Matt & Teri

7 Months: Teeth!

2011-08-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Ndog,
We are having trouble keeping up with you. You have had such big moments in the last month:
- Crawling faster and faster
- Trying new foods (You remain unsure about this whole eating-solid-foods idea)
- Pulling yourself up on the furniture, rocking back and forth, and, occasionally, traversing along the edge of the couch, chair, ottoman, etc. Everyone says you'll be walking soon!
- Taking your first flight to the West Coast (In which you did an amazing job. You slept for three hours while Daddy held you and all of our neighbors were impressed! You made friends with the stewardess whom we saw out in L.A. later in the day--she remembered your name!)
- Putting your toes in the Pacific Ocean (before a rogue wave came up and soaked us all)
- Meeting your cousins in California and Seattle
- Taking your first boat ride and hike
- And, most impressive of all... Sprouting your first two teeth! Your first tooth was the bottom, right tooth and came out in Bakersfield, and then your other bottom front tooth came out in Seattle! What a way to mark the occasion with your cousins.

You are becoming ever sillier and more cuddly. You are super happy in the mornings when you wake up--which still happens in Mommy and Daddy's bed. Because you hate your crib. Hate it. It is Kryptonite to you. This is largely the fault of Mommy and Daddy, ... Ok, maybe mostly Mommy's fault (because I love cuddling with you!), but it seems like there's no going back now. We are considering sleep training out of desperation for a good night's sleep. We shall see who prevails: M & D with determination, or cute baby with wails loud enough to wake the entire floor. Update next month!

You babble quite a bit, but no words yet. You can recognize when we're being silly and you love when Daddy babbles to you. You also love Moby. Interesting.

You have started to do this really funny thing at night. When you're ready to go to bed, Mommy takes you to big bed to nurse you to sleep. Lately, though, you'll finish nursing and get up to crawl and, oof, collapse head-first onto the pillow. Then you'll sit up again and, oof, back down. You will keep doing this until you're finally ready to give in. This is hilarious! It's as if your head is just too heavy to keep up, and sometimes you land on Mommy or the bed or a pillow, just whatever is around you and in all different directions. The best part is that you're sort of smiley when you do it, so it looks like a happy, drunken baby! Oh, you are so funny little one.

We love watching you grow Nor Nor (the nickname your cousin Lucy gave you). And once in a while the little arm that reaches up to hug our faces at night reminds us that you don't think we're half bad either.

Thanks for your toothy smiles, belly laughs and Nora kisses. We love you oh so much, Bear.

Love,
Mama and Dada (Come on, you can say it!)

6.5 Months: We can't keep up! You're crawling!

2011-08-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Little Bear,
Wow, what a month you've had! On the day of your six month shots you started to crawl. Then a couple of days later, you pulled yourself up to kneeling. A couple of days after that, you pulled yourself up to standing. We can hardly keep up with you! You can sit on your own too, and you love your new vantage point.

We moved you out of your co-sleeper and into your big crib (although you prefer sleeping in Big Bed with Mom and Dad). You've started to put yourself to sleep a bit earlier, which has helped Mommy and Daddy tremendously. Here is a typical day at six months:
7:30-8am Wake-up You like to crawl on Mommy to let her know you're ready to play!
8-10am Try a new food (We've done pureed carrots, sweet potato, peas, and bananas, along with rice, oat and barley ceareals, none of which you liked too well.) Play with your toys in the livingroom. Crawl all around, under and over things. You especially like going to the "danger zones," where the cords and electronics live. We have to keep a close watch on you!
10am-1pm You usually have at least an hour nap and we try to do an activity out in the city, whether it be a playdate, music class or meeting Daddy for lunch.
1-3pm We read books, go to storytimes, play with toys, swing on swings--whatever might entertain our little social gal.
3-5pm You usually take a short late-afternoon nap and we try to make it to the park if we haven't been all day.
5-7pm We have a second try with the food-of-the-day, you have a bath and your vitamin, and then you have a bit of calm play time with Daddy.
7-8pm We read books and try to get you off to dreamland. We usually have to bounce you quite a bit before you give in to sleeeeeeeep.
8-12am If you're sleeping, Mommy and Daddy get to eat dinner in peace or do laundry or maybe read something! If not, we take turns bouncing you, singing and shushing, until you go to sleep again.
12am-8am Somewhere in the night you decide you cannot be in your crib anymore and demand to be in Big Bed. You like to touch both Mommy and Daddy's faces before you nod off to sleep. We kind of love it.

You still don't take a bottle or a pacifier, but you really like your sippy cup. Mostly to chew on, but it's fun when you get water out of it too.

You recently started blowing rasberries and saying "dadadadadada." You have also started giving "Nora kisses"--you will get up close and put your open mouth on our faces. You stay there for just a moment and then move on. This simply melts us.

You are such a happy, smiley baby. You especially love to giggle at other babies. How did we get such a fun, social girl?

We love you,
Mama and Dadadadada

5 Months: 15 pounds of fun, you're our little honey bun

2011-06-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Punkin,
Wow, you have really developed a personality this month!
You just love to laugh and you love thrills, like being thrown up in the air and being in the swing at the park.

You started to scoot backwards, even though we can see that youreally want to be crawling forward. Now that you’re becoming mobile, we have to strategically place you on the ground because you’ll end up a good distance back from where you started.

Guess where she started?

You love to roll onto your stomach and get moving, and you can roll over multiple times. You’ve started to make “pppbb” and hard “thh” sounds and you’re drooling oh so much!

1st time in the grass

Unfortunately, we also think you’re teething because you’ve been very fussy and have started to bring everything within reach into your mouth. You’ve developed a puppy-like whine, which is cute, … but we’re looking forward to when you move past it!

Ever since your grandma put you in a swing you haven’t looked back. You LOVE the swing. You love to sit back and hang on and watch all the other moms and babies. You love to look up at the trees and birds. You even fell asleep in the swing during an especially hot day at the park.

You started music class and you enjoy the hand puppets, bells, and tummy time on the beach ball. You also love your classmates, whom you are constantly checking out, talking to, and reaching for.

You also enjoy talking to us. A lot. You still like to make pirate noises (arghhhhh, arghhhhhh, arghhhhhh), but you mix it up with your drooly “pffbbbb” sounds now.

You love to chew on your fingers and, occasionally, your left thumb finds its way in. And you know how to reach for us when you want to be picked up. We love when this is followed by a great big, full body hug. You just cling on tightly with both arms and both feet!

You are amazing, Little Bear, and we can’t believe that we got such a fun little girl! You’re so sweet too, and we love that you touch our faces at night when you move on into Big Bed. You prefer Big Bed to your lonely old crib. Truth be told, we don’t really mind. It’s fun to wake up to you–laughing or rolling over on us, trying to find the next thing to explore.

We love you so much Little One. We hope your teeth come in soon so you can discover the vegetables that await you!

Big hugs and see you in the morning,
Mama and Dada

4 Months: But if you cry sometimes, you just might find... You get exactly what you want

2011-05-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Little Bear,
We thought we had it all figured out last month...

