Big Apple Baby

From the moment I first went to New York City....I knew no other city in the world would come close to matching that special something that NYC has....
it's something indescribable..something you have to feel...
Cities are unique like people, they have a feel, a look, a "personality" all their own....and NYC has a "fingerprint"  unlike any other.

I loved carrying baby around NYC....so many things to see, faces to look at....and Times Square was quite mesmerizing to her...well, and to tons of tourists there too! ha ha

I wish I could spend the day walking in NYC with my babies....instead I'm far too far to the left coast. Far more too far away...but when I saw this picture, for a moment I caught a glimpse in my heart of the excitement, creativity, and business of NYC...that was not just exciting to me, to little eyes taking the excitement in too...
typing from a location in the boonies with little onesies that say "I heart NYC"....your kandee

Cozy, Comfy, Baby Outing Must Haves

We are big (and when I say "we", I mean lil Miss Cupcake or me and her together)
We sit in high chairs at restaurants- well at least for a little while.
We like things to be comfy and germ free...
So we, okay, back to just saying me...or I
I bought a high chair/ shopping cart cover to keep baby extra cozy and free from  "whatever germs-the-baby-that-sat-there-before-left-behind"...
-It comes with a little pillow and a carrying case...
but we (yep there we go again), like to chew on the little velvety tag...as seen above

I was playing around in photoshop and somehow Cupcake's hair got quite Lucille Ball-ish colored...but I'm too exhausted to play around and change it back- yes, I can say that, I am too tired. As a mama of 4, who stays up too late trying to blog and upload photos, and with a baby that wakes up a lot...I am tired. I am very tired. I have rings bigger than anything Kim Kardashian has on her fingers, under my eyes.

Oh by the wayside- if you wanna know just what high chair/ shopping cart cover I have in these here pictures, it's the Bright Starts Comfort and Harmony Deluxe Cozy Cart Cover

You can get it here at : www.brightstarts.com

Or I got mine at Babies R Us, here: www.babiesrus.com

But my all-time favorite shopping cart cover is not the Bright Starts one, but they didn't have it at Babies R Us...It is the most padded, comfy, easy to put on, easy to carry, comes with a pouch to hold your keys, wallet, toys, bottles (if you use them), room to stash a clean diaper and wipes too....I actually like it way better for the shopping cart than the Bright Starts one...

It's the Buggy Bagg and it comes in other patterns too! I got a really cool black and cream Toile print one (I don't think they make that print anymore) when I had Alani and used it with Blaker too, until, well, I don't know where it is or where it went. 

I don't think it fits on high chairs...but it's worth it for grocery shopping, cruising through Whole Foods and trips to Target. I got so many compliments on it every time we used it. 

Click here to see them: www.buggybagg.com

I like to have babies as comfy as they can be at all times, whether next to me in a sling or cozy and comfy as we shop for groceries.

Love sharing my fav finds with you guys....

cozy hugs and shopping carts, kandee

The most popular place to go with your baby in LA!

I love it when she makes this face!

I have discovered the "go to" place when you have a baby in LA-

The Grove -outdoor shopping wonderland...

(at the Farmer's Market on 3rd and Fairfax)

it is amazing and you don't even need to buy a thing!

There is music playing- Frank Sinatra style....water shows, a little bridge with fountain statues, cobblestone streets,a little trolley to ride on, and at Christmas time the bring in snow machines and make it snow in LA from the rootops!

It is one of my favorite places to just go walk around.

(lil pumkin' outing number 2 in a highchair...she loves it!)

BUT....I noticed the other day as we ate lunch there...that if you go during the day in the week it is THE SPOT to go if you have a baby.

I saw more moms, gramma's, strollers and babies in slings, carriers, all over the place...it was almost strange to see someone without a baby because there were babies and kids everywhere!

It was great.

 LUNCH: I don't know the name of the Italian place, but it's right next to the water fountains and the kids love to watch the fountain show...the best place to take kids to eat, because they are so busy watching everything going on! If you go- try the Butter Sage Spinach Ravioli- so good my mouth is watering right now.

Blakey sipping his yummy orange juice drink!

Blakey dancing to the music with his balloon...we had tried to have lunch at the American Girl Cafe for Alani, but for reasons unknown to the employees, who informed us that the Cafe was closed... we then went to the above mentioned delicious Italian place, then headed for the Haagen-Dazs ice cream stand.

And saw another 50 or so moms with babies...even a girl pushing her dog in a baby stroller! ha ha ha

your fav baby toting girl named (I will still refer to myself as a girl, even when I'm 97).... kandee

Joan's on 3rd: Our first time in a real "restaurant" high chair!

