Oktoberfest// Bear Mountain

One of the benefits of living outside the city is the lovely parks and serene outdoors. If you are an outdoorsy kind of person, the hudson valley is for you (unless you have allergies, then it'll just make them worse!) For the next 5 weeks, the Bear mountain state park is hosting the Oktoberfest, its pretty funny, packed with vendors, music and of course endless jugs of beer. We happened to stumble upon it last weekend but came just before they packed up so we'll have to go back. Have a great weekend.

2 Months Old

At 2 months old, Evie is deliciously chubby, very smiley and just precious..I know I'm her mother so I couldn't possibly feel any differently. She actually was 2months over a week a ago but I waited until now so I could get the stats..its also a bit tough to get a baby ready for her close up..so we were just now able to get her at a good time to take a few pictures. She had her 2 month appointment with the pediatrician yesterday and weighed in at 14lbs and 24.5"long, she's healthy and happy. She smiles deliberately, she is able to recognize a few people ( me, daddy and her sister..) so she "tracks" when she hears our voices, she holds her head up pretty well but still is not a fan of tummy time at all. She is starting to "coo" and responds to us pretty well which is great but also blows my mind because I feel like she was just born..she was born 10 weeks ago! I'm still amazed. Anyway, all is well with the sisters, Arielle loves her but I do observe a change in her personality and the odd things she says sometimes which must be as a result of this new person in her life. She's got a lot going on in her little life with a new Preschool, new friends, teachers etc and of course a baby sister..so I feel like I need to cuddle her even more although it make it hard for her to leave me in the morning without crying. 

I had a "bad mommy" moment yesterday with her. After receiving several vaccines injections, I decided to take Arielle and Evie to see grandma because she was home from work (schools were closed for Rosh Hashanah). Once we got there, Evie was fine and happy, she then took a nap for a short while. When she woke up from the nap, she was not happy, she started to cry which quickly escalated into a screaming and kicking fit..I couldn't console her enough..I tried to put her in the Bjorn and walk around because she enjoys that but she cried even more, I took her out and held her but every time I bounced her gently she would cringe and scream even more..after about 25 minutes, I realized she was getting warm, red and crying even more intensely. I had never seen her cry so much before. I realized that she must have been in pain from the vaccines so my mother rushed out to pick up a pain/fever reducer to give to her. After administering it, she cuddled her for about 20 minutes and she calmed down. I should have known or at least been prepared for the possibly of her to have a reaction. 

Break//Sweet Little Shop

I started this online blog and shop a few months back, the shop combines my passion for designing, clothing and my daughters and was really a lot of fun (and stressful) to put together. I learnt a lot in the process and still have more to learn about this business. I am taking a break to focus on a few other projects in the next few months, while I also learn more about marketing this product and getting some more inventory and new styles for the Spring/Summer 2013 line. The website will remain up but there will be no way to purchase anything until we relaunch in a few months. Thanks for your support and I look forward to bringing back some new stuff in a few months.

Happy Birthday// to me

A few days ago I hit what I refer to as "middle aged", although its not technically considered that but for many reasons, I feel like it is within my current perspective on life. Its always an interesting week for me because for most of my life except for the first two years, my brothers birthday has been the day after mine, you see he interrupted my 3rd birthday party with his entrance into the world and really has stolen my thunder ever since (he would agree..). He's my only brother from a family of seven children and he was greatly wished for and had been greatly celebrated ever since his arrival so I guess its OK but really..he could have waited a few more days rather than to disappoint a whole bunch of three year olds who came out to eat cake.. but I digress. 

Anyway, since 2001, the day before has been charged with somber remembrance of the day the two planes were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center towers in NYC and this creates the sandwich that is my birthday. I have become rather cynical about celebrating my birthday over the years not for any particular reason really; I'm not afraid of age or getting older, I'm the first to announce my age to anyone who wants to know ( even if its thought of as a faux pas) so maybe I just lost the vigor for it in general. The day I was born is probably most special to my mother, because she did all the work that day, I just came out and slept probably! So, I had always imagined this year to be more glamorous, nights out on the town after long days at my posh job in the bright white corner office looking over central park, with a secretary names Susie, then a few months back I decided to come back to earth and just to have a big birthday celebration and then lost all my steam by July and as things happened, the weeks flew by, there it was was staring me in the face, my birthday was here and I had nothing to do, I was crossing this line into the middle-age, in pajamas, with unkempt hair, spit up on my arm, smelling like old milk! This was what my life had become..I am a mom........and these two little ones are the best gift I could have given myself. 

So one of my sisters called and asked if I wanted to go to lunch which forced me to clean up and leave the house, with one daughter in school and the other in tow, we went to lunch and had martinis with our salads, talked and laughed about old times and new (she is a new mommy too.. to a lovely little boy). After lunch, it was such a nice day that we decided to go shopping and then take the kids to the playground for a while. And in the end, there was a celebration, not the kind I had dreamt up, but the a respectable one,  dinner and cake..impromptu with people who care and some who just happened to be there..