We thought that six to seven hours of sleep at night meant we were in the clear.

People would ask, "Is she sleeping through the night yet?"

1st Sore throat

And we'd proudly answer, "Yes, usually six hours."

Oh, how smug of us Little One...

Thanks for the cute blanket Auntie Barb!

It took us a while to realize that all of your other baby friends were also "sleeping through the night"...

But they would got to bed at, say, six or seven p.m.

Not midnight.

Like our girl.

"Just try putting her to bed earlier," they'd say...

And you would protest. Oh, silly Mommy and Daddy.

"Try a routine," they'd say...

But you merely laugh at our attempts and make us stay awake with you until midnight when you suddenly shut off. Sigh. Maybe next month you'll sleep at an earlier hour?

You are a good, sweet little girl otherwise. You've become much more interested in your toys and grab and pull at them in your cabana.

Dressed for the Good Friday service

You love to laugh and you're still full of words and sounds, like "hoooo!"

Nora with her Easter Lily at church

Easter in New Jersey

Aunt Carol's lovely tablescape

Lately, you've been practicing your best pirate voice. You'll grunt and grunt, just as if you're talking to us. Except you're talking like a pirate.

Nora's lily and Kali Paxsa Greek Easter egg

You love to clasp your hands together and have started to grab at whatever is within your reach.

1st nice day at Central Park

Unfortunately, you've also dealt with constipation this month. We were a little worried after a week and a half, but with a little help from Mom, Dad, and trusty prune juice, you were able to make things work once again.

You reunited with your grandparents from Seattle, who took you out to the beach.

You love going for long walks in the Ergo carrier and it puts you right to sleep...

...until we take you out of the carrier.

You've accomplished a major physical feat: you can roll from your back all the way onto your stomach!

And you like to taste everything within reach, including your carrier.

You love to roll, even on your changing table. You arch your head way back and sometimes throw your chubby leg right over!

Given your new found interest in toys, your Daddy set up an "office" for you to "work."

You love going to your office.

You also love being in Mom and Dad's "big bed."

In fact, it's often the only place you will fall asleep at night.

Skyping with grandparents in California on Mother's Day

You continue to name your toys: this month Harold the Lion joins Helga the sheep, Earl the pig and Carl the bunny.

You are getting better at tummy time, but you still can't handle it for more than ten minutes or so.

You loved being out at the beach for Mother's Day, especially in your very special dress from Mexico, but you're starting to outgrow your clothes at a rapid pace! It won't be long before you're firmly into your 6-9 month clothes.

Here you are, a little angel that landed on Daddy's shoulders. You like riding on shoulders as long as you can hold onto ears.

You are finally big enough to wear the outfit sent to you by Zia Oonagh from Italy. But we often have to put bibs on you because you still spit up quite a bit, dear girl.

And you've started to cuddle...finally! Mommy and Daddy live for this!

We've started to put you in your Bumbo chair, which you don't mind...

...except when we try to feed you prunes, which had to be your first food because of your constipation issues.

You really do not like prunes.

We do it because we love you, Little Bear, and we want you to go more than once a week!

We love that you're growing to be a big, healthy girl--you're in the 86th percentile for height and weight! We especially love all of your sweet smiles and sounds. You are happiest in the morning and during bath time. We love to sing, "Oh, look who's nakey nakey," before the bath and we think you like it too! You love the girl in the mirror, and she can brighten your mood when you're cranky. We love how you're so playful, even in subtle ways, like when you prop your foot up on our arms while we hold you.

You still won't take a pacifier, no matter how hard we try. Nope. You still prefer your fingers.

We love you Little Bear, Small Bear, Baby Bear, Smiley Bear, Punkin', Punkin' Pie... We're enjoying seeing you grow!

Love,
Mama & Dada

3 Months: And God Gave Them Rest

2011-04-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Baby Bear,

Does Nora look like her cousin in Seattle?

You’re getting better at sleeping for longer stretches at night (Mommy and Daddy can usually get an uninterrupted six hours), although getting you to finally go to sleep is still a challenge. You definitely adopted your parents’ bad habit of staying up late!

This month you found your hands. You fold one on top of the other as if praying… or scheming! And you recently started to place your hands on your knees and put your feet together too.

Grandma Dori came to visit. You named her "Onya"!

You love to suck on your fists, or our arms, thumbs, necks, faces or even lips! You even left a mark on Mama’s shoulder from sucking so hard! Ironically, the one thing you don’t like is your pacifier.

Nora with her oldest friend, Azariah

Nora and Azariah finally focus on each other

You’ve started to make hard “G” sounds and “N” sounds, and you continue to name your stuffed animals. You recently named your sleepy sheep “Helga” and your pig “Earl.” You also deemed your Grandma Dori to be “Onya.”

We went to the NY Botanical Gardens

Grandma Dori, aka "Onya," thought Nora was the loveliest flower of them all

We had so much fun with Grandma!

You still love to look at your butterflies above your crib, but you’ve also come to love the musical mobile—a gift from your friend Zach.

Nora and her city

You love to giggle and then break out into a big, hearty laugh. You especially love to be on your changing table and often that’s where we get to enjoy your belly laughs and smiles. Your eyes light up with your gummy smile.

Here comes the belly laugh...

There it is!

Sleeping Bear. She still loves this bouncy chair

You have started to reach for objects, primarily with your right hand, so we’ve had to rethink our theory about you being left-handed.

Nora and Azariah now chatting with each other

Your biggest physical achievement has been rolling over from your back onto your side. You can almost rollover, if it weren’t for those adorable and chubby little haunches!

You’ve started to wrap your arm around our necks and shoulders when we hold you, as if you’re hugging us back. This just melts us!

We love it when you let out a sweet, high pitched sigh, “Hoooo,” and you still grunt, often with a sly, side smile. We’ve also noticed a second dimple.

Nora reaching for toys

"Wait Azariah, make 'em work for a smile."

"Come on buddy!"

On the very day you turned three months, you went to the doctor with your first sore throat. Although you’re a nice, healthy 13 lbs. 12 oz, you just haven’t been yourself. We hope that with lots of rest, and a bit of children’s Tylenol, you’ll feel better soon. (Update: Nora did, indeed, recover quickly.)

Nora as Hummel doll

"I love the beach!"

Nora trying to roll onto tummy

Sweetest Bear

We must now travel with the bouncy chair

You love it when Mommy and Daddy “talk” along with you by getting way up close to your mouth and mimicking your sounds. It’s really fun for you (and for us) to all yell at the same time!

We love you: Little Bear, Baby Bear, Baby Bird, Norita, Mejita, Poquita Tortugita (and all combinations thereof), Little Bug, Bug Bear, Small Bear, Little Girl, Girl Child, our little Emmanuela.

Love,

Mama and Dada

Morning chat with Nora (we have to hide the camera because she knows we're up to something)

Nora reaching for toy

Up close with Nora

2 Months

2011-03-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Nora,

Dear, sweet, late-night child. This month saw a lot of changes for you.

Class of 2011 at Zach Zakhari's 1st Bday

You learned to focus on our faces, and you watch us as we walk around the living room from your little bouncy chair.

