7.31.11 ~ Summer is Flying By

This summer has been going by so fast. I can't believe that tomorrow is the first day of August already. Though, I must admit, this summer hasn't been the most enjoyable. In large part because of the crazy heat we've had here. Our little window air conditioners have been chugging along. But on many days they really haven't been keeping up. The main reason I'm sad (actually panicky) about the passing of time is that days are ticking down until my dissertation defense in September. And I still have A LOT of writing left to do. To complicate matters, Liam's school is closed for summer break now. So we've hatched a little plan so that I can keep working on my dissertation despite not having child care. Tomorrow Liam and I are headed to Baltimore (without Jason because he has to stay and work) for two weeks so that Liam can hang with his grandparents while I write. Also, Hannah is due any day now, so we'll also be eagerly awaiting the arrival of baby Kaya. Hannah has a small army of people lined up ready to help see her and Toros through those crazy first few days of parenthood. Smart lady. Because we all know there's no wilder ride. I can't wait to meet the little bugger.

In other news, I've been keeping up with the cooking. And I'm getting better, if I do say so myself. This is a big deal for me, people. I've always sworn I would never cook because I hate doing it. But, in the end it seems my love for eating food has won out over my hatred for the kitchen. And really, it's not not fun. I don't actually hate it. I'm building my confidence by sticking to easy and fast recipes. And Liam has been a trooper, trying almost everything I set in front of him. Even Jason is jumping in on the action. He made scrumptious french toast last weekend for breakfast...both days. And last night he made a pasta dish that involved pesto from scratch. Not bad for a kid who, only the day before, couldn't have told you the base ingredient in pesto!

7.24.11 ~ Woofing

Liam: "That dog is woofing."
Nina: "That dog is barking. But I guess you can say 'woofing'. Anyone would know what you mean."
Liam: "That dog is barfing."

7.17.11 ~ The Outer Banks 2011

Glorious outdoors with beach and sun. There may have been some tears as we headed back to New York when the week was over. This year we had an even bigger and better beach house with an even bigger and better pool. Liam is a tiny creature of habit, so I think there were some things about being on vacation that threw him off. But, overall, he loved the beach and the pool and the family time. He especially loved having his daddy for a whole week. I am no longer the favorite. (I'm totally OK with that.) I know Liam was sad to leave the beach for his “green house in Brooklyn” too. Although, he no longer looked sad when we actually got here and he was reunited with all of his toys. The toys were less helpful for Jason and me.

In other news, I’ve started cooking. More on why later…. But here are some of my creations (and by "creations" I mean "things I made directly from recipes that others created"). Not bad for a newbie, huh? Are we proud?

6.27.11 ~ The Baltimore Zoo

Last week Liam and I took an impromptu trip to Baltimore to join the Hetzner/Steele clan on a zoo outing. Carol had planned the day in honor of what would have been Jeremy’s 30^th birthday. I hadn’t been to the Baltimore Zoo since Jason and I went on a date there when I was in college. I think that must have been the summer of 2000. Many, many years ago. This time, Jason wasn’t there (he was working). But Ethan, Liam, Owen, and Sydney, the next generation of Hetzner/Steele’s, were all there and really seemed to enjoy themselves.

After the zoo, we stayed in Baltimore through the weekend. Now we’re counting down to our beach vacation. Five more days till fresh air, sunshine, swimming, biking, and relaxation!

6.19.11 ~ Summa Time

It’s summer time but the living has not exactly been easy. It’s been busy and fun, but not easy. We kicked the summer off with my birthday extravaganza. The next weekend, Liam and I had a very eventful drive out to Kim and Greg’s in Suffern to play with Ethan and meet little Baby Anna. Baby Anna was gorgeous and tiny and Ethan and Liam played as if they had known each other for ever (they kind of have, but I sort of doubt they remembered each other). Baby Anna and Ethan made the two hours that we were stranded in the Bronx totally worth it!


Then last weekend we headed back to Baltimore for Hannah’s baby shower, Josh’s birthday, and Liam and Sydney’s baptism. It was back to back parties all weekend long. At Hannah’s shower we decorated bibs with Hannah, her adorable belly, Helki, my mom, and a bunch of Hannah’s friends. That night, much later than we had hoped, we popped in over at Josh and Mandy’s and celebrated the last hour of Josh’s birthday with him. Though, the highlight was definitely meeting Teagan. Another new, lovely, tiny baby girl.

