Rainy Day
Last weekend when the rain starting pouring, Max quickly crawled over to the window that looks over the pool to see what was going on. He’s such a curious kid and growing so fast!
Max and Emily
A few weeks ago we finally got to hang out with our friends Junko and Jason and their baby girl, Emily. It was the first time we’d seen them since Emily was born and we had been wanting to get together for a while. The reason it took almost 3 months to see each other was because Max got sick, then I got sick, then we were off to Hong Kong so the timing really sucked. We didn’t want to expose our germs to the baby either, but we finally saw each other for a lovely lunch. Max was fascinated by Emily – wanting to touch her and kept smiling at her. Max also kept smiling a lot at Junko. It was pretty adorable. Here are some photos of the outing:
Scary start
It’s amazing how life takes care of you.
On my way to work to work this morning, I was driving behind a pick-up truck on the freeway. I was keeping my usual distance – a good 2 or 3 cars length between us. And then what happened next felt like a scene from a movie. The metal ladder that was hanging out the back of his truck flew up and out into the air in front of me. It felt like everything was in slow motion. I quickly checked all around me and noticed a car behind me – also keeping a good distance and a car in the number 1 lane (I was in the number 2 lane) just a bit further back than the car behind me. I saw the ladder coming towards my windshield. I knew I wasn’t going to get into an accident. I wasn’t going to let it happen. I pushed on the brakes to slow a little and then swerved a bit to the left when the ladder hit the freeway and bounced into the air. The car to the left and behind me was getting a bit closer so I had to swerve back into my lane and slow a little more still. The car behind me moved over to the number 3 lane. And then I got closer to the ladder and it spun around and I swerved around it.The pick-up truck pulled over, but I don’t know for what. There was no way he was going to be able to go out and retrieve his ladder. I slowly moved over and headed to my exit.
Although I burst into tears immediately, I knew I was going to be able to go home tonight and see my baby – to hold him in my arms and tell him Mummy had a good day, even though it started off a bit scary.
I hope the ladder didn’t get anyone into an accident. I just checked the traffic on Google maps and it’s still green, so that’s a good sign.
Vintage 2009
A few weeks ago, Kendra, Andy, Bryce and Eridani visited from Milwaukee. It was a perfect opportunity to get all the babies together at Sage and Elise’s. Kendra, Elise and I were pregnant at the same time and had babies within months of each other. Max was born in April, Eridani in May and Damon in June.
Damon, Eridani, Max (L-R).
Elise made the Vintage 2009 onesie at my baby shower and Kendra had the idea to get all the babies outfitted in the same onesies for a photo op. It was a super fun afternoon hanging out with all the kids. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos with the babies, Riley and Bryce.
The rest of the photos from the Vintage 2009 day are here.
Pumpkin Patch
Last Saturday we went to the Pierce College Pumpkin Patch in the valley. It was a really fun afternoon and Max had a fun time looking at the massive orange pumpkins. We walked through a corn maze, something we’ve never done before, but finally found our way out (thank you Los Angeles sun!) I took him on his first merry-go-round ride and we also went on a “hay” ride. There was no hay though! The pictures from the day are here and here.
Here is one of my favorites that I’d added some PhotoShop effects to, for the fun colors of the merry-go-round.
Max will be 6 months in 10 days. It’s amazing how quickly the time has flown by. He’s curious about everything and his hand dexterity is improving. He picks up toys and moves them from hand to hand. If one of his toys is out of reach, he’ll really try and move towards it. He’s also got an opinion – especially when it comes to sleeping. Every night we put him on his back in his crib, but within a few minutes he’ll let out a cry as he moves over onto his tummy. He really does not like sleeping on his back. Before we go to bed, we check on him and flip him over. But by morning, he’s on his tummy again!
Being back at work is hard and fun. Hard because I miss Max terribly, but fun, because I enjoy my work. But it means that when the weekend rolls around, we devote our time to Max, each other and fun things like the Pumpkin Patch.
