Welcome, Andrew!

I want to start off by welcoming Andrew Louis Stone to the world! Congratulations, Calvert, Neila, and Camille!

Yesterday we went to the Park again. I love that it's starting to cool down, if only a tiny bit. We went to the Children's Museum with Krista, Lauren, and Ryan. B absolutely loved the toddler area; she seemed to forget I was there and dug into huge bins of blocks, puzzles, and magnetic letters. After about an hour and a half we were ready to leave, but it started pouring so we had to stay for another hour. We had to give the girls tons of Puffs and Goldfish because they were hungry and it was lunchtime. Kris attempted to get to her car with Ryan and the stroller, but she had to turn back because it was raining so hard. B was exhausted by the time we left and crashed in the car. Later in the afternoon we went to Courtney's next door and B played with Drew in their cool playroom. She tried to eat their dog's food three times. She crawled like crazy to the bowl, but I would stop her just in time. After P got home from work the three of us drove to our old house and walked around and I took a few pics. I just wanted to show it to B and after yesterday I never want to go there again. I'm done.

This morning B got up at 5. Ouch. B and I went to the Park again then to Attie and Beau's for a quick visit. We went to lunch at Sake Cafe with Courtney F. It was B's first visit to a sushi restaurant. She ate some rice and most of an avocado roll. She was not impressed and fussed most of the lunch. Apparently she was exhausted. Courtney ran across the street to Starbucks and got B some milk. I gave her a bottle and she crashed in my lap. Poor baby. Then we hit the Pippen Lane sale--unfortunately there were only a couple of things left in B's size. I bought her a bathing suit for next year. B has been wild today and all week has been clinging to me--she misses the constant attention she got while we were at the beach. I'm exhausted. I can't wait till P gets home.... Pics later.

Why Do We Live Here?

I try to keep the mood on this blog pretty light, but as the Katrina anniversary looms I feel compelled to reflect upon why I remain in New Orleans.

Katrina took everything we had. Every.single.thing. In the days and weeks after the storm I didn't ever think about leaving New Orleans, though, because things were going to get better since the people who came back here must really want to be here and must really want to help make this city great. But I was wrong and it's far from great. There are so many problems in New Orleans. Crime is a problem. Government corruption is a problem. The state of public education is a problem. Having to look left then right then left then right then left then right before leaving the house is a problem.

Why do I live here when so much is wrong? My response is feeble and perhaps childish--it's because I love this city. I wish that I didn't. I wish that I could turn my back on her and go off and live somewhere else that's far more prosperous and much safer. But I can't. I love her. I love her so much that it makes me angry with myself, because loving this city doesn't seem to make any sense. I overheard a conversation this morning at the Park that sounds like so many other conversations I've been a part of and have overheard over the past two years. "...I know, but then you walk around Audubon Park and it's nice outside, and it sucks you back in." Just when you want to hit the road and leave New Orleans in the dust, you find a reason to stay.

B Loves the Beach

We had an absolutely wonderful time at the beach. B loved swimming in the Gulf and in the pool. She also had fun playing in her baby pool on the beach. I loved spending quality time with my family. We ate, read trashy magazines, and laughed a lot. Betsy said her first real word (besides names and "puppy" is still questionable)----"duck." Her Papa Vic was very proud when we told him. Marme pointed at a duck (it's really a goose, but Marme correctly thought B would have an easier time saying duck) on B's swimsuit and said "duck" a few times then Betsy said it very clearly and continued to say it over and over again. We had a Mexican fiesta for my birthday and an awesome Mrs. Fields cookie cake. We got back in town this evening. I just looked at all of the pictures I took and I wish I was back at the beach!

Beach, Here We Come!

We leave tomorrow morning for Orange Beach. I can't wait! B, Katherine, and I are going together in the morning and Marme and Tim are going in the morning too. Peter, Attie, and Beau are leaving after work. We'll be there until Monday. Saturday is my birthday and I'm so excited to spend it at the beach!!!

