We slept through the hurricane. I wondered, when I woke up, if we would look out our window and realize that the whole neighborhood had been leveled, except for our house, which wasn't touched. But it turned out that nothing was touched. The sunflowers continue to stand. Our boat is still there - we even took it out for a ride this morning. No one else was boating. It was windy but beautiful. Most of the big boats at our marina had been pulled out of the water prior to the storm, which seemed kind of funny. I guess those people have a whole lot more of an investment to lose if the hurricane had actually passed through. I wonder if they will be put back in, or if people will just call it quits for the season.
If that's a hurricane, then I'll take one any day over a blizzard! :) But I think the hurricane actually just passed us at sea.
Showing posts with label seasons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seasons. Show all posts
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Hurricanes and sunflowers and airplanes
It is finally the weekend again, and here I am, waiting for my mom to arrive from Buffalo and waiting for Annika to wake up from her nap.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you'll know that Hurricane Earl is heading to New England for a Labor Day weekend visit. Notwithstanding the requisite doomsday predictions, it looks like the Cape and islands are going to get a Category 1 hurricane (the Cape is about 50 miles from our house), and we are going to have a tropical storm up here, and it'll probably all be gone by Saturday morning. My only concern about our house and yard is that my sunflowers are going to blow down. I have a variety of sunflowers, some of which were volunteers from last year and have been blooming since July. But I'm growing a new variety called "Honey Bear" that has taken a long time to open. One has opened and the rest are almost in bloom. They are cheerful and cute and unusual and I love them. I hope they survive the storm.
...and, OK, here are some photos of the other ones. I love my sunflowers.
Anyway, my mom was supposed to fly in tonight, at 8pm. Which, of course, is when the hurricane was predicted to arrive. Last night, I went on the U.S. Airways website and learned that because there was now a weather advisory, Mom could change her plane ticket with no penalty. So she moved up her flight to this morning and should be arriving soon. I was pretty sure all week that she wasn't going to make it in, but she really is going to get here. It's cool. She'll be here til Monday.
Why am I writing this blog instead of driving to the airport? Because Annika woke up with a stomach bug this morning. She is down for a nap right now and I don't want to disturb her. She's been pretty listless this morning. Jim is going to pick up my mom from the airport. One of my favorite things to do is meeting people at the airport, but at this point, Annika needs to rest. Hopefully she'll feel a lot better after her nap and she'll enjoy seeing Grandma! :)
Unless you have been living under a rock, you'll know that Hurricane Earl is heading to New England for a Labor Day weekend visit. Notwithstanding the requisite doomsday predictions, it looks like the Cape and islands are going to get a Category 1 hurricane (the Cape is about 50 miles from our house), and we are going to have a tropical storm up here, and it'll probably all be gone by Saturday morning. My only concern about our house and yard is that my sunflowers are going to blow down. I have a variety of sunflowers, some of which were volunteers from last year and have been blooming since July. But I'm growing a new variety called "Honey Bear" that has taken a long time to open. One has opened and the rest are almost in bloom. They are cheerful and cute and unusual and I love them. I hope they survive the storm.
Here's a photo of them so far.
...and, OK, here are some photos of the other ones. I love my sunflowers.
Anyway, my mom was supposed to fly in tonight, at 8pm. Which, of course, is when the hurricane was predicted to arrive. Last night, I went on the U.S. Airways website and learned that because there was now a weather advisory, Mom could change her plane ticket with no penalty. So she moved up her flight to this morning and should be arriving soon. I was pretty sure all week that she wasn't going to make it in, but she really is going to get here. It's cool. She'll be here til Monday.
Why am I writing this blog instead of driving to the airport? Because Annika woke up with a stomach bug this morning. She is down for a nap right now and I don't want to disturb her. She's been pretty listless this morning. Jim is going to pick up my mom from the airport. One of my favorite things to do is meeting people at the airport, but at this point, Annika needs to rest. Hopefully she'll feel a lot better after her nap and she'll enjoy seeing Grandma! :)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Harvest
All harvested this morning (before the storm):
(Cantaloupe, kousa zucchini, cucumbers, and several varieties of tomatoes). The cantaloupe actually harvested itself - it was lying in the grass this morning when I woke up. I'm assuming that means it's ready?
(Cantaloupe, kousa zucchini, cucumbers, and several varieties of tomatoes). The cantaloupe actually harvested itself - it was lying in the grass this morning when I woke up. I'm assuming that means it's ready?
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Just a weekend in the summer
I would like to remember this weekend next January, in the middle of winter. Don't get me wrong, I'm tired. And it sure is hot. But I can take the heat better than the cold.
