This summer has been very busy. I don't have a lot of time to write much, but here are a few pictures:
Charissa before her baby dedication ceremony:
Is my tan even?
I'm too sexy for the kiddie pool:
So happy!
And this is one is for Auntie Jillian! Congratulations!
I have yet to get a (good) picture of Calvin and Charissa together. Charissa (now 7 months) weighs 5 pounds less than Calvin (90th percentile baby!) so I think she's a little too heavy for him to handle.
Charissa is sitting up on her own now. She has two little teeth on the bottom, and she looooves to eat. I actually have to control her portions because I don't think she knows when to stop.
Calvin's favorite things to say now are "I throw!" (as he chucks something off the table or balcony) and "It's a bug! Ick!" I've been purposely trapping carpenter ants for him in a glass jar and telling him that bugs are cool... (Got to have someone around to catch those creepy crawlers when Jeremy is not home!) Whenever we get ready to go out, he always gets my shoes for me. Hehe. It's really cute.
Charissa is now 5 months and Calvin is now 2 years old. Time goes by so quickly it's scary. I was looking through all my photos the other day and thought I'd share a few:
Calvin at 5 months:
Charissa at 5 months:
Another Calvin at 5 months:
Another Charissa at 5 months:
My lovies:
For Calvin's second birthday, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's and Red Robin. Our fellowship friends managed to collect over 1500 tickets to win Calvin a bubble blower gun. Yay for skee ball! We then went over to Moses's place for some Cold Stone ice cream cake!
Calvin can say a total of 11 words (ball, mama, down, bath, watch, ouch, wow, whee!, bao4 bao4, hi, bye). We're getting him a speech therapist to help him pick up English a bit faster (he has his own language, which no one else understands). Other than that, he loves jumping off chairs, entertaining Charissa by pretending to fall over, wrestling with Jeremy, playing chase, coloring our house with sidewalk chalk, etc. There is no question that he's a boy. He's even beginning to have that little boy "smell".
Charissa is just beginning to flip from her tummy to her back. She can scream bloody murder and laugh up a storm. Here's a clip of her and Mr. Gorilla:
As for Jeremy and I, we are taking it a day at a time - doing our best to enjoy all the good moments as well as the "inconvenient" ones (Calvin taking off his diaper and peeing on the floor... Calvin dragging a poopy diaper around the house and leaving a nice brown trail... Calvin trying to wrestle Charissa...) Having two pre-school kids is such a challenge. I thought I was sleep deprived after Calvin... and didn't think it could get any worse :) Haha. But God never gives us more than we can handle :) People often ask me when the third one is coming (do we really look like we want to suffer more?) :) I always hesitate because in my heart, the answer is yes, but in my head, I remember telling myself after Charissa was born to remind myself later not to put myself through that again :) But I guess God has His way of conveniently helping us forget those really tough nights and concentrate on the bundles of joy.
We'll be heading off to another wedding this weekend - without the kids! We are so lucky to have my family around to babysit them when we need a break!
Katz's Deli 205 East Houston Street New York, NY 10003
They have the best pastrami in the country. So good!
Per Se 10 Columbus Circle New York, NY 10019
So after 3 weeks of trying in December to get a reservation (you have to book 2 months in advance and call right when the reservation office opens using the official U.S. time clock... and even then, it took us almost a month and about 20 minutes on hold), we finally got a spot. Before heading out:
We both chose the prix fixe chef's tasting menu. We didn't take pictures of every course and for the ones we did, they're quite fuzzy (the dining room was dimly lit and flash photography wasn't allowed.)
Amuse: a salmon tartare and crème fraîche "ice cream cone" - this was just one bite, but it was so good... the perfect balance of texture - the crunchy cone alongside the satiny tartare, and flavor - saltiness, acidity, and sweetness.
