An Annapolis getaway

As if we hadn't had enough vacation in Michigan, Emery and I pulled out the suitcases (actually, we just left them out between trips - too lazy to unpack and repack in less than one week) again and headed up to Annapolis for a week. A week of me doing almost nothing, and Emery having a ball, soaking up all the attention and new surroundings and toys. I think vacation suits her well - she learned quite a few new words, rarely fussed and now plays peek-a-boo (or, as she would say, "peeta-boo!") like a champ.

Perhaps we have a golf fan on our hands - as soon as the British Open came on, Emery exclaimed, "WOW!"

Papa quickly became one of Emery's favorite people, probably because he never tires of playing with her. She would call for him all throughout the house and was especially grateful when he brought her a banana breakfast in bed.

Henny really wants Emery to love dolls, and I think Emery gave it her best effort, but this photo can't conceal her lack of interest I'm afraid.

Even though I recently cancelled Emery's morning nap, she did manage to work in an a.m. snooze almost everyday in Annapolis!

I've never taken Emery to the mall to play before, but since the Annapolis Mall has a new, very clean play zone, we gave it a try, much to Emery's delight. And if the dog days of August are as hot as I think they'll be, well, we just might be giving it a try at our mall, too.

Emery always eats well at Henny and Papa's, with a yogurt mustache to prove it!

20-some hours in Detroit ... and a little news!

As promised, here's a rundown (in the style of the New York Times' "36 Hours in 'fill-in-the-city-of-your-choice") of how Matt and I spent 20-some hours in downtown Detroit, sans Emery.

Thursday
12:12pm - Lunch at Slow's BBQ. It's become a real Detroit fixture, the restaurant that always appears in newspaper/magazine articles heralding the comeback of Motor City. I'm no BBQ conessiuer, but I think they're doing something right at Slow's. Usually there's a 2 hour wait. Fortunately the Thursday lunch crowd isn't so crazy, and we were able to get a table outside without any wait.

1:42pm - After leaving Slow's, we noticed a new coffee bar right next door, and by new, I mean really new - like not opening until two days after our visit.  Sad. But I had this memory of there being good coffee at Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes, so we hopped on over there after lunch at Slow's ... sadly, my memory deceived me. The coffee was just OK, and though this crepe looks delicious, it actually was not so great. My word of advice for anyone wanting to try one of their dessert crepes is don't get one with their watery chocolate sauce - make sure it's got something more substantial, like melted chocolate chips or Nutella.

2:02pm - After subpar crepes and coffee, we headed over to Belle Isle to check out its arboreteum. I know about as much about arboreteums as I do about BBQ, so I can't really make a fair assessment of this one. It was a nice diversion, though, and I really liked the lily pad pond. As well as the fact that it was then that I realized that if this was a "normal" date for us, it would probably be ending right about now - but we actually had 18 or so hours left!

Here's a picture of me in front of the lily pond.  Notice anything?

How about in this pic?

I have a belly!  And it's not from BBQ and crepes - it's a baby! Due January 17. Does this getaway count as our babymoon? I hope not!!

3:00pm - Checked in at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, a historic hotel recently renovated by Westin. At this point our adventures in Detroit came to a finish for the day. We would have been crazy to waste time outside when we could be taking advantage of rare peace and quiet, a toy-free bedroom and the chance to read and nap uninterrupted for a long as we chose!  We also had dinner at the the Spa 1924 Grille, and of course the most enticing items on the menu were off-limits for me - a Caesar salad with raw egg dressing, loads of shellfish offerings, wines, etc. But my wild mushroom ravioli turned out to be pretty amazing:

Friday

6:46am - You call this sleeping in?!  Ugh. But we were awake, since we're normally up even earlier than this, so we accepted it for what it was and took a run along the Detroit Riverwalk, which is in great condition and not crowded at all, which I guess speaks to the downtown population right now, but hopefully things are making a turn for the better, what with the Whole Foods opening downtown! That's major good news.

10:00am - Breakfast at the Russell Street Deli, a favorite spot of ours. At this point we're both feeling so rested and rejuvenated that thoughts of Emery begin creeping back into our head (who am I kidding?  I was thinking about her all the time!!)

We spent the rest of the day outside the city of Detroit, so my travel-log ends here. Though here's a shot of Emery on the boat with Grammie and Grandpa, on her way to see us upon our return. I can't get enough of her in her sunhat and lifejacket!!

So happy to be back in Daddy's arms!

Thank you Grammie and Grandpa Doescher for treating us to such a fabulous getaway, and for taking such great care of Emery!  Want to do it again sometime? (soon?? :) )

Fun in Fenton

We're at Matt's parents' lakehouse in Fenton, MI right now and I'm long overdue for a blog post on all the fun that's been had. The weather has been spectacular and there have been plenty of new faces to entertain Emery, not to mention new diversions like sand, water and boats!

Here are some snapshots of our time here so far, and stay tuned for another blog post on the overnight Matt and I had in Detroit, sans Emery! (I'm also a little embarrassed that nearly all of these shots are just of Emery, as if none of the rest of us are having any fun worth photographing ... mental note, in the future take more shots of other people!)

Emery's gigantic dog book kept her entertained, briefly, during the car ride up here.

This was a first - Emery went uncharacteristically ballistic when we put her in the hotel crib, so she wound up sleeping in our bed, then enjoying a banana breakfast in bed, too.

Emery's first visit to McDonalds!  (She only ate a granola bar I brought with us ... boring mom, I know)

Alphabet magnets on a cookie sheet also served as a good distraction in the car. If we can make it home with all the letters of the alphabet, though, it will be a miracle.

At last!  In Fenton, living it up at the water table, which also accompanied us on many pontoon rides.

Emery quickly became enamored with Matt's great-grandma (Gi-Gi) and is constantly checking in with her and begging to sit in her lap.

Unfortunately, Emery has remained an early bird in Fenton. Fortunately, that means we've had to escape the house a few times so as not to wake up the others, which means we've been able to have breakfast at The French Laundry, one of my favorite restaurants on the planet.

What 4th of July is complete without a parade?  Especially when you go to bed too early for fireworks! (parents included)

Amazingly, Emery has been a really good sport about the lifejacket!

Matt's mom found some enormous Legos at an estate sale and they've been loads of fun for Emery.

We spent a wonderful day in Birmingham, MI with a great friend and her little girl, who is just about a year behind Emery ... so wild to think of how much has changed since last July!

Al fresco dining?  You bet!!