Yesterday, my cousin and her husband came to visit, on their way further north for a family vacation in Maine. We walked around Boston, and I even gave them a car "tour" of the Kenmore Square/Back Bay area of Boston (when I got lost trying to find Fenway Park). We had pizza and watched a movie that was surprisingly good, particularly considering that Sandra Bullock was in it.
Today, my uncle and aunt joined us and we went boating! We rode into the harbor, saw the U.S.S. Constitution and the Boston skyline. Then we came back and cooked out on the grill. Later, we went to a party at our friends' house. They just sold their house and are moving out next week. This was the good-bye party for their house. We sat out in the backyard and ate summer food. They had a really nice, comfortable house in the Adams Shore area of Quincy, just a few houses from the Quincy Bay. I miss the house, but I'll mostly miss them once they leave Massachusetts for parts south next year.
Tomorrow we plan on meeting friends at Houghton's Pond for an early lunch, and we may go swimming there and/or in the pool at our friends' new apartment.
I'm very tired! It's been hot (well over 90 each day) and the heat can be draining. And forget about getting chores done. But it's nice to enjoy the summer. It goes so fast.
Yesterday, my cousin and her husband came to visit, on their way further north for a family vacation in Maine. We walked around Boston, and I even gave them a car "tour" of the Kenmore Square/Back Bay area of Boston (when I got lost trying to find Fenway Park). We had pizza and watched a movie that was surprisingly good, particularly considering that Sandra Bullock was in it.
Today, my uncle and aunt joined us and we went boating! We rode into the harbor, saw the U.S.S. Constitution and the Boston skyline. Then we came back and cooked out on the grill. Later, we went to a party at our friends' house. They just sold their house and are moving out next week. This was the good-bye party for their house. We sat out in the backyard and ate summer food. They had a really nice, comfortable house in the Adams Shore area of Quincy, just a few houses from the Quincy Bay. I miss the house, but I'll mostly miss them once they leave Massachusetts for parts south next year.
Tomorrow we plan on meeting friends at Houghton's Pond for an early lunch, and we may go swimming there and/or in the pool at our friends' new apartment.
I'm very tired! It's been hot (well over 90 each day) and the heat can be draining. And forget about getting chores done. But it's nice to enjoy the summer. It goes so fast.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Summer day
Today, Annika had her first popsicle. She was a natural at it. She also went to her first "splash park" (basically, a playground with sprinklers that go on and off). She cautiously stood by the sidelines with a wary eye on the sprinklers, but I think she still had fun. She got a little wet, although that was mostly by accident.
I bought Annie a pair of flip-flops. They are a little too big, and she cries whenever I try to put them on her. She's put off by the thingy that goes between her toes. So she went barefoot, and had no problem with that.
We are getting ready for a big trip west, to Buffalo and Cleveland, for over a week. I always say I'm going to pack up in the days before we leave, but never really get to it until the morning that we leave. But it's always worked out OK. May the travel gods and the nap gods be with us for our trip ...
I bought Annie a pair of flip-flops. They are a little too big, and she cries whenever I try to put them on her. She's put off by the thingy that goes between her toes. So she went barefoot, and had no problem with that.
We are getting ready for a big trip west, to Buffalo and Cleveland, for over a week. I always say I'm going to pack up in the days before we leave, but never really get to it until the morning that we leave. But it's always worked out OK. May the travel gods and the nap gods be with us for our trip ...
Friday, April 2, 2010
Easter traditions
It's Good Friday, and today we were supposed to be in Buffalo and heading to Cleveland to celebrate Easter with my grandparents. Because we had to go into Buffalo last month suddenly, we couldn't make the Easter trip. It was certainly the right decision to go into Buffalo last month, but I'm sad that we're spending Easter by ourselves and not with my grandparents and mom. Growing up, we often went to Cleveland for Easter and I have nice memories. It's a good opportunity to visit family.
So this weekend is about finding our own "traditions," a common theme during our time here in Boston. The question, of course, is whether we should try to duplicate what we ourselves did while we were growing up, or whether we should just go with the flow and create traditions out of whatever happens. In some ways, I think it is impossible to duplicate old family traditions, because it's impossible to repeat things that have already happened with people who are far away or gone all together. But I suppose there are some things we can duplicate - the Easter basket, dressing up in nice clothes, a nice dinner, perhaps going to a church service of some sort.