Thanks for the leg warmers Auntie Mish!

Your bouncy chair, with vibrating feature, is a godsend from your uncle and aunty Knutzen in NJ. Sometimes you only want to fall asleep sitting in that chair.

1st time visiting The Knutzens

At EJ's with Uncle Mike

You smile at us and even laugh on occasion. You make the sweetest sounds that melt out hearts--particularly little words like, "hahrhaar."

You love to be on the changing table and you love to be in the bathtub, although you don't like getting out.

We think you might have said your first word. You let out a sweet, "khaarrll" and we asked... Nora, who is Carl? Since you didn't elaborate, we gave the name to your stuffed animal bunny as an interim measure, until we learn more.

Nora with Carl the Bunny

Nora with buddy Joseph, born one week apart

You also made it to 12lbs, 2 ounces, and rolled from tummy time position to your back 3 times in row! Your shots were very painful for you, and you made mommy tear up at the doctor's office.

Notice the band-aids on poor Nora's legs

You had fun celebrating your 2 month old birthday at your buddy Azariah's house, and you even got to ride the tram to Roosevelt Island.

Nora with Azariah, born one day apart

You also made a quick visit to Bloomingdale's, and Sotheby's.

You are soothed and enchanted by your butterfly moblie that hovers over your crib.

You favor your left side and we suspect you might be left-handed.

You have difficulty going to sleep at night and Daddy still has to bounce you and sing, "Amazing Grace" to calm you down, but once asleep you have been sleeping for stretches of 4-6 hours more often.

In West Village for Auntie Sylvia's Bday

We have decided that we like this two month stage, even if it is a sleep challenge. Your personality is starting to emerge and we love that you want to join to sing or chat with us.

Thanks for the polka dot onesie Auntie Emma!

We look forward to growing with you, Little Bear.
We're going to sleep now.
Love,

Daddy and Mama

Poor Nora has Gas

2011-03-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

This month's post should be called, "Ode to the bouncy chair," because our poor little one cannot be consoled without it. She has been dealing with gas and we've been dealing with terrible crying spells and sleep deprivation.
It hasn't all been bad. Here is a quick video of Matt helping our girl with her, um, gas problem. Enjoy!

1 month

2011-02-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Nora,

Today you are one month old, sweet girl. You were up quite a lot last night and it took a bit of effort to put you to sleep. Daddy must have sung "Amazing Grace" over and over again for about an hour trying to get you to go to sleep.

When you're super tired, you just don't know how to console yourself. You cry and cry until we pick you up and then, almost immediately, you fall asleep on our shoulders. But, when we try to put you back down in your bed, you wake up again and start to cry. It seems you are onto our little trick. We hope that this nighttime fussiness doesn't last too long, or we might run out of songs to sing to you!

Nora 3 weeks

This first month has been one busy month. First, you were welcomed into the world by your mom and dad and your grandparents from Seattle, who took you on your first trip out to the beach. Then you spent some time at home eating like a champ, sleeping and getting your first bath (which you didn't like initially, but have warmed up to by now). Then, your grandma from California came and we all went out to the beach again (and this time you made it to the ocean to have a taste of sea water)! You were such a good girl during the car ride too, despite the awful New York traffic.

During your grandma's visit you ventured out into the city quite a bit in your stroller. Your first stroller ride was to the cupcake shop, "Two Little Red Hens," down the street. It was worth it for the red velvet cupcakes! You also went to visit a friend in the neighborhood and then to Central Park.

Then, surprise surprise, you met a member of your extended family! Your grandma's cousin, Mommy's godmother, came to New York to surprise you and lend a hand with diaper changes! She encouraged us to get out and see this great city. So, with her help, we all went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grand Central Station, Times Square and the West Village. You even went to Papaya King for some famous hot dogs, lucky girl! You rode the subway for the first time, ate in a couple of restaurants and even took the bus home. You definitely have had a busy month!

You are starting to coo more and you love to look at contrast, especially the deep red rug hanging on the stark white wall in the living room. You have developed a mean case of infant acne, which, we hope, will clear up soon. You still flash us occasional gassy smiles which are always exciting to see. You have really taken to breastfeeding and can latch on like a pro. You also have surprised us with your penchant for "blowouts" (read, bowel movements that "move" up and out of the diaper). In fact, today you had your biggest one yet, followed by an impressive spit-up that made it all the way down Mommy's back and onto the floor. At least you're getting plenty to eat!

You are, so far, a very good baby. You only cry when something is wrong or you are just too tired and don't know how to nod off to sleep. You are content to sit and watch the world from your bouncy seat, and you always know when it's time to eat. You have a funny habit of sleeping with your eyes open and your love to arch your back waaaayy back to stretch when you're waking up. Sometimes, you wake yourself up accidentally and get startled when your little arms fall to your sides while you're sleeping. You also get quite sneezy, like your mama. Sometimes four and five sneezes before you're through.

Your look has changed a lot in this first month. You went from being our little badger to our little bird, especially when you peck and peck at our necks when you're hungry. We will find out just how much you've grown when we visit the pediatrician this week, but you're still so small--just a wee bundle in our arms.

Nora 4 weeks

We love you Nora, and we wish you lots more eating, pooing, growing and peaceful sleep.
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

1st Walk

2011-01-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

Since Teri has been recuperating from the delivery, she hasn't ventured outside of the apartment much in the last three weeks. But, New York City was blanketed with snow last night, so she had to get out and see the frosted city. Here is Nora's first, brief walk in The Big Apple:

And she felt so good afterwards that she and Nora shared a dance:

Unto Us a Child is Born

2011-01-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

On January 7th at 11:07pm we welcomed Nora Emmanuela into the world. She weighed 7 lbs 10.4 oz and was 20.3" long. She is named for great grandmothers Nora Oakes and Nora Larsen, and grandmother Manuela "Nellie" Cardenas. She is beautiful, delicate, sweet, and uncomplicated... for now.

We spent two brief days in the hospital before bringing her home. The time in hospital was made better by the amazing timing of the birth of our dear friends' baby. The Gaines and Cohen additions came less than 24 hours apart--it seems they may have planned this in utero. Matt and Mike went back and forth, visiting each other and sharing bleary-eyed moments getting food and blankets for sleeping on the floor of the hospital rooms. We snapped a few photos of the babes together just in case there might be occasion for it later in life :)

Since Nora was born so late in the evening on Friday, we had the option of staying an extra night at the hospital. While having the nurse take the baby to the nursery for a few hours of shut-eye was enticing, we really wanted to get home to start our life together as a family of three. The first night at home we hardly slept for fear that this tiny creature might stop breathing.

We had to to make two trips to the pediatrician during that first week because Nora was slightly jaundice and needed to gain more weight. There also happened to be a blizzard in New York City that week. So Matt braved the snow and slush in the early morning traffic to find cabs those two mornings and we made it to the pediatrician's office on time. Also, Teri was hobbling behind due to injuring her pelvic ligaments during delivery. We must have been quite a sight on those mornings! Nora did well and was able to drop the formula supplements after a couple of days.

