I forgot what it felt like to sleep in. And be alone with my husband. And read uninterrupted *not* at night time. And linger over a ridiculous dinner for close to 3 hours. And take a bath at 10am, after sleeping in.
That, my friends, is the new definition of "luxury" for a new momma. And it was friggin' awesome. Thanks to the employment of R's brother at a lovely resort in Sonoma, we were treated to a lovely and amazing 2 days at the Fairmont. Holy mother of all things that are good and pure! And R2 generously requested an upgrade to a huge suite complete with an iced bucket of champage, chocolate-covered strawberries and a handwritten note of congrats for our anniversary. Sweet!
The hotel room was gorgeous and perfectly appointed. The complimentary champage (my fav--Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir) and strawberries were so yummy. Then R's brother went ape shit on our dinner. We only ordered the lobster mac & cheese to start and 2 entrees. But R2 decided that a proper dinner starts with an amuse buche (yum), a caviar & cauliflower custard and foie gras before our mac & cheese (I forgot, there were black truffles shavings on top too). Then he sent over the wild, local halibut (out of this WORLD!) with the biggest and sweetest peas known to man, a tender piece of Sonoma pork tenderloin (mmmm) and came out after to see how it was going. All the while, Renee, the sommelier, kept bringing amazing wines she paired with each course... filling us up even more. So when R2 came out to see how we were, I almost waived a white flag. But we decided to soldier on to our entrees with a small request that he scale them back a bit. Thank god he did. But the Maine lobster M ordered was amazing and my red snapper was simply divine.
Then R2 sent over the most amazing sorbet and fresh berries followed by the pastry chef's pot de creme (holy goodness) and three other chocolate desserts that were beyond amazing... and we were D-O-N-E.
I didnt think it was possible for 2 people to eat that much and survive. And then get up and eat again the next day. But we did.
After sleeping in till 9am, the huge tub called to us and since I brought my L'Occitane lavendar bubble bath, we felt like we had spent an hour at the spa. We meandered to breakfast at Big 3 on the property and had a simple and lovely meal there too. And on the recommendation of Renee, we checked out and headed up to Pride Mountain Vineyards. YUM. The only bad part was that we can't afford to roll out with an entire case like we usually do.
In short, we spent 2 luxurious and extremely gluttenous days in Sonoma and came back totally refreshed. That's the best part of a vacation. It gives you the will to push through the rest of the work week (since I came back to work today), albeit a little slower on the uptake. And the memory of the luxury is still fresh enough to make me smile.
So, the biggest shout out to R and R2. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for showing us an amazing time, stretching the outer limits of my stomach and giving us back a piece of something we hadnt seen or experienced in a long time.
Cheers!!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Week 51: A moment of reflection (just a moment)
It's been forever since I posted Elliott's progress by the WEEK. Geez. I can barely calculate the tip on a dinner out. But my weekly tip from parents.com tells me that Elliott turns 51 weeks today. Holy mother of pearl. What happened to the last 50 weeks? Has it really been almost a year??
As EM's baby boy is welcomed to the world, having arrived barely 36 hours ago, it reminds me of all they will be going through in the next three months. As much joy as a new parent experiences then, it's also the hardest three months of the first year in many ways. Totally been said and done, I get that. But one thing they never tell you is that the parents, as a couple, will have another hurdle to overcome at about 9-10 months when all you've been are teammates on this crazy journey (and less romantic partners). How anyone can think of concieving again in that timeframe is beyond me. After the initial relief of surviving those first 9 mos and having a baby who can sit up, hold his bottle, grab snacks, eat finger food and understand "no," one must turn to the issue of the state of the marriage.
Not that it's all bad, but you do have to try and remember what you were like before your lives, as individuals and as a couple, were forced to take second fiddle to that of your new baby. It's a necessary sacrifice ripe with rewards. But taking that time to come back to where you were is something not often talked about.
Anyways.... Week 51 is here (which reminds me that E's birthday party is just one week away, ahh!!). E makes me laugh, reminisce, get frustrated and then feel guilty about getting frustrated all on a daily basis. But you know what? I would not change a thing. I remember being one of those people who couldn't imagine my life with a kid--no more spontaneous travel all over the globe, lingering dinners with M, staying up late with no consequence, etc. But now, as every parent says, I cannot imagine my life without him. The sacrifices are not even sacrifices when I see his little face looking at me with such joy. It's a feeling I've never been able to replicate or explain other that showing you this:
How could anyone say no to that face??
