Silo

Longstanding family tradition dictates that the birthday boy or girl gets a dinner of his or her choosing on the big day. Yesterday was BA's birthday, and (after a few failed attempts at other places) we found ourselves at Silo to celebrate.

I'm obviously not a food blogger, and don't chronicle every place we go, but I was so pleasantly surprised by our experience that I felt like I should share.

The lowdown: Silo is a relatively-but-not-brand-new restaurant in Germantown, which is an area that I'd probably describe as one step past "up and coming." It's far from completely developed, but is no longer a secret adventure or undiscovered. Silo has that locavore, farm-to-table "elevated Southern" cuisine thing going on. While that's no longer a groundbreaking culinary idea, it's still delicious.

The cocktail menu was very fun--Sara had a strawberry rickey that is probably exactly what our 7-year-old selves would have invented to drink while playing My Little Ponies. If kids drank cocktails, that is. Most notably, BA was very impressed with the (extensive) bourbon list. Around here, you expect places to go beyond the basics, but this went even beyond that second ring of names you'd drop if you knew slightly more than the basics. He remarked that the list was curated by someone who definitely knew what they were doing, which is an assessment I trust. As an aside, I was also charmed by the way the water carafes on the tables were actually re-purposed Bulleit Bourbon bottles with the label removed.

I'm not going to run through everyone's meal, because ain't nobody got time for that, but I will just say that my sisters and I all got the burger and it might be my new fave burger in town. The addition of Benton's bacon elevated it perfectly, but wasn't heavy handed (that's really thick bacon; rookies don't realize you can't just slap it on everything all overzealous like). We also shared a side or two of the mac n' cheese...check it out.

We had brought a birthday cake, so we didn't sample their desserts, but every single one looked extremely enticing. Guess we'll just have to go back.

Overall, I would just say two thumbs up to them. I guess I had expected it to be kind of self-important and intimidating because it's sort of hip and has gotten good buzz, but that wasn't the case. Our server was so, so nice. And so was the manager, and the hostess, and really everyone. Like, to the point that we noticed and remarked on what genuine and attentive service it was--which is certainly not always the case. We also left the staff the rest of the birthday cake (I did NOT need to bring that thing home), so maybe it also buys us some good karma in the future.

I did not take any pictures other than this one of a baby on a table, so here you go.

Happy birthday, daddy!

Bathing Beauty

We celebrated Memorial Day with baby's first trip to the pool! This was especially fun for me as it's the pool where I grew up swimming with my besties, and they're also unveiling a new facelift this summer, so we enjoyed seeing what was new. Like the "zero-entry" baby pool, which is one of those things I guess I care about now. Also, that's just a fancy architect way of saying "it slopes." See below.

I will strategically place this baby so I can pretend that I didn't just put a picture of my postpartum self in a bathing suit on the internet.

And I don't know why he looks like he's melting.

There's also a new cabana, playground, and bar, all of which will be useful in different ways in the future.

We've already been back to the pool once this week with friendbabies Brooks and Harrison, and it was warm enough that we can get all the way in now. I'd say he loved it, but it wasn't so much a day of happy splashing, just more like he just sort of entered a Zen mode and was totally happy to just chill in the water forever. Harrison splashed gleefully enough for all of us and any other babies within a six-mile radius. Brooks entertained us with his new Beyonce impression, which has nothing to do with the pool but is too funny not to mention. 

It's a little bit of a process to get all the gear and I'm still mystified by swim diapers (they don't absorb anything?!?), but I think it's a good activity and we'll log some good pool hours over the summer. I'm also glad we brilliantly timed the baby to be born in February (nice work) so that he was big enough to go places and I am functional enough to do things by the time summer rolled around. He's still littler than his friends (I mean, obviously he always will be, but a few months makes a big difference at this age), and it's a challenge that he can't wear sunscreen until 6 months so I have to learn whole new sun-protection things, but we can make it work. 

Welcome, summer! I am ever so glad to see you.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Sara!

In Which The Baby Gets Dunked

Mr. C is no longer a Pagan baby, having cast out Satan and all his pomps when he received the Sacrament of Baptism this past Sunday.

While it is WAY too long of a service for little babies, he did the best a little guy can do and powered through in his baptism jersey (don't call it a gown). Such a champ. He only whimpered a little in surprise when he got Holy Water'd--with much more gusto than a "sprinkle."

In all seriousness, it was a very special day. I wouldn't get up and go to church for very many people (unless it's a wedding), so I was truly very touched at all the people who came to celebrate with us--either at the service or at brunch afterwards. Or EVEN via the live webcast, in the latest installment of "Ain't Technology Grand?". So thanks be to you.

