Mini Munchkin Weekend

Mike and I recently spent a weekend in Milwaukee for a family wedding and we were so blessed to have our entire family there including the two grandsons, Jackson (17 mos.) and Andy (13 mos.) Here is what I learned about babies at that special age:

BABIES LOVE TO CLAP. and they like it even more when you clap for them first. Then they can respond by clapping for themselves. At the wedding when we took the family photo, the bridesmaids and groomsmen all clapped so the babies would smile and they did!

BABIES LOVE TO SPLASH. The bathtub is the happy zone, unless they poop in the tub and they still want to play in the water. Get them out fast!

BABIES GET AS EXASPERATED AS ADULTS. When I would pick up little Andy from his crib, he would carefully hand me his blanket first, then raise his arms. I would put the blanket back in his bed so I could pick him up and he would SIGH, lower his arms and pick his blanket up again, while looking at me like I was not quite bright.

Jackson has an Elmo covering on his tub faucet and each day his mom would repeat over and over, “Who’s this? It’s Elmo. Say Elmo.” Finally one day he just opened his mouth and screamed “ELMO” so she would stop. Very funny and again so exasperated. He knew it was Elmo all along of course.

BABIES WAVE TO STRANGERS. When they are strolling or being carried, babies this age wave and point to people and dogs and cats. The really nice people smile and wave back which the grandparents love.

BABIES CAN RECOGNIZE THEIR OWN MOM AT 100 FEET. And I am not kidding. They can whirl those little heads around and follow where their mom is and God help you if she walks out the door or into another room.

BABIES LET FOOD AND MILK DRIBBLE OUT WHEN THEY DON’T LIKE IT. Nothing polite about this one. I was trying to teach Andy to use his new Elmo sippy cup. I thought I had conquered it until he opened his mouth and all the milk I thought he was swallowing began running down his face. That’s when I said, “Let his mom teach him this one.” They also seem fascinated when they tip the cup upside down and watch the milk dribble out onto the carpet.

JACKSON HAS AN ACTUAL VOCABULARY. Which consists of cookie, Elmo, daddy, Bubba and Moe (his dogs) and something that Stephanie says is “Mama” but sounds a lot like “MMMMM.” He also learned a new word in Milwaukee-key. His Dedo (Mike) managed to misplace the home and car keys TWICE going to events and causing a big ruckus each time, with finger pointing, complaining etc. Then Jackson, sitting quietly in his car seat says “KEY” and we all cracked up. He also knows a lot of other words – I just can’t remember what they are.

BABIES LOVE BOOKS. And they love to have you read to them. Often, its 27 books later and they are still interested but it IS one of the only times they will sit quietly and let you hold them.

SOME BABIES LIKE TO CLIMB ON FURNITURE. Like Andy, who catapults himself onto the cocktail table and sofa and also wants to stand on the dishwasher whenever it is open.

THE BEST THING IS BABIES THIS AGE CAN SLEEP ALL NIGHT AND
MOST OF THE AFTERNOON TOO. This sentence is all in caps because it is the most important. After all, they need to rest so they have the energy to clap and splash and spill milk and talk!!

June is for Jackson

In early June, our first grandbaby Jackson turned one year old and his parents celebrated with a super creative, pirate-themed party just for him. Stephanie is incredibly talented at entertaining and it was a most special event. I loved the fact so many age groups were invited – Stephanie and Andy’s friends, Mike and me (Baba and Dedo), my Cincinnati family of friends and of course, Karen, Jackson’s grandmother as well as Karen’s relatives. Stephanie and Andy have many friends with small children of their own who were all included as Jackson’s own buddies.

AHOY! Let’s talk pirates. J was wearing a darling onesie personalized with his name and a pirate and some cool checked pants. The tables were charming with large black and white polka dot cloths created for the event. Pirate favors of every kind were everywhere – treasure chests of candy, personalized candy bars, decorated cookies and a tiered centerpiece of cupcakes with pirate themed picks. The goodie bags were too cute and everyone wore birthday hats with a big “J.” A 4’ tall piñata pirate greeted guests at the front door, but before entering the magical space they were asked to stop on the porch for a photo wearing pirate and wench headpieces, with the option of waving swashbuckling swords. Stephanie had a large gold frame hanging from the porch soffit and Mike took the photos. Of course, not everyone enjoys having their photo taken as much as me but many of the guests joined in the fun.

The food was delicious – fried chicken, lots of salads, fruit and of course spectacular cupcakes, with popcorn and cotton candy as an additional option. We loved all of it, and while Jackson didn’t understand much, he does know a fun toy when he sees one – that’s for sure. He got some adorable gifts and everyone was happy to celebrate his first b-day!

Amazing Moms

I just returned from a long trip to Boston where I visited my daughter, her husband and adorable baby.

I felt compelled to write a blog about this current generation of educated, career moms and all they do. My daughter and her friends battle an incredible schedule of work, baby and family duties which is the norm, not the exception. When my children were babies, I was able to stay home and the most pressure on me was whether I could get to bowling on time on Wednesday mornings and if I could find something to do each day that would get me out of my house. One day I would grocery shop, another day found me at the fresh fruit market, another at the library and I always was home for nap time. My friends and I frowned at the moms who had their babies in Macy’s mid-afternoon, as that was standard nap time for a little one. Wow, how we judged others.

Well it is all different now. A working mom wakes early, goes to the gym before work (are you kidding me?), then comes home, wakes, changes, dresses and feeds her baby while her husband gets ready for work. She packs the baby’s lunch, a clothing change (the daycare really needs this) and all the supplies, then packs her own lunch, figures out a simple breakfast for her husband, and gets herself completely ready as a professional for a long day of her own.

The daddy (if you are lucky) takes the baby to daycare in the stroller or carrier and the mom goes to her office. At the end of the day, the mom takes the bus or subway to pick up the baby where the daycare provides her with a detailed written account of his day. She takes the baby home, makes dinner and keeps the laundry going and apartment clean too! And then, she gets to do it all again the next day.

BUT, there are huge benefits too! While the baby does have the standard daycare runny nose, he is extremely sociable, loves other babies and can sleep through anything. The mom and dad can utilize their exceptional educational backgrounds, feel productive, contribute to society and build a wonderful life together. I am not saying that sometimes there are not enough hours in the day, but we all experience that right?

I know that for generations there have been so many moms that have to work to survive to take care of their families. My hat is off to them and to the current generation of moms that also only want the best for their loved ones.

P.S. I forgot to mention all the rest – grocery shopping, meal planning, haircuts, manicures and pedicures, planting flowers, shopping for your home, your clothing and planning nice things for your friends AND reading the book club book all the while maintaining your home and socializing with friends.

Baby Andy is Christened

Last weekend, our family traveled to Boston for the baptism of little Andrew Joseph Gerlach. Andy, our son and his wife Stephanie and their adorable baby, Jackson came in from Los Angeles as well as all of Jimmy’s family from Philadelphia.

Adrienne and Jim asked “big” Andy to be the baby’s godfather and Beth, Jimmy’s sister to be godmother. The baby was christened at a 150 year old church in Boston’s Back Bay area that had recently been restored to its original grandeur. Of course I figured they mounted a capital fund raising campaign to restore it once they knew little Andy was born, but I found out the plan had been in the works for the last few years. Apparently they knew my family would need it soon enough. The church is stunningly beautiful and the pastor amazing.

Adrienne and Jim requested the baptism be part of the mass, so our baby (and another gorgeous baby, Maya) were both anointed with oil at the start of the mass, then the official christening took place midway through. We all walked down the center aisle and watched as Andy held little Andy as the priest poured water on his sweet bald head. He wore his daddy’s christening dress, complete with eyelet coat and satin shoes with crosses. Both babies were so wonderful and at the end of the ceremony, the priest held both of them high into the air and welcomed them into the Catholic community. Seriously, there were way more people crying than just me and Jimmy’s mom. At least I think they were – they may have been crying since the ceremony lasted so long!

Afterwards, Jim and Adie hosted a wonderful brunch. We enjoyed visiting with all their family and friends and toasted the new baby. Baby Andy never stopped smiling (or drooling) and it was a day to remember. It is very rare for Mike and me to see both our children and now their children together so it was doubly special for us.

Los Angeles - a Trip to Remember

A few weeks ago, Mike and I traveled to Los Angeles to visit our son, daughter-in-law and grandson, Jackson. Well, we had the best time ever. The weather in upstate NY when we left was about 10 degrees and our week in LA was perfect –78 degrees each and every day.

My sister Bonnie, who lives in N. California, came for the weekend and Stephanie took us on the grand Hollywood tour. Andy and Steph have lived out there for 6 years and Stephanie has worked for a producer and was an assistant to a TV/movie star – so she knows where to go and how to get there, no easy feat in the LA traffic.

The weekend we were there the Golden Globes celebration was taking place, so we went to the Beverly Hilton for lunch and got to see the whole red carpet set up. We saw Guiliana Ranic from “Entertainment Tonight” (totally thin and sort of pretty), Brad, Rachel Zoe’s ex-assistant sporting his usual bow tie, Christina Hendricks from “Mad Men” and so many others. We saw the people lined up for interviews with signs around their necks of stars’ names so the interviewers could practice their questions, but the best thing of all was we got to see the “red carpet” and took a cute picture of Jackson.

On the “drive-by” tour Stephanie took us on, we saw “Starlight Search” vans loaded with tourists gawking at the homes of TV and movie stars. We were too cool for that, with our own personal tour guide. Stephanie showed us where Jay Leno lived, (huge, huge and gorgeous), Penelope Cruz, (small home on a regular street) and where Tom Cruise holds Katie Holmes captive and so many others.

Alas, eventually we had a tearful good bye, and back to NY we came. We will be seeing Jackson, Andy and Stephanie again in March in Boston, when we all gather for Andy Gerlach’s christening! Can’t wait!!

Baby Andy's Bachelor Pad is Decorated

In our last blog, I talked about striping Baby Andy’s room to look like wallcovering. It is so great to do this, since if you don’t like it or want to change it, it is an inexpensive paint job to fix. Of course, we all loved our results. Now it was time to finish the job.

Remember we are using the Owls Sky pattern from Dwell Studio. It is a charming owl and tree print fabric in a soft mercerized cotton. The colors are so perfect – turquoise, green, brown and gray on a white background. When Adrienne ordered the crib ensemble, we found we could order a lot of different pieces (pretty much any baby thing imaginable) but we could not order fabric by the yard. We needed this so I could make a window treatment.

So, we improvised. Adrienne ordered the matching shower curtain - a nice 6’x6’ piece of beautiful patterned fabric in a smaller scale than the crib quilt. Perfect for a window treatment. The shower curtain had a nice top treatment with grommets, and instead of cutting them off and making a casing, I kept the buttonholes and cut from the bottom, the measurement I needed plus yardage for a 2 ½” hem. I then lined the fabric, very simply with a plain white good quality lining – lining is essential, as it keeps the “body” of the fabric in place, doesn’t stretch and protects the main fabric from sun damage. I simply cut a piece of lining and neatly attached it. I then added a cute green ball fringe to dress it up and we were ready to go.

The baby’s room window measured about 3” across (it is a transom area above a door), so the 6” width was perfect. You usually want to double your measurements to get a nice fluffy treatment. I purchased an inexpensive white rod with a ball finial at K-Mart from the Martha Stewart line and hung it up. It is adorable.

I used some of the remaining bits of fabric to cover a night light shade I bought at Hobby Lobby for about $8. I have seen it online for ½ the price. I added the ball fringe to this also and it was ready.

I found a wonderful chocolate brown rug at HomeGoods in a 4'x6’ size and we placed it in the middle of the room. The deeper color was essential as little Andy’s room leads out onto a wonderful deck. I figured it was a high traffic area and a sweet pastel rug was not such a good idea. It has a circle pattern in turquoise, grey and white.

Of course there was some remaining fabric, so I found a wonderful laundry basket with handles at Tuesday Morning. It had a striped lining, so I removed the lining, took it apart and used it as a pattern. I cut out pieces from our pretty owl fabric, sewed them together and made a new lining for the basket. Instead of heavy fabric ties, I used a lime green ribbon to thread threw the casing. It now houses baby wipes and diapers in Andy’s room.
Adrienne and Jim purchased classical white furnishings – crib, dresser (doubles as a changing table) and bookcase. The final touches were very personal – photos of the grandparents (that’s me) and original whimsical pieces that hung in Jimmy’s room when he was a baby that his mom had saved. Adie added some classic toys of Jimmy’s (like the talking phone every child owned) and Archie and Jughead that lived in her room when she was young.

