six in the city

Or seven, if you count That Baby. But Tuesday and Wednesday were two estrogen-filled days, and Garrett was wildly outnumbered. (I'll tell you what, he's been a real trooper these last few days, which makes it easier to forgive him the major meltdown he had on the subway yesterday evening.)

Yesterday morning we met up with my Aunt Colleen, cousin-in-law Leisa, and cousin Emily at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They'd taken the train down from Massachusetts to see some sights in the city. With them we took a whirlwind tour of the Met, visited Horace Greeley, perused the City Quilter, and walked through a SoHo Anthropologie.

In the Arms and Armor section of the Met


In Greeley Square with Horace

At the end of the day the whole weary lot of us slumber partied in Brooklyn. I didn't think we could fit five sleeping bodies in our living room, but I was proved wrong. (Whether or not they were truly comfortable is another issue entirely.) This morning we stopped for a breakfast of bagels in the neighborhood before trekking up to Times Square.

Garrett, Lindsay, Emily, Leisa, Katie, and Chelsea in Times Square


With the dinosaur in the giant, fantastically-amazing Times Square Toys R Us store


Chelsea and Emily cranking out chocolate at the Hershey store

We had to say goodbye to Colleen, Leisa, and Emily at Times Square as they had a lunch appointment at the 5th Avenue American Girl Place. We browsed around Times Square a little longer, then headed over to Rockefeller Center, where the highlight was The Office section of the NBC store.

With Dwight Shrute

Katie and Chelsea head home tomorrow, full of memories, stories, and stronger calf muscles. I know I've had a blast having them here, and I get the feeling from them that they feel likewise.

the many sides of brooklyn

Yesterday after church we waited out an impressive thunderstorm before heading on a short walk to the Shore Promenade near our apartment:

Chelsea, Katie, and the Lower Manhattan skyline from the 69th St. Pier.

This morning we headed down to Coney Island:

Fresh off the subway and ready for fun.

Both girls were pretty proud of the fact that in just one month, they'd touched both the Pacific Ocean AND the Atlantic Ocean.


Lunch was brought to us by the original Nathan's Famous. For an appetizer, we ate funnel cake.

We walked through Astroland and seriously contemplated riding the famous Cyclone rollercoaster. The high ticket price persuaded us that it might not be completely worth it.

Afterwards we took the train to the opposite end of the borough to walk along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade:

On the Brooklyn Heights Promenade with Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.


We made a quick stop at an adjoining playground to go for a ride on the swings and a trip down the slide.

(By now I'm sure you know the drill: more pictures can be found by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page.)

and today we...

• Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge
• Ate a picnic lunch in City Hall Park
• Visited St. Paul's Chapel and, from the cemetery, saw the World Trade Center site
• Sat in Trinity Church and walked through the cemetery (but couldn't find Alexander Hamilton's grave)
• Walked down Wall Street and saw:
• Federal Hall
• the New York Stock Exchange
• Tiffany's
• Saw ships at South Street Seaport
• Rode on the Staten Island Ferry and
• saw the Statue of Liberty
• saw all four of the artistic waterfalls currently gracing the city's waterfront
• Stopped for an errand at Home Depot to buy a new living room light because
• the wiring in two of the sockets no longer worked, and
• Katie accidentally finished off the rest during an unfortunate moment last night

Sorry these recent posts are only outlined and skimpy, but as you can see, our days are long, and come evening, I'm beat. Which is why the rest of the night will consist of eating pizza, watching a movie, and putting our feet up.

Here are a few pictures of our day...

