lark&parcel

and suddenly, she's two.

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 01:57:00 +0000

{a drop of golden sun} party

this child.

she has been the sunlight in our lives, even from day one. she's been such a pleasure to parent, even in the tough moments. i don't pretend to think that "two" is going to be easy, but some patience+GKGW+some deep love for this little Rae has to make it an adventure. we can't get over the kindness and/or funniness that she has, stroking our arms on her own sometimes, saying: "ahhh mama" or saying "daddy, poot, funny"--she's got her priorities straight. she helps clean. she likes to be creative. she always wants us to be around. she loves her babies. she loves her cars and her colors and balloons.

so, we celebrated her turning two with a saturday brunch with the most important requirements: good food and playtime. our friends nicole and brian were kind enough to lend us their bouncy house, and it was surely a hit. the basement was a veritable three ring circus of play-doh, bouncing, and parents refereeing the Cosy Coupe. fun for all!

perfect mini pancake stacks by the Grammy

buckets of beverages

cute friends {like Hunter!}

tons of good food.

pear bread, pumpkin bread, bagels, maple pecan butter, bacon, turkey sausage, bird's nests (hashbrown mini miracles), grilled breakfast pizza, fruit + marshmallow dip, pumpkin baked donut holes, mini quiches, cinnamon rolls, cardamom espresso cinnamon rolls, morning glory muffins, chocolate chip coffeecake, chocolate chip biscoff scones, lemon truffles, cinnamon french toast bake, fluffernutter cupcakes.

friends!

front and center: lauren's cinnamon french toast bake.

the Grammy cake. I tried to "fancy it up" with some fondant--terrible idea. should leave the classics alone. it at least did nothing to impair the flavor, just the looks.

she wasn't so sure about that fire-sparking-candle thing.

loved the Grammy cake. she ate the cake and left the icing. it's okay, we complement each other--i ate it.

the girl with her yellow balloon. i believe that we've started a tradition of 3+ foot balloon, one for each year. last year was one...this year we had two... by the time she's 18 we'll have to make sure the mailbox is rooted in cement.

i love that "r". totally bought it for her new "big girl" room.

we couldn't leave the grilled pizza off the menu.

this time it was the breakfast edition, and boy, it will see an encore.

we're so grateful for a happy, healthy little two year old. we're tremendously grateful for great family and friends who celebrate with us. it was a wonderful day, spent catching up with friends, eating and eating some more, and letting the kids "have at it". I could not have done it without Phil's help, and Grammy and Papa were instrumental in helping us pull this off.

Looks like that drop of golden sun affects a pretty large group of people :)

we love you, rae!

18 months

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:56:00 +0000

this just sums up Rae's quirky individuality so perfectly. her favorite things right now: headbands and avocado. she also say 40+ words. i kid you not. she will be reaching her 2012 goal of pronouncing "loquacious".

the wonderful world of Disney 2012

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0000

We had the privilege of traveling to Florida right after Christmas for a trip to Disney with the Douglass side of the family. It was a great time! We were all together in a rented house (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and it was a never-ending chorus of fun and excitement!

Our first day took us to Universal, where we loved Seuss Landing. We took Rae on her first ride on The Cat in the Hat. She was definitely not sure about it when the seat we were in started whirling like the Tilt-a-Whirl, and it got all dark. Thing 1 and Thing 2 were too many Things, too. All in all, though, the carousel was a sure hit.

And so was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where Phil and I rode the Dragon Challenge ride. The counter said 10 minutes' wait time, but really they meant it was a 10 minute walk, literally! We walked right on to the rollercoaster, but had to cover some serious ground beforehand. It was a blast, and I loved the whole set up for Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Call me a geek/nerd/dork, I love it. Every minute was super fun. We went from there into Jurassic Park, and that was great, especially Camp Jurassic. We were able to do some hands on climbing, strolling, and running around in there (it's kind of like a big jungle gym). We enjoyed the sweet food deal at Universal since you can purchase a wristband for $20 and eat-all-you-can all day. And everyone else with you. We ended up feeding 13 people (+2 babies) for $60. Not a bad deal at all! We went back to Seuss Landing toward the end of the day where our daughter sat down in the water in the little "If I Ran the Zoo" park, she loved it so much.

We met our friends at SeaWorld the next day. If it weren't so cold, that would have been super fun, although the company you keep makes everything bearable (or not). We have some great friends: Bryan, September, and Nola were in from Missouri, and Ryan, Sara, Sadie and Paul are Florida natives that we are blessed to know. We stayed with the Baumans before we left on our cruise in September, and we had known them literally seven hours previous to that. Good friends introduce you to other good friends. It's a fact.

SeaWorld was, of course, full of sea creatures, which Rae found very exciting. She was out of sorts most of the day, but found some smiles for the dolphins (and her mom cried during the dolphin show) and she definitely loved the fish (popping lips). Not at all related, we ate at Texas de Brazil that night, and I've never had a garlic sirloin like that, ever. It was the stuff of dreams.

We took on the Magic Kingdom on Sunday, after a day of shopping for warmer clothes. Thankfully, the weather reconsidered and it was much warmer the rest of the week. We enjoyed going to Magic Kingdom, but like I said, Rae was still out of sorts (maybe from teething, traveling, lack of naps, parenting?..) so the highlight of her little day was the balloon we got her. I should have followed my gut and bought the crazy thing hours beforehand, but it did the trick regardless. She did like the parades and shows we stopped to see, and it was fun to see all the sights. It seemed that the tough thing was keeping our little traveler in her stroller since there really isn't a good space to play (like at Seuss Landing or Camp Jurassic). I also managed to lose her shoes twice, and my ticket once, but happily everything worked out fine in the end. Just a scatterbrained mommy.
One of our favorites, though, was Epcot, which we saw the next day. It was beautiful and pretty quiet, and we walked straight up to Rae's favorite character, Marie (in France, of course). She loved seeing the "Kiiieee".

We also saw Aurora, Aladdin and Jasmine, and Pooh, Goofy, Mickey, Chip and Dale, and Pluto because we happened to catch the characters before they left on a break, and were told when they would be back, so we waited for them. We were first in line.

I have to say, that was a highlight. I look more excited to see Mickey than my baby, although now "Miii Mi" on tv is pretty exciting to her, and she wants to watch these videos on my phone over and over.

Our three-way tie for first place in favorite parks included the last one: Animal Kingdom. Rae did great watching the Lion King show and we had a blast going on the safari! The Expedition Everest ride was fun, so fun that our niece Lily rode it three times. Dinoland was fun, and Rae really liked the Triceratops Spin ride. We made it to another parade, and back into some of the wildlife areas to see the gorillas, hippos, monkeys, and other animals.

We were so blessed to spend time with family and great friends in our nine days in Florida. It was a great time and we count ourselves so lucky! Hopefully, we've documented it well enough for Rae to appreciate her first visit to "where dreams come true".

christmas past

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:05:00 +0000

I did a terrible job doing anything with Christmas pictures and posts, so here is a quick attempt to make up for it. We had a terrific photo shoot with a home-for-the-holidays best friend, and her camera magic was as-always a sure hit. We sent off a lighted {biodegradable} lantern, and it was a hit with our 15 month old. and me. {just being honest!}

We also took some pretty, informal pictures of Rae, but just trying to get her to stay where I put her is a tremendous challenge. In short, these are the best of the bunch.

Thanks JSS!! You're the best.

Merry post-Christmas and happy new year!

fav at 17. months, that is.

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 04:10:00 +0000

Rae is officially 17 months old. How did that happen? It’s amazing because life seems to be just that much more wonderful and complex since adding her to the mix. I loved life before, and now I love my life even more. It has taken on new meaning and delights. Just think: your life changes when you have a baby, but no one mentions that it doesn’t have to be a bad change. You instantly think selfishly: “I’ll not have time for myself anymore” or “we will have to stop doing fun things” but really that’s not what you find yourself thinking once it’s happened. You drive home from a long day at work excited to see a tiny person say “MOOOm, momomom!” {or daaaaDEEEE!} It is the feeling of being an immediate comfort and a delight to something else, and the best part is, it’s yours. Rae has been the best, and most fun we could ever have hoped for; we are grateful we have her each minute. Praise God.

Here’s a list of our 17 favorites, current trends, quirks….

1. Crossed ankles. Still.

2. Her delight in an old photo album. She carries around a light, random album of photos from about the time when Phil first joined the Air Force. It is her favorite thing to flip through all the pages.

