Lilypie 5th Birthday Ticker

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Happy Mother's Day 2006!

Today is my 2nd true Mother's Day as a mom. I received these beautiful pink roses from Uwe with a card from him and a card from Astrid. When Uwe and I have a weekend free we're also going to go shopping for a necklace for me. =)On Friday when I came home from work, I saw this box with writing that said, "To: Mommy, From: Astrid. Happy Mother's Day!" I asked my nanny if this was from her and she said, "Yes...well no, it's really from Astrid." So I opened the box and this is what was inside.A stainless steel mug that says, "I love my Mommy this much!" Then our nanny told me to turn the mug around. On the other side is a photo of Astrid that was taken on Friday.

What a thoughtful gift! (I've since brought it to work and everyday when I drink water out of it, I look at my baby's face.)For lunch we went to Captain Kidd's fish market and restaurant in Redondo Beach, CA with my mom and dad. I'd been craving crab for awhile and since I've been going there with my parents since I was a kid (and they love it too), I thought it would be nice to invite my parents over for Mother's Day. It's the best place for the freshest seafood with no frills dining.Captain Kidd's has water tanks filled with live crabs and lobster. You pick the ones you want and they steam them and crack and clean them for you. They also have lots of different kinds of fish, mussels, clams (my parents love the clam chowder), smoked salmon, shrimp cocktail, corn on the cob, and various side dishes. My mom absconded with Astrid while Uwe and I were standing in line. Fifteen or so minutes passed and I turned to Uwe and asked, "Do you know where our kid is?" Then I looked up and saw them standing on the other side of the restaurant. You can see my mom (wearing a pink top) holding Astrid (who's wearing a white hat) in the background.

It was ridiculously busy today. Usually the service is pretty good but today if you got someone to look in your direction it was a miracle and there were long lines all around (at the fish tanks, at the snack line, for the side dishes, and the even at the beverage counter). I've never seen it so busy before. It was packed.Here's a photo of one of the employees holding a bag full of freshly steamed crabs. Those vats behind him are where they steam the seafood.Here's where they crack and clean the crab, lobster, and fish. I like that you can see them at work and how they keep everything very clean. See all those lemons on top? They use those to disinfect and keep everything smelling lemony fresh (not fishy). After eating pounds of crab the lemons are also great for freshening up your hands.It's a seat yourself establishment with long wooden tables and benches on two levels in the back facing the ocean (and outside). You wait to hear your number called over the loud speaker announcing your order is ready for pick up. There are no waiters or waitresses. You carry your food on trays to your table. There are sheets of paper provided to lay down on the tables, and you're expected to clean your table before you leave. Astrid ate fish for the first time (yellowtail that Uwe had ordered) and my mom kept trying to feed her crab (which we had to put a stop to). I dunno if shellfish is okay for her to eat at this age. My mom kept proclaiming how much she loved it (which I'm sure she did), and saying she only gave her a couple bites (when we saw her sneak in at least four). Astrid also had rice and steamed broccoli and cauliflower. She loved the cauliflower.Here she is all smiles. Happy to be with her family, and eating what we're eating.

Lately I've been thinking about things I can whip up for Astrid, that the nanny can feed to her during the week. I will definitely add cauliflower to my list. Astrid has moved past pureed foods and she prefers chunkier foods that she can chew and also what mama and papa are eating, rather than her baby food. She's also getting fussier about the foods she does eat. Before she would eat anything we fed her, but now she prefers her fruits and somehow she can tell the vegetable baby food (by the color I guess) and she'll only eat a few spoonfuls and then shake her head back and forth to signal "no more."

We also brought some fresh smoked salmon home with us that we ate for dinner while watching the season finale of Survivor. A nice ending to mother's day.

The only thing missing was a photo of me on Mother's Day. Since I don't have one, I tried to post a couple from Mother's Day last year, from our brunch at Inn of the Seventh Ray, however blogger is having photo uploading issues.

No comments: