Locked and Loaded

Alexia's sister Carina is currently living and working in NYC for the summer. She took a week off to come and see her new nephew Sr. Benny. The bulk of her visit was comprised of eating lots of good food and just hanging out and catching up. Cari is now a professional diaper changer and is a natural baby pacifier. I taught her the art of swaddling and the silence that it provides. Baby Ben baptized her by pooping on her stomach as well as this seems to be his trademark move.

Upon Cari's arrival we visited NC's capital and walked around the city for a while. We also stopped in Chapel Hill to eat at Top of the Hill brewery and restaurant where Ben thankfully slept through the entire meal on the terrace. Cari got to do some shopping in the second hand stores per her taste and took in the NC culture along with some beautiful weather.

On our way to drop Cari off we all decided that we should stop in for a bit to eat before we sent her on her way back to NYC. The last time we did this, we had some really bad Indian food and all lived to regret it... but I digress; We stopped in at a cozy little restaurant apparently converted from a drive through style food joint. Alexia said "Hey guys there's a place- Manny turn around" and so I did. We quickly noted the smell of stale cigarettes and beer but oh no...we had committed. "Locked and Loaded" was the name of this fine establishment and despite the raging double bass hard metal soundtrack that Ben awestruck O.O, we had a good time. Even some of the bikers and waitresses cracked a smile when they saw Ben.

Our time with Cari was short but sweet and we are all looking forward to our time in Spain next year. Cari, thanks for putting up with the zoo and all of the noise and even more for enduring the construction residue. We love you.

Manny, Alexia, Benny, Chorizo, El DoucheCat and Skid (from outside)

So there we were, lex was 2 days away from her 40 week due date and it all started. Alexia spent the next 34.5 hours (12 of which were at home) in back labor at Pitt County Memorial's labor and delivery center. Baby Ben was whisked away by the NICU team as soon as he jumped out of the jacuzzi. We learned that swallowing meconium (baby mustard) is bad for babies! To our relief Little Ben was returned to the bedside after about 30 minutes.

We spent the next 2 nights in the hospital and our nurse Becky made our stay awesome. As a nurse I hold high standards of care and realize that I am somewhat difficult to please. All of our questions (there were many) were answered and everything I had learned in school about neonates suddenly became very real. "We're parents!" a sobering thought.

Of course when we got home the family was waiting for us with all the excitement one can imagine. Mom, Dad, Jim, Carla, Cass and of course Eden and Thomas were all taking turns passing little Ben around like a hot potato.

Everyone worked so hard to ensure that Alexia and I had a smooth transition home. Sarah and Laurynas were totally helpful (and thoughtful) throughout the entire stay- thank you guys so much.

My family decided that some home improvement needed to be done and so they spackled, painted, sanded, stained and polyurethaned until they dropped. We now have a living room ceiling that is just about ready to be painted too. No more water damage! 50% of the floors were sanded too so all we have to do is decide when we are going to finish them. Even the kids got into it.

The baby room is essentially complete too. We still have to hang all of the Beatrix Potter frames that Alexia bought. It's so awesome to see this place starting to come together... We will be sure to post pictures of the nursery soon. Lex wants to make sure and have the frames up before we call it done.

A quick thanks again to friends and family for making sure that they were there to answer all of the paranoid questions that new parents have and even more for all of your hard work. I know it wasn't exactly a vacation for you all but the paint fights and all of the awesome food made it all worth it.

I hope you all enjoy the photos... as you know (for those of you who do), little Ben will be extremely photographed- so updates will be frequent. Thank you al for your well wishes and anticipation for the little man to arrive... announcements to follow.

Manny, Alexia & Benicio!

Vacation to South Carolina and more

A few weeks ago we set out for what would turn into an unforgettable "Babymoon" vacation. We decided to visit a couple major cities in South Carolina as well as a day trip to Georgia. Our trip was fleeting but we managed to pack a whole lot of tourism into every day. Here's how it went:

Our home for three nights was Hilton Head, SC where we enjoyed lovely beaches that were not overcrowded. Strangely enough we only really had one poolside day and one sunset walk on the beach.