I am not sure what kind of entertaining Baby Andy will be doing in his Bachelor Pad, but he will be doing it in style, I am sure of that. His daddy bought him a shirt that said “Lock Up Your Daughters” and I hope they heed the warning!

Baby Andy's Bachelor Pad

In our latest blog I introduced you all to our newest family addition - Adrienne and Jim’s baby, Andrew Joseph, born Oct. 2. Before the arrival of little Andy, Adrienne and I worked together on preparing his new room.

Adrienne purchased the Owls Sky collection design from Dwell Studio, a company with interesting patterns, (not standard issue Babies “R” Us) with beautiful color combinations. Stephanie, Baby Jackson and I were visiting about 5 weeks before Andy was due so I could help with the baby’s room décor.

Their Boston apartment is done in greyed turquoise and deep lime greens with raspberry accents. Since it is a city space (which means smallish), she wanted to use a color for the baby’s room that worked with the rest of the place – no jarring differences when you entered his room. But, we also wanted to make it very special. So, when Jimmy frowned on wallcovering I came up with the idea of painting it in stripes that would echo wallcovering.

When I was married in 1973, I wanted to make our first apartment very special too, so I striped the walls in the bathroom in a hot pink and white. This was way before I knew about blue painter’s tape, so the results (I loved this room) were uneven and very circus-like. I also made the stripes too narrow in this tiny room so the optical effect was very present. Many a guest, who might have had a bit too much wine or beer came out of that bathroom looking glazed and dizzy.

Well, time has passed and now I truly do know how to stripe a room by hand even though I had not done it in so long. Here is the plan:

You will need your supplies – a good ruler (I think a yardstick in too difficult to work with), two rolls or more of ScotchBlue Painter's Tape in 1 ½ “ width, a pencil with a good, clean eraser, a ladder and then all of your regular painting supplies.

First, paint the entire room the color you want the alternating stripe to be – in our case, white. Then, allow it to dry and leave it alone for a day or two. If you start taping too early, the original paint will peel. We chose Sherwin Williams' Baize Green for our alternating color.

Now, the difficult part is deciding on how wide you want the colorful stripes to be. You have so many choices – they can be the same width, or really any size you prefer. I was originally thinking of making all the stripes about 8” – thank goodness my daughter-in-law was also visiting, as she reminded me how optic a narrow stripe could be. I happened to have a 15” ruler with me, so that is what I decided to go with.

I began by starting in the corner behind the door – of course our room was not going to be divided evenly at 15” so it was important to start in the least noticeable area. When you finish and have to adjust the stripe width, you can do it where no one will really look.

Begin by measuring out 15” widths down the wall, marking your way with little pencil marks. Do one line at a time, then tape that line. Do not try to get ahead and measure more than one line at a time as you will drive yourself nuts and make mistakes.

Here comes the tricky part. When you tape over the white, remember you have to put the tape on the inside line of the white, (which means it is the outside line of the green) so when you remove the tape all the stripes are even. I would constantly check myself to make sure the tape was in the right place, by putting small pencil arrows showing direction at the top each stripe. Always check yourself in a project like this so when you start painting all goes smoothly and you don’t find out midstream one stripe is the wrong width.

Tape the entire room before you start painting unless you have a partner. In my case, I had Stephanie with me (Adrienne was working). When I had about 2/3 of the taping done, Baby Jackson fell asleep so Steph started the painting behind me, which was a huge help. At the end, I did have to adjust the stripes - all you do is measure the distance remaining (remember I was behind a door) and divide it. I ended up with two stripes being 12”, hardly a noticeable problem.

We had great success!! Peeling off the tape is the most wonderful, satisfying feeling. There were a few areas where the green paint crept under the tape, but those were so easy to fix with the white base paint. Baby Andy’s bachelor pad was ready for his furniture and all the rest! Check out the finished product in the photos below. In the next blog, I will tell you how I made an adorable window treatment and night light out of a shower curtain!!

