this moment in time brought to you by penelope

K.Lo: teething again, or still, or whatever. I feel bad for the kid because several are popping through at once, they take forever (weeks, months), and her gums are all swollen. She's just not her usual charming self.

N.Lo: getting bigger every day, and he's a kicker. Predict foot will be coming out of mouth by October.

Pen: tired, increasingly uncomfortable with sciatica, heartburn. Less patient than usual. And whiny, clearly. Not my usual charming self.

K.Lo and Pen together: a weary team. Outings are generally mishap-filled, so we tend to stay home these days. We watch Elmo until our eyes bleed.

House: pretty clean, but I gave up on the vacuuming and a few other things here and there. Should be presentable for kudzu, who is visiting today (yay!). Though really I doubt she cares about a few (or more than a few) wayward dustballs.

Outside: Scorching. Blazing. Ridiculous. I don't remember a day or series of days this hot in recent years. I mean, yes, it's August and it's North Carolina, and I'm hotter than usual this year with preggo heat. But sheesh. Yesterday, something was burning in ILM, and the air just felt like fire.

Cookies: lost again. Except not in that way. I baked a batch of banana-oatmeal-raisin-coconut bars (tasty!) for K.Lo's play group today, and when we left, I put them on the top of my neighbor's car. I predict they are somewhere in Castle Hayne, scattered roadside and hopefully not causing a scene. Whoops.

Top Chef: fun and fantastic as usual, but I wish that they did make the crabcakes, for one, and also that Sara would go home, because she annoys me. And Howie doesn't, strangely. Tom Colicchio grows on me more and more with each season. But it's all still not enough; I eagerly anticipate the fall lineup.

lost between PA and New York City

So, the big event contained in our trip to PA was a Saturday excursion to NYC for my future sister-in-law's bridal shower. Being 3 hours outside the city with a toddler, a preggo, and my 89-year-old grandma in tow, it was deemed the best option to hire a limo for the trip. A bus would have been nearly as much, and a car trip more... emotionally expensive. The limo arrived bright and early, complete with TV, stereo, snack basket and ice water to drink. Our friendly driver, who took smashing care of us all day, was Deb. Bug's carseat hooked right into the back, and we were on our way. Immediately I felt overheated, which frankly is never a good sign, not while preggo. In my hand, I held a bracelet that I needed help putting on, because the latch is tricky--but then I noticed a link was broken, so it wouldn't be wearable at all. J.Lo gave the bracelet to me for our first anniversary; it is white gold with diamonds, in a pattern of "x's" and "o's." I wasn't too bothered about it breaking, because it clearly could be fixed by the jeweler whenever we got home, so I just held onto it, with the intention of putting it somewhere safe in a bit.

As the world whizzed past, I retreated inward, into some kind of quasi-meditation, concentrating on not being sick, although sometimes you just know it will happen anyway. Finally I had to ask for a bag. I hate, hate, hate having to throw up, especially into a bag and in front of others. I mean, it's not your fault, but you're instantly and totally That Girl. No one wants to travel with a vomiter. Sorry, Baby N.Lo, but you have to take the blame on this one, because typically your mom can hold her motion cookies. We pulled over almost immediately, to a scenic rest area with a few trash cans to do away with the sick, as well as a lovely view of the mountainside. It is here that I think the diamond bracelet was thrown away, I must have let it go into the bag while simultaneously puking and trying like hell to keep my dress clean (which I did, defying all laws of Peneloluck). Or maybe I lost the bracelet during Round 2, where we pulled over somewhere on the NJ Freeway and I vomited into the weeds while cars whooshed by. Regardless, the bracelet is gone, gone, gone. I lament this loss much more than the lunch I lost later, on the way home.

The shower itself was really fantastic, in spite of travel woes. Bug, due to the long and horrible process of teething 6 teeth simultaneously, was generally in a bad mood, but had her moments. She made friends with many accomodating and thankfully non-threatening strangers in Battery Park. The setting was simply lovely, with views of the Statue of Liberty and crowds traversing to and from the ferries. We even saw Spiderman (hobby or occupation? not clear).

Appetizer choices were:

Mission Fig & Cherry Tomato Salad: Brandied Figs & Tomatoes, Frisee, Bleu Cheese Mascarpone & Citrus Dressing, or

Peekytoe Crab Cake w/ red cabbage slaw, spicy Asian peanut sauce

Against my typical judgment, I went with the salad, because, ermmm, crab cakes on a sketchy stomach, not so much. I stole a few bites from Mom's plate, however, and either way, you couldn't really go wrong. As my aunt attested, the crab cake alone was worth the cost of the limo.

Entree choices were:

Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass w/ Jasmine rice, sauteed shitake mushrooms & haricot vert, or

Filet Bourguignonne w/ Pearl Onions, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Wild Mushrooms & Veal Jus

Also a tough call, but again I played it safe and went with steak, which was fan-tastic. For dessert, each table was presented with a large fruit salad, and also slices of terrifically frosted, lemon-filled cake. The company was pleasant, with the exception of a particularly sour family member (no rhyme or reason, what can you do), and the bride-to-be was most congenial and lovely, and appeared to just enjoy the day. As anyone should, preggo-sick, diamond-bracelet-losing, teething, or no, on a beautiful summer afternoon in NYC.