In a way, our "tradition" for Easter when we spend it in Boston has been pretty low-key. I'd have never believed it when I was a little kid, but when you're an adult, the Easter Bunny doesn't have the same allure! And going out and buying a frilly dress to wear to Easter mass and brunch just doesn't happen. But now we have Annie, so perhaps some of those traditions will come out of hiding. It's as if there's a clean slate at the moment, since we haven't ever done anything special for Easter when it's just been us in Boston. It's imposing. At the moment, we spend just about every holiday there is in Buffalo, so we don't have a great track record of creating our own traditions. That's going to have to change as Annie gets older, so I guess Easter is a good start. I don't want the only tradition she knows to be getting in a car and going somewhere else.
We are having friends over for dinner, and this is the second year that we've had dinner with them on Easter. Last year, Easter dinner was my last real meal before I had Annika. I went into the hospital the next day. I remember coming home from the hospital the following Saturday and still seeing the cooling racks on the counter from when I had made cupcakes for Easter dinner. It was a bizarre experience, because it seemed so long ago. This year, I think we're going to cook out shish kabobs on the grill.
Today the weather is going to be beautiful. I'm hoping to get outside with Annika, and I'm also hoping to put together a little Easter basket for her.
So this weekend is about finding our own "traditions," a common theme during our time here in Boston. The question, of course, is whether we should try to duplicate what we ourselves did while we were growing up, or whether we should just go with the flow and create traditions out of whatever happens. In some ways, I think it is impossible to duplicate old family traditions, because it's impossible to repeat things that have already happened with people who are far away or gone all together. But I suppose there are some things we can duplicate - the Easter basket, dressing up in nice clothes, a nice dinner, perhaps going to a church service of some sort.
In a way, our "tradition" for Easter when we spend it in Boston has been pretty low-key. I'd have never believed it when I was a little kid, but when you're an adult, the Easter Bunny doesn't have the same allure! And going out and buying a frilly dress to wear to Easter mass and brunch just doesn't happen. But now we have Annie, so perhaps some of those traditions will come out of hiding. It's as if there's a clean slate at the moment, since we haven't ever done anything special for Easter when it's just been us in Boston. It's imposing. At the moment, we spend just about every holiday there is in Buffalo, so we don't have a great track record of creating our own traditions. That's going to have to change as Annie gets older, so I guess Easter is a good start. I don't want the only tradition she knows to be getting in a car and going somewhere else.
We are having friends over for dinner, and this is the second year that we've had dinner with them on Easter. Last year, Easter dinner was my last real meal before I had Annika. I went into the hospital the next day. I remember coming home from the hospital the following Saturday and still seeing the cooling racks on the counter from when I had made cupcakes for Easter dinner. It was a bizarre experience, because it seemed so long ago. This year, I think we're going to cook out shish kabobs on the grill.
Today the weather is going to be beautiful. I'm hoping to get outside with Annika, and I'm also hoping to put together a little Easter basket for her.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
St. Pat's
We had a busy St. Patty's day. And yes, Annika did wear green. However, I couldn't find my "Erin Go Braugh" t-shirt that my dad picked up for me years ago at the Salvation Army. I think I might've given it away! Always thought it was a little useless, since it was short-sleeved, and who ever wears short sleeves on March 17. Well, I did today. It was in the 60's here. Perhaps the best weather for March 17 that I ever remember.
We started out at our new "Water Babies" swim class. The timing of it, 9:30, is not ideal since it's nap time. But we threw caution to the wind today in the nap department. (Let's see if we pay for it tonight). We had a very nice swim class, learned some new songs, and started teaching Annika a little about water safety. When she jumps into the water (with help from Mommy), I am supposed to make sure that she turns around and grabs the wall. The swim instructor said that most kids who drown do so near the wall of the pool, after falling in. She said that the hope was that if the child knows to grab the wall, she's less likely to drown. I'm not sure I totally buy it, but I'm OK teaching Annika that.
After the swim class, we went to a play date in W. Roxbury. Luckily, Annie did not get pushed over again, like at the last play date! (The little girl who did that, twice, was not there today). Annie got to visit with her baby friends and we talked about the birthday party that we're putting together for all the kids, which is going to take place in a few weeks at a health club in Dedham.
After that, we rushed home because I was hoping I could get Annie to go down for a little nap so I could eat lunch, take a shower (was feeling icky after being in the chlorinated pool), and have a little down time. Annie did most of her sleeping in her car seat, as luck would have it. I did get about 30 minutes out of her in the crib.
This afternoon, I cooked mushroom stroganoff, and we hung out with the neighbors for a while. It was so warm out! Felt like the end of spring, rather than the beginning! All my crocuses are in bloom! I love them.