Our first day started early with a serene dubstep alarm. We set off for Savannah, Georgia. We arrived mid-morning and immediately boarded a trolley tour that taxied us around downtown with something like 15 stops including Paula Deen's famous restaurant. The trolley left us at a waterfront shopping district where we decided to stop and check out some of the local fare. We had a great pier-front lunch complete with crawfish and marmalade beignets.

Savannah was full of really cool architecture, restaurants, parks and boutiques including the one that Alexia is standing in with the hat on. That shop had a woman sitting in a window with a typewriter and her job was to just sit there and write out poetry or whatever inspired her... we miss this sort of thing only seen in larger cities. The city is dotted with parks and seems to be a point of pride and focus for the people of Savannah along with the very Southern live oaks and Spanish moss (which is neither Spanish nor moss as we found out).

A short(ish) drive back to Hilton Head to rest for the night. We woke up and went to The Skillet for breakfast as was our new tradition. For our second day trip we went to Beufort, South Carolina. We took a horse and buggy tour through a town full of breathtaking mansions and surreal live oaks. This town is home to many movie sets and full of inspiration.

The horse that pulled us sluggishly through the streets of Beaufort is named Merlin and we are told that he has been in countless movies including the latest Pirates of the Caribbean. Strangely enough I can't imagine this horse going any faster than 5mph but who am I to argue. A quick lunch at a local favorite eatery and some shopping concluded our visit to Beufort. This town is recommended to anyone interested in seeing the historic South. This was our last night in Hilton Head as we headed North to Charleston, SC. On our way home we happened upon a totally creepy burned down church in the absolute middle of nowhere. This place had a very creepy feeling about it and so I was obviously all about it:

We found a great little restaurant that night (also in the middle of nowhere). Quite an unassuming little place until I saw a Porsche Panamara S parked in the lot.... yikes. I had grilled fresh Wahu and alexia had probably the best fried chicken she'll have for a long time. We filled up and went back to Hilton Head for our last night before heading back North (or so we thought). The next morning we woke up and headed for Charleston, SC as planned. We arrived and decided to take a self-guided tour walking miles through the historic district which proved to offer infinite photo-ops.

It was very difficult to leave... and so we didnt't. We stayed an extra night and about 12 calls later we were able to get a last minute room at King Charles IV B/B in the heart of Charleston's shopping district. This place was awesome and is definitely recommended. I was lucky enough to have to carry our suitcases up 4 flights of stairs.

As we concluded our trip I wanted to make sure and get some photos of Alexia as her stomach is ever-growing and we are getting more and more excited about Ben's debut.

A late night dessert and the next morning's breakfast started our trip to Boone Hall Plantation which is just outside of Charleston. This plantation is the oldest working plantation in the US and is really a marvel to stand in front of. The drive up is breathtaking and is the plantation's claim to fame; "The Avenue of Oaks."

All in all we had an amazing time. The South and the Low Country cuisine are things to experience in person and with plenty of time. Lex and I were lucky enough to be able to spend five slow days living the life. We hope you all enjoyed this photo tour of our vacation and are excited to keep you all updated as news comes.

A 600 year old tree!!

The Latest At 265

Green (ness):

Alexia, her cousin Kevin, aunt Wendy and I have taken a 6x10 foot plot of our yard out and turned it into this season's garden plot. Enclosed in a repurposed (huge) chain-link dog enclosure, we tilled, fertilized and sewed. Alexia decided to plant cucumbers, snap peas, summer squash and green lettuce. I put my jalapeno plant in the ground outside of the cage so that it wouldn't get taken over by the vines of all of the other plants. We plan to add tomatoes later this week and plant some herbs as well. Somehow, the weather has decided to take a turn for the worst and 33F weather isn't too conducive to getting psyched about going outside. Last on the green list, we bought a crepe myrtle which will grow outside of Ben's window!

On life:

Lex and I are experiencing "empty nest syndrome" as her mother moved out about a week and a half ago. Oh wait, she just went across the street LOL. I thought she was joking when she said she was going to hire a moving company... she wasn't. The two guys left much to be desired in the realm of movers and I am still moving boxes to her house as we speak. Her house is very nice with a generous deck and spacious rooms. Her new abode sports a very Southern porch (ceiling fan and rocker included). Funny enough, we can see that porch and deck from our kitchen windows. On that subject, Alexia and I have decided to put new windows in This Olde House... not to worry, there are only 32. I have decided that hiring someone to do them would take unnecessary stress off of our shoulders (and I've never done it :D).

