This weekend was so full, I hardly know where to start! Warning: Many photos and a couple of videos ahead.  Before anything else, though, I want to wish all the moms out there a very happy Mother’s Day!

I’ll start at the beginning of our weekend. Saturday, Johnny, Jack and I walked in the Revlon Run/Walk in downtown Los Angeles. We went with a team from my office, which meant we got to ride on a shuttle to and from the Coliseum, instead of trying to contend with the crazy traffic. Despite being out from 7 a.m. to almost 1 p.m., Jack did extremely well. He napped at the beginning of the three-mile walk, then people-watched from his stroller, enjoyed some Cheerios and Gerber’s puffs en route, and ate his lunch on the shuttle ride back. He was in a jolly mood almost the entire time.

Jack and Johnny in the Coliseum stands during the opening ceremonies

Jack and I during the walk. Runners definitely have it good in these events — I’ve never done the “walk” portion of something like this before; it is a ZOO (a slow zoo) walking with all those people!

Afterward, Jack and I enjoy a pear while Rachel (my boss’ daughter) kisses Jack on the cheek

That evening, my mom, June and Charles came over to sit for Jack while Johnny and I attended the UCLA Anderson formal. It was at the Petersen Automotive Museum. I was very pregnant with Jack at last year’s formal; this year, I was happy to wear a dress that I haven’t worn in a few years … in fact, not since New Year’s 2005, I don’t think! I’m always happy when I have a chance to justify my obsession with purchasing party dresses.

Johnny and I before we left the apartment — you can see in the mirror that the dress is backless

My mom thought it would be funny to take this picture and say that I cook like this for Johnny every night (he wishes!). The feminist in me was horrified, but mostly I thought it was funny, too.

Johnny with a cool ice cream truck in the lobby of the automotive museum

Here I am, being one of those auto show girls

With our friend Camele

Since the formal started at 9 p.m., my mom, June and Charles spent the night. That was great, because it gave me a chance to make Mother’s Day brunch for my mom for the first time! I made scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, shallots and asparagus, stuffed into little bread bowls. Unfortunately they were out of brioche rolls at the bakery, so I had to use hard sourdough rolls. It still looked pretty, though. We had bacon and fresh strawberries as side dishes. For dessert, I’d made a tartufo (with chocolate and strawberry ice cream, fresh chopped strawberries and almonds) with a chocolate ganache shell, sprinkled with almonds. I should have taken a pic of that; it was really pretty!

The brunch spread and Jack

At brunch, my mom opened her cards from all of us (including Jack, who had scribbled a work of art in crayon). I gave my mom a little photo magnet of Jack and a pillow that says, “Great moms get promoted to Grandma.” Johnny gave me a card from Jack, a card from himself and a card from Atari.  He also made me this, printed on cardstock to put up at work (click on the image for a larger size pic):

Isn’t it awesome? He also gave me a beautiful locket with a picture of Jack inside, and matching earrings. The last gift from Johnny was that he arranged for our nanny to babysit tomorrow night while we go out to a nice dinner together. I feel so pampered!

After brunch, we all played with Jack for a bit before my mom, June and Charles left.

Jack is obsessed with cell phones

With Aunt June

After a much-needed afternoon nap (for me and Jack), we headed to the park, where Johnny took some cute pictures of me and Jack.

Now, Jack is in bed, and we’re getting ready to enjoy a quiet evening together. It’s been a wonderful weekend. I feel incredibly blessed to have my beautiful son, wonderful husband and loving family with me on Mother’s Day. I can’t quite get my head around the fact that last Mother’s Day, Jack was still baking inside my belly, and now, he’s almost walking. I think it’s universally true that Mother’s Day takes on new significance after you become a mom yourself. I’ve always enjoyed Mother’s Day — buying gifts for my mom, making her feel extra-special — but now that I have Jack, I realize that I never really understood before how much a mother loves her children, and how much she sacrifices for them. Things that I used to wonder about (“Why does Mommy worry so much about this or that?” or “Why is she always telling me to be careful?”) make total sense to me now. In a lot of cases, moms are the foundation of a family, and I am grateful to have an awesome mom (and an amazing mother-in-law, as well).

OK, on a lighter note, I want to share two videos with you. The first is one showing Jack’s beckoning skills.

