Cuddle Time!

Somehow Violet has misunderstood the meaning of the word cuddle. When she watches TV, I snuggle up next to her and say, "Violet, let's cuddle."  She looks at me with those adorable brown eyes, smiles and screams, "Cuddle!".  Somehow she has developed the association of cuddling and watching TV, or maybe she thinks cuddling actually means watching TV.  In any case, the little sneaky cookie monster comes up to me all the time now and says, "Cuddle".  I get all excited and we sit on the couch together and before 3 seconds are up, she is pointing to the TV and screaming, "Dora, Dora, Dora."  Gets me every time!

I LOVE YOU!

After a week of trying to teach Violet to say, "I love you", she finally uttered the precious words.  It sounded more like I la la la you, but we'll take it!  Before she left for day care this morning, I said, "I love you" and she said, "I la la la you."  That little girl melts my heart.

Getting Dressed

You often hear parents complain about getting their kid ready in the morning.  Luckily, Violet loves getting dressed in the morning.  We talk about each piece of clothing in great detail...

Me: OK, let's get your diaper changed and put on a fresh new diaper with Elmo on it.
Violet: Elmo?
Me: Now, let's put on this really pretty shirt
Violet: Shirt...
Me: Here comes the skirt!
Violet: Skirt.
Me: Let's go and get your shoes.
Violet: Shoes!!!
Me: Now for the jacket
Violet: Jacket?
Me: Now the hat..
Violet: Hat? No no no
Me: OK, let's go to sadik
Violet: sadik!
Me: Violet, I love you!
Violet: you!

Violet is a master of the one word sentence.

Funny Sh*t Grandma Says

Grandma: (staring at me across the kitchen table with a look of disgust)
Me: What is it? Something wrong?
Grandma: No, I just really can't get used to you without make up.
Me: Umm, grandma, I am wearing make up.
Grandma: Oh. (turning away so she doesn't have to continue to look at the horror)

Circa Halloween

Since we were in Turks and Caicos for Halloween, we were unable to partake in any of the usual NYC festivities.  I was especially bummed about missing the Cobble Hill Park Halloween Parade - which is only a few blocks away from our house.  Violet did however get to attend the party at her daycare, which took place the Friday before Halloween. The kids all dressed up in cute outfits (kudos to the mom who dressed her baby as a burrito), carved pumpkins, wrapped each other in toilet paper and baked cookies.  Here are some snapshots from what looked like a very fun day!

In keeping up with tradition, we also went over to Kazhdanchik's house, a few weeks after Halloween, and took pictures of Audrey and Violet in their costumes.  Here are a few more pics:

In a somewhat related note: someone (Lana Weissbard a.k.a Lana Vaynshteyn) recently told me that I have gotten lazy and instead of writing started to mostly post pictures.  This is probably true for multiple reasons, with one being that is is much easier to take pictures than it is to come up with stuff to write about.  The second reason being that I want to reach my 400 page goal before I turn 90.  For those counting, the page total is now 120, which is pretty sad considering that I have been writing for over two years and the last 15 pages are filled with pictures.   

Not Quite Rapunzel

On Saturday, November 19th, I finally bit the bullet and took Violet to get her first haircut.  I can't quite explain it but parting with her first baby hair made me really emotional.  Even though the woman at Mini Max Toys & Cuts barely took off half an inch it was still sad to see those first brownielocks go.  These are the same little curls that were in my womb, and according to my grandma, giving me all that heartburn.  The process itself went smoothly and Violet even got to sit in a little NYC taxi cab chair and watch Dora the Explored on her very own personal TV.  Kids have it good!

Updating the Dictionary

Violet has been repeating anything and everything lately.  Here are some new additions to our little dictionary.

Ya-yet - This is actually Violet and she recently started to say it when you ask her what her name is
Pool - She would say this on vacation when we asked her if she wanted to go to the pool or to the beach
Shoes- she loves wearing my heels around the house
Apple- she is obsessed with apples and can eat them all day long.  Pineapples are also a top choice since they contain the word apple
Plov/Pasta/Pizza - All her favorite foods (or maybe just those she can pronounce)
Da - This is her word for Dora.  Yes, that's very confusing for us since it also happens to be the Russian word for yes.
Doggy- each one has to be pointed out along our walks
Dyadya and Tyotia - The Russian words for aunt/uncle or anyone of the human race.
Kaki? - She tends to say it as if she's asking a question, but it's usually said after the act is done.  Maybe she is asking us if we're interested in changing her diaper?
Elmo/Bird - this refers to the image of Elmo and Big Bird on her diapers
Juice or Pit'- She is a big fan of drinking from adult glasses (not sippy cups) and by that I mean that she is a big fan of pouring liquids all over herself.

Terrible 2's?

Hello terrible 2's, you're here early!  Violet has figured out that in order to get her way all she has to do is scream, stomp her feet and start throwing food around.  Oh, the fun begins!

Turks and Caicos

Nestled between Hispaniola and the Bahamas, you will find the islands of Turks and Caicos.  The British owned islands are easily the best thing to come from Britain since fish and chips.  After a very short and easy three hour flight, you will find yourself in a magical paradise where the sand is white as snow and the water is the bluest blue.  My favorite beaches so far have been in places that are pretty much near impossible to reach (see: Formentera and Labadee) so I was ecstatic to find this little piece of heaven just a hop and a skip away.

It wasn't just the gorgeous beaches, but also our fantastic accommodations at Seven Stars Resort.  From the romantic room with the four post bed and gorgeous ocean views, to the service, to the food, everything was absolute perfection.   It's one of the very few places I would return to in a heartbeat.  Violet was also a huge fan of the trip and was on her very, very best behavior. We had a great little routine that went something like this:

6:45am - Wake up for ALL.  Violet was our alarm clock and made sure no one dared to sleep in.
7:30am - Dressed and ready, we ventured out to the beach for our morning walk

8:30am - Breakfast Time.  Watermelon was Violet's favorite

9:30am - Pool...Beach...Pool...Beach...Pool.....tough life....

11:30am - Violet takes a nap while Gene and I enjoy some cervezas on the balcony

1:00 pm - We walk or take a cab to one of the many tasty restaurants on our list of recommendations.  Violet was even brave enough to try Conch Fritters.  If you haven't tried Conch, think escargo meets squid.

3:00pm -  Pool...Beach...Pool...Beach...Pool...

5:00pm - Head back to our room and get ready for dinner, which we only ate a few times on the trip, since we were so stuffed from lunch.  

6:00pm - Dinner 

8:00pm - Violet goes to sleep as Gene and I enjoy more drinks on the balcony and ultimately pass out before 10pm.  

5 years and counting...

Each year (around this time) the Roslovich and Klayman clan gets together and heads up to Ochs Orchard  for a day of fun, food and family adventure.  This year was the 5th annual Fall Fun w/Family Day (FFFD) and we once again spent the day strolling through the beautiful orchard while picking apples, berries, peppers and other goodies.  Every year we took pictures and looking back now, I remember each year fondly as it reminds me of a monumental life event.

2007

OK so I couldn't find the pictures from the first FFFD but it was the year that Gene and I moved in together

2008

Shortly after our wedding (and after a very painful molar extraction which left me looking like a chipmunk for 4 weeks)

2009

Pregnant with Violet (and sadly only a few months after loosing my dad)

2010

 First year with our new addition - Violet Talia Klayman

2011

The year we bought our first apartment

Bank Robbery

A man with a gun goes into a bank and demands their money.  Once he is given the money, he turns to a customer and asks, "Did you see me rob this bank?"  The man replied, "Yes sir, I did."  The robber then shot him in the temple, killing him instantly.  He then turned to a couple standing next to him and asked the man, "Did you see me rob this bank?"  The man replied, "No sir, I didn't, but my wife did!"