When Jim got home from work, we drove over to Houghs Neck to meet with a new day care provider. And after that, we went to DQ for some ice cream! :) (yes, even before we ate dinner). It was definitely a DQ day.
I'm now off to read a good-night story to Annika, and plan on filing the taxes tonight. An absolutely loaded day.
We started out at our new "Water Babies" swim class. The timing of it, 9:30, is not ideal since it's nap time. But we threw caution to the wind today in the nap department. (Let's see if we pay for it tonight). We had a very nice swim class, learned some new songs, and started teaching Annika a little about water safety. When she jumps into the water (with help from Mommy), I am supposed to make sure that she turns around and grabs the wall. The swim instructor said that most kids who drown do so near the wall of the pool, after falling in. She said that the hope was that if the child knows to grab the wall, she's less likely to drown. I'm not sure I totally buy it, but I'm OK teaching Annika that.
After the swim class, we went to a play date in W. Roxbury. Luckily, Annie did not get pushed over again, like at the last play date! (The little girl who did that, twice, was not there today). Annie got to visit with her baby friends and we talked about the birthday party that we're putting together for all the kids, which is going to take place in a few weeks at a health club in Dedham.
After that, we rushed home because I was hoping I could get Annie to go down for a little nap so I could eat lunch, take a shower (was feeling icky after being in the chlorinated pool), and have a little down time. Annie did most of her sleeping in her car seat, as luck would have it. I did get about 30 minutes out of her in the crib.
This afternoon, I cooked mushroom stroganoff, and we hung out with the neighbors for a while. It was so warm out! Felt like the end of spring, rather than the beginning! All my crocuses are in bloom! I love them.
When Jim got home from work, we drove over to Houghs Neck to meet with a new day care provider. And after that, we went to DQ for some ice cream! :) (yes, even before we ate dinner). It was definitely a DQ day.
I'm now off to read a good-night story to Annika, and plan on filing the taxes tonight. An absolutely loaded day.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Snow - for real
Yesterday, we got the storm that we were supposed to get last week. It snowed all day long and we got probably about 4-5 inches of heavy, wet snow. We would've gotten a lot more accumulation if it had been colder outside. I think most of it melted as it hit the ground.
Was work cancelled? No! (Actually, they did let us out an hour early, which didn't mean much to me because I had gotten there early that morning so that I could leave early to pick up Annie from daycare). Was Jim's school cancelled? No! Was there a "snow emergency" in Boston? No! (And schools weren't cancelled because it's school vacation week here). In other words, Boston freaked out at the storm that never arrived, and ignored the storm that did arrive. Go figure.
The ground having a good coating of snow now, it was a perfect opportunity to take Annie out in the sled. So this morning, we bundled up and went to Houghton's Pond, where we had gone sledding one time earlier in the season.
The drive to and from Houghton's Pond was pretty incredible - a canopy of trees over the road, all covered with snow.
All in all, a day of snow enjoyment before it turns dirty and slushy and is no longer fun for sledding. This is not to say that I don't want spring to come, but since it's February and we're definitely going to get snow, we might as well enjoy it. Hopefully Annie will have inherited her father's love of the cold and snow!
Was work cancelled? No! (Actually, they did let us out an hour early, which didn't mean much to me because I had gotten there early that morning so that I could leave early to pick up Annie from daycare). Was Jim's school cancelled? No! Was there a "snow emergency" in Boston? No! (And schools weren't cancelled because it's school vacation week here). In other words, Boston freaked out at the storm that never arrived, and ignored the storm that did arrive. Go figure.
The ground having a good coating of snow now, it was a perfect opportunity to take Annie out in the sled. So this morning, we bundled up and went to Houghton's Pond, where we had gone sledding one time earlier in the season.
(Notice that, in this photo, Annie has her very own baby snow ball in the sled with her, so she can defend herself).
Annie made a snow angel:
And was quite interested in the snow:
The drive to and from Houghton's Pond was pretty incredible - a canopy of trees over the road, all covered with snow.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow storm?
Welcome to the Blizzard of 2010!
Um, except that it's only raining. Oops. It's about 35 degrees here, which is probably too warm for it to snow. But the whole city of Boston seems to be shutting down. My office closed at noon (not that it would matter, since I'm off on Wednesdays). So I'm assuming that they all know something that I don't know, and that we'll soon have a blizzard.
Why do I want it to snow? Well, I don't really. Except that we haven't gotten much this year, and I'd really like to give Annie more sled rides in her new sled. Plus, I would rather get the snow now than in April.
