Friday, December 22, 2006

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


We're too busy for much blogging, but I thought I'd take a moment to post this one. Apparently, you've all done your duty of spoiling little Tiz. She didn't have anything to ask of Santa except, "Could you keep it down... I'm trying to catch a nap over here." Merry Christmas Everyone!

Monday, November 27, 2006

a nice one of tiz & mom


strong girl



At only 2 months Tiz has nailed the yoga pose 'cobra'. What an amazing child!

put up yer dukes


tiz in the kitchen


Here is Tiz struggling to find her voice to describe the stuffed pork chops she made. She's still a little shy about speaking in public.



redemetion?

I'm going to try to redeem myself tonight with a veritable barrage of photos. I know that my shortcomings as a blogger have not gone unnoticed, and I will try to post more often, but until January our dancecard is pretty full...



You don't see Tiz cry much, but here's a nice one of her at full throttle.


The close up above captures her in mid-sentence.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

so long, old bear


This week we said goodbye to Fritz, our faithful pal of 14 years. He had been struggling more and more of late, but when I arrived home from work on Monday it was apparent that he had taken a turn for the worse. When I described his head-bobbing dizziness, glazed-eyed look and inability to keep even a few licks of water down, the vet was sure he had suffered the canine equivalent of a stroke, and there seemed little hope that his condition would do anything but deteriorate. So after a few hours of procrastination I whistled him up for a last walk - little more than a trembling shuffle to the end of the block and back - and we headed off to the animal clinic to do what needed to be done.

Today is Thanksgiving, though, so rather than dwell on the sadness of the events of that night, I'd rather remember all the reasons I'm thankful that Fritz came by and stuck around for so long. Like the way he used to leap from the ground into my little white pick-up through the open window, anxious to embark on any new adventure. Or how on walks it wouldn't be uncommon for strangers to stop and comment on his regal, prancing gait and expressive ears. I loved the amazing, almost otherworldly silkiness of his coat the day after a bath that turned simply petting him into a strange, glorious intoxicant. And like me, he was always eager to throw himself into any body of water that presented itself... even on the bitterest winter days he would dive into the creek to flush a goose and finish our hike with icicles dangling from his fur.

He was a dog loved by many, and named by many too. Fritz was the name given to him at the animal shelter, but to Kim he was the playful, Fritty-Cat. More recently, characterized by his arthritic hips and graying beard, he took to the moniker, Old Bear. Eduardo, a Oaxacan cook who worked at MF, couldn't get the 't-z' to work around his accent and settled with Fricks, which didn't seem to offend. When he lived with my parents while Kim & I were in Europe for the summer of '93, my dad called Fritz lots of names. Few of them are publishable here where decent folk read. I mostly just called him Pups. By whatever name, he was a great friend and earned every tear that was shed for him in the last hours of November 20, 2006. So long, Old Bear. And Thanks.

Saturday, November 4, 2006

Tiz in the city


Tiz had her first trip to Chicago last Sunday. We went down to do some research for a work project and meet with some of our vendors. Tiz endured a noisy brunch, long meetings, grid-locked traffic and the general bustle of the city with aplomb, further demonstrating that she's the most amazing baby ever!

crazy eyes


OK... so I am a grossly irresponsible human being. I have shamefully neglected the blog and left all of you Tiz-o-philes starving for input. Well, we had a hell of a week with lots of activities and new developments. I'll get you some more tidbits from Tiz's adventures tomorrow. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for this tasty little shot I call, "crazy eyes".

Sunday, October 22, 2006

rite of passage


It has been observed that there are two kinds of ladies in this world... the ones who have gotten the blue box, and the ones who haven't. That's right... the iconical blue box from Tiffany & Co. has arrived on Tiz's crib-step. It's a moment many women wait a lifetime for. Tiz hasn't been around a month yet, and she's already graduated. Clearly, she is destined for greatness.


These utensils were a gift from Dave and Theresa Jaeger. Nice.

rude awakening


My apologies to all of you devoted fans-of-Tiz. Going back to work full-time this week was a rude awakening for both me and the little lady. She's been wondering where her doting Dad has run off to, and I've been wondering why I didn't arrange for a longer paternity leave. At any rate, blogging time has been severely reduced. I will try to be better.



I call this shot, "Wake us for Dinner". Aaahhh... those were the days.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

sundays with Tiz


Here's our Sunday portrait... Tiz caught in action stirring her bolognese sauce. She'd been simmering it all day and it was ready just in time for dinner. The sauce was superb.

happy birthday, Matt


We are celebrating my 35th birthday this weekend with a multi-day extravaganza planned and co-ordinated by Tiz and her Mom. Arriving home from work on Saturday I was greeted with a glass of earthshatteringly good '93 Tattinger and crostinis of marinated, roasted feta and salty tapenade. I nibbled on these tasty amuse bouche with my feet kicked up in the glide rocker while feeding Tiz her bottle with my free hand.



