Flower House Down for the Count!

Ryan and I never get sick, and when I say never, I mean once a year - maybe. Now that we have a child, that will certainly change as she will be bringing home a lot of germs once she starts playing with other kids more and going to school. So, Ryan brings home a cold last week out of nowhere. I did so well by staying away all week and not getting sick. Several days later, Shaye starts getting a runny nose and is sneezing all day at Grandpa and Grandpa Netro's. That evening, she sneezed on me about 10 times. The next morning, zap...I have a sore throat and my cold ensues. Ryan and Shaye quickly get back to normal and Mommy goes down for the count. I stayed home on Friday and went through a solid 4 days of a pretty bad cold. Unfortunately, the Wharton clan got together on Thursday night so I passed it along to Mom and Dad and who knows who else. We did get to see our family from Spain, Mati and Pepe, since they were passing through town for one night. It was so great to see them, especially since I was feeling ok at the time. Shaye picked up a bit of a cough over the weekend, but we are now fairly back to normal. I'll be 100% in a day or two. I am definitely not one to sit around, so although sick, I managed to cook, bake, wash and wax my car, walk to the park with Shaye several times, and take care of her most of the weekend while Daddy tended to the yard and helped my dad build his deck. All in a days work. Snap!

60 Years Young!

Today is my dad's 60th birthday. On one hand, I can't believe a parent of mine is 60 since I still view my grandparents as the ones in their 60s. However, most of my friends' parents have been in their 60s for awhile so my parents are really the latecomers. Dad has so much energy and never stops. I think this is what keeps him young! That and taking care of a baby 2 days a week....

My mom threw a party for Dad on Saturday night, with help from Kara and I. Shaye helped set up for the party (...set up her toys, that is!).


It was such a fabulous time, enjoying family, friends and a little "Over the Hill" humor.


Mom and Kara put together posters highlighting 3 chapers of Dad's life from the "Early Years" to the "Family Years" and the "Retired Years". The pictures were classic!

My Grandpa passed along about 20 necessary items to get him through the "Late Years" including denture cleanser, epsom salt, Milk of Magnesia, etc.
The food was great, the evening was cool and clear, and a good time was had by all!

Santa Monica

On Sunday, we ventured up to LA to visit my friend, Elan, who moved there from Philly about 9 months ago. She works at the UCLA Medical Center as a Nurse in the cardiac unit specializing in VADs (Ventricular Assist Devices). She started out in Studio City and now lives in Santa Monica. We arrived in the mid afternoon and spent some time hanging out in her super nice apartment. Shaye familiarized herself with Elan and checked out the place. We took a stroll (about a mile and a half) down to 3rd Street Promenade and the Bluffs and checked out the (very crowded) scene. We could not have picked a more cool, sunny and gorgeous day to sightsee. We ended up at the newly opened Santa Monica Place (www.santamonicaplace.com) mall next to the Promenade. Shaye was ready to get out of the stroller and eat dinner so we ended up going to the only place without a wait. Xino wasn’t exactly my idea of the best place to take Shaye since it is upscale dining (http://www.xinorestaurant.com) and I can’t fully enjoy the dining experience with her there as it’s always a hectic experience. However, the food was good and the company was even better! Elan caught some cute shots of Shaye from across the table. Shaye crashed on the walk back and slept the entire drive home. What a fun end to the weekend!

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Baby Bowdish

...is on it's way! I can't wait to be Aunt B! This is my first niece/nephew (by blood) and couldn't be more thrilled for Kara and Matt. She is 14 weeks along and the baby is due on February 1st. Since Netro's seem to have easy pregnancies (at least no sickness), Kara is feeling great. They will not be finding out the sex of the baby so I may go insane at some point throughout this process. At this point, I think she's sticking to the plan just to drive me nuts since I'm so curious. However, in my heart of hearts, I feel like a boy is due in the family. So, that's my guess! Either way, the next 6 months will be so exciting, full of anticipation and joy for our families!

Summertime Meet-up

A big family gathering was had on Saturday to get everyone together this summer. Grandpa hosted in CdM. It was great to catch up with the Wharton clan including Lizzette's boyfriend Aram, Stickney's including baby Sylus, Grandpa & Claire, Uncle Matt, Mom & Dad, as well as Joyce & Rick. The focus has shifted to the babies so it is a much different dynamic. Thanks for having the whole gang over, Grandpa!