No, David!

Beatrice, currently No David is your favorite book. It's a book about a precocious little boy, David, who is constantly getting reprimanded for his naughty behavior. We read it to you at least 5 times a day. Here's a picture of Auntie reading it to you on vacation. She's horrified by David's behavior, you are filled with glee.

It has taught you 3 vital things.

1. Your Uncle David's name. You've shortened it to Day Day. Your daddy and uncle think this is hysterical because that's the name of a character in a dumb movie.


2. Discipline is funny. You laugh through the entire book. No is now a funny word. That's a great lesson as we enter the terrible 2s.


3. The word 'butt.' We have Auntie to thank for this too. When we were on vacation this summer, Auntie serenaded you every day with, "Beatrice has a big ol' butt, oh ya." Pretty soon you were saying, "butt." There's a part in the book where David runs down the street naked, his little butt wagging along. When prompted you will point to his butt and say "butt." It's never too early to get you prepared for the vocabulary portion of the SATs.

I know that this is a silly book and you like it because the illustrations are bright and the text is easy to understand but every time we get to the last page, I feel sad. The last page is a drawing of David hugging his mom and she's saying: "Yes, David, I love you." You're too young now to understand semantics but by starting the sentence with Yes, that implies that she is responding to the question, "Mommy, do you love me?" Poor David with his misbehaving, ADD ways, just looking for love from his Mama.

You'll never have to look far for love from me, my precious little girl. And let's review... you are never to behave like our beloved little David.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

I'm not referring to STDs contracted at a Tijuana bachelor party.

I am referencing the fantastic birthday gift I received from my sister and her family. I love food. Even more, I love food that gets delivered to me. Enter Boston Organics. For the next 2 months we'll be getting an organic box o' veggies and fruits every other week. I got my first batch last night. I am so excited to have a fridge full of healthies right now. It's just the kick in the pants I need to get back to sensible eating and cooking.*

As I write this I am dining on plain yogurt with blueberries (from my yard) and bananas (from the box) with a side of grapefruit (from the box.) I added a squeeze of organic agave nectar because I am not that hardcore. A girl needs a lil bit of sweetness in the a.m.

* The timing couldn't be better on this because upon returning from a glutenous vacation, I am feeling like a lump. I'm also reading this book, Such a Pretty Fat. My sister-in-law lent it to me. It's not my favorite book but it's easy reading so whatever. One thing I am gleaning from it is that it's annoying to listen to someone talk about losing weight and exercising but not doing it and making excuses instead. Hmm, maybe this is hitting a little too close to home.

Vaca Recap Part Deux

So where did we leave off, ah yes, my birthday. So after awaking a bit on the sleepy side, I was treated to a delicious birthday muffin and found something else in the bag. A red little jewelry box. there are lots of unexpected things you can find in a paper bag (feces, bugs, barf, etc.) but a jewelry box is never a bad thing! Cory had snuck in a beautiful pair of diamond earrings. I am one lucky broad.

The day continued on a high note with a trip to the beach. It was truly a perfect day, capped off with a gut busting lobster/clam bake. Nothing says Happy Birthday like cracking open a bottom dwellers exoskeleton. I hereby declare that I shall be on vacation for every subsequent birthday. I got a taste of the good life and I'm not going back.

The next day was a bit dreary but we headed to the beach anyways. The kids played in the sand and Beatrice collected seashells and rocks.

The moms left in the p.m. and we hung around. I think we ate more oysters.

Friday was cloudy and cool so we took our annual pilgrimage to Provincetown. Kind of blah this year, nothing jaw-dropping to report. Oh, well there was one noteworthy moment. At the end of the day, Dave and I were walking a couple paces behind Cory who was pushing the double stroller. Two (presumably) gay men walked by Cory and one commented after passing, "Let's hope he's the babysitter." Eyes off the prize, boys, that's my man, not the 'manny.'

Saturday was checkout day. We cleaned up, packed the cars, and and headed off to the beach for one last time. We frolicked in the sand and surf and ate cupcakes. It doesn't get much better than that.

