Dinner at Uma & Jador's

Today we went to Phantom Farms with Uma & Jador, then over to their house for dinner. Shara had fun on the slide, with help from Uma & Daddy. She looked so happy sliding down. She just has to learn how to stay sitting up. She kept laying back, which doesn't work on a slide, especially the wavy kind like this one was.

We got some apples and went back to the house and took a walk around the neighborhood with Auntie Chris & Uma. Before dinner, Thea put out hummus, carrots, celery, and pita chips. She found some Ritz crackers for Shara and we made a plate of 4 crackers topped with hummus. She ate them on Auntie Chris' lap and asked for more. We put more out on the tray and gave her a few more on her plate. She finished those
and walked over to the platter and helped herself to more. We tried to teach her not to double-dip, but that will hopefully come in time. Dinner went very well. She really liked the chicken cutlet and pasta. Mostly the pasta. Apparently she has a new favorite - Boston Cream Pie. Her eyes lit up when she got a taste of the chocolate icing. It was a very nice day. We got her dressed in jammies for the ride home and was able to pop her in bed without any problem. She did wake up when I got her in her room but I just said, "we're home" and she got right into bed.

Katie's Birthday Party

Last week Shara spent almost all her time in Toddlerland and loved every minute of it. Her attitude at home was great. I think she's been so happy with the older kids and she's feeling more her age and excited about the new things she's learning and experiencing. She's been having most of the school lunches and must like them because she eats at least 2 servings a day.

Today we went to Katie Slater's for her two year old birthday party. It was so cute seeing her and Shara playing together. They're the same height and temperment and they got along very well. Shara followed Katie around the house and Katie looked to Shara as well. Shara also had a good time crawling up the stairs to look for Buddy, making kissy noises all the way up. She also liked that we had her booster seat for her to sit in. The funniest thing was when Katie was opening her presents Abigale sat in Shara's seat. She then got up and Shara took the seat away from her. Abigale's dad said don't worry, she's just a baby and Abigale said, "she's not a baby! Stop saying that." And she was right. Shara knew exactly what she was doing. It was a very nice day.

So funny - where's baby?

Last night we had Shara's baby sleep with her. She's so funny with this baby. She burps her and makes the pretend burping sound (don't know where she got that from :-)) and last night a real burb escaped - sounded just like daddy. This morning when I got her up, she shared her juice with the baby and tonight she took the baby into the bathroom for tooth brushing. Before we got to brush the teeth, Shara had a good time sitting on her potty with baby. I let her brush her teeth while sitting on the potty - fully clothed, potty has never been used - and daddy started getting grossed out so he took baby and Shara did her normal brushing at the sink. We finished brushing and I asked Shara where the baby was. We looked in the tub, in the potty; which is where it could have been since the first thing Shara did when we got into the bathroom was put up the lid and put the baby inside, everywhere, but no baby. Shara started saying, "ohhh, ohhh", and we walked into the kitchen to ask daddy for help. We finally found the baby and everything was fine.

At supper tonight Shara was having a tough time with her chili. It was a little spicy (even daddy thought so), but she liked the flavor. What she didn't like was the way the spicyness made her cough, so I gave her some o's to eat with the chili. I had also tamed it considerably by adding a big scoop of sour cream. At one point, we were just talking and Shara started fake coughing and the o shot out of her mouth. I started to make big eyes at Alan and he said now would not be a good time to laugh. Shara must have heard him because she started laughing so hard that it got all of us going and we were all crying over it. I guess you had to be there, but it was quite funny, for the first few minutes and then it got a little tired for the adults, but the toddler would have laughed all night if we hadn't calmed things down. She's so funny!

She spent another afternoon in toddlerland, as her teacher likes to call it. She had a good 2 hour nap and ate the school lunch and had a great time. I don't think she'll have much of a problem staying there full-time. Donna's going to miss her though.

Last weekend we took a trip into Cambridge to visit the server and had lunch at Red Bones. We really liked the bbq hash and french fries. After we went to see the server and the people who host it have a 20 month old girl and the two kids had a chance to play for a few minutes. They had a good time and Alex, the dad, had a great time trying out his silly faces and airplane ride on Shara. She liked seeing their Elmo toys and playing with the blocks. Then it was off to Trader Joe's where dad got to walk around with Shara while I shopped. It was really good to have a chance to see some of the foods they carry, since I often don't get a chance to browse. Then back homeward for dinner & sleep! Sunday was uneventfull except for a trip to the toy store where Shara had a great time playing with a toy grand piano and looking at the lifesize yellow and chocolate labs. Auntie Chris came for a visit and took some Shara pictures. Can't wait to see if they came out.

