Foot-Loose and Toddler-Free

It's been a quiet weekend at Casa de Stopster. No crying, no yelling, no chasing the cats, only occasional whining. It was almost like the pre-kid days, before diapers and sippy-cups, before potty training and scheduled naps, before tantrums and time-outs. Why? Because, this weekend, there was no kid.

Friday morning, we packed Maddie off to Larry and Nancy (a.k.a., Nana and Pa), and from then, until about 6 p.m. this evening, we were officially off-duty. (Well, as off-duty as you ever get when you're a parent--meaning there was lots of texting and at least two Skype conversations.) This isn't the first time we've done this, but it's the first time where we've had hours upon hours of leisure time at our disposal.

So, Friday evening we took a trip to Whole Foods for some really good ingredients, and then Jon made dinner while I acted as prep chef (read, I chopped brussel sprouts and measured ingredients into dishes, all ready to go when he needed them). Chef Stoppel created individual smoked-blue cheese souffles paired with fresh, pan-seared brussel sprouts in a honey reduction. (The brussel sprouts were from a recipe that Eric Ripert tweeted last week.)

While the souffles were baking, we enjoyed an assortment of olives and peppers from the Whole Foods olive bar. Then we repaired to our rarely used dining room for the main course. These were the first souffles Jon has ever attempted, and I must say, the man is a force to be reckoned with the in the kitchen. They were amazing. The brussel sprouts were also really good, and we're hoping to try them with Maddie sometime soon. We finished up with cannolis and a chocolate parfait (also from Whole Foods), and then took our wine into the living room to start watching Season 4 of 30 Rock. I will admit that that part may not fit in with the rest of the evening, but whatever. Doing what we want!, the theme for the weekend.



Look! The souffles rose and everything.


Jon did make me remove my shoes and creep in and out of the kitchen on tip-toe while they were baking.

Saturday morning, Jon had to work, but I, being more fortunate, slept in. Yes, I know! I actually managed to sleep in! Sorry, if you don't know, since having a kid, I am unable to sleep in. It doesn't matter if she's there or not, or even if Jon offers to go get her. I can't sleep in. It took some effort, but in the end, the 45 minutes I took talking myself back to sleep were well worth it. Saturday, we lounged around the house, took a nap, and then headed over to Stone Pillar Winery to meet our friends the Meyers for some wine on the patio. After that, we hit up Johnny's for some burgers and musical trivia bingo.

Sunday, Jon slept in while I read in bed. This was followed by coffee and more lounging. In fact, truth be told, I didn't change out of my robe and shower until about 4:40 this afternoon. Yes, feel free to be jealous...or grossed out, whichever appeals to you more.

All in all, it was nice to be able to just "be" together for a while, without worrying about scheduling and entertaining the Madster. It reminded us of why we got together in the first place. However, both of us were 100% ready for Miss Thing to come home this evening. We missed her bunches, and judging by the fact that she threw herself on the sidewalk in excitement at our arrival, I'm assuming she missed us, too.

So, thanks, Larry and Nancy for giving us a weekend off! I hope you're resting up from all the trips to the park and the ice cream shop.

Happy Belated Heart Day

So, I know it's a little late, but you know how they say love never dies or something equally cheesy, and blah, blah, blah. Anyway, Valentine's Day post.

This year, Jon and I didn't make any elaborate plans because 1) it was a Sunday, and Mondays are hard enough without having been up too late, and 2) do you know how hard it is to get a babysitter on Valentine's Day? Either you pay someone more than your actual dinner would cost to (in our case) sit in your house while your kid sleeps (and this requires a lot of advance planning because teenage girls go fast on Feb. 14), or you have to beg a family member, which means they either move their celebration to a different day or you're cruelly reminding them that while you have plans for Heart Day, they have nothing better to do than watch your kid. Taking all that into consideration, or saving ourselves the time we would have spent considering it, Jon asked if he could make me dinner after Maddie went to bed, and I said that would be lovely.

Before said dinner, we did as much pink and red happiness for the Madster as we thought she'd understand. First, on Saturday, my sister and I took her to Target while we picked out V-Day stuff for her: a new plate and bowl set with monkeys on it, a completely stereotypical stuffed red monkey clutching a heart that reads "Love", and a pillow with monkeys and bananas on it that Christa insisted she must have. Do you sense a theme? She really likes monkeys right now, or "mun-tees" as she calls them. Strangely, I'm pretty sure that if she saw a real, live, honest-to-goodness monkey, she would have no clue what it was. She'd probably call it a kitty. Sunday morning, she was about as excited as you'd expect her to be about the presents, which is not very. It's more about the unwrapping for her. Also, I don't think she had any clue that she wasn't seeing all this stuff for the first time. Probably the last year for that...

Following this, we took her over to Lawrence (so Jon could help his dad install a new window in the Yellow House bathroom), and she was further spoiled by her grandparents. Hello Kitty doll? Check. Very realistic KU pom-poms? Check. (Um, and she will use them to do her very own version of the Rock Chalk Chant, so we'll try to get that video'd and get that up, soonish.) Earlier in the week, she also received an extra-adorable pair of slippers that look like red Mary Janes from Grandma and Grandpa (my mom made them!), and Mommy and Daddy received several extra pounds--I mean about four dozen chocolate-chip cookies. (I'm embarrassed to say that they're almost all gone.) Maddie seems to think Grandma works for Nike, though, and that the slippers will make her extra fast. Every time I put them on her, she just runs around like a crazy person. No idea...

