In the Big Apple

Sorry, no picts for this post, yet... when I can download from the camera, I'll add some.

That's right, folks! We're livin' large in NYC today! It's been a fun day already, with more to come tonight and tomorrow. We're on our way home for a few weeks to visit family and go to Brian's brother's wedding (yay!!). But Brian has to work for a couple of days here in NY to qualify our visit as "home leave" (which means the firm helps with our tickets). So, Sam and I find ourselves in a posh hotel not far from 5th Avenue and Central Park.

This morning we started the day with a visit to Brian's work, which is a HUGE office complex on Lexington Ave. He says his temporary office is two doors down from the managing partner of the whole firm (who is conveniently out today). Sam loved the elevators and massive hallways, and the echo of her baby voice, as usual.

Then we went for a little walk down Park Avenue (where all the banks are), and Madison Avenue (where lots of clothes shops are). I looked in Talbots, but quickly remembered I don't spend $50 for a necklace or $150 for trousers. Plus, Sam was eager to leave and I think the store clerks were also eager for us to leave. After our "window shopping" we came back to our hotel for a nice nap before lunch. On the counter in the lobby of our hotel they have a pitcher of nice, cold fruit punch that we've been enjoying each time we come in (esp. Sam!).

We met up with Brian for lunch and went to a nice little Bistro place where I got pasta, he got roast beef sandwich, and we shared a cannolli. Sam liked the pasta but not the tomatoes. Sam also liked flirting with the staff at the Bistro -- making them laugh and smile the whole time we were there. Cute.

Back to the hotel, quick, then out for a walk to Central Park. I finally remembered to take our camera -- first time all day. We finally found the perfect place for Samantha to RUN FREE in the city! Central Park IS the place!! Most of the pictures I got are of the back of Samantha's head as she dashed 20 feet ahead of me. She cried when we left, and fought like a mad woman when I put her back in her stroller. We came back to the hotel by way of 5th Avenue, passing Gucci, Prada, Hugo Boss, Abercrombie &Fitch, etc. on our way. Posh enough that I wouldn't dream of going in any of those places. But fun to look and see their display cases.

And now, here we wait for Brian to come back and get us for dinner. We're meeting with his friends from school, a couple who met up with us in London several months ago when they were passing through. It will be good to see them again. Fingers crossed, Sam will be good and happy!

***
So, for those of you in the know, you will remember that I was actually planning to be in Boston rather than New York, right? And did you sit here reading all about our day wondering what happened? Well, here's the not-so-happy part of our story... Yes, I did get reservations on Amtrak for Sam and me to go up to Boston and visit friends, leaving bright early this morning. I figured it would be a fun way to use the time, since Brian is working anyway. And why not, when we're sooo close to lovely, wonderful Boston??!

But, we had a few complications. See, our plane was set to arrive in NY just before 11p.m. last night. We were almost to the airport, dropping altitude and getting ready to surrender our entertainment headphones. All of a sudden the captain got on and told us there was a freak rainstorm in NY. It was bad enough they closed JFK and we were being rerouted to.... BOSTON! So, we turned the plane around, flew back to Boston, and parked on the runway there for a couple of hours. I sat looking out the window at our beloved city, thinking how convenient it would be for me (but not for Brian, sadly) if we just had to stay there instead of going to New York.

It almost looked like that was going to happen, but then they reopened JFK, we refueled, and flew back to NY arriving at 2:30 a.m. By the time we cleared customs, stood in a long line for a cab, and made our way to the hotel, it was after 4 a.m. We didn't get to sleep till nearly 5 a.m., and I just couldn't bear the thought of dragging Sammie awake by 6:30 so we could leave to catch the train just after 7. Anyone blame me? Actually Sam was awake most of our flight over, which made me even more wary of trying to take her and brave the journey. So, we didn't go after all. Disappointing, yes. But as you can see, we're making the most of our time here and trying not to dwell on what we didn't get to do. Oh, and one other good thing, we got a full refund on our train ticket. So, not all was lost, right??

Next stop... Salt Lake City! We fly out from NY tomorrow night and then we're home again home again with family and friends for the next several days. Yay!

Rain, Rain, G O A W A Y!!!

So, in the past month and a half, I'd say it's rained here at least 30 days out of 40, or something like that. I like rain, but c'mon, someone else's parade probably needs some moisture about now, right??! Yes, the rain has put a damper on any of our outings of late, hence the lack of bloggingness from me. (and yes, bloggingness is a new word, I expect it will catch on really soon).
Friday afternoon Sam and I got caught in the rain on the way home from the grocery store. I promise, we went into the store and the sky was blue; we came out ten minutes later and it was all black and foreboding, with raindrops that would fill a tablespoon, no problem. Resourceful me, I put Sam's raincover on the stroller, then I whipped out one of the little baggies from our fresh produce, and put it on my head. I walked home like that, and believe it or not, no one even looked me like "you look like an idiot." No one. Picture for proof that I did indeed look like an idiot (but a dry idiot, alas!), despite the obliviousness of strangers...
In the lack of outings, Sam has been trying to be innovative in playing around the house. She has decided she likes bringing me pairs of shoes to try on -- it gives her a chance to learn "matching", and to destroy my shoe box. (I don't have a picture of that activity, but I'll get one soon and post it when I do.) She also loves her funnel... It's a hat, a horn, a bucket, all in one. In this shot below, she plays with it as she eats breakfast.

