Indiana

It will be one week tomorrow since Paprika and I touched down in Indiana. We have been keeping ourselves very busy. Time has definitely been flying!

On Tuesday, Ann picked us up from the airport after our long, cramped flight from LAX. Paprika was a trooper on the plane and had everyone laughing. She is such a social baby. We stayed with Ann, Len, Benjamin, and Cameron from Tuesday until Friday. We had such an amazing time. We ate out a lot- at Don Pablo's, Puccini's, Penn Station (twice), and Steak 'n Shake. Wednesday morning we all went to watch Benjamin at his swim lesson. Then we took Paprika, Benjamin, and Cameron to the park. They had so much fun together. Thursday was Cameron's first birthday- we celebrated by getting Cameron and Paprika's portraits taken professionally. The pictures turned out great! Then, Ann and I took Cameron and Paprika out to dinner- they were so cute together at the restaurant. Later that night we had cake and ice cream for Cameron's birthday. Friday we went to lunch, then made the drive down to Indy to my mom's house.

Friday night we spent with my mom, Robbie, and Eric. Then Saturday Caroline had her big graduation party. It was SO much fun! I was amazed at how many people were there. Caroline is very loved- so many people came out to support her. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was great- it was just wonderful seeing everyone! I got to spend a lot of time talking with my grandma and grandpa, and they loved seeing their great-grandaughter, Paprika! We had a really great time at the party. After Caroline's party, my mom, Eric, Robbie, Paprika and I all went to dinner in Broad Ripple. It was a really nice night- we had a great time and then went for a walk on the Monon Trail together. It was Paprika's first trip to Broad Ripple- my old stomping grounds!

Sunday was the Ashmore Family Reunion up in Lebanon at Uncle Rob and Aunt Jackie's house. We spent the whole day up there and had lots and lots of fun. Aunt Jane and Aunt Peg drove all the way out from New Jersey for the festivities. It was so great to see them- it was Aunt Peg's first time meeting Paprika! I always love seeing Jane and Peg- they are so interesting to talk to and really fun to be around- I wish I saw them more often. It was great having everyone together. John just graduated from high school- I am so proud of him! Lilli is not far behind and is going to do amazing things with her life, I just know it! We got to talking about colleges and where she wants to go- she is so motivated, it is really great. It was great seeing Uncle Ed and Aunt Jeanette- they were raving over Paprika, which I love to hear! And, last but not least, I got to see my dad and Paprika got to spend most of the day sitting on her grandpa's lap. It was a lot of fun!

Today (Memorial Day), we went to Caroline's high school graduation. It was amazing- so many kids were graduating, and there was such enthusiasm in the air! Paprika and I went with my grandma, Laura, Kevin, Stephie, and Kevin's mom, Carol. I really enjoyed the ceremony- even though I ended up walking around for half of it. Paprika would not take a nap at all, so she was really really tired by the time the ceremony started. She dozed a little bit in my lap, but then woke up when the crowd started appluading. She did really well considering we were there about three hours, but I felt bad that we didn't stay for the whole graduation!

I will upload pictures when I get back to California- I'm not sure how to do it on this computer! So far, our trip has been so packed and we've seen and done so much. I got very very sick from the plane trip, and am just now starting to feel better. I nearly lost my voice for a few days, and was a hacking, coughing mess. I was absolutely miserable with it. I seem to be mostly over the cold now, although still not 100%. I was so mad that I caught that bug on the plane, since I never ever get sick! Argggh! I was praying that Paprika didn't catch it, and luckily (so far, knock on wood), she hasn't. She's a little tropper, despite me dragging her all over the state and completely ignoring her nap schedule. I love my little bundle of joy, and it seems that everyone else I meet does, too! She is a loved little baby and I feel so lucky to be her mommy and to be part of such an incredible family!

Swimming, The Zoo, and Out To Lunch

We had a very busy weekend. On Saturday, Paprika had her swim lesson. She went all the way under water for the first time! She loves the water so much- she truly is a water baby.

Later that day, we all went to the zoo. Our first stop was at the petting zoo, where Paprika got to pet some goats. Then we went to see the other animals. Paprika was espcially fascinated by the giraffes, the bears, and the snow leopards.



After we took my mom to the airport yesterday morning, we stopped by Noah's bagels in Larchmont Village and had some very yummy bagels and juice. Then we went home and Paprika took a long nap. When she woke up, we walked up to the Paseo, a nice outdoor mall about a mile away. The weather was gorgeous- the perfect day for a walk. We had a great lunch outdoors at The Yard House. Mr. Mustard and I both ordered our new standard- the Blue Crab Cake sandwich. Then we got some Cold Stone for dessert, came home, and put Paprika down to sleep. She slept from 6:45pm last night until 7:30 this morning! I guess we wore her out! :-)

My Mom Is Here!

My mom flew in last night for her mandala workshop. She was so excited to see Paprika. Paprika got to stay up way past her bedtime to greet Grammy (what we call my mom). They had fun playing together before bedtime. After Paprika went to sleep, Mr. Mustard and I caught up on Lost, American Idol results, and Entourage.

I'm so glad it's Friday! We don't have a whole lot planned for the weekend yet. Tomorrow is Paprika's swim lesson, which is always fun. We had to miss last Saturday because she was sick. She's all better now, so we'll be back at the pool tomorrow.

Mr. Mustard is still looking at cars and is thinking more about getting a car he can convert to run on veggie oil. To convert your car to run on veggie oil, it has to have to have a diesel engine. And because we need to be able to transport Hauser, we need to get a wagon. Unfortunately, there are very few diesel wagons in existence. In California, they are particularly rare. So, he's been checking out various out of state sellers online and may even buy a car off of Ebay and have it shipped out here. I think it would be awesome to run our cars on veggie oil. The BMW can't be converted because it's a standard gasoline engine. But hopefully in the future we'll be able to have both cars run on such efficient (and inexpensive) fuel!

9 Months Young!

Today is Paprika's 9 Month Birthday! It hard for me to believe that she's been outside of me as long as she was inside me. We went to her nine month check-up with her new doctor in Pasadena. She is 23 pounds in weight and is 28 inches long. The doctor said she is perfectly proportional and is a really healthy, vibrant girl. He also commented on how advanced she is verbally. He said that she is talking in a way that he sees in babies much older than she is, and that with her verbal skills being so advanced, he would expect her to be slower in her physical development- but that her physical development is also a bit ahead of the curve. That was really nice to hear! He also checked her eyes and her reflexes-- all in good shape. :-)

Look What Paprika Learned to Do Today!

Today is Paprika's last day of being 8 months old! She surprised me this morning by climbing up onto the entryway landing! It's her first time she's climbed up like that. Now it is her absolute favorite thing to do. She goes up and down, up and down, all day long.

In other news, I'm pretty sure that Paprika has learned how to unbuckle her car seat belt. I noticed it was unbuckled for the first time about a month ago, but thought it was a fluke. But, it keeps coming unbuckled somehow while we're driving, so I'm pretty sure she's learned how to take it off. Luckily the bottom part stays snapped, so she is still safe in the car. I am amazed at how mechanically inclined she is. She can figure out just about anything, it seems!