On the Brooklyn Bridge

Inside Trinity Church

Katie, Chelsea, and Lady Liberty on the Staten Island Ferry

And here are a few more. (As usual, please scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the most recent.)

i'm exhausted, and here is why

Today's adventures included:

• shopping at Steve and Barry's and H&M, where
• I exercised great restraint and didn't make any purchases
• Chelsea and Katie invested in a new shirt and some hip socks, respectively
  
• a ride on the wooden escalators in Macy's
• a Jamba-Juice-and-bagel lunch in Greeley Square
• the purchasing of I Love NY t-shirts
• photo-ops in front of the New York Public Library and the Empire State Building
• views of Bryant Park
• a very long walk through Central Park, which included
• views from Belvedere Castle
  
• views of the sailboats in the Conservatory Water
• a photo op with Alice in Wonderland
• lounging and exploring on the grass
• a walk down ritzy Midtown 5th Avenue, which included views of
• Rockefeller Center
• St. Patrick's Cathedral
• Tiffany's
• a weary train ride home, which included
• a rat, in his scurry across the platform, making a stop on Chelsea's shoe (ew yuck!)
• Garrett playing the part of experienced commuter

Yes, it's been a fabulous day. Yes, we are exhausted. And yes, we have pictures, which you can see by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page. But for those who can't wait for that page to load, here are a few of my personal favorites...

in Central Park

Exploring the grass in the Central Park


Garrett, our regular little subway commuter

'Til tomorrow!

garrett and buzz

Arriving in New York along with my sisters last night was a gift for Garrett from his grandma: a Buzz Lightyear toy cell phone. He's been coveting one ever since he played with his second cousin Lucy's princess cell phone at the family reunion. And why shouldn't he? It lights up. It makes beeping noises. And Buzz even talks to him! ("Sorry, Cadet, no time to talk. I've got a galaxy to save!")

Garrett loves his new toy so much, he can't help but spin with dizzying delight:

highlights from their first day in the city

The American Museum of Natural History

Favorite exhibits included the Hall of the Universe (where you could see how much you'd weigh on the sun), the dinosaurs, Hall of Ocean Life, and the Hall of African Mammals

The Manhattan LDS Temple

As we turned the corner from 66th St. onto Columbus Ave., I asked the girls if, in the sea of skyscrapers, they could spot the temple. Both had to look a minute before they found the statue of Moroni and realized that it was hovering right over them.

The Big Piano at F.A.O. Schwarz

First the girls tried it out, and then it was Garrett's turn. He went wild! There was something about that piano, with its keys that light up, that struck him as hilarious. And when we let him loose on the board, he laughed hysterically in his own happy heaven.

shake shake shake

According to my latest review of their flight status online, my sisters are finally on board a working airplane en route to New York City. I absolutely cannot wait to see them. But wait we all must because it's a long flight. So to hold me over, and to keep you entertained, here is a video of my silly little boy. He has lately not only become an avid hand-clapper (if someone within his earshot says "yay!" or if he hears applause on TV, he drops everything and starts clapping), but an extreme head shaker, as exhibited below.

Funny boy! He cracks me up -- and himself, too, apparently.

He also nods his head when mimicking us, and, because it involves the wave-like movement of his entire body, it is hilarious. I have yet to capture that on film, though. Hopefully one day soon I will.

watch out, new york...

They're coming! My sisters, Katie and Chelsea, fly in today tomorrow* for a week-long visit to see their favorite oldest sister, brother-in-law, and nephew.

*Poor girls. After several hours of delays due to mechanical problems with the airplane, their flight was ultimately canceled. Luckily, they were able to shift their entire trip by one day, so, barring any more unfortunate circumstances, they will instead be arriving tomorrow (and returning a day later than originally planned).


Stay tuned for good times and great adventures as we give them a taste of the city.

Also, a big quarter-of-a-century happy birthday wish to one of my favorite brothers.

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

the lion and the mouse

Three posts in one day? This must be some kind of record. But I can't go to bed without sharing with you a fascinating article I read today in The New Yorker called "The Lion and the Mouse." It's about the inter-mingling careers and vastly differing opinions and ideologies of Anne Carroll Moore, the first children's librarian, and E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web.

I am a sucker for the likes of E. B. White, and children's literature? You know I eat it up! I have an idea that there are several among my readership who feel the same. So for those of you who click and read the article (I won't lie -- it's long), do enjoy!

the frosting fiasco

I think I may have mentioned that Garrett flipped out at his birthday party when we brought the cake out and let him have at it. Turns out that he apparently doesn't like the feel of frosting on his fingers. One of our party guests likes to dabble in photography, and he documented the event. We received copies of the pictures over the weekend, and a few of them are too good not to share.




