Suburban Housewife

Saw this on my friend Susan's facebook.  It was perfect for a mid-afternoon laugh. Warning: lot's o' cursing.

Tonight

Double date picnic on the beach with the Dynamic Bagel Duo.

 

                                  

Mr. Teeth

 Seven and counting. Perfect for trying a sour star fruit for the first time.

 

 

     

More on bagels...

One half of the dynamic bagel duo...

Wall 'o bagels...

Bagel boys...

The Everything. My favorite...

Satisfied customer...

Another customer, satisfied because she has a rare moment to read the paper...

Bagel chips - a bagel recycling program...

The potentially wheat intolerant, gnawing on Rice Mum Mums...

The potentially wheat intolerant thinking about the letter that he'll write to the bagel ladies to lobby for gluten-free, egg free, dairy free, soy free, seed free, nut free bagels...

Bagel lady thinking that the parents of the potentially wheat intolerant should just order more Rice Mum Mums.

Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo...

We went to the zoo yesterday morning - with Jean, Marisol and Elli.

Despite the subtropical humidity and Luca's tendency to melt-down, it was a really nice morning.

One of the highlights was the Komodo Dragon exhibit - the largest living species of lizard.

I especially love the lizard vs. dragon talks among the kids.

They got a kick out of feeding the giraffes, too...

We saw lots of other sights - but it was SO humid - my camera was totally wonky and I missed a bunch of shots. There'll be time for more though, as we purchased a year membership for more fun times at the zoo...

Bagels This Morning

 

 

 

Back to School: a pro-filmic event.

After much prodding - Junior posed for the obligatory Back to School pics.
















































Cheeseball that he is - he gave it his best - to a point.



Then, unable to contain himself any longer, he lost all control and ran off towards the dawn of his First. Day. Back.







I'm looking forward to finding out what Preschool: Part Two has in store for us...

Romper Room

Labor Day Weekend

We had a relaxed three-day weekend. Much of it was spent lazing around the house - playing, reading and grazing. We did manage to walk around town for First Friday Art-walk, get the kids to the pool twice, go to Luca's favorite Indian restaurant in Jacksonville, and to check out a new Thai restaurant and spend the evening walking on the beach until sunset tonight. The highlight of the weekend for Luca, though - was hanging out with his friends and seeing the Golden Dragon Chinese Acrobats at the local ampitheater on Saturday night.




We didn't take many pictures - but these people were amazing.




Overall - a great Labor Day weekend.

Get skinky with it.

We found one of these in our living room yesterday.



Debbie discovered it and Luca, lizard-talker that he is, caught it.

He's still in the bug jar, content for now - having had a meal of earthworms and resting on a bed of damp leaves and grass. We'll release him back into the wilds of our back yard tomorrow, but for now - Luca is happy with his latest creature catch.

Work

A few weeks before school started, as talks of being back in the classroom began, something clicked for Luca.



Usually, I'm a major nag when it comes to cleaning up a project/game/toy situation before pulling out another. For a long time, my "requests" have been met with eye-rolls or feigned exhaustion/injury/inability until I threaten him with dire consequences or wind up doing it myself. Suddenly, though - as he would in Ms. Jeannie's classroom at the small Montessori school he attends three days a week - he's begun to take more care in what he does and how he does it - including clean-up. He's also more interested in doing school-like "work" - completely on his own.






And, he's asking to do more of the workbooks and activity sheets that we have all over the house, but rarely crack open. Of course - much of his time is still spent building sofa forts, playing with eighty-seven things at one time, ransacking his brother's room and - overall - acting his age. But - I'm enjoying these new moments and look forward to quietly encouraging more of them.

A Charaders Reunion

Almost fifteen years ago - I met up with a group of women who would become some of my very best friends. We all came together through a mutual friend and - despite life and career changes, growing older, moving away and the plain old passage of time - we are still very much connected a decade and a half later. We started our friendship in Philadelphia, but we now represent several different regions of the country. Regardless of distance, though, these women are - and will always be - close to my heart.