Nora Week 1 Bday

Mom and Dad Gaines, who had been visiting from Seattle for three weeks at this point (waiting for Nora to make her debut) journeyed out to Long Island in efforts to give our new little family space and time together. That lasted maybe two days. By the third day here alone we were ready for reinforcements. We called for back up and, not only did John dig out an exit from their snowed-in parking lot, but Faith was on a bus to NYC that same afternoon. Thank God for grandparents!

At the beach before M&D Gaines left

With Mom G taking care of laundry, errands and food preparation, and Matt taking care of Teri, we were all able to make it work somehow and watched Nora thrive enough to make her first trip out to the beach at one week old. We spent a few cozy, sunny, winter days out at the beach before Teri, Matt and baby headed back to the city and John and Faith headed back West. Our time together seemed so brief.

Nora weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs. at her next pediatrician's appointment. She seems to be doing well as a breastfed baby. She is now two whole weeks old and is filling out a bit. As a milestone, we gave her her first bath, and as a reward, she pooed all over Matt's arm! What great timing our girl has.

Nora week #2 bday

We love our little Nora Emmanuela. While it has been a great challenge adjusting to a life of three hour sleep increments, numerous diaper changes, deciphering cries, not to mention learning how to handle all of this while recouperating from a difficult delivery, we welcome this new chapter in our lives and are grateful to learn and grow as a family of three.

We don't really know that much about our young daughter yet, except that she doesn't mind being swaddled as long as one or both of her arms are out, and she has very strong legs which she uses to kick and climb up to her Daddy's shoulder when she's hungry. She loves to arch her back way back when stretching, and she goes through many faces when waking. She can fall asleep in about five seconds when feeding, and she inevitably will make a dirty diaper during the feeding session--or right after we change her, or, as we have seen, right after she's had a bath and before the diaper goes on! She has used one "word" since week one--a sweet, non-cry "bah." We're still trying to look for patterns to see if she means anything specific by it. We have also noticed a fleeting, but lovely smile. We know it's probably just gas, but we'll take it :)

We will post as many pictures as we can on this blog, but there will also be pictures on Facebook and Snapfish if anyone is interested.

New Year's Eve

2011-01-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

We celebrated New Year's Eve with a trip to the local German pub, The Heidelberg, which has been around since our neighborhood was the old German enclave of New York City. We then strolled back to the apartment where Mom and Dad G had prepared a terrific spread. We watched the ball drop on television and spotted the fireworks in Central Park from our window. Alas, we are still waiting for our baby to make her appearance so no 2010 tax deduction for us!

Christmas in the City

2010-12-30T20:09:00.001-08:00

We were able to celebrate Christmas Eve with Matt's parents who are visiting from Seattle. They were so kind as to bring a Christmas tree and decorations with them! We feasted on Riesen Greena Grit (sweet rice pudding), Norwegian fish pudding to honor Matt's mother's family, smoked ham, spinach, and tamales to honor Teri's family tradition!
We even got to share the meal with our good friends Mike and Misha.
Teri and Misha are old friends and are due within two weeks of each other.

On Christmas Day, Matt's parents made roast beef, green beans and roasted potatoes.

And then... Santa brought a blizzard! The city was covered in almost 20 inches of snow in 24 hours!
We're glad Teri didn't go into labor the night of the blizzard.

This is the fountain in front of our apartment building.

Getting There

2010-12-21T00:16:00.000-08:00

This weekend we busied ourselves with getting the apartment ready for Christmas and for baby. With less than two weeks to go, we're almost ready! Teri just has to pack her bag for the hospital.

Pregnancy Thoughts

2010-12-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

As we approach the big day, here are some of Teri's thoughts:

Things I'll miss about being pregnant:
People offering me their seats on the subway or bus
People holding doors for me
An excuse to wear waist-less jeans
Not feeling guilty about eating ice cream (or cookies, or pizza, or anything!)
Hearing, "When's the bless-ed event?" from complete strangers with great New York accents

Things I'm looking forward to after being pregnant:
No more swollen ankles, hands or face
Being able to bend down
Not having to get up to go to the bathroom several times a night
Being able to roll over in bed with relative ease
Beer, wine and sushi!
Keeping up with Matt as we walk down the street

Not much time left to "enjoy" being pregnant, so I'll try my best! We'll get to meet this little one soon.

NYC Marathon

2010-12-16T09:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from the NYC Marathon in November. We only live one block from the action so it was nice to walk outside and support these amazing athletes... even if it meant that 1st Ave was closed most of the day and we were trapped on the UES!

In homage to our favorite slogan of the 2010 NYS election!

Showered with Love

2010-12-16T09:12:00.001-08:00

A few days after getting back from Spain, we welcomed this little guy to our growing family of friends...

And then Teri flew back to Bakersfield to meet this little one...

And be a part of this wedding...

And, finally, have this baby shower...

It was a quick, busy trip, but nice to see the Bakersfield family before our little one arrives.

Back in NYC, Teri had another baby shower and celebrated with friends old and new. Even had a chance to catch up with this bunch of girls from Bakersfield!

Baby Gaines and Baby Cohen--already best of friends!

Espana part II: Barcelona

2010-11-28T17:35:00.000-08:00

From Madrid's Atocha train station, we took the high speed train (velocidad 293km/h) to Barcelona.

Barcelona lived up to its reputation of being very artsy....Gaudi's architecture inspired and amused...

Especially the Sagrada Familia...Gaudi's famous church which is still a work in progress. To us, it was a fresh, creative expression of faith.
Many fascinating Gaudian details. And then there was the ham....

More Gaudi playfulness at Parc Gruell...with the Med in the distance behind La Sagrada Familia. We took a late season dip in the sea which was lovely despite a flotilla of jelly fish, with which Matt had a nasty encounter last year.

The Picasso museum was amazing. One of our favorite Picasso pieces was his study on Vasquez' Las Madrinas, which included the Infanta Margarita. Henceforth, we have nick named our little girl to be "Infanta". Being in Spain, and saturated with a particular Limon or Orange soft drink...we conveniently shortened this to "Fanta". (Don't ya wanta Fanta!?)

The inner court yard at Catedral Barcelona...

Espana Part 1: Madrid

2010-11-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

So, we decided to take a trip in October for two reasons: One, we wanted celebrate Teri's 30th birthday, and two, we wanted to take a big trip before the baby comes and we never get a chance to go anywhere ever again (as we have been warned will happen). We traveled to Madrid, Spain, armed with our Rick Steves' travel guide and comfortable shoes.

Our food goals took precedence-- we had to eat the infamously delicious "jamon iberico" (ham), churros y chocolate (the greatest breakfast idea ever), and lots of tapas.

We took in some culture and watched a fantastico flamenco performance, con mucho pasion! We also tried to conquer the impressive Prado museum, which did not disappoint. At the modern art museum, the Reina Sofia, we got a glimpse of Picasso's famous "Guernica," and took a stroll through the Parque del Retiro.

We finished off our time in Madrid with a suckling pig and duck dinner. The following day, Teri's birthday, we took the fast train to Barcelona.

