How time flies!

It's been a busy few weeks in the Bremer household... Ric finally took his certification test (and hopefully passed), which means that he'd have the UK government's blessing to run a financial planning team (or something along those lines...). I started a new job and spent a week in SF doing orientation and meeting my new team. Ric's mom came to visit and we all went to Verona for a few days (which was basically a non stop food and wine fest). And I've had my first week with the new team in London.

Oh, and even more importantly... this weekend James ate Indian food for the first time (loved it), had Persian food for the first time (loved it) and saw live music for the first time (did his cute "guitar" motion which is basically wiggling his fingers in front of his tummy).

Will post pictures shortly, but wanted to get a quick update done before another three weeks go by!

Changes

Most of you know this already, but after nine amazing years at Sparkpr, I will be leaving to join a new company... it's not normal these days for people to stay with one company for so long, but both Ric and I were lucky to end up in places that we loved right out of school. Our jobs have given us many opportunities to grow and learn new things, and we've been able to live in what I think are two of the best cities in the world. I will miss Spark very much and the change is scary, but it's time. And who knows, maybe after a couple years, with new experiences under my belt, I'll come back to Spark better than ever...

This also means that we get to stay in London for another couple years at least. We weren't quite sure whether that was the case with Spark, so in this new job it will be nice knowing that we don't have to go anywhere for a while. We love our new house, James is really settled in, and life in London is pretty good. So it makes sense for us to stick around a bit longer. Once we leave, that's it! Unless we get British citizenship I guess... Now we've just got to get him into a school...

James is growing like a weed and turning more into a "little boy" every day. He's very happy and calm most of the time, but he sure knows what he wants. Which is usually food of some sort. He loves reading his books, running around outside, going down slides, and doing "grown up" things like wearing shoes. He's also gotten pretty good at naming things - eyes, nose, ear, mouth - and making animal noises (when he's in the mood he can do a pretty good rooster, elephant, tiger/lion, and cat). He also points at every baby that he sees now and says "bay bay". It's very cute.

Ric's been busy studying for a big finance certification exam (or something like that) for the past month. It basically means we haven't seen much of him lately. But hopefully that will all be done in the next two weeks. Then we get to celebrate a wonderful visit from his mom and we're all jumping on a plane together to spend a few days in Italy. After cold rainy days in London for most of the summer, we're definitely looking forward to some sun.

And for all of you not on Twitter, sign up and follow me! http://twitter.com/#!/rbremer

Strep

James got his first case of strep throat this week.... it's really the first time he's been sick sick. After days of extremely high fevers (like 102 degrees) and multiple trips to the doctor, we finally pinpointed the cause and got him on antibiotics. The good news is that he seems to be feeling 100% better (see photo below for proof that he's back to his old self). The bad news is that he's broken out in red bumps, which the doc thinks means he's allergic to the medicine he's on. We're going back again this afternoon to try a different antibiotic.

London vacation

Ric and I had a nice little vacation in London this weekend. I was going to surprise him with dinner and a night in the newly opened Boundary Hotel on Friday, but James's case of strep throat threw a wrench into that plan. So we postponed things (and I told him what I had been secretly planning) and headed to East London on Saturday evening. Another kink in the works came when we checked into the hotel, only to find out that they had given our room away (a long, un-interesting story that I won't bore you with here...). We ended up in the Hoxton, right down the road, so all was not lost. We still managed to have dinner at the Boundary and were both pleasantly surprised with the restaurant. Very cool atmosphere, and yummy food. The highlight was definitely the charcuterie tray, from which we got to pick and choose the terrines, charcuterie, rillettes and accompaniments that we wanted for an appetizer. Delicious! We also sampled some English and Scottish oysters (preferring the Scottish variety), and Ric enjoyed bone marrow and snails, alongside his beef fillet. I went for the less adventurous, but equally tasty Dover Sole.

The next morning, after a great night's sleep and no alarm clock waking us up at 7am, we headed back to the Boundary to have breakfast at their Albion cafe. It was nice to have a little time to ourselves and the night is something we'd definitely like to do again!

In front of the Hoxton Hotel



Breakfast at the Albion Cafe

The moral of the story is....

Ric and I bought James a few new books this weekend, including Jack and the Beanstalk. I'm not sure how many of you have read this story recently, but we were both surprised at the lessons it teaches. To recap:

1. Jack and his mom are poor, so Jack heads to the market to sell their last cow
2. Instead of doing what his mom asked, he trades the cow for magic beans from some crazy man on the street
3. The beans grown into a beanstalk, and Jack climbs to the top - where, for two consecutive days, he robs the giant living at the top of all his gold
4. The giant tries to chase Jack after the second ransacking, but Jack cuts down the beanstalk and gets away scott free

So kids, if you ever need money, trust a crazy old man who tells you his beans are magic. And steal as much gold as you need, because you'll get away with it! That's way better than making an honest living...

