Journey to the Great White North

So Mom and Dad tricked me into a car again. I fell asleep and next thing I knew I was waking up in a car far from home. But they gave me a bottle of Mom's Milk (tm) right when I got up and after a short while we stopped to play with cousins. I got to meet Cousin Sophie. She's very old...two! She sang me songs and showed me lots of stuff I can do when I grow up some more.

Esme and Sophie play Mix-n-Match parents

Oh yeah, I got to meet Sophie's Ima and Aba too (also known in grown up circles as Ben and Julie). And puppy cousin Lillabee showed off some excellent sniffing of me. Everyone else had yummy snacks and Chocolachino made by cousin Ben. After a while, I got sleepy and dozed off.

And when I woke up, I was in that darn car again! And worse, Mom and Dad hadn't brought cousin Sophie with me. It was dark out and there was some white stuff all around. But they did give me another bottle and Mom played with me. I met a new friend who always seems to be in my carseat: Mr Duck. Mr Duck and I had a staring contest for a while and eventually we stopped and got out. Guess who was there? Safta and Ronnie! I was very excited. And Mom and Dad say we get to stay for a whole week. This should be lots of fun.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

Rub-a-dub, dub...fun in the tub

Maybe I was a bit hasty to judge this bath thing. Turns out I kinda like it. I'm still not crazy about the face washing and shampooing my head, but it's not so bad that I need to cry. Just a little squirming is enough to do the trick. It can be lots of fun.

The Happy Bather

I even started to figure out how to splash a little bit. That one caught Mom and Dad off guard, and I enjoy surprising them. We'll have to see what I have up my sleeve next time. But since I don't have sleeves in the tub, that could be tricky. Hmmm...

Love and cuddles,
Esme

My Former Roommate Comes to Visit

So for the first couple weeks after I came home, I had a roommate. Sherma was a great roommate. She showed Mom and Dad how to take care of me and do all the things they hadn't done before. And she made sure I had company when I got bored or gassy in the middle of the night. But after a couple weeks, it was time for Sherma to head to California and help another baby.

The Roommates looking good

The other day Sherma was back home in NY and had a little free time. So she came over for a visit. We had lots of fun catching up. Sherma said I'd grown a lot. And I showed off my head lifting during some tummy time. We also had a good chat and cuddle. Sherma is very fun and I can't wait to see her again.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

GiggleFest 2010

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkkah

It seems that every night Mom and Dad insist on playing with fire. And it seems to be getting a little worse each night. I mean that's a LOT of candles. When will it be enough?

Esme poses with her Menorot

But I have to admit I like the singing they do first. Especially Dad's rendition of the Shehekianu in his funny noise. That one makes me laugh.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

Rock-a-Bye Baby

So a little while ago, a got a very special chair from Mom's friend Keith and Sue. But till now, I wasn't big enough to try the chair. But after my date today, Mom and Dad decided I was a big enough girl to try out the chair.

M-o-m, I can handle this myself

It was great to relax after the exciting visit today. I'll have lots of fun with my chair. And maybe soon, I'll be able to sit in it solo.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

Gentleman Caller

So Dad finally relented and let me have my first date. He can have so many rules sometimes: regular baths, clean diapers, lots of naps,...no boys till I'm 4 months old. Well, Dad let me have a boy over a week early!

I had lots of fun getting ready and trying on outfits. I settled on the Burberry dress Great Aunt Susan gave me.

Mom, how do I look? Think Holden will like my dress?

 When Holden came over with his parents, we took it slow at first being a blind date. But in no time, we were watching my mobile and playing with my toys. It was fun.

Esme and Holden watching the mobile together

Then when Holden wasn't expecting it, I made my move and grabbed his hand. He can be my main squeeze.

Esme goes for it, surprising Holden

We then took naps and it was time for Holden to go home. We had lots of fun and maybe Dad will let me go on another date soon.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

Staring contest with Mr. WhooZit

Tummy Time

BOO!

Pebbles Flinstone (Esme) poses with some pumpkins

I’m having lots of fun with this Halloween thing even though Mom and Dad say I can’t have candy yet. So have some for me and Happy Halloween.

Love and cuddles,

Pebbles (Esme)

Jailbreak

They thought they could contain me. Ha! First the regular swaddles. Easily escaped. Next it was the SwaddleMe. A bit of a challenge, but I managed to wriggle free. Then they broke out the big guns...the Miracle Blanket. This thing was supposed to keep me wrapped up? Not likely.

Esme celebrates her escape with a grin and a thumbs up

Rumor has it they will stop this silliness about swaddling in about a month. Can't come soon enough for this little Houdini. But in the meantime, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve in case Mom and Dad try any other fancy blankets. Hehe.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

What's in a name?