It had been almost four years since we had all been together as a group. And, since some of us are about to start new careers, move cross country or just jump back into a new season and a new routine - we decided that the time was right for a long-overdue get-together. Lucky for me, they agreed to our house as the meeting place.



We call ourselves "The Charaders" because - well, we like to play Charades. I'm not sure who first suggested this tried and true game of pantomime - but, we started playing it back then and we're happily (and hysterically) still playing it today. So much so, in fact, that we jokingly took it on as a group name back in the 1990s.



Both kids LOVED having everyone here. Luca had never had that many doting adult play mates at his disposal. He couldn't believe his luck.



Matteo had a lot of fun, too.



Our time together was spent playing,


































making music,







sharing meals,






and simply hanging around.








It was such a good feeling to be together again after so much time. And, although I don't know the next time we'll be able to come together again - I do know that I want to be playing charades with these women well into the far off future.

Hellos and Goodbyes

WARNING - graphic (defrosted) placenta pics below!


We had a really great trip to Asheville. Deirdre and Jackie's new house is amazing. They are still working on the finishing touches - but, even incomplete, it takes my breath away.




We happily packed a week's worth of activity into just three and a half days because there was so much to see and do.

Luca helped Deirdre harvest veggies for our meals from the garden.






Deirdre and I hiked to Douglas Falls.



Luca and Debbie hit a few smaller waterfalls on the way down the mountain.



We got a lesson in goat milking...




...and baby chick-rearing.



We visited with our good friends Susan and Michael and super-cute Baby Daniel.




And we said hello to new friends.





We also went to say goodbye.

Just over a year ago, we found out that one of the two babies I was carrying was sick with Myelomeningocele (the most severe form of spina bifida), a Chiari Malformation (resulting in a "banana" shaped skull), hydrocephalus, an extreme case of club feet, an irregular heart beat and some other issues that I can't even recall. It was very clear that this baby had little to no chance of survival and - in the off-chance that she did make it to delivery - she would have had a painful, surgery-filled, very short life. Not to mention the fact that her twin brother (Matteo) was at risk and that a very premature labor was likely. Debbie and I made the very difficult, but obvious decision to terminate. (There's a sub-story here where - infuriatingly - no one in the state of Florida would perform the procedure because, despite the fact that extreme complications were certain and imminent ((but because no one was dying just yet)), they wanted us to wait. I was already twenty-one weeks pregnant at this point and to wait was not only dangerous, but also close to being illegal. Ahh - the Sunshine State! We had to find a fetal geneticist/surgeon ourselves A.S.A.P. We were lucky to get in touch with one of the best and flew ourselves to New York, two days after the news, to let her go.)

So, one year later - to the day - we buried their fused placentas and her ashes on Deirdre and Jackie's land.





















POST SCRIPT: We only told Luca what we felt he could handle, so he was only partially informed - knowing simply that we were burying Matteo's placenta - a symbol of the Tree of Life - to give thanks for his healthy baby brother.

Tonight

We went to one of our favorite, down and dirty, north Florida restaurants tonight.



I decided to give Matteo a chance to boost his immune system by sitting him up to the (very seasoned) table.



Fried pickles and an all-out seafood boil were presented.





Interesting signage and large, semi-aquatic carnivorous reptiles were also on hand.














Luca wasn't concerned with the scenery - but he sure liked the crustaceans.



We ate our fill and headed on out to our next adventure.



Ida's dad owns about ten acres of land somewhere between the restaurant and our house, so we decided to stop by to say hi to the horses.



This is Sally. She's as gentle as gentle can be.



Ida's dad helped Luca give Sally a snack.














Horse and boy bonded.



Matteo was there, too. But, he just watched from the comfort of Lori's hip.



Then, Ida took Luca on a walk to survey the land...



...and to check in on Largo the horse and T-Bone the bull - who weren't feeling very social tonight.



By the end of the visit, Luca was spent - and needed a little help getting back to the car...



...and was asleep before he was even buckled in.