To see more photos of the party, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.

another new addition

Thanks for your comments and suggestions regarding our rug-couch clashing issue. Even though I didn't think the combination looked as bad as I thought it was going to, I still thought it looked bad. And so did Blake. And so on Saturday we walked over to a neighborhood carpet store and looked at rugs. We found this one, which was priced way under our budget, and which we fell in love with almost immediately.


You like? Please note that the red in the rug and the red of the couch match perfectly. I couldn't be more pleased.

After we purchased this rug, we played a game of Musical Carpet, moving the old living room rug into Garrett's room (where it certainly livens up the place), followed by the replacement of Garrett's old rug in our bedroom (where it matches better). I love having a sturdier rug in Garrett's room, especially now that we've finally installed an a/c in one of his windows. It only took us halfway through the summer's second heatwave (which, thankfully, seems to have subsided a bit overnight) to get it hooked up, but now that it's in, we've taken to holing up our sweaty selves in his room, with the air cranked high and the door closed tight. It works out great: Garrett roams his now better babyproofed room (another Saturday project) and plays while we hang out and either play with him or read or just chat.

new addition

After being supplied throughout our marriage by several free hand-me-down couches, we've finally made the plunge and purchased our own.


Isn't she beautiful? We factored into our budget the fact that a red couch and a red carpet would probably clash and would therefore require the immediate purchase of a new rug. But I don't know... sure, it's a lot of red (and yes, ultimately a new rug will live in its spot), but it doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. What do you think? New rug ASAP or can it wait a while? I'm curious as to your thoughts.

And now, if you will humor me, a moment of silence for the comfortable Old Couch, now adorning the curb in front of our building as it awaits pick-up by the garbage man:

day-trippin'

Yesterday was a long, hot, exhausting, and completely wonderful day. Seriously -- I had a blast. Why, you may be asking? Two words: Bronx Zoo.

I made a deal with my friend, Martha, a while back: If she drove us, I'd get her into the zoo for free (her son, Liam, like Garrett, gets in for free anyway) AND offer up one of the free parking passes my zoo membership gave me. So yesterday (after my blessed baby boy slept in good and late) I packed us picnic lunches and buckled us into her car.

The drive, in typical heavy and aggressive NYC traffic, took us up through Brooklyn and Queens, and then over the Triborough Bridge into the Bronx. As we drove under the Brooklyn Bridge and alongside the river, we got some good views of a couple of the installation art waterfalls currently gracing the city's waterfront and that was pretty cool to see.

The zoo was CROWDED, thanks mostly to the day camp kids who were swarming everywhere. It was also very HOT. And though that didn't stop us from having a grand time, it did put the idea into our heads that the best time for a future visit would be in the fall when it would be cooler and the kids would be tucked back away at school.

Garrett and Liam enjoying a moment of bonding.

We didn't want to push our boys too far past their limits, what with their young ages and the heat, so we didn't get to a lot of the zoo exhibits. We did go into the monkey house where I was surprised by the fact that Garrett actually watched (or ogled, if you will) the monkeys as they jumped from limb to limb. We also visited the zoo's newest exhibit, Madagascar!, which highlighted not only the wildlife found on that island, but also the efforts made by the Wildlife Conservation Society (which is based at the Bronx Zoo) to help reclaim the natural habitats that have been brutally destroyed.

After we ate our picnic lunch and changed a few diapers, it was off to the Children's Zoo, which was my favorite part of yesterday's zoo trip. Everything in the Children's Zoo was perfectly well-suited (including being eye level) for a child. Garrett and Liam thoroughly enjoyed it. We all got a good laugh at the alligator tank where only a thick pane of glass separated two four-foot alligators from anxious children. Two brave souls decided to get as close to the glass as they could and when the reptiles decided to snap their jaws, the kids questioned their bravery right on cue with the most hilarious and horror-film-like screams I've ever heard. They had all of us laughing, whether they liked it or not.

