Ellie and the Tramp

On Sunday, me, Brian, Ellie, Leila, and Mike drove to Stamford, CT for pizza. Okay, we were actually checking out a new family car for our soon-to-be-family-of-four, but the pizza was the most exciting part. As for the car, we like the year and model, but this exact car wasn't the one for us. We'll keep looking. And maybe next time get Chinese food.

Teaser

We borrowed a Halloween costume for Ellie from Allie and Mike yesterday. That's all I'll say. :)

Trick or Treat for Grown-Ups

It's no secret that Brian and I adore our walkable, shopable, family-friendly neighborhood. (And family-friendly is an understatement, it's downright family-overbearing.) It's why we're seriously considering what sounds unthinkable to many of our suburban and rural family and friends: staying in a one-bedroom apartment with two babies. But that's another post.

Tonight is one of our favorite neighborhood events, the Restaurant Tour. All the local restaurants set up tables on the sidewalk and hand out free "bites," maybe a crostini or tiny slice of lasagna, a little cup of gazpacho, or a croquette. The wineshops get in the action too, with tastings. Everyone is out, walking the streets. It's Halloween for grown-ups. No costumes, just yummy food from all our neighbors. I can't wait.

Water Taxi Beach

Hooray for one of the last beautiful days of Summer! Todd and Bess joined me, Bri, and Ellie for an afternoon at Governors Island's Water Taxi Beach. Ellie had a great time playing in the sand, and tried to steal some little boy's turtle. Atta-girl.

And just like that, Ellie's turning 11 months old tomorrow. Which means next month she's a year old, which is absolutely impossible for me to comprehend. How can my baby be getting so big? But it's so wonderful to watch her discovering her world, and I know we have so much more to look forward to. So I try not to get all weepy...and just give her huge hugs, pat her on the butt, and act as spotter when she wobbles to her feet.

A Tree Falls in Brooklyn

So I get off the subway yesterday to pick up E from daycare and this is what I encounter on my walk home...

Outside the subway at 4th Ave.

8th Street Between 4th & 5th Street

Outside Daycare??

Electrical wire down on 5th Ave

Somebody can't watch TV!

10th Street Outside our Apt.

Our Backyard

A Tornado in Park Slope?? WTH?

Apparently, Mike lost his roof deck furniture too... AWESOME.

Edited to add this crazy shot from up the block...

She Crawls!

I'm calling it. September 10, 2010...10-1/2 months old, and she finally crawls! A full two months after first learning how to scootch backwards on her belly, Ellie has crossed the living room rug, on hands and knees, FORWARD, to retrieve a toy. It wasn't exactly graceful, and she was yelling at me the whole time for not just handing her the toy she so obviously wanted, but she CRAWLED.

So I'm calling her officially crawling. She's also pulling herself up, so I think it might actually be time to finally baby-proof this joint. This should be entertaining.

A Few Random Pics

We all had a great time at Rosh Hashanah dinner on Wednesday night with Sari's family. Brisket and turkey and stuffed cabbages, oh my!

Synagogue this morning wasn't such a success...Ellie was fussing so she and I snuck out and met Lucy for a Latte. Oh well...turns out there's a "family" service for Yom Kippur so we're going to give that a try next week.

A few pics of Ellie showing off her pretty party dress...

...looking at the cat instead of the camera...

"Back off mom, this picture's all about ME!"

...and absolutely adoring her Uncle Mike...

Oh New York

Brian and I just realized that the nursery school we've had our eye on for Ellie has an application deadline of November 30, 2010 for a Fall 2011 start. That's right. You need to apply to nursery school a full year before you want to attend. Excuse me while I download Harvard's application. May as well get a jump on it!

Shana Tova

Happy New Year! It's Ellie's first Rosh Hashanah, and though she's still too wee for apples and honey (at least the honey part) I'm sure she'll stuff her little face with challah. We celebrate every year with Sari's family, then tomorrow we're off to synagogue. Not sure yet if it's a baby-friendly service, but I guess we'll find out!

Mmmm....Garlic

We hit the annual Garlic Festival in Bennington this weekend, and mmmm....I think we're vampire-proof for at least a month.

Why yes, that IS a sign for white chocolate cherry garlic fudge. And it was surprisingly good.

Ellie adored garlic pickles. And her Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jeremy.

Happy Labor Day!

Ellie is SUPER excited that we're off to Vermont this weekend to spend Labor Day with my dad, Kathy, and Emma-the-dog. I have to say, I'm right there with her.

Assuming we don't get blown away by the Hurricane (Earl, keep your distance!) we'll be ditching the city tomorrow morning and heading up for a nice relaxing 3-day weekend. Plans include sleeping in, eating ribs, drinking coffee on the back deck, and maybe a nice Anniversary Dinner for me and Brian. It's been 6 years! Here's to the rest of forever...

On a completely different note, I saw the first Halloween decorations in a store yesterday. This time last year I panicked every time I saw a jack-o-lantern or candy-corn. It meant Ellie was going to be here any minute! Now I can't believe she's almost a year old. With baby #2 I'll be on the lookout for 4-leaf clovers and leprechauns. Although I have to say, our little family of four will be a nice pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.