Yesterday we picked up B's pics from Penney's; they are really cute and such a barg. We visited Krista and the babies. Ryan has found his lungs and let out some screams that made little B do the uh-oh face a few times. Lauren treated B like her baby; she fed her Cheerios and gave her her sippy cup and tried to give her a bottle. It was so cute. Kris set the girls up with a pile of Cheerios on the ottoman; B got to stand up and eat at the same time--she was in heaven. Kris told me that I need to start putting bows in B's hair and she lent me a big bag of little bows, so watch for lots of cute bows in the weeks to come. Peter came home early before going to a work function so the three of us went to Creole Creamery and had red velvet ice cream--yum! In the evening we went next door to Courtney's to see her awesome shelving unit and the super cool baskets she bought for it. She is going to have the most organized playroom ever and I am inspired to make mine just as organized once it is built.

This morning we met Andrea and William for coffee then we went to playgroup at Evelyn's house. B ate Josie's Cheerios and got into a nearly empty jar of Sarah's carrots. She had a blast. We moved the party to TCBY then Andrea and I stopped at Palm Patch. Betsy crashed on the way home. When she woke up we went to visit Courtney at her awesome new place. She lives about 5 minutes from us, which is a lot cooler than when she was all the way in San Diego. The three of us went to Hansen's and got yummy snowballs. (Wow--I've had a lot of frozen desserts lately...) It wasn't miserably hot so we sat outside and ate our snowballs and I let B play in the grass and dirt. I'm exhausted and so is Peter (he was up with her for 2.5 hours last night--ouch), but B is playing away. I'm going to put a stop to this and get her to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.

Reunited

B got to see three of her best pals today--Georgia, Will, and William. She hadn't seen any of her friends in over a week and she was really, really excited to see them. We met Evelyn & Georgia at Latter for Story Time. B screamed "la, la, la" the whole time and pulled herself up on the furniture and grabbed a little girl's Elmo. We hadn't been to the library in a while so I thought she'd really like it. I guess she really did like it--she liked it so much she had to shout about it. We met Ticia and Will at PJ's on Tchoups afterwards then we strolled to Petco to show the babies the bunnies then we stopped at Pier One and Stein Mart. After lunch B and I met Andrea and William for frozen yogurt at Cherry on Top on Maple and then we walked to The Children's Bookstore. We walked about a block and we were burning up. It was so great to see everyone today. I had missed my mommy pals just as much as B had missed her baby pals.

I finally captured the "uh oh" face--see below:

We're Back in Action

I am finally all better. Yesterday B and I ventured out and went to Target and visited Papa Vic at his office. We spent the afternoon as follows: B would destroy a room then I would follow after her and clean it up. Marme stopped by and got to witness it. B's Halloween costume arrived yesterday. It is so cute, but she hates it. She screamed when I put it on her. I'm hoping she'll get used to it. Last night B went to bed at 8 and got up at 7. How awesome!

Today we're going to Latter for Story Time. I know B will be excited to see her pals.

B started doing an odd trick on Saturday at lunch with Attie, Beau, and Marme. She puts her hand on her ear with her elbow out and moves it back and forth toward her face. I've got to capture it on video. It's very 80s and she does it constantly. That dance and the "uh oh" face are her two current faves.

Here's a pic of B in her costume last year:

Weekend Roundup

I was still sick this weekend and was not the most fun mommy around. On Friday night Peter and I had our usual--August Moon--and watched our shows. On Saturday Aunt Attie and Uncle Beau picked Betsy up at 8:30 and didn't bring her home until 3:15. They had a good ole time and went to PJs, Walmart, Fiesta Bistro w/ Marme, and Whole Foods. And they picked up dinner for us! B got home and took a nice, long nap. I got to rest and clean up and do laundry and Peter got to work on the basement. Thanks so much, Carvilles! Today P's parents came over and Grandpa helped P with the basement while Momma Lady entertained B. I was able to do more resting, lots of ironing, and I'm almost finished packing for our trip to the beach this weekend. This evening Papa Vic came over to visit then he, Attie, and Beau took B to dinner at Lebanon then brought me home dinner. I really appreciate all of the help with B this weekend. I'm hoping I'll be all better by tomorrow!!!

