Odds & Ends

Hello once again. We're going to skip over the usual introduction of "I'm lame. I don't post enough. So busy. Blah, blah, blah." By now, you should all just expect a very long wait between posts. Instead, we're going to dive right in and discover just what's been going on around here for the past (eek!) 3 weeks. (Here's where I let you in on a little secret. I can barely remember what happened yesterday, so the only way to accurately recall anything is to dig through the past three week's worth of photos on the camera. Thank the stars for digital technology!) Is everyone ready? Well then, put your safety belts on and get ready for the adventure.

3...2...1.... Lift off!!



So, a few days before my last post, we traveled out to Cherry Hill to hang with the adopted family (the Hartman/Arcani/Shilliday clan) for a little Nic & Julie birthday fun. What better way to feed an army of people than to serve up some awesome Mexican food (thanks Debbie!)? Still a better question, what better way to enjoy a Mexican meal than to pop open a bottle of Mezcal? The trouble with such ideas, however, is the sudden need to prove one's masculinity in front of a crowd. Not mine, of course. I'm man enough without needing to prove it. Umm....anyway, moving on.

Jesse, Andy, and Andy's dad Jim decided to prove themselves by eating the Mezcal worm. First of all, let me tell you - that sucker was huge! Second, it had a strange, almost armor-like shell. And third, after chopping it into thirds, the guys were told they actually had to chew it. Sounds like fun, right? Jesse's face describes the experience better than any words in my lexicon, so I'll let that speak for me.

Meanwhile, Eily was practicing her plant whisperer skills. This girl seriously has a vegetation obsession. I think she gets it from her Grandma Mary, who possesses the most powerful green thumb in the world. Eily needs a little work, though. Currently her only abilities are grabbing, smooshing, and attempting to eat any plant she sees. Sure, it's an effective means of heavy pruning, but I'm thinking a more gentle approach should be cultivated in our future little gardener.



Back on the home front the following week, I decided the time had come to tackle the next project on our never-ending list of home renovations. The kitchen. (Gulp.) Daunting though it seemed, I somehow managed to empty our kitchen of all its contents and relocate everything to the dining room. Here's the proof:



Now, I know. It looks a bit "busy." But when you consider everything from our kitchen short of the stove and kitchen sink made it into this room, I say it's pretty darn impressive. (Note, the refrigerator is, of course, not in the dining room either, but since it doesn't reside in the kitchen to begin with, it doesn't count.) Next step? Rip up the ugly linoleum floor and refinish the hardwood underneath. Then onto the fun demo - tearing out the existing cabinetry! Oh, how I love a project!

Alright, this brings us to the week of Thanksgiving. (Look, I know the post is long, but seriously, there's a lot to talk about! Go refill your coffee cup, grab a snack, and get back here to finish the story. You know you want to.) Two big milestones were reached this week. First, Eily rolled over from back to belly. Of course, I don't have any video or pictures because she insisted on only doing it when I wasn't looking. I could literally be sitting right next to her on the floor watching and waiting without so much as an attempt on her part, but as soon as I turned my head for a couple of seconds, she would roll. This put her in the much abhorred position of being on her tummy, however, so she would promptly flip right back over again onto her back.

The second big milestone is really a two-parter. At the beginning of November, at 4 months old, we began feeding Eily rice cereal. Her introduction to solids was due in part to her constant interest in my and Jesse's plates of food whenever we ate. The cereal satiated her desire to eat big people food for a time, but being the genius my daughter is, she soon figured out that her cereal was not something Daddy or I would ever willingly put into our own mouths. So on Thanksgiving, we introduced her to the world of vegetables. Or butternut squash, at least. She couldn't get enough! We somehow missed out on getting a photo of the experience (read: we are the worst parents ever), but here's a picture of the little miss in her super cute Thanksgiving outfit (thanks Nic!).



Yes, I know, she's flashing us. It's quite obvious she's Jesse's daughter. Sigh....

The next night was my (gasp!) ten year high school reunion. We had a really good turnout, but I was surprised when Jesse (who had a great time, go figure) befriended a guy named Jeremy, whom I never really spent much time hanging out with back in the day. When you graduate in a class of 99 people, it's pretty hard not to know everyone, but seriously, it was like these two had grown up together and I was the outsider. Ah well, at least I didn't have to feel bad about dragging him to the reunion. I enjoyed catching up with everyone - most of whom I lost touch with after high school because, let's face it, I'm really bad about that sort of thing. More importantly, however, Eily survived her first babysitting experience with Grampy and Mémère. Apparently, she decided since she was old enough to be left with others, she was also big enough to hold her own bottle. Kathy sent me this photo with the tagline, "I'd rather do it myself."



That brings us to the last week or so. This past weekend we found a great way to spend the Sunday together as a family. Baby Loves Disco! Originally, I found the event on the calendar for a mother's group I just joined. I didn't end up meeting anyone from the group while we were there, though. Still, it wasn't a total wash. Tons of people showed up, and Eily even made a little friend named Rosie. They had a lot to talk about, as you can see.



Daddy enjoyed getting out and dancing with the wee lass, too.



And finally on the list of things to tell you all about: Baby Story Hour at the Yardley Library. Not exactly an earth-shattering, life-changing event, but we went for the first time yesterday morning and Eily loved it. I've been thinking lately that we need to get out of the house more and spend some time near other little kids so Eily can get some socialization, and after yesterday I'm only more convinced of this. She loved the stories, which were geared towards kids her age through maybe two years. But more so, she had a great time watching the slightly older kids - one year to about 18 months - walking, clapping, and talking. She couldn't take her eyes off of them! I think this is just the kind of thing she needs, since at home she only has me to talk to (boring!).

The nice part was that they gave everyone there a copy of last year's One Book, Every Young Child story, entitled "If You Were a Penguin." When Daddy got home last night, he sat and read it again with Eily, which she greatly enjoyed.



And that brings us to this morning. Eily had a miserable night, mostly due to the stupid tooth/teeth she's getting that have yet to actually make an appearance. I really hope by my next blog they'll be here because she is very cranky about the whole process. BUT, she's learned how to give hugs recently, and she does it every time we pick her up, so she's still pretty darn cute despite the grumpy moments when she's aboard the Fuss Bus. Kisses aren't far away either, I'm thinking, since her new trick is to press her open mouth on my cheek and suck with all her might. Kind of like the "kiss of the algae eater" - a little wet and slimy but I'll take it!

Until next time, here's one last shot of our little half-pint, taken last night while hanging out with Daddy. (Pardon the avocado she somehow managed to get on her sweater despite wearing the biggest bib ever.)