I tried new food today!

Mommy gave me a new food today. Sweet potatoes. Mommy told me that she is going to give me different foods to see what I like. Well, guess what? I really liked this one! It's much better than the applesauce she and Daddy fed me here.

Towards the end I grabbed the spoon from Mommy. I had so much fun gnawing on the spoon that when Mommy tried to get it back from me, I wouldn't let go. So she got another spoon and fed me the rest of my lunch in-between gnaws on my spoon. I can't decide which I liked more: the sweet potatoes or the spoon.

A Fond Farewell

Today Pedro & Diana started the long journey to Australia, literally half way around the world. On Sunday, as I bid farewell to Pedro, I told him that, though we only came to know them well the month before they left, they had a lasting impact on not only Kristin and me, but also on my brother and his family. The impact? Killer Bunnies.

This got me thinking about how thoughts, ideas, games, are passed through groups of people. For example, Pedro & Diana introduced Kristin & I to Killer Bunnies, then we introduced it to Matthew & Honor. Our friend Cathie Lou has been a great source games: Ligretto is now played by many people in my family and a bunch of our friends, as is Farkel.

And because I always must reference The Plan, this is similar to the way The Plan has been in my life. A good friend and a sister-in-law are the reasons Kristin and I started The Plan. We know two couples who have started The Plan after they saw the success we've had, and one of those couples knows a couple that is now on The Plan because of how well they are doing.

It's a web of influence akin to a family tree. Or as one of our friends said, "We have our first Weight Watchers acolyte!" Oh, I just received an e-mail from a friend a church asking about The Plan. She wants to start and get her husband on it.

Pedro & Diana, bon voyage and Godspeed.
Hope to hear from you soon.

It happened on the floor minutes ago...

NOTE: These pictures were not posed.

Clara is redefining the forward woman. Check out what happened today when she and Michael were playing on the floor.

First Kiss

Caught in the act!

Before I Head to Bed...

...a few recent pictures that make me smile.

While shopping at Babies 'R Us for a few items, I couldn't help but buy Clara her first little doll. Lately she's been hugging her stuffed animals (and chewing on them), so I figured I may as well begin her initiation into the wonderful world of girliness.

This one just makes me laugh...it's such a goofy smile.

Lastly, a demonstration of amazing flexibility and love of toes. She's almost as fond of chewing on her big toe as she is of sucking on her entire fist.

*Note - I did not fold her up like this; she did it herself and I just held on to keep her from toppling to the floor.

Go West. And for some of you, Go South then West.

Tonight we had a bunch of people over to say "Good Bye" to a couple of couples that are leaving fair Virginia for points further west. Dayna & Sara are heading to Utah; Pedro & Diana, to Melbourne, Australia.

For tonight's party, I decided we needed a theme ingredient. Much like Iron Chef - but without the annoying Chairman or his nephew, who incidentally bugs more than the Chairman, who really bugs - the theme ingredient would be prepared by various people. In our case: three. I chose cupcakes.

Red velvet has definitely been on the rise of late*. I was first introduced to red velvet when Ouiser sliced the behind off of the groom's cake in Steel Magnolias. Two cooking shows in the past three days have featured red velvet cupcakes, so I felt that we needed red velvet. When it came to the making of the red velvet cupcakes, there was but one option: Bruce and Julie. They can make anything. And it always tastes good. They brought them complete with cream cheese frosting. Bonnie made Devil's Food cupcakes with German Chocolate frosting. Kristin and I made yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting. All told we had 54 regular-sized cupcakes and 18 mini ones. Perfect. I didn't think to take a picture of all the cupcakes, so here is one of the left over red velvet cupcakes.
Unfortunately, Dayna & Sara had to cancel at the last minute due to sickness and changed travel plans. The remainders had a wonderful time eating, talking, rough housing with the kids (see picture Oliver As Jungle Gym to the right), and having a good time. Clara especially enjoyed gnawing on Diana's knee. Colter and Jacob raced Cars cars and were endlessly entertained by Kristen S.'s roadblock maneuvers. We wrapped up the evening with a frame-by-frame analysis of the new Harry Potter trailer followed by a reading and discussion of the list of J.K. Rowling quotes about Book 7. If you haven't read them go do it. It's worth the read.