Flamenco con mucho pasion!

The Pine Tree State

2010-09-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

As a special treat, we were able to spend a few days in Maine with our Parents G. We drove up from NYC to Seal Harbor, ME, and spent the next week hiking around Acadia National Park and eating lobster!

Here's proof that at 5.75 months pregnant, Teri was climbing mountains with the best of them!

For one last hurrah, Matt and John jumped into a lake for the last swim of the summer.

Sugar and Spice

2010-09-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

... And everything nice...

We decided to have a party to announce the baby's gender to our friends and family.

We initially had everyone chose either a pink or blue tag and guess what the baby's name might be.

Then, for the big reveal, we had a pinata!

Everyone participated and discovered that it was filled with...
Princess Candy!
That's right, we're excited to welcome a little GIRL this winter.

Then we had red velvet cupcakes and listened to the fetal heartbeats of all three pregnant ladies present.

It was a fun time and a great memory. Thanks to our parents for helping with the food, drink and decorations.

Boy or Girl?

2010-08-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

We're not telling until our parents get here next week!

Four Years Later

2010-08-19T10:51:00.001-07:00

Last week we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary by going to a cool restaurant downtown.

It was fun thinking that this is our last anniversary before we add a new little person into the mix!

News

2010-08-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

In May we had a great time with family out at the beach ...

and moved into a new apartment...

And found out about this...

And this...
And tried to escape this crazy summer heat by going to Ithaca, NY, and jumping in the water here...

And here...
Then returning to our rented cabin near the Catskills...
Then hiking in the Catskills...
Then, finally, returning to one of our favorite places in the world...Ahhh.

Brooklyn and Fried Chicken

2010-04-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes New York can feel like a small town. For example, spring broke a few weeks ago and, to celebrate, we spent the day with good friends in Brooklyn. We enjoyed gourmet street cart dumplings (like you do in Brooklyn!) and took the long route to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. We all were starving from pounding the hipster pavement, so we were set to leave when we see these guys walk up right behind us... ...and they had pizza!
All four of us quickly devoured their leftovers and headed for a new "IT" restaurant in the city. BTW--if you find yourself in New York anytime soon, Motorino really does have delicious pizza.

In an effort to explore more food hot spots around town, we snatched up a fried chicken dinner reservation at Momofuku Noodle Bar. I know what you're thinking, but it was supposed to be the best fried chicken in town. And there's a huge waiting list to get a reservation. And you have to check the website to book a reservation at 10am for a spot a month away! And you needed at least four people. So, we assembled a party of eight and chowed down on a triple-fried-heaping-mound-of-chicken-dinner.

Full Circle

2010-04-03T21:02:00.001-07:00

Our dear Aunt Lynne likes to point out when things come full circle. She might point it out in our situation: two years ago we set off from New York on an adventure with no clear end destination. Now that we find ourselves back in the city, we've been able to regroup with our community here and gather together a plan for the next chapter in our lives. Here's a recap of what we've been up to since January...

Start, beginning January 2010. We land in a sunny San Jose, CA, after spending many snowy days in Cleveland.

We visit friends, Ken and Eleanor, and traverse the vineyard dotted hills with them, tasting lovely California Reds.

We shared a hot pot on our last night in Sunnyvale. It was delicious.

We walked around San Francisco and enjoyed the amazing selection of fresh foods and coffee at the Embarcadero. We picked up some chanterelles for dinner along with a lovely bunch of dried lavender.

The night was shared with good friends Eric and Jan and new baby Kylie.

Having a drink with the guys.

We said goodbye and drove down the California coast towards Big Sur. California is amazing.

We stayed at an old Norwegian Inn called Deetjen's. Good food + great wafts of pine and cedar pouring through the air.

Deetjen's wasn't far from the coast where we found this majestic spot.

We spent the day driving South on PCH until it was time to head east towards Bakersfield.

There, we were greeted with warm hugs, enchiladas and tamales. Ah, we've missed you!
Here's Teri with Grandma Nellie, Mom, Aunt Jenny and cousins Brandi and Natalie.
Natalie, Teri, Brandi and Bo.

The next day Grandma gave us a lesson on how to make tortillas.

With Mom and Dad Beene, we drove up to Yosemite and spent a few glorious days there.

Then we flew north to Seattle to visit our Gaines family and newest addition, Nicholas Edwin.
We were able to spend a whole day together down by Pike Place Market, and the weather cooperated as well!

John, Faith, John, Lucy, Li'l Matt, Nicholas, Mo, "AnTeri" and "UncaMatt".

Playing hid n seek with lil Matt

Here's Faith peering in the window of the orginal Starbucks cafe.
Neighborhood hunting with Maureen
We had a delicious Greek salad in honor of our time in Athens

Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound and ferry boat

Hiking in the Bloedel reserve on Bainbridge Island, WA

The view from the ferry boat deck looking East towards Seattle

Inside the Seattle Public Library designed Rem Koolhaas
Faith and Teri in the heart of the Library

After Seattle, we stopped through Cleveland en route to NY. We stayed with Maureen's parents. A scroll for Grandma Beanie, by Lucy.

Landing in NY, we stayed at the beach in Westhampton, and visited friends Mike and Misha in the city.

Beautiful sunny early February...

But more snow was on the way....

Also arriving in NY in February- Zachary James, our friends Ray and Lisa's baby boy!

Just ahead of a second snow storm, we left the North East and went to New Orleans. Matt took a work related course there. It was nice and warm.

Breakfast consisted of buscuits, eggs, and of course, gritts.
Bloodys on the veranda...

Whilst Matt was in class, Teri also took a cooking class and learned to make Pralines, gumbo and jumbalaya!

Teri visited Cafe Du Monde for world famous chickory coffee and beignets, in all their doughnutty powdered sugar glory

They tasted like this...powdered sugar glory....
The French Quarter was very charming

On our last afternoon, we had a picnic in the Audubon Park. We enjoyed cold beer and Shrimp Po' Boy sandwiches.

Then it was back to the cold, grey winter of New York

To brighten things up, Teri joined with her old dance teacher for a performance sponsored by the Alvin Ailey dance studio

Now, like the city relaxing into Spring, we're taking a step back to breathe and wonder about what will come next...

They really do throw fish at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Holidays & St. Nicholas

2010-01-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

In exploring more of Cleveland, we visited the Cleveland Botanical Gardens just before Christmas to see the poinsettia and gingerbread house exhibits. It was a winter wonderland.

Here's a gingerbread model of the Cleveland Clinic

Teri's brother, Sam, and his girlfriend, Kim, stopped through for a pre-Christmas visit. We had a lovely time.
Santa somehow found our hotel and delivered a potted Xmas tree, courtesy of our Seattle family.
Thanks to our sil's parents, we enjoyed warm holiday meals in a REAL house! Thanks Barb and Stan.

We were greeted in the new year by the arrival of a new nephew-- lil' Saint Nicholas. With new found friends, we toasted the babe and our sil. See you soon!

