Grand Canyon take 2

Somehow, we've managed to take two trips to the Grand Canyon since Lucy's birth. The first time, she was completely asleep the whole time, and this second time, she screamed for about 75% of the time we were visiting the different viewpoints. This time, we brought the kids, the dogs, and my sister in law and in all that wrangling (and there was much wrangling -- I had the baby and the chihuahua and B had Mia and the lab mix), I managed not to snap a single picture with my Phone! I am a big disappointment to my blog.

It was both incredibly pleasant and incredibly stressful. It was a 4 hour drive either way, during which I was stuffed in the backseat with two carseats and two dogs, but we listened to Serial the whole drive (and finished just as we were pulling into our neighborhood!). The first trip (right around Christmas time) we went to the West Rim, which is an Indian reservation with an organized bus tour and limited stops. This time, we took the longer drive down to the South Rim, where the actual National Park is and it was so very very nice. The weather was perfect, it was sunny and warmish the whole time. We only spent one night (we considered doing 2 nights, but now that we're back I'm glad we stuck to one) at the only pet-friendly lodge in town, which we were once again stuffed into like sardines (had it been just us, without the SIL, it would have STILL been cramped), but we were all together and that was nice.

We very much intended on doing some actual hiking, but in the end we just did the paved walk around the rim, and I'm quite proud of us for managing even that. I had to stop (twice! and covered) to nurse while sitting on a boulder with basically the most spectacular view while pretending I was completely comfortable so as not to draw too much attention to myself. I'm all for breastfeeding and everything, but I still have a hard time nursing without being behind closed doors. Despite the paved terrain, it was still the most exercise I've gotten in a long time -- especially since I was pushing a double stroller up and down inclines.

On the second day, did the 25-mile drive, with various lookout points and stops along the way. It ended in a lookout tower, and Mia was very disappointed that Rapunzel was not there. I took 2 days off work to bookend the weekend, and B took a while week to hang out with his sister while she visited, while giving me some alone time at work. Today, we're all back to our regular schedule, until my other sister in law visits in 3 weeks!!

Shopping and Pumpkin Patches

The weekend was one of those weekends where things that seemed important before waking up on Saturday morning just stopped being so. Even though no floors were cleaned and no loads of laundry were done (something I am sure I will regret come Tuesday morning), it was just a really lovely weekend of quiet and togetherness.

I have a (short) list of essential baby items to purchase, something I fully intended on taking care of this weekend, but completely ran out of steam by the time I got to our first of three stops of the day. So, I only came out of my Saturday of planned shopping with completely non-essential baby items. Both of which are so pretty, I don't even care.

Vera Bradley Paisley Meets Plaid Messenger Diaper Bag

Vera Bradley Tutti Frutti Baby Shoes

Las Vegas finally decided to stop being so darn warm over the weekend, and while we didn't need jackets or scarves, it was nice enough to open windows and doors, and just let the cool-ish breeze go through the house. The freshness of spring that you get in your house on the east coast when opening your windows after a long winter of being shut in is what we experience around here during the fall. While I remember this happening much sooner in previous years, waiting until the end of October for temperatures to dip below 85 seems a bit ridiculous. But nonetheless, it is here and it is wonderful.

We were able to get ourselves to the neighborhood pumpkin patch as a celebration of fall. And while we had no turning leaves in the background, we were able to be outside for over an hour without creating a single drop of sweat, which really is incredibly pleasant at 8 months pregnant. Really, really pleasant.

Vegas food, for real*.

* or about as Vegas as this 29-year-old-Mom gets.

Two of my very best high school friends visited Vegas this weekend with their significant others. I've been looking forward to this weekend for weeks, knowing that we had enlisted our childless friends to take Mia (and who Mia loves, though mostly she loves their cat) for Saturday night. We exchanged quite a few emails planning things out, and in the end, it was a weekend that went by in the blink of an eye, though much fun was had.

To kick things off, Mia and I ventured to the Strip on a beautiful 65 degree day to have lunch and hang out. We had lunch at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Ceasars Palace. It was brunch, so they brought out the most delightful bread basket I've ever tasted. Scones with nuts and unidentifiable dried fruit, corn bread muffins with chunks of corn and black beans and jalapenos, a spicy cheese mini-biscuit that was insanely delicious, and some blueberry coffee cake which Mia ate three slices of. Next up, a pork tenderloin sandwich with southwestern fries. I have no idea what was on the tenderloin, but it was amazing. Mia highly approved of the southwestern fries, and didn't even blink at the spice. On the table was also a very delicious looking lamb Cobb salad. When it comes to Strip restaurants, I'm always pretty hesitate to dine-in somewhere a bit more upscale with my lively toddler, but they were actually very friendly and accommodating. The hostess took my stroller into what looked like a coat-room for me, and we got very few dirty looks. So, Mesa Grill at Ceasars. Thumbs up for food, and thumbs up for toddler-friendly, though I wouldn't push it for dinner.

waiting patiently for our table. Patient only thanks to the raisins.

A quick trip back to our little suburban neighborhood for a costume change (for me), a husband to pick up and a baby drop off, and we were back to playing tourists at the Cosmopolitan. We had dinner and drinks at Jose Andres' Jaleo, a Spanish Tapas restaurant. B and I shared a carafe of Sangria, some chorizo wrapped in potato, bread with tomato puree and Serrano ham, chicken foie gras covered in melted cheese that basically looked like very upscale enchiladas, shrimp and dessert. I also sampled some fried squid ink paste off someone else's plate, and I have to admit that was probably the best thing on the table that night. It was also delicious, though I will admit to having higher expectations, both because it was in the Cosmopolitan and because it was pretty high-priced. The Sangria, though, did not disappoint one bit. 

at the Bellagio's Chinese New Year display

Later, we headed to a lounge in the Cosmopolitan's lobby called Vespers. Their specialty is old-fashioned speakeasy-type drinks, and I had a Moscow Mule, followed by a cocktail called "One Night in Bangkok", which had coconut milk, lime rind and egg whites in it, and was better than it sounds. I definitely recommend this bar to anyone in Vegas who wants a place to sit down with your drinks and hear your neighbor talking. Also, a great place to people watch. I was highly distracted by many "Las Vegas Outfits", meaning dresses and shoes these girls would never wear back home.