To our departing friends, travel in safety. Drop us a line when you land. Know that you'll be missed. Please come back and visit soon.

*The New York Times ran a piece on red velvet February 14th of this year.

My New High Chair

We had a big event at our house this week. Mommy and Daddy bought me a present. A high chair! That's right, I'm starting in on the world of solid foods. Mommy tried feeding me solids in my bouncy seat, but I kept trying to turn around to see what was behind me. The new high chair holds me in place so she can get me to try new foods. Here is a picture of me in my new chair:
Daddy says I'm super cute. Mommy and Daddy took turns feeding me, I don't know what it was but it didn't taste too good. Of course, anything tastes better than my formula, so I try not to complain. Here are some pictures from the event.

Daddy wasn't as good as Mommy at keeping my face clean.

I got to drink out of a cup. Well, I more licked the cup than drank out of it.

Once I was done eating, Mommy and Daddy let me play in my high chair for a while. I checked and, sure enough, the shoulder straps are not edible. You always have to test these things. Daddy caught me testing the shoulder straps on video. Check it out!

Donuts, Part Deux

You Are a Powdered Devil's Food Donut

A total sweetheart on the outside, you love to fool people with your innocent image. On the inside you're a little darker, richer, and more complex. You're a hedonist who demands more than one pleasure at a time. Decadent and daring, you test the limits of human indulgence.

What Donut Are You?

What Donut Are You?

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

Take the quiz and post results to the comments section.
What Donut Are You?

Lost Recap: Through the Looking Glass

In honor of the season finale, this week's recap will focus on the most important of all statistics. Net Character Growth: -14.

1. 10 Others gone. Not going to miss Tom, who always bugged.
2. Please, let McPatchy be dead and don't let Naomi be dead.
3. We'll miss you Charlie. Now how are they going to work in Bible references?

We Have Mobility. I Repeat, We Have Mobility.

Clara decided to celebrate my birthday by becoming the rolling queen. She's rolled over a couple of times in the past, but apparently she didn't want to make it an everyday event until she knew she could do it well. Now every time we put her down she rolls right onto her belly. We finally managed to capture it on video; most of the time she just stops and stares when the camera comes out, but I guess she decided she wanted to share her new-found ability with all of you:



Today she took it to a new level. When I left her for a few minutes to go load the dishwasher she was here:


When I came back she was here:


She gets her little knees under her, pushes off with her feet, and slides on her belly. She hasn't seemed to figure out the arms yet, but once she does I'm guessing baby gates for the stairs and locks for the cabinets won't be far behind.

A little girl supremely proud of herself (and drooling):

I Just Paid My Bus Fare With My SmarTrip.

Praise {INSERT DIETY OF CHOICE}. The stars have aligned and Fairfax Connector is now accepting SmarTrip on its buses! No more will my billfold be weighed down by one-dollar bills. No more shall I scavenge for pennies at the end of the day to continue my silent protest. That is now behind me, a thing of the past.

Finally, Fairfax Connector.

Thank you, Fairfax Connector.

30? When Did That Happen?

I'm a 30-something.

Let's say that again, maybe it will sink in.

I'm a 30-something.

Yes, today is my 30th birthday. I'm actually really looking forward to this next decade, as I imagine our growing family will make every day an interesting one. Just think, within the next ten years I will be finished having children, and one (or more) of them will be in elementary school, one (or more) of them will be baptized, we may have moved on to a new part of the country, we'll probably have a new home, new jobs, who knows. It's a lot to look forward to.