I will officially go on record and say "A good time was had by all."* However, I don't think any of us would report that vacation was restful. The kids woke up at 5:30 every morning and although they were champs with their naps, their waking hours were filled with non-stop action. We project that next year will be easier as they will be a bit older and more self-sufficient. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

What else... oh, the sunburn score.

Dave: 1

Kids: 0And Grandma took our dare and rode a bike. She was not happy with the bike's lack of back pedal brakes. I'm with her-handbrakes are very Lance Armstrong.

The rest of the vacation photos are here.

*This is Cory's famous line that he uses after every event. He is quoting our principal who used to come on the loud speaker Monday mornings: "Thank you to everyone that attended Friday night's dance. A good time was had by all." Uggh, middle school dances. I feel sweaty and awkward just writing that.

...and We're Baacckkkk; Vaca Recap Part 1

It's been almost 2 years since we've gone on a week's vacation. It was so nice to get away from work, the house, the chores, the monotony of daily life. We journeyed to the far reaches of the Cape to beautiful Wellfleet. Our house was perfectly situated about a mile outside of town in one direction and a mile outside of the harbor the other way. The newly renovated house sat atop a woodsy, dirt road. Our first night there we spotted fireflies, foxes, and shooting stars.

When we arrived on Saturday, we all got into unpacking, organizing mode. Luckily my sister and I both married neat men who like orderliness as much as we do. As we unpacked the kitchen stuff, we quickly discovered that the spacious kitchen contained lots of drawers...7 of the 10 happened to be junk drawers. No joke, the single male homeowner had 10 junk drawers. Odd. Once we got settled in, the sun came out and we ventured out to Duck Harbor, a quiet bayside beach. The bayside beach was great for the kids and adults (me) who are scared of waves. Later that evening, Team Baldi, joined us for dinner.

The next morning started our tradition of walking or biking into town while the kids napped.

It just so happened that the library was holding their annual book sale that day. Cory and I had a major nerd-off there. They were collecting the money in a Phillie's Blunt box. Interesting choice.

Later that morning, Jess came down and we enjoyed a beautiful day at the beach. She is another baby watcher/entertainer which is always helpful.

On Monday, Dave had to go back to the 'mainland' for work but we managed to push through without him. We took the kids for a walk around town then headed to the beach in the afternoon. While on a walkabout we came across a tee pee made of driftwood. Very cool.

I believe this was also the day that my sister christened me "Stick in the Mud." I cannot recall what prompted this (probably because I wouldn't dangle my baby over the banister or shoot fireworks out of my ass... these people are crazy). She wouldn't let it go of course, pantomiming her legs being stuck in mud, singing Muddy Waters... she was a real hoot.

On Tuesday, our mother and Cory's mother arrived. The weather was kind of dreary but we decided to take a walk down to the harbor for lunch. On the way home we got stuck in a torrential downpour. Luckily Cory's mom had the foresight to buy a puzzle in town so that entertained the masses. I love that 364 days a year you would never consider doing a puzzle but when on vacation it's fine. I quickly figured out that I suck at puzzles and that my mother-in-law and brother-in-law rock at puzzles. They were sick puzzle partners. Isabel got in on the action too.*

Tuesday night we took advantage of our babysitters and went out to the Wellfleet standby, the Beachcomber. After a couple of drinks we walked down to the beach. It was an ominous foggy night. I think I was commenting on how the ocean looked scary or something and my sister started in with the "stick in the mud" shit so I kicked my shoes off and ran towards the ocean, ready to dunk my toes. The water was surprisingly mild so I ventured a little further up to my ankles. Then out of nowhere, I spotted, through the pea soup fog, a wave higher than my head. I quickly turned to retreat but before I could escape it, it came crashing down on shore, soaking me up to my underwear. F-that. It doesn't pay to be adventurous.