This second one from this afternoon show’s Jack’s hilarious reaction to the book “No, David!” I had to take this at an angle where the camera wouldn’t distract Jack. He understands the word “no,” and he finds the use of it in this book to be really funny (although he doesn’t laugh when we tell him no). I’m not sure if it’s the pictures, or the fact that we’re saying “no” out of context, or, as Johnny suggests, a very keen early sense of schadenfreude (I love that theory best!), but it’s funny. Turn up the volume!

*** Edit: See below***

Today is Atari’s birthday! Can I get a, “Happy Birthday, Atari!”?

I can’t believe Atari is four years old. It really feels like no time has passed since an 11-pound, 12-week-old Shiba puppy came to live with us in our tiny Manhattan apartment.

The day we went to pick out Atari … he was only four weeks old (he didn’t come home to us for eight more weeks)

Atari and I on his first day home

A more recent pic of Atari

The first year of Atari’s life flew by in a flurry of training, making new friends at the dog park and a move to Astoria. The second year passed like a blur, with Johnny applying to business school, both of us working hard (and playing hard), a cross-country drive to California and setting up home in Los Angeles. Through all of this, we found time to bake Atari homemade treats and take him on weekly trips to the dog park. The third year, we assured Atari all through my pregnancy that he was still very important to us. The fourth year, Jack arrived, and for a while, Atari was lucky just to get kibble in his bowl twice a day, and a few times he had to look at us imploringly before we realized his water bowl had been empty for God knows how long! Now, things are looking up for good old Atari — he’s getting treats (albeit not homemade much these days) again, his water bowl is regularly filled, Jack is playing with him, he has a new sleeping spot (he now prefers to sleep under Jack’s crib rather than under our bed), Mommy pets him again, and he even gets to the dog park once in a while.

Even while we were preoccupied with Jack, though, Atari was still very important to us. He’s the best dog ever … he is fun-loving, low-maintenance, well-behaved, dignified and yet knows exactly when to rest his chin on your leg and look at you with his puppy-dog eyes. He is still the little puppy I love. When we took Atari to puppy school, the trainer (Andrea Arden herself!) said to the class, “It may not matter to you now that your puppy chews and pees everywhere. But someday, the lovefest will be over, and if you haven’t properly trained your dog, you will be sorry.” Well, she’s absolutely right about the need to train dogs, but she was wrong about one thing — the lovefest between us and Atari is definitely not over!

I will post pictures tonight* or later this weekend — we got Atari a new toy and some frosted dog cookies. For now, Happy 4th Birthday, Atari!

* And as promised, here are those pictures, along with a story of how Atari’s birthday celebration went.

We gave Atari a new chew toy that also bounces and floats (he hates water, so I don’t think the floating feature will come in handy). There were spaces in the toy where you could stuff treats. We wedged in a little bit of peanut butter, which Atari used to love. He hadn’t had it in a while, so he really relished it.

Waiting for his birthday treat while we sing Happy Birthday to him (Atari’s shedding his winter coat right now, so he looks really skinny)

Enjoying the PB wedged into his new toy

After Atari had a chance to play with his toy, Johnny took him on his evening walk. Then, as usual, Atari got his dinner. Johnny then left to go to a screening of Zach’s movie. While I was playing with Jack, I heard the unmistakable noise of Atari vomiting — from our bedroom. I looked inside our bedroom and saw two giant heaps of tan-colored vomit, with chunks. They really looked like piles, not liquidy like usual dog vomit. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was half-digested kibble: softened from being inside Atari’s digestive tract, but still intact. I have a really strong stomach, but let me tell you, even I was disgusted by this sight. So here I was, with a playful baby and two piles of dog vomit.

I set Jack down in his crib while I tried to clean up the mess. I was hoping he’d entertain himself, since he usually falls asleep by himself in his crib. Unfortunately, since it wasn’t yet his bedtime, and I disappeared from view, Jack protested. I tried to clean as fast as I could, but Jack’s protests became louder. Finally I just scooped up the chunks, threw them out and decided I’d deal with the rest of the mess after Jack went to bed in half an hour. Of course, Jack quickly became obsessed with trying to crawl into our room. We have an over-the-door shoe hanger behind our bedroom door, so there’s no way to shut the door completely (it’s just us in the apartment, so not having the bedroom door close all the way isn’t usually a big deal). I spent the half hour trying to distract Jack from going into the bedroom. Finally, bedtime came. I set Jack in his crib and he promptly fell asleep. Body clocks are amazing, aren’t they? Half an hour earlier, he wouldn’t dream of going to sleep. Anyway, I mixed up some cleaning solution and proceeded to clean up the vomit. By the time Johnny got home an hour later, everything was shipshape again … no stain.

