Harvey Sebastian

Halloween with the Girls

2009-11-16T00:56:00.001-05:00

66 pieces of candy! Way to go H-Man.

Skeleton Man

2009-11-16T00:55:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately Halloween was a bit rained out this year, so we did valet trick-or-treating. I drove the get-away van and Joe schlepped with H in his $14 walmart costume down the driveways to ring the bells. His trick-or-treating skills are still being developed. He thinks that he is supposed to run past the candy givers and roam freely in each house This lasted about 6-7 houses before we gave up and hopped over to Barbara and John's new place to help receive the trick-or-treaters. It was after 8 pm and all of the cute little toddlers in fairy princess and spiderman costumes were long gone. The doorbell would ring about about every 10-15 minutes with gangs of older kids dressed in street clothes - hardly what one considers "costume worthy". "So, what are you fellas dressed as tonight", she asked the kids wearing all black clothes. "Dark Boys"

A few minutes later we headed over to the Kunda's annual party to enjoy cocktails, chili and the Phillies. They always have a fully stocked library of tombstones on the lawn complete with scary music pumping out into the neighborhood.

Pumpkin Spice Play Dough

2009-11-16T00:33:00.000-05:00

This is one of the best activities we've ever done. Harvey LOVED every step of the way - from dumping large amounts of powder and spice and watching colors blend on the stove to experimenting with miscellaneous craft supplies. Beads worked really well. Shells and buttons might be good too. Harvey kept wanting to decorate his creations with glue.

Recipe:
5 1/2 cups flour
2 cups salt
8 teaspoons cream of tartar
3/4 cup oil
1 container (1 1/12 oz) pumpkin pie spice
Orange food coloring (2 parts yellow, 1 part red)
4 cups water

Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a large pot. Cook and stir over medium heat until all lumps disappear. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth (add flour generously throughout the kneading process). Store in an airtight container.

My favorite part about this is that there is PLENTY of play dough and it doesn't crumble all over the place and leave that nasty smell on your hands. I love our collection of cookie cutters - airplane, space shuttle, fire truck, cars, ambulance and anything else with wheels. Now I am on the hunt for more cutters....

Thanks to H's teacher at the Pennington School for sharing this recipe with us!!

Hot tip of the day - remove crayon from the chalkboard with Goo-Gone. Spray and wipe right off. Sponge off with warm soapy water.

Pie-Baking Contest

2009-10-25T18:58:00.001-04:00

It was my first ever! I was so nervous about it too. I agonized whether I should even enter for fear of failure. Ultimately I decided that if I lost, I wouldn't tell anyone and if I won, I could brag about it forever. I entered the two pies in the front here: Peppery Sweet Potato (from our CSA share) and Maple Bourbon Pecan. 2 of the five chefs voted the pecan pie as best tasting and a third judge said it was a close call. There were 3 winners: one in each of the categories - Presentation, Originality and Best-Tasting. Alas, my humble pies did not get the blue ribbons (sniff!), but there's always next year...

HarvFest II

2009-10-25T18:40:00.001-04:00

A perfect day: Climbing bales of hay, face painting, pie-baking contest, canning lesson, great food, fresh-made cider and beer, hay rides, western swing band with pedal steel guitar. We missed having Joe! There was only one thing missing. This morning Harvey came up to me while I was preparing pie fillings and said, "Mommy, I miss Joe!"

Harvey's Fourth Birthday!

2009-10-21T13:58:00.001-04:00

More Harvfest Pics

2009-10-21T13:56:00.002-04:00

Googlevoice Gadget Test

2009-10-21T11:27:00.000-04:00

I'm testing this gadget. Give me a call. Joe

Harvey at Harvfest

2009-10-21T11:14:00.000-04:00

HOT! HOT! HOT!

2009-08-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

It is steaming hot in Philly these days. Everyday I have to move mountains to squeeze in 45 minutes here and there at the pool. It's so easy to find ways to stay in the house another five minutes - a few more dishes, just another email, etc. Half the time I can't find the motivation to get out of the house since Harvey is so completely content playing with puzzles, putting Barney down for his nap, setting up forts for the giraffe and mastering the control knobs on the boom box so he can play his favorite tune "The YOGA Mat Song" and turn up the volume. Of course we are always so happy once we arrive, lather down with the SPF and slip into the oh so refreshing water. Harvey likes to meet his friend Rory at the pool and splash around on their shark and crocodile floaties. They are pictured together here below taking a lunch break at the Philadelphia Zoo. I love that feeling when I first dip into the water on a sticky hot day - kind of like the way a banana must feel being coated in chocolate (except that the chocolate is warm...oh well, it seemed like a good analogy at first.)

Chanticleer Days

2009-07-15T00:03:00.000-04:00

What a perfect July we are having. It might as well be May! Speaking of May....these are pictures from a playdate Harvey had with Rebecca, Nolan and Rory back in May. Tonight I took Harvey to the pool and afterwards when I took him to the potty, nothing came out. Afterwards I made him wash his hands and then he started looking for an M&M in the pool bag and I tried to explain to him that he only gets the M&M when he actually produces something in the potty. The problem here was that I wasn't 100% sure whether he did #1 or not since the toilet is pretty big and its hard to tell whether he's gone pee-pee or not (it's really easy to tell when he goes on the little blue potty at home). He was really upset and I felt bad about it. Gosh, I hope he's not too scarred emotionally! Sorry Harvey!!

Well, well Hello Daddy!

2009-07-13T07:35:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed a luxurious 40 minutes on the Skype phone to Joe tonight. This picture was actually taken back in May as are all of my "July" pictures since I have been unable to transfer photos from my phone to the computer (SORE subject, don't ask!) Harvey and Mommy had a GREAT DAY today!!! H slept until 8! I was able to do 20 min. of morning yoga before he woke up. Wheatabix, canteloupe for breakfast, then played with legos and truck. I took him to the pool for a late morning swim and lunch. Then he went right down for his nap at 1 with no protests and slept soundly for two hours while I did some more yoga. It felt so rejuvanating to get sleep AND exercise! My parents came over for dinner and took H out to the park while I cooked a yummy vegetarian dinner: Cabbage Soup sprinkled with fresh grated parmesan, Beet greens sauteed in olive oil garlic and hot pepper, Curried apple couscous from Heidi Swanson's fabulous food blog (Thank you Mary Jane - I have been cooking from it every day!), and cucumber mint salad with feta. For dessert we had Whitney's magic mousse au chocolat with raspberries from our CSA (more on the CSA later)

But the real treat of the day was that we made great strides in the potty training department today after a year of spinning our wheels. I decided a few days ago that we need to make some radical changes in our PT approach if I am going to get this boy out of diapers before he walks down the aisle.

Day 1 (Friday July 10) - I had him sit on potty every 30 minutes. He went pee-pee in the potty once in the morning. The rest of the time he relied on his pull-up. I told him he would get 1 M&M everytime he does #1 in the potty and 2 M&Ms for #2.
Day 2 - Same routine. He went pee-pee in the potty 3 times! He LOVED picking out the color of the M&M reward.
Day 3 (today) - Took his pants and pull-up off and told him that he will just be wearing a T-shirt when he is home and that he will have to use the potty if he had to go. I put the potty in his room while he played. He went #1 seven times today and #2 once and had NO accidents (he did soil his diaper one time when he went for a walk to the park with Grandma and Grandpa)
Tricky part was what to do when we leave the house and/or go to the pool. We opted to do diapers while he still is in training (NOT pull-ups which I am now realizing are just glorified diapers and they are too pretty and convenient - he so doesn't care if he walks around with poop or pee in his pants, OY!) and I am looking into getting reusable swim diapers and training pants. I also bought really plain, boring diapers at Whole Foods which have no pictures or gimmicks.

NEW RULES....
1. No more pants/underwear/diapers/pull-ups, etc to be worn while in the house.
2. Potty chair is placed in the room he is playing in (usually in his room)
3. No more pull-ups - replace with diapers and/or training pants when we have to go out.
Meanwhile, I think we probably could have done this a while ago, but I just haven't been home for a long enough stretch to figure it out. Fingers crossed!

Mesmerized!

2009-07-12T00:01:00.000-04:00

Whitney watched the H man tonight so I could escape for some mommy time out for my friend's 40th! She reported the following: "He chattered delightfully throughout dinner, and in fact the whole evening. The only occasion during which he was silent was when he watched me separate 8 eggs for our chocolate mousse. He was positively mesmerized! This leads me to wonder if you have another Jacques Pepin in your midst... Naturally I taught him that the best part of cooking is when we get to lick the bowl. (Curious George did the same, and ended up so covered in chocolate that he decided to take a bath and shampoo his head with Harvey). Merci Whitney!!