3. Jewels. She wears no less than at least 4 necklaces. Heaven forbid if mommy has one on and she does not.

4. The Kitty. (KEEE-eee!!!) the highest pitch you can imagine. Good thing Luna is a good sport.

5. Pasta. The girl can eat.

6. Books. If You Give A Pig A Pancake. Not sure how I feel about the greedy pig, but she loves it.

7. Animal sounds. Just ask her what a cow says. MMMMMMMMO. Heavy on the M-oh. Or the lion {my personal favorite}.

8. Mirrors. Circles. Dancing. She’s got skillz. Shout-out to Miss Dana in the clip :)

9. Reading in the car. She just needs a few to look through, and she always holds it the right way and thumbs from page to page, left to right, just the way it’s supposed to be done. (don’t worry, I took this picture using the backwards camera feature on my phone and the rearview mirror—I’m a safe driver, even at stop lights).

10. Pulling the towels off the rack. Just because it’s fun. I think it’s because she likes to see what’s cooking in the oven.

11. Ponytails.

12. Cooking. {i.e. big messes} She likes to have a little menagerie of rice, cheerios, water, and mini utensils to “cook” while I’m cooking at the stove. It’s fun and it’s messy.

13. Words & Copying. She is saying So. Many. Words. Kitty {her first}. Cheerios, blueberries, love you, mommy, daddy, Ky, car, upstairs, outside, pasta, Papa, Gigi, hi, book, “A, E” {the alphabet song}, lion, cow, pig, sheep, doggie {she barks} and fish {she pops her mouth like a fish}.

And it changes daily.

14. Tip Toes. She’s just discovered her feet can lift her higher. She’s trying to get the gist of jumping next.

15. The swing, and loving to be outside. WHEEE WHeee!

16. Kisses. Open mouthed or blowing kisses.

17. Being friendly with others i.e. I can still drop her off at the nursery and she doesn’t like it, but she’s brave and will get report cards that say: “Played, Interacted with the Other Children”.

Best thing ever.

whims may take me...clementine muffins

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:10:00 +0000

on a whim, on a dark snowy night, my sister and I felt the need to bake something sweet. We had the ingredients for a recipe I had recently pinned on Pinterest, from my new muse: The Novice Chef. Jessica had posted this amazing recipe alongside her wonderful pictures, and a particular one caught my eye.

(photo courtesy of The Novice Chef blog)

My mind started going, and I thought it looked as if Jessica had baked those darling muffins INSIDE the clementine peel.

gasp.

What a great idea!!

I pinned that recipe straightaway, with the note "could I bake them inside the peel?" and promptly my pin was copied by 47 others.

Anyway, we were presented the opportunity to try out the theory tonight, and I must say it was a great success!!

One of the best features of a clementine is its easily peeled skin. We cut these in half, and just carefully pulled out the soft segments in one. These were lovely, larger clementines from Morocco, purchased at our local farmer's market.

Here you can see the peel formed to the pan, with a flat bottom and curved sides. I peeled one away to inspect (ie. taste!) the difference in texture, and was pleased to find out that the muffin baked within the peel was delicate and soft, delicious, not overly clementine-y from the oils in the skin. It peeled nicely, too, without losing too much of the flesh of the muffin.

I continued with the recipe, and glazed and "blinged" the muffins out with a citrus glaze and zested sugar, and with all that flavor going on, you might think they would be overboard. They are not. They couldn't be any more delightful, and the peel just makes you feel ever so clever.

Try it!

culinary tour 11.11.11

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Most people who know me, know I'm a planner. I love lists, and I've had one on my computer for over a year called "New York Culinary Tour". I had accumulated a bunch of places that were either recommended by some Food Network chef, a friend, or on a blog or website. I came to find out a spectacular girl I worked with (Lauren!) also loved food and food places, and she offered to go on this mad, whirlwind tour with me. This was not for the faint of heart, and again, if you know me, you know that we don't vacation, we travel. Meaning: we see absolutely as much as we can and do as much as we can in the time we have. (Hello, we've toured 5 countries in one day.) This was a planned 14+ stop visit to the Big Apple, and I'm happy to say we conquered it. We left on the 8am train from Hazlet bound for Penn Station...

The fun started at Doughnut Plant, inside the Hotel Chelsea. I had read about this pastry sensation and had wanted to score a square doughnut for myself. I chose wisely, picking a peanut butter banana offering from their "yeast" menu. I brought one home for Phil, a "blackout" from their "cake" menu, and his was better. Dark chocolate and all, you know. They have about the most amazing assortment.

We had to stop at the New York Cake and Baking Supply Co. I came out with a few odds and ends of things. You know, important essentials.

I have always wanted to see the Flatiron Building, so this was stop #3 on our agenda. It was a gorgeous morning and the sun did everything it could to add some grandeur to this timeless building.

Eataly is conveniently located on the same block as the Flatiron Building, so we were able to combine lots of attractions without walking too far (it's all in the planning! lol).