B said "puppy" and "Attie" for Attie and she said "Papa" for Papa Vic. She's very chatty these days! And she's into everything. Last night I was about to fold laundry and she played with all of the clothes and the basket. She loves pulling things out of bags, boxes, and baskets.

New Trick Alert

Betsy has a brand new trick. This one is pretty impressive--just like the 'give mommy the baby' trick. I say 'where's mommy's nose?' and she grabs my nose. She won't grab Peter's nose yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

Pics

Sick Mommy

This week has been rough. I'm still sick. On Wednesday I went to an ENT for my throat and my opthamologist for my eye. I have a throat infection (I'm taking Zithromax) and viral conjunctivitis (it's viral so that's why the antibacterial drops haven't worked; now I'm using steroid drops). We've missed out on lots of stuff--playgroup, the last Gym Rompers, the Park--and I missed a girl's night dinner on Tuesday. B spent the afternoon with Aunt Katie on Wed. while I went to my doctorpalooza. Marme came over after work on Tuesday and yesteday to help me out. Peter has been so great. He brought home ice cream and macaroni & cheese for me.

Betsy has a great new trick and Peter was blown away when I showed it to him last night. I tell her to get her baby and she'll crawl to her doll, grab it with one hand, then bring it to me. It's soooo awesome!

B has been destroying the living room every day since I've been sick. She pulls every piece of paper out of my bills basket then pulls things out of the pantry and spreads her toys around the room. She also loves digging through her diaper bag. Marme made a suggestion and it worked well. I filled a diaper bag with random objects--a bottle, a melon baller, a few coffee filters, a plastic bowl, and a measuring cup--and put it down on the floor within her reach. She stopped, looked at me, and then when I turned around she went for it and pulled every single thing out and played like crazy. We did this about five times yesterday. I hope it works today. She's actually napping and has been for an hour. It's strange because it's only 9 am. I finally got to update the blog. Pics later!

Pink Eye = Not Fun

My darn pink eye is still in full effect. I borrowed some different drops from Evelyn so hopefully my eye will look normal soon. Yesterday was a snooze, because I didn't feel well enough to do anything. Today looks to be more of the same. We had to miss our make up Gym Rompers. I hope we make it to our last G.R. tomorrow.

I took B to her appointment with Dr. Warren. It looks like she will need another surgery on her leg within the next year. I'm much better than I was after her last appointment. We'll just have to do what we have to do!

P was very sweet and came home for lunch to give me a bit of a break and Marme is coming over at 415. I hope my child isn't too bored until then. I just don't have a lot of energy to play today.

Yesterday B and I worked on her saying "uh oh" or really I was trying to get her to associate something falling withh her making this crazy face that looks like an "uh oh" face to me. She said "doctor" after I repeated it 1000 times, but she wouldn't say it for Dr. Warren--of course. B likes putting a blanket or her dress in front of her face then quickly pulling it down. She is the queen of peek-a-boo.

Here are some pics Aunt Katie took last month (on July 10th to be exact) of B and Lola. Enjoy:

Nap on Rug Pic

Weekend Roundup

Betsy is feeling much better and luckily slept all night. I, on the other hand, woke up in the middle of the night with pink eye and a nasty sore throat. Just when I thought we could be mobile again!

