Labor Day

On this fine sunny Labor Day, Ronan's parents are spending their time remembering that distant dreamlike Easter Day of labor. And being thoroughly happy that today is a holiday and we can sit around in our frumpy sweats and watch Ronan laugh and drool and suck his toes. Life is good.

No pictures lately because my computer died an unceremonious death two weeks ago. After three visits from a technician, we have to call Dell again and try to get a new motherboard. This is just another reminder to BACK UP your files!! I didn't used to be good at that at ALL, but now I have too many files that mean the world to me and I couldn't imagine losing them. Our wedding, honeymoon, trips to Italy, China, all over Europe, family pics, and of COURSE, many hundreds of pictures of the Ronan! I think when all is said and done we'll have lost maybe 2 weeks of pictures of the little bug, which isn't too terrible.

Let's see... Ronan is a little over 5 months old. Going to sleep has been a piece of cake -- no crying, just babbling. He can "stand" for a couple of seconds on his own, which is pretty funny since he's still wobbly. He's one of those babies that has been mad about standing and jumping since he was about 2 mos old. He suddenly "became" ticklish about a month ago, and now he absolutely cackles every time we stroke his belly or his feet or blow on his neck! We're wondering if his drool will ever ease up -- he goes through at least 2 outfits and bibs a day! He rolls over constantly and once on his tummy flashes us the hugest grin. So funny. For the past couple weeks, he's been really restless from about 2 am to 6 am. Lots of tossing and turning and moaning. He doesn't usually wake himself up, but he wakes us up. And we tend to wake him up when we climb into bed around 11. So we're planning the Big Move to his crib in his bedroom. We're a little heartbroken over it, but it's time for some uninterrupted sleep for the whole family!

Last weekend, Great Grandma B and Grandpa Jack came up for a visit from LA. Had a blast going for walks, cooking, and making Ronan laugh! Then, after 5 months of non-stop baby care, Christian and I embarked on a slew of Date Nights. Date 1 was on Thursday and consisted of March of the Penguins (so cute! the baby penguins looked just like... Ronan) and yummy Peruvian food at Fresca. Date 2 was utter indulgence at Gary Danko (no holds barred). Date 3 was dinner at Chapeau! with our friends Matt and Jen. (But then, is it a date if your son is there?) Our immediate thoughts: Gary Danko was tops for service (personal & understated), menu choice (lobster risotto w/ tomato oil and chocolate soufflet to die for!!), and wine selection (I had my first sips of wine in over a year... '99 St. Julien and it tasted like heaven). Fresca rocked with the lomo saltado and the seafood spiced rice. And Chapeau was the best value - enormous portions of French bistro fare. And it came with a chef who hugged and kissed you. We'll definitely go back to all three!

Our labor for today will be cleaning out the garage, putting up curtains, and strolling through Union Square to get Ronan acquainted with the new Zara store (hehe). ;-)