Our last Vegas meal was off-strip, but most likely my favorite of all. We went to an unassuming Italian Restaurant called "Parma" which is in a strip mall and looks like a small deli from the window. Our food was delicious, fresh Italian food with homemade pasta noodles (Mia also very much approves of this, and I'm sure her daycare friends will be very jealous when she finds that she has the leftovers of her meal in her lunchbox today). I had the linguine with red clam sauce, and B had the biggest chicken parm I've ever seen. This one will definitely stay on our go-to list whenever we have special occasions or out of town-ers. 

It was a weekend completely void of the South Beat Diet's rules, and though I did not step on the scale this morning, I found that I was actually looking forward to the salad I had planned for today's lunch. We had a great time, and it awesome to feel like tourists in our own town. 

Weekend most ordinary

B works almost every Saturday, getting maybe one off every month. Usually, I mark the calendar for those Saturdays weeks in advance and plan something exciting. This Saturday, the plan was to take the one hour drive to the small town of Pahrump, NV and spend the afternoon having lunch at their winery and touring the vineyards. But, Saturday something even more rare than B having a Saturday off occurred: it rained in Las Vegas. Although it wasn't any kind of torrential rain, just a nice pleasant drizzle, it still wasn't something that we wanted to be out in all day.

I tried to come up with a few contingency plans. We thought of the Discovery Children's Museum, the Natural History Museum, but it occurred to us that every other family in Las Vegas would be there too. So, instead, we had the most ordinary weekend you could imagine, and it was glorious. We did eventually get dressed, in our finest casual wear for a trip to my favorite new place, where Mia got way too excited in the children's section. We read about 8 books, but only got through the first three pages before she wanted  to move on to the next book on the shelf at her height. I picked out a Madeline and an Olivia book to bring home for her, but her short attention span continued at home that night too. I kept right on reading Madeline despite her protests because it was my fave as a kid, and besides, I wanted to know the ending. Later that afternoon, I planned out all dinners for the week from the South Beach Diet Cookbook (still going strong -- 13 lbs down!) and we headed to the grocery store.

The Little Miss after her 3 1/2 hour nap on Saturday, not happy about being woken up.

Sunday, more of the same. A long walk with the dogs avoiding puddles, reading, knitting, playing, but mostly lounging and mostly in my slippers and yoga pants. The perfect way to spend a weekend. We'll go to that winery next time, but surprisingly, this Monday morning, I feel extremely satisfied with the two days we spent at home.

Christmas Recap in Pictures

As I sit here, lamenting over the fact that I am currently at work and regretting not taking three days of vacation time in order to sit at home knitting, I remind myself that there is a mere three hours left before I am off again for another 4 day break.

Christmas was infinitely better than I thought it would be, celebrating with just the three of us, but embracing the friends and (sort of) family that we do have in town. In the days leading up to Christmas, we packed in as many of the activities that I intended for us to do in the month of December. We went to the Springs Preserve to see their lights and decorations. They called it something along the lines of an "extravaganza" and although an extravaganza it was not, it was still lovely and chilly, so the two Chicagoans that we are were happy to bundle up ever so slightly.

On Christmas Eve day (could we pick a worse time? I suppose we could have, going on Christmas Day itself...) we decided to venture down to the Strip for the first time in what felt like ages and play tourist in our own city. The Bellagio has a "Conservatory" of plans and flowers, whose themes switch monthly. Last year, we delayed our venture down to the strip to January, so we missed the Christmas display but saw the Chinese new year display. This year, I wanted to make a point to see the Christmas flowers and decorations. We were not disappointed, and it was actually really beautiful and worth braving the crowd.

We spent Christmas Eve dinner with my sort of cousins, having a grand old Filipino time and playing Christmas Eve Bingo, where I won $32. Being as tipsy as the strange sparkling red wine I was drinking would allow, the three of us still had an excellent time.

Christmas Day was chock-full of toddler presents. Clothes, toys, and more clothes. Of course we had bought some of them, but so many came from far away family, that it made us feel not at all on our own for Christmas. Plus, when there is a toddler involved in Christmas, it's hard to feel lonely or isolated, since she just brings so much joy and excitement. Everyone spent the day playing with their toys (B watched a Blu-Ray while wearing his spanking new slippers, Mia played with her musical castle and grocery cart and register, and I made and drank an excellent cup of coffee out of my Keurig).

I hope everyone else's holiday was excellent, too!

Holiday around the corner

This morning, after reading several holiday facebook and blog posts, I realized that we've been so focused on the move (T-5 days) that I have totally forgotten to get excited about the holidays. Well, not completely since I did pick out Mia's gift from Santa from the Target toy catalog, but since I spent the weekend wearing my sherling-lined slippers, even Las Vegas is reminding me that the Holidays are a-comin'.

Since my time at home has been totally dominated by cardboard boxes, plastic bins and permanent markers, sitting down at my desk this morning after a 3 day weekend of marathon packing, I also made another realization. B, Mia and I will be spending our first holiday season on our own, as our own family. From Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve, neither my nor B's family will be around for the celebrations. Last year, we spent Thanksgiving at our apartment and the following long weekend in an RV, and then Christmas in France.

We had previously planned on going to Chicago for Christmas, but because we have already been there twice this year for various weddings, and because this move is costing many dollars despite our most valiant attempts at being cheap, we are staying put. I had been toying with the idea of doing an overnight somewhere like Mt. Charleston or St. George, UT to make Christmas Eve and Day less lonely, but I'm reconsidering. It might feel even more lonely if we are in a hotel room somewhere.

So for now, the plan will be to celebrate on our own, as a little family of three, in our new little house which will hopefully be fully unpacked and organized. This year is proving to be much less eventful, but hopefully just as happy!