Wedding Season is Upon Us

Earlier this week, I wrote a very lovey-dovey post about Gene and why I love him.  It took people by surprise to see the sentimental side of me, which rarely makes a public appearance.  It might not be a world known fact, but I am the biggest sucker for romance.   Flowers, weddings, romantic comedies, love letters, I love all that crap!  I have been feeling especially sappy because of all the recent weddings I "attended".  The season was kicked off with a bang by William and Kate...

Anya & Zhenya were soon to follow. 

Nine days later, Bella & Andrey tied the knot.

And last, but surely not least, we have arguably the most influential couple of all, the American version of William and Kate - Kim & Kris

As I watched the couples say their I do's, my eyes welled up with tears. There is something so special about a couple standing in front of their friends and family and declaring their love and commitment.  During the ceremony, some giggled with innocence and joy, and others whispered sweet I love you's.  One thing that really stood out was the expression on the parent's faces.  They beamed from ear to ear as their little girls and boys said, "I do".  It made me fast forward and think about the day I hopefully get to see Gene walk Violet down the isle as she prepares to say her "I do's". The thought terrified me and thrilled me at the same time.  Although mostly it just made me sad because I realized a day will come when she will grow up and leave us and a whole different chapter in our (and her) life will begin.  Ok, the depressing portion of this blog post is complete, so here are some funny quotes about marriage:

"You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to"

"We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops."

"Marriage is nature’s way of keeping us from fighting with strangers."

"Why are wives more dangerous than the Mafia? The mafia wants either your money or life… wives want both!"

Mushy Mush

The things I love...

I love that you cover me with a blanket if you think I might be cold

I love when you tell me I am beautiful even when I look like a hot mess

I love how much you love Violet

I love when you tell me you want to eat sushi when you really want a burger with a side of ribs

I love when you get mad at others for not recycling

I love that you don't let me sweat the small stuff

I love that you put water next to my bed in case I get thirsty at night

I love how you always let me be me

I love you and everything about you...

Violet, do you like your outfit?

Zakarpatskaya Zvezda

When I dress Violet, I usually tend to stay away from cutesy, frilly, lacy or ensembles that remind me of bubble gum.  However, this morning I was in one of those weird moods and dressed her in this:

Even though it's not her usual look, I thought it was kinda cute.  My judgement was probably clouded by the fact that this was on MY child.  If I saw this on someone else, I would probably call Joan Rivers and have them featured on Fashion Police.  

Gene's Corner: She looks like she can be Zakarpatskaya Zvezda.

Pumpkin Paradise

This weekend we went to my mom's house in LI and on the way back we stopped by what I call a pumpkin playground.  Essentially it was a bunch of pumpkins scattered throughout, along with a roasted corn stand, slides of all sizes, rides (on tractors and ponies), corn mazes, apple picking and other fun stuff for kids to explore.  Violet wasn't really into the slides, but she was on a mission to try to pick up the heaviest pumpkin she can find.  Here are some pictures that sum up the day...

Summer 2011 (in pictures)

A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are 10,000 words in picture format.

 Maidstone Beach in East Hampton

 Daddy teaching Violet to swim

 Violet and Jackson in the building's courtyard

 Violet cleaning up after "hurricane" Irine

 Feeding ducks and swans in E. Hampton

 Violet refused to part with the stale bread to feed the ducks

Main beach in E.Hampton 

 The swing at Van Voorhees Park

 Petting Zoo at Prospect Park

Audrey introduces Violet to sushi

Сорока-ворона

Out of my 150+ blog posts, this has been by far the most popular one, with nearly 300 1 million hits.  I suppose there are a lot of people out there trying to find the words to popular Russian nursery rhymes.  This made me want to include Violet's current favorite nursery rhyme/song: Сорока-ворона.

Russian

Сорока – сорока,

Кашу варила,
Деток кормила.

Это му дала,

Это му дала,

Это му дала,
Это му дала,

A этому не дала-

Ты воды не носил,
Дров не рубил,

Тебе нет ничего!

English
Magpie - Magpie,
Cooked the porridge,
Fed it to the little children.

She gave to this one,

She gave to this one,
She gave to this one,
She gave to this one,

But she did not give to this one -

You have not brought water,

You have not chopped fire-wood.

There is nothing for you!

The adult runs her finger over the baby's palm, like her finger is a ladle and says the first verse. Then the adult bends each of the baby's fingers (except the pinky) while saying the second.  The pinky finger is held and shaken during the third verse. 

 I guess Russians want to instill good work ethic from infancy.  How does this sound?  Violet, you didn't help me optimize my search campaign today, therefore you did not contribute to this family's income, so tonight you will not be eating dinner.   If you think that's harsh, you should see the Ukrainian version of this rhyme.  Here is the translation only:

The Magpie-Crow

Was sitting on the stovetop,

Cooking porridge for the children

I gave to this one,

I gave to this one,

I gave to this one,

I gave to this one,

And I won't give to this one.

'Cause this one 

Didn't chop the wood,

Didn't make the dough,

Didn't go for water,

Didn't look after the children,

Didn't do anything.

And the one who doesn't work,

Doesn't eat!

The full rhyme can be found here.  So while the Russian child had to chop the wood and bring the water, the Ukrainian child also had to make the dough and look after the children.  And if that wasn't enough, s/he was blatantly told that those who don't work, don't eat.  Poor Ukrainian children, they just can't get a break. 

A,B,C....O?

This morning I walked into the room to find Violet doodling while singing the ABC song.  I usually use the doodle board to write out the letters as I say them so she is familiar with what they look like.  Her song sounded something like this:

A,B,C...babble babble, I, O...babble babble, X,Y....babble babble...now know....babble babble...

I was so proud because I have been singing it to her the past few days and I was amazed to see that she has been listening all along.   Usually I start and say, "A" and she repeats "B" to which I say "C" and she always follows that up with "O".  I remind her that next is "D" and she continues by saying "I".  It's not a perfect performance, but we're working on it.

Potty Pooper

Before becoming a mom, I never understood why parents would get excited about their kids' fecal matter.   I was forced to listen to numerous stories about kids crapping all over the walls, themselves and god knows what other objects around the house.  It made me make this mental note: do NOT tell poop stories to people who aren't parents, because there is nothing funny or cute about defecation.  Alas, here I am  writing about potty training my kid.  Well, actually the day care is potty training Violet and all Gene and I have to do is cheer and clap and sing, "poop on the potty, poop on the potty, poop on the potty. Yay!!!"  I think we enjoy it a lot more than Violet and a little part of us (mostly Gene) wishes that this little song and dance was also appropriate in other places....say at dinner parties, or the workplace.  Violet hasn't fully figured out that she has to go on the potty in order to complete the waste removal process so we often see her squatting in random corners around the apartment, then standing up and cheering for a job well done.  Ah, to be a kid again!

What is Art?

What is that you ask?  I have no freakin' clue but I can tell you that it is the first of the many unidentifiable art projects to come.  When I came to pick up Violet from day care yesterday, she extended her little hands and forked over the pink thingumabob, (paper weight?)  beaming from ear to ear.  At that moment, I was the proudest mommy on the planet!  My little girl made that!!!  

Fall Foliage

It feels like just yesterday I wrote this post.  Alas it has actually been months and now my favorite season is upon us.  How can anyone not like the Fall? Especially the early Fall when it's still pretty warm out and the leaves start to turn and it's that magical time right before everyone starts trampling over each other for Christmas presents. The whole seasons screams of pumpkins, cinnamon and apples.  Most importantly, I look great in orange, which might as well be the official color of Autumn. Then there is Halloween and the all important decision of what Violet should be this year.  Last year she had two costumes: a sheep and a ladybug. It's going to be hard to beat such cuteness!