Looking the Other Way

2009-07-10T22:13:00.000-04:00

Its been 16 days. 24 more to go. We have been filling our days with trips to the Zoo and the Franklin Institute, etc. Harvey enjoys all of these fancy activities, but he is actually quite content to simply go to the stream by the pond and throw stones of different sizes into the water, observing with great intensity the various levels of splashyness until the sun goes down. "Come on, Mommy," he says holding up a rock for me to throw. "ONE, TWO, THREE!!!" and we both throw the rocks into the water. I guess the activities are more for my sake; to take my attention off of the empty chair at the breakfast table. "That's Daddy's chair," Harvey points. "OH NO! I spilled the milk!" I glanced up from my Wheatabix. Ugh - milk everywhere - soaking into in the crevices of the table wood, running down the legs of the chair, table and child. Can I please look the other way? Well, the distraction is working. Thanks Mr. H!

The Boxer

2009-06-06T00:07:00.000-04:00

I am just a poor boy and my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jest, still the man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest, hmmmm
When I left my home and my family, I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know
Li la li...

Cat In The Hat Hell

2009-04-17T21:44:00.002-04:00

We're in Cat In The Hat hell. Harvey can't go to bed without reading the book. This has been going on for months now. We have the Cat In The Hat board game, pajamas, video.......etc. Help!!

Big Boy Bed

2008-11-16T23:38:00.003-05:00

It took 2 hours tonight. Harvey crawled under the covers excitedly as I kissed him goodnite. He could hardly contain his squeals. It was 9:00 and I was trying not to rush out of the room too quickly as I was anxious to see tonights episode of Desperate Housewives.

9:25 "Thump". I peek carefully so as not to disturb the sleeping baby. HA! No sleep here. About 10 toys are lined up on the bed and I smell a poopy diaper. I tell him that he has to try his very best to sleep in the big boy bed or he will have to go back to the "baby crib". He quickly nestles himself back under the covers and says "covers!"

10:00 "Thump". No peeking this time. I open the door and discover a truck and 15 board books strewn on the bed. Harvey is standing by with a guilty look on his face. I tell him "no books in the bed. Toys and trucks away!" He obediently scurries back under the covers while I put everything away.

10:30 "Thump". This time he is caught red-handed, standing on a chair reaching out for a book on a high shelf. He sees me as he turns his head around and quickly returns to the covers snuggling up with George and wiggling his but up in the air (so cute!!)

10:50 "Thump" I begin to wonder if he is going to EVER fall asleep?

11:15 Joe tiptoes into the room and comes back out with his thumbs up.

VICTORY!

Harvey Pie

2008-11-10T20:28:00.002-05:00

Last night we made our first pumpkin pie of the season. I think this is the first pie that Harvey has helped with. Unfortunately we forgot to add the flour to the filling and it was a little soupy. When we (I) poured the mixture into the shell, H exclaimed "ROCKET SOUP"! FYI Rocket Soup is the name of the Little Einstein video he's been watching lately. I actually approve of it because the music is by Dvorak and they actually show the treble staff and music notation on the tv screen. The notes light up as they are played - it is very cool! Later in the day when Joe and I weren't paying attention, H was left up to his own devices; he created a snowstorm using nearly an entire container of baby powder. When I entered his room to discover a fleet of snow-covered trains, trucks and cars, he pointed to the mess and said, "Snow."

Tractors and Pumpins

2008-10-16T00:20:00.000-04:00

Interdit Pelouse!

2008-09-21T20:09:00.000-04:00

Even those who don't speak French have figured out that you aren't supposed to roam freely on the pelouse (lawn) of the Chateau. Everyone that is but Monsieur Harve. Bon soir to all of our faithful blogreaders who have waited patiently for these unpredictable installments of Harvey's treadings. This week marks a new chapter as he approaches the big THREE this coming Thursday. This past week he has attempted unsucessfully to climb out of his crib and has fallen and banged his head. On Labor Day he went to the potty 5 times and hasn't returned since (RATS!!!). Tomorrow is the big day at the pediatrician for his annual check-up at 8:30 in the (UGH) morning. Tonight we went to the pond to feed the ducks and as we were leaving Harvey was looking all over for my car keys that I had left on the ground next to the park bench. I jingled the keys in the air to assure him that I hadn't forgotten them. He smiled and bounced along to the car happy to know that we weren't leaving anything behind. I guess he's going to be a big help with a mom that tends to forget stuff and leave things. Thanks Mr. H!

Number 1

2008-08-31T11:14:00.000-04:00

Some people call it pee pee, wee wee, number 1.... Today he did it TWICE in the potty chair!!! After breakfast this morning, as I was about to change his diaper, I decided to try something different: "Harvey, do you want to go to the potty?" He squeeled and ran right into the bathroom and sat on the chair with his potty book. I left him there for about 3 minutes and I could hear him lifting up the toilet cover, trying to flush the pee pee that he made. I called to Joe and he came right away and we were so proud! It was as though he had passed the bar exam or something. Joe: "Is he going to be a lawyer? I thought he was going to go to medical school." About an hour later he came up to me and said, "Go pee pee!" I ignored him thinking he was just fascinated with sitting on the chair. A few minutes passed and he said "Go pee pee!" So I took him to the bathroom and helped him get his G-diaper off (I think we might have to switch to pull-ups which unfortunately are not nearly as eco-friendly) which was VERY poopy. I guess I should have listened to him the first time around. Anyway, he sat on his chair reading his potty book. I came back a few minutes later and sure enough there was pee pee in the potty! Joe and I were so excited that I immediately downloaded a potty chart which Harvey LOVES and proudly put his first two stickers on it. If you had asked me five years ago to imagine being excited about potty training I would have laughed out loud.

"I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington...I'm asking you to believe in yours" - Barack Obama

Le Granola

2008-08-08T08:07:00.004-04:00

We're back! We're almost unpacked. We survived the 8 hour flight avec Monsieur Harv
We are all very confused about sleeping schedules. Welcome to our world of 6 am reveille, 6 hour afternoon naps, dinner at midnight. I am afraid to visit anyone for fear that we will be the WORST houseguests with this messed up schedule!
This morning I made granola. The recipe was given to me by Cindy (pictured here with Harvey a LONG time ago, circa 18 months old wearing the onesie: "if you think i'm cute, you should see my dad"
I am printing the recipe here for Katie and MJ!

Cindy’s Granola
12-9-07

This is the best stuff ever! It isn’t cheap to make, but it tastes better than anything you can find in the stores and it is a lot of fun to play with the various optional ingredients. It keeps for over a month in the fridge and goes a long way to satisfy the morning appetite. Granola is also great for taking on trips.

Nonstick pans are ideal. I only have one nonstick 9x13 pan, so I substitute an 8x8 pan for the second pan with no problem. I store the granola in recycled quart-size yogurt containers or recycled plastic soup containers from Chinese take out (which are great because the lid is locked on tight). The dried fruit is added towards the end of the cooking to prevent drying it out and causing it to become hard.

Equipment
1 large mixing bowl, (5 ½ quarts).
1 medium mixing bowl with pour spout (2 quarts).
2 9x13 baking pans.

Microplane long handle zester

Essential proportions
7 cups rolled oats, about 1 ½ pounds (not instant)
1/3 cup powedered milk
1 cup wheat germ (untoasted)
½ cup honey
½ cup canola oil

Optional ingredients (use more or less of any of the following or substitute others)
½ cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½-1 cup almonds, coarse chopped
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
1-2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Cardamom
Nutmeg (1/2 clove) – I usually grate it using one of my most favorite kitchen gadgets: the Microplane (which is amazing for citrus zest, coconut and parmesan)
½ teaspoon allspice
1 cup dried fruit
1 teaspoon each of Vanilla, Almond and Orange extract (or any other essences)

Preheat oven to 250° F
Mix all dry ingredients except the dried fruit in
large bowl. Combine honey, oil and extracts in small bowl (put oil in the
measuring cup first. It allows the honey to slide out of the measuring cup
easily)
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Combine like a salad
using wooden spoon. Keep breaking up the balls on the side of the bowl
until the texture is pretty uniform (no big clumps should remain). This
will take several minutes. Hang in there! The mixture will be just
barely moist.
Pour granola into pans.
Bake for 1¼ hour, stirring
every 10-15 min.
Remove pans from oven and stir in dried fruit.
Return
pans to oven and cook an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with yogurt and fresh fruit such as pomegranate and pineapple.
It is not necessary to refrigerate, but it keeps longer in the fridge.
Enjoy!