Gelato Bar

The market at Eataly is amazing. There are lots of interesting sections to browse, and all of it sports a cool warehouse/carrera marble combination. Beautiful.

Wouldn't you like to try something, just to watch it be made?

Lauren approved the fresh, unpasteurized milk.

Apparently, "Bah-ram-ewe" isn't always going to work :(

Butcher counter

Bread! I came home with a loaf of rustic fig, and it was wonderful.

Fresh pasta

Fresh fruits and vegetables! I found black garlic and was super stoked to try it. It's been making appearances in several of our dishes, and most noteworthy was its addition to our family favorite: rigatoni.

Loved the set up in Eataly, this in particular was a wine/salad pairing where you stood at sampling tables.

How would you ever choose?

Spicy soppressata, please.

The cold caprese sandwich was incredible. It had house-made fresh mozzarella, a yellow heirloom tomato, a basil-infused olive oil and salt flakes. Salt flakes?

They rocked my world. You wouldn't think they'd make that much of a difference, but the salt flakes made the sandwich.

From Eataly, we crossed a few streets in search of the Coolhaus truck. I was following them on Twitter, so we were able to find them in the midst of the NYC Veterans' Parade.

We tried the Sweet Potato ice cream with a spiced pumpkin cookie, and the Nutella with snickerdoodle. Yes, it was November, and yes it was cold, but it was gooooood.

Our next stop after the ice cream truck was to Zara. I got Rae a Christmas present, and we walked back over to Union Square GreenMarket. It was amazing. The vendors and the varieties available in the city really is incredible. I had sumac tea, Lauren had Hot Pear Cider. Hers was better. We bought a few items like handmade pretzels, and made our way to the metro. I didn't take any pictures :(

Motorino was slated by the New York Times to be some of the BEST pizza in New York. I had to find out, and wow, yes, that's right. I loved the thin crust, the fresh cheese, the delicious sauce, and the place! It was so super cute, and honestly, the pizza was just amazing. Soft, foldable, dripping...yum!

We went next door to S'Mac for a takeout since we had eaten more pizza then we had planned. of course. We ate the Four Cheese the next day, and it was good. Not as good as some baked macaroni though.

We then had an impromptu stop at a thrift store we both of us bought some things (as if we had room!) and then our foot tour took us right past another store we had considered going to: Broadway Panhandler. This was actually much more my speed than the Baking Supply Co. and it had some really cool and unique items. I got quite a few Christmas presents there. and not for me! Next up was a different, more touristy site

Washington Square Park

So I saw August Rush, whatever. :)

It was beautiful and so cute overrun with kids doing anything to be busy and playing outside.

City moms have it tough.

Chelsea Market: Home of the Food Network.

Naturally, on a food tour, we'd stop there, right?

We did some shopping there at Chelsea Market Baskets and Buon Italia, and added a few more Christmas items to our overflowing backpacks, along with some herbs and spices that were cheap at the market.

Happy Veterans' Day!

And, to top it all off, stop number 14, Mood. I happen to like Project Runway, and I've always wanted to shop at Mood. I needed five different fabrics--something fun and cool--and within the 30 minutes we had to shop, I got them all. Projects to come later :)

We ate at the Pig N'Whistle, and stopped for some much-needed Starbucks before leaving on the 8pm train bound for Hazlet. It was amazing that we accomplished the whole day's agenda, but we did!

he came named

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:05:00 +0000

In 2003, I worked at a horse farm; I did everything—you name it—including mucking out every one of the 30+ stalls every day. I often had a little friend with me, a black and white kitty that was full of vim and vigor. He would ride on the “prow” of my wheelbarrow and occasionally jump up on my back for a rest. He would try to stop the flow of water when the hose dripped in the barn, batting at it with his perpetually-bright-white paws. It was so cute that it would dribble past him, and he’d back up and scramble to put a “stop” to the “creature”. His history was tragic; his little siblings were killed in a car engine when they crawled into the engine block for warmth. Lucky, however, was found in time and hence the name: Suerte. He didn’t keep the cultured form of his name, though, due to a stereotyping boss. So, we have Lucky—he came named.

When I left the farm for another job, we left him there for a while. He was happy, running around like any good barn cat, and we ended up just “stealing” him in April 2005. I remember bringing him home {to 1246 Cedar Street} and forcing him to get a bath to get rid of the barn stink. He was wide-eyed and panicky, and he hid for days under our bed before he decided he wanted to socialize. He did, eventually, and by July he had the run of the neighborhood. We brought him a little companion, and she promptly stole all his food. We had to separate them when we would feed them, and he often got left in the pantry because we forgot to let him back out. They would climb to the top of the cabinets in the kitchen to watch from their lofty positions the goings-ons in the house.