Since my birthday fell on a Sunday this year, Oliver surprised me by giving me my gift on the Friday before. And what did he give me? The gift of time. What do I mean by that? Well, when we woke up he gave me a card with a detailed schedule of the day's events. He arranged for Julie and Bonnie to drop their kids off here so the three of us could have some time out without the little ones. And I have to say he's a brave man for voluntarily taking on two five-month-olds and a five-year-old at once. We drove to the mall and spent about an hour-and-a-half just walking around and chatting uninterruptedly. Then I headed off to a day spa nearby for a hydrotherapy treatment and massage. You start off in a huge deep hot tub with jets that cycle up your body several times. While you're soaking a therapist lightly massages your hands, forearms, feet, calves, and scalp. So great for a bathtub-lover like me, and it's the perfect way to get your muscles relaxed for a full-body massage. It's been quite awhile since I've had a massage and it was soooo nice. When I got home, we took Clara over to David and Bonnie's house for the evening, and Oliver and I went out to dinner at PF Changs and saw Shrek the Third. It was a rejuvenating kind of day, and it was great to spend some time with just Oliver.

Awhile ago Oliver had informed me that I had to have a party for my 30th, and that it should be a huge celebration like his was last year. I had to keep reminding him that, being the introvert I am, big parties are not my thing. He finally capitulated and we had a small group over this evening for a Coldstone ice cream cake...yum. Bruce, Julie, & Colter, David, Bonnie, & Michael, Pete, Mika, Lauren, & McKenzie, and Fiona, Nuala, & Bran (Zachariah was out-of-town) joined us for a happy little celebration filled with noise (lots of it), babies (4 five-month-olds and 2 thirteen-month-olds), and Colter's pirate/Voltron/Transformer/Animaniacs stories. The perfect way to bid a farewell to my twenties.

And since no post is complete without a few photos, here are some fun shots from the evening:

Hey, I was looking at that!

How many babies can YOU hold?

An attempt to get a picture of all the little ones...with many tears ensuing.

Just a cute girl with her daddy.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my lovey-love's birthday. I'll write up what I did for her birthday later.

A Capital Day

Today I am five months old. To celebrate, my Mommy and Daddy took me into the city to play with my friend Michael on the National Mall. His Mommy and Daddy had a class in DC today, so we decided it would be fun to watch Michael for them. We started off by walking to Eastern Market, where Mommy and Daddy shared a crepe, but they wouldn't let me or Michael have any. I really wanted some too. Then I rode the Metro for the first time from Eastern Market to the Mall; it was lots of fun watching the fast trains go by. It was a beautiful day, so we walked over the the Washington Monument. Michael fell asleep on the way over, but I stayed awake because I didn't want to miss anything. (Mommy keeps telling me that I need to sleep more and that everything will still be here when I wake up, but I don't believe her. I need to stay awake all the time so I can make sure I don't miss out on any fun.) Anyway, it was very windy up by the monument and I really liked that. I kept turning into the wind and laughing because it felt so strange.


Michael was still asleep, but Daddy thought we still needed a picture of him next to the monument too.

Then we walked over the the World War II memorial. I decided I was hungry, so while Mommy fed me Daddy and Michael played on the grass. Michael was laying on one of my blankets and somehow managed to wrap himself up in it. Maybe he can teach me how to do that.


By then Michael's Mommy and Daddy were done with their class, so we met them at the Museum of Natural History. We had lunch together and then went to see some neat nature photographs. I especially liked the ones with the bright colors and the silly penguins. Then Daddy said that it's a tradition to take a picture in front of some elephant, but I think he had us stand in front of the wrong end.


I had so much fun that I made Mommy and Daddy promise to take me back soon. Maybe next time I can go walk by that white house that looks like the one on the West Wing (Mommy watches that show all the time).

Nothing Better Than a...

...sleeping baby.

Lost Recap: Greatest Hits

1. Net Character Growth: +2. Rose and Bernard are back. Acceptable growth.
2. A new station. Looking Glass. Now on to Charles Lutwidge Dodgson?
3. Charlie as every Biblical allusion: the self-sacrificing Christ figure, passing the Abraham/Isaac test, as Jacob receiving Esau's birthright ring, as the good Samaritan saving Nadia.

Happy Mother's Day!

Since we decided on no presents for Mother's Day and Father's Day, Clara and I decided to make Kristin breakfast in bed instead. I also took the early shift and let Kristin sleep in. Breakfast consisted of two types of quiche, sausage, and a zero calorie beverage*.