On Friday Aunt Attie stopped by in the morning to visit. While she was over little B fell and cut her lip and it started bleeding. It scared me to death, but she was fine. Later in the morning we went to Wal Mart with Aunt Katie. It is so much easier to do Wal Mart with some help. I bought B's last 2 Christmas presents. Yes, I'm obsessed and have bought all of her birthday and Christmas presents. On Friday afternoon Katie and I went to Hansen's--yummmm. P and I ordered August Moon and watched the Saints game. P and B crashed early, but B got up for a while in the middle of the night just like she did on Thursday and Wednesday and Tuesday...

On Saturday morning we went to breakfast with Papa Vic, Dr. Warner, Jama, Pa, Taddy, Bobby, Attie, Katie and Peter A. B ate like a champ--scrambled egg yolks, pancakes, and hashbrowns. It was the first time she ate a lot of food since she caught her cold. Afterwards we did some errands with Attie. Papa Vic left for a week in Uruguay--hope you're having fun!!! In the evening we had P's office end of summer party. It was on the Northshore so we took a super stretch Hummer (yes, a super stretch Hummer) across the lake. Attie and Beau were so sweet to babysit--especially because we got home at 130. Yikes--that's late for us! Attie and Beau said B went to bed at 8 and of course she woke up the second we got home. B and P slept on the sofa together.

Yesterday we made a Sam's run and hung around the house to avoid the heat outside. We kept trying to get B to nap and she finally crashed at 430 right on the floor of the living room. I had to snap a pic. In the evening we went to Andrea's for a playgroup get together. We brought the husbands so they finally got to meet. P got to see B interacting with her pals. We had a great time. Last night B went to sleep at 9 and got up today at 7. How awesome! I'm going to try to get an appointment with my doctor to get rid of my gross ailments.

B is constantly singing and dancing these days. She sings, "la la la la la" and dances like crazy. I've got to capture it on video soon.







Here's a video of B that Attie took on Saturday night. Her voice sounds remarkably like mine does in videos. Attie said she was playing with Lucy's Leap Frog toy and dropping the ball down the chute and retrieving it, but as soon as she grabbed the camera B stopped.

Loooooooooooong Day

Yesterday was rough with B because she felt so bad. Last night she was up from 1130 until 6 then up at 715. Yikes! Peter and I took turns and we're both exhausted, but she's not that tired. Last night I introduced her to American cheese--ew--and she really loved it. This morning we went to Aunt Katie's and hung out. Katie is designing B's birthday invitation and it's looking really good. We're missing the playgroup outing to the Children's Museum today. Boooo!!!

Here are some pics and a video from Tuesday before she got sick. I know it's trashy that I feed her dinner while she's topless, but bibs don't protect her clothes properly. And her highchair cover was in the wash!

And Allison, you are right--I am a total stage mother! :)

More Tricks

Ok, Peter pointed out that I did a whole lot of prompting to get B to do her babydoll tricks, but I swear she was doing it A LOT before I started taping her. She also started singing "La la la" on Sunday. And yesterday she would crouch down and I'd say "Where's Betsy?" And then she would pop up and I'd say "There she is!"

Last night B had a runny nose and was sneezing and I was hoping she wasn't getting a cold, but she woke up around 130 coughing then went back to sleep on her own. She got up again at 430 crying and stuffy and coughing so P hung out with her while she slept on and off. I know she got sick from the Gym Rompers instructor yesterday. She was sneezing and coughing and wiping her nose and of course B was all over her. B is quite the teacher's pet. Yesterday was a make up class so it wasn't our regular teacher who we love, Miss Stephanie. The G.R. rule is that if your baby is sick you have to stay home, but I guess that doesn't apply to the instructors. So we had to miss our regular class this morning. B is doing ok--she's actually hugging and kissing her baby right now. We went to do a couple of errands because we were both sick of being in the house. Now we're in for the afternoon.

Pics later!

Breaking News

Betsy is a super genius and I have the video footage to prove it. Check it out:

She can feed a baby doll a bottle--it was so worth giving her this little Christmas present early.