Introducing Baby Andy

Our family has been very blessed this year with the births of two healthy grandsons. Our second grandson, Andrew Joseph was born on Oct. 2 to our daughter Adrienne and her husband, Jim.

Baby Andy was born a week past his due date and was a long time coming. He simply was enjoying himself too much right where he was and it took a lot of coaxing and time to get him to come out and meet his new world. But, eventually he did and he is beautiful and healthy and sweet.

I was fortunate to be in Boston to meet him immediately after his birth and to hold him at once. He weighed 8lbs. 3oz. and you definitely forget how tiny that is, even though that is a very good weight for a newborn. I visited with the new family for a week and it was magical, seeing him change a bit every day, being able to hold him anytime I wanted, and marveling at how great our daughter is doing both physically and mentally (she is SO much more together as a first-time mom than I ever was, that’s for sure).

Of course his days and nights are beginning to get scrambled – they fool you that first week since they sleep so much and I am sure Adrienne and Jimmy have a lot in store for them in the coming weeks but they can handle it!

Another thing I have noticed with my son and son-in-law – this generation of new fathers is miraculous. They are so interested in every aspect of baby care, are sad if they cannot spend enough time with the baby and are able to take time from work for paternity leave. When I had our two children, Mike was with me at the hospital and then brought me home and went back to work. In those days the moms’ had the responsibility of caring for the baby – well thank goodness NOT ANY MORE! These dads are amazing and loving and just so very, very proud to be part of it all.

Baby Andy is the luckiest little guy of all since he has two parents that love him and each other so much and is also living in a totally cool apartment in Boston with a park around the corner!! Can’t wait until Thanksgiving when we will all be back in Cincinnati and the new cousins, Jackson (born June 1) and little Andy will get to meet each other!

Becky (Baba) and Jackson Together Again

Recently I traveled to Boston to help Adrienne get ready for the arrival of her first baby, due at the end of Sept. My fun trip became even better with the announcement that Stephanie and my first grandson, Jackson Daniel West Barras, were also coming. For my birthday, Mike arranged for Stephanie and Jackson to travel from LA to Boston. Adrienne was even happier than I was as she had never met Baby J. before.

Well, we had just the best time. Stephanie pretty much had to give up any control of the baby as Adie, me and her husband Jimmy were always eager to hold him and feed him and play with him and pretty much just stare at him! He is of course the cutest baby in the universe (and will be joined by his cousin very soon). He was 11 weeks old when we saw him and he is just that perfect combination of smiles, and chubbiness and he will always fall asleep with his little face in your neck and HE SMELLS GOOD TOO!

We took Jackson everywhere – shopping, out to lovely lunches and for a few nice walks to Boston’s fancy baby stores. He just took it all in stride, never complaining unless he was hungry (every three-four hours) and wow, that was a show. He would go from the calm, peacefulness of sleep to the full volume of hunger, with the clenched fists, and kicking in frustration and the cry. Of course he was even more adorable then and we all argued over who got to feed him.

We took him to get his first professional photos taken and he was so cute in his white t-shirt and jeans and I can’t wait to see the prints. Anyway, a new blog will come soon on Adie’s baby’s room, but I just had to be the typical grandmother and talk about Baby J.

Great Do-it-Yourself Websites

My great Mom, who you are all familiar with, accidentally sent herself two subscriptions to Ladies Home Journal magazine. When she called and tried to cancel one, they refused, so she had them send one to me instead. I haven’t read this magazine in years and imagine my surprise when I found some very good articles on design and a few great websites I checked out for you.

In this month’s issue, (September) on pages 76 and 78 there are great design ideas. On page 76, they feature wonderful urethane moulding. Now crown moulding, chair rails etc. always had to be cut and installed professionally because of the corner mitering issues, but now you can order pre-moulded pieces that can be painted and installed easily with adhesive and nails from Fypon. The website is amazing – if you click on the e-catalog from their home page you will see a bunch of different moulded millwork products. They also have a ton of other ideas, how-to instructions and fun looks.

