Keeping Warm Thoughts...

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

My Left Foot

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...

I think we eat better than rabbits!

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!

Is That a Toupee on Harvey's Head?

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!

Tough Day

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.

New Park, New Friend

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.

In Medford with Mark DeVoto

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.

Boy meets Girl

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.

Zoo Two

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!!

Oh, the places we went!

It was a terrific week in New York City. It was actually an experiment of sorts; to see if we could manage with Harvey in a 350 square foot apartment overnight. The walk-in closet was big enough to just squeeze in the pack-n-play. Harvey seemed to like his snug quarters. The first night he didn't fall asleep for a while because he found the pull-cord to the light (unbeknownst to me) and was having a toddler-good time of it. on. off. on. off. (repeat ad nauseum). The next day we met with Jennifer and her daughter Ailinn (who is Harvey's age) at the Museum of Natural History. The entranceway was overcrowded with $879 Bugaboo Strollers and their respective tots and nannys. Once we were ensconced in the Whale Room, life was good. Dozens of couped up toddlers ran freely, while mommies and nannys chatted and scurried to scoop them from steps and exit paths. What a great trick for New York moms in compact living arrangements on rainy snowy wintery days! It was cute to see him making friends with all of the other little children. At one point he spied a baby nursing with his mom and went right over to try and get in on the action. (Apparently he hasn't forgotten those days completely:) Afterwards we treated ourselves to a $15 lunch in the overpriced food court. (I guess they have to make up for the $1 entrance fee somehow...) Harvey was in HOG HEAVEN however with pasta salad and fruit and panini bread. Afterwards, we returned to our shoebox apartment and Harvey went right to the closet and fell fast asleep. So far we are digging New York!

Harvey's 1st Pedal Steel Lesson

Brown Bear with Uncle John

Farewell

This was Harvey with Michelle on her last night with him. Michelle moved to Rochester last week. We will miss her youth and vitality. Thanks Michelle! We love you. Thanks for making a difference in Harvey's toddlerhood.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Harvey Chez Delloye

He loved dining al fresco and was always curious to try new foods: yogurt, roast beef, apricots, croissants and the list continues to grow. Yesterday he ate figs - a big hit!

NYC Social Scene - Making the Rounds with...

Kirstin

Eleanor

Tony

Linda

Betsy

Mary

Andrew

Andy

Geoff

Are You My Mother?

Somebody commented that boys start young...