First was Mother's Day. My first Mother's Day! Very exciting. I got a funny card from Eric defining sleep ("in case you've forgotten") and the baby gave me two books. It was a sweet gesture, but I have to say, I don't think he's exactly grasped the idea of Mother's Day yet; the books are "Hush Little Baby" and "First 100 Machines." I'm sure they're very fine books, but.

Oh, and the weekend doorman, a Cameroonian immigrant, gave me a dozen multicolored roses. That might sound weird if you don't know him, but he is just the nicest guy. When the baby was born he gave us a package of Pampers. About a month ago, he was mugged and beaten on his way to the bus stop to come to work. The residents of the building got him a card and took up a collection to help him save for a car. He showed his gratitude by bringing in flowers for the lobby.

That evening we went to our friends' house for dinner. It was a beautiful day and we had a good time just relaxing on the lawn.

Yesterday was E's birthday. I baked a pistachio bundt cake that, if I do say so myself, was really tasty. It's an easy recipe (doctored cake mix); the hardest part was finding pistachio instant pudding (I went to five stores). At E's request I gave him two novels and a cast-iron griddle for making pancakes. Happily, by the time he opened his presents, he'd forgotten what he asked for, so they really were a surprise!