Garrett in the Children's Zoo watching the prairie dogs.

Garrett fell asleep moments before we reached the petting zoo portion, which I was a little bummed about.


Oh well, though. Next time, right? (Also on my must-see list for next time: the gorillas and the butterfly garden.) It was time to head home anyway. Thanks, Martha and Liam, for accompanying Garrett and I on such a fun trip to the zoo!

Martha, Liam, Garrett, and Lindsay in the Children's Zoo.
If you look carefully, you can see two wallabys behind us.

loving lately

Here are a few of the things I currently can't live without:

1. Sink strainer. We don't have a garbage disposal, and I was getting sick of having to always think extra hard before I threw something in the sink. Because, come on, we all know it's easier to just toss stray Cheerios into the sink rather than the tucked away garbage can. We picked this puppy up a few months ago, and I haven't looked back. It seriously nearly fulfills all of my kitchen dreams. (More counters, a dishwasher, and the ability to sit at the table and open the fridge at the same time are still ranking high in my ideal kitchen, but none of those are going to happen anytime soon, so I think I'll settle with the sink strainer.)

2. Hand broom with attachable dustpan. I have no idea why I didn't pick one of these up like three years ago when I first decided to start really caring about the cleanliness of my kitchen. After getting sick and tired of trying to sweep crumbs into a dustpan with a regular sized broom all by myself, I made a visit about a month ago to the cleaning aisle at Target and picked up a small hand broom and dustpan. The fact that the set only cost $1.99 made me kick myself for not having invested in one sooner.

3. Black raspberry ice cream. I used to be a brown and white only girl when it came to ice cream. Chocolate and vanilla, along with all of their variations, were the only flavors I considered worth my time. But then I tasted black raspberry ice cream and my opinions changed drastically. It is so, so good. Especially the Tillamook variety. I've also discovered that peach, marionberry, and huckleberry ice creams are also delicious, but I think that black raspberry is my favorite. Sometimes it even trumps by love of chocolate, which, let me tell you, is huge progress on my part. So I've lately had to do some rethinking in regards to my brown/white only point of view, and as I've done so, I've realized that the only colored ice creams I really don't like are strawberry and mint.

4. Essays by Anne Fadiman. You might remember that I loved her collection of essays on books and reading in Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader. A few weeks ago I picked up another collection of her essays called At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays. It's pretty fabulous. Fadiman is one intelligent cookie, and reading her essays, which cover a wide variety of topics while exhibiting her impressive vocabulary without sounding arrogant, leave me feeling smarter. Also, they are quite enjoyable to read. My favorite is one on the evolution of mail. When I was in school reading essays meant reading critical essays, which were always so difficult for me to get through. I've long enjoyed reading personal essays (what's blogging if not a series of personal essays?), but they are sometimes too fluffy for my education-craving self. Enter the familiar essay: a critical essay with a personal aspect. Reading familiar essays teaches me something new and interesting while making me feel quite at home. And I like that.

5. A baby who so happily hides the fact that he's teething. Garrett sprouted Tooth Number Six (his last upper incisor) while we were in Oregon. Last night, while he was hanging upside down off my lap with his mouth wide open, I discovered Tooth Number Seven and Tooth Number Eight poking through the back of his upper gums. That's right, folks: Garrett's growing molars. And not a whimper to show for it (at least not yet). In fact, in the few days since we've been back home, he's been the happiest I've seen him in a long time. I cannot even begin to tell you how nice it is to live with a teething baby who doesn't act like he's teething. Let's hope this lasts.

live footage

Here are a few videos taken during our trip.

Garrett and Lucy

This first one is of Garrett playing with his second cousin, Lucy. Lucy is two months younger than Garrett and a full head shorter. This video might lead you to believe that Garrett was more interested in banging cups together than with getting to know his cousin, but if you could have seem them spend the week together, you'd know better. Garrett loved Lucy; he burst into a babbling grin every time he saw her. Sure, he had a bad habit of taking her playthings and claiming them as his own, but since he's only one, I think we'll cut him some slack this time.