To do list: One big check mark

I have told you repeatedly about how we've definitely outgrown our apartment. 

The top item on our to-do list for October was: Find a house to rent.

Criteria: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Tile or laminate in living areas. Small back yard. Closer to daycare. 

and.... DONE.

Remember how I told you about my Mom coming to stay for about a month? Well, I guess before she left China, my parents had decided to invest in another rental property. They already have one condo in Chicago, one that I used to live in and rent from them. Evidently, they are liking their status as Landlords, because they had decided to buy a second condo in Chicago.

When my Mom got here, I told her that we'd be moving on December 1st, and that while she was here, I'd like to go out and look at a few rental houses. My parents LOVE looking at houses, even if they aren't in the market to buy. When we lived in Chicago, one of their weekend hobbies was going to Open Houses. ("It's an Open House! They WANT you to come see the house"). I wasn't really surprised when my Mom showed quite a bit of enthusiasm and browsed the listings that I had received from our rental broker. 

One or two nights later, evidently having lots of time to think and Skype with my father overnight fighting jet lag, my Mom asks: "Would you guys like having us as Landlords?" Wait, what? 

After a couple more discussion points, the answer was a very enthusiastic Yes.

So, all last week, I came in to work late, left early, had extended lunches and was very busy on my weekday off to meet up with our Realtor and various houses around the Valley. Some old, some new. Some big, some small. House #1 was in perfect condition, but a bit smaller than I'd hoped with little storage. Not a deal-breaker, I told Mom. If this works for you, it works for us. But, it felt too soon in the process to make an offer. What if there was something bigger, with more storage, that was just as nice? 

A dozen houses later, a couple more fit the bill. One with a very large backyard, with real grass. The thought of us having to water and mow a lawn in the desert was giving me secret palpitations. Another in an ideal location was tempting, but the zero outdoor space not great. Both off the market by the time we got home from lunch that day. 

And then Friday morning, we had one last appointment. We liked the pictures, we liked the location. Mom says, if we like it in person, I have my checkbook in my purse. We walked in, saw all-tile floors, a small but big-enough back yard, an upgraded kitchen and before we even went upstairs to the bedrooms, Mom was already reaching in her bag. 3 bedrooms, 1500 square feet, 10 minutes from B's work and daycare. Our only compromise is a 1 car garage, but that is very easy to ignore when I look at the gleaming kitchen counters and seemingly endless cabinet space.

For now, I only have this picture of Mia approving of the banisters. Also, see, no carpets!

Closing is scheduled for October 31st, which means we have a leisurely 30 days to move out of the apartment and into the house. I am so excited for Halloween this year.

Keep it classy, Las Vegas

My office is in a not-so-nice portion of Las Vegas. It's not dangerous, I think, but it's just... not nice. There are mostly businesses, and many many run down apartment complexes. I'm not sure why, but it happens to be very popular with medical offices, so, it was a good choice for the relocation. But, not so great for the times I forget to my lunch on the kitchen counter.

Picture a 20 year old girl and her fifty something mother at one table, and an on-duty police officer at another. Me, also nearby, pretending to read my kindle but really eavesdropping.

Girl: I have a friend in the police academy right now. There's a lot of stuff you have to learn, huh?
Cop: Yes, it's a very rigorous training program.
Girl: Like, about weapons. Right?
Cop: Some about weapons, but mostly about law. 
Girl: Yeah, that must be hard. But at least you get a nice car. I seen some nice new police cars around. 
Cop: [nod]
Girl: Yeah. They're mostly Fords, right? But I seen some nicer, like fancier ones? They look like those from the Transformers movie.
Cop: Oh, yes. The Chargers? Those are for the high speed chases.
Girl: Yeah. Those are cool. I wish I could get a car like that. Do they give them to you for free, just for being a cop?
Cop: Well, they belong to the Police Department, so they're not ours.
Girl: Oh, so you have to buy them, then?
Cop: No, we just use them while we're working. They belong to the police department.
Mom, interrupts: I know a guy who got away with shooting a cop. You want his name?

I was impressed by the Police Officer's patience. I couldn't take much more, so I headed back to my car, discreetly eyeing the parking lot for the Police Officer's nice car. It looked an awful lot like a regular police car to me.

Accepting Vegas

Next month, we'll have been Nevadans for a full two years. It seems like much much longer and much much shorter at the same time. On the long side, I can't imagine that Mia's only been in our family for 16 months. On the short side, it seems like we are still freshly arrived in this city, this city whose streets we only know a fraction of compared to Chicago's streets, shops, restaurants, and attractions. 

We had a very quick weekend trip to L.A. this weekend. It was awesome to visit somewhere we could walk to nice restaurants, grocery stores, and see the beautiful ocean. LA is awesome, and I really wish I had lived there at some point. On our drive home, B said that pretty soon, we wouldn't need our GPS to get us back to Las Vegas anymore, because we'd probably make this drive hundreds of times. I found myself agreeing, rather than secretly hoping we'd move there. No, we won't move to L.A., because... we don't want to. As much as I loved visiting, I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when we passed the first casinos in Primm Valley. 

But, two years seems to be enough time to settle in. To stop thinking of ourselves as transient, to stop thinking about other cities, and stop thinking that relocating (again) would be no big deal, since our roots are still so shallow. Because now, they aren't. We have a daycare that we are happy with, with a one year old teacher that our daughter loves. We [each] have favorite restaurants (mine: DW Bistro, B's: Amore), favorite local shops, favorite parks. And our favorites aren't what they were in Chicago. Our activities are... suburban and family-oriented. 

We may not fit in here, and we may never fit in here. We may be a very blue household in a predominantly red state. We may never accept that our closest and nicest movie theater is in a casino. We may never understand how to play craps. But, slowly but surely, we are adapting.