We had a makeup Gym Rompers class this morning with Ticia/Will and Evelyn/Georgia then we went to PJ's. Betsy proceeded to sleep from 11:30 until 1:30. She slept while we had coffee, walked around Me Me, and shopped at Target. She only woke up in the Target parking lot because of some loud folks and a loud truck. She's got tons of energy right now and is pulling on my skirt while I type, but I had to share the super genius news!

Happy Anniversary, Jules and Chris! And Happy First Birthday, Kate Benko!!!

Our Weekend

Betsy and I went to the Park on Friday morning. Then we went to PJ's with Aunt Katie. B wouldn't eat a single bite of the blueberry muffin that Aunt Katie bought her--she used to love b. muffins. She wouldn't eat the one I got her yesterday either so I'm done with that. Uncle Bobby is in town from Sydney and he came over Friday morning to visit. We went to lunch at Ignatius and it was really good. Betsy ate olive salad, egg yolk, and mashed potatoes. I also let her have her own slice of french bread and she waved it around looking so proud! It was so nice to see Bobby, both my uncle and my godfather, and he brought over a fantastic genealogy project, which he recently completed. It was very thorough and contained copies of photos of distant relatives, their homes, and even the sign in list from one of the boats that some of my relatives came to the U.S. on. On Friday night Peter and I ordered August Moon and watched Monk and Psych--this was our summer Friday night ritual from last summer and it still rules.

We went to the Farmer's Market with Aunt Attie on Saturday morning. I bought some beautiful sunflowers and veggies, including more awesome baby eggplants. Next we went to Canal Place. We hadn't been to Saks since they renovated--it looks great. The three of us ate lunch at LPK then we picked up Aunt Katie and went on a hunt for more supplies for B's first birthday party. On Saturday evening Andrea, Mark, and William came over. Betsy and William played in the baby pool and had a good ole time. William brought Betsy the coolest puzzle and she hasn't stopped playing with it. Peter grilled steaks (a portabello mushroom for me) and roasted baby eggplants. Andrea and Mark brought the awesome stuffed potatoes from Langenstein's. I made chocolate cupcakes and I figured out the exact shade of pink for the frosting for B's birthday cupcakes.

On Sunday morning Peter went to work again (he worked on Saturday too). B and I went to PJ's with Jules and Lucy. Attie came over and so did Katie. In the afternoon we went to Bee's for a dinner party for Uncle Bobby. B and I went over there a bit early so we could go swimming at Camp Pleasant. Bee and Papa Vic prepared an American-style feast (whenever Bobby comes in town Bee hosts a theme dinner) and B got to try fried chicken for the first time--she really liked it. My girl is a carnivore for sure. It was great gettting to visit with everyone.

Today we went to the Park in the morning then a quick stop at Attie's before she went to work. B had her picture taken at the J.C. Penney Portrait Studio. Sooooooooooo fancy. It was actually pretty nice although they tried to push some cheesy backgrounds on us. I chose plain white, but I let the photographer take a few with a pink background with white netting and fake roses and some with a satiny background and satiny pillow. I chose one of her with the white background obviously. The salesperson was not too pleased with the $7.99 portrait package coupon I had and kept trying to sell me more and more. I just got her pics taken for fun; everyone knows that I take plenty of pictures of my girl. After the photo session we went to Krista's parents' house to have lunch and swim. It was Miss Sandy's birthday--Happy Birthday! B liked being around the big girls--Lauren and Katherine (20 months)--and the boys, Eddie (3) and Baby Ryan. She's still fascinated by little Ryan; she must think he is a really cool toy. After swimming all of the babies were exhausted and B fell asleep within a couple of minutes of being in the car. P is bathing B right now while I type. Now I'm going to eat dinner before she gets out!

And Happy Birthday to Aunt Lori!







I want to give a shout out to 3600 Jena Street--our former home, which we lost in Katrina. I drive by it about once a week. I drove by today and I just sat in my car in front of the house and cried. I keep thinking that one day I'll drive by and I won't get a lump in my throat. Today was not that day.