  

I have to enjoy this time because as the years pass, the costumes will get shorter and sluttier.  First she will go as a princess, then it will be a cheerleader and before you know it she will be a slutty cat or maid or cop or some other costume that will be sure to give Gene a heart attack.

A growing dictionary

Each week Violet is learning new words.  Here are some recent additions to her dictionary.

Car - this is often followed by vroom vroom
Cookie
Nyam Nyam - this is usually done while pointing at her high chair and demanding to eat at 6:30 am
Dai/Na - (give me/here)  She uses these interchangeably
Go Go Go - For some strange reason she never says "go" once or twice but always three times.  I guess she really wants to enforce her sense of urgency.
Duck - she started to say this the other day when we went to visit the duck pond.  We had a really great time until I realized she was hoarding all the stale bread for herself instead of feeding the hungry creatures.

Our first phone conversation

Violet is currently out east with her grandma and uncle while I am here in Brooklyn feeling miserable with a 103 degree fever.  She's there for an entire week and I will be leaving to San Francisco for a Search Marketing conference (oh the joy) tomorrow.  I didn't think it was humanly possible to miss someone so much but my heart feels like it's going to burst into a million little pieces each time I think of not being able to hold her, play with her, laugh with her and just have her little punim next to me.  Luckily I have been getting daily updates from grandma and I even get to talk to Violet on the phone.   Here is how the convo goes:

Me: Hiiiiiii Violet
Violet: Hiii
Me: It's Mama!
Violet:  Hiiii
Me: I miss you so much! I am so glad I get to talk to you. Yay!!
Violet: Yay!
Me: Have you been eating?
Violet: No
Me: well that's not good
Violet: Hiiii
Me: Hiiii. I love you
Violet: Hiii
Me: Hiii?
(Peter takes away the phone and line goes dead)

Good talk!

Reading Between the Wines

I FINALLY did it; I started a book club!  I have been forcing my book choices upon my friends for years but we never actually got together specifically to discuss what we read. Usually we would chat over IM and those conversations typically went like this:

Me: Did you read (insert random book here)?
Random Friend: Yeah
Me: Good, right?
Random Friend: Yeah

This did not a book club make.  It was time to take the bull by the horns and turn this little hobby into a real book club, with myself as president of course. My first order of business was to pick out ten top rated books of different genres and styles.  The books range from Sedaris short stories to a Vonnegut classic to the poetic writing of Bukowski, with a few fun novels in between.  There are currently 8 people (I will stop taking new applicants after we reach 10) in the club and some of us are friends, some acquaintances and some of us never met. I took the liberty of creating a Facebook group where we can all post questions/comments/thoughts about the books as we read them.  There is also a schedule for meeting times for the next seven months, which will not change unless at least 50% of the book club is unable to attend. The only exception is if a key member (say the president) is unable to attend then surely other arrangements can be made.   The meetings will be held at various restaurants and I will bring handouts for everyone with a list of questions up for discussion.  Last, but not least, I had to come up with a great and catchy name but since I am not that original I stole one off the web and that is how Reading Between the Wines was born .  As you can see, I am taking this quite seriously.

When I  told  Gene he made a confused face and said, "This sounds like English class." OK, so not everyone understands my passion for reading novels but ever since I was a little girl I adored books and even before I knew how to read, my earliest memories are of my parents reading me bedtime stories.   By the time I was 4 years old they read entire novels (one chapter at a time) before bedtime.  I remember looking forward to bedtime knowing that I will soon learn about the adventures that await Pippi Longstocking or what crazy antics Karlson will be up to next.  There is nothing like submerging yourself in a great story that can whisk you a thousand miles away and make you feel warm and fuzzy (technical term) all over.

Gene isn't the only one that thinks I am loopy.  After talking to some of my friends over drinks yesterday, I learned that they all think I have jumped off the deep end.  Luckily they are still participating in what they now call their school assignment. If they keep up that sour attitude, none of them will be getting the extra credit. Besides making fun of me for taking this way too seriously, they are also sure that this club won't make it past 1 or 2 books.  While that is the fate of many book clubs, I assure you Reading Between the Wines will lead a very long shelf life.  Who knows maybe one day I will even loosen the rules of this little dictatorship and let the  members pick the books they want to read.  I said maybe...

4 AM Playtime

The last two nights Violet has been waking up in the middle of the night and instead of crying like she usually does, she requests to have playtime.  I have been humoring her (because she has been sick) and taking her out of her crib so we can both sit on the couch and watch the pictures change on our digital frame. Violet likes to tell me all the people she sees in the pictures and so the list begins: papa, baba, baby.....pause....papa, baba, baby.  Even though it's the middle of the night, a motherly pang of jealousy kicks in and I ask her, "what about mama?"  She smiles coyly and continues: baba, papa, baby....baba, papa, baby.  This kid is only a year old and she already knows how to manipulate me.  When she really wants to get me going, she points at the nanny when I ask her, "where is mama?"  Meanwhile everyone tells me she throws the word around like no tomorrow when I am not there.  After about ten minutes she begins to yawn and back to bed she goes.  It might sound crazy, but I kind of enjoyed these last two days where the two of us get to cuddle in the dark while looking at pictures that bring back happy memories of birthdays celebrations, apple picking, family holidays and vacations.  It feels cozy, sweet and makes me wish we could make smores in our non existent fireplace.

Day Care

 As I might have mentioned in a previous post, my nanny is VERY pregnant so we were faced with an important decision: new nanny or day care?  After speaking with nannies, friends, moms, grandmas and pretty much anyone who would talk, day care seemed to be the popular choice.  Everyone praised it for the social interaction aspect as well as cost savings.  I also didn't want to go through the process of looking for nannies who are ultimately going to spend most of their day on the phone while my kid plays by herself.  Did I mention that Violet paces around the apartment with a phone to her ear while speaking gibberish?  Gee, I wonder where she got that from?
At first I thought I would have a million options since our neighborhood is baby central, but I soon learned that many of these places have a one year waiting list. Who knew I should have been scoping this out while pregnant.   In the end, Gene and I only checked out a few places but both of us really liked the day care we ended up going with.  It's small (max of 12 kids) and located near our apartment, inside of a cozy brownstone with an outdoor play area in the back.  We first went there for a tour several weeks ago and there were two other couples there with their children.  One was a boy of about 2-3 and the other was a six month old baby girl.  While the parents were speaking to the day care provider, the older boy was off to the side playing with the toys and the baby was quietly nestled in between her parents.  The entire hour we were there, that little baby didn't make a peep.  Violet on the other hand was alternating between taking toys away from the older boy and walking over to the baby to try to hit it on the head.  Now in her defense, I am sure she was just trying to see what would happen if you hit the baby upside the head and not actually trying to hurt it.  Just like Gene and I , Violet was probably amazed at how well behaved the baby was and wanted to shake things up a bit.  When she realized that no one is going to let her hit the baby and that the boy was just willing to give up his toys (what fun is that? no challenge!) she quickly changed her strategy and decided to go after the woman in charge of the day care.  She would sneak up on her and try to steal the notepad and pen she was holding, even though she was in a room full of toys, games, puzzles and books. Overall, the tour was a success and Violet had her first day last Friday.
When I dropped her off, I was ready to do exactly what they tell you not to do: have a long dramatic goodbye with lots of hugs and kisses and tell her that I love her and pretty much try to stay there as long as humanly possible.  Before I had a chance to do any of that, the women at the day care told Violet to say goodbye to mommy and before I knew it, my little baby was off to play with the other kids and I was out on the street having no choice but to go get my mani and pedi.  I am proud to say that I only called three times once to check up on her and in the end she was returned to me in one piece looking happy, rested and well fed. The women there told me that she was very well behaved and that she loves music, dancing and the other kids.  In fact, they said she even found herself a boyfriend!  I didn't have my first boyfriend until I was nearly 2, so Violet is definitely starting early.  If the first day is any indication of what lies ahead, then Violet will be just fine!