So, happy birthday, Atari: You get an empty stomach.  I guess we won’t be giving him any more peanut butter. He used to LOVE the stuff as a puppy — we would stuff his Kong toys with it, and he never had a problem. It’s been so long since he’s had it, though, so who knows? We’ll be sticking with his organic kibble from now on!

Jack has developed the cutest habit ever.

He’s been pointing for a couple of weeks now, and waving goodbye and hello for a few days, but now it appears he has combined the two. Whenever Jack sees something (or someone) he wants, he points at it, then turns his hand so his palm faces up, and flicks his fingers toward his palm in a “come hither” motion, with a big grin on his face. Of course, Johnny and I find this completely irresistible, so we bring him what he wants or go to him when His Highness beckons.

I’ll have to post a video of this sometime. It’s so adorable. Jack will sometimes also use the “come hither” motion instead of a wave. I think he’s confused about waving, but there’s no mistake what he means when he points and then beckons.  The best part is that he’s clearly delighted about the fact that we can understand him. 

I’m going to work on blowing kisses next!   

Edited with pictures. Enjoy!

Happy Monday, everyone!

We had an uncharacteristically laid-back weekend, which was really nice. On Saturday, I spent the day relaxing with Johnny and Jack. Jack really mastered his push toy. It’s amazing how much more stable he is on it compared to just one week ago! He now pulls himself up on the wagon’s handlebar without toppling over, and he delightedly pushes it around the living room, walking without much difficulty.

I like to pretend that Jack’s pushing around a cart full of churros for sale. It’s really cute to say, “Churros for sale!” as he walks by with the cart. Yes, I know it’s random!

Sometimes he’ll let go with both hands and stand there for two seconds until he falls on his bottom. He always looks around with a huge grin when he’s standing unsupported, as though to say, “Are you seeing this? Aren’t I cool?” Aside from pointing, trying to stand is Jack’s other obsession of the moment.

Standing to play with a toy

Trying to stand, using the bathroom door as a handhold

Standing while holding on with only one hand

We also spent a lot of time at the park on Saturday. Jack pointed at all the big kids eating ice cream. He was placated with Cheerios and a sippy cup of water, though. He’s big into pointing now. Case in point:

I want that

Yesterday, my mom, June and Charles came over. Johnny and Charles went to see Iron Man after we had lunch, and my mom, June, Jack and I headed to the Westside Pavilion, where Jack played at the indoor food court playground, and June bought some presents for her friends. We had a great time just strolling around, and Jack was very well-behaved. At one point, we stopped in an anime store, and Jack found the stuffed animals there really hilarious.

This week is full of things to look forward to. We’re having a baby shower for someone at work on Wednesday, and Saturday night is the UCLA Anderson formal. My mom is babysitting, and Johnny and I are getting dressed up and going to the formal. I will get to dust off one of my dresses that hasn’t seen the light of day in a couple of years.  Considering the formal is from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., I suppose it still won’t see the light of day, but at least it will make its way out of the closet. Those are good hours for minimal guilt about time away from Jack (since he will be asleep), but I’ll have to try hard not to fall asleep on the dance floor!

OK, and finally, I am going to share 10 random facts about myself. My good friend Donna tagged me to do it in her blog, and I’ve forgotten until now. Since she recently lent me the awesome book that I’m “currently reading” below (actually, I finished it last Thursday, but it was so good, I decided to advertise it here), I thought I’d return the favor by finally making good on her tag.

