Home safe and sound

Asleep at last...little guy has a serious Naples hangover and it took him an hour to fall asleep in his crib this afternoon. After having no real naps to speak of today, he was so over tired.

Our first family trip, and a wonderful one at that. It really went remarkably smoothly given all that goes into getting Ben on the road. Man, there is so much STUFF! But the long weekend provided a much needed vacation for all and a perfect visit with the grandparents.

A little Ben loves from sunny Florida...

birds, oh the birds. we wave at them, squeal at them, smile and laugh,
walking with grandma Marsha,
eating breakfast every morning with grandpa Joe (and ice cream for the first time! - not for bfast though),
wind in our hair, even when on the beach,
fish from the safe distance of the pier,
walking, more walking and more walking,
his new tractor from dad,
the farmers market, even though he was half asleep,
Mary Ann, Jennifer and Mary Ellen,
waving, waving, waving,
SWIMMING in the pool (even though the water was freezing!),
sleeping in the closet,
and getting more attention than one kid knows what to do with.

Hubby and I were able to steal a date night at Campiello's - a fantastic, much needed evening out alone. It was glorious on a million levels. I ran every day, a treat for me. We ate fresh fish, had too many cocktails, and it was all wrapped up in a warm blanket of sunshine.

I am counting the days until we return again in March. Double the fun with BOTH sets of grandparents, Ben's b-day, my sis, I can hardly wait!

couple more pics...Ben holding his bottle on his own and at Aunt Mary Anne's for the sunset.

Naples Getaway...

Ben enjoying his first Skyline Chili lunch (one of his dad's all-time favorites), and his first trip to the beach.

He did NOT like the sand, or the beach, but he and I have returned each morning and he is slowly warming to the idea. Today it was really, really windy. We sat in the sand and watched the birds trying to fly against the wind. He laughed b/c he thinks the wind is funny and he loves birds. He waves and waves at them (his backwards wave). And he wore shoes today so he didn't squirm as much when I put his feet in the sand. He took a few steps and didn't lunge back into my arms like previous days. Overall pretty successful.

It's raining now, Ben is napping. Hoping things clear up so we can hit the pool later today.

I've run each day, which has been wonderful. And relaxed by the pool during Ben's afternoon nap. I've caught up on my magazines, played with the new phone a bit. Overall, it has been a great getaway. And the weather is warmer than we've ever had in January - a treat.

Uploading is really slow for some reason but I've got a couple more coming...

Randy's 4 dinner & Ben's 1st clam chowder. He wowed crowds who doubted he would eat it...I knew he'd snarf it down, and he did. Very long day, sleeping now.

Battle continues btw me and mobile/photo uploads to blogspot - in meantime, follow me on Twitter for FL pics of Ben! @cityretreat

Baby on plane a success! Several chirps and screams but overall a good 1st flight. FL is sunny, so happy to be here. Beach pics hopefully soon!

World Traveler

My little eater...boy does he make mealtime fun.

I've posted in the past about his passion for food in general, and what a treat he is to take to our favorite Mexican place. Not just because he flirts with all the waitresses and adores the attention, but also because he gets his own plate of guac, with rice, beans, meat and cheese to follow. And actually squeals with delight.

This weekend he tackled Chinese and Lebanese with the same enthusiasm. Real Chinese, like in Chinatown. There he tried fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, shrimp rice rolls, my favorite sesame balls, and even cuttle fish...that one presented some problems when we found pieces still in his mouth a half hour later while staring up at the Chinese lanterns in the gift shop across the way. But it didn't bother him a bit.

Some friends in the neighborhood had a baby recently and invited us over for a highly-anticipated Lebanese meal. Her mom is visiting FROM LEBANON, and prepared the most amazing meal for us (I adore Lebanese, and rarely find access to good stuff here -- sis often treats me with goodies from T-town where they have lots of great options). So last night he tried (forgive my butchered spelling please!) kibbi, tabouli, hummus, and a couple other delicious dishes I don't remember the names of.

It's hard to say what is most entertaining - his excitement over the various things that hit his tongue, or watching others watch him. Regardless, I love that he is such an easy eater and hope some of this sticks with him for the long haul...

Kelly's visit

A few great pics from our weekend with cousin Kelly. As you can tell, Ben is a huge fan. He is a lucky little dude to have so many people loving him. More updates to follow...promise.