This past weekend Mom and Dad took me to shul for the first time for my naming. Now, if you read this blog regularly, you know my name is Esme. But this was for my Hebrew name, Esther Sh'Tira. They decided to name me after two of my Great Grandmothers. I never got to meet either of them, but I learned about them at the naming. Grandma Esther was my Dad's Dad's mother. I was named for her because she was wonderfully kind and remarkably creative, both qualities that Mom and Dad hope for me. Sh'Tira is after Mom's Mom's mother, Stella Wise. It was her tremendous strength and independence that Mom and Dad wish for me. I'm a really lucky girl to have such a special Hebrew name.

Esme bops along to the musical stylings of Cantor Jodi

And I had lots of fun at Shul. I got my own special service with the family. It was run by Rabbi Joel and Cantor Jodi. They both married Mom and Dad and Cantor Jodi Bat Mitzvahed Mom. So we like them both a lot. And I loved the singing. Cantor Jodi sings such great songs.

Esme, wrapped in a special Talit, takes it all in

I got to be the center of attention and was all wrapped up in Mom's Talit. They say it was the same one she used for her Bat Mitzvah. That was too cool.

Esme enjoys a Rabbinic cuddle while Mom and Dad look on

Then we stayed for Shabbat services. I was on my best behavior and really impressed everyone by lasting the whole service. Afterwards, we went back to Safta and Ronnie's for a special dinner which was lots of fun too. They said the food was super yummy, but I stuck with my usual milk since Mom's the very best caterer of all in my book. I got to see lots of family, including all my grandparents. I can't wait to see everyone again soon. But since my Bat Mitzvah is still a little ways off, next time will have to be someone else's party.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

Hard to get good help these days

Well, my dad is doing a good job as a parent. But wow does he stink as an administrative assistant. I mean, seriously, it's been almost a month since he's put up some of my posts. I know he's got the pictures cause I had to tolerate them being taken. And I dictated the written parts to him already.

So I'm cracking the whip and he should be putting up a big backlog of pics and posts. If he doesn't, I might have to fire my dad...just as my assistant.

ASSISTANT'S NOTE: After profuse apologies to my employer (Esme pays me in smiles) and posting her backlog of entries, it looks like I'll get to keep my job. I put the posts on their actual dates, so you'll have to look below.

Kickin' Off the Weekend

So I'm back in Weston with Mom and Dad. They listened to my complaints about the last trip and we took the train this time. I like the train much better. Mom and Dad can pick me up and sooth me without having to stop. We all like that. After we got to Ronnie and Safta's house, we settled in. After we had a chance to rest, we went over to Dorothea and Shelly's for dinner. It was really nice of them to invite everyone over. I got to hand out with Bubbie Lindie and Neill too, since they are staying with Dorothea and Shelly this weekend.

Look Ma, no hands!

I decided to show off for everybody. I can now support most of my weight with my legs. So I hung out standing for a little bit. All the big people were very impressed.

Esme cuddles with Bubbie Lindie

We all had lots of fun. And tomorrow I get to see my Aunties (Julia and Emily). I'm really excited and can't wait.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

Grandpa Comes to Town

So I had a very special visitor the other day all the way from California. It was my Grandpa! He's always so excited to see me and it's lots of fun when he visits. We had a really nice time. Dad promised that I'll get to see him a couple more times at least before he goes back home to San Frisco.

That's one happy Grandpa!

After Grandpa left, we just had a relaxing rest of the day at home.

Mother and daughter lost in each others' eyes

I got to spend some time on my changing pad (it's my favorite place). And Mom hung out with me there for a while. I like looking at Mom (Dad says he does too). Well, I'm off to sleep.

Love and cuddles,

Esme

Humoring the Parents

So Mom and Dad keep trying to put me in these devices that other kids supposedly like. First, it was the bouncer. That thing I hated. And I wasn't shy about letting them know that. So the bouncer disappeared and a swing appeared. I didn't like that either. Personally, I think they should both be perpetually on call to pick me up and sooth me any way I like. If I'm in the mood for bouncing, they should bounce me. If I want swinging, they should swing me. I don't see why that won't always work. But they insist on trying these contraptions.

Esme tolerates the swing and almost seems to enjoy it

So just this once I decided to humor them and not lodge a formal complaint when they put me in the swing. Actually, it wasn't so bad. Mom and Dad were super excited cause they got to do something called 'eat dinner at the table'. I don't get what was so cool about the table, but they are weird sometimes. Parents...what's a kid to do?

Love and cuddles,

Esme

Cool new décor

I got a really cool new toy. It's super pretty and makes great music. Plus it moves around. I really like checking it out when Mom or Dad wind it up.