Gimpy Garrett

Garrett doesn't look like a monkey anymore when he's on the go. His scoot has now evolved into a gimpy crawl that makes him look more like a little crippled baby than the healthy little boy he really is. Think a 12-month-old Tiny Tim or an infant Igor and you'd be just about on par with his movements.

Bonding with Uncle Riley's Glasses

This next video highlights some special bonding time Garrett had with my brother. Riley would hold Garrett up over his head, let him grab his glasses, then sit him back down on his lap. Garrett would then very willingly give Riley back his glasses, but only if he'd rub the ear tips along his face. Judging by the string of drool that falls from his mouth, I think it's safe to say that the face rub felt dang good. After a bit, Riley would put his glasses back on, at which point Garrett would beg to be lifted up again so they could do this all over again (and again, and again).

Garrett Has a Ball

At the reunion we had a family talent show where everyone was expected to participate. Garrett decided (or, rather, we decided for him) that he should showcase his knack for being a boy by rolling a ball back and forth to us. Unfortunately, Garrett doesn't do so well in front of crowds, whether or not he's performing, so our little act was less than stellar. Once we got home, though, he decided to trump that talent by demonstrating to us that he can not only roll a ball when requested, but he can bounce it, too. So, for all the family out there who were perhaps a bit disappointed with his first act, here, a few days overdue, is his even better talent.

how i spent my summer vacation

We returned yesterday from a week-long trip to the Oregon Coast for a family reunion which was bookended by weekends in Seattle and Portland. The flights were long (and it was hard to not think that we could be in the air for less time AND go to Europe if only we'd headed East instead of West), but I cannot even begin to describe how fun this trip was. I always love going to the Pacific Northwest; after countless summer vacations spent in Oregon, the place feels to me as familiar as home. We packed a lot into the ten days we were away from Brooklyn, and I still have a lot of recovering to do here at home, but here are some (okay...a lot of) highlights of our trip.

(Fair warning: long post ahead)


In Seattle

• We spent our first weekend with Blake's grandparents in Issaquah. It was lovely spending time with them. I also got to meet several branches of Blake's extended family for the first time, including his Aunt Janet, his Uncle Mark, and his Aunt Shauna.
• We flew in on the 4th and headed almost directly to a picnic at Lake Sammamish Park. Fried chicken and chocolates retrieved from the back of the freezer (and to Grandpa's great surprise) never tasted so good.
• We went on an excursion to Pike Street Market, which was complete with views of fish throwing, treats from the bakery, a thousand different samples of nuts, jellies, and cherries, and a photo-op on the golden pig. The crowds in the marketplace were so big, they gave busy NYC streets a run for their money.
• Also went on an excursion out to see the Chittenden Locks, which connect Lake Washington with Puget Sound. It was fun to watch the water level in the locks go lower and lower so that the boats could pass from one body of water to another on even ground (err...water). We also watched a few fish struggle up the fish ladders, as well as a beautiful great blue heron just hanging around at the water's edge.
• We got lost in downtown Seattle trying to meet up with Blake's cousin at a burger joint. We finally found them and lunch was delicious. Entertainment for the meal was provided by a decidedly very drunk man having an engaging conversation with an invisible companion at a sidewalk table in front of the restaurant.
• We took a serene ride on the Fauntleroy ferry to meet up with my aunt and uncle on the other side of the Sound, who we'd be hitching a ride with down to the Oregon Coast for the family reunion.

At the Oregon Coast

• The drive from Washington along Highway 101 was winding and, were it not for the colorful sprays of purple hollyhocks, white daisies, tall yellow dandelions, and flowering blackberry bushes, monotonously green. Coniferous mountains rise majestically on one side of the road while the blue-gray Pacific Ocean, with its white foam-peaked waves, flows away out on the other. The air smells of salt spray and campfire. It is so beautiful.
  