Christmas in July

2008-07-05T22:48:00.000-04:00

Christmas 2005 in San Antonio

Christmas in San Antonio 2006

Christmas in St. Davids, 2007

Car!

2008-07-05T15:59:00.001-04:00

What a cool flotation device! I wish I had used it the whole time, though. At one point we went too deep with the innertube and I lost my footing as it floated away out of reach. I was gasping for air and trying to keep H up at the same time. It was very scary and hard to get back to safety. I had to summon up all of my strength just to move a few inches. And to think that I passed the Lifeguarding exam in Highshcool (!) After that I kept Harvey in the car - turns out it gets much better gas mileage.

Fireworks!

2008-07-05T15:23:00.001-04:00

He was a bit of a parrot yesterday. After about 3 hours at Katelyn's graduation party, a dip in the pool and too many cream puffs and cookies. I took the bouncy boy home. He heard me say to Donna, "We're going to leave on a high note" and he kept saying "high note" all the way home. We pulled in the driveway at 8:45 PM - 15 minutes past bedtime, but just in time to see the Radnor Fireworks display. It was raining a little, but I was determined to get the boy to see his first fireworks. It was the first time he spent Independence Day on American soil. He must have said "fireworks" about 10 times! When I held him up to watch the finale, he turned his head away after about 10 seconds - I guess the light was too strong for him.

Togetherness

2008-07-04T10:30:00.000-04:00

I never realized how much I rely on having Joe here to get stuff done! We usually take turns minding Harvey while the other does paperwork, practice, cook a meal, etc. I have Harvey all to myself until Monday morning... I can hardly get any practicing done! Meanwhile, he is standing next to me as I type saying "Micky! Micky?" because Joe once showed him a video of Micky Mouse on Youtube. Unfortunately the video on my computer isn't working....

Tacos and Trucks

2008-07-03T09:10:00.000-04:00

Harvey has a regular playdate at Alexes house. They have a backyard with tons of toys, trucks and a tent and well, yeah, it is paradisi for H. Last night was tacos. I tried to give H a hard shell and he didn't get it. All of the filling dumped all over the chair and ground. He didn't care. He just went back to his truck.

A Time to Climb

2008-07-02T23:59:00.000-04:00

He's been able to climb into his crib (when the rail is lowered) for a number of months now. Tonight I wanted to test his ability to follow directions, so after we brushed teeth and put on his bedclothes, story, etc, I started to walk out of his room saying "okay Harvey, time for bed. Climb into your crib and say nite nite!" When I returned to his room, I discovered that he was in his crib, lying down and the crib tent was all zipped up! Wow. Daddy would be soooo proud of you!

Later: I went to check on the sleeping toddler and discovered that George, Bob and Mickey had all been jetisoned from the crib! I guess he's not sharing his bed with anyone tonight:)

Au revoir Papa!

2008-06-30T00:13:00.000-04:00

Joe leaves for France tomorrow.
Harvey did his first tinkle in the potty today.
He is enjoying his ABC Curious George Poster and his ABC puzzle. He knows all the words!
He also broke the TV - pulled it off the shelf and it crashed into a million pieces. I guess we'll just read books this summer!

bye bye Joe....we'll be there soon.
xoxo L and HS

My New Guru

2008-06-13T11:44:00.000-04:00

It is such a relief to be back into a daily yoga practice after nearly six months off of the mat.
Harvey does a good assist.
Namaste.

Harbor Sunset at 79th Street

2008-06-09T20:05:00.000-04:00

Where Do All the Sippy Cups Go?

2008-06-09T20:03:00.000-04:00

In this case, it landed in the Hudson River. Harvey is developing his pitcher's arm. He is a south paw like his maw. The other day he threw a spikey high heel into the breakfast table and just missed the bottle of hot pepper oil. Sometimes he decides to jettison the NYTimes over the porch into the front lawn of the Aberwyck. Other activities include throwing his books and toys over the futon. This is not good when there happens to be a person napping/sitting on said futon... Joe: I don't want to encourage this behavior, but I have to admit I am a bit proud!

Bad Stomach

2008-05-14T11:22:00.001-04:00

The BRAT diet.

Bananas

Rice

Apple Sauce

Toast (or crackers, bagel, noodles, etc.)

Poor little imp fell asleep watching Teletubbies yesterday. I NEVER let him watch TV so it was too bad for him he didn't get to see much. I don't know if it was the 3 week old pasta he had for dinner, but he slept most of the day fighting fevers. I finally gave him Tylenol at 6 PM when the thermometer read 102. The pediatrician said to only give "clear liquids" i.e. pedialyte, gatorade, white grape juice, jello, etc. and no water, no dairy when dealing with food poisining and stomach bugs. Unfortunately the berry jello and cherry gatorade were NOT GOOD for his tummy - he spit them up and stained the rug. UGH! So my next question is.....WHY oh WHY do they put red dye in anything for children (or adults) especially if they are intended to be "sick foods". I got most of the red gatorade out of the rug, but I learned my lesson. NO MORE RED JUICE/JELLO! I made him iced "nursing mothers" tea this morning- a much cleaner alternative which his tummy seemed to tolerate much better. No school for HS again today. Grandpa is coming over to help take care while I go out to teach today.

Wild Thing

2008-05-03T20:26:00.001-04:00

g diapers

2008-04-09T13:58:00.004-04:00

I wish I had discovered these diapers about 100 landfills ago. Harvey is nearing the end of his diaper career (sigh) thanks to his new favorite video Once Upon A Potty (click here to see it on you tube). Anyway, I stumbled upon these flushable, biodegradable diapers at Whole Foods yesterday and I am so very excited. The cost is very reasonable too. You have to buy the little "g pants" to get started $16.99 and then the refills are just a little more than regular diapers and without the guilt. I hope everyone jumps on this bandwagon and soon! Right now there are 50 million diapers going into the garbage daily not to mention the trailer trucks that could cart off the wipes.... Check out the cloth diaper blog which gives ideas on alternatives to using the disposable wipe (like using old flannel shirts). Harvey looks so cute in his little orange g diaper and the velcro stays on better so it might actually help resolve the taking-the-diaper-off-in-the-crib-and-going-pee-pee-in-the-crib problem we've been dealing with lately. I am so excited about these new diapers! I hope I can share this information with many more moms who want a guilt-free diaper journey. These diapers are available online too click here for gdiapers. (by the way, I am not getting paid for this advertising:)

Miles of Smiles!

2008-03-02T21:43:00.006-05:00

Top: Hannah, Joey, Charles
Middle - Sisters!: Helen, Sarah, and Genevieve
Bottom: Timothy, Jessica, Ceci and Harvey

I adored this night with family. I cherish this memory!

All Together!

2008-02-12T23:50:00.002-05:00

December 27, 2007
9 grandchildren
3 daughters
3 sons-in-law
1 grandma

missing - grandpa, son and grandson.

16 out of 19 ain't bad... actually it was such a miracle to get us all together. Joe cooked up the best ever batch of gumbo. Tim and Matthew recited poetry. Carols were sung. We even played a ridiculously fun game that involved a conducting-by-numbers whistle choir. grandpa was recovering from knee replacement and Damian and Eugene were out in California for Christmas. It was a no-tree year.

Back in Action

2008-02-11T23:34:00.002-05:00

To our faithful blog-readers: for better or for worse we are back. Here we are catching a bite of brunch at Dean's in Manhattan. I think this is about as good a family portrait we have gotten since H was 3 months old. Lot's to tell. We are off to San Antone this Saturday to have Christmas in February with Mombo. Other big news (other than the end of the writers' strike) is that next Thursday my boot comes off, hurrah! Harvey moved up to be with the Forget-Me-Nots at daycare today. Also, today was my first day driving around to lessons (I had to teach in-house for 4 weeks) and J was off to play at the Rodeo Bar with the Western Caravan. More later....

Twelfth Night at the Kunda's

2008-01-06T16:36:00.000-05:00

This party should get an award or something. "Best of Philadelphia - Fishouse Punch" Harvey stayed up WAY past his bedtime - his mother should be fired. But hey, I couldn't get a babysitter. Joe was pretty innovative. He went into the TV/tree room where there were a lot of teens watching the football game and announced, "I need two people who want to make 5 bucks each for the next hour to keep an eye on Harvey" Every hand in the room shot up. What a smart dad!!

eBay is for Gimps?

2007-12-31T19:07:00.000-05:00

eBayer: there's a title I never thought I would have.