Activities are fewer for those of us who try to avoid the strip, but they're there. It's just a matter of taking advantage of what there is to offer. Just this morning, as I reviewed our East Coast friend's facebook pictures of apple picking, I found an orchard that exists in Las Vegas, an anomaly in the desert that exists thanks to some kind of spring that actually makes the soil productive in one small part of town. We'll do that just as soon as the weather dips below 90 degrees.

I predict that in two more years, my aversion to owning real estate will settle down, and we might even be in the market for one of these large and affordable homes. 

Embarassing thing #749264

In my everlasting attempts at trimming down my baby pooch, I've been searching for a way to work out without defending myself from constant dog and toddler assaults. My previous inclination was to join a gym, but many a thing happened immediately after I decided to do it, with the #1 strike against a gym membership was having to put Mia in daycare. I didn't want to commit to the two year membership, and I didn't want to have to spend MORE time away from my child than work was already making me.

I don't have many friends that have children. I do, however, have quite a few far away facebook friends who do have children though, and although it might be considered borderline cyber stalking, I try to keep watch on their profiles for Mommy-related tips. I noticed one of my facebook Mom-friends was frequently posting about Stroller Strides, which intrigued me, so I did a web-search. No stroller strides in Las Vegas, but please give us your email address if you'd like us to e-mail you if someone opens a franchise.

Well, several weeks ago, I got an email that Stroller Strides was starting a Las Vegas location, and click here if you'd like to view a schedule of classes. As almost everything else in this city, Stroller Strides Las Vegas seemed to be geared toward the Stay at Home Mom whose husbands make enough money for them to afford the pretty high monthly membership fee. But, after exchanging a few emails with the very nice and enthusiastic owner, she decided that people had expressed enough interest in a Saturday morning class, and if I was only going to be attending one class per week, there was an option for a 10 class pass for a not ungodly amount per class. Excellent. I signed up and this past Saturday was my first class.

As soon as Mia and I showed up, we did our introductions and I promptly gave my "I haven't worked out in 15 months" disclaimer, and everyone assured me that I'd be just fine. I lined up next to the other Moms in their BOB strollers with my thankfully appropriate enough City Mini (I have a serious case of stroller inferiority complex, despite LOVING my City Mini and recommending it to everyone who doesn't want to spend more than $250 on a stroller) and got to my jogging in place.

The Stroller Strides exercises are pretty basic, where we did a circuit through a local park. We do brisk stroller walking on the paths and stop every 500 feet or so to do some strength training. The music was perfectly synched where it played pop music during the walking, and kids music during the strength exercises. During the stops, the Moms interact with the babies in their strollers. For example, we did something they call "Peekaboo Squats", where you basically play peekaboo with your baby as you squat in front of them. There was some other things, like doing "If you're happy and you know it" while doing a chair squat against the wall. It was good, and it was mostly just really fun to be with other Moms acting ridiculous in front of their children, and having the babies love it.

Until the 45 minute mark of the 60 minute class, when I realized that the half a nectarine and the one bottle of water was insufficient for an outdoor Las Vegas workout. During the follow-the-leader drill, I had to pull over and actually sit on the ground. It was so sudden. I was totally fine one minute, and the next my head was spinning, and I grabbed Mia's pack of Teddy Grahams from her hand and shoved a fistful in my mouth, grabbed one of the instructors water bottles (she had very kindly offered and sprinkled some on the back of my neck) and chugged it down. Five minutes later, everything except my ego was fine, and I was able to join in for the last 10 minutes of abs and stretching.

Everyone was very nice and assured me that I was neither the first nor the last that this would happen to, saying that if you've never worked out outside in Las Vegas, this is bound to happen to you, and next time, make sure you at least have a bowl of cereal with that nectarine! Being highly skilled in the self-deprecating humor department, was able to recover relatively well. I also [loudly] informed the instructor that I would be out of town next Saturday, so not to think that I was wimping out. I'd be back the week after that to punch the first class on my 10 class pass.

Mommy Car

B and I bought my car in a big big hurry. I graduated from law school, we had a car, but B drove it to work every single day. I had fully intended on getting a job in downtown Chicago, and to take the CTA to work every day, just as I had done for law school. I never anticipated that I would end up working in the suburbs, and my perfectly placed condo, 5 minutes away from both the Red Line and the 145 express bus would be basically useless. B's cousin was the finance manager at a Honda dealership, so we rushed out there after my first day of work to pick one out. We fully intended on buying a used Accord or Civic, but on an new paycheck and emotional high, I wanted a Hybrid. His cousin pointed us in the direction of their new hybrid car, the Insight. He promised us that we wouldn't pay a penny more than he would if he bought one. I recognized it as Leslie Knope's car from Parks and Recreation, asked if they had one like hers, in white. They pulled it around, and I signed and drove off.

As a 26 year old who was buying her first car after her first day of work as a real lawyer, I clearly did not look at my five year plan. I can't believe I never even considered that I might have a child before my car payments were up.

But, I loved my car. I could fit it in the tighest of spots, which was number one on my list of car-needs. My street in Chicago was one way, narrow, and crowded. Past 7 pm, you would be lucky to get a spot within a 3 block radius. I get 45 mpg, which was amazing for my over an hour commute from my city condo to my suburban office. It' so narrow, that I could drive speedily down any tiny Chicagoan two way street without worrying about side-swiping the parked cars. It's a cute utilitarian hybrid that I was just head over heels for. The only time I ever questioned my car's awesomeness was on a trip back from the airport for my Bachelorette weekend, when I had three people in the very small backseat, and 4 people's weekend luggage in the hatch. I swear, it was the only time.

Until I was 7 months pregnant, with backpain, shopping for carseats and living in a city with ample parking dominated by SUVs and luxury sedans. My little car stands out like a sore thumb in this place.