The next morning we rolled out of bed and got dressed for church. I had told Jason long ago that if he wanted to have Liam baptized, it would have to be his thing since Quakers (my religion, technically) don’t do baptism. So when Jeff and Angela started preparing for Sydney’s baptism, Jason decided to sneak Liam in as well. On Sunday morning Jason started prepping Liam for what was up ahead. Because, let’s be honest, the child is not really familiar with church. And if you take Liam and put him in a new place, full of new people, and then you try and dump water on his head…. Well, it’s just not a recipe for happiness. But Jason did a good job telling him what to expect and by the time we arrived at church Liam was telling everyone he was going to get "water on my head" today. Then Jason and I took him to the back of the church where the water is and showed him the “statue” where the head-watering would take place. Reverend Flo met us back there and greeted Liam who told her to “go away”. Uh oh. But the service started and Liam sat with Jason and was pretty happy to listen to the music and take it all in. By the time Flo called us up to the front Liam jetted up ahead of us to sprint down the isle (the same isle I walked down to marry Jason not that long ago. Sniff sniff). After the initial presentation of both kids, we headed to the back of the church where Jason poured the water into the basin. It was nice and quiet in the church as Liam shouted “I need to see the water!” I quietly reminded him that Sydney would have her turn first and then he’d be up. Sydney took the “water on HER head” like a pro. And just as Jeff and Angela turned to step down, Liam yelled “MY TURN!”. That got a chuckle from the crowd. As we stepped up to the water, Liam dipped his hands in, lifted them up, and poured the water onto his own head. He did the job himself! But Flo finished it up with three additional handfuls of water, much to Liam’s delight. I was shocked. Not only did he endure the whole ritual, he actually enjoyed it. And he certainly embraced having the attention of the entire congregation on him. The kid can certainly turn it on when he wants to. After the baptism, we headed back to Jeff and Angela’s for some lunch, drinks, and family time. I know Jeff and Jessica will be wonderful Godparents to Liam. As he grows up, it will be nice for him to have others adults to count on, besides his dear parents. Someone will have to buy him beer. It's not going to be us. And one more thing…. We learned that Sydney and Liam are the 5^th generation of the Jason’s family to be baptized in that same church. Pretty amazing.

This weekend we mostly were hunkered down at home and celebrated father’s day with Jason. Our main outing yesterday was to attend Simon’s Fabulous Firefighter Third Birthday Party, where Liam had a blast to say the least.

Today we rode our bikes around the neighborhood and ate pizza in the park. On the ride home this evening, we passed a drum circle. Liam demanded to stop, get down from his bike seat, and then join the dancers. Not bad for a white boy!

Drum Circle from Nina Philipsen Hetzner on Vimeo.

6.05.11 ~ 30 Years of Nina

Last Sunday was my 30^th birthday. On Friday, Jason, Liam, and I hopped on a train and headed to Baltimore. Unbeknownst to me, our train ride was the kickoff to Nina-fest: Three days of non-stop birthday surprises and fun. At the train station Angela picked me up and we headed to meet Hannah for four hours of spa pampering. After the spa, Hannah, Angela, and I headed back to my parents house where - much to my surprise – 30 of our family members and closest friends yelled “surprise!!” at me as I walked through the front door. As the party was coming to a close, and I was frantically trying to brush Liam’s teeth in hope of getting him in bed before 11pm, Jason announced to me that we were flying to Denver in the morning! I had been wanting to see Brittany pregnant, and we had already canceled two trips to Denver because of time and money shortages, so it was the perfect surprise. The next morning, Jason, Liam, and I were sitting on a plane jetting towards the Rockies. Jonas and Brittany picked us up at the airport and drove us back to their house. As Jonas opened the back door to show me the yard he and Brittany had been working so hard on, Pia, Raymond, Vera, Chas, Jill, Josh, Whitney, and Ashton all greeted me with birthday hats and noise makers. For the third time in less than 24 hours, I almost had a heart attack from surprise (and joy). The rest of the weekend was spent snuggled up with my besties and my siblings enjoying the Denver weather, eating, drinking, and being merry. Jason: pretty amazing. Right?

Turning 30 is certainly a milestone. Though, I haven’t quite yet figured out what the significance of the milestone is for me. My dad says it’s the beginning of real adulthood. Though, for me, I think real adulthood started years ago when I embarked on a PhD and a marriage. And then having Liam only added to the adult-ness. Maybe 30 marks the beginning of physical aging. Wrinkles, sun damage, hangovers, and a slowing metabolism have all become noticeable to me only in the past year. Although, if I dig deep, I really don’t give a shit about any of those things. And I’m not at a place where any of my body has really started failing me. Really, I think this year marks a different kind of change for me. I feel more settled, more at ease, less restless, and more confident than I’ve ever felt before. I’m happy about the things I’ve accomplished in the past 10 years. I landed a pretty sweet husband, I have a masters degree and am in the final stages of a doctorate, I’ve traveled some, I’ve maintained my closest friendships, I’ve created a new little life from scratch and have gotten him to the age of two without accidentally starving or losing him, I practice yoga, and take lots of pictures. I’m working on my goals for the next 10 years. But some things are already taking shape, and it’s looking good. So, I’ve decided to welcome my 30’s with open arms…. When I get to 40, I might be a little less optimistic.

5.14.11 ~ From 'I’m Busy' to 'I’m a Fishie'

Today Liam had his second swim class. Jason got in with him and “encouraged” him to get into the water much sooner than I had last time.

At first he was a little skeptical.

But soon he warmed up to the idea.

And then actually had quite a bit of fun.

And, the money shot! He put his face in the water to blow bubbles!! (more times than this once that I caught with the camera). He also kicked, used his arms, and floated on his back. At one point, as Jason was pushing him along by his waist, and Liam's arms were going, and legs were kicking, Liam yelled "I'm swimming! I'm swimming!" That got some chuckles from the pool deck.

And today we got Hannah and Toros’s bike seat up and running… thanks guys!

Thumbs up!