Pick Your Best Friend

You know how they tell you that when you get married, you want to marry your best friend?  They say you should choose that special person whom you can talk with and be yourself with. The person that you would want to be with over everyone else.  The one who really gets you.

Well, that’s who I picked those three years ago when I said my  I do’s.  But sometimes I forget that that he’s my best friend. We get busy working and cleaning the house and watching the baby.  Our down time is usually spent trying to unwind from a long day while juggling the needs of our seven month old.  Quiet time is limited and is usually only found during dinner and for the hour or two that is left before bed.

Over the past several days, however, I had a chance to remember why it is so important to be with your best friend.  My sweet husband took the week off from work so that he could get things done around the house.  And since I work from home, this means that we have been, quite literally, side by side for an entire week.

As most of you know, spending a lot of time together can either make or break a relationship.  It’s often easy to get along and have fun when you’re together for one night or for a short trip.  But together 24/7 for an entire week?  That can be seen by some as a test.

I’m happy to say that it’s a test we passed with flying colors.  When we were home, the CPA played with Henry while I worked.  And when we weren’t at home, we ate at restaurants  and we visited the DC Zoo and we went to museums and we talked and then we talked some more.  We cuddled in bed on Sunday while the baby was asleep and we took time to just enjoy each other’s company.  We did all the things that we used to do before Henry was here but this time they were even better because he IS here.

Somewhere in the middle of all this time together, it occured to me that the reason we can do these things is because we are friends, best friends.  I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not when I’m with him.  I can go without makeup and even walk around naked (post-baby body and everything) and he still loves me.  I can get in my weird moods where I laugh at the silliest things or I can even get grumpy and feel like ignoring the world (this happens rarely, thankfully).

And through it all, he gets me.  He loves me, he wants to be with me, and he understands me.  It makes me realize how glad I am that that I listened to them, whoever “they” are, when they told me to pick my best friend and marry him.  Because he is and I did and I can’t imagine life any other way.

Tabitha & The CPA = BFF (that’s Best Friends Forever, for those of you who do not speak “teenager”)

Have you found your best friend?  What makes him/her your BFF?

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Restaurant Week in DC – Sette Bello

If you’ve never experienced Restaurant Week in DC, you are missing out.  It comes around a couple of times a year and is a great opportunity to check out the restaurants that may normally be a bit out of reach price-wise.  We usually go for the dinner meal but with a baby and still being new to eating out, we decided to do lunch since it’s not as crowded.

Our restaurant of choice was Sette Bello, in Clarendon.

I have to admit that I’ve driven by it numerous times but never noticed it.  Surprising, really, given that the inside is huge.

We got there around 1:00 but, as you can see in the pictures, the place wasn’t exactly hopping.  For some reason, they sat us in the very corner, all by ourselves.  I didn’t know whether to be offended or to be grateful.

I chose to be grateful.  Even though taking babies out to restaurants is possible, it’s not always easy, so the more space the better.  You know, in case any food goes flying or baby has a melt down.

Thankfully, Henry was on his best behavior.  He sat quietly in his car seat and chewed on his toys.

Maybe it was because Daddy laid down the law as soon as we got there.

Or maybe it’s just because he’s a sweet kid.  Either way, his good behavior allowed us to enjoy our delightful bread while we waited for our appetizer.

Let me interject here to tell you a little about Restaurant Week so that you’ll understand how it works.  For lunch (or dinner) at any of the participating restaurants, you can get an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert for either $20 or $30, respectively.  You have a set menu from which to choose (our menu included three selections under each course) so it is a bit limited, but you get to try new food and experience a new place so it’s worth it.

It’s usually pretty fancy food too and by fancy I mean food that I wouldn’t fix myself (not that that’s saying much really).  Take, for example, our first course: a lovely salad with spinach greens, onions and raw salmon.  Yes, raw salmon.  This for a girl who has never had, nor probably ever will have, sushi.  But, since it was Restaurant Week and I had promised myself that I would try the dish no matter what, I managed to swallow two small bites.

I wasn’t a big fan.

Not to worry, though, our main course was much better.  I might go so far as to call it delightful even.  Creamy sauce, delicate mushrooms, and handmade ravioli filled with pureed chicken.  Yum.

I probably would have licked the plate if we hadn’t been in such a fancy place.  But I restrained myself since I didn’t want to embarrass Henry.

Our dessert came next.  For me – a piece of cheesecake.  For the CPA – ice cream or Gelato (since we were in an Italian restaurant).

