***saturday***
our first real
weekend together.
the last 6 months
have been one
continuous weekend, but
now it’s back to
what normal people
consider a weekend…
trying to pack in
as much
stuff as possible
before heading back
to work and daycare
on monday.
so we got an
early start on saturday.
a little rice cereal
for madeline before
heading out
the door to meet
some strangers friends
for some breakfast
at a place known
for giant pancakes.
we met in
the parking lot
and waited outside
for what seemed
like forever
for a table to
become available.
i took some photos
of madeline in her
fancy, daddy-assembled ensemble
(my best work yet, imo)
we finally got seated
and enjoyed a
giant breakfast
and some laughs.
maddy spent a little
time with her new friends
while i worked
on my pancakes.
we finished up
and it was time
to say goodbye.
but first, the ladies
wanted to
meet make-out with
the robot.
from breakfast
maddy and i headed
over to la brea
to do a little shopping.
i wanted to
use the gift certificate
that talia and lauren
sent to me
to brighten up my
first week of work.
found the shoe
store and had to make
a few tough decisions.
i asked for madeline’s opinion.
she was of no
help to me.
i ended up getting
two pairs of shoes.
as i
checked out i saw
some maddy-sized shoes,
including a
pair she just
had to have,
even though they
won’t fit her
for months.
after the shoe
store i stopped
in a clothing store i
used to visit with
liz.
bought a couple
of used shirts
that she would
have hated.
enough shopping.
it was time to
head home so we
could get ready
for our next event.
got madeline changed
and drove to
bob and anna’s house
to wish auntie anya
good luck at
her new job.
drove out to the monrovia,
past a woman’s
store with a
ridiculous name
and made it
to our destination.
madeline immediately left
my arms, heading
off with auntie anya
to have her dinner
while the rest of
us ate cheese
and other snacks.
maddy got passed
around and i got a break.
her eyes became
a little heavy
and she eventually
fell asleep while
we enjoyed our dinner.
after some conversation
i packed up
madeline and drove
us home.
she stayed asleep
and i joined her
soon after.
plenty of distractions today.
enough, in fact, that
i was able forget
about things
for most of
the day.
***sunday***
slept in until 7:00.
madeline woke
up with a giant smile.
i kept her mind
off of breakfast by
making her laugh.
her fussiness reminded
me that it was
time for her to eat.
i gave her
a little cereal along
with her bottle
and she went
back to sleep.
i used
her nap time
to take care of
some housework.
madeline woke
up from her nap
and i took
her on a
short stroller ride
around the neighborhood.
when we got back
it was time
for both of to take
another nap.
(it turns out that real life is exhausting).
woke up around 2:30,
just in time to
head out the
door to meet up
with some friends.
amy and greg
hooked us up
with a ticket
to game three
of the nlcs.
we met them
at one of their
friend’s house
for a pre-game snack.
amy was waiting
with a new dodgers
outfit for madeline.
we got maddy changed
and it was time
to go.
we made it to
the stadium and
got a quick tour
of the inner workings
of the team.
met up
with amy and greg’s
friend, kim,
who let madeline
take care of
a little business.
madeline did a
pretty decent of job
running the team
for a few minutes…
then she got
distracted by a sandy
koufax baseball card.
bored with sandy koufax,
she went
back to making some
changes that she
thought would
benefit the team.
to serve as a reminder
that she’s the
youngest gm in the
game, she went back to
trying to get
her fist in her mouth.
the game was
about to start
so we said goodbye
and headed to
our seats.
maddy was enthralled
with the game.
and i with her.
she feel asleep
as the guys
on the field
started to brawl.
she woke up a
few minutes later
and wanted to play.
she watched the
rest of the game
she stayed awake
long enough
to see the dodgers
when their first game
of the series.
after the game we
walked through
the nearly empty stadium
and went to a party
in a tent
in the parking lot.
strangers friends.
joe and tammy introduced
themselves to us
and i promised to
join them for dinner
sometime soon.
at some point
amy convinced me
that getting a
photo with the organ
player for the
dodgers was the right
thing to do.
(liz loved nancy bea and her rad organ skills).
later i ran into
stranger friend and dodgers
employee, heather s.
we talked for awhile
and she offered
to introduce us
to tommy lasorda.
ummm…yeah.
we waited for a
few minutes then
it happened…
tommy lasorda tried to
eat my child.
maddy was able to
wrestle her hand
away from him
at which time
i asked if he’d
pose for a photo
with us.
still staring at
my baby he said,
“huh?”