When we got back to the house, I was about to go to bed, on account of being all wet and whatnot, but after more "stick in the mud" peer pressure, I was cajoled into staying awake to ring in my actual birthday. The clock struck 12 and I got my special birthday cupcake and family t-shirt**. We all stumbled to bed late into the wee hours. The next morning I came downstairs to birthday wishes and overheard talks about some kind of house-awakening fire alarm going off in the night.*** My sister and I had no recollection of any of the hullabaloo. Wow, guess we're not getting mother of the year awards this year.

More vacation tidbits tomorrow.

Here are just some other random notables:

The town and harbor were so quaint and New England-y. Your big doins' for the day involved going into town for the paper, then the beach. That's my kind of place and my kind of pace.

We ate like kings. Of course I took photos of all of our dinners. Yum. And when in Wellfleet you must consume as many oysters as you can. I didn't like raw oysters prior to vacation. I like them now but not as much as my fellow vacationers. I think they each consumed about 15 each in one sitting.

Everywhere I looked, there were natural pretties. From the vibrant blue and pink hydrangeas to the roadside rosebushes to the desert-like dunes. Gorgeous.

* I did jump on the puzzle wagon the last day. We finished it with 18 minutes to spare before check out. It was intense. Dave and Isabel totally reconnected while inserting that last puzzle piece. That's love.

** Cory bought this t-shirt for Isabel when she turned 30. It gets handed down the line. Beatrice will be wearing it in about 28 years.

*** It was just a short circuit.

Gone Beachin'

See you next week.

Under the Sea

Julian celebrated his first birthday this past weekend, Under the Sea style. It was a full blown oceanic explosion. You know the Perez sisters love a theme and endless hours of crafts and preparation. And our poor husbands and mother know better than to fight it ("Sure, you want real coral. No problem. A live octopus, I'm on it.") My sister (and Dave) did a great job. Here are some of the details.

At the Beach shark fin cupcakes, beach umbrella and sand cupcakes, and fishie cupcakes.

And because my sister is a sicko, one of the cupcakes was Jaws-themed.

Julian seemed to enjoy the cupcake's inside as much as the outside. Do you love his fist method of eating? I've never seen anything like it. He squeezes the life out of his food with his fat little fingers, then eats whatever comes through. It doesn't get much cuter.

Has all this sweetness given you a cavity? Not yet. Maybe you need a trip to the Sand (Candy) Bar?
There were also lots of photo ops. I caught one of the Buteni clan. Isabel bought this photo cutout but it only had the MerMan and MerMaid on it so our ever-talented artist friend, Jessica Dunegan, painted in the MerBaby. No one really liked my SeaMaids and SeaMen joke.

Beatrice didn't quite know what to make of the whole getting your face shoved in a hole thing. (I am resisting the urge to type "That's what she said." Oops, looks like I just did.)

Speaking of photo ops, there was a celebrity sighting... Ariel, a la Little Mermaid. Sorry for distance shot but I was trying to play it cool, all non-Paparazzi.

And of course, its not an ocean themed party without swimming. I spy a couple of porpoises in the water. Dave had those shipped in special.

And you gotta love a hostess that even dresses the part. Note the shells in the hair, shell necklace and earrings. She wrongfully ignored my conch shell bra suggestion.

So I'd say the party went swimmingly (I couldn't resist.)

More pics of all the fun here and here.

Who's Your Mama?

Beatrice, the other night at Vavo's house, at Julian's birthday pizza party, I played a little game with you. I asked you to wave to Auntie. Without missing a beat, you looked at Auntie and waved. Next you followed my command and waved to Uncle Dave. We did this for everyone at the table.

Then we got down to me. Daddy said "Wave to Mama." You looked around, perplexed, as if he had just asked you the square root of 639. You searched the table high and low. Then Vavo asked you to wave to Mama. Again the look of complete bewilderment. We all held back our laughter, thinking you just needed some more time. Oh no, after mutliple requests (begging) you sitll did not wave to mama.

Have we met?