I gotta tell you, the cheesecake was only okay; it didn’t wow me.  I don’t say that lightly because I consider myself quite the cheesecake expert.  In fact, I was kicking myself for not ordering the CPA’s dish because quite frankly, it was some of the best ice cream I have ever eaten.  

It was rich and silky smooth and absolutely heavenly.

It was the perfect end to a wonderful meal.  We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and left there with fully tummies and happy faces.  I can hardly wait for the next Restaurant Week to get here.

Oh and if you’re ever in town – Sette Bello is a definite must.

Just don’t order the raw salmon.

Do you have a Restaurant Week, or something like it, where you live?

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Life is Made Up of Defining Moments

Life is made up of defining moments.  Like the time you go on your first date.  Or the first time you meet your future husband.  Then there’s the moment you graduate from college and realize you are officially a grown up.  Or the time you learn that you are finally going to be a parent.

Then there is the moment that you try real food for the first time.   For Henry, this defining moment took place last week.  (Ignore the laughter please, I can assure you that no babies were harmed during the making of this video.)

Needless to say, it didn’t go so well.

I’m guessing it won’t be one of those defining moments after all.

Poor baby.

Any suggestions on how to make next time a little better?

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Back in the Saddle Again

Not so long ago, the CPA and I were adventurous people.  We’d check out cool places around town like the Library of Congress and the National Cathedral, and we’d attend events such as the Whoopi Goldberg dinner and we’d visit the annual cherry blossom trees.  But a year or so ago, coinciding with the beginning of my morning sickness, oddly enough, these adventures came to a screeching halt.

But, after a year long hiatus, we decided to give it a try again.  We figure that we should be able to go to fun places and see interesting things just like we did before.  Now we’ll just bring our baby along and make sure the place is kid friendly and there shouldn’t be a problem, right?

So when my sweet husband called me on a recent Friday afternoon and said that the office was closing early and asked if I would meet him downtown, I jumped at the chance.

Rather than mess with finding a parking spot (and deal with Friday afternoon traffic) Henry and I rode the Metro downtown, changing trains at Metro Center…

so that we could get off at the Chinatown exit.

We didn’t have to walk far because our destination, The National Portrait Gallery, was straight ahead.

Now I know what you’re thinking.  A gallery of nothing but portraits?  Boring, right?  That’s what I was thinking anyway.  But I had heard it was good so I was willing to check it out.  The CPA had been before and also gave two thumbs up.

He was outside waiting for us and Henry was so excited to see his Daddy that we sat for a bit in the Atrium and just visited.

Visiting time was fun.  (Isn’t this just the cutest baby-Daddy bonding time you’ve ever seen?)

Oh – and I was there too.

Then we headed to the special exhibit – Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’s very own collection of Normal Rockwell paintings.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t take pictures inside the exhibit, but I will say this – it was awesome!  I went in not really caring about Norman Rockwell’s paintings and I came out a true fan.  So much so that we went home and ordered a copy of this print to hang in Henry’s room:

After the Rockwell exhibit, we crossed the hall and entered the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum (apparently they share the building).

I was surprised to see pieces such as this:

and this:

We didn’t stay long though and a few minutes later we made our way to the actual Portrait Gallery.

There are a few different floors in the gallery, but at this point our baby was getting tired (okay, we were getting tired) so we saved the upstairs for another day.

We did get to see some cool paintings though, such as this one of Pochantas:

and this one of John Brown (crazy painting, huh?):

They had a painting of Sherman (which makes me think of the line from Gone with the Wind, “The Yankees are coming, the Yankees are coming!”)

which was part of this great Civil War exhibit.

There was even a painting of Joseph Smith, who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (of which I’m a member) in 1830.

Finally, it was time to go.  We only spent a few hours at the museum but it was really cool and I definitely want to go back and see the rest when we have more time.  But for now, I’ll end with a picture of this:

Look closely – Can you tell what it says?

I have to say, it’s good to be back at it again, I’ve missed our little adventures.  I can’t wait for more!

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What’s The Deal with Spam?

I’ve been blogging for almost two years now and during that time I’ve gotten my fair share of spam, but the past few months or so it seems to have gotten progressively worse.  And by worse, I mean sneakier.

They used to be pretty obvious – direct links, foreign languages, weird sounding phrases.  But these days, the spammers are at least trying to sound legit.  In fact, some comments might seem real until you read who it’s written by.  Call me crazy, but “Electric Cigarette” or “Designer Replica Handbags” don’t strike me as real user names.