Joe to Geneveive: "She's in the other room ebay-ing."

Seems like borderline activity.

It is.

Definitely for people with a LOT of time on their hands.

Definitely addictive.

A fun way to make your useless crap seem more valuable.

Global Flea Market.

What cracks me up is that I have a listing that has 4 "watchers" 1 bid and I have already gotten a question from a potential buyer in Bretagne, France who wants to know the shipping costs to France and could I please send her a photo of the soles of the boots?

What possessed me to go into the miscellaneous chat room on eBay to keep up with the latest buyer-seller disputes? Funny thing is that everyone is doing their damnest to protect their feedback rating profile. Green "donuts" are positive FB (feedback) and red "Donuts" are a cyber-scarlet letter. One seller was so horrified that her "packaging reputation" was marred because one of the 6 glasses she sent arrived damaged and though the buyer awarded her a green donut for "good customer service", this OVERACHIEVING EBAYER was VERY STRESSED OUT! It reminds me of my days in high school when, as Freshmen, we were so concerned about maintaining our perfect GPA, that we were constantly calculating and figuring our cumulative average and class rank; as if it really mattered.... Even funnier was that at least 6-7 folks in the eBay community were telling her not to worry and that 10 years from now nobody would care and that she should "move on".

Whole different world out there.

When I set up my profile, I realized how "naked" my reputation is. NO FEEDBACK! What if people won't buy from me? Well, everyone has to get started sometime, right? I started to feel this subtle jealously for the "power sellers" on eBay the sellers with a fb of 99.7% positive and 1137 "unique" positive feedbacks. Then I saw an option on the profile page. It said

Create your eBay BLOG

It was then that I realized that I had hope. So I wrote a few sentences about how this is my "First Day Off the Job" and I am excited to start my new "eBay career". Funny thing is, that I have more comments on eBay wishing me luck and good health in one day than I have gotten in a few weeks on blogspot!

Whole different world out there.

oh, and just in case your looking for some fashionable patent leather pumps.... click here for my eBay listings!

Keeping Warm Thoughts...

2007-12-28T03:07:00.001-05:00

I realized tonight, that our faithful blog-readers didn't get a fair dose of Texas this year. Given that we were supposed to be in SA both this week and next, I am going to treat us all to an impromptu cyber visit to the Lone Star State. This is my first time around with One True Media and I can't figure out how to do the music, so feel free to hum the Oscar Peterson tune of your choice (may he rest in peace, dear soul), I picked Bye Bye Blackbird.

I also couldn't figure out how to do the captions. Below are highlights of our Texas vacation in August 2007:

Scene 1: Lunch at Blanca's with Baby
Scene 2: Playdate with Rosemary and a trip down sepia-toned memory lane
Scene 3: Harvey practices for his next gig
Scene 4: Genevieve takes Harvey to the Childrens' Museum. Harvey bakes a pie with a little help...
Scene 5: Tasty peach pie
Scene 6: Joe's gig at the Continental with Elana and friends
Scene 7: H puts on shoes, getting ready to go home
Scene 8: Back in PA - we had a "grape" time! (sorry, bad pun, but aren't those grapes divine? I do declare that they look rather biblical)

By the way, I am on heavy doses of Percodan and Advil to manage sugery pain. This has caused cloudiness of my brain function and increased daytime sleepiness - hence the 3:30 AM posting and inability to figure out how to keep up with the latest blogger technology. PS Thanks KKH for the idea to do this. I LOVED yours!

Free MySpace slideshows, photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Foot Notes

2007-12-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

The Extensor hallucis longus is a thin muscle, situated between the Tibialis anterior and the Extensor digitorum longus that functions to extend the big toe, dorsiflex the foot, and assists with foot inversion. Wow! That's a pretty important tendon. I met with Dr. Wapner, the great foot and ankle surgeon, on Friday and he scheduled me right away to have my EHL tendon repaired at Pennsylvania Hospital (founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1751) on Wednesday.

Laura(to Dr. Wapner) : So I guess I won't be going to Texas on Monday...

Dear Joe and Harvey stayed in PA with me to help me get through this ordeal. I told them they should just go without me (I've been getting kinda grouchy lately) and that I could stay at my mom's post-op. (Of course, I really didn't want us to be split up on Christmas!)

We had a beautiful Christmas morning with all the presents that Santa brought. Harvey loved tearing off the wrapping paper - one little piece at a time! Joe gave me a Scrabble game to help stave off boredom. Harvey liked his new car book with wheels on it. He has been showing his Curious George doll (his new best friend - poor Frosty and Paddington got the shaft) how to play the piano on his new toy keyboard which, by the way is a perfect fifth sharp. How is H supposed to develop perfect pitch when these tone-deaf toy manufacturers keep messing up the notes?

Joe is organizing the closet we just had fixed. What a mess. Why do we have two tunnels, two strollers, etc.? Stuff really piles up with a kid in the house!

Meanwhile, I am catching up on reading Doctor Zhivago for book club and adjusting to slowing things down. I have been busy getting so much stuff ready - bills, paperwork, Fontainebleau Bulletin, etc. Somehow this whole "getting ready" business reminds me of week 40 of pregnancy. Ahh memories!!

I promise to have pictures up later.

My Left Foot

2007-12-21T00:02:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the BIG day with the BIG TOE guy of Foot and Ankle surgeons in Philadelphia. Harvey will be excited to get an extra day of day care at the Childrens Garden. The babysitter reported to me tonight that Harvey was reluctant to leave his playmate at the end of the day. Tomorrow will be his last day with the "little sunflowers". In January he will move upstairs to be with the older tots in the "Forget me nots" room. Joe is coming home on an early Amtrak tomorrow morning. What a tough week it was running around to foot doctor appointments and MRI and sitting on the telephone waiting forever to get through to Dr. Wapner's office. After 30 minutes on hold, I got the receptionist and accidentally pushed the wrong button and hung up. Called again. 20 minutes. Hello, can I get an appointment to see Dr. Wapner. First available is end of January. I tell her about my torn tendon and my limp big toe. She says she'll talk to the doc when he gets out of the OR to try and get me in "real quick". 6 hours go by. I talk to more people who sing the praises of Dr. Wapner. I call back. 15 minutes. I ask if I have a chance of getting an appointment. She tells me to come in on Friday at 1:30 and gets all of my insurance info. Fingers crossed that I will get a surgery appointment very soon. The MRI result showed a completely severed tendon with an approximate gap of 3 cm. The podiatrist informed me today that I need to get this done ASAP and that I will be on crutches for 4 weeks post-op. I just keep saying to myself - at least it isn't my hand...

Not-So-Happy Feet

2007-12-18T21:43:00.001-05:00

Just keep counting your blessings. All I can say is...I am so glad it isn't my hand. Yesterday I was walking along, minding my own business, contemplating which stickers to give out - the monkeys or the sparkle frogs, when I heard (and felt) a "SNAP" in my foot (think rubber band). I knew exactly what it was. The tendon in my left foot above the big toe snapped. Rewind two months to when a kitchen knife fell on my foot resulting in a dramatic trip to the ER, a few stitches, a special shoe and a few trips to the podiatrist. Stitches came out, shoe came off, a month goes by, do a few yoga sessions, experience a little too much tenderness in the area and a funny little bump and wonder if I should call the doctor. Too late! Now I cannot move my big toe. Today's trip to the doctor almost confirmed my worst fears: tendon is balled up above injury site and will require surgery to sew it back together. I say "almost confirmed" because the MRI will be done on Thursday.
L: What about San Antonio, Doc? We are supposed to get a flight on Monday? Should I get this done right away?
Doc: What day do you leave? (24th) When do you return?(2nd) ..... Well you could do it right when you come back provided that you get wheelchairs at the airport and stay off your foot as much as possible. I am actually going away next week and return on the 31st.
L: HMMMMMM. Anything bad that could come of waiting?
Doc: Well, I just don't want to see the tendon retract any further - it gets hard to have to start fishing around too far up. (UGH!)

To be continued...

Feeling Festive

2007-12-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, so obviously the picture wasn't taken in the last few days. I was so so proud of my flowering plant that lived into the month of November. Now of course we are dealing with rainy yucky weather; the kind where I don't feel like schlepping around in it with Harvey (who LOVES going with me on errands). Today he was very upset when I left without him - but it was just so miserable out!