In good news, the doctor confirmed this morning that Annie's ear infection is finally gone, baby, gone. Also, while we were waiting, I put her on the scale (sans clothes and diaper), because I have to record her height and weight for the 10 month mark coming up on Sunday (for her baby book). Annie is now 20 lbs, 8 oz. She has definitely slowed down in the weight gain department, as she has gained less than a pound from last month. But no cause for concern - she is still her rolly-polly self. :)
We're looking forward to spending the long weekend with my mom, who is coming into Boston tomorrow night til Monday night. Oh, right. I guess that means it's time for me to clean the house!!
Um, except that it's only raining. Oops. It's about 35 degrees here, which is probably too warm for it to snow. But the whole city of Boston seems to be shutting down. My office closed at noon (not that it would matter, since I'm off on Wednesdays). So I'm assuming that they all know something that I don't know, and that we'll soon have a blizzard.
Why do I want it to snow? Well, I don't really. Except that we haven't gotten much this year, and I'd really like to give Annie more sled rides in her new sled. Plus, I would rather get the snow now than in April.
In good news, the doctor confirmed this morning that Annie's ear infection is finally gone, baby, gone. Also, while we were waiting, I put her on the scale (sans clothes and diaper), because I have to record her height and weight for the 10 month mark coming up on Sunday (for her baby book). Annie is now 20 lbs, 8 oz. She has definitely slowed down in the weight gain department, as she has gained less than a pound from last month. But no cause for concern - she is still her rolly-polly self. :)
We're looking forward to spending the long weekend with my mom, who is coming into Boston tomorrow night til Monday night. Oh, right. I guess that means it's time for me to clean the house!!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
New Year's Eve sledding
Today, we got about 2 inches of snow in the course of a couple of hours. This meant that my office closed even earlier than it was supposed to (at 1 instead of 3). It also meant that traffic was especially crappy coming home. But I got to pick up Annika early from day care and then we went sledding!!
Happy new year!!
It's been a long time since I had so much fun in the snow! I think Annika had a good time until her hands got really cold ... we have mittens, but they're at day care. I need to bring them home.
Happy new year!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Post-Christmas reflections
It's hard to believe that, in the blink of an eye, Christmas is over. A week ago, we were a couple of hours away from getting in our car and driving in to Buffalo. Here I am a week later, and all that's left are some photographs and these paper bags with gifts all over the floor of the front hall. I sometimes think that the best part about Christmas is the anticipation of it all. Trying to pick out gifts that you think each person will like. Thinking about all the fun things that will happen when we're in Buffalo. Having a busy calendar where we get to see most of the people that we are close to in our lives.
It was certainly a full month. At the beginning of the month I co-moderated a two-day training on immigration basics. Annika got her first two teeth and we had our first "sick visit" to the pediatrician (where we learned that Annika was not sick, just teething). Annika saw her first snow. We picked out a Christmas tree and decorated it. We went to parties at my office, at several friends' houses, and a birthday party for our friends' two-year-old son. In between that, I did Christmas shopping. I finished my class at Isis. And then we had our big 4-day Christmas extravaganza in Buffalo.
As everyone predicted, Christmas is magical when you have a baby. It's also a juggling routine. We did our best to see everyone, but there seemed to be more that we could've done, if only we'd had more time. We missed a party at Jim's aunt's house because we had already left for Boston. We weren't able to bring Annika to some of the festivities because they were past her bedtime. It was hard to tell Jim's grandma that we might not see her again until the spring. I'd like to say that we'll be in Buffalo again this winter, but I just don't see when.
Back to reality, I worked Monday and Tuesday and tried to make some progress on the amicus brief that we're putting together for later this month. I have new lighting in my office (thanks to Jim!), but without windows, I feel like I'm working in a cave. I never know what the weather is like outside, or if the sun is shining. I guess I've been pretty spoiled up to this point - in my last two jobs, I had beautiful, large windows in my work area, looking out on urban Boston.
We have one more holiday party to look forward to. Our next-door neighbors are throwing a new year's eve party. It'll be great because they all have little kids too, and understand that little kids go to sleep early. Plus, they're right next door, so we'll be able to stay at the party longer before we have to bring Annika home for bed.
Happy new year, everyone!
It was certainly a full month. At the beginning of the month I co-moderated a two-day training on immigration basics. Annika got her first two teeth and we had our first "sick visit" to the pediatrician (where we learned that Annika was not sick, just teething). Annika saw her first snow. We picked out a Christmas tree and decorated it. We went to parties at my office, at several friends' houses, and a birthday party for our friends' two-year-old son. In between that, I did Christmas shopping. I finished my class at Isis. And then we had our big 4-day Christmas extravaganza in Buffalo.
