Make Way for Those Pearly Whites

Yes, we have just this morning, discovered a tooth in Michael's mouth. After repeated attempts by him to swat his warm oatmeal and prunes breakfast out of my hands, I gave up on feeding him. This was immediately followed by a series of barbaric yawps on his part and it was in the middle of one of those yawps that I spotted it. The culprit. A little jagged edge on his bottom gum. Front and center. And just like that, he's a even bigger boy than he was yesterday. Sorry, no photos of the actual tooth yet, but here is a "photo shoot from last week."

The Best Birthday Present

So last Wednesday, I turned 35. Sigh. Somehow, 35 seems worse than 36 might be. I spent the eve of my birthday lying in bed, trying to summarize all of my "accomplishments" over the last 3 decades or so. And my swiss-cheese-like mind would only allow me to come up with a rather short list. But at the tippetty-top of that list are my children and I'm fairly certain that no matter what the next 35 plus years will bring, the top of that list will never change. At about 6 AM on the morning of my birthday, I felt a little person crawl into bed beside me and rest her head on my pillow. I never fully awoke when Maeve snuggled up to me, but her presence gave me immediate peace about who I was and what my birthday would bring. And about 20 minutes later, as I opened my eyes to the day ahead, I found her staring at me, her face only inches away from my own. She gave me a sweet, warm smile and whispered just enough for my ears, and my ears alone, "I love you, Mom."

65 Years And Stronger Than Ever

On Sunday May 10, 2009, while many of your were celebrating Mother's Day, the McNamara Clan was celebrating what I'd like to think is a miracle of sorts. The 65th wedding anniversary of Chris' grandparents, Kay & Bill. Over a yummy dinner, surrounded by family and 1 or 2 extra special friends, Nana & Gramp held Court and allowed us to sit with them, in awe of how they have accomplished such a feat. Ever humble, they spent most of their time that afternoon shifting the attention from themselves and placing it on those around them, including 4 of their great-grandchildren. What can I say about this pair of eternal love birds? I am inspired by their devotion to one-another and encouraged by the knowledge that in some cases, true love does conquer all. Cheers Nana & Gramp!

Couch Potatoes

So we've just finished dinner and we're kicking back in the den. I've decided I'm going to throw Michael in the tub and hose him down. And what's better than stripping down to your diaper before a bath? So Michael (and Maeve) decide to perform a celebratory dance on the couch with Dad. It's these simple things that give you pause and remind you that a really good time, is one bath away...

Homage to the Guttural Gods

My son has mastered the art of side-splitting guttural guffaws. And in case you haven't had the opportunity to experience it for yourself, I'm hoping this short video will give you a sense of what I'm referring to, although you'll have to discern a bit between Michael and the rest of the family's giggles. And yes, it's contagious...

Stealing Away

A few weeks ago, I decided to take my marriage by the reigns and kidnap my husband for a getaway weekend up to Maine. Thanks to the babysitting efforts of Mom, Dad and Auntie Jen, my dreams became a reality and the beautiful thing about it all is, Maeve and Michael were the ones who thoughts they were on a getaway weekend! We tried to keep things simple during our time up there but did nurse a couple of decent-sized hangovers our first waking morning in Rockland. After a rousing night closing out a couple of bars with Chris' cousins, Conan and Devan and their respective spouses, Heather & Herb, we took a leisurely walk around downtown Rockland, breathing in the sea air and soaking up some of the sunshine. After a visit to the Farnsworth Museum, we indulged a bit in the purshasing of some prints by Andrew Wyeth (my most favorite artist on the planet, right after my husband) and then got ready for a fabulous dinner at a gem of a restaurant called Cafe Miranda. If you EVER find yourself in Rockland, ME and you leave Rockland without having a meal at Cafe Miranda, I will hunt you down, kidnap you, put you in my car and drive you right back there (after making a reservation for two, because you will then have to share your dinner with me). Our lodging was provided by The Berry Manor Inn, one of the best decisions I've ever made and our hosts, Cheryl & Mike stopped at nothing to make sure our stay there was delightful from start to finish. Anyone who has never tried staying at a Bed & Breakfast before is missing out on a world of possibilities (and in a lot of cases, you're spending less money than you would at a hotel and getting much cleaner, better service). It was a bit more shopping on Monday before we headed back to Hanson to pick up our charges from their little "getaway." Now the only question left is, how soon can we get back there?

Good Art is Good Art

So my artist/husband is at it again, this time in the form of a t-shirt design. Always searching for a new outlet, new medium. Through a website known as Threadless, you can design your own t-shirt or poster which is then judged by the on-line community. If a design scores enough high ratings, the Threadless big wigs will print it. Once the decision is made to print it, it becomes available for purchase on the site. Unfortunately, visiting the site requires you to register (name, e-mail address...) but if any of you out there are willing to do it, Chris would certainly appreciate it! Just click on the word "threadless" in this blog entry. Hope you enjoy the site and Chris' design as much as I do...