To summarize what we did during the 3-day Memorial Day weekend in one word… barbecue. On Saturday, we went to the twin’s house for a barbecue and swim. Zachary was tentative at first, but ended up loving it!

On Sunday, we hosted a barbecue and realized we either needed to start way earlier or get a bigger grill. (Sorry guests for the slow food service!) It was great to see so many kids on our play structure – it almost justifies the cost. On Monday, we went to Alex’s for a barbecue. Alex can really throw and kick a ball – I was very impressed … and slightly afraid! That said, Zachary is not without his own set of skills. If you play Sequence with him, at certain times (I haven’t figured out exactly when, but it’s often when I’m about to win) you switch colors with your opponent. We predict that Zachary would be very good at the game of “Cups.”

After a busy past few weeks, this was exactly what we needed. Time to relax and hang out with friends!

Hi, last weekend was Dana’s baby shower co-hosted by Debbie and me. It was mostly HP people, so I was able to reconnect with some of my previous co-workers!

There were about 30 guests – and believe it or not, Debbie handmade all the invites! Before anyone even begins to think I made lunch for that many people, I’ll admit to getting it catered. Indian food – one of Dana and Dave’s favorites! I ordered samosas for appetizers, 2 main dishes, and raita for the salad. And in case I lost too much credit, I would like to say that I did assemble the salad and make the punch.  We had a few out of town people show up, including a 2 surprise guests – Muthya and Rita! I think it meant a lot to Dana and Dave that people made special efforts to attend.

We played a game of Play-doh Pictionary, led by Debbie. Then there was a gift opening bonanza – I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many gifts at a shower! It literally took almost 2 hours to open all the presents – we even needed an intermission for cake. I think the most amazing gift was the bedding set that Dana’s mom made – bumper, quilt, blanket, and fitted sheet.

After the shower, a few people stayed for dinner (so much leftover food!) and Wii games. I was pretty happy with the event – it was a fun crowd, and I think Debbie and I made a good team! Special thanks to Dave’s mom and my sister Alice for helping out. And to James who took Zachary for the day – and went to Alex’s for a playdate, a carnival, and the library.  (Hmm. I think we need a 2nd camera…)

The day after the shower, we went to ‘Day Out with Thomas.’  Zachary jumped in the bounce house and did some art activities. He even got a Thomas temporary tatoo (not sure why I felt the need to specify that it was temporary). The best part, of course, was riding in a Thomas train. It was cute, but I was pretty beat … and it takes a lot of energy for an almost-33-year-old to pretend to be excited about Thomas.

Zachary says,”I don’t like Sir Topham Hat. He is mean.”

And last but not least, let’s not forget the May birthdays … Happy Birthday Dad and Sophie!

We’re back … and what a trip! For my mom’s 60th birthday (not until June, but we celebrated early), she treated the entire family to a Mayan Riveria all-inclusive vacation. So first and foremost – Thanks and Happy Birthday, Mom!

Day 1 … we got up very early for a morning flight and flew into Cancun. We were pretty tired, so we just acquainted ourselves with the resort grounds. We stayed at the Barcelo Caribe … it was huge, much bigger than the all-inclusive we stayed at in Puerto Vallerta last fall.

Day 2 … we spent the day at the resort, which included a kid’s waterslide/park area. The onsite buffet tasted great and there was tons of variety, including tuna sashimi on seafood night! In the afternoon, we went shopping in Playa de Carmen and bought gifts for the neighbor kids watching our birds and Zachary’s twin friends.

Day 3 … we took an all-day tour to Ik Kil cenote and Chichen Itza. First stop was Ik Kil. Zachary loved walking in the “dark, dark tunnel” and watching people jump off a ledge into the water – I wish I knew to bring my swimsuit! After that, we went to a Mexican buffet restaurant where we were entertained by mariachi dancers. When we finally got to Chichen Itza, I could tell Zachary was not feeling too great. He seemed miserable, likely due to heat exhaustion. Right after we got back from the tour, Zachary got sick. All night, he felt hot, like he had a fever, although we couldn’t be sure since we did not have a thermometer with us.

Day 4 … In the morning, Zachary seemed a little better, so we assumed he was on the road the recovering from heat exhaustion. Alice and James went on an adventure tour while the rest of us stayed on the resort again. Sophie, dad, and I went snorkeling and tried out the water trike. Sophie even tried wind sailing, but I think it was too windy for a beginner. Zachary was still tired and didn’t want to eat anything – not even his favorite usually-off-limits sugary cereals. He also refused to drink but a few sips. At the end of the day, he was starting to become less responsive so I called the resort doctor. It turned out Zachary was dehydrated so he was taken to the city hospital in an ambulance van. He had 2 IVs and stayed overnight.