1. I’m addicted to Starbucks Skinny Mochas — so much goodness for 90 calories.
2. I always weigh myself after working out. Actually, I don’t drink water after the workout until after I’ve weighed myself. Yes, I know: It’s a bad habit, it’s pointless, the point of exercise is for long-term health, blah blah blah. I can’t help it, though. I’m an instant gratification kind of gal, so if I just spent 45 minutes sweating, I want to see the results! At least I haven’t made a spreadsheet with the numbers or anything.
4. I do most of my eating at night. Dinner is usually followed by dessert, followed by some fruit, followed by late-night snacking in front of the TV. The snacking gets bad, because after I have something salty, I like to have something sweet. Of course, then I need to have something salty again. It’s almost always healthy stuff that I’m eating, but Johnny was initially horrified when he discovered this habit of mine. Now he’s joined me, haha.
5. I love escargot.
6. Unfortunately, eating escargot makes my throat constrict and limits my ability to breathe. Although garlicky snails are delicious, I can’t eat them. Believe me when I say that “ability to breathe” wins out over escargot by only a very slim margin.
7. I’d like to trade in my red Beetle for a hybrid Highlander. “Trade in” is used loosely; I’m sure we’d need to pay a lot on top of the value of the Beetle for the Highlander. That’s low on the priority list, though. First up is a house!
8. My favorite parts of each day are greeting Jack in the morning, looking at him while he sleeps in the evening, and catching up on my day with Johnny before we go to bed.
9. I think I will opt for AstroTurf in my future backyard. The thought of maintaining a lawn (even though Johnny would be the one doing it) and the associated costs makes me shudder.
10. I store my baking pans in the oven because I don’t have enough space for them in my cabinets. At least these are oven-safe items, though. My sister had a crazy roommate once who stored cleaning rags in the oven without telling anyone. One time, June went to turn on the oven to preheat it, and a huge fire exploded in the oven … because her roommate had left a rag soaked in some sort of cleaning solution in the oven.

I love that it’s May! For some reason, I always view the first four months of the year as the draggiest time of year … the holidays are over, it’s cold (or at least, colder than the rest of the year), and it’s just generally more blah. But, starting in May, we have Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day to look forward to. Plus, there are graduations, birthdays, barbecues, and people are just in a better mood given the warm weather. I, for one, absolutely love summer, even though it’s our busiest time at work. The sunshine does me wonders. And, when summer is over, there are all these fall and winter holidays coming, so you can’t be too sad. So yay for May, the beginning of it all!

Not only is today May 1, but it’s also Thursday, my favorite day of the workweek. My favorite day will always be Saturday, but Thursday’s a close second. It means Friday is near, it’s the night the The Office and Grey’s Anatomy are on, and a bunch of us from work usually go to the weekly Farmers Market near work to get tamales for lunch. I also buy fresh strawberries and these yummy, organic whole-grain cupcakes. (We’ll miss you, E! I’ll eat an extra cupcake for you. ) Food, friends, sunshine, the proximity of the weekend … plus Johnny, Jack, a nice long run around the neighborhood, and good TV waiting for me at home tonight. Can’t get any better than this!

No, that’s not a typo in the title of this entry. I really do mean, cow got your tongue?

Friday night, Johnny and I took Charles, June and my mom out to an awesome Korean BBQ place (Tahoe, for those of you in Los Angeles) for dinner. It was our belated birthday gift to Charles. He and June had been to Tahoe once before and kept raving about the delicious all-you-can-eat meat and sides. The meat was out of this world, and it’s always fun to grill at the table. And, as usual, the side dishes were amazing. But apparently, this was not enough adventure for Charles, since he ordered a plate of cow tongue for us to grill.

Johnny and a plate of tongue!

Here’s how tongue looks while it’s cooking (upper left corner)

Well, folks, you know me … I am always willing to try (most) food once. I’m not that squeamish about meat or innards … as long as it’s not a cat or dog, I will eat it. (Please, seriously, no jokes about Asian people eating dogs. Those jokes are so old, and more than a little annoying. ) I enjoy liver, chicken hearts, pig stomachs, intestines, etc. I’ve had duck tongue, but I’ve never had cow tongue, and I have to say, seeing the plate of curly tongues made even my stomach of steel feel a little queasy. Nevertheless, I couldn’t pass up the adventure. The texture was actually fine; I couldn’t tell that I was eating tongue. But, the taste was so strong … I felt like I was eating blue cheese or something. It had a stronger taste to it than lamb, even. I had to spit it out in my napkin, something that I almost never do. So, anyway, it was the one part of the meal I didn’t like. Johnny liked it, though, and he and Charles consumed about half that plate of tongue. I shiver at the thought, but I am pleased to be able to say that I’ve had cow tongue!

June and Charles. June served as our grillmaster for most of the evening.