As EM's baby boy is welcomed to the world, having arrived barely 36 hours ago, it reminds me of all they will be going through in the next three months. As much joy as a new parent experiences then, it's also the hardest three months of the first year in many ways. Totally been said and done, I get that. But one thing they never tell you is that the parents, as a couple, will have another hurdle to overcome at about 9-10 months when all you've been are teammates on this crazy journey (and less romantic partners). How anyone can think of concieving again in that timeframe is beyond me. After the initial relief of surviving those first 9 mos and having a baby who can sit up, hold his bottle, grab snacks, eat finger food and understand "no," one must turn to the issue of the state of the marriage.
Not that it's all bad, but you do have to try and remember what you were like before your lives, as individuals and as a couple, were forced to take second fiddle to that of your new baby. It's a necessary sacrifice ripe with rewards. But taking that time to come back to where you were is something not often talked about.
Anyways.... Week 51 is here (which reminds me that E's birthday party is just one week away, ahh!!). E makes me laugh, reminisce, get frustrated and then feel guilty about getting frustrated all on a daily basis. But you know what? I would not change a thing. I remember being one of those people who couldn't imagine my life with a kid--no more spontaneous travel all over the globe, lingering dinners with M, staying up late with no consequence, etc. But now, as every parent says, I cannot imagine my life without him. The sacrifices are not even sacrifices when I see his little face looking at me with such joy. It's a feeling I've never been able to replicate or explain other that showing you this:
How could anyone say no to that face??
Then parents.com reminded me of what I have to look forward to now that E is entering his 2nd year of life...
Up until now, chances are you were able to distract your baby from things that were off-limits--the VCR, for instance, or his older brother's Lego set--by offering alternatives. But one day soon, he may respond to an attempt to redirect him by turning bright red, falling to the floor, pounding his fists and feet as hard as he can, and screaming loud enough to rattle the windows.
Welcome to the world of the toddler tantrum. Although tantrums are disturbing, try to distance yourself by viewing them as a dramatic performance--your child is using every tool at his disposal to make his displeasure known. Unless you want the performance to repeat itself several times a day, however, don't give in to his demands. Don't spank him or yell at him--just stand there and let him scream himself out without responding. (If you're in a public place, this may be embarrassing, but it really is essential.) After a few minutes, he will calm down. Most important, he will get the message that this particular tool does not do the job, and he'll eventually drop it from his repertoire.
Oh the joy of the tantrum in public.
Moment is over.. E seriously needs his nap now. Practicing for his public tantrum
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Reading again: Bel Canto book review
Am I the only person on the planet (over 18 included) who is not reading the Twilight series? I don't get it. It's like my aversion to cartoons (and that includes The Family Guy, The Simpson and any other adult-oriented cartoon) and all things sci-fi. I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, that the Twilight series (as did the Harry Potter series) qualifies as sci-fi. As I understand it, it's about teenaged vampires.
I feel bad being so judgmental, it's obviously very popular. But I just can't get on board with teenage vampire love. Just like I couldn't get into pre-teen sorcery.
So, instead, I finally finished one of my many Girls' Book Exchange acquisitions--Bel Canto. And I must say, I was less than impressed. It came highly recommended, as did Ann Patchett's other books, and I was ... quite honestly... bored. It drug on and on and on. Yes, they were held hostage. But for 4 freakin' months? Don't buy it. And then BAM it was over. (Spoiler Alert) All of a sudden, in the last 10 pages, the government busts up the joint, kills all the terrorists and breaks up the love fest. Then 2 of the main characters, who were in love with 2 of the terrorists, end up marrying each other. WTF?!?!
L-A-M-E. In my humble opinion, this is a DUD. Skip it.
I feel bad being so judgmental, it's obviously very popular. But I just can't get on board with teenage vampire love. Just like I couldn't get into pre-teen sorcery.
So, instead, I finally finished one of my many Girls' Book Exchange acquisitions--Bel Canto. And I must say, I was less than impressed. It came highly recommended, as did Ann Patchett's other books, and I was ... quite honestly... bored. It drug on and on and on. Yes, they were held hostage. But for 4 freakin' months? Don't buy it. And then BAM it was over. (Spoiler Alert) All of a sudden, in the last 10 pages, the government busts up the joint, kills all the terrorists and breaks up the love fest. Then 2 of the main characters, who were in love with 2 of the terrorists, end up marrying each other. WTF?!?!