They were a fun little team, but when we got orders to Japan, we knew the little girl wouldn’t be very happy to go, so we gave her to a family nearby. Lucky, however, made it. The whole 40+ hour trip he slept, except for a brief crying spell in the line for Customs. We had to keep him upstairs and inside all the time in our new apartment in Japan, though, and he was not happy with the situation. He came home with me to Pennsylvania in 2007, and he stayed there when I went back to Japan. He lived it up in his favorite place yet: Woolrich. He had the run of the neighborhood again, and he loved it. He also put the older cat AND dog in their places, and was often found sleeping in the dog’s oversized bed, in the middle, by himself, while the dog looked on wistfully. He continued his decimation of the small rodent population in PA and brought prizes back for the family to applaud him for. When we moved back to America, he stayed with the family until we found a place to live, and he joined us in Tuckerton in March 2009. Again, he had the rule of the street, and he liked this town since he was near the water and there were plenty of small animals to stalk. We moved to another few apartments in the interim between moving into our house, and he went back to Woolrich for a while. He loved being back; you could tell because he wouldn’t even give you the time of day until he was ready to come sleep on your lap.

We moved into 306 Ash in August 2010, and Lucky moved in, too. He was greeted 6 weeks later with a small, loud thing, who he knew as the “smallest one”. For his part, Lucky ignored Raegan until she was bigger; only on the rarest of occasions would we find him sleeping in her room—on her chair—while she napped in her crib. He was keeping an eye on her, you know. As Rae got bigger, she became more and more aware of him, and her very first squeal of the day was often directed at him. He was her favorite! She knew he was the “kitty” and that his hair tickled her. She got into a habit, not that long ago, of putting her face on soft things, and I would find her holding his side and putting her face on him. He really was the softest kitty, ever, and very tolerant of rae, especially if there would be chicken treats involved. He was present for everything, every meal, every party, every nighttime tv show would find him underfoot or on a lap. He was at Rae’s party hanging out with the kids the night before he went missing. And his legend lives on, we don’t know for sure, but it seems most likely that he was hit on our road.

However, I want to leave this note, just saying that I found two—not one, but two—four-leafed, lucky clovers yesterday. In succession, and inexplicably. I have to think it was a “sign,” and that my little buddy, my soupie-soup, had a good run, a full life. I’m going to miss you, little bud.

Endnote: sorry for the photo dump, but I had to post this today, so I can finally stop crying every time I work on this draft. Losing a pet stinks :(

rae's first birthday

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:46:00 +0000

and she's one! we had such a great day with our little rae of light, inviting friends and all kinds of littles over for an afternoon of desserts. we ate lunch/dinner together and enjoyed a dessert table with an owl theme, just because rae's best trick is the owl: hoo hoo. we loved every minute and are so glad to celebrate one year of blessed life with our raegan.
*rae, you are the sun in our sky, we are so blessed and proud to be your parents. we can't wait to see who you grow up to be, because we're sure you're going to be incredible. you are the most amazing baby and we drink up every second we're together. love you.

5x7 Folded Card

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:09:00 +0000

Cherry Branches Thank You Card

Say "Thank You," with Shutterfly's personalized photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

for no better reason

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:37:00 +0000

this made me laugh today. note that the expression on both the japanese doll's face and rae's are the same.

we're preparing for a hurricane this weekend, not our first, and probably not our last. we'll be fine. imagine cosy us inside while the storm blows outside and that's what we're believing for. xoxo.

ten months

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:58:00 +0000

Our favorite things at 10 months:
1. Crossed ankles {everywhere, including in the high chair and stroller}
2. Curling hair {at the nape of your neck and over your ears}
3. Your noises {gully-gully, liel-liel-liel} and your tongue-in-and-out all the time and your singing {you sing whenever you hear music and always in the stroller}
4. Crawling {you just started last week and now you’re getting smoother and more confident every minute}
5. Tootsie roll legs {daddy says that they look like the rolls you get when you shmoosh a tootsie roll together}
6. Fast and slow speeds at walking {depending on whether someone is chasing you}
7. Reaching for us when you’re scared or tired or upset
8. Funny dancer – leaning back and forth to the music
9. Insatiable appetite {you make us proud}
10. Belly laugh and quick grin {you smile at everyone, and love to give us sugar, but you love your own picture and mirrors and other little people the best}

we heart you.
I took some pictures of you with 10 blueberries, because it's what you love at the moment.
You ate them before I could take the picture.