Visit to Bubbe's

We had a really nice couple of days visiting with Bubbe for Yom Kippur. We had tzimmis and bagels, and even tried and liked herring! Shara had fun playing in the toddler room at the synagogue and then back at Bubbe's with Aunt Jill and her cousins Liz & Sam. For break the fast, Shara loved the kugel, which was made with Somersweet, not sugar. It was the best Bubbe ever made. For dessert she tried the honeycake and of course liked it. What took me by surprise was the halava. I broke off a couple little pieces, but she grabbed the big piece and shoved it in her mouth, it took me completely by surprise. She gagged a little, because it's so thick, like peanutbutter, but wanted more!

We went to Lakeside Farm before going to Vincy's for a very short visit with Grandpa. Bubbe said that this was the fourth generation to go to Lakeside. We got some good produce including some apples and also a couple of cider doughnuts. I got a plain one for Shara and a couple sugar for Alan and me. Shara was hungry when we left Lakeside, so Alan gave her some doughnut. She ate the whole thing! She was sleeping by the time we got to Vincy's, so Grandpa could only give a peek. We should have woken her up because less than 1/2 hour later, she was awake, and for the whole trip too.

On Saturday, most of Alan's day was spent drying our first floor. It got flooded and we even had a river running alongside our yard. It was very pretty, but we were lucky there wasn't any serious damage and that we were home when this happened and that we saw the flooding early in the day. As soon as the river started flowing, it diverted water from the house, so the water never came in after that. Alan's parents brought over a dehumidifier and came back in the evening so we could go to Serenity, wonderful!, and out to eat. We ate at Cafe Benne, which we hadn't been to in quite a while. They changed their menu and it was much more interesting than it used to be. The food was just as good, so we'll be sure to go back a lot sooner this time.

As I felt after the last vacation, it was wonderful to be able to spend so much time with Shara. I do feel she makes big leaps in her vocabulary and abilities after we spend the week with her, but if I were to be at home with her all the time, I'd be spending a lot of time doing housework, etc., Alan wouldn't be playing with her while I was busy and vice-versa, so she wouldn't have the full attention we were able to give her on vacation. I'm looking forward to getting back on schedule with work and the routine, but know tomorrow morning's going to be rough.

Pictures from Cape Cod

Pictures from Cape Cod - 10/07/2005 - 10/11/2005

Homeward Bound

A typical morning - we wait for Shara to get up after a good night's sleep, have juice, nurse, get dressed, and then we head out to the Hearth and Kettle for breakfast. Shara started a little restless - translation; throwing things and being generally crabby. We finally ordered; Alan needed to take care of something at work and didn't have a good phone connection in the restaurant. The waitress didn't seem put-off by Shara's spiritedness. She said she had a 12 month old grandchild and that Shara was so cute! Well as soon as the food came, Shara was great. She ate almost all of her cheese omelette and had some of mom's raspberry french toast, which was soooo good, and some home fries, that must have been sauteed in bacon drippings, and a few bites of strawberry, brought from the room.

After breakfast, we went next door to the chocolate/gift store and Shara was wonderful. She held my hand, as she's been doing in public, and didn't really touch anything. We had a nice after breakfast poopy, so exited a little early and did another van-change.

We went back to the room and Shara and I went right to the beach. Alan joined us after stopping up to the room. Shara loves the beach and walking after the seagulls. She gets so excited and says, "shush shush" with the waves. She's also saying, "mom mom" all the time. That's become her new favorite word.

The trip home was uneventful. It's really a short ride - about an hour, 15 minutes. We didn't go straight home but stopped at the South Shore Plaza for Alan to get a hair cut. We had a bit of a mess in the food court; Shara leaked a little and wouldn't sit down to eat her pizza, so it wasn't the neatest dining experience. She also wasn't too hungry. She made up for the little lunch of a 1/2 banana, a bunch of "snack" and a few bites of pizza with dinner - a good amount of beef lo mein and chicken and broccoli.

She's really so cute and sweet. Aside from the new biting she's been doing when we nurse, which I had to stop, say no more nursing, put her down, watch her cry, etc. for several minutes until we gave her another chance, she's been great. It's been wonderful to be able to have a full week together. I'm really looking forward to going to Bubbe's for Yom Kippur and want to take Shara apple-picking on Friday and to try a cider doughnut. Don't know if we'll go to Lakeside Farms or Riverside Orchard. Have to consult Aunt Jill and Bubbe, which we'll be able to do today!