Here I am with my mom and Johnny

Saturday was a busy but fun day. I went to Bar class in the morning, then Jack and I met up with Tomomi, one of my friends from the mother’s group. Her son is only 11 days older than Jack. He was napping when Tomomi and I met up, so it was just the three of us. Jack ate Cheerios and unpacked my diaper bag while Tomomi and I had coffee and chatted at Coffee Bean. When we got home, we all chilled for a bit before Jack’s nap.

One of Jack’s favorite activities at home: Checking out Roberto, our love frog

Wearing his “I left my mark at Northwestern” T-shirt and playing with his favorite toy

I love this one. It’s like Jack is saying, “No way. She did what??”

Enjoying a sip of water post-nap

After Jack’s nap, we headed to the mall. We got Jack some new sandals and bought a baby shower gift.

Jack got his feet measured for the first time at Nordstrom. He’s a size 4!

The highlight of the mall outing was the fake food playground. Jack has always loved watching the older kids crawl and jump on the plastic food, but this was the first time he got to join the action. Johnny was very overprotective, but Jack managed to crawl away, and he had lots of fun!

Checking out the entrance to the sideways soda cup tunnel

Jack prepares to enter the tunnel; I watch nervously

Oh, this is kind of fun!

Victory! Reached the other end

This kid actually started humping Jack and trying to lick Jack’s ear, but Jack fought back before I could step in

I’m a big kid now!

After the food court playground, we headed to some toy stores in the mall to get Jack some big-boy toys. We didn’t get this horse, but it was so cute.

The next day, we drove out to my mom’s house and spent the day with her, June and Charles. Jack and I took an excursion to Babies R Us so I could get him a push toy. Jack really enjoyed the Babies R Us outing!

I love riding in carts!

He also delighted in his new push toy:

I can’t believe he’s using push toys now … it’s crazy!

Hope you all had great weekends!

Wow, thanks for all of your support on my previous venting entry. I feel so loved and lucky!  You all are really too kind.

I did go work out this morning, and I’ve been productive at work, so I feel like the universe is coming back together again. And, Johnny uploaded some adorable pictures of Jack that he took this morning. I’ll share my favorites with you!

Jack eagerly takes on the narrow Isthmus of Ottoman and Love Seat

Helloooo?

Cute husband and cute baby!

Jack really looks like he’s playing here

Oh yeah, rockin’ out

And, it’s Thursday! Friday is coming oh-so-soon …

I’m not feeling like my usual Superwoman-ish self. I’m not quite sure why, but I’ve felt somewhat out of sorts in the last couple of days. Well, that’s not true; I can think of a few reasons why.

1. My project lineup at work changed yesterday. It’s actually not a bad thing, but I didn’t see it coming, and I felt a little unprepared and out of whack. I was invited to a meeting last-minute, and although I was dressed appropriately (in business casual), I felt that I needed to wear a suit, and I managed to borrow a suit jacket at the last minute. It was all fine, but I was kicking myself for recently bringing home the black blazer that I usually keep at work. It sounds so silly, but this incident made me feel so scattered, and if there is one feeling I abhor, it’s being scattered.

2. I miss Jack a lot during the day. Johnny told me that on Monday afternoon, Jack suddenly started crying and saying, “Mamamamamama.” I am sure he didn’t know what he was saying, but it made me sad, anyway. When I come home, Jack always smiles and crawls eagerly toward me, but for some reason that just makes me sadder. I’ve always missed Jack since returning to work, but lately it’s gotten worse, I think because Jack is much more interactive now.

3. Johnny got rear-ended while he was in the RAV4 today. That’s the third time that the RAV4 has been rear-ended. Insurance always covers it 100% (without affecting our insurance rates) because it’s always been the rear-ender’s fault (and it is this time, also), but it just sucks having to put the car into repair for several days, especially since it’s the car in which we transport Jack. I’m starting to wonder if the RAV4 secretly has a sign on it that says, “Hit me, please.” Seriously, we have had the car since August 2006 and this will be its third bumper. The first time, it was the day after we’d bought the car. This crazy lady behind us somehow decided at a red light that it was time for her to go. The second time, Johnny was stopped at an intersection, waiting to make a right turn on red. The guy behind him (gabbing on his cell phone) thought it was a fine time to put his foot on the gas and accelerate. He was in a Lexus but sustained more damage than we did, so he was pissed. This time, a girl a few cars in front of Johnny decided to make an illegal left turn, so she stopped in the middle of the intersection, causing all the drivers behind her to have to come to a complete stop (they had been going around 40 before). The guy behind Johnny couldn’t stop in time. Our fender is bent in such a way that it’s blocking the trunk from opening, but otherwise no damage. The guy was super apologetic, and our insurance already confirmed that everything will be covered, but it still sucks. Luckily, Jack was not in the car at the time, and Johnny was not hurt, although his back and neck are sore. He’s going to go get those checked out. Seriously, I try not to think about  the number of cars on the roads in LA and the amount of time we spend driving each day (probably at least an hour), because thinking about it freaks me out!