12/21

2009-12-21T14:25:00.000-08:00

For little Matty on the longest evening of the year:

Frank Lloyd Wright "Fallingwater," Mill Run, PA

2009-12-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend we drove down to Pennsylvania to tour the famous Frank Lloyd Wright "Fallingwater" house. Just outside of Pittsburgh, we stayed at a charming B&B and drove to the house the next morning. Here is the video montage Matt created when we got back...

The West Side Market, Cleveland, Ohio

2009-12-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

It might be Cleveland's best kept secret... Well, it was quite a find for us! The West Side Market, hidden in plain sight, right down the street from our hotel.
We wandered over on Sunday afternoon and discovered a world of bustle and aroma. There were people selling goods and foods representing every ethnic group around Cleveland. We could hardly believe this gastronomic wonderland had been right under our noses this entire time.

The Market is comprised of two main halls: one houses booths for produce and fresh flowers, the other is teeming with meats, cheeses, pastas, pickled snacks, baked goods, and various eat-as-you-go delights.

We snacked on spicy enchiladas, steaming pork buns, and a gigantic gyro that brought back memories of our old neighborhood.

What a fantastic discovery!

Thanksgiving in Cleveland

2009-11-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving in Cleveland. We had a wonderful time thanks to parents and cousins of our sister-in-law Maureen. Hope you enjoy the pictures Mo!

And here's a picture of the outfit, Mom. Verdict?

Niagara Falls and Halloween

2009-11-19T12:58:00.000-08:00

Since Teri spent the last week puffy cheeked and bleary eyed recovering from wisdom teeth extraction (ahem, no pictures), here are some pictures of our recent trip to Niagara Falls and our Halloween pie.

Inspired by the Jim and Pam wedding on "The Office," we decided to drive up to Niagara Falls and pay a visit to our friendly Neighbors to the North.We stayed on the Canadian side of The Falls and enjoyed a crisp, sunny day exploring this natural marvel. In full tourist fashion, we took a ferry boat ride to the base of The Falls. We learned that there are, in fact, three water falls that make up Niagara Falls: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls. It was pretty spectacular to observe the volume of water that constantly passes over.

We also took advantage of the "Behind the Falls Tour" which lead down dank tunnels embedded in the rock behind Horseshoe Falls.

Back in Cleveland... We "ain't got no home in this world anymore"... at least not at the moment, so the gracious parents of our favorite sister-in-law invited us over to hand out candy and bake in a real kitchen.
Armed with Grandma Wanda's recipe, we baked up a deliciously rich Jack-o-lantern pumpkin pie and enjoyed good company.

Lucy and Matt, your Grandma Beanie sends her love!

La luna e piena. Parte due.

2009-11-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

We spent a wonderful twenty days in Sardinia, Italy, in August. We went horseback riding with Georgia our friendly guide who said, "I love America!" Also, we learned that other countries can be more lax on safety precautions than the US. At one point during our ride, Georgia turned and asked us if we wanted to trot. "Sure!" And with a simple "trotto," our horses took off while we were clinging onto our saddles with fingertips. Georgia found it amusing and we tried the "trotto" twice before giving up.

One of our favorite beaches on the Costa Smeralda was called Baja Sardinia and was a beautifully expansive white-sand beach with lots of rental umbrellas and room for families. We spent many days swimming in this turqoise water and sipping lemoncello at the nearby cafe.
Some of the beaches on the island required a bit of a hike to get there.
The Costa Smeralda is full of luxurious ports. This night, we dined with Matt's coworkers at a beautiful cove port called Poltu Quatu. We had delicious fresh oysters and great pasta.We also dined amongst the fabulous guests of Hotel Cala di Volpe.Here is a picture of our (more modest) hotel, called Hotel Nibaru. The groundskeeper, Mario, cheered us up everyday with a handshake and an Italian lesson. Hence, "La luna e piena." The room also came with one free espresso and one capucino per day. Italians love their coffee and so did we!We only spent one day at this hard-to-find beach called Liscia di Vacca, but we had a memorable time....... mainly because we got a parking ticket! After living in Greece, we became lazy about parking rules because there don't seem to be any. Thanks to a good friend currently living in Italy we were able to pay our debt to the Italian government. Phew. Thanks Oonagh!
The water was very salty and it was easy to float and swim for hours. Here's Matt finding his bouyancy equilibrium point.One day we caught the dive boat out to a lighthouse and snorkled around. There weren't many fish, but it was fun to be out on the water.

Here's a picture of an insalata caprese we prepared for Matt's co-workers. We were inspired by Italia.Our favorite beach was called Capricolli and we went every chance we got, even during lunch breaks in the middle of the day. It was great!Ahh, the beach...fun times are afoot. We liked the beach so much, we went back even after Matt tangled with a "medusa," or jellyfish which left big welts on his forearm. The friendly pharmacy ladies helped us out with topical treatments that drew the interest of the curious customers. Italians seem to have a different sense of personal space!Even though the ports of Costa Smeralda were full of fancy restaurants, the locals recommended some country restaurants that often required a curvy drive on dark roads back into the interior of the island. On warm nights, the patios were packed with gussied up Sardinians. We had to take a photo of a Florentine steak we ordered, (vegeterians avert your eyes) which came very rare and required further cooking on a hotplate at the table.

Alas, La Luna e peina. This was the August full moon which is reportedly the largest, as the moon is at its closest point in its orbit. The moon rose over the horizon to the applause of our fellow on lookers.

Buona Notte!!

La luna e piena. The moon is full.

2009-10-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since our last post. So long, in fact, that we have since celebrated our third wedding anniversary, Teri's 29th birthday, traveled to Sardinia, welcomed friends from Portland to Athens on their honeymoon, and come "home" to Cleveland via New York. Now that we've settled in a little, we will try to update our long overdue blog. First things first: Italy.

In August, we were so lucky as to get to spend time on the Italian island of Sardinia. We were warned that Sardinia could be a "wild" place, but couldn't appreciate what that meant until we arrived at our little rental villa at the top of a hill. The dry, dusty roads leading up to the villa were just big enough to accommodate our little Fiat. We spent a splendid two weeks in this little apartment adjacent to our hosts, The Spellman's. From our hilltop we had views of the "Costa Smeralda," or Emerald Coast, and were privy to warm, dry winds that smelled of dried rosemary, sounds of horses, and even a wild pig! Here is a video of the road to our hilltop home, "Villa Cervo":

These videos took a REALLY long time to load, so we'll try to put up some still pictures of the trip in a second installment.

Delphi, Center of the World

2009-07-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we ventured up into the mountains and to Delphi, which ancient Greeks thought was the center of the world. It certainly was special anyway!
On the advice of our Greek teacher, we stayed in a small beach town called Galaxidi. We stayed at a lovely little bed and breakfast in an old sea captain's house (here, called ahrontiko). They even made their own jams! It was a great breakfast.