As it was going to be the only present, I'd spent the past couple of weeks trying to come up with something good for the card. I'd finally decided on "At least now you won't feel ridiculous standing up during Sacrament Meeting," referencing the fact that on Mother's Day in our congregation, at the end of the service, they ask all the women over eighteen to stand and the youth group passes out a small gift in honor of Mother's Day. Having lived one or two too many years without children, and wanting children during those years, Mother's Day finally wasn't going to be an uncomfortable reminder that there was something we wanted but didn't have.

So what does Kristin do? Thursday as we are driving somewhere she turns to me and says, "Bonnie and I were talking today and commenting on how we finally won't feel ridiculous standing up at the end of Sacrament Meeting." You've got to be kidding me. The EXACT same phrase. Exactly what I was going to write in the card. I told Kristin that she and Fiona are kill-joys and went about coming up with something new for the card.

I eventually came up with something and even Clara signed the card (read stick pen in hand and let her move it around a bit). Kristin enjoyed the breakfast and getting to sleep in. A small gift for a woman who is such an incredible mother. Happy day my lovey love.

*Note that Kristin refuses to drink her points. For this reason, juice, full sugar sodas, and milk are never consumed by my dearest. Actually, never milk because she hates the stuff.

Just Me and My Dad

In an effort to allow Kristin some much valued non-baby time, I scooped Clara out of bed this morning and came downstairs for some quality just-me-and-my-dad time. We started by getting me some breakfast - I decided to forgo my customary 1/2 cup Kashi Crunch with a cup of yogurt for Frosted Mini-Wheats - as Clara had already had her first meal of the day. For the past couple of weeks, Clara has been very interested in the drinks that we put into our mouths. She stares at soda cans and is constantly reaching for glasses. She knows something is going on, but isn't quite sure how it relates to her. As I was eating my cereal I had Clara in my left arm, and each time I brought a spoonfull up to my mouth she would lean in, trying to get the spoon into her mouth. It became a bit of a game, to see how close to the spoon she could get before it made its way into Daddy's mouth.

I suddenly noticed how much Clara is growing. How deliberate her movements have become, how strong her core muscles are. She isn't a lump any more. She moves towards things that interest her, already demonstrating that strong will we've all heard about.

Eventually, Clara fell asleep, and I laid her down on the couch next to me. I thought about calling to Kristin, to give her the chance to come and relax. Then i realized: this is what Kristin has to do during the week to get Clara to sleep. The opportunity to get up and move around is a welcome one.

So I sat there and watched my little girl sleep, amazed at how much she is growing. That little newborn baby is gone. This new one is fun, but I'll always miss the little peanut that would sigh while laying on my chest, turning me into a puddle as she lay in my arms.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Trailer 2

The second trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has been released and is available on quicktime.com. The trailer was originally attached to Spiderman 3. It features some great scenes, as well as plenty of new footage. There are two versions: regular and high definition. Great shots include:

• Weasley brothers making their break
• Voldemort and Dumbledore throwing down
• Some crazy department of mysteries scenes
• Harry getting his Cho on
• and more action than many a summer blockbuster!

A few screen captures:

The door from Harry's dreams
Harry's escorts to 12 Grimmauld Place
The Ministry of Magic
Our first-ever view of Azkaban
Voldemort, look dapper indeed
The High Inquisitor and Weasleys' Wild-Fire Whiz-Bangs
Prophecies at the Department of Mysteries

Oh, and because I am a dweeb, right click here and select "Save as" or "Save link as" to download the high definition trailer. Warning: it's 95 megs.

Lost Recap: The Man Behind the Curtain

1. Net Character Growth: +1. Jacob*. Also, McPatchy didn't resurrect. Best news ever. Now I don't have to worry about Poochies coming back to life.
2. Locke plays mind games with Ben. Well done.
3. Richard: does he wear eye liner? His eyes bother me. And either the islanders don't age or the make up artists stink.

* I'm not nearly as familiar with L. Frank Baum as I need to be.

