shiso mama

I’m still full from all the food we ate over the weekend. I’m quite out of practice nowadays, especially with the baby taking up so much room. But I did manage to find the perfect way to balance a beautiful vegetarian meal (one of the best and most interesting meals we’ve had in a long time, by the way) - eat as much fried stuff and cured, salty meat the day before, both at the same time, if possible.

It’s interesting (and kinda lame, really) that one sometimes just needs to get away from their house in order to relax. I know that if I had been at home, I would’ve been thinking about all the things I should be doing, rather than just enjoying each other’s company. I know not everyone feels this way, but it definitely helps my enjoyment when the environment is just to your liking too - the hotel was modern and gorgeous, and we were taking pictures to remember ideas for our garden. And of course the massages helped too. We are so lucky to have great friends, because this weekend was an extravagant present from one very generous friend. Even after only one day, I feel better, which is good because this week’s Otis’s spring break!

Ah, we are so looking forward to this weekend, despite the drizzles we had this afternoon.  F and I are heading to Napa for a luxurious evening at a fancy hotel for a last hurrah before the baby arrives.  We’re scheduled to eat here before we come back — can you believe I’m going to eat at a vegetarian restaurant that also has a yoga studio? wtf??!!  I swear Berkeley’s getting to me.  I just hope my cold gets better so that I can taste all that yumminess!

I’ve been tagged by Meg for a meme on seven random things about me.   I actually think I’ve done this one before.

1. Whenever I cook, I find it totally and completely impossible to cook for less than large, hungry crowd. But I absolutely detest eating leftovers and will avoid doing so at all costs.

2. My first life’s ambition was to be a waitress. My second life’s ambition was to be a Solid Gold dancer. I guess one out of two ain’t too bad.

3. I freak out if anyone touches my neck.

4.  F claims that I’m the most ticklish person alive, but that’s not related to the neck thing.

5.  I’m a control freak.

6.  I think my social skills are debilitatingly poor.

7.  I can’t for the life of me remember the last name of the last boyfriend I dated before F.

I just sent around a chain letter to pre-schoolers on Otis’s behalf, so I will refrain from doing the same to my adult friends.  Does anyone want to add their own 7 random facts?  Do it in the comments or link to yourself.

Friends, thank you so much for the heartfelt comments and emails you wrote about your births. Really, you’re the best for being so candid and non-judgmental. You’ve given me a lot to think about, and I definitely have a lot of reading and thinking to do in the upcoming weeks.

***

We bought a video monitor ages ago when Otis was throwing himself out of his crib, and we were trying to keep an eye on him to make sure he was safe. We stopped using it quite some time ago, and in fact lent it to my brother to use, and only recently got it back, just in time to start catching Otis sneaking out of his bed during nap times. One day, not too long after Chinese New Year, Otis had a “hong bao” from a neighbor tucked in safely under his pillow and soon after I left, he took it out of its hiding place to play with and count his money. I came in seconds later to take it away and to remind him that it was nap time. The video monitor has come in handy often during our latest nap troubles. All of this makes me wonder, though: between the video monitor and the little extra rearview mirror in the car that allows me to see what he’s up to in the back seat without turning my head, does he ever just sit there and wonder how in the world it could be that I’m omniscient?

Can you tell? I’ve got spring on my mind. I’m so desperate for a useable backyard this summer that I’ve spent the last couple of days crawling around the garden, trying to clear the weeds that have taken over (and boy, is it bad). I’m not sure which will kill me first - the allergies or the backaches. I know it’s nuts (I’m so huge I don’t even have a bellybutton anymore), but the weather’s been beautiful these past few days and Otis has been happily playing in the sandbox we built him last year. I’ve already reclaimed a small area by the espaliered apple tree, rosemary and lavender we planted last year, so I feel encouraged and determined to continue. Keep your fingers crossed that my body holds up…

We’ve been trying to teach Otis to say excuse me after any display of bodily function. The other night, we were all eating together when Otis suddenly tooted, stopping all conversation. “What do we say, baby?” I asked him. He thought about it for a second, and then said, “Aiyaaaaaaa!!!!!” We could not stop laughing after that. I guess it means that the kid’s getting some good Chinese training. Unfortunately, he also thinks it’s immensely funny when he farts now - is this the start of adolescent boy humor?

Our friend, Jessica, just opened up shop! Check out her supercute creations and support a mom/indie designer. I see some pretty good gifts on the website…

Because I work in a museum, it’s often difficult for me to go to a museum for fun, even when there’s a show that I want to see. But I’ve been thinking lately that it’s been so long since I’ve taken Otis with me to a museum, and feeling a little anxious that he wasn’t getting enough exposure to art, and to museums, which are such a big part of my life. So last Monday, when Otis stayed home from Grandma R’s house, we had a rare playdate together - first to Tartine for croissants, and then to the SFMoma for the Olafur Eliasson exhibit. I was a little concerned before we got there, because Otis kept asking, “Are we going home now? Where are we going? Why? What’s art? THEN are we going home?” But it turned out to be a fantastic date. The Eliasson exhibit is such a perfect introduction to museums for small kids because it is so experiential, and it was so rewarding to see him get excited and have fun. I think it can be challenging to pick a good exhibit for small kids to explore (other special exhibits were of black and white photography, which would’ve bored him to tears) but we really enjoyed this show. If you happen to be local and are looking for something to do, the show’s up through Sunday.

Thanks to GoodyBlog (the blog for Parents magazine) for the mention today. Also a big belated thank you to Jules for the mention on IkeaHacker of our chalkboard art table. Have you folks checked out this site? It’s got great ideas for changing and personalizing Ikea products. Love this and this.

I know this little mini-surge of collages smacks of New Year’s Resolution, but I swear it’s not true!  It’s just that I woke up New Year’s Day, with my belly still full of fried foods, and felt inspired to kick F out of bed to move Otis’s dresser into my studio for me.  Now I have a more organized, workable space (although Otis’s closet looks like I’m holding a sample sale in there).  And now, with my mom visiting, I’m suddenly finding myself with more time on my hands, leaving me free to run away and hide while my mom is chased around the horse by a passel of plastic animals.  So you see, I’m not that disciplined after all.