As everyone predicted, Christmas is magical when you have a baby. It's also a juggling routine. We did our best to see everyone, but there seemed to be more that we could've done, if only we'd had more time. We missed a party at Jim's aunt's house because we had already left for Boston. We weren't able to bring Annika to some of the festivities because they were past her bedtime. It was hard to tell Jim's grandma that we might not see her again until the spring. I'd like to say that we'll be in Buffalo again this winter, but I just don't see when.
Back to reality, I worked Monday and Tuesday and tried to make some progress on the amicus brief that we're putting together for later this month. I have new lighting in my office (thanks to Jim!), but without windows, I feel like I'm working in a cave. I never know what the weather is like outside, or if the sun is shining. I guess I've been pretty spoiled up to this point - in my last two jobs, I had beautiful, large windows in my work area, looking out on urban Boston.
We have one more holiday party to look forward to. Our next-door neighbors are throwing a new year's eve party. It'll be great because they all have little kids too, and understand that little kids go to sleep early. Plus, they're right next door, so we'll be able to stay at the party longer before we have to bring Annika home for bed.
Happy new year, everyone!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Ready?
We are packing up and getting ready for another whirlwind holiday. All the presents are wrapped and stacked in bags. Annika's "lovie" blanket was washed and dried this morning (ready for tonight). Jim got the car washed yesterday, after the car had a run-in with a flock of birds. We decided not to install the new car seat. Annie still marginally fits in the infant seat, and it's better not to mess with a new seat during a long car trip. We'll deal with that when we get back to Boston.
Holidays are a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I always look forward to them. I enjoy seeing family and friends. I enjoy being in Buffalo. I enjoy the traditions that come with the holidays. On the other hand, holidays are tiring. It's a long drive, and once we're there, we often seem to rush around and don't get to actually take things in and digest them. This becomes even more challenging when you thrust a baby into the mix. To some degree, we are different people - we are out of our home context, living out of a suitcase. I have not figured out a way to avoid the big rush. The desire not to rush around conflicts with the desire to see everyone and do everything and cram all those things into the limited time that we are in town. I guess in the end, the desire to cram overcomes the desire to relax.
Holidays are a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I always look forward to them. I enjoy seeing family and friends. I enjoy being in Buffalo. I enjoy the traditions that come with the holidays. On the other hand, holidays are tiring. It's a long drive, and once we're there, we often seem to rush around and don't get to actually take things in and digest them. This becomes even more challenging when you thrust a baby into the mix. To some degree, we are different people - we are out of our home context, living out of a suitcase. I have not figured out a way to avoid the big rush. The desire not to rush around conflicts with the desire to see everyone and do everything and cram all those things into the limited time that we are in town. I guess in the end, the desire to cram overcomes the desire to relax.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Snow!
I was sure that as soon as Boston and the other towns started freaking out and calling snow emergencies and things that the storm was going to turn to rain and make everyone look silly. But no, there's a lot of snow. It started snowing after we went to bed last night, and continues to come down quite hard this morning. Jim is out snow blowing the neighborhood as I write this.
I was going to leave you with a photo, but it seems like I'm not able to upload photos this morning for some reason. Maybe later.
I was going to leave you with a photo, but it seems like I'm not able to upload photos this morning for some reason. Maybe later.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Early Wakings, Cookies, and The Storm
Here I am, sitting on the couch, with Zeus curled up at my side. Annika has been asleep for about an hour and a half. We ate dinner and watched an NCIS episode. It's a pretty normal evening, but what a crazy day.
We woke up this morning at 4:45 when Annika woke up and was crying. It could have been a number of things - her cold, the dry air caused by the cold and the furnace, hunger, or the reason that you use when you don't have any other reasons: teething. My friend Jen had slept over from babysitting the night before, so she woke up too. We tried everything, and finally after a bottle and some Tylenol, Annie fell back asleep at around 5:30 for about 90 minutes. We sort of fell asleep too.
We got up around 7:30 after Annie woke up again. We fed her and then went out to breakfast at our favorite Quincy diner, the Early American. Then we took Jen back home, went to the grocery store, and then rushed home to make cookies for the cookie swap.
I made pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies. They came out better than expected. I was so paranoid about burning them, that I was worried they weren't going to be cooked all the way through, but they were fine.