After polishing off the bottle of bubbles, we proceeded to the dining room for a salad of mache, crisp apples and monchego cheese followed by grilled veal chops on truffled polenta with carmelized shallots and oven-burst tomatoes. A bottle of Rosenblum Petite Sirah - my birthday gift from Richard - complimented the meal and even worked pretty well with the steamed chocolate cake on cabernet-caramel sauce we had for dessert.

I'll tell you what... these girls know how to treat their man!


The celebrating continued this morning with blueberry pancakes for breakfast. I also got to try out some cool birthday gifts. Kim's sister, Carol made this great quilted French Press Cozy to keep my morning brew warm, and her husband, Nathan, roasted me up a batch of his famous home-roasted coffee beans. What a treat!

Friday, October 13, 2006

new uniform


Janet Catlow came by today to visit Tiz and bring this beautiful outfit and cap she knitted. The yarn is cashmere, and Kim has commissioned one for herself as well.

uncle richard


Tiz enjoyed a visit from Uncle Richard today. He concluded that she's perfect.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

blue eyes


This photo is super over-exposed, but it is the first shot that really shows Tiz's eye color. They're darker blue than mine or Kim's and really cool looking... I hope they keep the hue.

brother from another mother


Here's an update on Grey Ellensohn, Candice and Chris' son. He's doing well, too. Last posting for today without Tiz in it, I promise.

endless summer


If Tiz isn't sure what to think about the snow, I lack any uncertainty. Since I'm a waterman at heart, I dread the plague of winter. Even though I know that this snow won't stick and it'll warm up in a few days, it's a sign of what's soon to come. Looks like Lucy isn't too happy about it either. Sorry for posting a photo sans Tiz, but this was too good to pass up.

snow-garden gnome


We've got a theme going with these photos where Tiz is peeking in from the corner of the frame with some exotic landscape or point of interest in the background. We call it 'garden gnome style', a la the film Amalie. I think we're going to run with it.

first snow


Tiz woke up this morning to her first snow. We went out for the photo op, and she made funny faces as the flakes melted on her cheeks and nose. I don't think she was terribly impressed.

Monday, October 9, 2006

strollin'


Behold... the Ferrari of strollers... the Bugaboo Frog.

When she found out we were finally hooking her up with a little grandbaby, my Mom offered to buy us the stroller. The bugaboo caught our eye right away. It boasts stylish Euro-engineering, rides easily over most any obstacle on its pneumatic tires, turns on a dime, and instead of the cheesey fabrics most strollers are upholstered in, it's boldly robed in blaze orange cordura. We've already put some serious miles on her, and she performs like a dream. Unfortunately, after a visit to Babies r' Us, Dad noticed that the Frog cost over twice as much as any stroller they had on the floor. Oops... But don't worry Dad, it's only money and besides, you're never too young to learn that expensive gifts are the true measure of love!

that's my girl

field trip


We've had perfect autumn weather this week and we've been walking every day. Tiz seems to like the fresh air and the exercise is helping Kim regain her strength. Tired of the park on our block, this afternoon we took a field trip to Herrick Lake. Tiz worked on her tan and I showed her how to read the wind on the water to decide what size sail to rig. She got it right away.

Saturday, October 7, 2006

here's one for granny


My mom get's testy if there isn't a new picture of Tiz every day or two, so here she is picking out her jack-o-lantern.

Spoiled


Today was my last official day of paternity leave, and I am not happy about it. I am seriously getting used to the Mr. Mom lifestyle. We hang out. We take walks. We have a beer at lunch. We watch windsurfing videos while Tizzy has her bottle. It's going to be rough going back to work on Monday.

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

happy birthday, Tiz


Tiz is one week old today. We gave her a bath and opened a bottle of Vueve Clicquot. She slept through her party, but she smelled great!

Tizzy and Mom


Here's a nice shot of Tiz with her Mom. Kim is a little camera shy, and since she's the better photographer and usually takes the pics, you rarely see her in the frame. Enjoy.

uncommon bond



This is really unbelievable. About a year and a half ago, this girl named Candice called looking for someone to do some catering for her work. We began a professional relationship and eventually became friends, Kim and I and she and her husband, Chris going to dinner once in a while and hanging out. In March, Candice called to place a catering order and told me the good news... she was pregnant. "No kidding..." I replied, "So is Kim!" Candice asked who Kim's doctor was, and when we realized they both went to the same practice, the questions began flying. When's she due... where's she delivering... are you going to find out the gender? Turned out she and Kim were due within 2 weeks of each other, so as the weeks went by we all learned about the process together, spending hours on the phone and around dinner tables getting used to the idea of becoming parents. In the end, as unbelievable as it should have been, no one was very surprised when the doctor called both Kim and Candice into the hospital on the same day. Candice and Chris' son, Greyson James Ellensohn, was born on September 27th, 2006... just a few hours before Tizzy Kay.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Dave's Flower


We bought Kim's Dad, Dave a rose bush for Father's Day and this rose bloomed on Tizzy's birthday, so he picked it and brought it over. Sweet.