Day 5 … The next morning, it was as if we had a different toddler …  Zachary was bouncing off the walls, acting recovered. We were released from the hospital and hailed a taxi back to the resort. We spent our last afternoon there playing on the beach. James and I kayaked a bit while my parents watched Zachary. Zachary refused to touch the ocean water – and didn’t want me in the water either – but enjoyed playing in the sand. Oh – and both my sisters went scuba diving of Cozumel!

Day 6 … we flew home – again an obnoxiously early flight. The worst part was that I either caught what Zachary had or ate something bad. I was so sick on the plane. It was such a miserable experience – thank goodness Zachary was well behaved and my sisters/James took care of all the luggage/carseat. When I got home, I went to sleep and didn’t wake up until the next morning … and I felt much better.

I’m convinced that going through pregnancy had some non-obvious permeant changes. I used to be very healthy. Since I’ve had Zachary, my stomach is much more sensitive – and I seem prone to food poisoning.  Anyway, I’m bummed we ‘missed’ the second half of the vacation due to illness. The hotel grounds were beautiful, the ocean was very clear, the weather was nice, and the sand felt like velvet … softer than the sand in Bora Bora. I’d like to request a vacation do-over … let’s all go to Hawaii next!

It’s been while - I’ll make it up with lots of pictures!  On Zachary’s actual birthday (4/6), we went to Cheesecake factory. I know they’re known for their desserts, but I thought the food was delicious too … ate 2 ahi tuna appetizers! That weekend was Easter, and we met up with some friends in EDH for a community egg hunt. There were so many eggs, there was no competition at all. The kids picked up a few and then got bored … when we left, there were still eggs left in the lawn! I remember fighting for eggs when I was younger - and they would all be snatched up in a matter of seconds. Where was the competitive spirit?!

Oh – and the highlight of the day was seeing baby Nicole for the first time. Not to be outdone by his friend, when I told Zachary,”Look. Alex has a little sister!”, he one-upped it with ”I have big Mama.” Maybe the competitive spirit is alive and well after all?

After the hunt, we went to the twin’s house for lunch – homemade Indian food … it was so good. The next day, we went to Alex’s house for dinner and Play-doh entertainment. We borrowed their clippers to cut Zachary’s hair. Now that we’ve ran out of “Buy 1 get 1 free” haircut coupons, we’re going the cheap route and getting his hair cut at home. Pass me a salad bowl, please.

The weekend after, we went out for sushi with Uyen/Jackie – which was nice since we barely got to talk to them at Zachary’s birthday party. And on Sunday, I went shopping with Dana. We went to Babiesrus to finish her registry – and got it finalized before her shower invitation were sent. She treated me to Thai food and Jamba Juice! (I’m beginning to realize how much of my life resolves around food….)

On Wednesday, Zachary went in for his 3-year check up. He was not in a good mood and refused to get measured. He ended up being 30 lbs (30th %ile) and 35″ (6th %ile) – although I’m not sure how accurate it is since he whined and twisted and refused to stand where he was supposed to. He skipped 2 tests – the blood pressure one because he was moving around too much and another test which required him to pee in a cup. I can’t even get him to pee in a toilet, how was I expected to get him to pee in a cup?! He did take the shot like a champ though. He said,”I don’t like it. Make it go away.” But by that time, the shot was complete … and since the syringe went away, he didn’t care anymore.

Also this month, I finally took Zachary to the new library. He used a mouse for the first time in his life since we’ve never let him play computer games by himself, not even “educational” games. To all those parents who think you have to teach a child basic computer skills… rest assured, they pick it up super fast. Much to my dismay, like most kids, he was navigating games within minutes. I’ve decided to save computer games for our library trips … it’s such a slippery slope, and I know first hand how addicting video games are. Plus, thanks to a promotional t-shirt I wear as pajamas, he can spell “Google”, giving him access to the internet. A dangerous place for a poor speller.

The next weekend, Alice and Sophie came over. Alice just got back from Japan and brought all kinds of treats for us. Plus, we got to see her pictures and travel vicariously. And instead of our typical night of Settlers, we played Bungee Buddies and darts (Wii.)

We liked playing so much that this past weekend, we had some friends over for dinner and Wii games. Dana came over twice since her husband was painting the baby’s room! (Did I mention how addicting video games are?) On Sunday, we got together with the twins at the water park. It was a pretty relaxing, fun weekend!