L-A-M-E. In my humble opinion, this is a DUD. Skip it.
The roundup: The quick version
It's obviously been quite awhile since I last posted. No great reason other than general life chaos. Baby sick, husband sick, now I'm sick. Round 1. Now we are in phase 3 of round 2. Good times.
In other, more exciting news, E turns 1 in less than 2 weeks (!) and we're planning a big birthday bash (yay!). Although planning-wise (other than in my head) I have yet to execute some of the major items (food, booze, pinata, cake). I'm really hoping it all comes together in time. I'm also in charge of next month's (August) mom/baby gathering. But since it's the month when 90% of the kids in our group were born, we're doing a huge birthday bash in Central Park with spouses and the older kids too. I am also seriously lacking in getting in together on that front. (but it's all planned out in my head!)
So, I'm feeling a bit underprepared and annoyed that I'm on the verge of getting sick (sore throat, on the tea and vitamin train, going to bed in a few mins). The thing I hate most about being sick is that it's a colossal waste of time.
The other huge bummer? My good friend and co-worker is having her baby as I write this and I probably won't be able to see him for at least a week because I've got this darned bug. And lord knows I won't go near a newborn with anything but perfect health (do unto others as you'd want them to do unto you).
We are seriously in need of a little vacay. And luckily we have a small, teeny tiny break planned for next week in Sonoma to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. For the actual date, we treated ourselves to an *amazing* dinner at Dio Deka in Los Altos. I was so excited to go there as a good Greek friend told me it's her fav "Hellenic" (she said Greek, but they call themselves Hellenic cuisine) place in the Bay Area. That's a lot to live up to. But they did amazing. Every single bite was un-be-lievable. And we topped it off with a lovely bottle of 2005 Justin Isosceles Reserve (from our special shipment ordered in the midst of my pregnancy last year, major wine depravation mode). All in all, awesomeness.
We are looking forward (as long as we're both in good health and E doesn't give us any surprises) to eating equally well at R's brother's restaurant in Sonoma and partaking in some winetasting with a local.
So, here's to hoping that this cold scoots on out pretty quickly here. I mean, come on, I've got Baby Sign class, the D family garage sale this weekend to bust out and my favorite spin class on Sunday to get to!
Cheers to all and have a great week!
In other, more exciting news, E turns 1 in less than 2 weeks (!) and we're planning a big birthday bash (yay!). Although planning-wise (other than in my head) I have yet to execute some of the major items (food, booze, pinata, cake). I'm really hoping it all comes together in time. I'm also in charge of next month's (August) mom/baby gathering. But since it's the month when 90% of the kids in our group were born, we're doing a huge birthday bash in Central Park with spouses and the older kids too. I am also seriously lacking in getting in together on that front. (but it's all planned out in my head!)
So, I'm feeling a bit underprepared and annoyed that I'm on the verge of getting sick (sore throat, on the tea and vitamin train, going to bed in a few mins). The thing I hate most about being sick is that it's a colossal waste of time.
The other huge bummer? My good friend and co-worker is having her baby as I write this and I probably won't be able to see him for at least a week because I've got this darned bug. And lord knows I won't go near a newborn with anything but perfect health (do unto others as you'd want them to do unto you).
We are seriously in need of a little vacay. And luckily we have a small, teeny tiny break planned for next week in Sonoma to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. For the actual date, we treated ourselves to an *amazing* dinner at Dio Deka in Los Altos. I was so excited to go there as a good Greek friend told me it's her fav "Hellenic" (she said Greek, but they call themselves Hellenic cuisine) place in the Bay Area. That's a lot to live up to. But they did amazing. Every single bite was un-be-lievable. And we topped it off with a lovely bottle of 2005 Justin Isosceles Reserve (from our special shipment ordered in the midst of my pregnancy last year, major wine depravation mode). All in all, awesomeness.
We are looking forward (as long as we're both in good health and E doesn't give us any surprises) to eating equally well at R's brother's restaurant in Sonoma and partaking in some winetasting with a local.
So, here's to hoping that this cold scoots on out pretty quickly here. I mean, come on, I've got Baby Sign class, the D family garage sale this weekend to bust out and my favorite spin class on Sunday to get to!
Cheers to all and have a great week!
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