We tried to put Annie down for a nap but she was not having it. She completely resisted all of her naps today. I suppose it's difficult for her to sleep with the stuffed up nose and cough, but you'd think she'd be so tired from waking up at 4:45 that she'd want to nap. I know Jim and I wanted to nap!
At 1:15 we left for the cookie swap at J. and N.'s house. It was really, really fun. There were about 10 people there besides us, and everyone brought unusual cookies. We ate a lot of cookies. And amazingly, Annie was great. (We were expecting a melt down). I held her in the Baby Bjorn, and she sampled all of the food - I let her gum some of the cookies and things. One of the women at the party was playing with her and she was laughing and having a good old time. It was a really nice holiday party, without it being an official Holiday Party. This was J. and N.'s first Christmas in the new house and they had a Christmas tree set up in a little bay-window type area in their living room that looked like it was built for a Christmas tree. It was a cozy afternoon and I'm glad we decided to go. I think Annie had fun too.
We got home, played with Annie, and tried to keep her awake until bedtime. Here she is with Jim:
(if you look closely, you can see Annie's two new bottom teeth in this photo!) You'd never guess it from the photos, but aside from a couple of short cat-naps in the car, she did not nap today. I don't know what happened. I hope she sleeps good and long tonight.
And tonight, we are waiting for the blizzard that is supposed to hit right around now. Washington and New York have gotten blanketed with snow, so it looks like we're going to get our share. Thankfully, it's a Saturday night, and we don't have to go anywhere tomorrow. We'll watch the Pats game and wrap presents and have a cozy winter day!
We woke up this morning at 4:45 when Annika woke up and was crying. It could have been a number of things - her cold, the dry air caused by the cold and the furnace, hunger, or the reason that you use when you don't have any other reasons: teething. My friend Jen had slept over from babysitting the night before, so she woke up too. We tried everything, and finally after a bottle and some Tylenol, Annie fell back asleep at around 5:30 for about 90 minutes. We sort of fell asleep too.
We got up around 7:30 after Annie woke up again. We fed her and then went out to breakfast at our favorite Quincy diner, the Early American. Then we took Jen back home, went to the grocery store, and then rushed home to make cookies for the cookie swap.
I made pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies. They came out better than expected. I was so paranoid about burning them, that I was worried they weren't going to be cooked all the way through, but they were fine.
We tried to put Annie down for a nap but she was not having it. She completely resisted all of her naps today. I suppose it's difficult for her to sleep with the stuffed up nose and cough, but you'd think she'd be so tired from waking up at 4:45 that she'd want to nap. I know Jim and I wanted to nap!
At 1:15 we left for the cookie swap at J. and N.'s house. It was really, really fun. There were about 10 people there besides us, and everyone brought unusual cookies. We ate a lot of cookies. And amazingly, Annie was great. (We were expecting a melt down). I held her in the Baby Bjorn, and she sampled all of the food - I let her gum some of the cookies and things. One of the women at the party was playing with her and she was laughing and having a good old time. It was a really nice holiday party, without it being an official Holiday Party. This was J. and N.'s first Christmas in the new house and they had a Christmas tree set up in a little bay-window type area in their living room that looked like it was built for a Christmas tree. It was a cozy afternoon and I'm glad we decided to go. I think Annie had fun too.
We got home, played with Annie, and tried to keep her awake until bedtime. Here she is with Jim:
And here she is with Anya the Bear, who is almost as big as she is!
(if you look closely, you can see Annie's two new bottom teeth in this photo!) You'd never guess it from the photos, but aside from a couple of short cat-naps in the car, she did not nap today. I don't know what happened. I hope she sleeps good and long tonight.
And tonight, we are waiting for the blizzard that is supposed to hit right around now. Washington and New York have gotten blanketed with snow, so it looks like we're going to get our share. Thankfully, it's a Saturday night, and we don't have to go anywhere tomorrow. We'll watch the Pats game and wrap presents and have a cozy winter day!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
I love weekends
My reasons for being happy that the weekend is here:
1) We went to a really nice Christmas party at my office tonight, and Jim and Annie got to meet all my new co-workers.
2) Tomorrow evening, Jim and I are going out on our first date since May. We are going out to dinner, followed by the Nutcracker. My friend Jen is staying with Miss Annika for the night. We are going to a different Nutcracker this year. Usually we go to the Boston Ballet performance in downtown. This year, we're going to a production put on by the Jose Matteo ballet company, which is being performed at a theater at Brandeis University in Waltham. My boss' daughter is dancing in the performance. It should be really nice.