Next, check out DIY Upholstery Supply. Ladies Home Journal shows an ottoman with nailhead trim which is impossible to install, but this site sells nailhead trim in nickel and brass in a strip where you only have to nail every fifth tack. YES!! A great way to customize a store-bought thing and make it special. They also sell furniture legs and frames. Lastly, and I loved this one too, check out Hollywood Lights. You can purchase lampshades in assorted sizes that are SELF-ADHESIVE and you can easily cover them yourself. They even show a self-adhesive nightlight for $4.79 that I recently purchased at Hobby Lobby for $8 two weeks ago and covered for Adrienne’s baby’s room. You will be seeing a photo of that soon in a new nursery blog. Anyway, take a moment to check out these sites - they are grand!!

Becky is a Baba!!

Yes, the best thing ever has happened – my son and his wife had our first grandchild on Tuesday, June 1. Little Jackson Daniel West arrived 3 ½ weeks early but he was perfect and healthy and of course that IS the best news there is!

Mike and I were able to travel to California to meet Baby J only a few days after his arrival and we got to help take care of him when he arrived home from the hospital. He was a teensy baby at first, something with which I had no experience as my two babies were each over 8 lbs. We had to wake him to feed him and of course, like every newborn, a few sips of a bottle and back to sleep he would go! It was comically challenging trying to wake him and keep him awake, but we all did it!

I actually told Andy and Stephanie a story about how I used to wake Andy up when he would fall asleep at inopportune times. Thirty two years ago, I had a good friend who had a baby just a few months older than Andy and in the afternoons, we would often get together to have some fun while the babies napped. Anyway, Andy would often fall asleep in the car on the 8 minute commute to my friend’s house. That meant when we got there he would be wide awake and refuse to nap. So, on more than one occasion in the winter when he would fall asleep, I would pull the car over and get snow off the windshield and gently pat it on his face to wake him. It would really work – he would be awake for the rest of the drive, then nap at Renee’s house.

Well, I guess I should’ve never told the story since Andy was horrified but hey, it worked/ I told them to use cool water on a washcloth and gently wash the baby’s face and that woke up Baby J every time. So frankly, what’s the difference, I say?

Here are some photos of our new grandson for you to enjoy!

A Wonderful Cincinnati Week

Well, what a time I have had! I recently traveled to Cincinnati to both visit my friends and to attend a baby shower for my daughter-in-law, Stephanie. That’s right, Becky is about to become a BABA – that’s what my Macedonian heritage calls a grandma. I have been doubly blessed as our daughter Adrienne is also expecting a baby in late September.

Since my Stephanie is due in late June two of my dearest friends, Pat and Teri hosted a lovely baby shower for her. I came to Cincinnati from Rochester and Adie came in from Boston and of course Stephanie (and Andy too) were in from LA.

I had the best week ever. First on the journey I stopped in Lorain to see my Mom who is a nutty as ever (more on that trip later), then I continued south to Cincinnati. I arrived on Wednesday around noon and immediately met my good friend and former neighbor Kathy for a fun, quick lunch. I was staying at Kathy’s for a few nights and I was so looking forward to hanging out with Kathy and her very cute and funny husband, Tony.

They lived up to my expectations, complete with a lovely private room and bath, wine, appetizers, a beautiful buffet breakfast and even an intercom system to entertain me. It was like staying at a very posh bread and breakfast that included wine and pizza and laughs. Kathy’s home looked beautiful and I was proud to say I helped her with its design. Her dog Millie was charming as always and we got to sit on her deck with all her flowers blooming – Kathy is a world class gardener and it was all so pretty. As a matter of fact when Andy was married, Kathy told me what to buy and she came over and planted my pots for me – they were gorgeous. We had a great time.

On Sunday (after spending a few days visiting friends and having such a fun time) the baby shower took place. Stephanie received lovely gifts from friends and family. Teri and Pat had an incredible buffet with so many choices – chicken salad, marinated sundried tomatoes with cream cheese, turkey and spinach rollups and so many other items, including a lavish spread of sweets from Cincinnati’s premiere bakery The BonBonerie.

It was so nice for me to be surrounded by my friends, my two daughters (both expecting baby boys) and to feel the friendship and love I always feel when I am “home.” Here is a photo of Steph at the shower holding a quilt Mike's mom made for the new baby.