 Our first time, and when I say "our"...you know I am speaking on behalf of little Cupcake (who's real name is ofcourse, not Cupcake), in a real restaurant high chair! (We sit on our high chair at home all the time- but out and about this was our first time!)
where: One of my favorite places to eat in LA, Joan's on 3rd. It's fun, you go order at the counter or shop for a baked treat of yummy food in their store, then you can go sit outside and consume all your delish treats!

 she loved it! And I was so excited to be able to eat without holding a bouncing-on-my-lap-baby, while I drop food all over my lap! ha ha ha

the little "animal" face peeking our from the left is Blaker's shirt...we love this shirt! Go muppets!

 we got cupcakes!

me and my littles....photo courtesy of mom, but you can see her purse dangling from her empty chair! Yummy lunch and hooray for restaurant-high chair success! If only I had remembered our little high chair cover...next time.

cupcakes and high chairs..... kandee

Central Park and Turkish Delights

my mama, Shannon, baby and me, myself and I

what: something I've always dreamed of...riding a carriage through central park-
me, my mom and baby felt like old-fashioned ladies riding in our "buggy"....

blurry...but me likey anyway...

 me, baby...my mama
after a day of darting from fashion show to hotel to feed baby, darting back to fashion shows...back to hotel....I missed my little baby..who I am normally with every millisecond of the day... it was so fun to just hold her and we clippity-clopped along....
and she fell asleep...

still asleep...

 we went to dinner at a Turkish Restaurant on 57th called Istanbul Cafe (I think)....it was so good...Stuffed Grape Leaves like I've never had- we ordered a second order they were so good. Yogurt Chicken Kebabs and Sultan's Delight....with Pistachio Baklava for dessert (Turkish Delight is more like a candy than a dessert so we went with the Baklava)...so delishy!

 then we (meaning baby)...woke up and were being interested in my phone...

everyone's asleep but me now.....I'm going to go sleep because I think I'm about 1,978 hours in the negative as far asleep is concerned...
sweet dreamies...or even sweeter "awake-ies"...love yous...kandee

my "beauties" and the beach

(cupcake- Elyse, me and my ring sling, my lil' neicey-pie and my sister, who is not my twin, but looks a lot like me, in Manhanttan Beach.

After working on the show yesterday...(click HERE to read about what happened before this picture) my sister, who stopped by on her way to San Diego, came to visit on set too, with her "so-her-auntie-kandee's-style" daughter and my only niece, we had a few extra hours until our flight so we went to the beach to have lunch, ice cream, and me try to stay awake (I'd been up for over 24 hours...ugh, i'll fill you in on my kandeej blog)

  on a "golden" side note: please notice the "golden-dream" watch on my wrist!!! Yes, the Michael Kors Runway watch I've been drooling over. You too can can scrounge your house for gift cards from christmas and birthdays from years past (I'm notorious for saving giftcards for years...until they expire waiting for the perfect gift)..TIP: Macy's giftcards don't expire! ...and look what I was able to get..the Runway WATCH!  Nothing could replace how much I loved the watch my friend made with my grandpa's watch- I wore it everyday for 10 years. I loved it, but now I've finally picked a new winner! I love it..and getting gift cards from family that never know what to get me!

 me...my little beauty and no I'm not talking about my watch...(who had a long travel day with mama)

we had to walk to the water before we headed back to the airport...I miss the beach. I miss my sister. I can't wait to live close to them both again.

This day was a dream...I don't care how tired I was...and yes, me who never sleeps on planes, fell asleep for 5 or 10 minutes, while my mom held the baby. I was so tired...not even any turbulence could've kept me awake.

I know I typed this post wayyyy later than I normally post on my blog...I'm sorry,
but I was not feeling well this morning, my head hurts a little and my nose is all congested...I hope I didn't not catch what the lady who was sniffling and sneezing behind me at the airport or the kids who kept coughing near me in the security line (people were sick everywhere!), had.

looking at the pictures makes my head stop hurting a little...
maybe I can take a nap and dream of this day again....
hugs, love and if you are sick too....I hope you feel better as I "cyber-hand-you-a-tissue" and a
vitamin C (hee hee)...
love ya more than all the water in the ocean, kandee

A San Francisco Treat!

Nothing says San Francisco like trolley cars (or maybe the Golden Gate bridge)...
since...we were unable to drive home because of the crazy snow storm in the mountains and warnings of road closure...
we went to walk around Union Square....
and Alani who was amazed by the giant Macy's...
made a request for us to go there...
and we needed to buy her a new pair of socks!

the view of union square...

funny to think about a storm going on just a couple hour drive away on such a beautiful day in the bay!

the big 8 week old, herself....asleep in my arms...the best feeling in the world...cuddling a dreaming little one!

with tired feet...we headed back up some steep hills...what a work out pushing a stroller too!

we spent the evening playing... "american idol"...Alani would pretend she was all different contestants...my favorite contestant named she came up with, were Dace and Trash.
Trash sang really badly...ha ha ha
and then she asked, "so, am I going to Hollywood?", after she would sing...we were laughing so hard...
especially when Nana (aka my mom)..sang really badly...it was hilarious!

Another laughing moment, at dinner, when the waiter asked Alani how old she thought he was and she guessed "61!"
...he told us he was 35! ha ha ha

huge love from one tired mama...your kandee