The weekend, with photos

Drying off next to the warm fireplace after a bath... Floor play time with Mommy and Mico Friday night, my parents came in and babysat Tye while Tyler and I went out to dinner with his team from work. Dinner was at Otom, and we had a great time. Tyler has become close with his team members, and we've become good friends with the parter he works for and his wife. Dinner was a great combination of good company, good conversation, and good food. Even if my milk did let down before dessert arrived (thank goodness I was wearing absorbent layers!)

This is the new Little Einsteins Around the World play gym I bought for Tye to make floor play a little more fun. Tye loves it, especially the mirror and the lights! I love that it is decorated with photos of real animals in addition to the cartoon characters and that all the pieces can be rearranged to provide a countless combination of setups.

Saturday was Tyler's first time being home for Tye's naps on her own. Just as I did the first time I used the video monitor, Tyler's eyes never left the monitor and he checked on her about every 20 minutes just to be sure she was okay. It doesn't matter that you can actually SEE your child on the video monitor- for some reason, that isn't comforting enough to new parents. I can't imagine how stressful these naps must have been for new parents before monitors- even with the sound monitors! One of my friends advised me while I was pregnant that new parents think that the sound monitors will be sufficient, so most purchase those, only to realize several days after the birth that they can't survive without the video monitors, so it would really save us in the long run to purchase the video monitor initially. She was so right. It's sitting next to me as I type right now, video feature on. At least I've learned to trust it enough to check on Tye a few times per nap, rather than every 10 minutes.

Sunday was our 6 year Wedding Anniversary! We celebrated Saturday night with a fabulous dinner in. I picked up protein (peppered steak tenderloin for Tyler, seitan roast for me) at Whole Foods. We also had purple-colored garlic smashed potatoes made from blue Russian banana fingerling potatoes, roasted vegetables (brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, golden beets, baby red onions) with white truffle oil, and garlic herb sourdough bread. To complement the meal, we opened the celebratory bottle of wine that we bought when we found out I was pregnant with intentions of sharing it after our little one arrived. This was the perfect occasion... and it was fabulous.

In addition to Sunday's visits from Gigi (Grandma Annette), Tiana, Traye, Liz, and Mark, in the morning Tye and I went to have brunch with the girls. Three of my best friends from college (Kate, Jen, and Raquel, all bridesmaids, too) and I went to Bin for brunch while Tye slept soundly in her sling. It felt a bit Sex and the City to have four of us brunching together- and it was so much fun! One new aspect of slinging Tye that will never grow old for me is other people's reactions to the sling. From the young hipster guy who chuckled "That's awesome," to Bin's host's auditory gasp and smile to the never ending double takes (Is that really a baby?), the responses are always new and often hysterical. Then again, I think I'd have a hard time not staring at a young woman in a huge fleece with a little pink-hooded head poking out of the zipper at chest height with wide, inquisitive eyes. I'm sure we're a sight to be seen.

Now we're back to Monday, week 2 of Tyler being back at work. Our schedule is much emptier this week, but there are always chores to be done at home and playtime to be had together. Of course, I prefer the latter!