3) Cookie swap party on Saturday!
4) Christmas wrapping with awesome ribbon
5) Only a week til Christmas! Only a little shopping left to do, and everything seems to be under control.
1) We went to a really nice Christmas party at my office tonight, and Jim and Annie got to meet all my new co-workers.
2) Tomorrow evening, Jim and I are going out on our first date since May. We are going out to dinner, followed by the Nutcracker. My friend Jen is staying with Miss Annika for the night. We are going to a different Nutcracker this year. Usually we go to the Boston Ballet performance in downtown. This year, we're going to a production put on by the Jose Matteo ballet company, which is being performed at a theater at Brandeis University in Waltham. My boss' daughter is dancing in the performance. It should be really nice.
3) Cookie swap party on Saturday!
4) Christmas wrapping with awesome ribbon
5) Only a week til Christmas! Only a little shopping left to do, and everything seems to be under control.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Highlights of the week
1) Our friends S. and B. were finally placed with a baby for adoption!! Yea! It's been a long process with a lot of setbacks. It looks like everything is finally going to work out though. It's amazing how many people I know have had babies this year.
2) Annika got another tooth this week. I brushed her teeth for the first time this morning, using baby toothpaste and this little rubber thing that fits on your finger. I was sure she was going to resist, but she actually seemed to enjoy it.
3) We decorated the house for Christmas, and Jim put up lights in our front porch too. Here are Annika and Zeus with our tree:
Our Christmas shopping is going OK. I'm still very stumped on some people but it'll all work out, I'm sure.
4) I made cranberry orange nut bread last night. The first batch came out perfectly. The second batch ... well ... it sort of looks like cake, and completely fell apart when I tried to take it out of the cake tin. I am not sure what happened, although Jim suspects that I screwed up the amount of flour. And now that I think about it, I may have used the 1/2 cup measure, thinking it was the cup measure. Oh well. It tastes good, anyway.
Today we have a Christmas party at a friend's house in Arlington, and tomorrow we're going to a birthday party for a friend's little boy, who is turning two on Monday! And we have a ton of errands to run. The weekend will be gone in a blink, I fear.
2) Annika got another tooth this week. I brushed her teeth for the first time this morning, using baby toothpaste and this little rubber thing that fits on your finger. I was sure she was going to resist, but she actually seemed to enjoy it.
3) We decorated the house for Christmas, and Jim put up lights in our front porch too. Here are Annika and Zeus with our tree:
Our Christmas shopping is going OK. I'm still very stumped on some people but it'll all work out, I'm sure.
4) I made cranberry orange nut bread last night. The first batch came out perfectly. The second batch ... well ... it sort of looks like cake, and completely fell apart when I tried to take it out of the cake tin. I am not sure what happened, although Jim suspects that I screwed up the amount of flour. And now that I think about it, I may have used the 1/2 cup measure, thinking it was the cup measure. Oh well. It tastes good, anyway.
Today we have a Christmas party at a friend's house in Arlington, and tomorrow we're going to a birthday party for a friend's little boy, who is turning two on Monday! And we have a ton of errands to run. The weekend will be gone in a blink, I fear.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Snow!
We got our first snow last night. This morning, we put Annika in the snowsuit that Jim wore as a baby and took her outside. The snow was icy so we didn't stay too long out there.
She looks like a natural snow bunny to me! Next: ice skating and skiing? Oh, maybe next year.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thanksgiving
So I hear that some of you are not able to view my Thanksgiving photos on Flickr. I thought I'd post a few photos of, of course, "da baby" here.
Dressed up as a pilgrim, with Aunt Alex, Maddie and Mommy:
With Great-grandma:
With Mom and Grandma:
It was quite the trip. We went to a cat show, and we went bowling, and Annie got to see everyone! We got back last night after a 9-hour drive through heavy traffic in the normal spots. My mom came back to Boston with me, as Jim is in Florida this week at a conference.
Then, last night, I came down with a stomach bug and stayed home from work today. I'm just exhausted. We had a great time, but it's good to be home too.
Dressed up as a pilgrim, with Aunt Alex, Maddie and Mommy:
With Great-grandma:
With Mom and Grandma:
With Grandma Kogler:
It was quite the trip. We went to a cat show, and we went bowling, and Annie got to see everyone! We got back last night after a 9-hour drive through heavy traffic in the normal spots. My mom came back to Boston with me, as Jim is in Florida this week at a conference.
Then, last night, I came down with a stomach bug and stayed home from work today. I'm just exhausted. We had a great time, but it's good to be home too.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)