Esme is mesmerized by her new mobile

And it adds a very stylish and mature note to my crib. I also got two cute rugs. They have squares and lots of animals. Mom told me what all the animals are, but I can't remember then all yet. That's OK though, since Dad promised to teach me about the different animals again so I can remember.  Now I just need to figure out what to do with the big, blank wall in my room. But all in all, the look of the place is really coming together.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

Great Grandpa Sam

So after our vacation on Cape Cod, we went in to Weston to stay with Ronnie and Safta for a day before driving home. It was lots of fun to see their house. Mom, Dad and I have our own room there. And I got a really snazzy Pack n' Play for the room. It is super cool.

Even better than the Pack n' Play, I got to meet Great Grandpa Sam the next day. He was so exited to see me he couldn't stop smiling.

Great Grandpa Sam likes the view of Melissa and Esme

We went to visit him at his apartment. And when we got there, he was in the dining room with lots of people. Everyone oohed and ahed over me. I guess they don't see babies very often. But all the attention was fun.

Lost in each others' eyes across the generations

After a nice visit we went back to Weston, got our stuff together and drove back home to NY. As a side note, I don't like the car. In particular, I really hate my special seat in the car. Mom and Dad tell me I have to be strapped in there for safety, but I know it's just cause they can't hope to contain me otherwise. I like to counter this move by lots of screaming. They respond by sticking some weird thing in my mouth. I suck and I suck, but no milk ever seems to come out of this thing. And when I spit it out, it magically makes its way back to my mouth as soon as I start crying again. Maybe next trip I'll figure out what it is. But I did love my vacation and especially meeting Great Grandpa Sam.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

Text

My Photo Shoot at the Cape

So our apartment in NYC doesn't have great light according to Mom and Dad. So when we were on vacation in Cape Cod, they used this as an excuse to take tons of pictures of me. I know I'm cute, but after a while enough is enough.

Darn, I'm a good looking kid

But they are insisting that I share my world-class cuteness with all of you. So here are a few of the endless number of pictures they subjected me to.

Esme shows off some excellent head control

I hope this photo shoot it enough for a while cause it wore me out. In fact, even talking about it is making me sleepy.

Esme strikes her cute and charming pose

Perhaps I'll go take a nap. Till next time.

Love and cuddles,

Esme

Baby's First Vacation

So I had never been on vacation before. In fact, I had never left the island of Manhattan in all my weeks. So I didn't really appreciate these things called space and fresh air that Mom and Dad kept talking about. Turns out, I really like vacation. We got to go visit Cape Cod and stay in a house that was like ten times the size of our apartment at home. And it was right next to this really cool thing called a beach.

Esme savors the ocean breeze with Mom

I spent lots of time relaxing and checking out the view of the water.

Esme ponders the ocean while chilling on the couch

We had lots of fun and went for walks in my stroller. I even got to go to the Lighthouse, Mom and Dad's favorite spot for breakfast. It looked really tasty, but since I don't have teeth yet, I couldn't try any. Maybe I'll get to have some next time.

Dad points out Martha's Vineyard off in the distance

We spent a whole week there. Ronnie and Safta (Mom's parents) came to visit one day and brought their new puppy Sadie who had lots of fun playing on the beach. I can't wait to go back.

Love and cuddles,

Esme

Everyone Comes to See Me

Wow am I popular. Everybody likes to come visit me it seems. My Great Aunt Kate and Great Uncle Marvin came to town earlier this week. Then my Cousin Ali and Auntie Em both on Thursday. I thought that was quite the day until my Aunt Julia and her boyfriend Markus stopped in for a quick visit after they got to town late that night. And they really like me. They came to see me each day since.

Why is everyone staring at me? Do I have milk on my face?

Mom and Dad say they are coming back tomorrow before they drive home to Montreal. But I hope I get to see them again soon. They were lots of fun. We went out to eat, saw the farmers market and other good stuff. We even snuggled on the couch. Well, I'm tired and am off to take a nap. Till next time.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

I'm Six...Weeks That Is

Since yesterday was my 6 week birthday and I've been so good, Mom and dad decided to take me out to lunch to celebrate. We went to a really fancy place (at least compared to where I usually eat it was pretty formal). But I didn't get to try any of the food! Now how is that fair?

The family hits the town for lunch (at Maialino)

But they promised that some day I'll get to try some of the stuff they eat. Something about it being hard to chew without teeth. But I think that's malarkey and they are holding out on me. I did get to show off my snazzy duds though and all the people ooh-ed and ah-ed over me and said I was cute. That was fun and there were all kinds of new things to see and smell. Maybe we'll go out for lunch again sometime soon.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

I'm a Rock Star

The other day I was really hungry. So I started crying to let Mom and Dad know that they need to bring me the boob. But instead I got this odd flavored goop squirted in my mouth. Turns out this is something called a vitermin since the doc doesn't want me sunbathing to get my D.

