Scenes from a Friday night without Mommy...

Feeling better!

Swinging at the park!

Climbing out of the chair?

Passed out!

Save some energy for tomorrow, Ellie!

Poor Sick Monkey

So, just yesterday I was thinking to myself, "Wow, I don't even remember the last time Ellie woke us up in the middle of the night." Hah! Oh Pride, how you go before a fall...

The poor monkey woke up at 3am and promptly puked. Now, in the 9 months Ellie's been with us I've been pooped on, peed on, spit up on, and snotted on more times than I can count. But being puked on was a first. Not anymore. Now it's been three times. The poor dear.

She seems perfectly happy, doesn't have a fever and still wants to hang out playing with all her toys, so we're not overly concerned. Truthfully I think this may just be her way of making sure I feel sufficiently guilty about going away on a GIRLS WEEKEND. "Oh yeah, mom? You're going away for two days to have fun in the mountains without me? PUKE."

Yep, Bri and Ellie are on their own this weekend. Wish them luck!

"Hey Sailor!"

After an entire weekend spent sailing on the Hudson Harbor with Todd (Ginger), Chad (Mary Ann), and Jason (Professor or Gilligan depending on who you ask), I am happy to report that A) we did not get hit by the barge, B) we did not get hit by the cruise ship C) we did not get hit by the tanker, D) we did not run aground (although there was that near miss with the buoy off Governor's Island), and E) HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AWESOME!  I am relieved to have passed the American Sailing Association basic sailing certification test and I thank my lovely wife for the best anniversary present ever... 

The Floating School/Bar

The Fleet

Our J24... The Flying Dutchman

Skipper Brian at the helm

Todd lounging on the bow

Chad avoiding the main sheets

Cool shot of the working jib

Jason working the jib sheets

City views

Graduation beers!

P.S. The Manhattan Sailing Club has a floating clubhouse (read: BAR) in the Hudson Harbor.  Anyone for a beer with skyline and sunset views?

9 Month Photos

9 months...Ellie, you've officially been out in the world for as long as I held you safe in my belly.

Here's hoping the world returns your open arms and goofy grins. Happy 9 months, kid.

9 Month Checkup

Well, Little E isn't quite so little anymore. She had her 9 month checkup today and was deemed "perfect." Like that's any surprise to us.

She's also seriously gained in her percentages. We thought she might have, since she doesn't feel so wee anymore, but it's nice to have it confirmed.

Height: 26.9" - 27th percentile up from the 4th percentile.
Head Circumference: 44.2 cm - 56th percentile up from the 19th percentile.
Weight: 17 lbs 11 oz - 30th percentile up from the 14th percentile.

This weekend Brian's taking a sailing course with some friends so I'm pretty much a "single mom" till Sunday night. The sailing crew's going to come over for a bbq Saturday night though, so at least I'll get to have some adult conversation. And next weekend I make up for it by leaving Brian and Ellie alone while I go on a Girls Weekend!

Governors Island

And another sun-filled weekend draws to an end. So fun, but good grief, we're exhausted!

We took the ferry to Governors Island today with enough picnic provisions to feed the army that used to barrack there. And we successfully got two bottles of wine past the "No Fun Allowed in City Parks" check point! Yep, we are so bad-ass. I feel like a college freshman sneaking beer into the dorm.

Unfortunately we left behind Ellie's favorite stuffed kitty cat. Now we keep getting ransom demands and threatening pictures from Todd and Bess. Here's hoping kitty survives her adventure.

Pool Party

So yeah...Ellie wants us to move to New Jersey so she can have a pool.

Can't say I blame her! We had a great day visiting with Allie and Mike, and their 2 love-bugs Maya and Jeremy.

Note: I was inside when the last picture was taken. I never would have sanctioned that hat.

Philharmonic in the Park

One of our favorite things about living in Brooklyn is when the NY Philharmonic plays Prospect Park. We go every year to enjoy the night air, eat some picnic, listen to great music, and then FIREWORKS!

This year we left before the fireworks, but other than that I would call it a total success. Ellie stayed up about an hour and a half past her bedtime, but slept in her stroller without complaint when we insisted. She didn't wake up on the walk home and gave only the mildest protest when we transferred her to the crib. Plus, she slept until 6:30 this morning! I think blowing off baby's bedtime should happen more often...

(Ellie and her jar of pickles)

Slow News Week

....not much going on this week, so a few more shots from Ellie's "Fashion Shoot" to appease the masses. Aren't Kathleen's designs just too much?

We'll make up for the lack of activity this weekend, I promise! Friday night the New York Philharmonic plays in Prospect Park. Bri and I have decided this is a worthy "blow off the baby's bedtime" event. So we'll pack a picnic and enjoy the sunset. Saturday we head to New Jersey to visit Allie and Mike. Hopefully Mike will be over the Netherlands' World Cup loss. I'm not betting on it though. And then Sunday our friend Kyle is playing in a '20s big band on Governor's Island. Good lord, all our plans are outside. Here's hoping it doesn't rain!

Fashion Photo Shoot

Our friend Kathleen designs adorable hats (remember this one?), headbands, and dresses for kids and is starting an Etsy shop soon. She thought it would be fun to have Ellie model some things for the site, and Little E was happy to oblige. Kathleen took the photos for the website, but I couldn't resist snapping some shots myself. So ridiculously cute!! I'll post the link to Kathleen's shop as soon as it's up. In the meantime, here are my favorite shots from the day.

Bells Are Ringing

Last Friday Ellie came to City Center for a visit. She's clearly auditioning for a part in Bells Are Ringing.

(Thanks to Lauren for the video, and to Arlene for bringing in such fun toys!)

Burlington Weekend

Oh Burlington, you tempt us with your perfect weather and relaxed people who don't mind waiting 45 minutes for breakfast...

Seriously, we had a fantastic time in VT this weekend. After an epically long trip thanks to insane traffic on the Thruway, we were rewarded by sunset views over Lake Champlain for the last hour. It was almost worth the three hour delay driving through nowheres towns and racking up a shockingly high number of u-turns. A huge shout-out goes to Cindy for being the best back seat nanny ever.

We ate and drank our way through not one, but TWO barbecues, plus hit downtown, the docks, and Red Rocks. But my favorite moment may have been walking with Ellie on the shore at 5:30 in the morning. It felt like we were the only people awake in the world and I dipped her feet in the lake, christening her a Vermonter in spirit if not fact.

A last minute highlight was deciding to head home via 89 to 91, which meant stopping in Brattleboro for a quick lunch with Jeremy and Ashley, who's looking gorgeous with her little baby belly. (It's a boy!)

I hope everyone's 4th of July weekend was as beautiful and relaxing as ours. And now, back to work (and babyproofing!)

Oh Dear

"Nothing to see here, mom"

Ellie's not crawling yet, but I'm afraid we've reached a critical moment of mobility. When I walked away she was hanging out on her blanket, like the sweetly immobile girl she's always been. When I returned? She had turned around, migrated about five feet, and was happily playing with a power cord. Perfect.

Happy 4th of July!

We're off to VT for the long weekend. Woooohooooo!

Ellie says: Take this ridiculous thing off my head. It's time for my nap.