When did kids become so smart?

After putting Violet to bed last night, Gene and I were enjoying our tomato and basil salad (veggies came straight from the Farmers Market that day) when we heard a very loud scream.  We looked at each other in surprise and went to see what Violet was up to.  Upon walking into the room we find Violet standing in her crib and pointing to the changing table.  I place her on the table and check her diaper and sure enough it needs to be changed.  After she has a clean diaper on, I put her back into the crib and resume my delicious salad.  Only a few minutes pass before I hear another loud shriek.  I walk back into the room and see Violet once again standing and pointing to the changing table.  While it's unlikely that she needs yet another diaper change, stranger things have happened.  I place her back on the table and once out of the crib, she points to the floor.  Deciding to humor her,  I put her on the floor and she runs to the living room and plops herself in front of the TV with a giant grin on her face.  Violet: 1; Mommy: 0.

One temper tantrum: coming right up!

On a typical weekday evening, Violet picks me up from the train station (usually accompanied by the nanny) and we either head home via Cobble Hill Park (where she steals toys from other toddlers and eats a little sand) or do a little grocery shopping at Trader Joe's (TJ's).  I am a big fan of going to TJ's and getting fresh produce for dinner or at least a fresh baguette and some milk.  Violet on the other hand seems to hate shopping for food and she makes it very clear that she is NOT a fan.  Walking through the isles is doable because she usually gets distracted by all the shoppers smiling and commenting on the cute baby.  She rides proudly in her stroller and says hi to everyone along the way.  When her 'hi' goes unnoticed she makes sure to repeat it louder and louder until the poor soul has to greet Violet and pretend that they are fond of babies.  After the shopping portion is complete, we get on line.  If you aren't familiar with TJ's, here is what their line usually looks like:

Yes, this is an actual picture of a line at TJ's.  This is when our trip takes a turn for the worse.  Violet becomes   bored and begins to yell at the top of her lungs.  Now, you might be picturing a crying baby, right? No. This is nothing like a cry, but more like a high pitched scream that will shake you to your core.  The entire supermarket stops in amazement and stares at Violet who is focusing intently on creating the loudest scream possible.  After their shock subsides, the next natural thing for them to do is to glare at the mother (yup, that's me) who is clearly unable to keep her one year old in check.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to tell Violet that what she's doing is inappropriate but her vocabulary is currently limited to cat and hi.  I do my best impression of a concerned mother trying to convince her child that instead of yelling, she should whisper.  I don't waste much time and quickly turn to the next logical solution: snacks.  I hand Violet a few cut up grapes and that usually buys me a  minute or two until the next series of screams.  When it's finally our turn to pay, the cashier knows the drill way too well and begins to distract Violet by making funny faces.  Violet's face softens and her expression changes. Her face now says, "Cashier lady, I am on to you. I know you're trying to make me laugh and I will do it, but just this one time. You better keep up your little shtick or I will continue to terrorize the public".  I pay and exhale the breath I was probably holding the last five minutes.  The rational part of me says, "why the hell do you keep going there?" but the sadomasochist in me says, "there's no better way to spend a weekday evening".  Once we are outside and the stroller is moving Violet is happy as a clam and we continue on our journey home.  Usually the rest of the trip goes smoothly but yesterday Violet set off the alarm in our elevator and when the nice lady came on the speaker system asking how she can assist us in this emergency, I had to explain that my one year old accidentally pressed the alarm button and I didn't know how to shut it off.  If this is any indication of what the terrible two's are like.....bring it on!

My little thesaurus?

Here is Violet's version of the dictionary:

-cat
-bye
-bye mama (she won't say just the word mama to me no matter how much I plead but when I leave she waves and says bye mama)
-hi
-kayla (our friends' dog)
-nu nu nu (she says this when she is doing something she knows she isn't supposed to. this is also combined with a threatening shaking of the pointer finger)
-oh no (the no is drawn out so it's more like an Oh Nooooo)

She has also started to repeat some of the words after us, so after a five minute lesson on saying Violet,  she proudly said, "Vai."

Summer is officially here!

"In the United States and the rest of the northern hemisphere, the first day of the summer season is the day of the year when the Sun is farthest north (on June 20^th or 21^st). This day is known as the Summer Solstice"


INCORRECT!


"The first day of summer is actually the first time that we go to our house in East Hampton for the weekend.  This day typically falls on the Friday before Memorial Day and is known as Pure Awesomeness."


Tonight we leave for our first weekend in the Hammies and I couldn't be more excited to see Violet run around the back yard, enjoy her new swing, swim in the pool and jump on the trampoline.  However, the first weekend of the summer is all about work, work, work as we clean the pool, mow the lawn and tidy up the house after it's been standing abandoned all winter long.  Once things are in order, the lobster eating and sauvignon blanc drinking can officially begin!


Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Hungry Monkey

I was eating a banana before going into work the other day and Violet came up to me and opened her mouth.  I bent down and let her have a bite.  While she slowly chewed the banana, she realized how fast I was eating the rest of it.  She quickly finished chewing and reached up with her hands, grabbed the remainder of the banana out of my hands, ran to her room, hid in the corner with her back to the door and proceeded to hungrily stuff the banana into her mouth with both hands.  Every so often she would glance back to make sure I wasn't coming to steal the banana away from her.  It's official: she's a Roslovich.

Ma-Ma-Ma-Mommy-Ma-Mom-Ma-Mom....I love you!

When the nanny comes in the mornings Violet realizes that it means it's time for mommy to leave so she whimpers and raises her hands up asking to be picked up.  It's rather sweet to see how much she loves her mama.

Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day and Gene Violet really stepped up her game to make it an incredibly memorable day.  The night before Sunday she stayed at her grandparent's house so Gene and I spent the evening eating, drinking and playing poker at Sereja's and Slava's house. The following day we even got to sleep in, something that we haven't done in a very long time. When I woke up on Mother's Day morning, Gene said he saw Violet stash something in her crib. I excitedly ran into her room, where I found a Scoop bag, inside of which was a python clutch.   That's when I knew that it was going to be a good day!  Next on our agenda was to head into Staten Island for a family breakfast, prepared by uncle Vitya and aunt Gela. We devoured the omelet and triple stuffed French toast (Nutella, cream cheese and bananas) and spent the rest of the morning watching all the kids play together.  Peter and Ari play so well together (more so as they get older) and Mia just adores 'baby Violet'.  By 2PM, Violet was barely keeping her eyes open so we decided to head home.  She fell asleep on the car ride home, so I suggested we head into the city and check out some accent tables at Room and Board.  I went into the store and Gene stayed in the car with Violet, who woke up shortly after I left.  At this point we figured that we might as well go back to Brooklyn and spend the rest of the day strolling through parks and doing some grocery shopping at my favorite store: Trader Joe's.  We were on our way (and somewhere downtown) when all of a sudden Gene stops the car, pulls over and says he has to go to the bathroom.  I look up from my usual car activity - Facebooking, of course - and see that we are in front of Aquagrill.  Gene disappears and runs out a few minutes later holding a bag of my favorite - a dozen kumamoto oysters.  Ten minutes later, we were home and I was enjoying the plump and succulent willapa oysters, which I washed down with a cold glass of sauvignon blanc.  After a nice late afternoon stroll through the neighborhood, we put Violet to bed and spent the rest of the evening cuddling on our brand new couch and enjoying the apartment, which was finally (almost) fully furnished. Mother's Day 2011: A+