So holy with my prayer hands

C wore my paternal grandfather's christening gown. Gramps was born in 1892, so the gown is over 120 years old. He's the fourth generation to wear it (I also wore it when I was christened in a vineyard, setting the stage for a life of wine). It is delicate--I only buttoned a few of the buttons in the back so as not to over-handle it--but still in good shape. 

We also have my maternal grandfather's gown, and I wanted him to wear that for a little while or a photo as well, given that he's named for that branch of the family. As it turns out, there are only so many costume changes one can impose on a tired baby, so that one will just have to wait. 

For those who might find themselves in the baptismal way: C is about 3.5 months and I think that was a pretty good age for this. Our church (so I suppose Episcopal churches in general) offers four dates per year. I think he would have been too little/in a crying phase at the Easter service. If he were much older, he'd need to be entertained a lot more. The other babies being baptized were about a year old, and needed a lot more wiggling and exiting and such. So if you can hit this age window, it works about as well as it can given the entirely developmentally-inappropriate nature of the rite. 

his general feelings after about an hour and 15 minutes of incense and pentecosting

and then a crash

followed by a delicious brunch

which would not have been complete without caramel cake (it's in disguise)

Citrus Lane

For a while, I wanted to be cool enough to sign up for a subscription box like Birchbox, where you get a delivery of goodies every month. Now I'm not cool anymore and I never did Birchbox, but there is of course a whole world of baby and kid sample boxes.

I looked at reviews of several (overview at the bottom of the post) and ultimately decided to sign up for Citrus Lane because the boxes are designed around your child's age as opposed to a theme or project. He's not really old enough to understand any of that yet, so I just wanted to try good products.

Our first box came yesterday--a few weeks after I signed up--and I thought I'd share a peek in to the contents if you wanted to see what it's all about.  They'd probably make a great gift, too, if you've got kiddos in your life (especially the project boxes for older kids). There are, of course, also the ones for grown ups and even dogs (BarkBox).

Bear Takes a Trip
A cute little board book. I've not seen this series (am I missing something?) but it's a cute little rhyming book with a story about Bear's trip to the mountains.
Use code DISCOVER for 20% off at barefootbooks.com

Rattle Keys from Green Toys
I think these are going to be a hit. They're made in the US from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs and are dishwasher safe.
Use code CLSPRING13GT for 10% at shop.greentoys.com through 6/30/13

Gripe Water from Mommy's Bliss
Some people swear by this for upset tummies. It's billed as a remedy for colic, hiccups, teething, and gas. If you're a devotee, this is a good one because it's all natural. Personally, it made my baby vomit when we first tried it, so we'll probably pass. He was littler then (I had bought a bottle on my own), so maybe it would be better now, but we no longer have the gas issues. So basically I have an unopened bottle of this that I'll give you for free if you want it.

Dish Liquid from Dapple
A "green" detergent for baby feeding items. I'll try it out.
dapplebaby.com

The Mommy Hook
Stupid name, pretty smart product. Just a giant carabiner that can hook to the stroller or grocery cart and hold your purse, shopping bags, etc.
themommyhook.com

I found varied prices online, but it looks like the total value of the items in the box was $35 or so, which I think is pretty decent. Boxes are $25/month for 1-month and 3-month subscriptions, and $21/month for a 6-month subscription.

If you want to explore more, here's a little overview. I don't know much about the others except what I've read on the internet, so you might have additional insight. I am not going to link to all of these because I am lazy, but I'm sure you are a good enough Googler. Also, some blog people are brave (or boring) and have reviewed all or some of these boxes, so you can search for reviews if you want to know more.

BabbaBox - theme-based "learning-oriented" boxes for older kids

BirchBox - for grown-up ladies. Samples of beauty, grooming, and lifestyle products. You can also review the product samples to receive "points." Less expensive at about $10/month.

BirchBox Man - you get the idea

bluum - samples for moms and babies (and, more recently, toddlers)

Cravebox - not a monthly subscription; more like a themed grab bag (for grown ups), e.g., Summer Beauty, Coffee Lovers, etc.

Glossybox - luxury-sized cosmetic samples

The Honest Company - Jessica Alba's line of green/organic baby and home products. A full-service site in addition to the subscription boxes

Julep Maven - nail polishes and nail products

Kiwi Crate - craft projects for kids ages 3-7. People like this one.

Stork Stack - for babies

Wittlebee - kids' clothing

Have you done any of these? What did you think? Did I miss any? Let me know...

Jam Sesh

on my Kick & Play Piano.

#Lambstand