It has been a rather festive weekend. Yesterday we had 20 piano students over and they all played Christmas Carols and duets. Everyone gathered around the piano for a hearty round of Jingle Bells, and then we ate fabulous Sant Ambroeus cookies from Madison Avenue and polished off a batch of my crystallized ginger cookies. Last night was the Aberwyck Christmas party and Harvey was quite the hit with all the senior residents. After a couple glasses of GLOGG, I played the piano and everyone sang about a zillion carols. Usually Joe is the one who heads up the entertainment, but he had to work last night. Today we all slept until 9:30 AM! I love Sundays around here lately. I have come to the point where I just don't want any commitments on Sundays. I love the down time. The New York Times, leisurely coffee, listening to records (Joe just fixed the turntable - Hurray!), Harvey being Harvey, etc. Today we got some good headway on the Christmas Cards. Joe calls it the "Christmas Card Sweat Shop". We also did a lot of around-the-house chores like putting up pictures and organizing closets. I even managed to polish the silver for the first time since before H was born. (It had gotten pretty nasty!) The icing on the cake was when we put some Christmas lights up in the living room. We decided not to get a tree this year for numerous reasons (I'll explain later) and so it hasn't really felt like Christmas, but putting the lights up gave me a festive feeling. Now all I have to do is find the Bing Crosby Christmas Album...

The Secret Life of the Babysitter

2007-12-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

I can't find the tablespoon. The bib is in the wrong place. Can't she at least clean up after Harvey's trails? Why are there toys in the middle of the hallway - which I tripped on and nearly caused yet another pain in my behind? How come the crib tent wasn't zipped up? The blinds weren't drawn. I can't risk having sunlight wake up my 8 AM snoozer... Another book cover was wrinkled and destroyed - which I neglected to shelve because it JUST ARRIVED!!

Joe to Laura: "Well maybe we should put the good books away so they don't get hurt"
Laura: "Yes, but he should have access to books. He has to be trained not to hurt books. ALL books should be treated like library books. Books are sacred. The babysitters need to catch him in the act and correct the behavior! Harvey needs to learn...."
Joe: "Honey, I am hungry. Can we talk about this after dinner?"

How come none of this ever happens on my watch? I don't consider myself supermom. But at least I can remember to turn on the sleep music CD. It is bad enough that my microwave smells permanently of artificial butter from that disgusting bagged popcorn they bring through here...

Yes folks, you got it. I am getting a really hard course in letting go. In all of the parenting books they prepare you for the crabby, sick, bored, hungry, stubborn and uncoordinated toddler. I expect him to test my patience. What the books don't tell you, however, is that if you are the kind of person that likes things a certain way (e.g.: always start with vegetables and protein and then save the starches and fruit for dessert otherwise carbohydrate baby will just stuff himself with pasta and have no room for the other good stuff.) then get ready to let it go. What was that book? Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and it's all small stuff.

Babysitters sometimes leave some cute tracks - like the scrap paper I found the other day with fancy wedding style handwriting: "Suzie and Jonathan; Rachel and Ben; Sarah and Aaron" (names have been changed to protect sitters from embarassment)

There is one cardinal sin that cannot be forgiven:

The nightly use of duct tape is NOT optional!

Last night the sitter neglected to tape up the toddler and when I went in to check on him at midnight,

(to my HORROR)

there was a poop stench in the air and a naked baby sleeping amongst dozens of little poop-lets (and a few big ones too. Sorry, I am not sparing anyone tonight). I quickly performed the necessary sugical proceedures (re-diapering, taping, de-pooping the crib, changing the sheet) and returned HS to his bed. Thankfully he slept through the whole thing. Harvey, please, please, won't you please keep your pants on???

n.b. If you are one of Harvey's beloved sitters, don't worry, we still love you. I just needed to blog this one out of my system.

I think we eat better than rabbits!

2007-12-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

Henri Rousseau, The Meal of the Rabbit, 1908

It was a blast of a weekend. Our friend Cindy was visiting from NYC. Friday night we kicked off with a late supper (Joe's red beans and rice and Cindy's mixed greens with Orange Muscat Champagne vinagrette) and played just about every song in Lullabies and Night Songs (music by Alec Wilder and full-color drawings by Maurice Sendak) while conducting taste tests of various ports from the liquor cabinet.

We spent Saturday afternoon at the Barnes Foundation which is one of the world's largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings, with extensive holdings by Picasso (46), Matisse (59), Cézanne (69) , Renoir (181) and Modigliani (11). Oh, and it happens to be in our neighboring township, Lower Merion. Did I mention that there are an eye-numbing 181 Renoirs!!!? It was founded in 1922 by Dr. Alfred C. Barnes (pharmacologist, chemist and M.D. ) who made his fortune off of Argyrol, an antiseptic silver compound he developed in 1907. If you want a REALLY good excuse to visit Philly (other than seeing master harvey) come be our guest and go check out the Barnes before it moves into center city. (controversial subject about why it is moving click here for the scandal and soap dish...)

We continued the day with a Tango concert at the Kimmel Center and then off to dinner at a local Trattoria (Grilled marinated vegetables, Osso Bucco, Seafood Risotto, Veal Scallopini and Tiramisu).

Sunday began with Cindy's granola, yogurt, fresh pomegranate (a new favorite for Harvey) and pineapple and a refreshing walk to the park where Harvey insisted on going down the wet slide that we had to dry off with the tissues in our pockets - oy! I guess we have to start bringing towels with us to the park during the drizzely season.

Last night we bookended the weekend with a Belgian film masterpiece- La vie en Rose (2007)with Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf and directed by Olivier Dahan and of course dinner (Frenched Pork Chops with herbs de provences, home-made Cranberry-Orange Sauce, Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto, Tiramisu ice-cream)

The only thing better than living...is living!

Harvey on a Horse

2007-12-10T22:35:00.001-05:00

Firsts updates: This photo was taken on Thanksgiving day in Berryville. Funny - there is always another first to enjoy. I read somewhere that one of the gifts of parenting is reliving our childhood joys. Another was the gift of unqualified love that we receive from our children. Still pondering what that means exactly...

First Pomegranate.

Word updates: apple tops the list. He probably says apple more than we say "five more minutes" every morning. Other new words: "diaper", "boat",

Activities of the week: picnics with Frosty and Paddington, putting the reindeer to sleep. Insisted on wearing his coat to bed (It has little cars on the front and HS LOVES cars).

It was a blast of a weekend. Our friend Cindy was visiting from NYC. We spent Saturday afternoon at the Barnes Foundation which is one of the world's largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings, with extensive holdings by Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir and Modigliani and it happens to be in our neighboring township, Lower Merion. 181 Renoirs!!!

Good Karma Food

2007-12-06T00:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I brought dinner to Christine, a mom who had a c-section a few weeks ago for child #3. It was a rather challenging task. I had to juggle all of the regular daily chores and myriad errands and then put together a balanced meal (while balancing Harvey), feed Harvey lunch, get him out the door to day care at 12:30 and get to my first student by 2:00 PM. I agonized over the menu and had to go to a few different grocery stores. Ironically, I wound up cooking with ingredients that I had already had in the kitchen because of time constraints. I even managed to roll out a few crystallized ginger cookies and bake them up just in time!
Joe's Chicken in his "secret" marinade
Rice dish with peas, onions, peppers, olives and tomatoes. Christine was so greatful to have a nice dinner. I felt so good giving it to her. It was truly a gift to give. When I was sick with Guillaime Barre Syndrome, a mother of one of my students brought me a dinner she had cooked. I will never forget how much it meant to me and how "balanced" it felt yesterday to move that good karma forward. In the last 24 hours a number of good things have happened. I can't help but think that this is no coincidence. What a miracle it was to hear the maintenance man knock on our door this afternoon with the new lumber for our dilapidated closet which has been in disrepair for almost a year! In this picture, Harvey is gazing at a Buddha statue in Berryville.

From Karaoke to Taci-oke

2007-12-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

Joe calls Karaoke the "Instrument of the Devil". No matter how good your voice, somehow you wind up sounding like crap on that microphone. Everyone seems to think they can do better than the last person. Do they put something in the drinks? Across the street is Taci, where everyone sounds sublime. Iya, Russian WonderWoman at the piano, makes it even better. The sinful chocolate desserts and incredible host Leopoldo (center) makes for hedonism to the max!

Date Night is KING!

2007-12-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

Once a month we live it up. Here was our last fab venture in Manhattan a few weeks ago. Joe's friend was living at his apt on and off while she waited for her Dec. 1st lease and in exchange gave us some babysitting "gift cards". I love date night. I never realized just how important it is. How can I describe the beautiful feeling of rejuvination. No worries. Just fun and fancy free. After dinner in Chelsea we joined some friends in the Village for Karaoke and then on to Taci for some bottomless glasses of vino, hugs from Leopoldo and unforgettable arias from up-and-coming stars of the stage. The best part was that we didn't have to drive home. New York - I LOVE having CABS!!!!!