Bliss is around the corner

Ever notice that as the weather gets nicer life seems to slow down just a bit?  Soon enough, the kids will be out of school for the summer, camp will begin, the heat will creep in, people will start taking vacations and everything will be moving at a slightly slower pace.  This past year (give or take) has been pretty crazy for Gene and I as we managed to have a baby, buy an apartment, move and now decorate - all while Gene pursued his MBA and switched jobs.  As I add the finishing touches to the apartment, Gene's graduation is right around the corner.  Now that our weekends won't be filled with furniture shopping and homework, I can only imagine the possibilities.  We're actually going to have FREE time!  I look forward to the relaxing mornings and drinking my cup of coffee while watching cartoons with Cookie Monstroosha (Violet's not so secret nickname).  Our days will be filled with brunches, parks, museums and trips to the Hammies.   She will get to run, play in the sand (or eat it as I hear kids this age like to do), swim in the ocean and enjoy her new swing.  Spending time in the Hamptons with all the grandparents will also mean free babysitters so Gene and I can go to dinners, movies and shop at the Hampton boutiques (OK, maybe that last one is just for me).  

Summer, I am ready for you!

A Precious Monday Morning

Costa Rican Adventures

Before I go into a very detailed summary of our vacation to Costa Rica, I want to give credit to Lana and Jon for inspiring the format of this blog entry.  Also, I want to note that since the group of travelers consisted of multiple Zhenyas, Anyas and Serejas, at times I will use nicknames or last names for clarity. Also, the writing was done on location as well as on the plane and at home, so there is a very obvious mixing of tenses.  After realizing that it is 10 pages long, I decided to skip the editing process and publish as is.  Please forgive the horrific grammar.

Day 0 (Monday, March 14th)
2:00 PM - We say goodbye to Violet for what will be our longest separation.  A tear runs down my face as Gene scolds me for showing emotion. Actually, he was more concerned that Violet will associate tears and sadness with us leaving so he suggested we clap excitedly next time we leave.
8:00 PM - Arrive in San Jose only to learn that our rental cars have been brought to the airport instead of the rental pick-up place near our hotel.  A woman running a taxi stand volunteers to call our rental car company and tell them that we will be picking up our cars tomorrow, next to the hotel. We agree since we were told it's best not to drive at night in Costa Rica, especially not knowing where you are going.
9:00 PM - After checking in to our hotel, (Grano de Oro) we decide to head to a local place for a late dinner. The woman at the front desk giggles and suggest we take a cab even though it is a five minute walk.  I take it we're not in Kansas anymore. We arrive at Soda Tapia and immediately order a round of cervezas (beers).  The decor resembles an American diner and has red checkered tablecloths to match.  After multiple rounds of beer and some delicious local food, our bill arrives and we are pleasantly surprised to see that it comes out to $8 per person.
11:00 PM - Back at the hotel we crack open a bottle of tequila that Gene bought at the duty-free shop.  Being no expert in tequila, I required lime and salt, which appeared miraculously thanks to Slava.   The bottle was done before we knew it, so we ordered our wake-up calls and headed off to bed.

Day 1 (Tuesday, March 15th)
7:30 AM- Wake-up and have breakfast at the hotel. We start our humble journey in this third world country by having chef Francis Canal whip us up some poached eggs topped with caviar that we wash down with fresh squeezed Cas (similar to Guava) juice.
9:30 AM - We walk to the rental car place a few blocks away only to learn that our cars are at the airport.  Apparently the lovely woman running the taxi stand was more interested in getting paying passengers than solving their car problems - go figure.  Half of us ended up sitting at the rental car place for two hours and waiting for the cars to be delivered, while the other half sat in the hotel lobby enjoying the free Wi-Fi.
11:30 AM - With our cars ready and packed, we stood outside of the hotel and wolfed down a few sandwiches - courtesy of Vika via Cherry Hill.
1:45 PM - We arrive at Tabacon where we are greeted with fresh squeezed juice and blue wristbands, which grant us free access to the hot springs.  After checking out the rooms, we drop off our bags and head out for the first activity of  the trip - Arenal National Park.  As we drive up to the base of the volcano, we get distracted by a sign that reads: 1968.  The handsome, blue eyed, boy toy at the entrance tells us that while this isn't the National Park, this hike is much better.  Who can argue with a blue-eyed hunk? Not this group! We cough up the 80 bucks and start on our 2km journey up the volcano or rather somewhere near the volcano.  The view at the top wasn't spectacular so we spent the next 15 minutes trying to balance our cameras on various rocks to get a semi-decent group picture.

4:00 PM - Head back to our resort, grab our bathing suits and make our way to the hot springs.   We enter the resort and oooh and ahhh at how beautiful it is and proceed directly to the buffet.  Italian night.  Delicious.  After stuffing ourselves beyond belief there is nothing left to do but submerge in hot water and hope not to sink.  There were numerous pools/springs varying in temperatures (from 77 to 102 degrees) and sizes.  We moved from one to the other letting the hot waterfalls massage our backs.
After a few hours in boiling water, we headed to the lowest level pool which was lukewarm and most importantly had a swim up bar (and water slide).
9:00 PM - Back at the hotel we all meet up at SS's (Sereja's and Slava's) room to continue our drink-fest.  Wine, bloody Marys and vodka with pear juice flow like water as we anxiously await midnight to celebrate Vika's Birthday.  At 12:30 AM the concierge FINALLY comes by with her white chocolate cake.  We sing Happy Birthday and  complain about the slow service before heading off to bed.  Tomorrow is another big day!

Day 2 (Wednesday, March 16th)
8:00 AM - We had breakfast at the hotel where we spotted multiple coati's rummaging through the trash.  The six of us ate fresh fruits and "desayuno tipico", which consisted of rice, beans, plantains, and two eggs.  The service was incredibly slow.  It's as if they thought we were on vacation.
9: 30 AM - Our first activity of the day is a hike through a park that has multiple suspension bridges.  As we walked along the 2km path, we saw wild turkeys, exotic birds and sloths.  Essentially, we didn't see anything that most of us don't see walking along Ocean Parkway.
noon - Back at the hotel we find Vika and Sereja about to order a very late breakfast, so we talk them out of it and convince them to eat in the main town (La Fortuna).  The first place we walk into was a recommendation from the boy-toy we met yesterday.  As we walk in, tons of cards and pamphlets for the 1968 hike are scattered throughout the restaurant.  Along with them are also about a dozen dogs napping underneath the tables.    Hmmm, inviting, but we shall move on.  There was a restaurant a few doors down that was pretty packed, so we gave that a try.  Las Brisas turned out to be a somewhat authentic Costa Rican restaurant, with good food and most importantly, tons of beer.  We left feeling stuffed beyond belief and headed to the next most logical destination - the supermarket.  The following day we had to wake up early for our rappelling trip, so we wanted to buy breakfast (and booze) in advance.
3:30 PM - We wanted to squeeze in one more activity before heading back to the hot springs, so I begged and pleaded to go back to Arenal National Park since I was convinced that we were swindled the day before and were missing out on the REAL volcanic action.  The plan was to do a quick hike but we soon learned that the park closes at 3 PM, unless of course you are with a tour guide.  Conveniently enough, there just happened to be a tour guide a few feet away who was happy to take us into the park.  Thus our journey with Eduardo began.  The first part of the 2km hike (yes, I think all hikes here are 2km) was mostly along flat terrain where Eduardo pointed out a mimosa (not the drink), a baby viper and a taranchula.  About 3/4 of the way up, the path got a lot more rough and we had to climb through volcanic rock to get as close as possible to the volcano.  After finding a shady area, we sat down and Eduardo told us about the history of Arenal.   His 30 minute history lesson reminded me of all the boring power point presentations I have had to sit through in the last several years.  He passed around a booklet showing various photographs of Arenal over the last century.  After doing a quick Google search, I learned that either Eduardo had no idea what he was talking about or Wikipedia needs a lot of updating.  At the end of the lesson, we rushed back to the hotel so we can make it to the hot springs before the sun sets.
5:00 PM - Most of the group takes pictures of one another while Maugli (Gene) and I climb up and down the falls until it gets too hot and too dark to see. Just like the previous night, we ultimately end up at the bar in the coolest of the springs.
7: 30 PM - Back at Tabacon we change and get ready to celebrate Vika's Birthday.  The girls donned their highest heels and the boys even shaved for the occasion.  The restaurant (Don Rufino) was recommended by our new friend Eduardo and it was fantastic!  Looking back now, it was probably one of our top three meals in Costa Rica.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel and went to bed early in anticipation of our big activity tomorrow - water rappelling!