My Daughter the Sadist (Updated)

Yes, you read that right. My daughter is a sadist. And not just because she hasn't let me get a full night of sleep for over 20 weeks now.

Tonight Oliver and I were playing with her on the floor and she made a grab for my face. Lately she's become very fond of grabbing at noses and mouths. Anyway, she managed to get one of her little fingers into my right nostril, and before I could take it out, she scratched the inside of my nose...hard. (Bad mommy hasn't cut her nails this week. Serves me right, I suppose.) I cried out, "Ow, ow!" And what did she do? She LAUGHED. Full-on, hysterical giggle.

Little turkey.

Updated to add:
We tried to get her to repeat the giggle with some success, and although it wasn't quite the same it was still very cute. Here's some video for your enjoyment.

100 Calorie Blog: Hostess 100 Calorie Pack Cupcakes

Product Name: 100 Calorie Pack Chocolate Cake with Creamy Filling
Manufacturer: Hostess
Flavors: Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting, Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Points: 1 point for 3 cupcakes
Available at: Most grocery stores, though there appears to be a shortage in many parts of the county as Hostess did not anticipate the amazing reception the product has received.
How did I hear about it?: Alicia

I first heard about these tiny cupcakes from my coworker Alicia. She never goes down the cupcake aisle, and one day she decided to go down the cupcake aisle and saw them. She bought two boxes and brought one box in to share, the yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Later, Sonja found a box of the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Kristin found a box of the latter kind, and that is what I used for this review.


First impressions of the product are, "Too small. Will never satisfy." It's difficult to get used to a smaller-sized cake when the larger size has been the norm for the past 90 years (reference).

At first bite, the cupcake doesn't taste too different from its full-fat cousin. The cake is chewy, the frosting gooey. A little too gooey, perhaps. I noticed that the packaging stuck to the frosting and my fingers weren't "just lick them clean"-able. There was a good chocolate taste, without tasting artificial. The filling - notice that the package says creamy filling, not cream filling? - is a perfect touch. Had they not been filled it wouldn't have been the same. Overall, they were a delightful snack to fend off hunger and satisfy the want for something sweet.


I have to call out three particularly smart moves Hostess made. First, rather than include only one cupcake for 100 calories, they included three. Snackers want to feel like they are eating enough, not having to sacrifice quantity for the sake of low calories. Second, as I mentioned above, they recreated the cupcake - cake, frosting, and filling - rather than dropping the frosting or filling. Third, they included five grams of fiber. Per the Weight Watchers point formula, fiber lowers your overall point score. This means that the three cupcakes are only one point. For comparison sake, two Hershey's Kisses are one point.

The brilliance of the Hostess 100 Calorie Cupcakes lies in the fact that the calorie conscious eater feels like he is indulging without bankrupting his daily caloric allotment.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Ratatouille 9-Minute Preview

Over at apple.com there is a new 9-minute preview of Ratatouille. The graphics are first class, the story looks fun, and the rat is so realistic it is almost squirm inducing. Go check it out:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/ratatouille/preview.html

100 Calorie Blog: Opening Remarks

A few months ago, a couple of friends suggested that I start a blog about 100 Calorie products. Being on The Plan, I'm always looking for new snacks. 100 Calorie products provide a key element to successful weight-loss centered snacking: portion control. Add to that a penchant for trying new products - Warm Delights anyone? - and you get a guy willing to try almost any product that says 100 calories on the package. One hundred calories translate to two points, sometimes dipping to one and others jumping to three, the ideal size for a mid-afternoon snack.

I contemplated starting a blog called 100 Calorie Blog, but decided to fold the concept into this blog as it would take too much effort to build brand awareness around a new blog. People are accustomed to coming here, so here the new content will be. My goal is to write about three products this week, and one product a week thereafter until I run out of ideas. If you know any products I should review, please let me know about them in the comments section. I'm willing to buy almost any 100 calorie product once.

So there you have it. The 100 Calorie Blog on kristinandoliver.blogspot.com. Let the fun begin.

I have page rank!

On March 29th my buddy Bruce sent me an e-mail to tell me that I had page rank. "I have page rank? How?" I replied.