Too funny!

Espana

We're finally getting around to uploading our pictures from Spain! We had a great time, it was much better than Paris and I think the lesson was that countryside beats city when it comes to traveling with James. We stayed at a hotel out in the middle of nowhere... about a 45 minute drive from the Malaga airport and 45 minutes from Granada. It was perfect! Lots of room for James and his buddy Mack to run around (we went with Evan and Lexa and their son Mack, who's a couple months older than James). Green grass. A fountain in the courtyard to splash in, a pool, dune buggies to ride, bikes with baby seats, and trails for walking. With James eating "normal" food now, we didn't have to worry about making his own food. He had ham croquettes, Spanish cheese, olives, lots of fruit plates, hamburger, and a lovely roast chicken. The kid ate pretty well! And the hotel had babysitters so we ate out two nights at different restaurants on the hotel grounds.

The flight home wasn't fun. James didn't want to sit still for a single minute and the aisles on EasyJet planes are NOT wide, so walking around with him was tricky... some people are more tolerant of little baby hands on their legs than others. And we discovered that James likes to pat people's heads when he sees them from above - especially bald ones. But it was "only" three hours, so we survived and were still really happy that we made the trip.

It was also really fun traveling with another family. Having them around to hang out with and James having a friend to play with was great. Wish we had more friends with babies over here to travel with! You Americans need to make the cross-Atlantic journey to spend your summer in Europe!!! :) Our next adventure is to Iceland at the end of April for 9 days, then Verona in June for a few days. Hopefully both of these trips will continue the good streak we're on after Spain!

Here are some highlights of the pictures we took, but the full set is on Flickr as usual. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelbremer/

The hotel



View from the top of the hill in Antequera



Ric and James in The Alhambra



Wandering around the Alhambra



Rachel and James



Playing in the courtyard



Beautiful buildings!



At the hotel, being funny



Enjoying a fruit plate while mom and dad enjoy a glass of wine



Sunnies



The fam



James and Mack playing in the fountain



Ric and James ready to ride in the dune buggy

Injured reserve

Looks like I'm going to be out on injured reserve for a little while until we can figure out what I've done to my knee. I wish I had a cool story like I hurt myself heli skiing in Switzerland or cliff jumping in Costa Rica, but it's much less exciting than that... After taking about two years off from running I decided to get back in the game. I had it all worked out... the timing worked out well with my schedule, the distance wasn't too long or too short, and I got to run through the Heath in the morning with it's beautiful scenery. Perfect! Except going from no running to four days a week didn't agree with my body and as a result I have excruciating pain in my left knee. I saw a doctor today who referred me to a knee specialist, where I'll have to get an MRI. Hopefully it's nothing that some rest and physio can't take care of, but better to be safe than sorry.

In the meantime, I'll have to keep my exploration of Heath to a slow walk...

On the road again...

After swearing we'd never do a short weekend trip with James again (I'm sure you all remember the Paris debacle)... we just booked a short weekend trip with James - and we leave a week from Friday! Call it selective memory loss. Or denial. Or maybe we're just crazy!

This time there will be a few differences, which is how we've justified the whole thing. We're heading to Spain, not France (Grenada to be exact), we're staying outside the city in a hotel that has garden, grassy area, pool, etc, we're going with another family, James can walk now, he can eat real people food... Who knows if these things will be enough to change our minds about quick trips with the little guy, but we're hopeful!

We've got a few other trips on the horizon as well - Iceland for the last week of April, a weekend on the east coast at the end of May, and potentially a couple days on the Italian coast in June. Not sure what's happened, but I think we've gotten the travel bug again. We're not good at staying put for more than a month or two! I think it will be so much better now that James can walk, but we'll see!

Viajante

Ric and I ventured to the far reaches of East London to try a new restaurant that we had been hearing a lot about. The chef came from El Bulli - consistently ranked as the best restaurant in the world - and opened up Viajante in a restored Town Hall building in Bethnal Green. Now, Ric and I are happy to travel to out of the way places for a good meal, but when I had to walk 40 minutes further East from my office (which is already pretty far East), through council flats and deserted streets, and past a bicyclist who ran into me then yelled at me for getting in the way, I arrived more focused on why the chef decided to put his restaurant in the middle of nowhere than looking forward to the food we were about to eat. A glass of champagne calmed me down a little bit, and I was happily ready to focus on the food, but when the menus came they offered us the choice of 6, 9 or 12 courses. That's it. No hint of what might make up those courses, no a la carte option to at least get a feel for the type of food or get excited about. And no wine list to look at. So, after lots of discussion we opted for the 9 course. I don't mind when a tasting menu is kept secret, but I would have liked some glimpse into what we were in store for (which you can usually get by looking at the a la carte choices).