With the carseat installed, the front passenger seat has to be pulled all the way up. Like, all the way, knees hitting the dashboard for anyone over 5 feet. So yeah, that's not awesome. Luckily, it's mostly just me and Mia in my car. If my Mom is in town, B and I will switch so that we can enjoy the luxurious and spaciousness of his Honda Civic. (Yeah, it's a problem when your big car is a Honda Civic)

I've been complaining that my car is too small for this city, for this family. Wanting a new car seems so silly and indulgent, considering that my car is three years old and was purchased brand new. But with Mia's stroller, carseat and one other person, this car is just too small for us. We decided that we'd wait until at least one of our cars was paid off before we could consider another car. Having only one car payment would make such a difference in our budget. A couple of weeks ago, he announced that his payments would be over by the spring of 2013. I got so excited! 6 more months and I could get a real car! Since bigger cars cost so much more, I started looking at used car listings. I fantasized about a Mazda CX-9, or really anything that would allow for two carseats and still fit a passenger in the back. B and I started having very serious discussions about gas mileage v. a third passenger row. Serious, serious, serious.

But, he double checked, and it's the spring of 2014. BLARG.

It's not a big deal of course. Nothing in our lives has changed. We have one child, one car seat, and  small dogs. We want Mia to be at least three years old when she gets a sibling, so we're not even in the realm of trying for a second. But, for those couple of weeks, I was really looking forward to some leg room.

Strep o'clock

I feel like my blog posts of late revolve around looking forward to the weekend and the various diseases and infections that Mia brings home from daycare. So, for that reason, I am not going to dwell on the fact that Mia, B and I all three tested positive for Strep, are all three on a total of four different kinds of antibiotics, and all three had to take two sick days following a sick weekend. I won't even get into the story where I had an allergic reaction to the first antibiotic I was prescribed (shortness of breath, hives on my palms), having to catch the Minute Clinic nurse just before she was leaving to please give me something different, don't make me wait until morning THANKS! I'm also not going to dwell on the sinus pressure headache of the ages that I am currently experiencing, since the strep bacteria which gave me the most painful sore throat I've ever experienced has migrated up to my sinuses, despite being back at work because, let's be real, nobody can miss an impromptu 5 days in a row off work. Being back today makes it 4 (2 vacation days for my anticipated long weekend last week, and 2 sick days because of the Strep).

Instead, I'm going to show you a few pictures of how we were able to ignore our symptoms for a day, and entertain my high school friend J for the 36 hours of her visit. (She was supposed to be with u for four days, but she had a family emergency and had to delay her arrival from Thursday to Saturday -- everything is OK now, and it ended up being for the best, disease-wise)

Mia is visibly miserable, although we did not have confirmation that she was also in awful throat pain until Monday at 8am, which is when the pediatrician opens. I was stopping in every restroom between SharkReef at Mandalay Bay and The CocaCola store (not pictured) next to the MGM Grand to spray my throat with Chloraseptic, infinitely more times than the recommended amount of 1 spray every 2-3 hours. It was more like 3 sprays every hour, but you know.

 By tuesday evening, Mia had been on her antibiotics for 36 hours (me, day 3, Brian 35 hours) and was feeling well enough to earn her first evern baby time out. 2 minutes on a chair without getting off for deliberately knocking over a speaker after repeatedly being told to leave it alone and understanding perfectly.

Time Out, misunderstood as the "Mama won't let me get up game".

Extended Memorial Day

Once in a blue moon, B gets two days off in a row. He works almost every saturday and gets a week day off, since the Bank is open for shortened hours.  This weekend, it was more of an eclipse in our house, because B got Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off. Three in a row! I switched my reduction of hours day to Tuesday and, presto! Extended Memorial Day Weekend.

We toyed with the idea of going away for Monday night, thinking that hotel/inn/bed and breakfast rates would be nice and low since most people would be returning to work on Tuesday, but couldn't agree on a location. We had to be in town on Sunday, since that was the day of Mia's birthday pool party at my boss's house. We considered Mount Charleston or San Diego, or even just a night at one of the Strip hotels with a nice pool.

The party was great, we spent the entire day by the pool in beautiful 85 degree and sunny weather and enjoyed the company of only a few guests (a lot of people went out of town, so it turned out to be very low-stress). The few kids (and B) that came enjoyed the heck out of the $5 I spent at the dollar store on inflatable pool toys and water guns, the adults (mostly me) enjoyed the pre-made margaritas from Costco. Next year, we hope to reduce the stress by infinity by hosting at our own (rented) house so that we don't have to transport loads of food and decorations.

Mia and B were both slightly sunburned, so we crossed San Diego and the Hotel Pool off the list for Monday, and then all together decided to save our Mount Charleston visit when the weather in Vegas got too hot to bear (Mount Charleston is about an hour from Vegas and is 10 degrees cooler at all times). Instead, we took another step in embracing our status as Vegas residents and became members of the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. The membership price pays for itself if we visit three times in one year, so we figured it would be worth it.

There are short hiking trails, bike rentals and baths, desert gardens, a playground, a little museum, a little animal show, and another little museum whose theme I am blanking on opening in a few months. Available also for members are grilling classes, gardening classes (not applicable until we move in the winter), a farmer's market every Thursday and a few other things. Mia enjoyed toddling around the little exhibits, and even walked around the gardens on her own with Mama trailing closely behind. I'm excited about taking advantage of the few non-gambling things this little city has to offer. I get to bring a guest for free, and all children under 5 are included. (Juliet, I'm looking at you!)

Mother's Day

This was my first Mother's Day. I was very much anticipating this day, the very same way I anticipated my birthday in days of yore. I kept telling myself that it was silly to anticipate Mother's Day, since, really it was just a normal day. Last year on Mother's Day, I was about a million weeks pregnant (38 weeks, to be specific) and I was in a bad mood and told B that I did NOT want a card or flowers because I was not a mother, I was just a person with an enormous belly and if this thing would just get OUT then we can celebrate. But nooo... in she stayed for another week and a half, thereby making Mother's Day 2012 my first mother's day.

Don't be fooled by the smile. That woman was CRAZY.