Esme happily sucks her vitamins right out of the dropper

Once I got over the shock of the first taste I've ever had other than the boob, I decided I didn't mind it (and I did get my usual yummy meal right after). Since then, they don't even have to squirt it in my mouth, I just suck it out of the thingy. Mom and Dad were really impressed by this maneuver and said I'm a Rock Star Baby! They get so worked up over the littlest things. They can be so silly sometimes.

Love and cuddles,
Esme

Visitors from the sunshine state

So today I met my Great Aunt Susan and Great Uncle Sam. They were really excited to meet me having come all the way from some place called Boca Raton. Evidently, I have some more family to meet from there. Lots of cousins, one of whom is coming to visit next weekend.

Damn I'm cute. See what I do to these grown-ups?

Well, I'm off to nap for a bit. Being this cute requires lots of beauty sleep, so Z's here I come.

Lots of love,
Esme

Where did that ceiling come from?

So the other day I was doing my daily exercise regimen (otherwise known as tummy time). I was doing my head lifts and turns, checking out my toys, all under the close supervision of my two trainers. Then totally unexpectedly, I was on my back staring at the ceiling. I was totally bewildered and still have no idea how this happened.

Esme shocks everyone by rolling over

Maybe some day I'll figure out how I let that ceiling sneak up on me.

Love,
Esme

Out, About and New Friends

So after my last visit to the doc, I'm now big enough for the Baby Bjorn. I wasn't so sure about it at first, but then decided that it's a great place to check out the town and then have a snooze.

What are you doing to me in this thing?

And on my second trip out in the Bjorn, I met a new friend. He was having lunch with his friend who was eating a steak. I was really impressed that he didn't even think about stealing a bite.

Esme's new friend at a cafe

Mom and Dad said he was an english bullfrog but that doesn't seem quite right to me. They also said that we may get a friend like him to live with us one day. I think that would be lots of fun.

Lots of love,
Esme

It's hard to get good help these days

How come I'm the only one ready to go strolling?

So I know it's been over a week since my last post. Since I haven't learned to type yet, I need to dictate these posts to my dad. And he's fallen behind on his dictation duties. I cut him some slack for a few days and then he claimed there was some big holiday where he couldn't work on the blog or even eat. But now that that's over, I said enough is enough and he needs to get to work. So today I have a few catch up posts for you all.

Love,

Esme

I'm a Big Girl Now

So I went to the doctor yesterday for my 1 month checkup. I got poked and prodded which I don't love but don't really mind. I also got a shot which I definitely didn't like but recovered quickly from. And they did make up for the shot trauma by giving me a really snazzy Thor Band-Aid.

All in all, I had a good time checking everything out at the doctor's office. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that they measured me. Turns out I packed on over another 1lb, 4oz since my last visit 3 weeks ago, so I'm up to 8lb 5oz now. And they measured my height for the first time since we went home from the hospital. I'm now 21.25" tall! See how much I've grown.

Getting lost in my outfit on Aug 12

Running out of room in same outfit on Sept 10

Busy week

Whew, haven't posted much as I've had a very hectic social calendar since my last post. All three sets of grandparents came to see me. They can't seem to help themselves since I'm so cute.

Grandpa Ronnie hangin' on the couch with me

I cause Safta to get all faklempt

I also got to go into Gramercy Park (a very exclusive private park that my neighborhood is named after). Even Mom and Dad had never been. Apparently, they needed me to make the cut.

Oh so exclusive

Glad the gardeners coordinated the flowers to my outfit

Esme's first art exhibit

I also got to see some of Mom and Dad's good friends (Summer as well as Victor and Calder) and capped off the holiday weekend by meeting my Auntie Em.

Auntie Em, can you take me to get my nails done too?

Coming up this week is my next visit to the doc, so I'll find out how much I've grown. I've also caught Mom and Dad hinting at something about this visit that I might not like (sounds like tots). So I'll let you know.

Love,
Esme

Esme's First Bath

Oh, the indignity of it all

A little privacy please

You know Mom and Dad are going to embarrass me horribly with these pictures some day. Wait a minute, who has access to this blog?

Somebody's out cold

It's important to look stylish even while napping

You wouldn't happen to have something to eat?

Showing off for Giselle

So my doula came to visit today which was loads of fun. And I was on my very best behavior. I started off awake and alert, followed by some cute squirming and then settled (or actually sprawled) across dad's lap for a good hour and a half or so. Giselle was very impressed. So were mom and dad.

Love,
Esme

Some more picture fun

Breastmilk please, shaken, not stirred.

Time to wake up. A good stretch seems to help.

You paparazzi are relentless. Enough with the pictures.

Up, up and away!