Smokin' Good Time

2007-12-03T00:17:00.000-05:00

A Good Day...
8:45 AM Reveille. Listen for Harvey noises. Decide that coast is clear for "5 more minutes. Roll over and discover that Joe is already brewing fresh coffee.
9:00 Joe is standing in the doorway asking if we should let him sleep longer. "Bien sur! It is Sunday" Little coughs from the next room. Uh Oh! Saddle 'em up for breakfast.
9:30 Straighten up about a thousand things that Harvey has scattered about the house.
11:00 Prepare pancake breakfast for Josh and his daughter Mary Ann who is visiting from Dallas while she auditions for undergraduate voice.
12:00 Harvey entertains the guests and then we feast on blueberry flapjacks, sausages and fresh fruit salad.
1:00 Nap for H. Mary Ann sings Faure and I accompany her. General feeling of Bonhommie ensues.
2:00 Bon Voyage and then straighten up. H has managed to get stuff scattered again - very active child.
2:30 Throw in 2 loads of laundry. Make soup - onions, leeks, carrots, celery, bell pepper, parsley, stock, potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, green beans and milk. Discover more stuff that is out of place (compliments of H)
3:30 Fuss with kitchen and find a cool Christmas gift on Craigslist.
4:00 Admire the new glass recycling bin in our office (which is supposedly safe from H) - wait a minute...how did the Duplo blocks get in there?!?!?
4:30 Transfer clothes to dryer. Note that 75% of them are H related. Empty dishwasher. Discover that the cycle wasn't complete. Attempt to re-load the dishwasher. Did H turn it off mid-cycle?
4:45 Still straightening. Can't imagine that I haven't put everything back in place yet.
5:00 Peek into H's room and he's up and smiling at me. Scoop him up and cuddle. Joe walks in the door from the gym.
6:30 Family heads to Trader Joes for shopping and sampling.
7:45 Dinner (soup, crusty bread, pork chops and Sancerre). Begin a cool new tradition of keeping a wine journal. (More on that later!)
8:15 H plays with Frosty and Paddington - straps them into the stroller. Lays out all of the reindeer and covers them with scarves for blankets. Joe and I continue to eat.
8:45 Joe puts H to bed while I prepare the cheese course (cranberry goat, and morrocan spiced cheddar, pears, apples and grapes). "Honey...where's the Eucerin creme" "Harvey probably moved it" (It was under the changing table - and I vaguely remember him rolling it under there and I already had 10 things in my hands that had to be put away/straightened)
9:00 Desperate Housewives avec cheese course.
10:00 Watch more of the Dog Whisperer.
11:30 Time for blog, book and bed.
11:45 Still more straightening...oh forget it. H will just mess everything back up tomorrow!

Putting the Pieces Together

2007-11-30T23:46:00.000-05:00

Harvey said "Mombo" for the first time today. He's also getting pretty good at the puzzle thing. Yesterday he did a really hard wooden puzzler. Too hard to explain...will provide photo tomorrow. In music class today he put all of the reindeer to bed by putting scarves on top of them. He also likes to put his Paddington Bear to bed. We watched the Dog Whisperer tonight and are planning to give it to all of our dog-owning friends and family. It was quite an eye opener! It is on Friday nights at 8 PM on National Geographic. Check it out or get it on Net Flicks. In other news.... we are still trying to finalize our vacuum cleaner decision. It seems that you have to spend $400 or more to get the good ones. I am dreaming about the Miele. Joe wanted me to try the Electrolux Pronto. I got it...not convinced yet. I never had vacuum issues until H came along.

Is That a Toupee on Harvey's Head?

2007-11-29T00:43:00.000-05:00

We must have taken a million fantastic pictures of these boys last week. Joe, HS and I headed to Berryville, Virginia with our dear friend Jim from NYC for 4 days over Thanksgiving. It was such a relaxing time:

- Singing
-Jamming on the Gilbranson and the Steinway at Jim's sister's house.
-Eating luscious pears, fritatas, tortilla soup, smoked turkey, sweet potatoes and the endless treats that rolled out of Mary Jane's kitchen
-freely and openly discussing politics, books, religion, health-care and all those other "can't touch this" topics
-baking pies (pumpkin and key lime)
-Watching MAD MEN our new favorite TV show on itunes in glutonous quantities
-Luxuriating in the Bathtub after a well-deserved afternoon nap while Harvey slept.... (someday I will miss his 3 hour respites)

and (drum roll) star-gazing on the sacred mountain on a shivery night while we feasted on Jenny's fab paella.

I can only begin to recount the precious memories... There is a meditative peace and tranquility that surrounds me from the moment I set foot on the ground at M and MJ's house on Church Street. There is a feeling of empowerment, love and warmth when we visit. Oh and the wagon rides through the sleepy little town!!! Funny how I started up my yoga practice on the mat again the day before we left and have found my way back... Thank you Harvey for sleeping the WHOLE RIDE OVER and the WHOLE RIDE BACK!! I owe ya one, little guy:) Berryville: the place where dreams become true. Thanks for a beautiful time, Michael and Mary Jane. Let us pamper you sometime in our not-quite-as-sleepy town of Wayne, Pa!

Crib Tent

2007-11-28T21:09:00.001-05:00

Click to Play

Tough Day

2007-11-28T13:57:00.000-05:00

I had no idea how tough this would be. I guess I just assumed it would never happen to Harvey. One of the kids bit him at play group. Unfortunately we didn't even see it happen as there is a corner in the playroom with a blind spot. The other mom and I were totally shocked and didn't know what to do. I was biting my lip really hard, fighting back tears watching my little guy writhing in pain. The other mom was really embarassed. She hugged Harvey a lot and kissed his wound. She then proceeded to scold her child, tell him not to bite and that they would have to leave the play group. Her son was resisting strongly begging to be allowed to play as she marched him out the door. We hugged each other and said goodbye. She called later to see how Harvey was doing. When I came home, I found a good article on the subject. It was interesting to see what they recommended - which would have been a 3 minute time out from playgroup in this case and increased vigilance to prevent future mishaps. Unfortunately, everyone I have talked to seems to have a story about biting. I guess it is just one of those many unpleasant occurances that life is full of. I put this photo up here to cheer myself up. Yesterday HS pulled out EVERY SINGLE shirt from his drawer and insisted that we put them all on.

Hot as a Chicken

2007-11-01T00:32:00.000-04:00

Harvey in Chicken Couture Circa 2006

....and 2007

Old habits die hard. I am so used to putting many layers on underneath Halloween costumes to protect against the nippy night air. I think I overdid it this time. Poor Harvey was hot as a chicken when I took off his outfit! He was so exhausted from all that activity too and went right to bed. No wimpers, no jumping up, no babbling or talking, not a single stuffed animal was jettisoned from the crib. This boy was zonked!

The Continuing Adventures of Chicken Little

2007-11-01T00:25:00.000-04:00

Harvey went Trick-or-Treating all over the Aberwyck. Then we visited various friends to show off how well he still fits into his chicken suit! It is such a great costume. Underneath it he is dressed in flannel and corduroy to keep warm. My logic is a bit flawed here. It's not as though HS was trapsing about the streets of Wayne to collect his candies. We ended up at the Kunda's house eating chili and pumpkin pie - which we did last year - what a spook-tacular tradition. HAPPY HALLOWEEN HARVEY!

Halloween Part I

2007-11-01T00:17:00.000-04:00

It all started with the bag of candy they gave him at the Day Care. Harvey likes a good lolly!

Yellow Submarine

2007-10-12T14:04:00.001-04:00

Click to Play

Harvey makes his dancing debut at his 2nd birthday party while Linda Child plays the piano

Choices to Make

2007-10-03T23:25:00.000-04:00

Each child was only allowed ONE pumpkin...

Harvey Lane

2007-10-03T23:17:00.000-04:00

Big Day in the Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-03T23:16:00.000-04:00

It was SOOO fun and really cute. We went with Harvey's playgroup to Sugartown Strawberries in Malvern. What a cool place. We took a hayride and picked pumpkins, got lost in a childsize maze made out of corn, and then at the end, all of the children were given coloring books and a corn cob that we can make popcorn with. What a fun age this is! He really gets a kick out of all of this stuff.

Where's Harvey

2007-10-03T23:11:00.000-04:00

He got stuck in a dead end for a while and I had to go "bale" him out! Get it? Seriously though, these kids were TOO funny getting lost in the labyrinth of hay. All the moms were on the sidelines issuing maze advice to wayward toddlers and kindergarteners.