There were no cards, and no flowers, but there was an uninterrupted night of sleep which did not end until 8:45 (thanks to B, not Mia, who woke up in the middle of the night AND early that morning), a shower before even going out to get Mia ready for the day, and a smiley baby saying "Hi!" (it sounds more like "Haaaaai") when I finally did come out.

I dressed her (one of my favorite morning tasks - she got so many clothes at her Chicago B-Day that she hasn't had to re-wear an outfit yet) in a pretty pink polka dot dress with matching bloomers (pictures on the real camera - you'll see it later) and we headed out to Egg Works for Brunch. We ordered Mia a side of fruit, and she proceeded to eat every kind that was on there and then moved on to my banana muffin, with her dainty little pincer grasp. This kid! She's gone from refusing any baby food but fruit purees to eating everything you put in front of her. She was very mad when I would not give her a taste of my potatoes, which were covered in Cayenne and Paprika.

After our lovely breakfast, B declared that if I wanted to we could go do something outdoors, something he vetoes 98% of the time since it's Vegas, and it's HOT. He also declared that we would go shopping this afternoon so that I could pick something out for myself! (In other words, I didn't buy you anything, but I'm going to make it seem like it was on purpose) Since I like the feeling of my skin getting crispy and I like shopping, I chose the outdoor mall as my Mother's Day destination. Of course, all we ended up buying were baby sandals and a baby bathing suit, but those two make me just as happy as if I had found shoes for my own feet!

Then, because B didn't feel like cooking (surprise!) and because I hadn't bought anything for myself, we went and got sushi for dinner, my favorite food in the world. B even admitted that despite his lack of planning (except Egg Works, that was planned), this did turn into a very Frenchie-centric day and I had an awesome time.

That evening, Mia went to sleep with very few protests. As I tucked my daughter in, I realize that this year of being a Mother has been my very favorite. That I anticipated Mother's Day so much, because it feels like a culmination of what I've been able to accomplish this year. It's only been a year, but I feel like I've always been this. Mia's Mother. And B did a great job celebrating that, telling me something that I know with confidence. That I'm a great mother, and that together, we've made her into this smart, lively, sweet, friendly little person.

To top it all off, I was able to end the day doing my favorite activity: knitting.

Check out my latest creation: a cable knit dress.

Colleague Consultation and Weekends Redux

It feels like ages since I've posted -- usually I try to keep it up at least twice a week. But, I've got some stuff going on that I cannot post about, for fear of jinxing things. So, that's what has taken up the majority of my thoughts for the past 8 days. But, onto other things!

In an effort to secure free advice from my fellow MILPs out there, I'm looking for a bit of guidance (If you are not interested, skip this paragraph to hear about the rest of my riveting weekend). As I've mentioned before, I'm playing a bit of an HR role at the moment with my job, and I've been entertaining a few companies who want to sell their services to the Company's employees. Last week, I had a visit from someone looking to sell what I'll call "memberships" into a sort of "Legal Club". Without giving away too much about the service itself, the basic gist of it is you pay a monthly fee (low -- like, the price Netflix) and you have access to 24 legal advice. There are limits to the representation, such as a few pages of contracts reviewed, a certain number of hours of litigation, etc. I feel sort of uncomfortable offering this service to the Company's employees; something about it feels off to me. Anyone have thoughts on this?

On a more run of the mill note... we're three days away from leaving for Chicago for a much anticipated extended weekend. In addition to the wedding of one of my high school BFFs, we've got an early first b-day celebration planned with B's family, a playdate with Mia's (only) cousin at the Lincoln Park Zoo (weather permitting - alternate plan being the aquarium), and a super-secret pre-mani/pedi morning meeting (see first paragraph).This weekend was spent doing laundry (everyone's clothes but mine -- as usual) and buying baby travel-related items. The three of us were hit with another daycare bug, but this time just a cold that has depleted our apartment's supply of kleenex. I'll take 10 colds over another stomach flu, so I'm not complaining.

Mia's follow up at the pediatrician -- Strep Free, but confirmed daycare cold.

Last week, the Frenchie family took advantage of actually living in Vegas and visited the Siegfried and Roy Secret Garden at the Mirage. It was actually really cool! They had about a dozen dolphins in different pools, some white lions and tigers, and one (regular colored) cheetah. We were surprised that Mia actually noticed and watched the animals with the same enthusiasm she shows for Swarley. It was, of course, overpriced and very hot, but hey, it's Vegas. The following Tuesday, B and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary by having a family dinner at the Todd English Pub at the Aria, which was fabulously decadent pub food. I had lobster rolls and a Beergarita, and B had a fancy burger and a Beer flight. Mia ate my sweet potato fries. We thought about getting a babysitter, but decided against it. My parents almost always brought us on all their anniversary dates, so we thought this might be a nice tradition to start.

Last but certainly not least, while at Babies R Us on Friday, I strayed from my travel-list and purchased a lawn mower looking walking helper as an early birthday gift for Mia. I've been eyeing one of these types of things for a few weeks. I set it up when we got home, and she started pushing it around without hesitation immediately. She hasn't figured out how to dislodge it when it runs into furniture yet, but she got very confident in her abilities very quickly. She'd stand next to it and try to topple it over every time it stopped moving forward. After three solid days of pushing it around, she took her first steps without it!!! She went from holding herself up on the coffee table, turned around, and took four steps to her toy box. They were four unmistakable, unassisted, real steps. I tried to coax her into doing it again, but any distance further than four steps, she just drops down to her hands and knees and books it. It's not clear whether she can't go more than four steps, or if she just doesn't want to. Either way, it was very exciting and I'm so glad she did it at home and not at daycare. She turned 11 months last Wednesday, if anyone was curious. I was hoping she would be walking by the time her birthday pool party rolled around, so she's well on her way to it!

Not a picture of the actual event, but there's the toy box and the coffee table.

"Yeah Boooooyyy!"