Tiz the frog after her first bath

turn on your heartlight


This look inspired some Neil Diamond-esque serenading around bedtime. Tizzy on her billy lights.

Heading Home... and a newsflash


Here's a newsflash for you... newborns are a lot of work! Tizzy's blog has been sorely neglected since we got home, so here's an update while she catches a nap. We've covered a lot of ground in the last few days. We made it home safe and sound, surviving the nail-biting first drive in the car. Tiz was diagnosed with jaundice that was severe enough for the doctor to prescribe billy lights, which were delivered to our house on Sunday evening. When we put them on she looks a lot like ET, which inspired our first teasings of her (needless to say, she was not amused). She went on her first adventure, which was a trip to the doctor to get a blood test. And, of course, we had her first bath. All-in-all, its been a very exciting week.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

jaundiced and confused


Here's Tiz at 52 hours old. She's a little jaundiced and looks a bit puzzled in this photo, but we think she's happy to be going home today! She kept us up most of the night with what they call 'cluster feeding'... sounds like Kim and I on vacation in Paris. We'll be leaving the hospital in a few hours, so check back tonight or tommorow for all her first impressions of her new home.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Portrait


Here's a portrait. It's amazing how much she changes from hour to hour. She's about 36 hours old in this photo.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Fresh Face / Getting into Uniform


TK with Proud Papa / TK meets Granny


Tizzy Kay makes the scene...



Alright... we've survived the first night and gotten a little sleep, so here are those photos I promised.

And for those of you interested in the play-by-play, here's how it went:

* We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 Tuesday night.
* Nurses got us checked in and administered cervedil to help get things rolling.
* We both slept alright Tuesday night, then they started the pitosin to induce labor early Wednesday morning.
* Spent most of the day walking the halls together (Kim and I) with her contractions increasing in intensity throughout the day.
* By 4:00 PM her contractions were pretty severe and only a minute to two apart, so we were pretty sure we would be having a natural birth.
* Our doctor came in and did an exam and found that Kim wasn't really dialated at all, so he recommended we go C-section, and we agreed.
* At 5:07 PM little Tizzy Kay was born. She was tugged out by her head, all purple and slimy, and it was one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen.

She's healthy and peaceful, eating and sleeping well and not yet at all fussy. We are ecstatic.

She's Here!

She's here! Tizzy Kay was born on Wednesday, September 27th at 5:07 PM. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20 inches long. I'll have some photos up this afternoon. In the mean time, click the link on the left for Carol's Blog... Aunt Carol has already posted a few photos. More to come...

Saturday, September 23, 2006

out of our element

M - It's Saturday, week before, and I've finished my last day of work before Tizzy arrives. I'm actually really nervous right now. No more distractions to keep me from thinking about the enormous changes we're about to go through, not to mention the birth itself (if I'm nervous, I can't imagine how Kim feels!) and all the firsts we have in store. The first feedings... the first nap (is she still breathing???)... the terrifying first bath, punctuated by shouts of, "Be careful!!!", "Watch her head!!!", and "Don't drown her!!!" This ain't whisking the roux... It's a whole new world.

I keep trying to check myself to avoid full-on panic, asking, "How hard can it be?" I mean, people do it all the time. And it's not like we're incapable folks. We've managed to succeed in an industry known for devouring independents like us and sending once hopeful and empassioned foodies to financial ruin. We oversee a whole staff of people. We organize events for thousands of guests each and every weekend. This should be a piece of cake!

Who am I kidding... We're in way over our heads!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

What's in a name?


M - This is the original Tizzy. She doesn't look that feisty, does she? Well, apparently she was. Tizzy was Kim's great-grandmother, who, in a bold move for the era, divorced her husband over his tendency to drink too much and ride the rails (honestly, it worries me somewhat that we are idolizing this lady... I mean, tossing back a few cold ones and hopping a freight car to points unknown doesn't sound to me like a terrible way to spend a weekend, but I digress). Tizzy went on to raise her 2 children alone in the midst of the great depression. Her given name was Mary Elizabeth, and her daughter, Kim's Grandmother, was Kathleen Elizabeth, another strong woman who was a great role model for all the young women who came after her. We borrowed a little from each of them and the result seems to fit our restless little girl... she's been dancing around in utero so much that it seems she's often in a tizzy. The name also worked for us because of it's versatility... Tizzy Kay is fun and playful and well suited to the pro windsurfer /artist we envision our daughter to become, and Elizabeth or any of its variations will work if, heaven forbid, she decides to be a banker or lawyer or (gasp!) some stiff-collared, corporate stooge. Anyway, what's in a name? We just can't wait to meet her.