The good news is that you, as the reader of this blog, won’t likely see these comments.  I, on the other hand, have to weed through them every day just in case some “normal” comments find their way through.  The bad news is that, well, I have to weed through them every day.  (I have almost 200 in my comment folder right now.)  Nine times out of ten what’s written is something innocent enough like:

“Well written and very instructive. I’m thankful you took the time to post this because it was extremely useful.”

How do I know that one is spam, you might ask?  Because it’s written by someone named Wilbert Monda and he referrences a home building site.  That and the fact that the post he said is “extremely useful” is really just filled with photos and my rambles about a trip I made recently.  Hmmm…

Then there are the ones that don’t even make any sense:

“Wonderful to get visiting your web site once again, it have been months for me. Properly this write-up that i’ve been waited for so prolonged. I have to have this write-up to complete my assignment inside college, and it has identical topic with your post. Thanks, good share.”

Wow, I like that he thinks my post is a “good share.”  Almost as much as I like this one:

“Winsome thoughts here. Are you currently convinced it is the proper approach to look at it however? My very own private experience is always that we need to virtually stay and allow dwell due to the fact what a single human being thinks just — one more human being purely will not. Human beings are going to try and do what they want to do. Inside end, they generally do. By far the most we can hope for is always to set up a couple of items the following and there that hopefully, permits them to make just a little much better informed determination. Otherwise, good post. You’re surely producing me consider”

Those aren’t nearly as bad as the blatant spams though, the ones that have $#%%^ written in every other word and that include links to sites that you have to be over 18 to view.  I mean really?  Does someone out there honestly believe I’m not going to notice a comment like that?

What’s the deal with spam – does anyone know?  It seems to me that it’s just a waste of someone’s resources because I can’t see that bloggers actually allow most spam to go through.  So what’s the point of it?  Anyone else have a problem with it?

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Watercolor for Fun

Last spring I signed up for a photography class through The Torpedo Factory, located in Old Town Alexandria.  I was excited to take it but unfortunately, my morning sickness sidelined me and I backed out at the last minute.  A couple of months ago I remembered the credit that I still had with the school so I called to check on it.  I’m glad I did – I only had until July to sign up for a class or else I’d lose the $$.

So began my foray into the world of Beginning Watercolor.

During the past nine Saturdays, my sweet husband has tended our little guy so that I could attend the class from 9:30-12:30.  It has been one of the highlights of my week.

It was held in a warehouse in Old Town, Alexandria.  It’s just what you would expect of an art warehouse: large, open spaces with easels and props lying around.

We met in a bare room that allowed us plenty of space to set out all of our painting tools.

These tools included a large palette on which to mix the paint,

and an array of paintbrushes and paints.  (Btw, this stuff is quite expensive if you get the “artist” grade supplies which our teacher recommended – everything you see here cost me about $188, not including extra paper.  Those little tubes of paint are between $7 and $10 each.  I say that just in case any of you are interested in starting and don’t know what to expect.  Definitely buy online when you can as it’s much cheaper.)

Going off the assumption that none of us had previous watercolor experience (which was definitely true in my case), the teacher had us start with the basics.  We learned how to do “washes”…

and how to mix color (much harder than it looks).

Next we tried our hand at various small subjects just to get a feel for how to do them.  My trees definitely need some work.

After that, we were ready to try our hand at sceneries.  This is my first one.  It’s not Rembrandt, mind you, but it’s not bad for my first attempt – I actually kind of like it.  Even the trees look passable.

We did flowers next.  I really had fun with this one.  It took me almost the entire class time to finish it since I drew it out by hand before painting it (instead of tracing the outline that she gave us), but I really enjoyed it.

We did more landscapes during our next session, but this time we focused on painting various skies.   Again, much harder than it looks.

During the last class, we painted geese.  Canadian geese to be exact.  I’ve never really given geese much thought before.  Amazing how much more interesting I find them after studying and painting them for an hour and a half (it took so long because we used a technique that involved masking fluid which is somewhat time consuming).

After all of these classes and hours spent learning to paint, I think it’s safe to say that I have found a new hobby that I quite enjoy.  It’s also fair to say that I won’t be quitting my day job any time soon.  But there’s something so relaxing about painting – it’s very rewarding seeing your vision unfold and your paintings come to life.

I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’ve even practiced a bit at home in my spare time, which admittedly isn’t much these days.

While my paintings are nothing really frame-worthy, they’ve been fun to make and I have enjoyed it.  So much so that I’ve signed up to take a drawing class this fall.  I’m so excited!