“um…will you pose for a photo with us?”
“sure”
he said.
(that’s orel hershiser in the background, trying to sneak his way into the photo).
after rubbing elbows
with dodger greats
it was time
to leave.
kim drove all
of us back to
our cars.
we said goodbye
and thanked everyone
for a great night.
maddy and i made it
home in 10 mins.
she was asleep when
we arrived at
the house.
we got in the house
and i think
i was asleep before
i even hit the couch.
one of the
best nights i’ve
had in a very
long time,
but there was
a cloud hanging
low over all
of it.
the liner notes
to joe e.’s album.
put it best…
“there’s a difference between loneliness and being lonely, and loving and being loved”
don’t know why,
but that just
seems to fit.
87 Comments
I warned you he’d try to eat her.
Loved ALL the pics! Looks like you had a GREAT weekend!!! Loooove the new outfits on Maddy!
Cute as ever!
Oh, that picture of M with the bb card is PRICELESS! Love it!
What a precious post. Loved ALL the photos… Sounds like a great weekend.
Sounds and looks like a great day. Keep on getting out there and living. The best thing for both you and the every gorgeous Madeline.
Those outfits are adorable. If I were near I’d want to eat Madeline too! Love those chunky baby legs!
It’s great that you were able to enjoy yourselves after a long week.
I can see Tommy’s heart just a melting…Who wouldn’t want to eat up baby madeline…? She is just scrumptious!
Orel photobombed you!
Those liner notes are so very true…
Hi there,
I love your writing, your daughter is beautiful, and I am so impressed with the creative and open way you’re dealing with this tragic turn in both your lives.
On a much more superficial note… where on earth did you get such an AWESOME looking pancake? If I had to guess, I’d say the Griddle but the upholstery on the booth looked wrong. Promise not to stalk, I just love pancakes (om nom nom).
Cheers!
You’ve got some good outfit-styling skills, Madeline looked adorable, as usual.
Wow, Tommy Lasorda … how cool is that? Too bad I’m not watching the Dodgers in the WS. I kept hoping.
We love catching up with you … thank you so much for sharing.
That Dodger after party looked like a lot of fun. Love how Maddy charmed Lasorda.
hi Matt…you are such an amazing father. The ball game looked like a blast. I know you had mentioned possibly finding a different way to carry Maddy around, and I just wanted to suggest an ERGO carrier. It is a soft carrier that can be worn as a front pack and back pack. the key is that it distributes that weight on your hips instead of pulling on your shoulders and back. We have hiked for 2-3 hours with my 22 pound son on our back with no discomfort. it is also great for snuggling in a front pack wear. Good luck and keep on the amazing work.
Mackenzie from Olympia, WA
my husband says “tommy lasorda should get to eat whatever baby he likes.” LOL. Cute photos!
Looks like a great weekend overall! I’m glad Madeline got her right hand away from Tommy… a girl can’t get by with only shoving just her left hand in her mouth, afterall. It’s no way to live. & I Love that picture of you staring at her all lovey like
My gosh she’s so photogenic – seriously – I thought my girls took good photos. Wish we were in NYC this week – unfortunately the strength of the AUD against USD just didn’t last.
Matt you have such a good taste in girls clothes, I would be useless. Max is dead easy, I just dress him like I’d like to look.
What a great 1st weekend together.
Go Dodgers (Only because The Tribe came up short)
sounds like a weekend filled with amazing memories!
and WOAH – talk about one big pancake…that thing could probably EAT you!
and of course – madeline is the best dressed baby evah….you do good work daddy!!
hope *this* week is going well….. kiss that doll baby!
aloha friend
“and I with her” What a beautiful sentiment and a beautiful photo to go along with it. It truly is a love letter to Madeline. What daughter would not want to read such wonderful things about how their dad was feeling while they were growing up. It is a gift that she will no doubt cherish forever (even when she’s mad at you for grounding her).
Glad you had a great weekend.
Great shot of you lifting Madeline up in the stadium there during the Mexican wave.
Just like that scene in When Harry Met Sally. But with heavier arms, obviously.
seriously…is M wearing a jean skirt, and a little shawl type deal? OMGGGGGGGGGGGGG that is too cute!! i can’t wait to see her new kicks when the time comes..i’m thinking they were the little vans in the picture?!?! too damn cute!
