Now we're cooking

On Saturday, Rich & I did something we haven't done since Vivian was born (and get your minds out of the gutter). We had people over for dinner. I cooked. And set the table, complete with a table cloth, cloth napkins, water AND wine glasses.

It's important for us to have people over regularly, because I've found that the threat of company is the only incentive we have to really clean. We keep things neat enough regularly, but I have to admit that unless people are coming to eat, I sometimes forget to clean the dust bunnies off of the ceiling fans.

So on Saturday, Michael and Kelly came over for a fabulous (if I do say so myself) dinner of chicken chasseur (chicken, tomatoes, onions and lots of mushrooms) served over egg noodles. I used my slow cooker to make the recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, and I will make the resolution that I will always use my slow cooker for dinner parties (unless it's a backyard BBQ - but then, those will have to wait until we have a backyard). I started the prep at about 2:30 p.m., put everything in the slow cooker at about 3:30, and then had 3 1/2 hours to clean, hang out with Vivian, and make the dessert (triple-chocolate pudding cake from the Pillsbury Best of the BakeOff Desserts book -- so incredibly rich and gooey!).

Now, the only thing bad about having people over for dinner is that we have no dishwasher, other than Richard. So poor Rich spent a couple of hours after Michael & Kelly left washing out pots and pans, plates and bowls. But it was an awesome evening, complete with food, friends and fun.

And this weekend, we had another new development:

I wonder why this baby is chewing everything in sight?


Because she has TWO new teeth! Two bottom teeth are coming in together -- my little baby is growing up so fast!

Otters and Jellyfish and Elephant Seals, oh my!

It's Thursday, and I'm just now getting around to writing about our fabulous weekend. It was so good, i had to have time to gather my thoughts (ok, I'm lying, but you'll indulge me, won't you?).

Friday night, Rich, Vivian & I drove up to Monterey (and listened to a very interesting book: "The Year of Living Biblically" -- I highly recommend). I've been wanting to take Vivian to the aquarium for months, but it took a while for schedules to align. I have very fond memories of going to the Aquarium as a kid, and I couldn't wait to be able to share that with my family.

On Saturday, we, along with my dad, Grant & Mel and their son Mark, headed over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Well, almost. Before we went to the aquarium, we headed out to breakfast (because these babies wake up early! Believe me, this group of people would otherwise never voluntarily be out the door for breakfast at 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday when on vacation). And then we had to head back to the hotel for mid-morning naps (babies, not adults -- although aren't adult naps awesome?). So we finally headed over to the Aquarium at about 12:30 p.m.

This aquarium is awesome. I've been to zoos and aquariums all over the country, and this is still my favorite. You just get so close to the animals and see them in great detail. I was afraid that Vivian would be too young to be able to get anything out of the visit, but she really seemed to enjoy it. Fast moving animals, like the otters, were just a blur to her, but she was fascinated by the bright colors of the jellyfish, which moved slow enough for her to follow.


We stayed until closing time, and then took the kids back for naps. Dinner was (awesome) pizza eaten with friends.

Sunday, we took the opportunity to bum around and tour the area. We drove 17-Mile Drive and were in awe of the scenery. It was just beautiful.


Monday, we checked out of our little hotel, leaving our friends and my dad. We decided to drive down the coast, taking the 1 from Monterey down to Paso Robles and then the 101 into LA. We'd stop every once in a while to take in the beautiful sights.

We happened to pull over in Piedras Blancas, which is the periodic home to hundreds of elephant seals. It turns out that it is currently mating season for the elephant seals (late December to early February). The females come ashore to give birth and then the males line up to mate again. The beach was covered with seals!


The beach was even more covered than this photo shows (we forgot our camera!). It was just incredible. And then, as we looked on, an elephant seal gave birth right in front of us, maybe 30-40 feet away. It was the most beautiful, amazing site I've ever seen in nature (beyond Vivian's birth, of course). Rich & I were so moved, we could hardly speak. We stood there for 20 minutes, just watching the mom clean her baby (and the sea gulls trying to sneak a beak into the placenta). It wasn't until Vivian had had enough of the cold and the wind that we left.

The weekend totally recharged me. Sometimes just connecting with friends and family for a few days can completely change your point of view and remind you of what's really important.

Shower photos

My baby shower on June 9 was awesome. Yes, I know it's now the 26th, and these photos are a tad late, but hey, better late than never, right? (All photos are stolen from other people's Flickr streams, because I was to busy opening gifts to take photos!) These are two of the dresses my little sister Teresa made for Vivian. They are full-on princess dresses, with a crinoline underneath and everything. Look at this fabulous USC hat, knit by Mel. The interlocking SC are perfect!Here are Carrie & Christa, who drove down with Elizabeth all the way from the Bay Area that morning just to celebrate the Baby Vi (and drink a few Bud Lites).

And here is the beautiful pumpkin-themed blanket that Catherine crocheted for Vivian. I love it, even if Catherine had to lie to me that she didn't know how to crochet... This is the beautiful felted diaper bag made by my sister Jenny. It's gorgeous, and even lined with a waterproof (pee-proof) liner! This is the most awesome mobile ever -- an Awesome Helicopter Ninja mobile, complete with hanging ninja stars, helicopters and glittery kickballs. Made by Kelley & Michael. Here's Baby Mark, passed out after a few too many... sucks of milk. And here is Vivian's very own Hobbes, crocheted with loving care by Jenny. What kid doesn't need a Hobbes?

And, yes, an oh so flattering photo of me and my belly (which has the Baby Vi inside, so I guess it's beautiful).

All of our friends have been so generous and wonderful. I can't list everyone and all their gifts, but please know that they are are very much appreciated.

back to normal?

It's true. Richard is finally back from his journeys, and now has no work travel scheduled for the foreseeable future. I can't tell you how happy this fact makes me. Rich is not only my husband, but he is also my best friend, and everything that we've gone through over the last year has brought us even closer together. And when he's gone, I realize how much I depend on him to keep my spirits up. All this traveling has been hard on both of us, but it's over now, and we're both very happy about it.

Baby Viv continues to be very active. This week, our cat Doyle has decided that my stomach is a great place to knead and lie down on. Vivian is not really on board with this. When he lays down on my tummy, she starts kicking back. This doesn't seem to bother Doyle, so I'm caught in the middle -- cat pressing down, baby kicking up. Ouch. Next Wednesday, we have another ultrasound, so we get another peek at Viv. It's a scary time, but I seem to be doing really well, so we're doing our best to keep our spirits up.

This Sunday is the Arthritis Walk, and it seems to be going really well, despite the likelihood of rain. Yes, I work at the AF, but I'm also raising money in honor of my friend Carolyn, or Caro as we call her. Carolyn was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age 3. JRA meant that she couldn't sit on the floor with her class, tie her own shoes or lift her arm to brush her hair. This disease ravaged her body, but not her spirit. For the last 13 years, she has dedicated her life to helping others living with arthritis.

Carolyn is now leaving the Arthritis Foundation staff to become a full-time mom. Currently 8 1/2 months pregnant, Carolyn has had a difficult pregnancy. She has had to stop taking many of the medicines that help her everyday, as they could impact the baby growing inside of her. Arthritis affects 1-in-5 people, including 300,000 children. If you'd like to help me make a difference, you can make a donation to my walk campaign by going here.

And finally, this Saturday, Allison, Jeff & Evan head out to Phoenix for a consultation with Barrow Neurological Institute. Hopefully, they'll get good news about Evan's tumor, and be able to set up a date for surgery. If you get a chance, visit Allison's blog and leave her a message. Allison, you'll be in our thoughts.