Ashes in Asheville

We've been super busy this summer - visiting and being visited. We just got back from Philly this past weekend and will be embarking on a road trip to Asheville, NC tomorrow afternoon. The season is flying by and - for once - I am actually glad that it's so excruciatingly hot here because it means that summer will last beyond the start of school and everything else that September brings. We've only been on the local beaches a handful of times - so we have a lot of catching up to do once the visits slow down.

In the meantime - I'm doing the last load of laundry and starting the packing process way too late at night - even for me. I've been looking forward to this trip for months and I am so glad that the time for it has finally arrived.

We'll be visiting with Deirdre and Jackie (and Deco, too) at their new place in Weaverville, NC - just outside of Asheville. Their house had been in the planning and building stages for what seemed like forever. The house was finally done (enough) for them to move in by this past winter. We were lucky enough to be able to watch the progress here. And - now that the house is complete, the garden is in bloom and the neighborhood goats are ready for milking - we'll be on our way by tomorrow afternoon.

We're also going to get a chance to visit my friend Susan and her son Daniel. Daniel is already over a year old and we've only seen him in photos and on video. He is the spitting image of his mother and has the best head of hair I have ever seen on a youngster. I can't wait to eat him whole, I mean - meet him in person. Photos to follow.

The other reason for going - besides seeing and spending time with good friends - is to get some closure on the loss of Matteo's twin sister. The plan is to bury her ashes and their fused placentas, along with some mementos from earlier in the pregnancy. We're going to put her beside an old oak tree on Deirdre and Jackie's land - in a spot where they'll eventually plant a fruit grove. We know that D and J will have this land for the rest of their lives and - because we plan on knowing them and visiting them for the rest of ours - it seemed the perfect choice for her final resting place. That plus Deirdre and Jackie - like several other very good friends - were there for us in ways we never thought possible during that time, so it's fitting that they would become her guardians of sorts.

I've been having lots of mixed emotions over the past few days - reviewing this last year and thinking about all that's come to pass. On Thursday - the day of the burial - exactly one year will have passed from the day of the termination. When I look at Matteo - seven months olds now - crawling, laughing, babbling and pulling up (and I am pretty sure he said "hi" tonight), it's hard to imagine that we ever had serious doubts about getting to this point. A healthy, happy baby growing and thriving - despite the doomsday warnings of ultra-conservative high risk docs and months of worry that the nightmare might get worse.

But - it didn't. And - even dealing with the discovery of her condition and the difficult realization and loss that followed - we are amazed that everything worked out the way it did. We were surrounded by so much love and support during one of the hardest times in our lives. And, we're extremely grateful for the friends and family that walked beside us at that time. So - on Thursday - we'll honor her and we'll honor them. And we'll give thanks for the beautiful baby that we have today.

Should be quite a visit.

A First - the E.R.

We had our first ER experience with Luca. It turned out to be fine, but it was scary while it lasted. We were at the Splash Park when he slipped and fell onto the hard ground - using his head at the contact point. Surrounding moms said they heard the crack. When I got to him, he was still on the ground, crying - but it didn't take long to comfort him and for him to want to get back out there to play and splash around. The impact made him a little unsteady, though - and, about a minute after he started playing again, down he went. This time I kept him with me and noticed that - despite the hard hit - he didn't develop a bump. One the other moms suggested I call the pediatrician because she had heard that a bump on the inside, as opposed to the outside, could be dangerous. So, I called and was told to rush him over to the ER right away. I hadn't expected that kind of response - so it took a bit before panic set in. KT was also there with Grace and Sophia and - great friend that she is - she sent Grace home with another mom and she and baby Sophia accompanied me and the boys to the hospital. On the way there, Luca seemed fine, but - just as I was about to get him out of the car, he started to nod out. I kept my panic at bay, but I that made me nervous. Having just come from the splash park and having rushed to get Luca into dry clothes - my own clothes were completely wet and I look bedraggled as I half carried, half walked him into the ER while KT pushed Matteo in the stroller AND carried a half-naked (just from the splash park) Sophia in her arms. We must have been a sight.