For those not in the know, page rank is Google's way of deciding how important a page is. When indexing the internet, the more important a page is, or the higher its page rank, the more relevant it is thought to be in search results. A whole industry has sprung up, search engine optimization, with tips and tricks that you can do to raise your page rank. (Read more at Google.com)

So the fact that a little old blog such as mine has page rank is pretty amazing! When Bruce e-mailed me I had a page rank of two, as is evidenced by the image Bruce sent me, seen at right. Two out of ten isn't bad. Blogger.com, where this blog is hosted and which is owned by Google, has a page rank of eight. At the time Bruce checked the other blogs he visited and it didn't appear that any other blogs had page rank.

So imagine my surprise when I went to check our page rank today and discovered that our page rank has jumped up to four! Four is thought to be a good page rank, nothing about which articles in tech magazines are written, but respectable, something to be happy about. Note I didn't say proud of; I didn't really do anything to get it. It's most probably due to the link I get from Evil HR Lady's blog, which has a page rank of five.

To celebrate I've added a little widget to the right side bar that gives my page rank. Click on it if you'd like to get one for your site.

Insight into Oliver

Heidi did it first.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

SmarTrip update

Fairfax Connector buses soon will be able to accept SmarTrip cards as fare payment when new fareboxes are installed in May. The new SmarTrip fareboxes will be installed on south county buses during the weekend of May 4th thru the 6th, and on north county buses May 18th thru the 20th. All buses should have the new technology by June.

The old fare boxes will be non-functioning or removed in order to expedite the new fare box installation, so south county passengers will ride for FREE on Friday, May 4th, and north county passengers will ride for FREE on Friday, May 18th. Please note, the new SmarTrip fare boxes will not accept pennies, so be sure to have a SmarTrip card or the correct currency when boarding.

Read more...

Overheard on the bus this morning, two people I've never seen before. Young guy with a "beard". Young girl in pinstripe suit. He was going on and on about Chinese - "it's a tonal language, which means..." It's too early for this.

Another great quote: "Chinese people ... mumble, mumble, mumble ... they're so great. They're the most racist people."

Way too early for this.

Sunday After the Midday Hour

After the hustle and bustle of yesterday, we were all ready for a quiet Sunday afternoon. After fasting this morning we were both hungry, so we came home from church and made a meal of leftovers. After eating, Kristin and Clara fell asleep on the couch and I got a few really cute shots.

After nap time, we played with Clara, letting her kick for a while, holding her and making faces for a while, and experimenting with glasses. Clara has really expressed interest in everything that goes into our mouths the past couple of weeks. It's to the point where she recognizes soda cans and will stare at them for long periods of time. While Kristin was in the kitchen, I decided to try to get her to drink out of my glass. The results were mixed but funny. In the following picture I swear that I am only holding her head in place so that she doesn't bonk into the glass and hurt her gums. After she was done with her attempt, I asked Kristin to bring me a fresh glass of water. I wasn't in the mood for a water/baby-drool mixed drink.

As I gave Clara a goodnight hug, before putting her to bed, I whispered in her ear, "It's been so great playing with you yesterday and today. Know that I'll miss you during the day tomorrow. I promise we'll have more fun play days like this again."

Definitions

lame: when your brother and sister-in-law are in town for the day and you neglect to get a picture.

not lame: when your brother and sister-in-law are in town for the day!

That's right, Matthew and Honor were in Philly house hunting the past few days and had some free time today, so they came down for a quick visit. I last saw Matthew at my father's retirement last May, and Honor two years ago. Since them, we've had a child and Honor has done The Plan and looks fabulous. In fact, she is the one who inspired Kristin and I to do The Plan.

We met up for dinner at Sweetwater. They hadn't eat all day so we ordered root beer and appetizers, then our meals. The waiter-boy was an interesting character, but he had a good sense of humor, so I can't complain. For dessert we polished off a chocolate waffle and a bread pudding. I love bread pudding. Oh, I love bread pudding.

