Suit Shopping

E took off a half a day so we could go suit shopping. We started off by having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants--and running into Kurt, his dad and sister! Cool Beans! Tennisfiend chose a yummy sandwich as I agonized over which salad would be more South Beach. I sure hope it works better than Atkins.

After hugs and handshakes with Brotherkurt, we took off to the mall. At Dillard's, we found only one suit that fit well. We raced over to the Men's Wearhouse where we were greeted by a short , young fellow with Zoolander hair. When did this come into style?! I am such an out of touch old fart. Anyway, they had 10,000 suits all crammed together and not a one was a proper fit. Back to Dillard's and our happy-to-see-you-again salesperson.

Tennisfiend received a shock when he was measured for alterations--one of his arms is slightly longer than the other! Turns out that this is a common occurrence. Who knew? I received a shock when I realized that two hours without seeing my baby made me miss him terribly. All the way home we talked about him. How will I ever cope in California?!

Frog Invasion!

Egor wrote to me to say:

I found a little froggy in my office this morning and there was another one even smaller in the lab. I have no idea where they came from or how they got in. It took all my courage to put it in a plastic cup and take it outside. 

Awww! He hates slimy things and reptiles to the point of phobia.  My brave husband, the Frog Conqueror!

More Teeth

Well, Tyoma's getting in his lower molars and canines. Boy is he hurting. I'm grateful that he had a nice birthday. Our trip to California was changed to the beginning of October. We decided to leave a bit earlier to have more of a "vacation." I am excited and already thinking of what to wear. Mom and Dad will Tyoma-sit, with Ewbliette as a back up. Her Dad's B-day is on the third, so I hope that we won't interfer with any of her family plans.

Hell Week, Day Two...

Sooo...

I've managed to put all the pics related to Tyoma's birthday party online for Tennisfiend's family in Russia. Whew. Most are backdated, natch. Heck, most of my journal is backdated!

Tennisfiend's interview is finally scheduled in California. Babysitting for us, my folks are ready to take Tyoma for three days since I'm going to Cali, too. We're looking for houses/condos/apartments/shacks. This is happening so quickly. And da-yumn, real estate in California is expensive!

Tennisfiend's business may or may not get sold. We are praying for a sale, but fear that the other board members will be foolishly greedy. How will a company buyout affect the job search? All depends on what California is like. We could love it. Or not. We'll know more about the buyout as the week progresses. Meanwhile, TF is putting together a seminar for his interview in California. Meanwhile, I'm still prowling the net, looking for new jobs.

A new car seems like a distant dream. Actually, a September paycheck could be a distant dream.

Nooooo!

The Weekly World News has breathed its last! As cheesy as it was, I really loved this odd little tabloid. I'm hoping that it will remain online. The Onion is hilarious, but WWNis sweet and goofy. Awww! Visit with them!

Birthday Party

All Dressed up and Ready to Party!




Yep. We went all out and got him a little suit for his special day. If you notice, the little tie is floating around his neck and the top button of his shirt is undone. Also notice the tears drying on his face. I bet I don't even need to tell you that story! The rest of his pics are behind the cut. Warning! Image intensive. We are posting for a host of photo-hungry relatives in Moscow.





Naturally, Tyoma has the same love of ties as his Papa.



"What! All these presents for me!"



"Oh, my! I couldn't! It's simply too much!"



Our twin cakes. The little one is for Tyoma to demolish.



Waiting for the cake, he takes off his party hat for the twentieth time.



Intrigued by the candle.



The candle is extinguished.



I'm showing him that he can eat the cake.



"Wow! This is delicious!!!



Heavens! He ate the whole thing!



And now he's eating the decorative balloons.



Awww.

We had no idea how gluey icing could be until we tried to clean up Tyoma. I contemplated using Orange Blast, but Ivory, warm water and patience worked fine. Opening presents on and off took up most of the afternoon (there were three). Tyoma had a tiny sip of grape juice while we toasted with champagne, since he clearly didn't have enough sugar with his cake.
We do have more photos, but I'm a bit to exhausted to post the rest.

Thank You Olya!

Our friend Olya, sent lovely birthday greetings for Tyoma: She handmade this quilted pillow for our squirmy baby! It's soft, sweet and very pretty! Thank you so much for the precious, thoughtful present!

What is especially lovely is the Paul Klee design going on!

Cakewalk

I spent most of today getting ready for Tyoma's party. Please help me understand why I obsess over cleaning so much! My folks wanted to select Tyoma's birthday cake so I met them at our favorite Albertson's. Mom and Dad took turns chaperoning Tyoma around the store as my eyes glazed over looking at Shrek and Cars cakes. He returned from his second tour of the store with a cute fuzzy gorilla and a big smile. My folks are so going to spoil him! Anyway,after fifteen minutes of leafing through the Monster Cake Book of Tackiness, we wound up choosing a simple "Happy Birthday" cake. Screw you, Walt Disney!

Outback With My Birth Partners

 Yesterday evening I took Momfiend and out for dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. If you'll notice, Momfiend has a can of bear-spray with her. Upon seeing the photo, a shocked exclaimed, "Was your mom worried about being mugged in the parking lot?!" No, actually, Mom said that she "brought the bearspray since we were going to the Outback." Hee! Mom, you so crazy!

The three us us had a marvelous time. We should meet every year to celebrate our work together in bringing Tyoma into the world. Ewbliette and I asked Mom to tell her birth story repeatedly, but we kept getting sidetracked. Maybe we'll keep meeting just so Mom can finish her story! I am so grateful to my girls for being there for me. Till those labor pains rock your bones, you don't realize just how much you need the ones you love! Much thanks to Mom's sturdy arms that held firm my flailing leg and much thanks to Ewbliette's indefatigable vocal cords that kept me pushing 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9! I love you guys!

Thanks Helen!

My friend and former colleague Helen sent Tyoma a birthday gift. Since he's been watching it since I brought it home, we let him open it first.






Tah-dah! Helen hand-made some special things for Tyoma: two hooded towels with cute decals and a plethora of decorated lap/burp pads. Very sweet and really useful!