"Oysters and Pearls" Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Island Greek Oysters and Sterling White Sturgeon Caviar
Terrine of Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras Washington State Rhubarb, Celery Branch, Sicilian Pistachios, Celery Leaves and Riesling Gelee with Toasted Brioche
Mascarpone-Enriched Anson Mills' White Polenta Black Winter Truffles, Parmigiano Reggiano and "Jus de Poule" (The "black stuff" is an extremely generous layer of shaved black truffles... you can barely see the polenta underneath)
Another amuse: egg custard with truffle oil in a hollowed-out egg shell
Crispy Skin Fillet of Barramundi Globe Artichokes, Nicoise Olive "Rounds", Fennel Bulb and Confit of Peppers with Arugula Pudding
Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster Ravioli de Ris de Veau (veal sweetbreads), Celery Root Puree, Caramelized Cipollini Onion and Black Winter Truffle Emulsion (We were so excited and started eating until we remembered we forgot to take a picture)
Sirloin of Hallow Farm's Rabbit Wrapped in Applewood Smoked Bacon Garnet Yams, Herb Roasted Salsify, Brussels Sprouts and Maple-Infused Rabbit "Jus"
"Winnemere" White Wine Poached Apple "Parisienne," Candied Walnut "Crumble," Young Mache and Mulled Wine Reduction
Guava Sorbet Creme de Yaourt Frais, Black Licorice "Dust" and Pomegranate "Nuage"
"Aztec" Valrhona Chocolate Brownie, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Cinnamon Sugar "Churros," Kona "Soil" and Espresso Ice Cream
"Coffee and donuts" - this was one of Jeremy's favorite courses. The "coffee" was actually a cappucino frozen custard, topped with a whipped cream foam. And the donut... this was the best donut we'd ever had. Freshly fried, with a thin layer of sugar... this combination of savory and sweet was utterly satisfying at the end.
The next day, we took Amy out to lunch at Eleven Madison Park for her birthday:
Eleven Madison Park 11 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10010
Foie Gras "En Torchon" Venezuelan Cocoa and Quince Gelee
Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes Endive and Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Big Eye Tuna Pickled Asian Pear and Celery
Organic Egg Frittata, Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Gruyere
Poached Four Story Hill Poularde Potato Mousseline, Parsnip and Black Truffles (the best piece of chicken breast we've ever tasted)
Slow Cooked Scottish Salmon Horseradish Crust, Kohlrabi and Riesling Sauce
Sheep's Milk Cheesecake Pineapple, Kaffir Lime and Kili Pepper Shortbread
"Fromages Naturels" Selection of Four Farmstead Cheeses with Condiments
As the first month of craziness is starting to calm down, I finally have some time to Xanga stalk and update my own! But first, in reply to a couple common questions:
Birth Story! Not very exciting really since we had a scheduled induction. We calmly drove to the hospital at 5 in the morning, signed in, and got settled in the delivery room. I was given pitocin and instructed not to eat or drink anything. (I wasn't allowed to have anything since midnight, and I was hungry - so I secretly had a lollipop.) About 3 hours into labor (at 4 cm), I requested an epidural. I was all ready to feel close to nothing and quite happy that, at least this time, the effects would kick in in time ... but as God would have it, only my right leg was numb. I was still in a lot of pain to say the least. A different anesthesiologist came in and gave me what he called the "secret sauce". About 2 hours after (5 hours total), little Charissa was plopped on my tummy and Jeremy cut her umbilical cord. I requested percocet right away, but since I took it on an empty stomach, my blood pressure dropped to almost nothing and I kept on vomiting. Fun stuff! Anyway...
Was this time easier? Uh, no . Labor is labor . I was actually more scared this time around knowing how bad it really is (without medication that is). Those hospital training videos don't do the real thing justice .
Would you do anything different next time? Next time?! Ha, if there is a next time . (Raising two kids puts you on a whole different level of sleep deprivation and insanity... at least in the beginning . But they are so worth it!) Anyway, I think I would let the baby come on his own time. Induction was convenient but then you feel every little poke and prod. At least with the baby coming on his own, you're too busy managing the pain to feel all the needles and instruments .
Enough text . Here are some pictures:
Celebrating Charissa's one month with a cake from Cold Stone Creamery:
I took Charissa to church in this outfit and there were still people who thought she was a boy...
... but as God would have it, only my right leg was numb. I was still in a lot of pain to say the least. A different anesthesiologist came in and gave me what he called the "secret sauce". About 2 hours after (5 hours total), little Charissa was plopped on my tummy and Jeremy cut her umbilical cord. I requested percocet right away, but since I took it on an empty stomach, my blood pressure dropped to almost nothing and I kept on vomiting. Fun stuff! Anyway...