Happy Birthday, My Beautiful Boy

Julian, you turned 1 year old today. As I type this I am thinking about when your papa called me around 8 in the morning to tell me that your mama had come through her surgery and you were with us in this world. When he told me that you were a boy and that your name was Julian, I cried, so happy and so relieved that you all came through the long couple of days in one piece.

Since the day you were born, you've been a gentle soul. I love you more than I could ever have imagined loving a child that didn't come from my very own belly. I love your soft chubby thighs, your thick blond hair, your ocean blue eyes, your dimply little fists, your tiny little toes. I love your calm demeanor, your ability to sleep anywhere, your constant smile. I love your enthusiasm and joy every time you see your cousin Beatrice and Uncle Cory. They may be your 2 favorite people next to your parents (and me of course).

I can't wait to celebrate at least 100 more birthdays with you.

Just a Quick Note

It has been an adventurous couple of days. On Saturday we had Julian's first birthday (longer post and pics to come.) Sunday and Monday we were in the Cape. The weather was glorious. Finally!

This week will be hectic as we prepare for our vacation week in the Cape. I can't wait. Lots of lists and preparations. I'm not even going to admit to having the grocery list typed out.

I'll turn 30 while we're on vacation. I am ready for it. I will be happy to ring in my 30th year, beer in hand, sitting on a porch, watching the sunset, baby fed, bathed, and asleep, laughing with the people I love around me.

School's Out for Summertime

Beatrice, we have our last swim class this morning. This was the first class we've done together. I think it went well. You know I really must love you if I get into a bathing suit and cold water twice a week for you. And follow along in a circle signing nursery rhymes. Sometimes I think we might be on one of those candid camera shows.


As I've mentioned before, you are consistent. Each class when we first get into the pool, you cling to me like a baby kangaroo. All tight and grabby. And somehow, each class you manage to pull my bathing suit top down. That's hot.


The class is about a half an hour but at about minute 22, you're all done. No more smiles, clapping, playing along. Just a sour puss. You have absolutely no poker face.

















I think the part you enjoy the most is going into the locker room after class. You are fascinated with the various shapes and sizes in there. There's a group of older women that swims at the same time as we do so they are always in various states of nudity in the changing area. You look at their aging bodies, then look back at me, then back at them, as if to say "Wow, that's your future?" Your face is priceless but mama's not trying to get arrested so I've yet to capture it on film.


Swim away, my little Goldfish (Level 1). Well, you didn't actually learn how to swim... so float away but remember to keep your face out of the water and mouth closed.

Garden of Eden

Last night was supposed to be the ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly formed Ashland Community Garden. It was cancelled due to inclement weather. No comment.

The Garden is just down the street from us so its really convenient. There are always characters there tending to their plots. Its a really nice initiative and I hope it succeeds. The garden got off to a late start this season so I planted the following from plant, not seed, in my plot:

• Finger Peppers
• Leeks
• Shallots
• Tomatoes
• Eggplant

Please pray that my plot isn't the weakest. I've been known to kill cacti.

Our home garden is in the ground already too. This year, I decided to step it up and not half ass it. And by 'step it up' I mean, ask people that know what they're doing how they do it. So I embarked on an intense emailing marathon with Jess's dad (don't be jealous that I was granted "Rob" privileges.) He's given me great trade secrets for our expanded garden this year.

This is what we planted from seed.

• Summer squash
• Cucumber (Armenian and Sugar Crunch)
• Green Beans (Italian and Roma)
• Snap Peas
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Lettuce (leaf and arugula)
• Cilantro *
• Chives *

* These crops didn't take this year. We'll try again next year.

This is what we planted from plants:

• Hot peppers
• Tomatoes (Vine and Cherry)
• Basil

So things are growing, albeit slow, despite the monsoons and soaking rain. The irony is not lost on me that the one year we decide to be all organized is the one year we get way too much rain and not enough sun. This time last year, we were already eating the bounties of our garden. Oh well, we'll wait and see what happens. At least we finally got our rain barrel so on the off days when we don't get rain and need to water the garden, we've been using the collected water.