The food was very inventive, adventures, unique... and some of the course were delicious. But others, like the raw venison, were just a little much. I've included the top secret menu below (which you're given after you've finished the meal) in case any one else wants to venture into the far east and try it out... at least you'll have some idea of what to expect!

Thai explosion (amuse bouche)
Scallops with carrot, mustard and watercress
Charred leeks milk skin, and leek ash emulsion
Braised salmon skin and friend aubergine
Lobster, potato, confit egg yolk and saffron
Sea bass toast, garlic kale and S. Jorge
Venison (raw) in hay, cauliflower and onion
Roasted squab with beetroot and pistachio
Desserts

I've pasted a few pictures below, but they're pretty low quality so you can check out this (much more professional) food blog if you'd like to see more! http://www.thelondonfoodie.co.uk/2010/05/london-restaurant-reviews-viajante.html

Venison



Salmon



Squab (and Ric)

Lucky boy

We all know that James eats better than most of us, but just in case you needed a reminder, here's a pic of the fish pie Ana made him today for lunch. It makes me hungry just looking at it! Yesterday's menu included scrambled eggs for breakfast and pea soup for dinner, which he loved. Of course. Also turns out he's a HUGE fan of kiwi...

Walking video

I finally managed to post some videos of James walking on Flickr... go check em out, it's hilarious! We made them private, so you have to be a connection of mine on Flickr in order to see them. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelbremer/

Hairs cut!

James got his first haircut on Sunday. Let's just say that he's not a fan of the barber's chair... luckily it was a pretty quick process because he screamed the entire time. I think the poor hair cutter was traumatized. But he really needed it... the baby locks were getting really long! He now looks so nice and clean cut! Hopefully it won't grow quickly enough that we have to do that again anytime soon!

A couple "after" shots:

He's walking!

I'm going to gloss over the fact that I haven't blogged in more than a month (including the Christmas holiday and our whirlwind tour of the Southeast) and skip right to the exciting news that James is walking! He's been taking a few steps here and there for a couple weeks, but only if you tricked him into it. For a while, you could tell that it scared him and he really wasn't interested in doing it any more. Then, this past week, he started to enjoy it. You still had to force him to try, but when he'd take 4 or 5 steps, he'd smile and laugh.

As of today, however, James is getting up and deciding to walk on his own... so I think we can now say it's official! And he can make it pretty far on his own. Ric said he turned around and James was up walking from one side of his room to the other (of course I'm not there to see this in person!)...

We're really excited about this development and it feels like it's been a long time coming. Make a note for the baby book... James walking, 13 months!

James's baptism

James was baptised this morning! In the middle of the largest snowstorm that London's seen in years... It started coming down as we were leaving the house and we had inches of light fluffy snow by the time we were done. Very fitting since it was also snowing when we brought James home from the hospital. Here are a few pics, but there are lots more on Flickr (as well as a few from one of my client's kids Christmas party)...

My brother the chef!

My brother has always been a great cook, but it seems like he's taken it to a new level recently. He's making up recipes on his own - something I can NOT do - and cooking a ton for his girlfriend Jo (lucky lady!). Here are a few recipes that he shared, which I can't wait to try out for myself!

Asian Salmon:
In a bowl, mix the following ingredients:
Soy sauce (1/4 c)
Olive oil (1/4 c)
Garlic, minced
Sriracha Thai Chili Sauce (1 tbls or to taste)
Savory Spice Mix (1 tbls)

Roll and slice enough basil leaves to sprinkle on top of the salmon fillets. Press the basil into the top of the fillets in a very lightly greased baking dish. Cover with the mixture from the bowl and marinate 4-6 hours.

Cook at 350 for 10 mins, then put under the broiler for another 4 or 5, until the top is golden brown.

Ginger Asparagus (super duper easy and ridiculously tasty!):

Get the fat asparagus if you can. Chop off the bottom end and split them vertically.

Lay on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper.

Peel a piece of ginger, about 1-1.5 inches for 1 bunch of asparagus

Using the small, or "fine" side of the grater, grate the ginger directly over the asparagus.

Mix everything up on the cookie sheet, and once mixed, lay all the asparagus so the flat side is facing up.

Cook at 350 until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Veggie Orzo:

Cook half a pound of Orzo, drain.

In a sauce pan, saute garlic, celery, and onion in a small amount of olive oil until tender and slightly browned. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.

Mix into orzo, add Parmesan cheese and finely chopped parsley to taste.