Day 3 (Thursday, March 17th)
6:30 AM - Wake up.  Brutal.
7: 00 AM - Six of us get on the bus and 20 minutes later we are dropped off in front of multiple open roof 4x4 jeeps.

The 4x4s then take us up a very windy and rocky road to our ultimate destination - a lodge which houses the equipment for rappelling.  Mere minutes later, we are standing in a harness, helmet and wearing very stinky and wet gloves.  Another few minutes (and a short hike later) and we are standing on top of a 162 foot waterfall (about 16 stories) listening to safety instructions and learning how to descend properly.  It was at this point that my knees got weak, my  heart started pumping out of my chest and I wondered if I would really be able to do this.  Somehow I ended up at the front of the group and a tanned Tico (Costa Rican) was telling me to turn around and begin my descend.  Is he crazy?  He wants me to turn around and plunge backwards to my demise? I began to reason with myself, explaining how safe it is and that there is nothing to worry about - except of course the rope ripping and plunging to my death. OK, here goes nothing.  I leaned back and slowly fell, letting the rope support me as I held for dear life.  Just like the Tico explained, I let the rope slide through my hands as I made small jumps all the way down to the base of the waterfall.  This was the tallest of all the falls and for me, the most memorable.  The remaining four waterfalls were all different in their own way.  Some had steep drops, not allowing you to jump too much, while others had heavy streams of water hitting you in the face as you made your descend.

The activity took about two hours, at the end of which we had to hike back up to the lodge.  It felt like 20 minutes on the stair-master as we climbed up wearing all of our equipment.  Back at the lodge we took off our gear and recounted the last several hours focusing mostly on reaching new levels of fear.  We were once again ushered into the jeeps for yet another bumpy ride to our next destination - lunch!  The food was served in an area with multiple picnic tables under a thatched roof, with a TV in the corner looping pictures of our recent excursion.  As we focused on the screen, waiting to see our scared little faces, we were served fruit juice and casado. I am not sure if it was the rappelling that worked up our appetite, but the food was divine and can be added to the list of favorite foods  in Costa Rica.  After a great trip and a delicious lunch, the trip concluded with a perfect cup of coffee.  It was so good that it didn't need milk or sugar and to this day I still think about that perfect little cup of joe.  We got back on the bus and were back at Tabacon before we knew it, preparing for our trip to Monteverde.
1:00 PM - Packed and ready for our next big adventure, we input the address of the next hotel (Rustic Lodge) into the navigation system only to realize that it's a measly 14 miles away.  This seemed odd as we recalled someone telling us that it is a 3 hour drive.  After calling the hotel, we learned that it is in fact a 14 mile drive but due to the unpaved, windy roads, it should take us 3 hours.  Two hours into the trip one of the cars gets a flat tire, in the middle of no where of course.

It only took 15 minutes for the boys to change the tire while Anya and I marked our territory in the deep jungles of Costa Rica.  OK, it was actually behind the car but that doesn't sound nearly adventurous.  Back on the road we passed rolling hills full of sheep, goats, horses and cows.  The time flew as we took in the breathtaking scenery.
4:00 PM - We pull up to the town of Santa Elena (Monteverde) and we are greeted with a bold, beautiful rainbow and our host (and hotel owner) Jose.

We are shown to our rooms and it appears that the last person to stay in our room decided to leave some seledka (herring) under the mattress.  Jose apologized profusely and explained that the previous occupants must have let the dog into the room.  Unless the dog was hiding seledka under his fur, I wasn't buying it.  Either way, he was very kind and immediately changed our room.
7:00 PM - Jose recommended a seafood restaurant which consisted of no more than 10 or 12 tables and occupied the second floor of a two story building, with a bakery on the first.  The food was once again terrific and most of us couldn't help but get the same dishes: whole fried fish, shrimp with garlic and sea bass covered in guacamole (better than it sounds).
9:00 PM - After another huge meal, there was again only one place we could visit next: the supermarket.  It was on the other side of town, but since the town consisted of only 3 blocks, it took us 20 seconds to walk there. We  stocked up on fruits (watermelon, pineapple, and a guayaba) and headed back to the hotel.  The fruits were delicious, except the guayaba (or guava), which (as Shprints pointed out) tasted like a mix between an apple and a raw potato.
11:00 PM - Back to SS's room to eat our fruits, listen to cheesy Russian music, play cards and drink (wine for the lightweights and vodka for the true Russians).

Day 4 (Friday, March 18th)
7:00 AM- Another early morning as we get ready to zip line through the cloud forest of Monteverde.  It was drizzling outside and the temperature reminded me of a cold spring morning in NY.  We huddled around the breakfast table and devoured the scrambled eggs, fruit and coffee before getting on the shuttle bus.
8:00 AM - The routine felt familiar as we are once again strapped into a harness and shuffled into yet another van for a short ride up the mountain. Our group consisted of about 20 people but there were 2-3 other groups in front of us, so we knew this wasn't going to be quick.  After listening to the instructions, which mostly explained how to break and a few safety rules, we began our wait in the cold, rainy forest.  An hour later we are hooked up to a wire, told to cross our legs and pushed off the platform and into the wilderness.  Our 13 zip line journey began.  It was a lot of fun but the constant waiting at each platform made it somewhat anticlimactic.  The last zip line was 1km long (about 1/2 mile) and required two people at a time, in order to increase the weight and subsequently the speed.  Gene hopped on my back, and off we went.  The instructor allowed me to take off my breaking glove and film the adventure.

11:30 AM - Back at the lodge we meet up with Vika and Sereja to walk the hanging bridges.  Since we didn't have too much time before our next activity (lunch. yes that's an activity) we had to pick up the pace.  The entire hike took us about an hour and also made me realize that once you've seen one hanging bridge, you kind of seen them all.

1: 00 PM - A van takes us back to our hotel and we grab lunch before our next activity - the Don Juan coffee tour.  Jose recommends a local place around the corner, so we gladly take his suggestion.  We walk in to find a grinning grandma wearing a colorful apron, gesturing us to sit down. The restaurant is sparingly decorated with only a handful of tables but immediately gives off a warm and welcoming vibe.  Exhausted from a long morning, we order cervezas and the first round is gone in minutes.  Most of us order the traditional casado dish and patiently wait as our grandma/waitress/chef/busboy prepares our food.  A short while later there is silence as we devour our food.  I had a fish casado that left me absolutely speechless.  The fish was fresh, soft, flaky and oozed authenticity.  I would even go as far as saying that this was my favorite meal of the entire trip.
3: 00 PM- We are picked up by yet another van and driven to Don Juan's coffee plantation.  Our tour guide, a young chubby blond girl, couldn't possibly look any less Costa Rican.  She was very sweet and walked us through the plantation as she explained the coffee growing/making process.  Here are some highlights:
1. From the moment you plant the beans, coffee takes up to four years to make
2. Costa Rican coffee good --> all other coffee bad
3. Instant coffee --> very bad
At the end of the tour we made our own sugar cane juice by pushing multiple giant rollers in a clockwise direction.  It was delicious!

