Olin and Mommy's Lunch Date

Today has been a day of highs and lows. The highlight was a lovely lunch with my little guy at one of our favorite places, Le Pain Quotidien. It's our special place when we go out without Daddy because it's loud (for Olin), mostly organic (for me) and delicious (for both of us). It is also the place we seem to dine with celebrities. Last time it was Katie Couric and today I am fairly certain that Annette Bening was sitting at the table next to us.  I tried to play it cool and get her in a photo as proof (she's the woman in blue in the top right photo below).  Also, I took a picture of Olin's waffle because it is quite possibly the best waffle, nay thing, that I have ever eaten.  I swear it was enveloped in a coating of caramelized sugar.  Needless to say, after eating that sucker, he crashed hard and had to go down for his afternoon nap a few minutes early.

It is dark and stormy here, which seems appropriate because my uncle passed away today.  While I did not see him much over the past several years I feel incredibly sad for those members of my family that were close to him and am reminded of how much I wish that we lived closer to our families.  On days like this, I am acutely aware of the fact that time passes way too quickly and that I am often too focused on the future rather than truly enjoying the present.  I am so thankful that I am able to give my boys great big hugs and tell them that I love them and I wish I could hug all the rest of you.  So for now, just know that I am very grateful for all of you and love you all very much. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

He Likes What He Likes

Josh and I have given up trying to figure out our little guy as he continues to baffle us with what entertains him.

Like most babies, he has more fun with the boxes toys come in than the actual toys themselves, but what he really loves is a good handled shopping bag.  He can spend an afternoon putting his toys and stuffed animals into a shopping bag, carrying said bag around the apartment, taking everything out of the bag and then starting the process all over again.

And then there's TV - while he doesn't really watch TV, occasionally, we will turn the channel to Sesame Street or some other cartoon for him and he is only mildly entertained by these shows.  But, what we discovered he really loves are the Home Improvement reruns that come on in the morning.  He laughs hysterically at the show and has perfected the cutest little grunt.  Please, please, please TBS, do not stop playing this show - we have not been able to enjoy our morning coffee this peacefully since little mister was born!

We kind of hope this behavior continues because we are going to saves loads of money by not having to buy toys or Wiggles downloads.  And if you have some shopping bags lying around the house that you are looking to get rid of, send them our way - we know just what to do with them!

Five Adjectives

Several weeks ago, we toured a potential nursery school for Olin and one of the things this school asks parents to do is write a list of five adjectives to describe their child that then hangs in the classroom with that child's picture.  This got me thinking about what our list would be for Olin and then about how often this list would change.  Really, I would have to resubmit one every month or so!  So I have decided that I should come up with a list for Olin and update it from time to time to document his ever changing personality.  So here it goes, our current list of five adjectives to describe Olin:

1. Inquisitive - he's always pointing to things and saying "this" and "that" wanting us to tell him what they are, and then gives us the biggest smile of satisfaction when we do.  I swear, when he does start talking in earnest, he is going to have quite the vocabulary - it's like he is storing up all these words in his little brain waiting for just the right time to dazzle us with them.

2. Stubborn - or as we like to call it around here "strong willed" and an adjective that I would LOVE to take off the next version of this list!

3. Affectionate - he gives us hugs and kisses whenever we ask him for them and sometimes when we don't - in my book, there is nothing better.  And as opposed to #2 above, I hope this adjective stays on the list forever!

4. Comical - I never knew someone so little could make us laugh so much.  He definitely gets this from his daddy, who after 16 years together in September, is still the funniest person that I know.

5. Energetic!  Some days it feels like he should have an off button.

Things Eaten (Or Almost Eaten) Over the Past Several Days

1. Pencil eraser
2. Price tag
3. Crayons
4. Deodorant
5. Bank receipt
6. Baby powder
7. Grocery list
8. New toothbrush packaging

Really, nothing is safe around our house.  I only wish he would eat the food  that I make for him with such enthusiasm.  Today, I made him a bean, spinach and cheese quesadilla (with the finest organic ingredients) and he wouldn't touch it.  Instead, he chose to eat the heel of a loaf of whole wheat bread, completely dry.  To top if off, he made yum yum yum noises the entire time he ate it.  I give up!

Photo taken by Mrs. Schenck over the weekend

Over The Weekend

The fun came in from Beantown this weekend in the form of our good friends the Schenck's.  And Olin couldn't have been happier - Erin and Corey are way more fun than mom and dad.  We celebrated their visit with some good eating - tacos at Cascabel Taqueria, lunch at Dinosaur BBQ (where Olin befriended one of the waitresses that was kind enough to walk him around the restaurant while we enjoyed our lunch), and a return trip to Big Gay Ice Cream (we can't help ourselves... really, how do you say 'no' to a place that pays tribute to the beloved Golden Girl, Bea Arthur, in the form of a delicious ice cream concoction?)  We also had a few meals at home due to little mister's dislike for long periods of time in restaurant high chairs or sometimes any time in a high chair as demonstrated at dinner on Friday night. 

To burn off the calories we took a stroll on the High Line and had a good old fashioned girls versus guys pinochle match-up.  And while the guys officially won this time, their victory was a bit suspicious so we definitely need a rematch.

Erin and Corey - it was so good to see you guys - thanks so much for coming to NYC!  We will have to plan a trip to Boston soon!

We Miss Grandma Already

We had to say goodbye to Grandma this morning and it feels so lonely here without her.  We loved having her around and wish she could stay forever.  No offense to Ohio and Pennsylvania, but today, I wish that we could remove those two states and push New York and Indiana closer together.

Luckily our good friends Erin and Corey are arriving from Boston tomorrow - they'll be sure to cheer us up.

Thanks Grandma for a wonderful week!

Date Night on the High Seas

Well, not quite, but pretty close.  For Father's Day, we gave Josh tickets for a wine tasting on a 1889 schooner and he finally cashed it in last night while Grandma babysat little mister.  It was all so beautiful and romantic until I spilled my glass of red wine all over both Josh and myself.  It got even better when a crew member told us that they didn't have any napkins on board - we had wine all over our clothes, on our seats, in my hair!  Luckily the evening and the views from the boat were so stunning that we quickly forgot about our mishap (and now sticky clothes, hands and hair).

My evening was extra fun because my friend, Jen, was in town from Denver for training so I got to meet her for an early dinner beforehand. 

To top off a great night, we got home just in time to see the women's gymnastic team win the gold! I may have even cried a little.