Also, I made this Eggplant side dish that Jo really liked the other night so I thought I would share it:

Saute garlic, celery (or bell pepper), and onion until soft. Add peeled and cubed eggplant and cook until tender. Add tomatoes, chopped basil, salt and pepper and cook another 2-3 minutes until tomatoes are soft. Put in serving dish and mix in Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley to taste.

We've moved!

I haven't had a chance to take pics of the new place, so you'll just have to trust me... every single box is unpacked! Well, except for the ones we shoved in the attic and playroom closet, but we don't need to talk about that... Everything else is unpacked! I'm looking forward to my mom's next visit so she can help me reorganize the kitchen (one of her specialties) but for now, things are looking pretty good. Closets done - which was a feat since we moved two bedrooms worth of closet stuff into one bedroom closet, shelves are organized, toys are in the playroom - with James crawling around in excited circles, amazed at how much space he has, and most of the pictures are hung. Phew. It was a pretty exhausting couple of days (I've used that word a lot in the past 48 hours) but well worth it. We love the new place and can't wait for you all to come visit!

I'm going to try to shoot a video tour but in the meantime, here are some moving out pics from our former English cottage...

Christmas caroling

For the past couple years Ric and I have gone to the Christmas Carol concert at St. George's church in Mayfair. Last year I was heavily pregnant and cried like a baby at almost every song (especially the Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas duet - it was magical!). There weren't any tears this year but the service was equally as moving. They do a combination of choir singing, readings, and audience participation. With mulled wine and minced pies of course! Here's a little video of some festive singing:

The first farewell

We'll be saying goodbye to lots of things over the next few days as we move to a new house. But the first to go is our trusty living room furniture. I still remember when I was about 10 years old, living in Saratoga, and the family went out to buy new couches and tables for our house. I fell in love with this leather chair (it's so cozy!!) and wouldn't get out of it in the store until my parents relented and said we could bring it home with us. In the 20+ years since then, I've spent a lot of time curled up in that chair. Covered in a blanket. Reading a book or watching TV. It's been at home in our family houses on both coasts, in Ric and my first apartment in San Francisco. And our second. And it made the trek across the Atlantic with us.

Goodbye chair and couches. You've taken good care of us over the years. I hope you'll do the same in your new home for many years to come!

Little drummer boy

James update

We are almost exactly one week away from James's first birthday, so I thought I'd take a minute to write about what he's up to these days...

• Teeth: he's got six teeth (5 fully in and 1 halfway in). They're huge. Much bigger than other baby teeth I've seen. And he's got a big space in between his two top teeth. All of which makes for a pretty funny, and charming in its own way, smile
• Babytude: Ric had to go back to the US for work and two days after he left, James developed what I've affectionately termed a "babytude." He basically started pitching fits when he wasn't getting what he wanted. Very interesting development, and one that I wasn't expecting for a few more months at least. So we've started disciplining him to try and nip it in the bud. He gets a babytude with Ana and I, but not Ric, so Ric is trying to teach James that's it's not ok to pitch a fit with Mommy or Ana. I'll say one thing for sure, the kid knows what he wants and doesn't want. And while it's not behavior that we condone of , it is kind of cool to see him becoming more of his own person
• Mysterious sickness: Last week, also while Ric was gone, James developed a weird rash that at first only came out when we put him in the bath. After my initial panic - Oh my gosh, he's allergic to water! - we talked to the doctor and when the spots didn't go away after 4 days or so, we took him in. Turns out he probably had a viral infection of some sort, which also explains his insanely high fever the other night (which we chalked up to teething at the time). The bumps have pretty much gone away on their own, so we're now back to normal
• Food: the good news about James turning one is that he can now eat pretty much anything that we eat. I made scrambled eggs for him last weekend and he LOVED them. We've also switched him to real cow's milk instead of formula, and he likes that as well. And peanut butter on toast... yum!
• Eating: in a related category, James is now trying to feed himself with a spoon. It's pretty funny and REALLY messy. Food everywhere. And as a non-messy person, this goes against every fiber in my body. But he loves it so we're letting him experiment as much as he wants. Mostly.
  
• 12 month checkup: while we were at the doctor, we did a quick 12 month checkup. James is right on track with his development (he's saying a few words, can use his "pincer" grip to pick things up, is trying to walk, can wave, etc). And he now weighs 22.5 pounds, which is in the 70th percentile
• Walking: he hasn't officially walked yet, but he can stand on his own without holding onto anything (until he realizes he's doing it and then gets scared and sits down), and he took a couple unassisted steps. He gets around so well by crawling (that kid is FAST!) that he's not overly motivated to start walking. But I think he'll be there in the next month or so. We're excited about that... and preparing to put gates up all over our new house