Rembrandt… here I come!

Any other painters out there?  Drawers?  Sketchers? (artists, not the shoes…)

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A Catastrophe Averted

Henry went down for his afternoon nap like he always does – I gave him his pacifier, he cried and fussed for a bit, and then he finally fell asleep.  I checked on him several times as I often do, just to make sure that he was breathing fine and was resting peacefully.  I did notice that as he sucked on his pacifier, it sounded different than usual, but I didn’t pay it much attention.

Several hours later, I was getting ready to put him down for his second nap and I grabbed the same pacifier out of his crib.  I stuck it in his mouth as we sat in the rocking chair but it quickly fell on the floor.  As I bent down to pick it up, I noticed that it was basically in two pieces, with the top part of the pacifier holding on by a thread.  My heart stopped as I realized just how easily the piece could have broken off and become lodged in Henry’s throat.  What’s even scarier is that we most likely wouldn’t have even realized it.

The first thing I did was pray and thank Heavenly Father for protecting our son.  I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer and I do believe that our little boy had been kept from harm.  The second thing I did was take a good look at the pacifier and try to determine if Henry had chewed through it with his four new teeth, or if our dog Oscar had previously gotten hold of it and I somehow had not noticed.  The third thing I did was tell the CPA what had happened so that he could understand why I suddenly didn’t want to let Henry out of my sight.  And the fourth thing was to officially swear “no more pacifiers” from this day forward.  We had planned on taking them away around six months anyway, so now seems as good a time as any.

It was a catastrophe averted and everyone is fine, but I’m having a hard time shaking this awful feeling.  The horrible “what if” question keeps running through my mind as I realize what a close call it could have been.  Such a small thing, too.  A pacifier – most moms use them all the time without incident.  Granted, most moms don’t have a Cockapoo that loves to chew on things, but still.  (I’m not a 100% convinced it was Oscar’s fault but I can’t prove that Henry chewed through it either.  Better to be safe than sorry.)

If nothing else, this incident has reminded me yet again how fragile these little babies are, even if they seem to be getting bigger by the minute.  It’s shown me yet again how much I love our little boy and what a responsibility it is to be his parent.  And it’s reaffirmed once more how thankful I am for my belief in a Father in Heaven who watches over us and protects us.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check on our little guy one more time…

Have you ever had any “close calls”as a parent?  How do you get past the fear and stop worrying so much?

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Happy B-Day Big Boy

Dear Henry:

It’s been six months since you were born.  Hard to believe, but it’s true.  During that time, you have become such a part of our lives that it’s strange to think you haven’t always been here with us.   Every morning we look forward to you waking up so that we can see your bright smile.  You almost always wake up smiling, it’s so sweet to see.

Once awake, you seem to remember just how hungry you are and you start to fuss.  It’s not a full-out cry at this point, but I know the sound well.  I also know that if we don’t feed you in five minutes or less, that fussing will turn to crying so we usually get something in your tummy right away.  In the past two weeks you started eating cereal as part of this morning routine.

I won’t lie to you – you make a mess.  But it’s a cute mess.  And it cracks me up too, your constant battle to grab the spoon from me.  You haven’t figured out yet that it’s a fight you can’t, or shouldn’t, win, but you try anyway.

The rest of the day goes by in a blur.  You go visit your little friend Braddock, the son of your babysitter, while I work for a few hours every morning.  I miss you, but I know it’s good for you, and soon enough you are back in my arms.  The afternoon hours pass quickly and we play games or read books or you swing in your swing while I make dinner.

And before we know it, Daddy is home and wants his turn with you.  I willingly share you because I am glad that you and Daddy seem to have a special bond already.

Speaking of special, you are such a happy baby.  I want to say that for the record with the hopes that you will remain happy, especially as you grow older (teenage years come to mind) and face challenges and such.  You are friendly to everyone, especially your sweet cousin with whom you spent a lot of time recently.  I look forward to seeing the friendship between you two in the upcoming years.

You’re growing so fast.  So fast that it amazes me yet at the same time, I can hardly wait for the next phases too: the crawling (we fully expect this in the next two months), the talking, and yes, even the walking.  You’re already rolling over like a champ and you have three teeth in place with a fourth on its way.  You are super strong – you spend hours on your stomach with your hands and legs in the air in your classic “Superman” pose.  You are getting better at holding things too – just today you fed yourself by holding your bottle for the first time.

