Peter is 10 months old!

Well that went by fast. He went from crawling to standing and dancing in the blink of an eye. The kid loves music! Walking cannot be far behind and then...watch out. My cat food has been moved to yet another (higher) level, but the little climber is not far behind. We've had a few run-ins lately, but I've been cutting him a little slack and keeping my claws sheathed when I get serious and tell him to STOP pulling my tail/belly fur/paws/other sensitive parts. At least he hasn't discovered my cat box yet.

In other news, we are coming up on Erika's last week of work, and Jana's last week in San Francisco. Big changes ahead. We enjoyed a nice meal tonight - crockpot beef stew with Moroccan spices and cous cous, and reminiscing about Martin's wild youth. Next time you see him, ask him about how he lied to the police when he was 8 years old. :-)

Guest Post from Erika: New Addition

Pawlene has been feeling a little bit under the weather lately (as in, barf all over the hallway), so I thought I'd jump in with a quick post before Peter turns TEN months old. And I have news. In spades.

First and foremost, after a year of driving around in crotchety old Maude, Martin and I finally drove up to Sonoma County this weekend to acquire a dashing young Harold. The Subaru I picked out online was hot, fast, and young - a 2007 Impreza WRX with tinted windows and leather seats. Gorgeous. I took him for a spin through the vineyards and realized...I no longer need or want to drive a turbo-charged race car, especially with a car seat in the back. This came as a complete shock to both me and my darling husband, Martin.

Luckily, there was another car on the lot that seemed to fit a lot better. A modest, but still zippy, 2005 Impreza 2.5 RS Sport wagon.

We pick her up on Thursday. Yes, Her. I so wanted a Harold, but this really feels like a chick car to me. She has "girl next door" sex appeal, but only if the girl living next to you speaks fluent Japanese and really knows how to tear up a dance floor. Hey wait, I know someone just like that. With apologies to my dear friend in Chicago, meet Sue. Sue Baru.



In other news, I resigned from my job on Friday. Yes, I know, this is probably not the most optimal time to be leaving a job. For so many reasons. But my mother in law, who has been caring for Peter for the past 6 months, is returning to Prague at the end of February, and face with the choice of either finding child care for Peter or leaving my job...Well, Peter only gets to grow up once, and I don't want to miss it. My last day is February 26.

I am still harboring fantasies of starting a new career and creating some part-time work that is more family-friendly, and to that end I have signed up for a 2-week baking course in March at the San Francisco Baking Institute, immediately followed by a weekend of soul-searching at Esalen. Yes, I have a VERY understanding husband and I know how lucky I am. And speaking of understanding, The Talk I had with my boss about leaving my job quickly morphed into a discussion about a potential new personal chef/supper club project that we want to do together. Have I mentioned that my co-workers are really awesome and that I will be so sad not to see them every day? Peter is still cuter though.

Stay tuned...