Order

Should. Be. Asleep.

I wish

Dear Alice,

How I wish there were a way for me to capture the cuteness!! At least once a day, I find myself in total awe of you. Of the words you now know. Of the moments you remember. Of the conversations you start to have with your loved ones.

This morning, when I asked you if you had good dreams, you said you had been crying, but now you are happy. This evening you told me that daddy was at the gym and that you had fun with Mel. You said wallet and popcorn and zipper, words I didn't know you had. When we were going to bed, you rubbed my cheeks with your sweet little hands. When it was time to give kisses through the slats, you pushed your belly up against the bars, then your nose, then your hands. You said, "LOVE YOU!"

I wish I could capture the sweet curls of your hair after the bath. The joy of hearing you say a new word. The awe inspired by your ability to convey emotion.

I love you, my sweet Alice!

Love,
Mommy

Weekday Morning

Dinner

This weekend, I cooked three meals:

1. Saturday: Cavatappi with Cilantro-Pistachio Pesto
2. Sunday: Prosciutto, Apple, and Brie Monte Cristo Sandwiches
3. Monday: Ratatouille and Sausage Potpie with Cornmeal Biscuits (substituting zucchini with butternut squash)

The pesto was a total disaster - we threw the better part of the meal out. The Monte Cristo sandwiches were DELICIOUS (think your favorite appetizers, melted, with buttered toast - fantabulous). Tonight's was an old standby.

While preparing this somewhat labor-intensive dinner, I realized that it is my favorite winter meal. And the best part is that the meal is better on day two. Looking forward to tomorrow night's meal...

Counting

Planning

Way Past Bedtime!

Photo Op

Exhaustion

Coca-Cola, why are you so good?!

Early Riser

My sweet monkey woke up very early this morning. The past few nights she's been staying up late, chatting in her crib, yelling for "mommy!" "daddy!" "door!" "choo choo!" (we live right near the above-ground train). She's also been eating an INSANE amount for a tiny little bug. So we were are pretty convinced she's going through a bit of a growth spurt.

This morning, she woke up crying for mommy 5 minutes before my alarm was set to go off for my early morning gym class. The clock read 5:03 AM. I turned off my alarm before it disturbed Michael and went into Alice's room, fully aware that picking her up probably doomed any chance at the gym. I picked up my crying baby, sat with her in the rocking chair, and let her sleep in my arms for an hour. At 6, I finally decided to try and transfer to the couch so that I might be able to sleep too. But as soon as we left her room, Alice decided it was time to wake up.

The two of us played together quietly, in the semidarkness of the early morning. I have to admit, it was perfect.

Alice Making Her Monkey Face

Reading Circle

Family outing!

Mod!

2012

Happy New Year!!

I'm a few days behind schedule (surprise, surprise). But welcome to 2012! I'm excited for the new year. 2011 was a good, solid year of living. Michael & I enjoyed watching our sweet baby grow into a toddler. We both did well at work, and continued to settle into our no-longer-new apartment. We made it to Spain (!), and Virginia. It was a good year.

But I'm partial to even years. Most of our major life events have happened during an even year - I was born in 1980, graduated high school, college and grad school, got married, had a baby, etc, etc, etc. So I'm hoping that 2012 brings a similarly exciting time of change. I don't know what's ahead for me or my family, but I'm encouraged by a new year to make things happen.

Incidentally, I have been working out since I wrote about it in mid-November. I've managed to workout at the gym at least once a week and do at least one yoga class per week since. I'm encouraged, though always hoping for more.

She Loves Hugs!!

Yogurt Makes Me Happy

At Least It's Sunny!

Cold!

Happy New Years!!!

Self Portrait

Morning Sky

Updates!

So it's Christmastime!! That's pretty wonderful. Michael, Alice and I have been enjoying the season. We put up our beautiful Christmas tree last week, and hosted an open house for Michael's students. We put on "holiday" carols, baked oodles of sweet goodies, and made some delicious Parsnip-Potato-Leek soup.

We both had a string of holiday parties last week. Alice loved hugging all the babies.