  We also got to try some of the coffee from the plantation, which was so smooth that it didn't even need any sugar.  The tour was almost complete, but not before we can ride an oxen, who didn't seem too thrilled about being ridden.
6:00 PM - We return to the Rustic Lodge, for a much needed shower.  In the lobby, we run into Jose and thank him for the fantastic lunch recommendation and ask him to suggest another restaurant for dinner.  He excitedly tells us that there is a new place that opened up a few weeks ago and they don't quite have a menu because they are just starting out, so everyone gets a choice of fish, chicken or steak.  The meal is also served with an appetizer, dessert and a glass of wine, all for $20.  He bashfully admits that the proprietress is his girlfriend's mother and since the establishment is just starting out, they are working hard to attract new customers.  Having no other plans, and having such success with Jose's other recommendations, we gladly oblige.
8:30 PM - We meet Jose in the lobby to ask him for directions but he insists on driving with us so we don't get lost.  It took only about five minutes before we turned off onto a dirt road and saw a tiny restaurant.  We walk in to find that it is even smaller inside (5-8 tables max) with simple, yet elegant decor.  Along the walls there are multiple wooden, hand carved statues with a plaque of the artist's name and a hefty price tag ($1k-$5k).  We are seated and Jose immediately disappears into the kitchen in the back of the restaurant.  A few minutes later he brings out some wine and we convince him to join us for dinner.  The first course was a delicious cream of pumpkin soup and for the entree most of us got the fish, which was also very tasty.  Gene got the steak but after tasting my fish concluded that it was probably the best fish he has ever had.  He liked his steak as well but said it didn't compare to the quality of the American steakhouses.  By the time dessert was offered we were stuffed, so many of us opted for another glass of wine.  We also jumped at the opportunity to talk to Jose about life in Costa Rica.  He spoke candidly about politics, ecology, tourism and we even got a chance to ask him about things to do at our next destination - Manuel Antonio.
11:00 PM - Sleepy time!

Day 5 (Saturday, March 19th)
8:00 AM - Wake up and have another tasty breakfast at Rustic.  This time we ate pancakes and sausages and as soon as our plates were nearly empty, Jose would rush out and serve us seconds (and thirds).  After breakfast we check out and hugs and kisses are passed all around as we say goodbye to our gracious host.  I make a mental note to stay at B&Bs more often.
9:30 AM - We start on our trip to the beach town of Manuel Antonio and the road is once again unpaved and even rockier than before.  About two hours into our trip we notice Slava waving his hands frantically and honking the car.  We stop the car, get out and learn that we have another flat tire.  Apparently, they have been signaling for us to stop the last ten minutes, so we have been driving with this flat for quiet some time.  By this point all of us have become pros at changing tires and so we were back on the road within ten minutes.  Back in the car Vika (who observed, and participated in the tire changing process) declared that if the need ever arises she can now change her own flat tire.  Gene and Rizov spent the next 15 minutes convincing her to call AAA if that ever does happen.  In true Vika fashion, she ignored their pleas.
12:30 PM - Rest stop at Alligator Alley.  Jose mentioned that half way to Manuel Antonio there will be a bridge underneath of which we can see tons of alligators tanning away.

  We made a 20 minute stop to snap some pictures, use the restrooms and pick up some refreshments (ice ream and coconut water).
2: 00 PM- We enter the town of Manuel Antonio and are immediately grateful that the biggest chunk of our trip will be spent here. Besides the cute restaurants lining the streets, the town is also surrounded by gorgeous beaches.   And unlike the frigid climate of Monteverde, it is 80s and sunny.   As we drive along the curves of the mountain, we anxiously await to see our hotel.  The GPS finally tells us that we have arrived at our destination and in front of us we see an adorable boutique hotel by the name of Mango Moon.  We enter through the small gate and our eyes immediately focus on the pool, surrounded by a breathtaking bay with perfect blue waters.  Excitement starts to build as we check-in and reminisce about Buzios, (Brasil) where we had a similar hotel.

2: 30 PM - We eat lunch by the pool and spend a few hours relaxing, reading, tanning and playing cards, all while enjoying cool and refreshing cervezas and mojitos.
4: 30 PM - We drive down to one of the beaches where we take pictures and watch the sunset

6:00 PM - Upon returning to our hotel we see about a dozen monkeys climbing from tree to tree.  It turns out they live in one of the trees on the hotel property and return to their home each evening.  The monkeys weren't the only animals in the hotel, which we also shared with a 13 year old white husky, 2 cats and Iggy the Iguana.  Gene took a particular liking to Iggy and felt the need to feed him flowers every chance he got.  He even scoured the property to collect different types of flowers so Iggy can have some variety in his diet.  Gene was basically the Jewish grandmother that Iggy never knew he had.
8: 30 PM- The girl at the front desk suggests a restaurant that was a 5 minute walk away, but since we didn't make reservations (and this was one of the hot spots) we had to wait a good 20 minutes to be seated.  The time flew by quickly - mostly thanks to the mojitos.   Since we weren't too hungry, we decided to order a bunch of appetizers instead of our usual apps+main.  Unfortunately, we failed to notice that the appetizers at this place were the same size as entrees, so ordering 12 of them wasn't very helpful.  As we ate I overheard the hostess telling the table next to us that she came to CR six years ago on her honeymoon and never went back home.  Now she is works here with her husband, who just happens to be the chef of the restaurant.  This made me think of my college days when many of my friends dreamed about living on some remote island and running a restaurant out of a cozy little shack.  I wonder how many of them actually fulfilled their dreams.

Day 6 (Sunday, March 20th)
7:00 AM - We're up early again, but this time it is for our tour of the Manuel Antonio national park, where we will walk a small trail (2km) and search for various animals that live in the jungle.  After we order breakfast, we decide to Skype Gene's parents (who had Violet for the day).  At this point it was nearly a week since we last saw her and we missed her terribly.  After a few rings our little munchkin appeared on the screen.  Only instead of looking at us, she was much more concerned about eating the highlighter that was on the desk.  None the less, it was great to see her little face.
7: 45 AM - Bus picks us up and 20 minutes later we are at the entrance to Manuel Antonio park and being introduced to our guide Mauricio, who asks that we call him Mao for short.  The tour has a fairly slow start as Mao points out a sloth, lizard, birds, termite nests and a deer.  Vika was so excited about the deer that Shprints thought she saw a dinosaur.  As we continue down the trail we see different species of lizards, monkeys and birds.

Towards the end of the tour we stopped for a little break at a beach appropriately titled Beach #3.