I love Las Vegas. But what has come of my wonderful town when jumbo-sized-clock-necklaces-wearing-rapper Flavor Flav has opened up his own take out fried chicken restaurant?!?! And it's called, you guessed it-- Flavor Flav's House of Flavor. On top of that, what has my home life come to that my hubs, Romeo says he would definitely like to check it out!?!?

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/VlnOGlkwsWaWqyzDxvMMMA?select=ynb0QoBJK17zuA56GtMEMA

On top of the ludicrous idea, I have heard the following: it is getting high praise on Yelp.com and supposedly because the chicken is great--not just the hype and celebrity worship, Flav really does work at the store and cook, two large intimidating men stand guard and only let about two customers in at a time and then the door is locked behind you, there are no set hours of operations (at least for this grand opening period), and they open when Flav reports to the restaurant, and close when they are either out, have a problem with cooking supplies or ingredients (like substandard fry oil one night), or just when they "are done."

His catch phrase is "Yeah Booooyyyyy!" Right?

I give this an "Oh Booooooyyyyy..."

Bueller? Bueller?

Yes. I am present. Sorry for the long absence there!

The Bachelorette Weekend/Mommy Vacation was everything I expected, and even more epic (something I can say without a pang of guilt and hangover now that it's more than a week ago). Despite getting majorly intoxicated on Saturday night and having a painful four hour drive home by myself (made only tolerable by my wonderful husband putting the Hunger Games audiobook on my iPhone to keep me company - my second "reading"), I managed to come home feeling refreshed and very very happy to squeeze my baby in my arms. Everything was beautiful. The beachfront condo's ocean view was only slightly interrupted by paddle tennis courts, which I gather to be a strange hybrid between real, actual tennis and ping pong. Venice Beach itself was colorful and interesting, with the seemingly permanent scent of weed wafting through the windows and I accidentally (purposely) left my bathing suit at home, so I stuck to the boardwalk with its dozens of taco stands and souvenir shops.

On Saturday morning we all piled into an enormous hummer limo and took a winding and mountainous drive up the malibu coast. What did not occur to those of us organizing the activities was that the combination of winding roads and sideways limo sitting would give about 80% of our party carsickness, but we finally did all arrive at destination with only threats of grossness and everyone thought the ride was worth it. Although the wine left something to be desired (my opinion), the winery itself was so beautiful and pleasant that it really didn't matter. We were up high on a hill overlooking vines and mountains and our whole party managed to snag a whole section of adirondack chairs to relax in. We all got a little sun and and everyone had the chance to catch up and get to know one another. All of our celebrant's "groups" (high school, college, law school and family) managed to blend together well, and everyone got along and had a great time. Saturday night was very alcohol heavy (for some of us) and ended with a few grown up women reliving their college days in the bathroom. I think these kinds of things are such a great way for everyone attending a wedding to get to know each other beforehand, and this was no exception. I'm even more excited to head out to Chicago for the wedding in just a few weeks, and see everyone again! (Missed you, LL!!) Happily, I was not the only Mom there, but I was the only Mom who felt the need to relive her college days.

I came home to a sick baby, through no real fault of her Papa's. I took her to the pediatrician a couple of days later when it didn't seem like she was getting any better. It turns out, she's got strep and is on her 4th day of antibiotics. She really started feeling much better after a couple of days. Luckily, my office did not complete its move on time, and our internet and my desk was not yet in its proper place, so I got to work from home all of last week. Mia got to convalesce in her own room and crib, and I got to stay in my yoga pants all day. We were briefly afraid that B and I both had strep too (our pediatrician took a quick look at both our throats and sent us immediately to the minute clinic next door to get tested), but our mutual 20 minutes of illness was just psychosomatic, and we were both completely clear and told to take allergy medicine. Despite an unfortunate incident of hot oil splattering and burning the left side of my face and ear (it's not as bad as it sounds, I have two small burns on my jaw line and two tiny burns on my ear), we managed to have an uneventful end of the week

By Sunday, everyone was feeling well enough to bundle up in this 50 degree Las Vegas weather and brave the not so cold Cubs spring training game. Every year, our beloved Cubs (I lived 3 blocks from Wrigley back in the Chi) play a weekend at Cashman Field. We went last year when I was hugely pregnant and hugely hot, and this year we returned with our almost 10 month old in tow, completely covered in fleece. It was still fun though, and although Mia did not look at the field once, she did manage to make a few friends. The game was as every spring training game is - not exciting - but Jake Pavelka (the Bachelor 2 seasons ago, as I had to explain to everyone in the seats around us) did come and throw out the first pitch, which was certainly worth the ticket price.

Today, I am back to the realities of working in an office, which I did manage to miss a little in my weeklong work at home stint. I am about halfway unpacked, and I was only slightly annoying asking our two men of the office to please turn my desk just one more time. I have to briefly mention that Mondays are no longer my favorite day of the week since the Bachelor is over and the Bachelorette doesn't start up until MAY, I will try to get by and make sure that I start scheduling other fun things to look forward to. This week, on Thursday another installment of Wine Tasting with Grown ups, when Juliet Cap and I leave our kiddos with our husbands and drink (and learn about) some vino!

Sound Check

Sitting at a sound check and finding myself with time on my hands.  No, sound checks are not my regular gig, but our friends Ron Ellington Shy and Taber Shy, who used to live and perform in Las Vegas (and now live in Southern Cali) wanted to come back and do a show here in town.  So, they know Romeo is not only a music aficionado but as a friend would do anything for them...so, here we are "producing" their show at a park district building on the east side of Vegas.

It means that since October we have been e-mailing, mailing, and calling their old friends and colleagues in town, drumming up support.  Getting chummy with the director at the park district building to work out the details of tonight's show.  Driving to and from Cali and other gigs here in the southwest to take pics of Ron and Taber, just to find that PERFECT one for the ads, fliers, and newspapers.  I've been creating and managing a facebook page for the group and specifically for tonight's concert.  For the last two weeks there's been lots of computer work to create the concert program, slips for audience members to fill out for a giveaway autographed headshot.  I even pulled out my scrapbooking supplies to make a large (and may I say really neat!) "Now Appearing" poster for the lobby.