Tractor Troubles

2007-10-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

Our tractor driver had to cut our hayride short due to a little accident! She cut the turn too close to the fence and OUCH...the whole truck bed separated from the tractor. So we had to walk the rest of the way to the pumpkin patch - such adventure!

Perfect Pumpkin

2007-10-03T23:01:00.000-04:00

We walked around the pumpkin patch for about 5 minutes and I figured that I would have to pick a pumpkin for him, but then I saw him rush over and pick this one up. I was so happy to see that he has good taste in pumpkin-picking! In fact, the mother in me was convinced that he had selected THE BEST pumpkin in the lot:)

don't forget to BLOG the FROG!

2007-10-02T21:57:00.000-04:00

Look at the water wheel Harvey!

OOOH! says Harvey.....look at THAT mommy!
What is it?

OH! Now I see...

Precious Days

2007-10-02T21:49:00.000-04:00

We went to Chanticleer Gardens on Saturday. What a feast for the eyes and soul! Every view was a picture. Harvey loved it, but in a meditative sort of way. It was amazing to see him contemplate nature and become engrossed with the infinity that surrounds us. I can't wait to show this place to Mary Jane! I never realized what a haven exists in our backyard (literally only one mile from home). Scattered about were hand-carved foot bridges and adirondack chairs nestled in private coves. I hadn't taken Harvey before because I didn't feel like spending the $5 admission. Last week the Mothers of Young Children playgroup planned an outing here and informed us that a Wayne Library Card is the free ticket!

As He Grows...

2007-10-01T23:34:00.000-04:00

2nd Year Check Up

2007-10-01T23:23:00.000-04:00

Harvey had his visit to the pediatrician last Monday.

23 Pounds 12 Ounces (5-10 percentile)
34 1/2 inches (50 percentile).

I love the expression on his face here. I can't quite figure what it means. Any guesses?

We were told to look forward to "toilet control" after age 3 and that crib days will last for another year before we switch to a regular bed. He also told us that up to 8 oz. daily is PLENTY of milk.

The hard part was that the doctor told us that our next visit won't be for another year! I think we as parents are being "weaned" from doctor visits. I gues our little peanut is on his way!

Harvey's Birthday!!

2007-09-25T22:47:00.000-04:00

Today is Harvey's birthday!! He is two!! We're having a celebration on Sunday afternoon with cake and ratatouille. Harvey is 23 pounds 12 ounces and says "elephant" once in a while. He also reads the automotive section of the newspaper pointing at each and every "car". He routinely reads 8 or 10 books in a row pointing out "hats", "shoes" and, of course, "cars".

Good Cheer

2007-09-09T21:49:00.000-04:00

Finally! A picture without "the boy". I have been on a massive quest lately to catalogue pictures and purge the icky ones (i.e. the ones with double chins and alien eye as Joe calls it). I stumbled upon this one from Christmas at Rosemary's in 2005 and HAD to blog it.

Smasher of Sunglasses

2007-09-09T13:52:00.000-04:00

It is nearly impossible to expect that I will ever "catch up" on the blog. So for those of you who are my devoted readers, I will pledge to update the blog every single once in a while. That is actually a phrase that I coined when I was 8 years old. My older sister of 14 complained that I, the little brat, didn't help out with the dishes enough. "Yes I do," I countered. "I do the dishes every single... (long pause, searching for truth to tell)...once in a while!" At least I am honest.

About the title of this blog. Harvey is guilty of three acts of destroying sunglasses this summer. I was getting pretty good at haggling with the vendors at the Fontainebleau Outdoor Market to give me lower prices on my replacement sets of lunettes du soleil. Don't let this little person hold your glasses for a second. He LOVES to snap their little arms off.

Pictured with Harvey is violinist extraordinaire, Alicia Ciccone. They are across the street from the movie theater in F'bleau. It was a great session. More later.

Harvey's First Day at Nurserey School

2007-09-04T22:46:00.000-04:00

New Park, New Friend

2007-06-24T20:49:00.000-04:00

It was a dream come true. They put a playground in the "garden" park which is 1 block from our apartment. Harvey has been to the park every day since its groundbreaking on June 3. In fact he was getting familiar with the rides when there were still gaping holes in the ground and jagged-edged tractor-type machines lying around in the open. At this point I can't imagine the neighborhood being any more convenient. Gym, 2 groceries, CVS, park, movie theater, cafes, bank, post office, train, church and school are all within walking distance. Isn't it funny how both boys are wearing similar tie-dyed shirts? Harvey woke up crying and hot after his FOUR HOUR NAP. I had to wake him - and wished afterwards that I hadn't he was in such a snit... Tylenol seemed to do the trick. He was hot as a chicken, fingers in the mouth. New tooth....aha! I looked it up in the book. Secondary molars are supposed to come in at 20-30 months. Tomorrow he turns 21 months. Happy Solstace! Hi to your new friend Evan.

Making Messes and Maountains

2007-06-15T00:54:00.000-04:00

Ooops!

2007-06-15T00:36:00.000-04:00

Reach Out and Touch Someone

2007-06-12T23:21:00.000-04:00

When it comes to certain things, I am a cheapskate. I can't bring myself to get a long distance carrier for our hard line. It only saves me about $5 per month, but hey, I am already paying for the cell phones (count 3 - I had to add my parents onto the family plan....) and then there is the Vonage Phone (internet phone - only $26 a month for all the bells and whistles). Added up it is around $175 per month. The problem is that neither of these two plans are set up so that I can easily fax long distance (let alone France). I never realized how frustrating it is when you can't send a long distance fax. Okay, I know what you are thinking....you can scan the document as a PDF, blah blah blah. But I don't wanna do that. I just want a good ole-fashioned feed-the-paper-and-dial routine. Is that too much to ask. The other problem is WIRES. I want a wireless world. A world where everyone is free from entanglements. Harvey sees that as a really important life-feature as pictured here with his cordless phone talking to grandma.

Is This Harvey?

2007-06-09T09:03:00.000-04:00

Kid Food

2007-06-09T08:59:00.000-04:00

I am telling the mom that we are having a little musical gathering at our place on the 16th. Would Olivia like to come and play her Tarantella? It would be a great motivation for her to practice. Also, we're going to have food. I am cooking this really fabulous wild Mushroom Tart. I'm going to stop you right there, she says. That's gourmet! You have to serve stuff like pizza bites and chicken nuggets. You know….Kid Food! I am learning about kid food, I tell her.
I have soy nuggets in my freezer. She laughs and scoots out the door with child number 4…off to ballet! I guess after I learn the ins and outs of kid cuisine, it is on to the fine art of chauffeuring.

PS This week he proved that he can eat a whole bowl of Rice Krispies (organic, of course!) by himself with a spoon and most of it actually gets in his mouth. It is so sweet to watch him eat.

Musical Gathering

2007-06-05T22:26:00.000-04:00

About a month ago, Joe's student, Rebecca, hosted a beautiful event in her home in NYC for all of the other students to play. There was a lovely reception afterwards. Harvey slept through the whole thing (it was during naptime) We set up the pack n play in one of the guest rooms. He's pretty flexible that way. Afterwards a lot of people were still tickling the ivories and Harvey got the chance to be a real audience member. He walked into the room and plunked himself down on a chair and listened for quite a while! Then he became more adventurous and went for the piano to play duets with Pat.

Joey watches Harvey watching the Dog

2007-06-05T22:14:00.000-04:00

Harvey LOVES this dog. He even said, "Doggie"! I have never been a dog person and if you had asked me a year ago if I would EVER consider getting a dog, I would have looked at you like, "are you kidding?!" Last week I felt my heart change. After seeing what this dog, Chamuel (Chammy), has done for Ceci and the look of pure joy and excitement on my little boy's face, I actually think I would do something crazy and get a dog for Harvey ...when he's older, of course and can feed and take care of the dog. Gee...maybe I shouldn't be writing this down. What if I change my mind!

2007-05-31T00:05:00.001-04:00

A Day at the Park

2007-05-31T00:05:00.000-04:00

Two Guys

2007-05-30T23:53:00.000-04:00

Oh the Fox Went Out....

