park. he had just learned to clap. honestly, i could watch this all day long....
I put this on FB, too, so it's sorta overkill, but I don't care!Wednesday, May 06, 2009
This is us
Three years ago today I married the most wonderful man.
Quietly I drove myself to the chapel and as the day unraveled, more and more people from my life appeared, circling me with love and calm.
My brother walked me down the aisle to the tune of the Princess Bride.
When the doors opened, I saw him standing at the end of the aisle.
And concentrated very hard on not tripping.
And was calmed by him.
Holding each other's hands and thinking it was unbelievable that we were actually getting married that day.
I enjoyed the party and the people, but hated being the center of attention, but Michael made it better.
And he still makes everything better!
I love you, Michael!
Link to some wedding pics
Monday, May 04, 2009
Sweet home, Austin
I had a lovely time in Chicago with my siblings. Travel to and from was relatively stress free, despite a pretty ugly phone call with a woman from Hotwire customer service regarding trying to change the name on our car reservation from Michael to myself and they wouldn't do it, despite the fact that there was a potential pandemic and my husband couldn't travel because he was staying home with our son to avoid it. We had to rent "another" car and may potentially be out $135. I was strong in argument didn't let myself get too ugly on the call until the very end, when in frustration I did tell the lady I hoped the call was being recorded and that she got fired for her unbending ways and bad customer service. Screw you, Hotwire. I plan to write a letter, so we'll see what happens. I am pretty sure I'm done with them permanently. Bad experience.
Anyway, Grandma's service was lovely. About 30 people attended, including my mom's cousins and my cousins' cousins and a lovely man named Ed who grew up in Grandma's neighborhood and whose wife was high school friends with her. My mom did the eulogy and did an amazing job of highlighting the gentle giving spirit of my grandmother. We ate a lot of Chicago favorites as always and also helped clean out her apartment. It was really touching to see how many things she kept from our lives. She had every single card and letter we'd sent over the years and all the cards that my sweet Grandpa had ever given her. There were such gems in the stack of missives. My grandpa had saved a Father's Day card I made and on the back wrote "From my sweetie. I am so proud of her" with the date. We also watched videos at my cousins' house and I cried so hard. My grandpa was carving a Thanksgiving turkey and I was about 12 with horrible 80's permed hair and to the camera, he went on about how much he loved me as I awkwardly stood there. My dad was there and hearing both of their voices took me back to easier days. Hearing these loved ones' voices and seeing their handwriting is so sweet. It's difficult to think that both of my grandparents on that side are now gone. It is an end to an era.
We each got to claim things from Grandma's and I am most pleased that they will be shipping me G&G's grandfather clock. It's no antique or anything, but it has a special place in my heart. When I was little, I loved hearing the sounds of the clock as the hours passed. I am going to try to put it on the landing on our staircase, just like they had it.
My boys did great while I was gone. I feel so blessed that Mike can handle being Mr. Mom without me. He has never had JM that long alone and commented that the days really flew by. Welcome to my world! JM is acting much more himself, again. He is eating normal and not so clingy as last week. No new teeth, but he is drooling like a faucet again. I had thought it had stopped, but alas, no. Today, I took JM to the Jewish Community Center for his first swim and he LOVED it (yes, it's nice that they allow goys like us on the campus). I am so mad that I didn't take the camera or the camcorder. He loved standing wading on the steps and when I would try to "swim" on my back holding him he would giggle and splash and move like a little dolphin. It's good to be home!
Anyway, Grandma's service was lovely. About 30 people attended, including my mom's cousins and my cousins' cousins and a lovely man named Ed who grew up in Grandma's neighborhood and whose wife was high school friends with her. My mom did the eulogy and did an amazing job of highlighting the gentle giving spirit of my grandmother. We ate a lot of Chicago favorites as always and also helped clean out her apartment. It was really touching to see how many things she kept from our lives. She had every single card and letter we'd sent over the years and all the cards that my sweet Grandpa had ever given her. There were such gems in the stack of missives. My grandpa had saved a Father's Day card I made and on the back wrote "From my sweetie. I am so proud of her" with the date. We also watched videos at my cousins' house and I cried so hard. My grandpa was carving a Thanksgiving turkey and I was about 12 with horrible 80's permed hair and to the camera, he went on about how much he loved me as I awkwardly stood there. My dad was there and hearing both of their voices took me back to easier days. Hearing these loved ones' voices and seeing their handwriting is so sweet. It's difficult to think that both of my grandparents on that side are now gone. It is an end to an era.
We each got to claim things from Grandma's and I am most pleased that they will be shipping me G&G's grandfather clock. It's no antique or anything, but it has a special place in my heart. When I was little, I loved hearing the sounds of the clock as the hours passed. I am going to try to put it on the landing on our staircase, just like they had it.
My boys did great while I was gone. I feel so blessed that Mike can handle being Mr. Mom without me. He has never had JM that long alone and commented that the days really flew by. Welcome to my world! JM is acting much more himself, again. He is eating normal and not so clingy as last week. No new teeth, but he is drooling like a faucet again. I had thought it had stopped, but alas, no. Today, I took JM to the Jewish Community Center for his first swim and he LOVED it (yes, it's nice that they allow goys like us on the campus). I am so mad that I didn't take the camera or the camcorder. He loved standing wading on the steps and when I would try to "swim" on my back holding him he would giggle and splash and move like a little dolphin. It's good to be home!
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