My New Toy

Last weekend, my husband surprised me with an unexpected gift: a new camera! I had reluctantly agreed to go to Best Buy with him to do what I thought was going to be video game shopping. Imagine my shock when he turned to me and said, "I want to get you a new camera for your birthday." Holy camoly! I launched myself into his arms and showered him with kisses. Well, that's what I wanted to do, but being heavy with child, I would have snapped his spine in two. So instead, I gave him a big hug and did an unwieldy little happy dance. After some haggling (yes, you can haggle at Best Buy!), I settled on the lovely Canon Eos Rebel XS.

As soon as I got home, I charged up the battery and started taking pictures. Being the impatient person that I am, I didn't take the time to properly read the instruction manual, and the first few shots that emerged from my fancy new camera were totally....
.
...awful. Yikes!! I was pretty appalled by how terrible the pictures were, especially given the fact that I had studied photography in college. Isn't it supposed to be like riding a bike? I guess not. Then again, the last time I held an SLR camera was over ten years ago, and they didn't have no newfangled digital thingymabobs back then. So that evening, I took the time to sit down and read through the manual. Or at least skim the first couple of pages.
.
The next day, armed with my newfound knowledge, I tried taking pictures again.

Much better! Even though I primarily shot with the automatic settings, the picture quality was incredible. I mean, food particles that I had neglected to wipe from the Boo's chin which I hadn't noticed with my naked eyes were visible in the pictures!

.

I also tried out the "continuous shooting" function and caught this moment-by-moment series that shows Benjamin escaping from his Daddy's grasp.

.

Later on, I test drove my new toy at my best friend Deb's birthday party. Yes, it's helps that my subjects are beautiful, but look at how gorgeous this picture is!

.

I couldn't resist snapping the Boo while he was taking a potty break. I swear, even the lowly act of urinating is elevated to the level of art when seen through the lens of my fancy new camera!

.

Vince has probably been wondering what kind of monster he's created by giving me this new toy. If our lives weren't overdocumented enough already, now I'm shooting pictures of my son urinating in public. Well, my love, I will promise you that I will never shoot YOU urinating in public. At least not with my fancy new camera!

Table Manners

Someone should teach this kid some manners! Oh, wait... That "someone" should be me, huh?

Nolan Turns TWO!

A few weeks ago, Benjamin's BFF Nolan turned two. His parents marked the occasion by throwing him a party in the toddler playground at the end of the block. To add a festive touch, Julie decked out the park with helium-filled balloons, colorful beach balls, and cute party favors. And let's not forget the cake! Julie and Shawn's friend Liz, an up-and-coming pastry chef, created the adorable concotion you see above. It's a single cake made up of several dozen separate cupcakes. They were so delicious that I had to have two - plus another one filched from Julie's stash of leftovers the next day! Of course, I've already booked Liz to make a cake for Benjamin's birthday even though it's more than three months away. If you're interested in having Liz design and bake a cupcake cake for you, too, feel free to email her! If you'd prefer something a little more amphibious, take a look at this other cake that was also baked for Nolan's party:

This froggy cake was baked by Liz's boyfriend Tom. Sure, it may no be as... er.... polished as Liz's cake, but you've got to give the guy props for trying. Evidence of his hard work can be seen in the bristles of the pastry brush that were left behind in the fondant.

Nolan's neighborhood buddies turned out in force to shower him with happy birthday wishes. Among them was, of course, the Boo.

It was heartwarming to watch the two little friends celebrate together. They spent a fair bit of time just horsing around like regular toddlers, and then Nolan's emotions got the best of him. He suddenly felt compelled to envelope his best friend in a big bear hug...

...and another...

...and another and another and another!

.

To get a true understanding of the ferocity of Nolan's hug, you have to watch it in action:

And if the Boo seems reluctant to return the favor, he needs to realize that Nolan isn't always so generous with his hugs!

Happy Birthday, Nolan!

H1N1 Tailgating

Swine flu fever has swept the country, and we've caught it. The metaphorical fever, that is, not the literal one. Unfortunately, vaccinations in Los Angeles County have been in pitifully short supply, which has only served to ratchet the fever up to... well... fever pitch. It's like the H1N1 vaccine is to 2009 what Tickle-Me-Elmo was to 1997.

For once, the Boo's blood condition was a blessing, allowing him to be one of the first kids in his pediatrician's office to receive the H1N1 vaccine. My being in a family way, however, has been of absolutely no help in my own quest to be vaccinated. None of my doctors even have it yet, so on a recent Saturday, me and two mommy friends, Sheila and Julie, lined up super early at Jesse Owens Park in the hopes of getting vaccinated through one of the county-run free clinics. The clinic was scheduled to open at 9:00 am, but we arrived just before 6:00 am. Like I said, it was SUPER-early. And, lest you think we were being paranoid, let me inform you that there was already a line of people ahead of us about a block long!

Our hubbies arrived with the kids about an hour later, and what should have been a morning of anticipatory drudgery took on a strangely festive feel. With the snacks, lawn chairs, and friends gathered together, it almost felt like we were engaging in some really boring, mid-thirties form of tailgating.

The kids had plenty around to keep them entertained. To the delight of Benjamin and Nolan, one of the police officers assigned to the event flashed the lights on his squad car.

And when they grew tired of that, the boys were content to just sit together on the stoop, where they hung out and admired Kayla's cute outfit.

By 9:00 am, the line had grown from being about a block long to being about a mile long. As we prepared to enter the gymnasium where they'd be giving us the good stuff, we surveyed the hundreds of people that had arrived after us. Sheila, Julie, and I couldn't help but feel mollified in our decision to be such overzealous early birds.

As chaotic as the scene outside the gymnasium was, inside it was very orderly and calm. We'd each been given a color-coded bracelet which let the dispensing staff know which tupe of vaccine to give us, and it took only minutes for each of us to be inoculated. Though Benjamin wouldn't be getting an injection, his eyes grew as big as saucers when he saw the table full of shiny needles.

.

As soon as we'd all received our vaccines, we decided to treat ourselves to dim sum at our favorite spot in Gardena, the Sea Empress. We dined on swine spareribs, swine-filled water dumplings, swine and shrimp shui mai, and BBQ swine-stuffed steamed buns. All that waiting had left us famished, and we inhaled the food like we hadn't eaten in weeks. You might even say that we ate like pigs.

.

Stay healthy, everyone!