4. This is my fourth day of no exercise. I haven’t gone four days without working out since the beginning of January! When I start to feel out of sorts, I skip working out and focus on curling up on the couch, but of course not working out just makes me feel more out of sorts (not to mention guilty). But then the guiltier and more out of sorts I feel, the less I want to go work out. It’s a malignant cycle.

All that being said, I hate wallowing, so I’m taking charge! I will not allow a bad mood to stay in place for too long; mind over matter, I say. I am going to bring my black blazer back to work tomorrow, organize my desk at work and make it impossible to have that scattered feeling. I’m going to stop worrying about the car, since Johnny’s taken care of it all with the insurance adjuster, and my mom is graciously lending us her car while ours is being repaired (can’t really get by with just one car here in LA, with Johnny in school and me at work). And, I’ve signed myself up for the 6:45 a.m. Bar Method class tomorrow, and the Friday morning session, and the Saturday morning class. On Sunday I’ll go running. It’s not my usual five-workout week, but four workouts aren’t bad either! I don’t have a quick fix for the missing Jack thing, but it’s OK; that’s pretty much a constant when I’m in the office. I figure as long as I can fix my three other issues for now, my good mood will return.

Oh, speaking of good moods and Jack … his latest trick is pointing! It’s so cool. When we read him Brown Bear Brown Bear, he will point to the animals’ eyes with his right index finger! I love this latest development.

This weekend passed in another swirl of fun activity and lots of good food. Johnny’s parents were in town, and so was our friend Christina, who recently returned from two years of service with the Peace Corps in the Galapagos Islands and is now headed to Alaska to be a tour guide for the summer. Christina and Johnny sort of grew up together, and she’s also good friends with his parents, so it was good to have everyone together.

On Friday, Johnny and Christina hung out with Jack while I worked from home. I did take a break to have lunch at In-N-Out with Johnny, Christina and Jack (well, Jack dined on chicken pureed with apples and sweet potato, but he did enjoy the outing). I’m always in a quandary when I go to In-N-Out: Cheeseburger, fries and a soda; or regular burger, cheese fries and a milkshake? (I feel sick after too much dairy, so I have to pick and choose.) I don’t believe in choosing water as the main beverage when you visit a burger joint. I don’t keep any sodas or calorie-laden juices in the apartment, and I usually drink only water, but seriously, burgers and fries just don’t taste right without a soda or a milkshake! If you’re going to sin, might as well go all the way, at least when it comes to food! Anyway, the rest of Friday was pretty uneventful. Jack enjoyed Christina’s company, and after he went to bed, we had an Indian dinner (two curry sauces, basmati rice and some naan), then watched Juno, which I really enjoyed.

Jack is entertained by Christina’s playing of the bongo drums

Saturday, Johnny’s parents came over in the morning. They arrived while Jack was taking his morning nap, so we “adults” got to catch up for a while. After Jack woke up and was sufficiently oooh’d and aaah’d after by his Nana and Grandpa, we headed out to Malibu for brunch at Duke’s. Jack was so well-behaved. He loved sitting in his high chair, playing with his menu and eating his Cheerios and his lunch. When the waiter talked about the day’s specials, Jack cocked his head to one side and listened intently. It was hilarious! For brunch, I had halibut prepared with a sesame ginger sauce, with papayas and a noodle dish with a too-sweet sauce on the side. For dessert, we had an ice cream pie made with vanilla macadamia nut ice cream, with an Oreo crust and hot fudge sauce on top. Yummy!

The menu is hilarious!

Not to mention yummy!

Johnny’s parents with our delicious dessert

All of us at brunch. It looks like Christina is the guest of honor, hee hee

Saturday afternoon, before an outing to the park with Jack, Christina and I headed to Marshall’s to look around. She ended up with a really cute, neutral-colored purse that goes with pretty much anything. I didn’t buy anything, but I got the thrill that comes from secondhand shopping and encouraging a friend to buy something. Tee-hee! Meanwhile, Jack spent quality time with his grandparents.

