I'm Back

Sorry for the hiatus, but M was in Alaska for a week, and after getting up at 4AM for nine days in a row, it was all I could do to cope, let alone write. Actually, I had my moments, but overall, it wasn't too bad. I had a good amount of help and adult interaction. It helped to simplify my activities, a.k.a. do nothing I did not absolutely have too. That said, I did attempt a couple of crazy things, including taking both kids to Pump It Up for a party with the Family Autism Center (Sam cried the whole time and The Little Person threw a huge fit when we left), and went to an autism workshop one night put together by our pediatrician's office (got lost and after arriving an hour late, figured out that I was actually a half hour early, so I helped set up). I skipped The Little Person's swimming lesson to nap on the couch while he watched TV, but I did take him to the movies to see How To Train Your Dragon in 3-D on the night my parents watched Sam so I could sleep in past 4AM (7Am never felt so wonderful). We got dinner and had a date night, though I wouldn't let him sleep with me and I didn't put out. Then there was the night The Pugs came over, with their person, my Trainer, Mer. The kids had a great time chasing the dogs around the house until they went to bed, and then Mer and I had dinner and pomegranate martinis. That was a mistake. They were a little, how do you say....STRONG! So, I was hurting a little the next day, and that was the morning of the Pump It Up party. Also, there was some unidentified stuff in my bathroom that made me want to call CSI, but that's another story.

So, M got back Thursday night, and then after the ceremonial Handing Over Of The Children, I slept a little, worked out and got some beauty treatments. Friday afternoon we left for an overnight in Boston to celebrate M's birthday. The kids were in good hands, with Babysitter Extraordinaire (BE) as our Christmas present. The trip was excellent. The first time we've ever gone and stayed in a nice hotel together. Now we may have to do it every year. We stayed at The Fairmont, Copley Plaza, and got bumped up to the concierge level with a view of Copley Square. The room was beautiful, and the staff made us feel like royalty. That night, we did some shopping and wandering around before dinner. I got some fabulous boots at Fluevog, which I wore with my dress to dinner. We took a cab over to Oya, which I had made reservations at a month before. It was incredible from the second we walked in. It looks like a hole in the wall, down some random alley near Chinatown, and there was only a small sign to give you a clue where the restaurant was. The door was a big industrial door, and when you walked in, you would never have believed you just came in from the alley. It was like a little hideaway. The staff was great, and we had about 12 courses of mini plates (an Asian version of tapas), with mostly nigiri sushi and sashimi. Good wine/beer and elegantly plated. We were well sated, but not overstuffed. It was everything I wanted it to be. Note: it is not cheap, but well worth it for a special meal.

We slept great in our king sized bed, and had a leisurely breakfast upstairs at the hotel, and went to do more wandering. We got coffee and went to The Apple Store. There was a line around the block, but if you were not purchasing, you could go right in and try out an iPad. So we did! It was pretty fun to play with it. Then we walked down Newbury Street and looked for a lunch place. We ended up at Stephanie's, which was great. Afterwards, we got ourselves together at the hotel and started home. All in all, one of the best times we have had in a long, long time. Happy Birthday sweetie!

Yesterday we hooked up with a friend who was a VISTA volunteer with me our first year in Alaska. She and her family were camping in Middleboro, and stopped by on Sunday morning with a LOT OF DONUTS. The kids all played well, and we had a lot of fun catching up and meeting her husband, who was a good six inches taller than M (Mis 6'2"). W whiled away the sunny afternoon gardening and playing in the yard, and then had The Grandparents over for a BBQ. Pretty, pretty good weekend. Somehow, though, I feel like I need to recover! I got up at That Hour with Sam today, and had to nap this afternoon. This is the first day The Little Person has not had a fever since Thursday, so he went to school, swimming and then Grandma's. More playing in the yard with Lovely Neighbors, and it's almost time for bed. The big goings on this week are Sam's cavity getting filled at the hospital on Thursday (they are going to put him under for the procedure). So that will be fun. Good times...