Zooquarium

We started the morning with breakfast in the room and Shara's first shower. It wasn't too pleasant for her but it did get her clean. Alan and I tag-teamed and got the job done rather quickly. After we all got showered and dressed, we headed out to Zooquarium. Shara had a good time watching the sea lion show and wanted more of the animals: goats, chickens, lambs, etc. even though it was raining and cold outside. Well, mom mom and dad didn't want to go swimming anymore and it was close to noon, so we headed out, did a quick diaper change and got on the road to the Pancake Man. Before we got out of the parking lot Shara was asleep. Rather than go back toward home, Alan & I decided to go somewhere to park the car, let Shara nap and listen to our audiobook. That's where we are now, thanks to Alan's new Treo 650! We're at the Hyannis Harbor and close to a lot of good family restaurants for when Shara wakes.

We started driving back toward the Zooquarium, in search of somewhere to have lunch. The right place jumped out at us - a family, and obviously popular restaurant called "Captain Parker's Pub". It was one of the only ones with a crowded parking lot at 1 pm on Columbus Day. It was a great choice. They seated us after only a 2 minute wait and had the high chair already in place. Shara had the hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and carrots. So much better than the one she had yesterday in P'town. These were real potatoes and home roasted turkey & gravy. Supplemented with the broccoli we brought, it was a very well received meal. I think she ate more than the college kid at the table next to us. I had fried clam strips and Alan had a reuben. It seemed to make more sense at times to get Shara a full meal, rather than a kids meal, since it was only a few dollars more and it came with so much more. We had the refrigerator in the room, so we could use the leftovers.

After lunch we went back to the Zooquarium. We took a look at the outside animals in a much more relaxed way than before, since the rain stopped. As we headed in, the music was going near the sea lion show. Shara started getting excited and wanted to go and see. How many people can say they saw 2 sea lion shows in one day? Well we can! This time we sat closer to the front and she took a little while to relax. Once she did, she had a great time.

We went back to the room and played for a bit, had supper and went to sleep a little earlier. Again, mom and dad had a glass of wine on the deck. We really lucked out with the weather at night. If it would have been raining, I suppose we could have sat out in the hallway, but this was much nicer!

Great Walk

Our third day on the Cape went very well. We started with a leisurely breakfast in the room and headed out to the Zooquarium. Shara fell asleep before we got there so we decided to go to Provincetown instead. The weather continued to be unperdictable, so we had our coats, umbrellas and other assorted things.

We got there at about 11:30 and looked for a place to eat. I had remembered Jill going to the "Post office", so we stopped there. It wasn't a place for kids, no highchairs, so we strolled up the road while waiting for the Mayflower Diner to open. Shara had a great time looking at all the dogs!

We ate in the diner and it worked out fine. Nothing too special, but Shara filled up on mashed potatoes and french fries. We then had to make a trip back to the car to change a diaper and then we were off to fing the Pilgrim's Monument. It turned out to be prett easy: we just looked up. I was wearing Shara in the Bjiorn and the trek up the hill to get there seemed enough for me, especially since it was cold and wet. We did dry off and get back to normal temperature looking at one of the exhibits. We then decided to look at the history exhibit after the walk up, so we were off to the monument. I had to move Shara's feet to either side of my legs as we walked up stairs, but once we hit the ramps it was much better. We all had a good time and Shara enjoyed the open windows with the strong wind coming through. Maybe she'll be a downhill racer? The way down was full of stops to look over the edge. Every few ramps Shara kept telling us "more". We started walking through the exhibit when Shara had another poopy. We checked out the restrooms but again, no changing station, so we headed back to the car. I was really annoyed and wanted to change her right on the floor of the gift shop, but knew better and didn't. It wasn't the clerks fault there was no place to change a baby. The bathrooms weren't handicap accessible either.

We got back to the car and sooper-trooper Shara had another cold diaper change in the back of the van. We were going to go back into town and walk around some more, but Shara was clearly done and opted for going back to the room. We did so and had a casual dinner standing around the kitchenette while Shara sat in her high chair. After dinner we took a ride to Wood's Hole and had dessert at Pie in the Sky bakery. It reminded me of some of the grungier health food cafes in Albany, with a big, smelly, but really nice, man behind the counter. Shara had her first taste of a chocolate croissant and I had a wonder bar, which is a magic cookie bar.

Sleep time wasn't anything special, though the way Shara has been sleeping is certainly special. She's great. Goes to bed without any trouble and sleeps through the night. As long as we give her enough time to wake up in the morning, she's fine. I can just imagine what she's going to be like as a teenager. Probably just like most other teenage girls...