Sam has also gotten really excited about brushing her teeth lately. We brush after bath time, which is one of the only ways to get her out of the tub. We just got her a new pink Barbie toothbrush, a big event! Here she walks around with one of the funny little toothbrushes they give us on British Airways for our international flights.
Piano time is a several-times-a-day event right now. Sam's getting quite good at pushing the "rhythm" button that starts the disco beat, then she sits on the bench, bopping her head and shoulders. Aren't her piggy tails cute in this one below? Her first all-the-hair pigtails. They were a little crooked, but pretty cute, I think!
Reading is another favorite thing we do these days. Sam FINALLY brings me books and patiently looks at the pictures and waits to turn the pages (instead of racing through it, turning it over and putting it in her mouth.) She still occasionally tries to ingest her books, but not as often as before. Brian has called her a "libravore" (for those who don't speak Spanish, libra is the word for "book" -- like carnivore).

That's all for now, folks! We'll be coming home to Idaho by this coming weekend... yay!! May the rain not follow us there, we hope!!

Sam at home and with friends

Sam and I have been having some quiet days, though busy and productive. I just haven't had much to report, so I haven't been blogging so much lately. But I've had requests (you know who you are, you requesters) for more pictures of Samantha, so here you go...

Sam's playpen is set up in our office, so she can stay in it while Brian and I workout on the crosstrainer nearby. Well, Samantha's started "asking" to go in the playpen, and has spent long times just playing with her toys in her little pen these past few days. She was in for nearly 1/2 hour yesterday, and I kept checking on her every few minutes. Finally, she'd been so quiet and I hadn't checked for a few minutes... Here she is, with a whole shelf of books in her pen. She was carefully thumbing through them, one at a time, then dumping them. Sam and I made a cake today for a meeting I had tonight. I let Sam help with the frosting, which she really enjoyed. This first picture is a little washed out, and the second one chops off her head a bit, but I think they're both cute.

Sam sneaked a big piece of pita bread off the counter and sat down on the kitchen floor to eat it just before dinner tonight. I love the "caught-in-the-act" look in this picture.
This one below shows Samantha's first little sunburn. I took her to the park with friends the other day for just a little while. She looked fine when we got home, but when she woke up from her nap, she was pink-cheeked! By bed time, it looked pretty bad, but it was fine in the morning. I've decided I need to carry sunscreen just like I carry diapers and wipes, I guess!
Way back after Egypt, I mentioned we were getting rid of Sam's pacifier. Well, it didn't happen. I caved after two days. She just loves, loves, loves it. And it makes it so easy to put her to bed! She usually gets EXCITED about bed, as soon as I mention her pluggie (as we call it). Is it so wrong?
I mean, just look how content and happy she is! Cutie pants. Little pluggie adict.
A few days ago Brian and I were saying morning prayers and Sam decided she wanted to sit in the chair in our bedroom... the chair was holding all the clean laundry, but Samantha didn't care. She just cleaned it off nicely and sat waiting for us to finish our prayers. We opened our eyes and turned around to find this picture...
One of the best things about our new house is that we're so much closer to friends! Even though our kids are different ages, we moms like to get together and hang out, and our kids have an okay time, too. Here's Sam with our friend Lizzy. Sometimes we do babysitting swaps with Lizzy's mom and dad. Sam loves to attack/maul Lizzy.
Here's Sam and our friend, Abby, playing nicely in our back garden. They tend to have a bit of a strained relationship at times, due to the age gap. But they also have their moments where they seem to enjoy each other -- or at least each other's toys! ha!
I watched Abby and little Sam along with our Sam, while their mom went to the doctor the other day. This picture typifies how much of the afternoon was spent... Little Sam watched Abby, Abby watched our Sam, and our Sam wandered around looking for the next toy.
Just had to put up this cutest one of little Sam (we sometimes call her Sam Junior).

no more english

My blogging has just become more complicated. In an attempt to be more user-friendly, it seems blogger is trying to guess where I'm located and give me a language to match my location. All my prompts and links on all my blogger pages are now listed in some kind of Italian or Dutch or something. I can't read what they say, and I have no idea how to get them to change back to English. Anyone else ever had this problem? I think it's because we're in the UK, so our blogger network must be stationed somewhere European, probably. If anyone has any tips on this, I'd love some help!