auntie kylee

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:10:00 +0000

we have the incredible pleasure of my sister's company for the rest of the summer, and we're so excited!! rae gets two days a week just hangin with auntie ky, and they are having the time of their lives. rae was introduced to cody, auntie kylee's ages-old life-sized (or very nearly) stuffed horse, they go on walks, they play with rae's fun toys, read, and watch the wonder pets. could life get any better? when rae goes to sleep, i get auntie ky as kylee, my beautiful, fun sister. we're having a blast looking at weddings, because we're obsessed and crazy. we watched the bbc's sherlock and of course, our girl movies. we've introduced each other to new things: pinterest, blogs, flag cakes, and belgian pancakes {via elliot}. sprinkle the above picture with epic reads and you can see the enjoyment we're getting out of having kylee here in new jersey with us. it's a privilege and an honor to have her watching our baby and living under our roof. don't hold it against me that i also got her a job working for the crazy lady of '09. ky's tough. cheek kiss, cheek kiss. :)

mother's day, the first

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:46:00 +0000

We woke up to glorious sunshine streaming in the bedroom windows, and I was surprised with a trio of gifts from my favorite people on a mommy’s most favorite day of the year. Phil bought me a 20 pound iron skillet, something I’ve asked for and wanted to get for a long time. He also got my knives in order with a sharpener and also bought a new candle. He and Rae were very proud of their offerings, and I was super excited by [their] thoughtfulness. We went in to Ocean City for church and came home.
I love our second story bedroom. It’s got this vibe, this calm oasis feeling, even amid the undecorated walls, the lack of “master bed” and the “trophy” of a bathroom we’re hanging on to {we have to save something so people know what the house was like before we moved in}. Still, the master bedroom has double doors that open up onto a romeo balcony, and has a high, lofted ceiling. The feeling just calls to me—and makes me feel as if I’m in a tree house, safe, and princess-like. My mother’s day activity of choice was a family nap in said princess room. Raegan, bless her heart, will only sleep in her crib, so it was mostly a mommy-daddy nap in the big room, but we all napped simultaneously.
Then, we went to our handy-dandy Italian joint down the street for dinner, where I had eggplant on a bed of spinach {delicious!} even if it’s not Giada de Laurentiis.
I love this job, being a mom. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, and it doesn’t get old or bothersome. I often thought, pre-baby, that it might become a drag day-after-day to take care of a small person and meet their every need, but so far, so good. I like to say that my joy meter fills up overnight while Rae sleeps, and all day we just enjoy our time together. By the time I would need a “break”, its nigh-nigh time, and she gives us a breather to be adults for a few minutes. Then the cycle starts again, and it’s all sunshine and rainbows. She completes me; she completes Phil and I both. But it’s not Father’s Day yet, so let’s just say that this Mother’s Day was everything I wanted it to be, more than I expected, and more than I deserve.

And here's some random photos, just because.

I had to:

of notes and notebooks

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:19:00 +0000

Would you believe it? Raegan is 7 months old! Now before I panic that we have “done nothing” to remember the passing of these first few months, I have to share my “notebook”. I have a hunter green, crocodile skin notebook that I took on a whim to the hospital with me, and since I have written to Raegan weekly about her life—since I assume she won’t be able to remember much. Phil and I both wrote to her on the occasion of her birth, and then I write in little snippets on each new week. We’re presently at 32 weeks, and so much growth has taken place in our little baby doll. She’s now 17 pounds, 2 oz and 26 inches long, right in the middle for everything percentile-wise. She’s teething, and has been for the last 5 weeks. Still no little nubs yet. This was an epic week, though, since she “witnessed” the Royal Wedding and Osama bin Laden’s demise. I write all these things in for her; it’s my version of a baby book since—for some reason—we didn’t start one or even have one to start when she was small. My inspiration came from one of my favorite and most special things—a notebook my dad kept when my mom was delivering me—complete with contraction times—and the last page turns over and says: “It’s a girl! Abigail Jean!”
So, to provide the same sentimental rememberings for Rae, I write in her book. This week’s entry will be something like: Her latest trick is “sideways head” where she considers something she’s looking at, and quizzically turns her head to the side—just like a dog. She just figured out she can feed herself delicious puffs. When she’s done with a bottle, she done, and there’s nothing you can do to convince her otherwise. Her hair will not lay down flat, it’s just the right length to stick straight up in the back. But, it is a glorious golden brown color, and her eyes are every bit as blue as they were when she was born. She snuggles a bit more now, especially when I dance around with her. She recognizes her daddy from far away, and gets very excited to see him coming. “Momomomom” is her sound of choice when something is distressing her, go figure.
But, regardless, she is the absolute best and is about the most flexible baby I’ve ever been around. Not as in gymnastics, but in demeanor. We need to shuttle her off to friends’ homes for the days I’m at work: boom, she’s fine. We decide to go to a street fair in a busy city, and she’ll only get one nap: boom, she’s fine. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents want to see her and hold her and play with her on Easter: boom, she’s fine. She’s a game little darling {in the American sense of the word game} and we love that about her. We’re just about to give her an even bigger test of her game-ness (not to be confused with gaminess) when we head south to Cayman, the Grand in about three weeks to see her godparents.