First Full Day

Today we had planned on going to the Children's Museum, since we knew it was going to rain. It was cute. The kids there were generally older than Shara but she held her own and found her place to play. They had one big room and several small rooms off the main. It looked like it used to be a church. The center room had a big ship and Alan went inside with her to play with the foam blocks. The other room Shara liked was the kitchen. She had fun opening the cabinets and putting the food away. The older kids were in heavy pretend mode. The other room she loved was the unfinished music room. There was an organ there, like a casio, and she played and played. We then went and looked at starfish and play in the American Indian house and watch the balls roll down shoots. The only time Shara wasn't having a good time was when mommy wouldn't let her walk around with "snack".

After the museum, we came back to the room for lunch and then headed out to the mall. I was waiting in the food court with Shara while Alan went to the bathroom and we watched the carosel go roun. Shara said she wanted to go on, so when Alan came back, I took her on. She started crying when I put her on a horse, so we joied another girl and her "friend" in the chariot. Shara loved it! When we got off, she kept saying more, so we stayed an watched the next go-around.

For dinner, we went to Sam Diego's, what one would think a perfect spot for a toddler. Shara likes Mexican and there were lots of people, yet this was our worst dining experience with her ever! I ordered her a soft beef taco, which she started eating fine. I checked and it wasn't too hot either temp or spicy. She was doing a strange caughing thing, but wasn't choking. I gave her a little of my refried beans and you'd think I'd have given her glass. She screamed, wouldn't have water and wouldn't stop screaming until I told her she had to have a drink of water. Obviously we lwft as quickly as possible, but she was fine after a drink. Alan finished what he wanted while I took her to calm dow

Our Room

We arrived at Seaside Village today at around 2 PM, after lunch at Dave's Diner. The place is really nice. It is small, but right across from the water and has a "private" balcony, which is where we hide out while Shara is going to sleep. It is a one room studio, so it's like a hotel room. We have the best view, since it's on the 3rd floor. We took a walk on the beach and then went into town to check out the village of Falmouth. We had good subs at a pizza shop and some ice cream at Bill & Dave's Chocolate Emporeum.

Bedtime went very well. Shara was happy to go to sleep in her "crib" and Alan & I had a glass of wine on the deck while she fell asleep. We then quietly read Harry Potter until we were ready to go to sleep.

Busy Busy

We've been so busy with family visits and enjoying the Fall that I haven't stopped to write any of it down. I'm going to try and remember all that's happened in the past 2 weeks. Shara's doing great. She had a couple bad days, and I'm not sure if it was because of the upheval at school, with Miss. Nancy leaving, or just a general frustration. She went through one of the complaining about everything phases, which mommy just loves! But it only lasted a couple of days and we were back to our usual happy selves.

She's had a great time visiting with her Grandpa Bobby, Aunts Jill & Susan, and cousins Samantha, Liz & Bella, last weekend. They came for lunch and we just hung out for the afternoon. We went for a walk, played outside, and talked. Mostly we watched Shara and all the fun tricks she can do, like getting a dirty sock and putting it in the laundry bag. You know, the things in life that really matter.

The next day we went to Uma & Jador's for daddy's birthday party. Like the day before, we didn't have a nap because we spent the morning at the NRT Harvest Festival. That was so much fun. There were ponys which we got to pet, and pulled pork sandwiches we got to eat and music and lots of kids running around. It was so much fun that Shara fell asleep in the stroller before we even left the place! I put her into her carseat and she slept until home, then screamed when I tried to put her in her crib to finish her nap. That may have been because she was soaked through, but even after a diaper change, she wasn't having any of it.

So we went to Uma & Jador's and had the good luck of seeing Aunt Margaret as well. She was so sweet and got such a kick out of Shara. We also visited with Auntie Chris, who gave us some great pictures of, who else? Shara! Dinner wasn't very relaxing. Shara was too tired to really eat the great meal Uma prepared, but did manage to have a few bites of chocolate, cherry cake.

All this lack of napping over the weekend was made up at school. She slept a lot and proved that she really does love Uma's cooking. She ate so much of the Sauerbraten. She's a real carnivore, for sure. She's been doing very well at school. As soon as they get another teacher for the toddler room, they'll start moving her up. I expect by the time we get back from vacation, they'll be ready. She's more than ready. I think she needs some new toys to play with, but she really loves Donna. I can see that she'll be ok though. She stopped crying when I leave and now gives me a nice kiss bye bye, and she hasn't had any problems with the new teachers, at least that I can see.

So we're on our way to the Cape today, as soon as we get all packed. I'm sure we'll have a lot to blog about that! We're only going for four days, so it's a quick trip. We come home Tuesday and then we're off again to Bubbe's for Yom Kippur. That should be a lot of fun too. We'll be able to have a nice, relaxing visit, since we're not going tbe going for just the day, as we've tried to do before.

Well, I'm off to print the packing list and itinerary!