In the meantime, please be patient with my lapses in blogging...it's not so appealing when I can't understand how to load my docs anymore. Tedious.

Mint Lemonade

When we were in Cairo in April, we found this little restaurant near our hotel that we just loved... Jaffries. It just served regular sandwiches and salads, which was nice in a sea of Egyptian cuisine. We went there again and again to share an amazing chocolate brownie with ice cream and hot fudge on top. One of the last days we were there, I ordered a mint lemonade that was one of the most refreshing drinks I've had in a long time. I've been dreaming of it ever since. So, yesterday I got a bunch of fresh mint and lemons at the grocery store and attempted to re-create this drink. I'm not there yet -- not minty enough. But it was really nice last night to have a fresh lemonade with just that hint of mint. Once I get it right, I might post the recipe, if anyone's interested? (ps. I totally smoked our blender in the process. sad, but worth it if I can get this right in the end, right?)

Lazy Sunday afternoon

It felt quite luxurious this weekend to have Brian at home with us ALL DAY LONG on Sunday! We went to our church meetings (Stake Conference this week), walked in Hyde Park for a bit, took long naps, and played in the back garden. Unfortunately, the camera was only available for the back garden playtime, so you'll have to imagine the rest.
This delicious little red sunsuit is yet another find from the Nearly New sale... I bought it last year and have been WAITING for her to grow into it, finally! She did not do a good job of modelling it in any of these picts. We'll have to try again next time she gets to wear it.
As you can see above, Sam's overcoming her fear of the water hose now. She often wants to "help" water the flowers, which usually entails her sucking the end of the hose. Gross.
When it got a little chilly for the sunsuit, we opted for a change. And yes, Sam knew just how her pants were supposed to go!

It was wonderful to have our little family time, amid the busyness of Brian's work (two more weeks and this worlds-record-worst deal of all deals is OVER!). Below, Sam helps Daddy eat some colored pencils...

Bag o' tricks addendum

So, Sam has found a new place to unload her little bag of tricks...



She's now dropping just about anything down her shirt and onesie... hair barretts, rice cakes, empty wrappers. I never really know what I'll find in her clothes each night before bed!

Sam's little bag o' tricks

From the time Samantha was six months old, she's loved bags of any shape or size. She LOVES my purse, my make-up bag, her diaper bag, Brian's work bag, the backpack, the camera case, even the plastic grocery bags when we first get back from shopping. She zips and pulls until she discovers and removes whatever is inside any bag she can find.

Well, so Sammie now has what we call her own little bag of tricks. It's a clear, heavy plastic bag that came with a little doll inside (thanks, Brielle). Well, the doll is in the toybox, and the bag is the number one hot item these days. Sam walks around the house picking up little trinkets and toys, putting them in her bag. She then unloads the bag onto the table or inside one of her drawers (or into the washer, if permitted). After awhile, she goes to her stash, reloads the bag, and wanders around with it for awhile longer before dumping it again. It's so cute, and such an inventive way to play!

Items in the bag today include:

• toy cell phone
• a toy set of keys
• a tiny bottle of baby lotion (she constantly brings it to me to open and rub some on her face... she LOVES lotion)
• a tiny bottle of conditioner from the Sheraton
• baby shampoo (never know when a bath might be just around the corner!)
• a little jar of Mom's eye shadow
• a itty bitty Spanish dictionary from Dad's bookshelf
• another itty bitty book about Snow White from her own bookshelf area
• a baby medicine syringe (she really, really likes cough syrup -- should I be worried?)
• a little plastic dinosaur (she pulls it out and says "aawwk, awwk" -- her word for duck, clever girl)
• a handful of colored pencils
• an empty tube of chapstick
• a few breadsticks and rice cakes
• her purple camera
• her pink sunglasses

She's all set to go for any occasion!!

p.s. this bag works grrreeeaat for church right now, as long as we remember to take out the noise-makers... cell phone, toy keys, and camera, etc.

Little Tootsies

Just thought this one was so cute, had to share!

Communicating -- signs and words!

Our cute girl... just out of the tub! Our little Sammie is learning and growing all the time. This past few weeks have been a bit of a breakthrough with Sam's communication skills. She's now using a few words, as well as a few signs. It's so fun to ask her questions or tell her things when she's clearly making sense of things for herself:

• She shakes her head for "no" (which I'm actually glad about... delay the 'n' word as long as we can).
• When her food is gone or we finish doing something or all her toys are put away, she say her version of "all done." It sounds more like "ahhh dahh," which is adorable.
• She also says her version of "hi" which sounds like haahhhiee. (long on the "ah" sound, and long on the "eee" sound.)
• She still says her version of Daddy -- "Dadng" -- and seems to be saying it more consistently when Brian is around, as opposed to using it for everything, everywhere.
• She does some animal noises too; the owl says "whoooh, whoooh", the duck says "awwk, aaawwk," and the bear says "grrraarr, grarrr." (I know, those are not the traditional dog, cat, cow noises that kids usually start out with. But we have a book that Sam loves, that has all those less traditional animals with their sounds. So, we're starting her out with some quirky animal sounds.)