2007-05-29T21:37:00.000-04:00

Last night was so much fun. Family and friends gathered for food and singing and merriment here at the Aberwyck. Joe has been playing quite a bit of ukulele lately. Here we are with my mom singing The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night. My mother taught us the words to this when we were very young. The lyrics are a HOOT! Check out the link here. Harvey had fun too, but every now and then he decided that he had enough of the "adult" socializing and would run off to his room and play with his stuffed animals. I love that he has this little world that humors him and keeps him occupied. I wonder what he is saying? He has such animated conversations with the Learning Puppy and Paddington Bear. Later on, Harvey reappeared on the scene to get a few bites of the Chocolate Hazelnut Torte from the Piedmont. That was a big hit. He hasn't had cake since his birthday (as far as I know....he's sneaky, though). The party broke up aroun 9 or so and Joe and I settled in to watch our favorite new show The Riches on Fox.

At the Deshon's House....

2007-05-20T12:34:00.000-04:00

A Little Family History

2007-05-20T12:32:00.000-04:00

One of the stops we made coming back from Boston on Spring Break was to visit the Deshon-Allyn House in Connecticut. These were Joe's maternal ancestors who lived here. Harvey wanted to run all over the property, but there was a bit of a mud issue.

In Medford with Mark DeVoto

2007-05-15T00:16:00.000-04:00

I love this picture so so much. Mark was one of my music professors while I was an undergrad at Tufts who has made a profound influence on my life. He is a truly remarkable person! It was so great to finally have Harvey meet him. This photo was taken over spring break when we visited Boston.

Proud Parent

2007-05-13T21:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Mothers Day to all! What a great day we had. Today was the Annual Piano Recital. There were 49 performers and a lot of proud parents. Afterwards Joe and Harvey took me out for Chinese at Yang Ming in Bryn Mawr. There was something so special about the whole experience. Actually Chita and Peter joined us at this restaurant the night of Harvey's baptism. We were the only people in the restaurant that night because it was Super Bowl Night. Tonight there were THOUSANDS of people there because NO MOM's were cooking tonight:)

Pictured to the right is my dear friend Ceci and her new pooch that she got yesterday. His name is Chamuel. What a sweet soul! Congratulations Ceci!!!! We love you.

Family Photo in Boston

2007-05-01T23:03:00.000-04:00

Boy meets Girl

2007-05-01T22:58:00.000-04:00

Harvey and Ailinn are just a few days apart. Ailinn's mom, Jennifer and I sang in choirs together in High School and lost touch with each other for many years. As it turns out, Jennifer and Joe worked together at The Diller Quaile School and met for brunch one day. Joe brought me along to surprise Jennifer. (we hadn't spoken since High School!)

I was about 8 weeks pregnant with Harvey at the time and hardly anyone knew the news. About midway through the lunch, Joe and Jennifer both said, "There's something I have to tell you..." This is when they both spilled the beans that we were expecting! It was so funny about all of the parallels in our lives. We both teach private piano lessons (Jennifer teaches voice too). We have composers as partners and babies who were born within days of one another.

Jennifer and I get together everytime Joe and Harvey and I go to NYC. We go to parks and museums and of course B&N. One day she brought Ailinn over to Joe's building and we just let them run up and down the halls to get their exercise. It is such a sweet coincidence that we reconnected after all this time.

Car!

2007-05-01T22:44:00.000-04:00

This photo was taken on spring break from the second floor of the Barnes and Noble on the Upper West Side. In Manhattan when the toddlers get stir crazy on a cold day, the mommies and nannies head for the Barnes and Noble kids' section. It is such a zoo of babies and young children in there - I don't think the suburbs have the same scene. Kids parked all over the place reading books (and reshelving them on the floor or maybe even in the bin that they leave out for book collecting) There is a woman who works there who is constantly rounding up books and tidying up the joint. She is a saint and definitely loves children. Harvey loves cars. In fact, he's one of the only kids in there who is NOT reading a book. Harvey goes immediately to the window and presses his nose up to watch the cars. "Cah! Cah!" he says.

103 Degrees

2007-04-23T23:45:00.000-04:00

It's been a tough day. Poor little Harvey has had a temperature since Sunday night. I called the pediatrician tonight. He said to keep giving him Tylenol and if the temp doesn't go down that we could try Ibuprofen (baby Advil). He explained that the viruses going around have temps that spike up to 105 and fluctuate down to 101. He was kind of slow all day and very cuddly. He even sat through all of "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", Someday (from MJ and M) and There's a Wocket in My Pocket! It didn't help that our building still has the furnace on. We actually turned the AC on in his room and put luke-warm compreses on his forehead, arms, legs and torso. The doc said to not force the cool baths and compresses if he rejects them because then he would shiver and cause his temp to go even higher. He's had a runny nose for the last several days. Fortunately his appetite is still okay although he fell asleep before finishing his grapes at dinner tonight. It makes me want to cry. I hope he kicks this thing off by tomorrow or we'll have to go to the Doctor on Wednesday. Joe said, "He's so hot that you could cook an egg on his tummy!"

The Big Apple

2007-04-14T16:24:00.000-04:00

NYC was so much fun. Once again Harvey slept in the closet. We took long walks everyday up and down Broadway and Amsterdam stopping at Zabars, Filene's Basement and tons of little shops. We also frequented the playgrounds in Central Park. My heart was in my throat half of the time as he maneurvered around the jungle gyms and sliding boards (he likes to go face down, feet first). It was interesting to note that all of the other kids were with caregivers that were speaking a second language. NYC is a bit of a foreign country!

Pediatrician Update

2007-04-14T16:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we took Harvey for his 18 month check up. 21 pounds 5 ounces (5%)
32 3/4 inches (50-75%)

Dr. King asked us how many words Harvey has in his vocabulary. I said 5. Joe thinks is is closer to 10.
Up
Red
Car
Hot(ch)
Daddy
Mama
(Bye) - he hasn't said it in a long time
(What) - hasn't said this in a while either
(What's that) - same!
Last week he started to say "hotch" for hot food. Last night he changed the "hotch" to "hot".
I couldn't believe how much screaming there was during the checkup, but there wasn't any anticipatory crying or upset when we got off of the elevator. The next check up is in September for his 2nd birthday. Wanna bet he will think of the doctor as the "Shot-Man"

In the mirror I can see
A copycat who plays with me

I wriggle my nose,
He does too.

His mouth gets round
When I say "Boo!"

Who is this copycat
that plays with me?

This copycat I see is ME!

Zoo Two

2007-04-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

We had two weeks off from teaching. After a few days of NYC we headed north (brrr!) to Boston where Harvey enjoyed his second Zoo trip in Jamaica Plain. We stayed with our friends Cathy and Ron in Roslindale and Harvey bonded with their 3 kids. He especially liked trying to keep up with the older boys Cooper (4) and Henry (7). They had so many toys that he wasn't interested in trying to go up and down the stairs!!

Again...at the piano

2007-04-10T23:23:00.000-04:00

People are going to think that all he does is play the piano. Actually he uses the piano to climb up and reach better things, like the printer, the metronome, pictures with glass frames and all of the other items we USED to put on top of the piano to keep safe from the baby. He's getting pretty tricky and strong too. He is pictured here at Debi's Bechstein in NYC. He's growing too. Today he tried on his new size 4 pampers cruisers. The size 3 diapers were leaving red marks on the skin (too tight!) I also packed up another big shopping bag of 12 month onesies and long sleeve shirts that ride up on his belly and only reach to his elbows. His trousers are 12 months and everything else is now up to 18-24 months.

Spring Break Kick Off

2007-03-24T23:44:00.000-04:00

Tonight was so much fun! Joe and I took Harvey to Barbara and John's house for dinner. Harvey was so funny at the table. At one point I looked over and noticed that he had his hands clasped around the bulb of my wine glass and had the edge of the glass positioned at the ready on his lips everyone at the table witnessed this simultaneously, observing the red liquid easing its way down toward his mouth. Fortunately Joe was able to fetch the glass from him just in the nick of time. Barbara served us chocolate bunnies for dessert in anticipation of Easter. We came home and put the babe to bed (the little WINE-O or should I say WHINE-O) and we have been going at it with the duet books for the last hour or so. I love playing orchestral music that is reduced for four-hands such as Mozart's Overture to the Marriage of Figaro and the Grieg Anitra's Dance from the Peer Gynt Suite. Also a ton of fun are the Brahms Hungarian Dances - such DRAMA-packed music and completely sight-readable. We will definitely have to bring these books to Berryville when we come to visit right before Easter. (!)

Who needs Doctors when we have Babies!

2007-03-18T00:59:00.000-04:00

There is nothing like the healing power of baby smiles, mirth and laughter. I have been stuffed up, coughing, sneezing and generally just slogging my way through this miserable cold. But being with this little guy is so theraputic - like a shot in the arm.