• Family, family, and MORE family! Our family reunions are not your typical Saturday BBQ in the park sort of reunion. We have them once every 3-4 years, and they are always held for about a week in a variety of different locations (past locations include the Oregon Coast, Yellowstone and Bear Lake, Nauvoo, and a lake in Minnesota). They are a BIG deal and always worth the trip. A sizeable chunk of the newly-married cousin crowd were sadly missing due to internships and other obligations. This year's reunion, however, marked the first appearance of the "4th generation": Garrett and his two second cousins, Rees and Lucy.
• This reunion was the second we'd spent in Rockaway Beach (the first being our initial reunion back in 1991). Like I'm sure we did seventeen years ago, armed in our matching screen-printed green shirts, we took this tiny coastal town by storm.
• A visit to Rockaway is not complete without a visit (or several) to Flamingo Jim's. Flamingo Jim's (or Flamenco Jim's, as my mom liked to call it) is more than your run-of-the-mill coastal gift shop. Okay, so that's a lie. But we all fell in love with it at the first Rockaway reunion, and now can't go home until we've sifted through the sea shells, sweatshirts, postcards, and other kitschy items, and picked something out to take home with us. Garrett's favorite item (which did not come home with us, despite the fact that it gave him endless pleasure) was a ceramic garden gnome. He instead is now the proud owner of a sand dollar and a starfish.
  
• A trip to the Oregon Coast is also not complete with a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, where you can load up on delicious cheese samples and ice cream in any one of a variety of different flavors. Seriously, if you haven't partaken of the goodness that are Tillamook dairy products, you need to. This year's cheese tour also included a stop at the Blue Heron French Cheese company, also located in Tillamook. Here we stocked up on more samples which we may or may not have fed to the goats kept out front.
• Beach combing isn't always successful, but Blake found a whole, medium-sized, unbroken sand dollar, and my sister, Katie, found a tiny one in perfect condition.
• With the exception of some strong winds, we had perfect weather all week long. Normally it rains during most of our stay, but we had sunshine all week.
• Watching Garrett interact with his 10-month-old second cousin, Lucy, was priceless. He'd burst into a grin every time he saw her. (And then he'd take whatever it was she was playing with.)
  
• During our Closing Ceremonies, I won the Bargain Hunter award for my skills at the Seaside and Lincoln City factory outlets. Seriously -- I cleaned up. But I was on a mission: it's hard to find clothing in NYC for prices I'm willing to pay. I mean, it can be done, but it's a real challenge for someone who doesn't especially love shopping and who has to tote around a small child. Blake won the Jacques Cousteau award for his skills in beach combing way out in the surf -- and consequently getting quite soaked. Garrett won the Seagull award for his perfectly on cue imitation of a seagull call (some might call that noise whining).
• I played Wii for the first time, and doing so taught me that I'm as crappy a tennis player in virtual reality as I am in real life, but, on the plus side, I'm still a good bowler.
• Despite the fact that Garrett turned into a clingy Mama's boy when surrounded by adoring relatives, and despite the fact that for most of this crib-less trip he slept on the floor in the closet and didn't sleep as well as any of us would have liked, he did make great strides on the mobility front. He pulls himself up on furniture without thinking twice and is starting to cruise alongside it. He's become a fast crawler, but his half-crawl/half-scoot movements make him look like a gimpy, crippled baby. It's hilarious, and I have video footage, but you'll have to stay tuned for that. Oh, and he also learned how to climb up stairs.
  
• We gave my Aunt Bethany a baby shower, which we were able to keep a surprise until the very last minute. She's expecting identical twin boys this fall.
• Surprisingly, Garrett's first touch of sand and freezing cold sea water didn't phase him. After his birthday cake frosting fiasco, I was preparing myself for the worst.
  
• Other beach activities: kite flying, beach walking (and treasure-hunting for the three-year-old), a talent show (Garrett showcased his ability to roll a ball back and forth; we showcased our ability to help him), and lots and lots of lounging.