We were seated next to the bar area, within view of two TVs that were showing the Kentucky Derby. Neither Kristin nor I had watched one before. Fortunately for us, watching the Derby is an old family tradition in Honor's family, one in which she has now included Matt. They talked us through the set up: owners, trainers, jockeys; the traditions: singing Kentucky Home, parade of horses, pomp, circumstance; and strategy when it comes to the running of the race. We even got a few shots of the Queen. The race itself was quite short, but infinitely more exciting than it would have been without the insight from Honor and Matt.

Afterwards we came back to our house, sat around chatting, had a drop-in from David/Bonnie/Michael, watched video of houses they are considering, and played Killer Rabbits. The game was a hit, and they definitely want us to introduce it to their kids. I believe Honor won one game and Matthew the other. They left us around 10pm for the two-and-a-half-hour drive back north.

We look forward to many more such weekends once they move to Philadelphia, especially for the chance Clara will have to get to know and play with her Branch 1 cousins.

My First Birthday Party

Today I went to my first birthday party; Lauren & McKenzie turned one! Someday I'll be able to do all the cool stuff they can do, like walk and say 'mama' and 'bebe' and 'dada'. A lot of my friends were there. Bran, Nuala, and I played on the floor, while Lauren and McKenzie stood looking at us. Colter was everywhere, sharing his toys with us and showing us how to play with the new toys the twins got as presents. At one point Lauren tried to sit on me. I held my own though. Never you fear.

Lauren and McKenzie got to eat cake, but I didn't. I really wanted to, but Mommy said no. Daddy probably would have let me, but then Mommy would have been mad at Daddy, and Daddy is always fearful of a woman scorned. That's why he always does what I tell him to do.

Lauren and McKenzie's mom, Mika, had the coolest activity for the party. We made lollipops. Well, actually, the big people and Colter made lollipops. Mika bought four different types of hard candy and had people arrange a few pieces, whole or crushed, on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil. Once the candy was arranged, they put it in a 350º oven for six minutes. Once the candy has melted together, take it out of the oven and put a stick in it. Check out ones Mommy and Daddy's handiwork.One thing that Daddy experimented with, that worked very well, was lining a cupcake tin with tin foil and making the lollipop in that. It stopped the candy from spreading as it melted, which had resulted in some pretty big lollipops. Maybe Daddy will let me try a lollipop. Better do it when Mommy isn't looking, though. She's particular about that sort of thing.

Vocalization

While we were in Portland, Kristin's mom was kind enough to lend us one of their cars to use during our stay. It was such a convenience to be able to have a car always at our disposal. We got pretty good at strapping Clara's car seat into the car, as we didn't take the car seat base with us.

On our second or third day, we started to notice a curious occurrence each time we put Clara in the back seat. Rather than sitting quietly, as was her pastime, she would make noises, like she was trying to talk to us or to the colored people hanging from the handle of her car seat. She seems to prefer the blue man over the yellow and green people.

We started looking forward to her talking each time we got into the car. We've noticed that when she can't see us she is most apt to start vocalizing. This made it hard to get quality video of the little one making her sounds, but we managed to piece together a few clips.

Hope you enjoy!

Overheard during testing today

Oliver: Do you feel like that's a hostile work environment?
Kevin: No. It's just Meredith.
Jen: Whoooooaaaaa!
Meredith: I am a hostile work environment.

Welcome Mary & Steve!

Today, a coming and a going. One of our blogs we linked to has gone off the air. Big brother is watching. We'll miss that blog.

And today we welcome my second cousin Mary and her men: husband Steve, son Nikolai, and son-to-be-born-soon Boy #2. Their blog, Juxtaposition, can be accessed at the bottom of the Second Cousins section of the Links list by clicking on "Mary & Steve" or by clicking here.

Go visit and give them a pageview or two.

¡Por Fin! - A Post in Three Parts

Part I:
It's happening.
We have a date.
SmarTrip is coming to Fairfax Connector!!
Click here to read all about it.