Despite the fact that I consistently diss our small, local hospital because of past experiences there (mine and other people's) - their new pediatric ER situation is really pretty good. They were fast and efficient and - besides the underlying pompous attitude of one male doctor - everyone was really nice. Luca took it all in stride, answered their questions and allowed himself to be poked and prodded. His main concern was the scrape on his knee that he sustained during the first fall. He mentioned it several times, but the doctor and the PA didn't hear him. Finally, the nurse taking his vitals heard him talking about it and once he hooked him up with a band-aid, Luca pretty much felt like his visit was complete.

As for his vitals and his responses to the poking and prodding - everything seemed fine. He hadn't blacked out, he was cognitive right after the fall and during the ER visit, he hadn't fallen asleep or puked, etc, etc. They said that we could give him a cat scan - but it increased the risk of cancer to one in three hundred and there's also - apparently - new findings that show that cat scans in kids causes eye damage of some sort. So - the risks of the scan outweighed their (non) concern over the fall. We left with the directive to keep a close eye on him, to sleep with him that night and to wake him every two hours to make sure he was okay.

The experience was as good as it could have been. I was really grateful that KT had come for company and support, I was happy that they got us in right away and - of course - most of all I was extremely relieved that Luca was okay. My mind has a way of running away with itself when it comes to the kids and harm's way. I thought of a million things that night and it took a few days for me to not feel like I needed to push an overwhelming feeling of doom away at any given moment. I managed to move through all of that and get to the other side of it - so grateful that my children are safe and healthy and I have them with me today.

Playing with Photo Booth

Once Again

Once again I feel like its been too long since the last post. It's been a busy summer so far. School ended, the Bursteins came to visit, we went to Sanibel Island for a week's getaway, Jean and Annika came to visit, we went away again - and we've had lots of adventures here on the home front in between all of the visiting. And there are more visits and more adventures to come before summer's end.



Matteo hit the six month mark on July 9th. I can't believe he's been here for that long already. Luca continues to be (mostly) gentle with his brother and always loving. And - now that Matteo is sitting up and playing on his own, we've reached that miraculous milestone where we can leave them both to do their thing together while we get some chores done, get in some quick computer time or take an extended potty break. Matteo LOVES his brother beyond compare and loves playing alongside him. His whole face lights up when Luca enters the room. Even just the sound of his Luca's voice excites him and he'll completely contort his body to catch a glimpse of his big brother.



As I type, I have just (finally) gotten Matteo down to nap. Luca is in a morning camp this week and next - so Matteo and I are free to run errands, visit with Lori at her bagel shop or hang out at home on our own for a few hours. I've been trying to use some of the time to get Matteo used to napping in his crib. He's still in the co-sleeper at night, but the plan is to get him into his own room this weekend. We had a very hard time doing that with Luca (read: we never did and he wound up in our bed until he turned three) but we are relatively motivated to get Segundo into his own room. My father bought us a baby audio/video monitor when I was pregnant - and one of Debbie's chores this weekend is to break it out and set it up. Matteo is a pretty good sleeper once he's down for the night - getting up usually only once in the dark of night and then once in the early morning before going back to sleep for another hour or two. He also, unlike Luca, seems to sleep better on his own as opposed to next to a warm body. So - we're hopeful that the crib thing will work out. Honestly, I think we'll have a harder time adjusting to it than he will. It feels like his room is SO far away from us. And, I also worry about the boys waking each other because their rooms are right next to each other, separated only by a thin wall. I'm sure, though, we'll all get used to it in time. I just wish we could get there without all of the worry and the work.

Heard around...

"Can you rub my butt? Because it's sad."

"Who keeps tooting all day?"

"Why do I have to close my mouth when I chew? The food won't fall out, Silly!"

Blueberry Fest

We recently went to a small-town Blueberry Festival with Grace and her family.



It was hot.



And someone had "the crankies".




But the breakfast was really good...





The kids enjoyed the activities...





And we left with five pounds of fresh blueberries (not shown here) to start the season off right.