Baby shower
A few weekends ago, my friends Alix and Lisa threw an amazing baby shower for me at their beautiful home.
Alix cooked all my favorite things (crab cakes, devilled eggs, tea sandwiches amongst other things) and the only thing that was store bought were the red velvet Sprinkles cupcakes. My older sister Elizabeth made quiches and Linzer cookies as well.
Alix and Lisa had a few areas set up where my friends could paint on onesies. Here are the finished pieces with credits!
Everyone had a really amazing time and I feel very fortunate to have friends and family who care deeply for me, Brad and our baby.
We have a new front-runner
Continuing on my quest to find the perfect chocolate croissant, I stopped at Amandine this morning on my way to work. O. M. G. Look at this beauty:
At first glance, this croissant had the same shape as Belwood and Le Pain Quotidien, but it was much larger. Although it was larger, it’s wasn’t heavy. I took my first bite and it was flaky flaky flaky! Super light but buttery, all at the same time. And look at the underside!
The chocolate ran through the center from end to end and had a dark sweet flavor. This by far out ranked all the others I’ve tried so far. I think it might even be unfair to compare it to Starbucks and Le Pain Quotidien. I definitely recomend this bakery! They had a bunch of other pastries and cakes in their display which I’ll have to go back and try – including a slice of orange loaf.
On a mission
Every Friday for the past 4 weeks, I’ve treated myself to a chocolate croissant. The first week was merely a craving and the subsequent weeks just felt like a fun way to start the weekend.
Week one, I stopped at Belwood Bakery in Brentwood. Their chocolate croissant (1 – see below) is the usual rectangular shape and their chocolate ran wide and through the center. It was flaky, the chocolate was delicious and I was very pleased.
Week two, I stopped at Bristol Farms in El Segundo. Their chocolate croissant (2) was on the large side and was a straightened crescent shape. Delicious dark chocolate ran through the center and the top had a glaze and a drizzle of chocolate all over it.
Week three, I encountered a few obstacles. The first 3 places I stopped at had all run out. When I got to work, I decided that I was OK without having one, but then I kept thinking about it… I called 4 places – all sold out! So I tried my luck with Starbucks. Lucky for me the lady I spoke to put one aside and I went to pick it up. The shape was odd – more like a danish (3). A square with two of the four opposite corners folded in. Chocolate ran through the center and I was surprised by the taste. It was light and pleasant.
This morning I went to Le Pain Quotidien. Like the Belwood Bakery, it was the normal rectangular chocolate croissant shape (4). It reminded me of the ones I used to have when I was a kid with thin chocolate peeking out on one side of the croissant. Although flaky and light, I got halfway through and there was no more chocolate! Did they forget to fill it, or is this just normal for them? I was quite disappointed. Although, at the end of my treat, there was a little chocolate on the other side making up for the empty center.
So far, the front runner is Bristol Farms. Belwood, Starbucks and then Le Pain Quotidien in last place. There are a few places I still want to try including Amadine on Wilshire. Anyone know of a good place to get a chocolate croissant?
Very exciting news!
After a year of hanging onto the documents, I finally completed AND mailed my application to become a citizen. It went out today via Certified Mail.
I’m not sure how long the process takes, but I’ve been told I could be a citizen before 2010. Now I have to brush up on my American history. One thing I will never forget is: Who was the first president of the United States? George Washington – he has the same first name as me! EASY!
9 bucks!
That’s how much we won! I’m pretty excited about it because I’ve never won at the Lotto before. We were a day late buying the Mega Millions ticket, but we got a 900% return on the Super Lotto. That’s pretty good in my book. They took the winning ticket from me at the liquor store, so I have no proof except the cash in my hand that I matched 3 numbers! The Mega Millions is currently $12 million and I’ll keep my fingers crossed ’til the drawing tomorrow.