When we resumed the tour we walked past Beach #2 and Beach #1 and ultimately arrived in front of a van, which took us to a restaurant for complimentary fruits and drinks.
1:00 PM - At the hotel we order salads and mahi mahi sandwiches, which we eat by the pool.
2:30 PM - We were told that there is a direct path from our hotel to a private beach.  What they failed to mention was the very steep incline and high tide.  As we slid down the mountain in our flip flops, we arrived at a beach almost completely covered by water.  After ten minutes there, we were ready to climb back up.  The hike couldn't have been more than 20 minutes but felt like a lifetime as we huffed and puffed our way up the hill.  The only thing keeping us going was the pool at the end of our uphill journey.
3: 30 PM - Seeing as how I have a hard time sitting still, I suggested we drive down to the beach and swim with the surfers.  Everyone agreed and we drove down to a nearby beach to jump waves.  The waves kept getting stronger and stronger, swallowing us up under the water and tumbling us towards the shore.  Several times I knocked into Gene and our fun ultimately ended when Slava lost a few layers of skin (thanks to the sand) on his arm.
5: 15 PM - We drove back to the hotel, which promised us the best views of the sunset.  It didn't disappoint. In fact, it could probably compete with the views in Rockhouse (Jamaica) and Marizan (Greece).  We played cards and watched the sunset until it got too dark to see, at which point we went to our rooms and agreed to meet up for dinner.
8: 00 PM - Front desk recommended another restaurant a few minutes away.  The place looked cute and was pretty busy, so we decided to try it out.  The waiter comes over and starts to list all the thing they ran out of in the kitchen.  The list is long.  We ask what he recommends and he says that the mahi mahi is delicious and also their most popular dish, but they are all out.  Vika mumbles, "ya seichas evo poveshu".  We ordered the 2-3 things they had left, displeased with our selection.  The drinks arrive and they are not good, so we set our expectation low.  The food arrives and as expected, it is barely edible.  We pick at it and move the food around the plate, leaving most of it uneaten.  It begins to pour so we order dessert to kill more time.  The waiter informs us that it will be on the house.  I presume that's either because they had no food left or because the food they DID have was disgusting.  All of us agreed that after a week of traveling we were bound to stumble upon at least one bad meal.
10:30 PM - We laughed about only old people going to bed at this hour and promptly fell asleep.  Let's just blame it on the time difference.

Day 7 (Monday, March 21st)
8:30 AM - Breakfast at the hotel before going to explore yet another beach
10: 00 AM - We park along the road and hike (only about 10 minutes) down to the beach.  It was a very rustic and wild beach that only existed during low tide.   Luckily our timing was perfect so we sprawled out on our towels and enjoyed the views. As secluded as it was, we still somehow ended up 30 feet away from a group of Russians.  Besides us and the Russians there were maybe 5 or 10 other people on the entire beach.  Each of us too the time to do what we enjoy most.  Gene slept.  Slava tanned. Shprints and I planned our next vacation  Anya and Zhenya built a sand castle. We later learned that Anya thought she was building a 2 bedroom condo with ocean views, while Zhenya thought he was building boobs.  In the end they compromised by sticking a lit cigarette on the very top and calling it a volcano.

Noon - The sun was getting strong so we came back to the hotel to grab a quick bite before our next activity - a catamaran ride.
1: 15 PM - The bus picks us up and we make a few stops at various hotels, ultimately arriving at the docks.  There are two boats: one that holds 25 people and one that holds 45.  We opted for the smaller and more intimate boat even though the bigger boat had a pretty awesome looking slide.

Within minutes of taking off we were enjoying rum with pineapple juice while laying on the bow of the ship.  The cool water splashed our hiney when the boat sped up, making the adventure that much more enjoyable.  After about an hour of drinking and dancing we spotted some dolphins.  I have seen them on many of the boat trips I've taken but never this close.  They literally jumped a few feet in front of us.  Vika and I were really impressed but Shprints said he had better views at the aquarium.  After the ooohs and ahhhhs subsided we resumed our regularly scheduled activity - drinking.  The next stop was a cove where we can go swimming or snorkeling.  This was also where we had the option to head over to the larger boat and go down the slide, which was appropriately named the Tsunami.  It was about 20 feet tall and had very steep vertical drop.  While I only had the cojones to go down once, Maugli did it on his back, stomach, head and probably would have done it if descended into a fire pit.  Hombre Loco.  While we were frolicking in the water, the Ticos cooked us dinner consisting of sea bass shish kabobs, salad and fruit.  Food, rum, music, what else can we ask for?  The sun was starting to set but it was a particularly cloudy day so there wasn't much to see.  The music mellowed down and the Macarena was replaced by Whitney Houston's, I will always love you.  We slowly made our way to the docks and back on the bus for the return trip to the hotel.
8:00 PM - It was our last night in Manuel Antonio so we decided to venture out on our own to a place we often passed, which looked more like a plane wreck than a restaurant - El Avion.  The place was pretty packed for a Monday night, so we took our seats and ordered some sangria.  Both the food and service were  pretty good - nothing to complain about after two pitchers of sangria.
11:00 PM - Another early night before our big travel day

Day 8 (Tuesday, March 22nd)
8:30 AM - Wake up and order the usual breakfast - omelettes, pancakes, etc.
10:00 AM - We start on our long journey to San Jose.  Our first stop is the tire shop so we can fix the spare (now flat) tire.  The first flat we got (on the way to Monteverde) was fixed by Jose at no charge.  This tire cost us a whopping $2 at a nearby mechanic.
Noon - We were driving through Jaco, which is another popular CR destination, and decided to stop off to buy some souvenirs.  It is known to be a beach town, so after an hour of looking at t-shirts, hats and various other kitsch, we decided to keep going.  Glad that this ended up as a view point, rather than a destination.
1:00 PM - Back on the road
1:45 PM- Our gas gauge drops from 1/4 tank to E in a matter of minutes, so with the help of our navigation system we get off the main road in search of a gas station.  Luckily there is one about 5 miles away - on top of a mountain!  In 90 degree heat we turn off the AC (to conserve gas) and make our way up the hill in the hopes of not running out of gas. Success!  I don't think we could have handled more car trouble.
3:00 PM - We return our cars and check into our original hotel - Grano de Oro.  It felt great ending the trip where it all started, especially since that was one of the swankier hotels.
3: 30 PM - Grab a cab to take us to the center of town to see the cathedral, the theater and grab a quick bite to eat a very local establishment - McDonalds.  Actually, we were the only tourists there as we looked around to find families, school kids and couples (making out) on what appeared to be first dates.  We buy some more souvenirs and head back to the hotel to kill time before our big, fancy dinner.
5: 00 PM - We play cards and my performance slowly declines with each beer I drink.  After the 3rd beer, I might as well have been playing high/low.
8:45 PM- Dinner.  We knew it was fancy shmancy because there were six pieces of silverware.  A group like ours shouldn't be allowed into these types of establishments because surely we must ruin the meal for everyone within a 50 foot radius. Food was great but the highlight was reminiscing about the trip and learning Ukrainian from Gene.  Well, actually most of the Ukrainian was taught to us from Swanson (the hungry man or a.k.a. Zhenya).  Here are five words that everyone should know:
1. taburetka- pidsrachnik
2. attach - prikopchat'
3. turn - povertat'
4. five - pyatka (pronounced like the Russian word for heel)
5. fight - bitka
11:30 PM - Back to S&S's room to finish the liquor. Since we don't believe in wasting booze, a half a bottle of vodka and a bottle of wine were gone in no time!
1:00 AM - Sleep before our 5AM wake up and flight back home.

Day 9 (Wednesday, March 23rd)
5:00 AM - Wake up. Getting up this early will never cease to feel painful.
5:30 AM- We meet up in the lobby, pay our bill and pour ourselves a hot cup of coffee before getting into the cab and heading for the airport.
8:30 AM - Everything goes smoothly and we are up in the air and on our way back home.  Normally, I am sad to return from vacation but for the first time in my life I felt happy to go back home.  I had a fantastic week in Costa Rica and now I am returning to my precious little girl.
3: 00 PM - (NY Time) We arrive at my mom's apartment with a huge grin on our face.  It's the moment we have been waiting for - seeing Violet.  We walk in and she looks at us blankly, without much recognition.  In one measly week our baby forgets who we are!  It was so sad!
7:00 PM - We head back home and resume our routine like we were never gone.