With all of this growing, you’re starting to look less like a newborn and more like a baby/toddler.  You seem to be changing before our very eyes.

But change like this is good, right?  Especially when we get to witness it first hand.  So Happy Six Month Birthday Henry… Six months ago you came into this world and changed our lives forever.  We are so glad you’re here.

All our love,

Momma & Daddy

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Mixed Feelings

I’m sitting in bed as I write this.  It’s not my bed, mind you; it’s a king size, full-of-pillows, absolutely divine bed located in our room at the Brampton Bed & Breakfast in Chestertown, MD.  What am I doing in Chestertown, MD you ask?  Celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the day that I married the most wonderful man in the world.

I have mixed feelings though, because there is one part of me that is so very excited to be away from home.  We had a luxurious day yesterday filled with all the things that you would do on vacation – good food, relaxation time in the room, a little reading on the huge front porch.  But all the while, even while watching the classic “While You Were Sleeping” on the flat panel TV over the fireplace last night, I had this nagging feeling in my heart.  I was missing something and that something was our little boy.

For the first time ever, we left him with someone while we went away.  Oh he’s in good hands all right, as my sister and her husband are watching him along with their little boy Drew.  I’m not worried about that part.  But for the first time, we missed tucking him in at night (and the subsequent screams of denial as he fights sleep for a good 15 minutes).  We missed seeing him wake up and flash us his huge grin as he does after every nap.  We missed feeding him his bottle that he now can hold with his chubby little hands.  We missed all of that yesterday and it feels quite strange.

Which is why, even after enjoying every single minute of this brief getaway, I am looking forward to being home this afternoon.  I’m looking forward to seeing my little guy and making sure that he hasn’t forgotten me.  I fully plan on hugging him and smothering him with kisses as soon as we walk in the door, whether he wants me to or not.  In only a few short hours, I’ll look into those big beautiful eyes and tell him that I missed him so.

There are definitely no mixed feelings about that.

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Kindle, iPad, or Nook: What’s With These Electronic Books?

I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m a huge fan of reading.  My idea of a good time is burrowing in bed with a good book for an hour or two.  When reading, you can venture to far away lands like the Orient or the wilds of Africa.  You can learn how to manage your finances or how to be an effective speaker.  You can even find out what it would be like to live in a completely different era.  The point is, reading gives you access to the world that you might not get otherwise.

And all of that can be found in the pages of a book.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Or does it?

Enter the Kindle.

I know the Kindle has been around for a while now but I had never given it much thought.  The idea of an electronic device to read from was intriguing, but I believe there is something special about the feel of an actual book.  The turn of the crisp pages, the print of the bold text, the smell of the binding.  That’s half the experience right there.

So I never gave Kindle a chance.

Not too long ago, however, I saw that another electronic reader had entered the market when Barnes and Noble introduced the Nook.

Shortly after that, the CPA brought home the new iPad and I was able to give the whole electronic reading experience a try.

Not bad, I’ll have to admit.  I could see why someone would be interested.  But I still wasn’t ready to sink a couple of hundred dollars into a device when I could just as easily pay $9.95 for the real thing.

That all changed a couple of months ago when we flew out to Utah.  The CPA suggested I download a few books onto my iPhone so that I’d have something to read both on the plane and during our long hours on the road.  The idea of not having to lug two or three books around was appealing.  So I downloaded Kindle onto my iPhone (the software is free, btw) and started shopping.

I added a few free selections and one book that I had been eyeing.  And then I began to read.

What I found amazing was just how easy it was to adapt to the small screen.

But what really sold me, was how I could carry around a book with me anywhere I was.  I generally have my phone with me most time which means that now I always have a book to read too.  Over the past few weeks I’ve whipped out my book while standing in line at the grocery store, while sitting in a doctor’s office, and while riding in the car (as a passenger, not while driving).

I can’t tell you how great it’s been to be able to read a book at any time, in any place, yet not have to bring along the actual book.  I don’t see myself buying a Kindle reader or Nook anytime soon (I wouldn’t mind having an iPad for the web access, not just for reading) but then again, I don’t really need to since I have my phone.  I don’t even miss my actual books, which I thought I would.  In fact, I’ll save a ton of space at home by not having to store new books.  The Kindle books are generally cheaper too so that’s a bonus.  But mostly it’s the convenience of always having the book with me that I really like.

I’m just kicking myself for not having done this earlier.

Do you use Kindle, Nook or your phone to read books?  Is it something that you’ve wanted to try?

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