11 weeks

We can now get her to smile at our will. Poor little baby.

Arkansas, Arkansas

 
 
 
 
Anneke's first trip to Arkansas: where do I even start? First I guess with a thank you to my family for being so hospitable, kind, and fun. We got to do all the things I love about going home, which for the most part involves eating: Mamo and mom's cooking (ham/scallopped potatos/butter beans); dinner at Mustin Lake (grilled burgers and Daddy's fabulous baked beans); lunch at Wood's Place (catfish and sweet tea, of course); dinner at our house (turkey and dressing--Christmas in May!); and last but not least: the Steak Cookoff at the Magnolia Blossom Festival!

Here's how it works: you gitchyer ticket, and you get in line. A really long line. You wait for about an hour, and then at 6:00 sharp you're off--corralled through an assembly line where you gitchyer baked potato, roll, salad, and tea. Then you run (like hell, in this instance, thanks to my dad)to your favorite booth to get your steak--there are tons of booths from all over the country, all cooking the same cut of meat their way. Unfortunately our pick ran out despite the sprint. I wish we had chosen LSU's booth (hi, Amy and Lindsey!) since they offered a lagniappe helping of jambalaya. But anyway. The best thing about the steak cookoff (my steak was a bit fatty) was the time spent with my Aunt and Uncle, cousins, and their many children under the magnolia trees on the courthouse lawn. We grew up an hour away from each other and used to meet up in Waldo, Arkansas at our Meme and Granddaddy's house. We don't see each other often enough, and despite the heat and (to borrow from the Britney Spears dictionary) hecticity, it was great fun.

I guess I could go on for pages about our time back home. I always leave feeling like I didn't spend quite enough time in my parents' back yard, or just with my parents and grandmother and aunt and uncle and cousin from Texarkana. I was thrilled to dress Anneke up in her Sunday best--an adorable Feltman Bros number from mom's friend Mrs. M.--and take her to First Presbyterian. I was honored to sit down for a visit with three of my fourth-grade teachers who showered us with children's books and admonished me to start reading to Anneke NOW (done). I had a glass of wine and a lovely visit with my friend Matt, who went to Yale Divinity and is the organist at the Episcopal Church. They Reynolds let us borrow the family cradle, which is 100 years old and has rocked several generations of Reynolds babies--this confirmed by Mrs. Dooley, nee Reynolds, after church.

And don't get me started on my sister and her daughter, Juliette. She blogged a fitting tribute to our family when she got home; ditto to her.

Anneke Grace, you come from good people, and I can't wait for you to continue getting to know and love them like I do.

Week 9 Smiles

Mom beat me to posting the Mother's day photos, so now I have to be quick. Just took this minutes ago.


I know it is a special thing for every new parent when their child responds to them with a smile. For the first time you know you are making them happy and they have transformed from a needy little human into someone who at least knows you are there.

And here is a movie of the same.

Tomorrow we are sending mom and baby to Arkansas for a 1 week visit. See you in a week little girl.

What a Dad

 
 
 
 
What a nice first Mother's Day! Anneke and I went to church,and when we got home Dave had bisquits and gravy ready for us. Anneke got me flowers and a card, and after breakfast I got to sit down with the Sunday New York Times. I left Anneke with Daddy while I went out for a pedicure, but after that I got to spend the afternoon with her while Dave was in the kitchen making Boston Cream Pie cupcakes and strawberry-rhubarb pie for his mom. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Kevin, and Claire all came over for dessert. It's going to be hard to top this come Father's Day--thanks, Dave and Anneke! I'm one lucky mama!

The many faces of Anneke

 
 
 
Now that Anneke is eight weeks old she has really learned to express herself. The only thing missing from this batch of pictures is the big, gummy grin; she saved that for when we put the camera away. Plus today was kind of a diva day, which does not entail a lot of grinning.

Goodbye Bowers

 
 

Many years ago I went on my one and only Match.com date. It was fairly forgettable, except that the guy kept going on about this place called Bowers, and what good sandwiches they had. Little did I know how much Bowers Bakery would figure into my life in the coming years. Sometime later Dave and I started dating, and he formally introduced me to Bowers, specifically their marionberry bran muffins. Bran muffins, you ask? Oh, Bowers served the Platonic form of this lowly quick bread. We tried to copy the recipe, with no luck. They had this crumbly, dense texture and were sweet but substantial. Often I would have half of a muffin for breakfast and munch on the other half throughout the day, but usually I scarfed down the whole thing at once. Anyway, it was a good day when I could sweet talk Dave into walking down the street to pick up a batch, and other times we would walk over together and banter with Dave Bowers, who never met a stranger. For the first birthday Dave and I celebrated together I got up super early to bring him muffins, and I made sure to get a batch of pastries for my family when they came to visit. These photos are of the day it snowed, when Dave and I cross-country skied over for hot coffee and muffins.

Anyway, this trip down memory lane is inspired by Bowers closing. Dave Bowers is moving to Bend for love and a career change. I'm happy for him, but there are rumors going around that the building that houses Bowers and a number of Hawthorne St. institutions (at least in my eight-year-memory of Hawthorne) is going condo. I sure hope this eclectic group of independent businesses isn't going anywhere; it's what makes our neighborhood unique and a must-see on the tourist route.

So we'll see. Anneke and I saw Dave maybe the last time the other day as he was closing up shop. He fussed over Anneke and, noticing the spitup on my shoulder, waxed nostalgic about his own kids being that age. I sure wish we could look forward to bringing Anneke with us on Saturday morning saunters to Bowers, but I guess we'll just have to learn to make our own delicious bran muffins....

Family photos

 
 
Not much to say in this entry except this is Anneke and her Mommy and Daddy at seven weeks old. She is eight weeks old today--maybe for her eight week picture we'll get a photo of the three of us.