Samantha has also learned a few little signs for things. When she wants to take a bath, she pats her belly.

When she first learned this sign, she would do it five or six times a day, in hopes of being granted a nice bubble bath. She now usually only does it after she eats, as I'm washing her face and hands, cleaning her up. Because she's so consistent, she does get a bath almost every day now, whether she needs one or not!
Samantha has also learned a little sign for "more." When she wants more food or drink, she points her finger into the palm of her hand to ask. I've found she usually wants more raisins, more oranges, more granola bars. And she doesn't usually ask for more veggies. hmm...
So, these last picts are not of Sammie's signs, but instead they are some of the cute things she does these days. She has learned (presumably from Daddy) how to drink from her cereal bowl. As soon as her cereal is all done or "ahhh dahh" (which she now eats with a spoon, by herself!) she finishes it off by sipping down the last bits of milk.
She also climbs up into her chair all by herself, which is her way of telling me she would like something to eat. Yesterday and today, she seemed to be climbing up every hour... after breakfast, before lunch, after nap, before dinner... this is a girl with an appetite! I finally told her she would have to wait until dinner and I wasn't getting her any more snacks for a little while. She pulled out the tears and stood by her chair protesting for a good 2-3 minutes.
Samantha is also Mom's good helper girl with a lot of things! She has been helping me unload the dishwasher for a few months now. She pulls out plates, glasses, and pans almost faster than I can grab them from her and stack them safely on the counter to later put in the cupboards. I've been letting her help with the silverware tray recently (after I remove all sharp, dangerous utensils, of course). Here's the product of yesterday's helpful silverware unloader... First, she helped me put them all away nicely, then she put them all back into the dishwasher tray. Then she was quite insistant that she would handle things on her own and I did not need to help her organize things! I left the end result in the drawer as a special treat for Daddy this morning. heehehe.

A good day for Samantha

If Samantha could remember today, I think she'd probably count it as a good, fun-filled day. Since she most likely won't remember it, I'm writing a bit for her. This morning, our good friend Ana offered to take Sammie for a few hours to play at the park and have lunch. What a nice idea! (I especially loved the few hours' free time, and chose to meet Brian for lunch at his work.)
Ana came at a little after 10 and the two of them headed to Swiss Cottage to the park. This evening, Ana emailed me the fun pictures they took together....
Ana is from Brazil. She speaks Portuguese, English, Italian and Spanish! Very talanted and beautiful Latina woman. She goes to our church and is always sooo good with the children. Obviously, Sam thoroughly enjoyed herself.
Sam is a big girl and LOVES going down the slide ALL BY HERSELF! Only, I have to say that the last time I let her go down this particular slide in the picture, she got going a bit too fast and triple-rolled off the end when she got to the bottom. She's been going more s-l-o-w-l-y down slides since then, catching herself if she gets up too much momentum.

After the park, Samantha came home and had a VERY long nap until about 5 pm. Then she played with toys for awhile until it was apparent her Dad would not be home for dinner. I thought it would be fun to get out of the house and go see Brian at work, so Samantha and I got dressed and went for a fun ride on the Tube down to Daddy's work...
Sammie LOVED seeing her daddy's fun office. She helped him keep track of his cell phone (or you might say she refused to let go of it), and she helped him tidy up some of his folders and binder clips, too. In this shot below, she was just getting ready to dive across the desk and reach her dad's Blackberry (the little calculator-looking thing on the right).
Samantha also really enjoyed running through the halls at her dad's work. She wandered into an empty conference room at one point, and was thrilled to find a big table, lots of chairs, and cupboards across one whole wall. She promptly closed the door to the conference room and LOCKED the deadbolt!! Here she is, playing with me through the frosted glass next to the door...
Apparently, she thought it was a pretty good game for awhile. She ran around the room, pushing the chairs around, opening drawers, and climbing into cupboards. In the meantime, we were trying to locate a security guard to come open the door for us. It took about 15 minutes before we were able to get her out, crazy girl! I promise, she only cried for the very last minute, and even then it was half-hearted. :)
Well, so dinner at Brian's work was a lot of fun for Sam. She ran around the empty cafeteria while we ate delicious food. She came by occasionally to get a drink of smoothie or a bite of tomatoes. When it was over, Brian kissed us goodbye and Sam and I headed home for the night. She ended up going to bed a couple hours later than usual, but I don't think she minded too much. What a fun day, huh Samantha??!