...I have countless posts currently half written in my head, yet haven't found the time to finish and post them.

In the meantime, thanks to Kelly for making Chicago her destination of choice. Even if it was just to chill with the little dude, I love having her around. She is more like a sis than a niece, and it's fun to have her here to pal around with. Pictures to follow tomorrow.

Flying for 1st time since quitting BF-feel so much lighter without all the equipment. So long Admirals Club stall 3!

AcroCats

I'm not even really sure where to begin on this one...but the Acrocats act (UPDATED with URL) has been prodding us for quite some time. I think Gaston first discovered them, and we all cried foul. Performing cats? No way.

Periodically an article would pop up, or a notice in TimeOut. They continued to sneek up on us when we least expected it, just like our own cats. Well, for xmas hubby bought tickets to the show and Sat we finally went to check it out.

There is no way to do the experience justice - and it was an experience from start to finish. It's hard to say whether the cats were actually the most interesting act -the host, event organizers and audience members really gave them a run for their tuna.

As for the show, it really did feature performing cats. And other animals too. But the cats were the stars, about nine of them in total, doing everything from ringing a bell on command, to balancing on an exercise ball as it rolled across the floor. The performance culimated with a concert - cats on electric guitar, drums and piano as seen here.

Sadly I didn't remember my FLIP video (getting new phone this week w/video, camera - it is going to revolutionize my life) - but this picture gives a little taste of the excitement.

I can promise you it was the best $15 we'll spend all year...check 'em out.

Big Ben on the Move

Check out the little guy cruising around this morning! Such fun stuff. Of course I missed the major performance where he went lengthwise across the family room, too busy shadowing behind to make sure he didn't bite it. But this gives you a little taste...

Deliciously Devine Nut Mix

On a whim I made this recipe the other day for mixed nuts. I'm obsessed with rosemary, just ask my mom. So an opportunity to incorporate it into a nut mix? It had to be a winner, and indeed it is. it's going to be my new party favor...and it couldn't be easier.

Rosemary Roasted Nuts

2 C mixed nuts (I used almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecans)
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
1/3 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
coarse salt

preheat over to 350 degrees, roast nuts 12-15 minutes
in skillet heat butter, brown sugar and rosemary over medium high heat
add nuts, mix over heat another 3-5 minutes
spread on parchment paper or tin foil too cool

Enjoy!

Ben loves...

in the latest Ben loves, several new updates and a few old favorites:

- dad, dad, dad - whether sitting on their favorite chair sharing the remote control or discussing musical techniques with Ben's new guitar, Ben loves his dad. He now sits in his high chair while eating and calls out if he can hear him but can't see him, to get his attention.
- climbing in the stairs up from the basement (we're gaining serious speed with every try)
- rooting through the pantry (yes, we have more than five different types of mac & cheese in the house at any given time. hubby's fav and now Ben's too...)
- pulling up. on shelves, the coffee table, and best of all, pant legs
- bath time
- trying new foods (tostadas, creamed spinach, dad's juice)
- aunt Carrie :)

Puppypalooza

With my sis comes Reiley. I call him the big red dog. Stella's older, adopted brother, he is an Irish Setter and a gentle giant. Ben has become a pretty big fan as well. If you aren't a dog person, the pics may disturb you, but truth be told Ben has been washed down with so many dog kisses, the process occasionally replaces a bath after an especially dirty dinner. He loves his furry friends, peering around corners when he hears them nearby, and snuggling up to them while they are close.

New Year's Eve

Sis came in for a long weekend to celebrate NYE. We hit the town a night early for a few adult beverages and socializing. Thursday we stayed home and cooked a giant feast. As an aside, I've been in a cooking frenzy. (stay tuned for my new favorite snack, an amazingly delicious nut mix) I think a combo of being away from home for so long, the winter settling in and having some time off. I made hubby his favorite, prime rib. A GIANT prime rib...thanks to Marsha for the perfect cooking instructions. It came out perfectly!

First Snow

I'm woefully behind on updates so here are a few in rapid fire...

Sending out '09 we'll leave you with a few fun shots of the little guy experiencing his first romp in the snow. When we came home from Cleveland last weekend big flakes were falling from the sky. We bundled Ben up and plopped him down in the backyard. Aside from him shirt riding up and giving him a cold shot to the belly, he loved it.