Then we made our way up to Delphi. The ruins are pretty much, well, ruined, but we were able to use our map to imagine what it must have been like thousands of years ago.
Teri was on a mission to find exactly where the oracle sat when she gave her prophecies. We thought it must be up up up the mountain in a cave or something, but, after exhausting ourselves climbing up the hillside in the sun, the park guide told us that she sat in the Temple of Apollo. Oh well. We were in a hurry to get back to Athens to meet a friend for dinner, so we hustled up the "Sacred Way" at Delphi and then literally speed walked down to the Temple of Athena. It was a good way to work off remnants of the previous night's celebration.

Swimming in the Aegean

2009-06-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Few things compare to swimming in crystal clear water on a warm summer day. We found a spot on a remote road close to the town of Ramnous on the east coast of Attica. We parked the car, scrambled down white, salty rocks and brush, and jumped into the turquoise colored Aegean. There weren't many people around so we felt as if we had stumbled upon a secret swimming spot and had it all to ourselves. It was a great day!

Mykonos

2009-06-24T02:16:00.001-07:00

Anyone who has heard about Mykonos knows that this island carries with it a certain reputation--a place with chic shopping and parties that last all night.
Anyone who knows US knows that we aren't exactly of that ilk, but we wanted to check out Mykonos and see what all of the hype was about. We were not disappointed!We arrived on a beautiful, albeit windy, day, and were greeted by the amazingly friendly staff at Hotel Tagoo (rated #1 on Tripadvisor for good reason). Tagoo far exceeded our expectations. Not only was it beautiful, but it was affordable (on an island that is not too friendly on your pocketbook). The hotel is run by a family (Greek-Canadian) and immediately upon arrival they greeted us with a map, a run down of the best restaurants/deals on the island, a towel for the pool, and a drink at the bar. It was great!

The town of Hora (or Mykonos) was originally laid out like a maze to confuse pirates. The tiny, white-washed streets also do a great job of confusing tourists! After about an hour of looking for a certain restaurant, we gave up and settled into a standard Greek taverna for some souvlaki and ouzo. Since arriving in Greece, we proudly congratulate ourselves on mastering the art of lingering. We sat for about three hours before heading back up the hill to Hotel Tagoo.

We relaxed by the pool and had a few more drinks at the bar with friendly bartender, Jimmy, and newly found friends from New York who were on their honeymoon. The four of us went out to dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant in the main town and headed home before the pounding club music could get to us!

The next day we rented a car and headed to Paraga Beach, which was fantastic! We got there before the crowds and enjoyed a long, relaxing day at this very low-key beach. The water was clear and cool and refreshing. The day was just hot enough to make it easy to take a dip, but not so hot that it was uncomfortable. Honestly, one of the best beaches we've been to.

We stayed all day and were served food and drinks under our umbrella. Why aren't there places like this on the West Coast?

We hopped the last ferry back to Athens and dreamed of going back to Mykonos! It was so easy to be there, we might have really just turned around to go back if given the chance!

Beauty Creates Community

2009-06-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to see The Pixies play in Athens tonight. So nice to have a little slice of home and be able to share it with others here in Greece. We were amazed to see so many people who were enthusiastic about the music. It was also surprising to find out that our tickets were good for "two-for-one" admission--so we took two strangers in with us! Why not!

Greek to Us

2009-06-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

We often hear "announcements" from megaphones on trucks going around the neighborhood, but we captured it tonight from our balcony-- fresh produce anyone?

Aegina and Agistri

2009-06-09T08:38:00.001-07:00

After work on Saturday we took a cab to the port at Pireaus, a boarded the Flying Dolphin highspeed boat to the small island of Aegina, the pistachio producing island of Greece. It was great to get away, but we quickly found that the small port town was a little overrun with people. Perhaps it was just too accessible to Athens. It seems that harder to get to islands are more pristine, and maybe worth the trip. Only if we had more time... But, it was really nice to enjoy some hot weather by the clear, still cool, sea.

Egintiko Arhontiko (an old mansion converted into a hotel in Aegina Town)
This one was not quite as sweet as the one we found on Syros. But still characterful.

The "arhontiko" aka tumble down ol mansion was lovingly adorned with plants amoungst which Teri posed.

Feesh

Vegetable stand with abutting taverna tables. The Greeks love to have tavernas everywhere. We are beginning to love it too.

Teri waiting for Posidon Hellas to take us to Agistri, a small island near by with supposedly better beaches for swimming

Jaws for cars. Amazing that it floats.

Escaping from the tourist madness on Aegina going to Agistri

The hydroplaning Flying Dolphin ferry which connects many small islands

Nescafe on Ice

Finally a chance to catch some sun

Sunburned

The tourist madness followed us to Agistri

Yes!!

2009-05-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

I figured it out!
It's the little victories, really.

Something Great

2009-05-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be aware of Teri's penchant for all things Blue Grass-- blame it on growing up in Bakersfield or going to school in Texas, but this girl is a sucker for a banjo and steel guitar. Ahh, Patty Griffin, Emmylou, Alison Krauss (Thanks Mama G), ... but yesterday she happened upon this beautiful ensemble and discovered Gillian Welch. How had I not heard of her before?

Anecdote

2009-05-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

Last night at a restaurant in our neighborhood that we frequent maybe once-a-week:

Owner: Yasas!

T&M: Yasas, how are you?

Owner: Good. How are you?

T&M: Good. It was hot today! We're hungry!

Owner: Yeah.. (looks at Teri), You don't cook?

Almost forgot about gender roles here.

Happy Birthday Matt

2009-05-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

For Matt's 37th we took a ferry to nearby island of Syros. It was amazing! Definitely, one of the best things about living on this side of the world is being so close to places like this. We decided to make a real effort to get out of Athens more often. Matt usually has to work on Saturdays which makes it hard to go anywhere on the weekends, but, hopefully, we can make it work somehow.

Here are pictures of our Syros sojourn:
Ubiquitous stand of fried and seseame'd goodies at the port of Piraeus

Our "fast boat" to Syros

Matt amongst fishing boats in Syros

One of many swimming slabs around the island

Our Neo-Classical Mansion Hotel (Our room is top, left window)

Syros shoreline

Street views

Teri didn't plan on swimming in her clothes, but a rogue wave soaked her on way to lunch!

Nun on way to Saturday mass

Lazy lunch on a quiet beach opposite the port town

Island taverna

Hotel lobby with gracious host Yannis

From bedroom window

Someday

2009-05-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

We were talking the other day about how this time in our lives is sort of like retirement--we have the time to do many of the things we save for "someday." Well, we certainly have been doing all sorts of "someday" activities including: writing poetry (Teri is taking classes online and Matt collaborates with her), learning the guitar, learning to cook and bake (even trying our hands at homemade pizza and pasta), and learning the ebb and flow of everyday life in Greece. We know that this time won't last forever, but it's nice to be able to enjoy it right now.

Cold weather, Carnival and Clean Monday

2009-03-04T07:58:00.000-08:00

On Sundays we like to sleep in and then make something delicious for breakfast/lunch. Since the weather had been cold, we decided on a sturdy meal of homemade biscuits and gravy. Although we pictured light, fluffy, flaky cakes, we came out with butter flavored hockey pucks instead. More like a hefty cracker than a biscuit, but we ate it just the same.