In other signs of life, the blueberry bushes that were here when we moved in have sprouts that are starting to turn blue. Supposedly these do best when May and June are rainy, followed by lots of sun in July. We'll keep our fingers crossed.



The hydrangea monstrosity is in full bloom. Please come and cut some flowers. Give them to your mom, she'll love them.



Happy gardening!

Happy Belated Birthday, America (and Lauren!)

I hope you all had a nice 4th of July weekend. Our's was fantastic. Plans changed at the last minute but we rolled with it. And thankfully the weather was cooperative. I think MuthaNature got the hint.

Here are some photos from the pool on Saturday.



This was Lillian's first time in the pool. The water was cold but she loved it! Like father, like daughter. We call John "Porpoise" because he's been known to spend entire days in the pool...like 5 hours on end, only taking breaks to eat and use the bathroom (we hope.) Lilli is a now our little "Porpoose." I love this photo of her post-pool, shriveled E.T. foot.

On Sunday we took Beatrice to our favorite beach on the North Shore, Singing Beach. This was her first time at the beach and I would say it was a success. It was a little different than our beach outings of the past but really, who goes to the beach to sit and relax anyways. She was pretty confused by the ocean but had fun running up and dipping her toes in the frigid water. That is, until the 'incident.' Cory was down by the water with her and she ran up shore to get away from the incoming tide. She doesn't quite have a handle on running up an incline so she totally bit it...fell flat on her face, no hands to break the fall. Her entire face was covered in sand, up her nose, on her tongue, in her ears, on her eyelids. She was pissed (and not in the mood for photos. I didn't have time to run up and grab the camera, rats!) We cleaned her off but the damage was done. For about an hour, she wouldn't hold Cory's hand or look in his direction. As far as she was concerned it happened on Daddy's watch so he was responsible. Unfortunately I think she inherited her mama's bad habit of holding a grudge. This trait should make for some fun teenage years. Here are some photos of her having fun, post-incident.

After the beach, we stopped in Salem. We hadn't been back there since our wedding day 4 years ago. We drove by our wedding site and then had lunch and drinks overlooking the water. A great end to a great weekend.

It's What's For Dinner- Week 13

I find that meal planning gets harder over the summer. Maybe its the general lethargy associated with warm weather. We'll see how it goes this week.

Monday- Dinner at Nanny's
Tuesday- Asian Stir-Fry (didn't end up having this last week)
Wednesday- Seafood gumbo (some in the freezer from last time we made it)
Thursday- Out to dinner with Cory
Friday- Something on the grill

Big Girls Don't Cry... But Their Mamas Do

Beatrice, you are tough. Earlier this week I battled a splinter in my big toe. And by battled, I mean that I whimpered while your father dug it out with tweezers for what seemed like at least an hour. In reality, he tells me it lasted all of 3 minutes.

In my defense it conjured childhood memories of me and your auntie sliding on the hardwood floors in our house in Ecuador. I don't know how but we both ended up with footfuls of splinters and hours of painless splinter extractions. Why is that most of my childhood memories are traumatizing ones?

The other day I was clipping your fingernails and noticed a splinter in your finger. I started to panic envisioning the crying and squirming that would ensue as we tried to take it out. I called to your father and he brought in the tweezers, bracing himself for the episode. He gingerly squeezed your little fingertip, slowly applying more pressure, coaxing the splinter to the surface. I winced somehow telepathically feeling your pain. You sat their, eyes transfixed on your TV boyfriend, Arthur. You could have cared less. Your father squeezed harder and then brought out the big guns, the sharp and pointy tweezers. The whole process lasted at least 5 minutes, 2 minutes longer than my agonizing surgery earlier in the week. You toughed it out. I cried.

Let's see how you do during a 20 hour labor. But let's wait at least 25 years for that challenge. I am already having nightmares after watching too many episodes of 16 and Pregnant.

I love you, baby. Stay tough.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

I might lose it. It has been raining for the past month. Really how much are we New Englander's supposed to take. Mother Nature is a bitch. Global Warming sucks. I need sunshine!