Ah, but the pièce de résistance was yet to come. Later in the day, I went out and got her, wait for it, her very own Mylar Elmo balloon! I know. I'm too kind. She was pretty excited, and since it's still floating around the house, she usually makes a beeline for it when she gets home from daycare. I think I'm going to miss the days when a balloon could make her the happiest girl in the world.

Maddie and her beloved "Ah-bow" balloon (Oh, and Daddy's nose). (Photos by Larry and Nancy Stoppel)

Finally, that evening, after we packed her off to bed, Jon pulled lobster pot pies from the oven, opened a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, and we had dinner all by ourselves. We even ate in the dining room, which we never do. After dinner (which was amazing, and since the recipe makes four individual pot pies, I'm equally excited about the two pies now residing in our freezer), Jon and I settled down to watch more Lost while munching on homemade chocolate covered strawberries. Not the height of romanticism, but I loved it. It was relaxing, low-key, and I didn't even have to change clothes.

Lobster pot pie....Mmmmmm. (Photo by Jon Stoppel)

End note: I'd like to give a little shout-out to my friend Emily, who addressed V-Day haters on her blog last week. I completely agree with her, and I'd just like to say that while a lot of it is over-commercialized and fake, we live in a very busy, fast-paced society, and if there is a day that reminds us that we need to take time out to do something a little special for the people we care most about, I think that's a good thing. (Well, that, and lobster pot pie...yummmmm.)

Columbia, District of: Day 3

Jon had classes again Saturday morning, so as on Friday, Maddie and I were up bright and early, wandering the streets in search of food. (I like melodrama. I think it adds a certain, special something to my posts.) Having slept until a normal waking hour and also having just mastered waving, Maddie proceeded to greet each. and. every. single. person. we. met. In fact, in the coffee shop, there were too many people to wave at, so she sat in her stroller with both arms stretched over her head, smiling like a maniac. It was seriously adorable and probably number one on my Top 5 list for D.C. We took our breakfast to the pier again, shared the muffin, played in the sand for the first time (and with a sculpture for the first time, for that matter), and headed back to the hotel for a little pool time before her morning nap.

Following her nap and the return of Daddy, the three of us took a water taxi over to Alexandria, VA where we were supposed to catch a 2:30 p.m. river tour to Georgetown. While Maddie and I played in a square, Jon went in search of lunch, which we ate while waiting at what we thought was our dock. It was not. So, we missed the boat we were scheduled to be on and had to take the 3:30 tour.

Once on the boat, we thought Maddie might enjoy sitting in the bow where she could see the water, feel the wind, etc. There was a voice in the background going on about splashing or something, but we were sure it would just be minor spray. (Also, we had elected to play Russian Roulette with Maddie's nap that afternoon. We thought she might nap in her stroller, but we also knew that without a quiet room and a crib, there was a very good chance she might not take her nap.) A note to fellow travelers: Always listen to the voice in the background talking about "splashing", do not interpret "splashing" as "spray", and remove your already tired and cranky baby from a splash zone that would make Sea World jealous. About 15 minutes into the trip, a HUGE wave washed over the bow (okay, it was probably just a large-ish splash, but again, I love melodrama), soaking both Maddie and me. Being covered in dirty, smelly Potomac water, she, of course, began to wail, which is exactly what I wanted to do, but sadly, we were in public, and I had to act like an adult. (Acting like an adult means complaining about it to Jon for the remainder of the boat ride.) We took her back into the covered, dry portion of the boat, and Jon and I proceeded to play another grueling round of Pass-the-Baby. This was the intermediate level in which the baby is wet and angry and the parents are hot and frustrated. (To be completely honest, I was also pretty wet and angry having taken the time to straighten my hair which now had to be pulled back into a less than attractive knot after being combed with a baby comb...) Finally, on the trip back, Maddie nursed and then fell asleep for about 30 minutes.

Thank God for that because at 5 p.m., we were supposed to meet Larry, Nancy, and Chris at the Chart House for dinner. As we staggered in late (because our return boat didn't leave on time), bedraggled, and tired, I think all three of us were in less than pleasant moods, but Maddie cheered everyone up by being completely silly through most of the meal, and dinner ended up being fine.

After dinner, Maddie went back to the hotel with Nana and Pa, and Jon, Chris and I walked around oldtown Alexandria in search of a few souvenirs and a good beer. We ended up at Murphy's, an Irish pub complete with a man performing traditional Irish drinking songs. (He was wearing a tropical print shirt, but we decided to ignore that little atmospheric faux-pas.) After a few rounds of the previously sought after libation, Jon and I headed back to Maryland to sleep for a few hours before waking up to pack, pick up our daughter, and get ready for the trip home.

Here are a few pictures from Day 3. For the complete pictures from our trip, check out the link at the bottom of Columbia, District of: Day 1.

Maddie, playing in the sand and with a sculpture titled "The Awakening"

Maddie in a square in oldtown Alexandria

Wet, cranky Maddie on the boat, post Potomac baptism