Reading with Nana and Daddy

Saturday night was our big evening out. Johnny’s parents took the three of us to Melisse, an amazing restaurant in Santa Monica serving “nouveau French” cuisine. My colleague, who grew up in Los Angeles and has great taste, raved about the restaurant to me. She was right in that it wasn’t just a meal, it was a dining experience. We got there at 6:45 p.m. and didn’t leave until 10:15 p.m.! We all ordered the tasting menu, which let you choose four courses. Each course was small, but satisfying, and beautifully plated. For my first course, I got a lobster bolognese, which consisted of capellini tossed with chunks of lobster in a succulent tomato-based sauce, topped with a truffle-scented froth. I’m not sure how they did it, but the truffle froth was really airy — it was this beautiful foam on top of the pasta. My second course consisted of prawns and abalone. For my entree, I got a plate that featured veal, short ribs that were falling off the bone and a canneloni of shank. All three preparations were absolutely amazing. My dessert was something called “Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate,” and it was a tray of four chocolate-themed desserts. My favorite among them was a mini souffle that came with a plastic syringe filled with hot chocolate sauce. The waiter “injected” the sauce into my souffle at the table. (Wow, that last sentence sounded extremely dirty. Or maybe I’m still in the seventh grade, who knows?) Oh, and we also received two complimentary dishes at the beginning of the meal: A single red grape (for each person), halved and rolled in goat cheese and chopped pistachio. The other complimentary dish was a spoonful of tuna tartare, paired with a tiny glass of savory fig flan. With our meals, we each had a cocktail, then the five of us split two bottles of wine. It was SUCH a decadent experience. I think it may have been the finest meal I’ve ever had, and I’ve had the privilege of eating at some excellent restaurants in the U.S. and in Asia (mostly courtesy of my parents and Johnny’s parents, hee hee). We’ll probably not be going back anytime soon, because it’s either a meal at Melisse or two months’ worth of groceries, but I’ll remember it forever! I felt as though it would have been too dorky to take pictures, but I wish I did. We all got dressed up, too … I finally had another occasion to wear my little black backless dress.

Sunday, we met up with my mom, June and Charles for dim sum at 888 Seafood Restaurant. It was Christina’s first dim sum experience, and she really loved it! We had all sorts of delectable dishes. Jack was, again, delighted by sitting in a high chair with all the grown-ups. He ate his lunch, enjoyed Cheerios, played peekaboo with the tablecloth and gazed adoringly at his Aunt June.

Grandpa feeds Jack his lunch

Jack gazes lovingly at his aunt

Christina and I

Johnny and my mom

All of us outside the restaurant

Sunday afternoon, I took Christina to get a haircut (it turned out exactly as she’d hoped!), then we went to the mall. After that, we came home and went to the park with Jack, Johnny, and Johnny’s parents, then all hung out for a while.

Jack is delighted by this soda bottle

Playing piano with Nana

After Jack went to bed, I made steak sandwiches with vinaigrette mayo and some sweet potato fries for dinner. Becky recommended the sweet potato fries from Trader Joe’s to me, and she was right … they are delicious! I sprinkled them with a bit of brown sugar before baking, and they were so good, I could have eaten a whole bag myself. Luckily there were four people to share!

Christina left yesterday, but Johnny’s parents were still here yesterday, so they watched Jack for most of the day while I was at work and Johnny was in class. They also made dinner, which ended with a scrupmptious dessert that’s sold in the frozen section at Trader Joe’s. It’s a chocolate cake with a layer of flan in the middle, topped with a chocolate ganache. It was really awesome.

After all this eating, I need to burn some extra calories this week! Christina was good workout buddy … usually I take a break from exercise when I have guests, but she was brave enough to go to a Bar Method class with me early Friday morning (she did so well! Although she reported being sore the next day) AND we went running Thursday night and Saturday morning. We earned our food, that’s for sure.

Hope you all had great weekends, too!

Check out this video Johnny took of Jack today. You can watch it without the volume on, but it’s even cuter if you can hear Jack’s little noises.

I think independent standing is next on Jack’s agenda! And, um, yes, Jack’s favorite toy is the Game Cube controller … what can I say, Johnny is his father!