The show is 7:00pm tonight.  And sound check started at 11:00am this morning.  I love these men.  They are dear friends that I met through Romeo.  He's actually "produced" shows for Ron before when they were both living in Southern California.  But that means I've also been to more gigs of theirs than I can count, and all these songs they are rehearsing right now and will play tonight?  Well, I've kind of got them memorized.  I do have to admit though, that hearing them professionally mic'd is a great experience.  Most times they are playing in blues clubs or casino lounges and none of the sound and tech is tailored to them.  I've heard them this way only a couple of times.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I guess "producing" also includes going to Costco for water bottles, deli meat, cheese, and rolls, and making the band a homemade sandwich tray for backstage.  LOL.  Makes me sort of wonder how Romeo used to produce as a single guy in Cali, seeing while he's been the "business" guy and worked with the contacts for 4 months now, I'm his "right-hand man" when it come to the technology, crafting, and of course sandwich making!  :)

Anyway, it's been an adventure.  But I don't know when we'll be doing it again.  I'm pooped!

Wine Tasting with Grown Ups

Yesterday, I was invited to attend a Wine Tasting. I like wine. A lot. But I usually taste it, decide it's good and drink it. Yes, I have my preferences. I like Malbec, and I generally don't like Shiraz (although I do like its non-Australian counterpart, Syrah. Mostly, I like it to drink it with dinner.

Anyhoo. My "cousin" has been inviting me to this Wine Club of hers for a while now, and finally, I peeled myself off the couch after work, left the baby with my Mom, and met B one his way home. It was at Fogo de Chao, which is one of those Brazillian steak houses with the gauchos and meat on a sabre. They had a location in Chicago which B and I went to on one of our very early dates. We knew the food would be good, which definitely motivated us to shake things up on a weeknight.

It turned out that it wasn't so much a wine club, but was a radio show called Wines Du Jour. Basically, every week, they feature a different vineyard (or a different brand) at a different restaurant in Vegas. The host chats with the wine rep (in last night's case, the owner of Bridlewood vineyards) and then directs everyone to swirl and sniff and taste. For $20, you get three wines, along with three food pairings. A Chardonnay paired with bacon-wrapped chicken breast, a Cabernet Sauvignon paired with linguisa sausage, and a Syrah paired with filet mignon. I was too excited about all the sophistication to take pictures of every course!

I listened and learned, B chatted with the people seated next to us, and we generally had a great time. The radio show itself is an hour long, and about two hours in, we were on our way home. While our wine was winding down, we lamented about my Mom leaving and that we wouldn't be able to come regularly without her around. B even asked the hosts whether it would be inappropriate to bring a baby with us sometimes. They hesitantly said it would be fine, so long as she didn't make a lot of noise. I think B was mostly joking, we've got enough people to watch Mia for a couple of hours once or twice a month. I'm thinking Juliet and I leave the babies with Romeo and B next week, if the restaurant sounds good. You in??

Super Tuesday

This morning, I woke up, did yoga with a baby trying desperately to use my leg as a pull up device, showered, got to work, and had a flurry of productivity. It's now lunchtime, and I've checked 5 things off my week's to-do list. Other to dos:

-Find a House to Rent. When we moved to Vegas, we planned to stay in our apartment for a year and move out in October. Well, that date came and went and we extended our least for 6 more months. Our new lease is up April 1st. I desperately want to leave, since we've definitely outgrown our apartment. There are tons of great houses for rent out there, and I'm sure there's a perfect 3 bedroom, not over 1,700 square foot house out there for the same amount we are currently spending on our apartment. B does not want to pack, nor does he want to spend for movers. I sad, with a few volunteers, we might be able to do it ourselves. This also did not go over well. Hopefully, when February rolls around and we start looking at houses, his motivation gets kicked up.

-Take more photos, with a real camera. I downloaded Instagram to my iPhone and spent way too much time yesterday taking and editing pictures. I have a feeling you're all going to be treated to quite a few Instagram-ed photos from here on out, starting with these:

-Read "The Manager's Guide to HR" from cover to cover. By the end of the week, I'll officially be the only HR person on staff. On Monday, I performed my first HR duties and mediated an argument between an employee and his supervisor. All is well, everyone is keeping their jobs, everyone will try to communicate more.

-Watch the following Oscar Nominated films: 1) The Descendants (I'm reading the book right now). I love that the girl from Secreat Life of an American Teen (a guilty pleasure I am usually afraid to own up to) is in it, and that she was nominated for a Golden Globe. 2) Hugo. It looked pretty strange and unappealing in the previews, but Time magazine said it was one of the top things of 2011. So, I'll add it to my to-do list. 3) The Ides of March.  I watched this last night, actually. I love me some Ryan Gosling. I liked it a lot, but it was definitely not what I expected. I thought this would be an uplifting story about working for a political candidate, but... it was not so uplifting. Still good. and Ryan Gosling was still sexy. 4) The Artist - I am French. I should probably see this. I loved the acceptance speeches by the Actor and the Composer of this film. 5) War Horse. This is B's pick. He says, and I quote: "There aren't enough movies about WWI". Totally.

-Finish the baby sweater I just started and am feeling totally challenged by. I finished one side of a sweater and found it to be too simple, so I unravelled it and picked up a more complicated cable knit pattern. This will 100% be the most complicated thing I've knit to date, once it's finished. I'm using a beautiful merino and cashmere blend, so Miss Mia is going to be stylin'. I'd better finish before the weather turns too warm.

A work in progress

-Write and send thank you notes for Mia's X-mas gifts. We got quite a few, but I want to at least write notes to those who actually mailed theirs, to let them know that we received them. We got a couple of packages of belated gifts this weekend, which was a super surprise. A picture of one of Mia's dresses from her Grandpa:




Pretty Hearts dress - Please note that she pulled herself up on the coffee table in order to get one of her hair clips and promptly put it in her mouth.

Happy Tuesday!