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Part II:
In other bus news, I must mention my new commute. Rather than have Kristin drive me to the Park & Ride in the morning, which involves getting Clara up and into her car seat, I am walking a few blocks and catching a bus to the Park & Ride. From there I take a bus to the Metro and the train to my office. I live pretty far outside the city and am able to take public transportation the entire length of my commute. If I leave my house at 7:25a, I will be at my desk by 8:30a. And I don't have to drive. And it only costs me $2.95.

I love public transport.

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Part III:
I remember reading an article about people who ride the bus. The author was talking about how the regulars come to "know" each other, even if they never exchange names or have meaningful conversations. In this instance, the author remembers experiencing a young couples pregnancy, then after a short absence, seeing them bring their child on the bus. Everyone on the bus congratulated the couple their first day back.

There is a woman I see each day on the 7:30a bus who gets off at a shopping center en route. Today, as I boarded the bus, she gave me a brief smile, and I smiled back. When we came to her stop, she turned to me and said, "Have a good day." I echoed the comment. It was a nice way to start the morning: a pleasant greeting and a warm smile. I was very excited to realize that I have made a bus friend.

It's no secret that the one source of great discord in our marriage is that fact that I want to live for one year in a major city, ideally New York, and Kristin will have nothing to do with the idea. There's something about urban living that excites me, it strikes me as romantic in a way I can't quite explain. I view bus friends as an urban experience. Perhaps that's why it thrills me so.

Lost Recap: The Brig (Updated)

1. Net Character Growth: -1. Sawyer's namesake is dead. He better not pull a McPatchy and come back to life.
2. "That's why you're going to have to kill your father." What? Lame.
3. 10:20p - I don't think I mind Jack being relegated to minor character status. I'm a little over him. 10:49p - Add in the whole "we can't tell her..." thing and I'm totally done with him.

Update: I've noticed that each time a character dies - McPatchy, New Boy, New Girl, Sawyer's namesake - I follow up with a comment about hoping the character doesn't come back to life. Is it too cheap a religious reference, to go along with the millions of other religious references in the show? Does it all come back to Net Character Growth? I'd love your thoughts. Share them in the comments section.

Blindness by José Saramago

A few months back, my friend Julie invite me to join her book club. I've never been part of a book club and due to class and work schedules wasn't able to attend until last fall when the group read Eragon by Christopher Paolini. As I had already read the book, I decided to attend the session. Sam led the discussion. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Julie and I carpooled and, on the way home, we chatted about the difference between people who discuss ideas and people who discuss events. It was a mind-expanding evening.

Scheduling kept me away for the following months, which included Ayn Rand. I was crushed to miss that discussion. When the group was looking for international authors, I recommended Blindness by José Saramago. A dense and, at times, graphic novel, Blindness tells of a city where an epidemic of blindness, causing those afflicted to see white, rapidly spreads to all people save a single woman. The novel uses neither names nor quotation marks as it takes you through the experiences of a group of people: a doctor, the doctor's wife, the first man to go blind, the first man's wife, a boy with a squint, a girl with dark glasses, and a man with an eye patch. As society unravels, the actions of the characters in the book force the reader to examine how they would react in such situations, pushing the reader to examine their beliefs about society, humanity, and the sources of good and evil.

The group that attended was small, Julie, Sam, and Jody, but the discussion was wonderful. As I had recommended the book, I led the discussion. I loved the insights that the other readers provided. It was fun to talk with people who could discuss certain elements of the novel, or the style in which it was written, and assert a strong dislike of those elements, yet still maintained an appreciation of and even would say they liked the book. The book Seeing, a sequel also by Saramago, came up, though none of us have read the book. Will be fun to discuss if any of us end up reading.

We wrapped up with fresh berries, angel food cake, and whipped cream. Much to Kristin's delight, I didn't over-whip the cream - she says I tend to make it nigh unto butter - and the berries were wonderful. Blackberries this year are particularly good. And I had everyone out the door in time to watch "Lost" at 10:00pm. It was a delightful evening.

NOTE: Blindness is a haunting and well-written novel that contains scenes not appropriate for non-adults and some adults.

Overheard On My Metro Ride

"I got my hair caught in the shredder. I put the paper in and - whaaaaah - my head was pulled down."

-Woman with long braids talking to her girlfriend.