On Ben's progress:

We can feel the baby kicking almost at any point these days. Hard to believe that Lex is 23 weeks along now. As those of you who follow my blog know, we have long since started decorating the baby room. As of late I have taken on the task of removing the glue from all of the wallpaper which has proven to be a task. A word to the wise- despite all of the home remedies, tips and tricks and secrets out there... soap and hot water with a sturdy sponge some elbow grease and a paint scraper is all you will need to successfully tackle tacking glue. Next I plan to repair cracks and then we will paint. Alexia has decided on a Beatrix Potter theme and has hired an Etsy.com lady to do some custom work. We are very excited and quickly seem to be running out of time!!

I have to go now as we are having guests over for Alexia's amazing shwarma and tzatziki. As always, thanks for reading! I'll check in again soon.

M

PS: Any guesses on what the picture at the top of the post is?

Listening to:

Buena Vista Social Club ft. Ibrahim Ferrer: "Compositor Confudido"

Tego Calderon: "Cosa Buena"

Fabri Fibra: "In Italia"

Thievery Corporation: "Until The Morning"

Weezer: "Say It Ain't So"

Drinking:

Traditional Hendrick's and Tonic

DIY seed starter! For the greenthumb in all of us.

Just a quick post to show how to incubate almost any seed... I grew cactus and jalapenos this way and was actually successful at growing to plants. Photos to come.

I get a medium sized Ball jar. These usually come in 3 useful components:

1. Jar

2. Flat metal part of lid

3. Round metal ring around mouth of jar

So here's what you do. I usually take a dremel tool and drill about 8 holes in the flat part of the lid. Do this then set it aside. Holes should be about as big as if you punched through them with a nail (don't really think it matters much).

Next take your jar and fill it about 1/2 full with Miracle Grow or your favorite fertilizer. Fill the jar with about halfway up the substrate with water (kinda soggy).

Next take about 5 cactus seeds which may be difficult to find depending on your area. I actually bought mine at a Home Depot so who knows... Take your finger and push down into the substrate to make about a 1/4 inch hole. Next drop your seeds in but make sure to give them ample space to grow apart from each other.

Next cover the seeds do not push substrate down onto them :) Just fill the holes.

Put your lids back on and the holes in the flat lid will aerate the plants sufficiently. You should put this jar on your favorite window sill and let sit for a while (long while). I haven't thought of a way to speed the process up. This incubator loves the sunshine.

The way I found out that this worked was a)Trying it and b) Forgetting about it. I actually thought that it didn't work until I went to throw the jars out one day. Defeated I looked in one last time and to my amazement I had 3 little Cacti growing!!! To date they are thriving in my kitchen. Love them. Only two made the cut but hey 2:5 I'll take it.

A few rules:

1) Only "water" the jar when you see it is getting REALLY dry or you will mold your seeds. Your jar will get really gross and your significant other will all but force you to throw the jar out.... Don't do it!!! Some green on the sides is normal. Slime is not.

2) Do check on your sprouts about once a week (a watched pot... LOL)

3. Once you see sprouts they will look VERY hardy as succulents do. I would say wait until they are about a 1/2 inch before attempting any reconnaissance missions aka replanting. Mine did not go into shock when replanted.

4. Don't overwater your cactus once they are getting older.. it's funny b/c you will see them kinda rise and fall depending on how much you give them (think desert). You don't want them to prune up though... hard to bring them back.

Hope you guys enjoyed this. Let me know what you decide to grow. Basil and other herbs are really easy to start.

Official 5 Month Photo Op

After a rare Saturday together, Alexia and I decided to run out and take a few photos just before sunset. She was exhausted but eventually humored me and caved. A couple quick notes: Those are not our daffodils LOL they belong to the neighbors who weren't home. Alexia was afraid that they were watching us through the windows so I was only able to get these two. Also, the trees don't belong to us either... they are at the park in our neighborhood. We would have included the dog in a couple of these photos but he doesn't play well with strangers. Lastly, you won't see me in any of these pictures because I just worked two consecutive night shifts so I look like a lazy zombie with a bad attitude. Hope you all enjoy the photos!