18 months old

Hard to believe, but this little monkey is beginning the second half of her second year!

Celebrating Adoption

In June, we spent a wonderful evening on Rexhame Beach with Megan Peck, a photographer who participates in the Celebrating Adoption program. Megan has an easy way with kids, along with a skilled eye for detail and composition. The results capture X's gentle, sweet spirit as she explores the world with joy, curiosity and toddler élan.

HEY...

What happened to my blog?

expect exciting updates from Xela & Co. asap,
just as soon as we resolve a looming childcare semi-crisis...
meanwhile, enjoy these waning days of summer.

xoxox
xela

Abuela's Garden

Abuela is a talented painter. While her recent work is mainly watercolor, she is equally adept in oils and acrylics. But her aesthetic gifts are not confined to the canvas; Abuela's garden is a work of art.

It's also full of hidden spots to explore...

beginner's mind? no problema!

shadows on the path: a hand or a star?

beautiful and tasty!

don't fence me in

Abuela (like Mama) grows exotic herbs

ready for a garden party

keepin' it legal

Look who's in town... Papa! We met for a quick dinner at Legal's.
Mmmm... good food, good company. Don't stay away so long, Papa.

life's a beach

When you grow up by the sea, you never entirely escape its spell.

Abuela grew up in a small seaside town, the same town where Sylvia Plath spent six early years before moving to tonier suburban digs. They were contemporaries, both children of the Great Depression; while Abuela never met Plath, perhaps they crossed paths at the beach. Plath once said her "childhood landscape was not land, but the end of land - the cold, salt running hills of the Atlantic."

Abuela, too, was forever marked by the proximity and intensity of the ocean. When she married, Abuela moved inland. She spent decades raising a family, working in the city, living the post-war, suburban middle class American dream... but the call of the sea persisted. After she and Abuelo retired, they finally returned to the coast.

Now, Abuela nourishes her watery roots in the same Atlantic salt she knew at my age. And it's my turn to fall under the spell of the sea.









Love you, Abuela! xoxoxo xela

weekend fun

I love springtime! Crisp warm air, cool breezes, parties, picnics - can we have spring all year long?

Saturday, we dressed up for Ryan's Bar Mitzvah; his mama is a work friend of my Mama, and the place was packed with shrinks. Fortunately, they left their couches at the office. We had a terrific time.

finding flowers in the courtyard

curing balloon phobia with exposure therapy.

one step at a time...

Elegant Auntie Pam: a classical analyst,
and the best dessert chef this side of Vienna

Sunday, a pot-luck picnic in the park with more shrinks. Yeah, I was skeptical, too. Believe it or not, these shrinks can party. Umm, well, they can picnic.

the girls (L to R): Yours truly, Teju & Stella, Celia, Maya & Sheila

Yes, I'm eating fruit salad with a fork!

biker-chick Celia: Look Ma, no hands!

Jim, Rebecca (Celia's mommy) and Dennis

Maya and I, deep in conversation

Teju and Stella: two pitta (fire) girls

one sleepy girl - picnics are exhausting!

xoxoxela