Tangent, Oregon and Portland, Oregon

• After the reunion, we all headed down to Tangent, OR, to attend my cousin Joseph's Eagle Court of Honor. Of course the major highlight of the evening was the actual awarding of the Eagle, but my own personal highlight was watching Garrett burst into a loud fit of giggles as he crawled around on the floor at the back of the room with his cousin, Lucy.
• While at my uncle and aunt's house in Tangent, I took Garrett for a dip in their swimming pool. He was in heaven, which only confirmed my desire to take him swimming here in NYC.
  
• We slept in Portland at my grandparent's house. During our stay my grandpa took us on a driving tour of downtown Portland, in which he showcased some of the memorable buildings downtown, as well as the apartments and hotels where he retrieves quarters from laundry facilities as a small side job. The drive also included a trip to see Ramona Quimby lived on Klickitat Street, as well as panoramic views of the city from up on Rocky Butte.

We flew in yesterday and are now trying to convert ourselves back to Eastern Time after enjoying a stint of Pacific Time (a three hour difference is a lot to get used to). I rode in my first NYC yellow cab coming home from the airport. Our driver was incredibly kind and didn't charge us for the extra miles and toll when he accidentally took the wrong exit and ended up crossing the Verrazano Bridge over to Staten Island. We've unpacked, grocery shopped, and laundry is waiting for tomorrow morning. It's good to be home.

We did take pictures -- lots of them -- which I'm assuming that some of you are eager to see. You can see them either by clicking the "july 2008" link on the upper left sidebar, or by clicking here. Enjoy!

heeding the call

Horace Greeley, the 19th century editor of the New York Tribune, once said to, "Go West, young man." And so we are. All the way to the other coast. So, um, yeah...we'll catch you folks all later.

Garrett at the Horace Greeley statue in Greeley Square, Manhattan

twelve months and doing well

I took Garrett this morning to the doctor for his twelve month well check-up and, by all accounts, he seems to have passed with flying colors. Here are his stats:

Weight: 20 lbs 9 oz
Height: 31 inches

He's long and lean, this boy. Which is especially easy to notice when trying to buy pants and shorts that fit him in the waist. I swear this kid needs a belt! Either that, or I need an easier time finding bottoms with retractable waists. At any rate, with a small waist and long legs, he is definitely his mother's son, and, if my own experience proves anything, it will be a challenge to buy pants for him for years to come.

Here I am, concerned about pants, when I should probably gear a bit more concern towards his eating habits, like his doctor did. Garrett's only gained about a half a pound, give or take, since his last appointment three months ago. I suppose that this is proof that he has, in fact, entered the picky-eater phase. I've had my suspicions of this for a little while now as I've watched mealtimes become frustrating. Garrett's become the sort of boy who will take a few bites of food and then refuse to eat the rest. Such is toddlerhood, I'm told. Anyhow, we'll keep offering and, if he's hungry enough, he'll be bound to eat. And in the meantime, the vitamins the doctor wants him to take will make sure that, if he's not getting enough calories, at least he'll be getting his nutrients.

And speaking of food, here's my favorite bit of news from today's appointment. Are you ready? Because it's pretty exciting... GARRETT GETS TO DRINK MILK!! Our formula days are at an end!

Also making me happy is the fact that Garrett gets to try out a regimen of Zyrtec for his allergies. Here's hoping it works because the Benedryl we'd previously been told to use has a tendency to suck the life out of my happy, vibrant little boy. It will also be nice to be able to once again enjoy excursions outside to the park without the unfortunate side effects of a drippy faucet-like nose, uncontrollable sneezes, and itchy eyes.