I used to be afraid to go to Target

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:02:00 +0000

I used to be afraid to go to Target.
My most favorite place to shop, and I was afraid to go there alone. Because what if you {Rae} started crying, and I couldn’t get you to stop, and everyone would look at me like I was a terrible mother: so selfish because I couldn’t get you what you wanted and why was I bringing you out anyway, you’re such a tiny baby…
But now, we go together and we enjoy it.
You’re so grown up, and now I have confidence in my mommying abilities that I could comfort you enough to get through the checkout line. And eventually, when it happens that we have to just leave the store without anything, I’ll do it. Just know that the next Target I’ll be looking for will be on your heiney. Just kidding, xoxo. Momomomomom

ps. Congrats to your new baby cousin—he was born this morning—his mommy and daddy and siblings are so proud!

why craigslist is awesome

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 03:42:00 +0000

So, I admit I was a skeptic at first. My interest in craigslist.org started when I realized that I had a baby on deck, and had expensive taste in baby paraphernalia. So, I started “trolling” craigslist, looking for those lofty brands that I couldn’t quite afford new. The beauty of buying a Bugaboo stroller used is that someone else might have used it for a bit already, but they [or someone at their shower] bought them ALL the accessories that go with it. I scored a Bugaboo stroller [in green, for both genders] complete with bassinet, toddler seat, rain cover, wind cover, sun shade, cup holder, lower basket, and the frame and maintenance kit. All those extras are, of course, sold separately when you buy the thing new. It took a few months of “watching” to find the right one, but in the end I got a steal at a third of the price for new. We also got our lawnmower for $50, along with all the accessories. I got a 4 foot standing deep freezer for $25, for all that breastmilk coming, you know . I got my $300 video monitor system via a shady deal {$200} in some farmer’s market in Berlin, New Jersey. I contacted some lovely girl in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, sent her money via PayPal, and she mailed me her AngelCare monitor for $40. The latest one was the highchair I’ve had my eye on for months now. To buy new, the Boon Flair Pneumatic highchair is $175+. I found one for $75, and just went and picked it up. I’d say it fits. And that, folks, is why craigslist is awesome. Next target: a baby grand piano.

first date

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 03:37:00 +0000

So….we went on our first date, post-baby.

A little history: I purchased a double spa date way back in July, thinking that I would gift the splendid occasion to my brother and sister in law for a fabulous Christmas retreat. However, my Groupon had an expiration date that I failed to notice, and to my chagrin, found it was only good for six months. That made the aforementioned brother and sister in law obligated to squeeze in a trip to Philadelphia (which, I’m sure they sorely wanted to do) but sadly they weren’t able to in the three weeks' heads up I gave them.

So, Phil and I decided that we would go.

I hired our ex-nanny [who got a better job, but misses my baby] for the day, naired Phil’s back, got some good rest and drank lots of water, and we were off for a spa date! I had Google-mapped everything, and we found the spa and parking without mishap. Almost too easy.

I should have known that something wasn’t going to go right.

As I signed in on the onerous sign-in sheet, the Front Desk Help asked for our names.

Me: “Phil and Abby Douglass, 11:45”

Pause.

*I finish signing names*

Pause.

*Over-done Euro wearing a lab coat, moves to the side and looks at the computer screen with the Front Desk Help*

Front Desk Help: “I don’t seem to have anything under that name. You said 11:45?”

Me: “Yes”

FDH: “Um. I don’t even seem to have you in the computer as a client.”

Me: “What? I called and made the appointment January 11th. For 11:45 today, because the Groupon expires today.”