Matt decided that he was going to make gravy from the leftover drippings from our Midnight Chicken (the schmalz). He found a recipe online and made a tasty, heart-clogging gravy that was so good we licked the plates clean.

After our heavy meal, we thought it would be good to do some hiking. Since there are only a few hills in Athens--The Acropolis, Lykovittos Hill and Filopappou Hill--we decided to take the train downtown and walk up Lykovittos Hill to see the sunset and have a glass of wine at the top. Well, then we got lost. All of those metro stops sound alike, don't they? Anyway, it took a really long time to get to our destination and by the time we exited the metro, it was dusk and very cold.

We started walking up the hill and up and up and up until we reached the top. It was dark and we were out of breath, but thankful for the exercise. We took pictures of the Acropolis but they didn't come out. Here's the church at the top of the hill.

While standing around we noticed that the wind was really cold, so we sought shelter at the cafe at the top of the hill (in Greece it seems that, no matter where you go, there is always a cafe nearby). We had a drink or two and took the funicular train back down to the metro station.

The next day it snowed in Athens. Yes, we chose probably the coldest night of the year to climb to the top of Lykovittos Hill. The irony.

That night we warmed up by making Grandma Nellie's Homemade Tortillas--thanks Grandma!

We didn't have a rolling pin so we used a wine bottle.

As is the tradition in many parts of the world, Greeks celebrate "Carnival" before Lent. Since the Greek Orthodox Calendar is a little different, Carnival was this weekend. We decided to drive to the sea and take in the sights. We rented a car and drove about an hour outside of Athens to a town called Loutraki. It was fun to get out of the city and be near the ocean.

Carnival clown behind us

The promenade at the water front

The beach was made up of little stones

We found a restaurant with a fireplace!

One thing about us is that we think we are fun people, but we really don't enjoy being in super crazy situations. SO, we skipped Carnival in Loutraki and spent Sunday traipsing around the ruins at Ancient Corinth. It was a beautiful day and there weren't too many people around. We made the right decision.

Temple of Aphrodite at the top of hill in Old Corinth, looking down at New Corinth

We drove back to Athens, parked the car at our apartment and decided to walk around our neighborhood to see what people were up to. We found the streets empty save for the cafes which were bustling around midnight. We must have heard the song "YMCA" blasting from at least three different cafes!

Then we walked by a seafood shop which was open. We stopped because it is never open that late. People were lined up in their cars to go to this shop. We walked up to get a closer look at the action and the store owner asked if we wanted to buy something. We panicked and pointed to an octopus. Why not? we asked ourselves. Eight euros (about $12) later we were walking home with our octopus. What the heck were we going to do with this thing? Matt opened up the paper wrapping to stare at it. It was quite impressive.

The next day was called "Clean Monday," a holiday that marks the beginning of Lent and during which most Greeks eat "bloodless" seafood, like octopus. We looked up a recipe for our octo-meal and found one for Greek Octopus Salad. First, Matt had to prepare the thing. Matt had to do it because Teri would have thrown up or something. Besides, Matt was the Biology major--hasn't he disected worse things? He had to remove the ink sack, the stomach, the beak, and the eyes. Gross. Yes. We didn't even know that an octopus had some of these parts.

Next, we had to boil it for 10 mins and then remove the outer membrane. Again, Matt biology major = mebrane remover. Next, we were supposed to cook it in a pressure cooker for 10 mins. We actually have a pressure cooker! But the handle was missing and, apparently, that is a really important part of a pressure cooker. So Matt being so clever and convinced that we were going to cook this "sucker" (hee hee), had the idea to unscrew the extra holder on the pot and screw it into the spot for the lid handle. We did it and set the pot to boil with the octopus. Then we learned online that pressure cookers can explode. We went back to check it and, when we heard the hissing sound we both ran for cover. Teri was peeking out from behind the door post and Matt was wrapped in the curtain for fear he would be sprayed with scalding hot water. It was actually really hilarious! We turned off the heat and waited for the hissing sound to subside. It had only been a few minutes but we decided we would rather live without burns than eat an octopus. We ran the pot under cold water and opened the lid. The octopus was cooked and tender! We made a marinade with lemons, olive oil, vinegar, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper, and left it in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day--VOILA! Greek Octopus Salad!

Life Sans Internet

2009-02-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

What does one do when internet is not available to them at home? Why they cook of course! Here's a bit of what we've been up to whilst trying to divine a connection to the Information Super Highway... to little avail. Until today! Hooray!

Chocolate Croissants (with a little help from Pillsbury)

Golden Raisin Scones

Beef Stew

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Souffle

Huevos Rancheros

Roast Chicken with lemon, thyme, garlic, onion, bacon and mushrooms

schmaltz

Banana Bread

Here's what our work station usually looks like.

Next on the list: homemade tortillas

Our New Neighborhood in Athens

2009-01-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

We are back in Athens after a vacation in Switzerland that was WUNDERBAR. On our way back to our apartment from the airport, our driver informed us that we had been moved to a "new" apartment. This was good news as we were glad to be away from the six lane highway that ran past our old place. Our new building is about 25 years old and is in a well established neighborhood in Athens called Maroussi. We like it and have been working on making it feel like home. There is still work to be done but here is a snapshot of our new digs...

living room

hallway to spare bedroom

written translation of washing machine instructions

German washing machine

spare oom

bathroom

kitchen

entry/livingroom/office/dining room

living room

our bedroom

our bedroom from hallway

our building (we're on 3rd floor, right)

Chinese restaurant across the street

organic market

cafe

Starbucks close by

center where small, cobble stone streets converge (and traffic doesn't stop for pedestrians)

small street in Maroussi

butcher shop

Prochain arret: Zermatt

2009-01-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

When every muscle in your body hurts and you were the last one out of the snowy hills, no one around for acres, only you and the jagged ridges, then you know you had a good day skiing... or so says Matt. We have been in Zermatt for the past four days and today took the cake. The sun was shining, the Matterhorn towered above powder fresh snow, and the pasta was delicious just over the border in Cervinia, Italy. Our faces still burn with the sting of cold wind from the tip-top of Mt. Crumpit. We weren't the first ones up the mountain, but we were definitely the last ones off and now we can feel the tug of bed and the aching reminder in our joints of a day well spent. Here are a few pictures...

Achtung, baby. Teri approaching Italian/Swiss Boarder.

Teri schussing down the piste.

Biblical references and symbols are found throughout the area.

All smiles before the epic day began...

Beyond the misty mountain

Lunch in big Italy

Inside the slope side "Chalet Etoile".

Vino Rosso and rigatone gargonzola i spinach.

Really just hashbrowns, but the umlaut over the "o" makes all the difference.

Here are some more pictures from our trip. We visited some friends that we met in India and who live in Thun. We had a wonderful weekend with all five of them. We even learned how to count in German thanks to some hard fought games of Uno. Thanks again Herzogs!

Lake Thun

Teri, Matt, Mariza and Marcel

Tea Time

Haselnusslebkuche

We also visited Bern, the Swiss capital.

Pretzels

Sausage

The quiet zone on the Swiss train. Note that headphones are also verboten.