Babymoon in Sonoma

So we decided to take a "Babymoon" to Sonoma and Napa a few weeks back - a mini-trip we could take just before Lima arrives. You know, enjoy those few last moments together before we are a family of 3. Although I couldn't taste wine (Todd did that for me), it was a great retreat for 2 foodies like us.   The weather was amazingly hot - 90 degrees!!

We first stopped of at Bouchon in Yountville for a nice lunch, a Thomas Keller Restaurant.  It was a bustling Bistro, with traditional French fare.  Freshly baked bread awaited at the table from their next door bakery.  Todd had the Boudin Noir, while I had the Roasted Chicken with puff pastry and ratatoille.  We were stuffed silly, but I still had room for a chocolate elcair at the bakery next door.

Since we were so stuffed and delirious from the hot weather and the food, we checked into the Inn at Sonoma, a sweet boutique inn.  It was very country, shabby chic with a fireplace in our room and a resident teddy bear.  They served morning breakfast as well as an afternoon wine tasting for their guests.    For dinner, there were so many restaurants to choose from but we stumbled upon one in downtown Sonoma that was outstanding - The Eldorado Kitchen. I know what your thinking, the name alone would turn off anyone but the food was so delicious.  Everything we ate there was really good, including the rosemary pistachios they gave us to munch on.  So fragrant and savory.  They specialize in using fresh seasonal produce and the vibe was country casual meets contemporary chic.  The Chef was formerly at the French Laundry.   I couldn't resist ordering the truffle fries, but for the main course we had Corn Agnolotti, a  mushroom, corn and truffle pasta, and the pan roastested salmon in tomato water vierge.  The surprising thing was Todd didn't even like tomatos but the way they served this dish was so refreshing.  Of course we topped it off with dessert, a medly of sorbet, cake and everything delicious.

The next day we did some cheese tasting at Vella Cheese.   They know something about cheese there, been making it since 1931!  We took home some greyere and some rosemary jack cheese.   Olive tasting was next at Olive Press and picked up a couple of bottles to bring home and savor.  We went to a couple of wineries, but no wine for me.  I just got to smell the glass- boo hoo.  Another spot we checked out was the Copia Wine and Food Museum.  Never been to a museum that's all about food and wine.  They had some exhibits and of course wine tasting where you buy a card you fill up with money and go to a bunch of machines that automatically pours wine for you.    Our last few stops were at Taylor's for some good old burgers and then a stop at the Napa Factory outlet.  There were some great deals there!    All in all a fun getaway before the big arrival.

Vancouver Baby Shower

It's been awhile since our last post - 1 month already and I feel much larger now.  It's the home stretch - last trimester which I've heard is a pretty uncomfortable period.  I noticed my stomach is bigger, and the Lima doesn't have as much to move around as he used to so I feel him squirm alot.  I especially like it when he gives me a good kick to the bladder or the ribs - reminds me that s/her is there with me.

So catching up on what we've been up to, the weekend of Sept 6th I was up in Vancouver to attend my baby shower that Virginia and my mom threw for me.  I was very impressed with all the color coordination, green was the theme, so the house was decorated in green, along with the hosts and I showed up in a green dress (coincidence).  It was the first time I saw a diaper cake, very cool, and the actual cake they got me was a baby carriage one (it not only looked really nice, but tasted great).  We played a bunch of games - Virginia was great in getting everyone involved.  At one point it got really competitive.  Then we did the presents - thank you for all the cute little outfits and accessories.   



I also got to meet Madison Emma Dong, Juliet & Cameron's newborn daughter when I was in Vancouver. She was only a few days old and was so precious and sweet.  She was basically snoozing the whole time.

The Berliners go to the beach...

babe, Lima and I "headed west" to the beach in half moon bay and then up Cabrillo Highway to El Granada. Drive was nice and although we only stepped out onto Miramar beach for like 4 minutes (typical Berliner style of "doing the outdoor thing"), we did snap a few cute shots. further excitement ensued when I spotted a sign for "NBC's Top 5 Sandwich - Lobster Roll" at a place called Sam's Chowderhouse. Had the lobster roll, it rocked. Felt bad cuz Alisa couldn't eat it though...

babe at the beach...

 

babe and Lima at the beach...

babe, Lima (not quite in view) and me at the beach...

 

 random tree: looked thoughtful

hope you liked your first trip to the beach Lima!!

150 Sweet Beats per Minute

150 BPM never sounded so good! I should have posted this a while ago when it was recorded, but the wife and I have been knee deep in Alan & Marianne's wedding, as you can see below, and trying to figure out what the heck we need to buy in time for Lima's arrival! (That is a whole other post that needs to be written - but it's safe to say that it's delightuflly crazy. On the one hand there's so much that needs to be considered - ugly but functional high chair vs. stylish, overpriced "elevated seating apratus?" - and on the other hand the shopping is yet another sign imprinting the joyous reality of our coming child into my brain.)



Babe's lookin' fabulous as always, a cute and almost perfectly round bump protruding from her belly the only sign that she's carrying Lima in a warm bath, a internal hot tub, a true spa for Lima's growing pleasure. She's doing a remarkable job too, one that puts me to shame I'm sure. Functioning as a human oven, girdled with an extra 15lbs of baby growing equipment, and unable to see her own feet, Alisa's been marching on, working, putting up with me, and kicking ass in general. Rock on babe...



I guess it's time to get to the juice of this post, the 150 sweetest beats I've ever heard. Throught the magic of the "Storke Radio," so clever eh?, we get to hear Lima's heart pumping away any time we want. The process is pretty simple - just coat what looks like a smooth, white tv remote with some "ultrasound gel" and place it against mom's belly. Move it around a little bit and bingo - Lima's heart beat can be heard through the speaker. The technology is similar to ultrasounds - you can read about Storke Radio here - and amazingly enough, Lima can hear it even though we can't. Lima get super worked up when we use it and I'm not sure if she is excited good or is like, "knock it off!" Either way Lima kicks up a storm which results in a loud "bbwaammm" from the speaker. Lima, we're sorry if we were bugging you but we hope you understand - hearing your heart beating makes our hearts sing. Too cheesy? Too bad, it does!



So check it out:

Alan & Marianne's Wedding - Vancouver!

It was really nice to have 5 days off from work, especially to attend my brother Alan and Marianne's wedding. It was filled with events, preparation, family, out of town guests and to top it off we threw a surprise birthday party for my Dad - he turned 60! Oh and I was surprised when my Aunt and cousins threw me a baby shower.

The wedding was beautiful and very heartful - plus lots of performances. I knew my brother wouldn't go without singing. Anyway, we took a bunch of pictures. Click here to see album.

Daddy's Latest Lesson: Clear the Way!

So Lima gets babe (aka Alisa aka mom) up a lot at night to use the washroom, that's a fact. And at 3:42am Alisa stumbles sleepily to the washroom like a drunken sailor. It's really cute but if her path is not clear, it could be fraught with peril! Therefore in order to protect my babe's cute toes from a dreaded stubbing, I have learned to clear the path between her side of the bed and the washroom every night before bed. (I try to get up to help, and usually do, but I'm pretty slow at 3:42am and end up just helping her on the return trip ;->).

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

Time flies when you are having fun. Our Anniversary was yesterday, July 28th and I can't believe it's been one year of being married. We didn't eat our wedding cake since it's in Vancouver (and it sounds kindof gross) - isn't that the tradition? but we did celebrate with Todd taking me to Ana Madera's restaurant in SF - very colonial, asian and elegant inside. He also surprised me by sending his mom to deliver flowers to my work - that was sweet.