FDH: “I know, that’s also why we’re booked solid. I don’t have anything. Where are you coming from?”

*steam starts seeping through my left ear*

Me: “South Jersey, it’s an hour.”

Euro in the lab coat: “Who name did you talk to?”

Me: “I didn’t catch it” [typically, and from now on, I do/will]
I knew that it was the FDH for sure, but how do you say, “it was a black girl”?

FDH: “I really don’t have anything today”.

Pause.

FDH: “I can have the manager call you, maybe we can arrange something else?”

Me: “You do that. We’re here as our anniversary gift to each other. We got a sitter for the day, and drove in for this. If there’s something we could do that would let us extend the Groupon, then we could have something work out.”

FDH: “Okay, thanks. Hey ma’am….[starts talking to another customer, obviously a regular]

We leave.

I opt to go shopping at the Cherry Hill mall, and end up getting a few things to make up for the botched date. A braised beef cannelloni and two loaves of bread at Maggiano’s and I’m in much better shape.

Poor Phil, he tolerates me so well. Dagnabit, though, he needed a massage.

That said, I do know that the spa was in the wrong, and I had given them not only the correct information, but I also made the appointment without using the Groupon perk of a free wax, just to save them the trouble of having to schedule that. Serves me right for being accommodating.

More to come…after I speak with the manager.

I should have just stayed home with this:
although time with her daddy was the BEST.

christmas collage

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:39:00 +0000

merry christmas, blog

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:24:00 +0000

dear blog,
I know it’s been a sad few months while I’ve been busy babying, but I haven’t forgotten about you. I tend to think of things I want to tell you while in the middle of sanitizing endless bottles, replacing the diaper pail bag, or during a go-to-sleep intervention. All of those are important situations, and not the time for writing to you, Blog. I’m sure you understand. My baby is doing very well, thank you. She’s sleeping 11+ hours at night and doing okay with her daytime naps. She is just a joy to be around, and since you like to listen, I will probably tell you all about her.
All. The. Time.
We did her Christmas pictures last week, and I have to say, she’s pretty special. You agree? I’m sure you do. I have yet to post a picture of her with you, so today’s the day. We’re headed home to PA today, and we’re excited to have this special time with the babe and the family. I’ll be back soon, I promise. Just know that I was thinking about you at this special time of year, Blog. You’re a good listener.

rae at 12 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:23:00 +0000

Happy Family – (what exactly is that on a Chinese menu?!)

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:50:00 +0000

Oh dear. Oh dear, dear. We are SORELY in need of an update, as I look at pictures of the nursery for the then-unnamed baby from my last post. How much has changed and become better in the time since, in every area of our lives! We have Raegan around now, and she’s truly the delight of our existence. We’re such a happy family.

I’m back to work, my first week back, and it’s been rough. I’m trying to gain approval for some extra work from home time, but so far have met with opposition. I get to stay home on Thursdays. We have a nanny, Dana, taking great care of Raegan during the day, and then Phil gets to spend a full day at home with her on Fridays.

Our weekends are our favorites: we make a big family breakfast (for the adults, anyway) watch college football, work on the house, and just enjoy being together. We’re really seeing personality come through for Rae; she is smiling and making cute noises and likes to stick her tongue out at us. She’s 8 and a half weeks old now.

Her whole birth and the subsequent weeks I wrote and noted in a journal for her sake and mine. We had quite a time getting her to sleep, so up until 5 weeks, we just survived day by day. Thankfully, she is a good baby, and really went with the flow, even if she is the most alert baby in the entire universe. We started Babywise with her then, and since we’ve steadily gotten better with routines and sleep. She’s slept through the night a few times, and generally does really well with her nighttime sleep. It’s the daily naps that she doesn’t like!

This week is a wonder week, where her little system is growing and developing by leaps and bounds. She is even less inclined to sleep right now, so her poor daddy is trying all he can to keep her happy while they’re home together today. It’s just a phase, so hopefully next week will be a new leaf. She’s due for her two month check up on Monday, so we’ll keep notes on how much she’s grown! She’s a tall little thing, already.
I promise to keep this source updated much more frequently!

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:06:00 +0000

what do you think?

noreply@blogger.com (abigail) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:42:00 +0000

How about taking a poll of when everyone thinks the baby will come?

Leave your comments below stating your guess of date, time, weight, height, hair color, whether she'll have hair, if it's really a girl, initial of her first name.... anything!

have fun, let's hear what you're thinking!

we're ready!