She packed her bags and headed west...

Did I mention that Aurelia went to Hawaii recently? Yup. She packed her bags and headed west to visit her buddy Christi who resides on the island of Maui. (S and I kept the fort with only occasional dinners out. And I only ate over the sink every other night).


There are more pictures on Aurelia's facebook page so I'll just post a few of the highlights.

Warning.
These pictures may induce jealously in those who do not live in paradise.

Just before some adventures on the zip line.

En route to snorkeling.

Just another waterfall.
Ho hum.

Red beach.

Soon after Momma's return Sylvia sports her new island gear.

Sylvia's Sleepytime Salad

The columbines have come and gone. This should mean that summer has arrived. But this year summer is arriving in fits and starts. We get a bit of rain followed by a sunny day, then clouds. The air is mild and cool in the morning. Our sympathy goes out to everyone out east and south who are already sweltering.


Sylvia was lucky enough to receive a number of guests this week. Nina and Jake (whom I work with and Timbers season ticket seat neighbor) dropped by with their son Akio.







Later on, Van showed up with the cutest little hat for Sylvia. Amish or St. Pauli Girl, not sure which.











A weekend would not be complete without a bit of walking practice, time in the snugglie, Mom intimidation and bare bum time; in that order.

I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse.

Monday night, thanks to our friend Christi who coincidentally just moved a few block away from us, is now to be known as "Family Monday Night." This means that Aurelia and I don't cook and Christi and Ian hit the kitchen. This week featured an improvisational dinner salad christened "Sylvia's Sleepy Time salad" to honor how quickly Sylvia fell asleep while we ate.

Here's the recipe for those looking to enjoy its soporific effects:

Sylvia’s Sleepy Time Salad

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie Chicken (pulled and chopped)

1 can Black Olives

1 tub fresh marinated Mozzarella Balls

1 can Artichoke Bottoms

1 jar Marinated sliced and roasted red peppers

1 tub Pesto

1 head Romaine Lettuce Chopped

1 bag mixed Spring Greens

1 bag o’ Love

Chop and pull chicken. Moisten with ½ tub of pesto

Combine all ingredients and toss and turn well.

Also try with:

Pine nuts, Marinated Mushrooms, Walnuts

Finally here's a pic from mid-week that illustrates Sylvia's increased awareness and engagement, especially towards faces and voices.

Baby Birthday Betting Pool

Let's bring this kid into the world right-with a little interstate gambling!

$5 gets you a chance to win big. Just let me know on what day you think the baby will arrive and if you're the closest you get all the money. Remember, the official due date is April 28th.

Rules: 1. One entry per person. 2. One day per person. 3. All disputes resolved by Aurelia (as the new momma-what she says-goes.)

Entries:
Aurelia- April 24th (wishful thinking perhaps?)
Susan-May 1st
Stephen-May 2
Linda- April 23
Victoria-April 26th
Christi Reed- April 28th
Miguel-April 30th
Chris-April 13th
Lisa-April 17th (do they know something we don't?)
Brick-April 27

Woo hoo!

Baby Showah (if you're from Boston)

Saturday morning found Susan and Victoria (who had flown in from AZ) and Christi preparing for a baby shower for our soon to be bigger family. As only my second baby shower (attending my buddy Jake's a few months ago being my first) I did my best to stay out of the way. We spent the morning cleaning the house and setting up chairs and tables. The party really got started when Christ, below, arrived with tasty morsels and adult beverages.


As 2 pm grew near we finished up and started drinking (except for those with child who had to content themselves with sparking water and juice).


We're lucky to have met so many good people in Portland who were kind enough to give up a bit of their Saturday to wish our little one well with a few drinks and food. The crowd included neighbors, friends from work and even one former tenant. To keep them entertained Victoria and Christi had everyone bring a baby picture and then challenged the group to identify who was who. As most newborn pictures are similar (large heads, big ears and only moderate hair) it was challenging and the top scorer only managed to identify 8 out of 15.


One of the best parts of the shower, and of any party in my opinion, was the kids. Nina and Jake brought their four month old Akio and Evan brought his parents Lisa and Adam. Akio, as a four month old, was alert and spent some time doing walking practice with his dad. Evan is a full of energy cat so he and I hit if off well. We cruised the party as a unit and later he helped AJ and I open gifts.




After bellies were full of baby back ribs, baby carrots, baby swiss cheese and baby crab cakes, baby pizza, peas-in the pod (do you detect a certain pattern) we moved to the living room.

Vic was mc and Vanna White as the baby picture game progressed.

Evan helps us with a particularly resistant bit of wrapping.

Hopefully the only medical apparatus we'll ever need.

Our buddies Derek, Kevin and Wendy.

Uber cute! This kid is ready to be President.

The generosity of our friends was overwhelming and I won't even try to list the many beautiful things we received. I'll just say again that we're lucky people and I hope we'll have a chance in the future to return the kindness shown to us. Thanks everyone!