But my high from all this news came crashing sadly down when the vaccine needles were pulled out. He was given the MMR and chicken pox vaccines, as well as a TB test. Not fun -- for either of us. New mothers are always talking about how miserable it is to watch their two-month-old babies get poked for the first time, and I'll readily agree that that was not one of the highlights of my time as a mother. But I'll tell you what -- these 12-month shots are way, way worse. Maybe it's because they're heartier. Maybe it's because they're administered into his arms instead of his chubby thighs. Or maybe it's because the needle is enormous. I don't know. I'm grateful for vaccines and all they do and stand for, but I think I need to go join my son and sleep the misery off alongside him.

it girl

Okay, so I'm not really the It girl, but I've seen several variations of this tag floating around and wanted to play, too. So if you're just joining us, here's what's been going on with me for the last two decades.

20 years ago...
I had just successfully wrapped up my kindergarten year, but was sad because my very first BFF, Sarah, had just moved across the continent to far-away New Jersey. But it wasn't goodbye forever. We shifted our relationship to accommodate the distance: if we couldn't spend afternoons playing at each others homes, we could be pen pals. And so for 20 years we've stayed in touch, by hand-written letters, emails, blogs, and a few visits sprinkled in between.

10 years ago...
When I wasn't at Target stocking the shelves of Blue World at my first non-babysitting job, I was participating in the worst group date ever. Sadly, it was also my first date. I've tried my best over the years to forget the details but for your enjoyment I'll bring a few tidbits back to the surface. Think big blind date (a group of kids from my high school were matched up with a group of kids from a neighboring high school) where the boy I was set up said not one word the entire evening. I don't even know what his name was. Dinner was concocted by couples sent separately on errands to the grocery store to pick up various top-secret components of the meal which, if I remember correctly, involved jars of pureed baby food. We carpooled in small groups to the mall for the activity, a bizarre game that somehow involved napkins and pimpled employees of Orange Julius, but which [thankfully] never materialized because we spent the next hour and a half wandering around the mall looking for the groups we got separated from on the drive over. Luckily this horrific first date experience didn't hinder my desire and ability to ultimately get married.

5 years ago...
After dealing with a collapsed ceiling and a flooded, smelly apartment, my roommates, cousin, and I stole away on a road trip to Disneyland. When we ran out of gas in Cedar City, we knew we were in for an adventure. Aside from a few pre-menstrual meltdowns, we had a fabulous time whizzing through fast-pass lines and chasing down Mary Poppins for a photo-op. One highlight of the trip was an afternoon spent in San Diego with our good friend, Peter, picking lemons off the tree in his yard to make homemade lemonade. Peter also joined us for a day in the Happiest Place on Earth, the highlight of which was undoubtedly our lunch in the Blue Bayou.

3 years ago...
Blake and I were newlyweds packing up our first Provo apartment in preparation for our big move to Muncie, Indiana, for two years of grad school.

1 year ago...
I had just given birth to Baby Garrett, and when we weren't trying parenthood on for size, we were accepting a job in New York City and gearing up for another big move.

Yesterday...
Was spent on Take Two of celebrating Garrett's birthday, with a special focus on not flipping out and screaming inconsolably in front of company when chocolate frosting sticks to fingers and won't come off, dangit, no matter how hard your hand is flicked, spewing pieces of cupcake everywhere. (Yeah, we had some good times Sunday evening.) No, this second celebration, spent only with Mama and Dad, was much calmer. Cupcakes and ice cream were served once more, only this time Garrett wasn't allowed to touch them with his fingers. Presents were opened, the results of which were thoroughly enjoyed (apparently you can't go wrong giving a one-year-old boy cars), and grandparents were talked to over Skype.

Today...
I will watch Lars and the Real Girl again. We rented it Saturday and watched it that evening. And I fell so in love with the tenderly original story and and great acting that while Garrett naps or while Blake's stays out late to attend meetings at the church, I will curl up on the couch with a leftover chocolate cupcake and let my heart be warmed again. Meanwhile, the rest of the day will be spent following around my now extremely mobile son, cleaning up the messy destruction he leaves in his wake while we dance and sing along with the Raffi CD he got for his birthday.

Tomorrow...
I will take Garrett to the doctor for his 12-month well check-up.

And the day after that...
I will do a lot of laundry and a lot of suitcase packing...

Because on the day after that...
We're going on vacation. Yippee!!