This week…

It rained a lot.

Lila has gotten really good at sitting. She loves sitting and playing with her toys.

I love our mornings. Lila plays, I catch up on blogs and email.

Lila’s crib gymnastics have been getting rather spectacular as of late. I found her down the other end of the crib the other morning, covered in toys.

We had a fun Memorial Day weekend. We went to a party at the Beer Garden in Astoria on Saturday, a BBQ in Long Island City on Sunday, and then grilled in the driveway with Nana and Pops (Eric’s parents) on Monday. Good times.

Eric seeded the lawns and our rose bush bloomed!

Lila is now also eating the following new foods: carrots, zucchini, peaches, apples, bananas. Yum!

Lila and Eric are still enjoying their “Top Gear” marathons.

Mostly we’re just having a good time hanging out, going for walks & running errands.

Happy times over here!

Six months old!

Lila, I can’t believe you have been with us for half a year now! The time has flown by SO fast!

This month was huge in terms of development. You moved into your own room and sleep in your own big girl crib – no more rock ‘n’ play! We did a few nights of sleep training, which you caught on to really quickly. You go to sleep in your bed no problem now. I am still feeding you once or twice over night, but that’s okay – I kind of like our time together nursing. Your naps are kind of hit or miss, but we can usually get you to sleep in the stroller or the car if you aren’t feeling the napping in the crib thing.

You started eating solid foods this month, too. So far you have had: whole grain rice cereal, oatmeal, prunes, avocado, sweet potatoes, pears and Baby Mum-Mums. Your favorites are oatmeal, sweet potatoes and pears. You’re not so into the avocado, but mama hopes you change your mind about that. You also learned how to drink through a straw!

You are sitting unsupported for longer and longer periods of time. You can roll on to your tummy and back again. You love your playmat, your jumperoo, the bath and “Top Gear”. You also think mama is a pretty hilarious songstress.

This month you went to your first Broadway League softball game, you visited the Lion Brand Yarn Studio, you celebrated your cousin PR’s birthday, hung out at the Astoria beer garden with Mama and went to see her old neighborhood, you went to an Arbor Day Festival, hung out lots with Nana, learned that you could belly laugh, blow raspberries, and discovered that pulling the kitty’s tail is pretty fun.

We are looking forward to taking you on your first plane ride this next month to visit all your family in California!

We love you, Lila Girl!

First Mother’s Day!

I love being this girl’s mama!

New food round-up!

So far Lila has tried whole grain rice cereal, oatmeal, prunes, avocado, sweet potatoes and Baby Mum-Mums. She LOVES oatmeal. She is not so crazy about avocado – we’ll try that one again in a couple of weeks! In the meantime I have prepared a couple of other purees for her – pears, peas and zucchini. She’ll be trying them all over the next couple of weeks. I also want her to try bananas. Today Lila also drank water through a straw all by herself!

New York-iversary

Saturday marked my ten year anniversary of living in New York City. I arrived here on April 28, 2002 after a four day Amtrak ride from California. I moved into an apartment in Astoria, Queens with my dear friend Christopher (a friend from college). That apartment was passed through friends for about ten years, so many different roommates came and went. This apartment was also the place where I stayed when I visited NYC for the first time in 1998.

I lived in Astoria for two years before moving into Manhattan, and I treasure the time I spent there. So many good times, so many dreams becoming a reality, so much ambition and enthusiasm.

When I thought about what I wanted to do to celebrate 10 years in New York, I knew I wanted to go back to my old neighborhood and remember just how special those first years were here. It was the perfect way to commemorate the last decade. I just felt so LUCKY all day, to have experienced all that I have since arriving in 2002 and to still be working here in this amazing city.

Ten Years Ago

Ten years ago I moved to New York City. I had no job and about $2000 to my name, but I had a place to live, good friends, and big dreams. That first summer I worked on my first Broadway show, spent every night under the stars (and with the stars) doing Shakespeare in Central Park, and I started my own theater company with four dear friends. I haven’t looked back since. I’m so glad I came.

Taking the train to NYC from California

Michele on the train to NYC

Arriving at Penn Station - April 28, 2002.

First day as a New Yorker.

The living room of my first NYC apartment (in Astoria), decorated for my birthday.

My beloved Christopher and Steven. Christopher was my roommate for the first two years I lived in NYC.

Christopher and Steven, Summer of 2002.

Two more dear friends from those early NYC days - Michael and Ryan, on a cruise around the Hudson.

With Steven at Coney Island.

With my gay husband, Christopher, at an opening night of Shakespeare in the Park.

One of my first two jobs in the city, working as a PA on "Twelfth Night" at Shakespeare in the Park.

Oh New York, I love you so.

First solid food!

Yesterday Lila had her first “solid” food (“solid” is a very loose term, as it was mostly breast milk mixed with a tiny bit of rice cereal). We used Earth’s Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal. Our pediatrician recommends starting with rice cereal and then after a couple of days moving on to oatmeal, and then alternating until the box of rice cereal runs out. After that we can stick to just oatmeal. This month of rice cereal and oatmeal is mainly just to “practice eating”. Next month we start with all the fun stuff – fruits and veggies! I love our pediatrician’s take on solid foods – she advocates babies eating a mix of purees and food in its natural form (i.e. a stalk of broccoli, etc.). She wants us to be creative and adventurous to promote the same qualities in Lila’s feelings for food. Our pediatrician is also big on feeding your child foods that you eat, especially ones that are native to your culture – if you eat curry, then feed your kid curry. Lila loved the cereal – I’m so excited to start adding other foods to her diet!

Five months old!

Oh my gosh Lila, so much is happening this month! You are hitting some major developmental milestones – we are gearing up to start solid foods, do some sleep training, move you to your own room, and I think full-fledged teething is just around the bend. You are shoving everything in your mouth, grabbing everything within arms’ reach, rolling around and having a blast in your jumperoo. The past few days you have started sucking your thumb (!) and just last week you kicked your swaddle to the curb.

This past month we went upstate to Copake to celebrate your first Easter, Mary came for a visit and we went to Central Park and the boardwalk at Long Beach.

We assembled your high chair and you’ve been hanging out with us at the table, which is so awesome.

You continue to be such a happy, easy-going little girl. We are so excited about hanging out with you this summer!

You are now 25.3 inches tall and weigh 15 lbs 14 oz!

We love you, little buddy!

Baby carriers

I am loving carrying Lila around in a baby carrier. Sometimes it is just so much easier than a stroller – for instance, lately when we go into Manhattan I’ve only been bringing a carrier. So much easier to navigate Manhattan without a stroller. I own two carriers – an Ergo and a Beco Gemini, one ring sling and one wrap (the sleepy wrap). I use the Gemini and the Ergo the most. The sleepy wrap was great when Lila was a newborn, for wearing her around the house. I also use the ring sling for around the house. Carriers can definitely become addictive – I have two more on my Amazon wishlist! I love having my girl so close to me in a carrier. Its the best.

Thanks for coming to visit, Mary!