We've been trying to keep warm. Alice is wearing adorable leg warmers now:

And one other major highlight - a couple of weeks ago, Michael and I went to a work function, where we got to see the mayor! And then we went OUT to a bar. FOR DRINKS. Like grown-ups do. It was a real highlight.



So that's just a basic outline of the past few weeks. There's more to share, but I'll save it for another post.

Thanksgiving 2011

Dear Alice,

Happy holidays, my sweet!! We just celebrated an amazing Thanksgiving, full of great food and family. Your PapPap, GG, Grandma, Grandpa and LeeLee came all the way up to New York to mark the holiday with you. They showered you with love and attention, spending every last minute making sure your every need was met.

At dinner, we went around the table sharing what we were thankful for this year. Everyone agreed - you are the greatest blessing. Your PapPap and GG both mentioned being grateful for having spent time with you, getting to know you and witnessing your personality develop. Your daddy and I cherish every minute we have to share you with this lovely family.

I love you insanely, my sweet baby girl. Happy holidays!
Mamma

Lunch: Parsnip Soup

Dinner:
Roasted Turkey with Citrus Rosemary Salt
Harvest Bread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
Green Beans & Carrots in Charmoula Sauce
Roasted Asparagus

Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie
Candy
Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie

Too Much!

Funny Faces

Recovery

I've been in a mood lately. I'm the first to admit it. A whole lot of factors contribute to this thrilling version of me, but mostly I have been feeling a little stuck. I've been trying to make some changes in my life lately without much success, and it has just been getting me down.

I have a vivid memory of the first time I heard Tom Frieden, our former Health Commissioner and the current head of the CDC (a God among Public Health folks), speak. The very first thing he said was, "Do you know what the only proven cure for depression is? Physical activity!" So, with that ringing in my head, I've been trying to get to the gym this week. I'm committing to 2 times a week from now until the end of December, or I have to quit the gym. Will it work? I sure hope so. And so does my husband!

And my sweet husband brought me flowers tonight!!! YAY!

Sweetie Pie

Stoop

Alice & I have taken to sitting on our building's front stoop. Neither of us get enough time outside, and developments over the past several months have limited that time even more. My office's move from a lovely, lively downtown to a rather ugly neighborhood in Queens in April keeps me indoors much of the work week. In order to get home in time for family dinner - which been pretty committed to since Alice started eating real meals - we ride the train home rather than walking from daycare. We just can't seem to spend enough time outdoors.

So, we sit on our stoop. Thankfully, a lot goes on right outside our building. Alice loves watching the trains come and go. We have a lot of dog lovers in our neighborhood, so we almost always see a friendly pup. There are plenty of kids in the neighborhood for Alice to wave to. A few of our neighbors just love Alice, and occasionally we will all sit together outside, chatting about this and that. And we get some beautiful sunshine just outside our building. I've been surprised by how pleasant the experience can be.

This is just another way that Alice is growing up as a City baby. I find the differences in our upbringing so shocking sometimes. Alice knows how to wait for an elevator, how to hail a cab (the CUTEST thing ever), how to steal some sunshine and fresh air from just outside a building. Amazing.

At Home

We're getting ready over here...

NYC Marathon Alex Baldwin prorez from Marc Beroza on Vimeo.

Cuteness!!

A Happy Night

Dear Alice,

Tonight was a lovely night. I picked you up from John & Anna's, and you were happy to see me, though a little sad that it meant you were leaving Naomi & Penelope for the evening. On our walk home, we stopped to pick up a bread role from the bakery just down the road. You impressed everyone, walking into the bakery, holding the bag with your evening treat, saying "Thank you" before we walked out the door.

At home you played patiently while I cooked dinner - pork chops, roasted broccoli, mac & cheese and salad. You, Daddy and I enjoyed a relaxing dinner, and you even made it through the WHOLE meal in your own seat! After dinner, we did the hokey pokey and ring-around-the-rosie. You pretended to sleep, and then jumped up to surprise your daddy and me.

You are too cute for words these days. You learn 10 new words a day, it seems, and love mimicking your Daddy and me. You want to be a part of everything, from cooking dinner to doing the laundry and carrying groceries. You love to read, and dance, and sing, and eat.

I love you more than anything ever!

Love,
Mommy

Chatty Cathy

Halloween