Asalamalaykom,
Checkin’ ya out before work….woooooork. In other words: procrastinating. Of course, with my luverly dial-up, I can’t see but one picture. I’ll trust that really was Tommy Lasorda. Didn’t he do a much-publicized weight loss plan? I’m guessing chubby baby legs aren’t on the menu.
New album on flickr: Miss Madeline & celebs. Oh, ya. Start it. It will grow.
Hey, with the lay-offs at yahoo, are you ok? Can you let us know? It’s that whole caring about you thing.
OK, photos just loaded. Yep. Adorable. Mesmerizingly adorable. That ensemble on the couch is chic beyond belief. And Tommy Lasorda is real and really eating your baby.
Glad to hear you had a good time..Madeline has some awesome dress sense
She could give my girls a few tips.
Pictures are awesome as usual.
Those were the biggest fucking pankcakes I’ve ever seen!
Would you please feed that girl? I mean, seriously…look at those legs! She’s all skin and bones!!
Looks like you guys had a great weekend! What fun!! You’re doing a great job, Daddy!
Maddy sure loves her daddy…it’s easy to tell.
~Tracy
It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend, Matt.
Great job on picking out Madeline’s outfit. I love, love, love the little jean skirt she was wearing. So, so cute!
You have perfect skills with womens clothes. Maddy is adorable. Your writing is great. I love how you always have the perfect pic for what you’re writing. I can’t say which pic is my fav, I like them all. All in all it sounds like a good weekend. It really does get easier with time.
You’ll never get over it but you will get through it. Maybe not yet but at some point it won’t be ALL consuming. You are doing soo much better than I did. I did a lot of retail therapy and even more 12 oz at a time therapy. Keep up the good work and have a good time in the NYC.
Helloooooooo pancakes!!
I was pleased to see you partaking in the “well” priced beer at the Stadium.
Beer is good for you.
Cheers.
P.S.
K8 in the N won’t be to pleased to see her bot being manhandled by others….
Those were some intense looking pancakes.
Real life really is exhausting, isn’t it?
What an awesome weekend! Yay for you guys! My favorite pics are the ones of you staring at Madeline…so, so perfect.
Well, you and Madeline certainly hang with impressive company! Glad you saw your Dodgers win, and great job with Maddie’s outfit!!
You totally *did* put together the best Madeline outfit ever…how did you know to coordinate her with your stranger friends, AND the restaurant seating. You’ve got skills. ;D
And I’m loving her chunky legs (the only time chunky legs are cute–dang it).
And all the baseball stuff is cool…yeah, yeah, yeah…but all I really want and care about and won’t be satisfied until I get some are pancakes now…my goal is to make some as big as a dinner plate too. 3 of them.
So glad you had a good weekend! Love the photos! That liner quote…beautiful, heartbreaking and so true.
Great post! Love the bloomers under the jean skirt – whole outfit rocks! Well done! And that pancake could feel a small tribe! Holy it was huge, but looked so so yummy! My fave pic was the open mouth pick w/ the baseball card – she looked like Liz in that picture where Liz is standing by a clown at the state fair or something like that? Those pics need to be displayed side by side in a frame or something!
Have fun in the NYC this weekend!!
What a great weekend! Such fun pictures – just joyful to read. You are such a fun dad!
you made the weekend just what it is supposed to be…jam packed full of fun!! those pancakes look so very good. that outfit is definitely the best i have seen. and your day with the dodgers seemed like the ultimate!! good work!!!
How cool is it that Tommy Lasorda got to meet Maddy??
Now if it were Joe Torre, THEN I would be impressd but for the time being, Lasorda ..eh not so bad.
I just have to say, even IF you had a meth lab in your bath tub…. you are still doing a great job with Madeline, she’s too happy for you not to be.
By the way, the pictures of Madeline at the baseball game and “running the team” are priceless.
Keep your chin up.
It’s sad… Maddy dresses better than I do! Seriously, you have some awesome fashion skills Matt! I’m glad your *first* weekend together was a great one. The picture of you staring at Maddy while she’s mesmerized by the game is so beautiful and so full of love… and the picture of Maddy with the Koufax card is hilarious! I can’t tell whether she was so excited to be holding it, or if she just wanted to eat it!
Has she found her calling at (almost) 7 months? To be a GM? I think she did a great job with the changes she made. I mean… the dodgers did win!
@ Yorsa: Chubby baby legs are on just about everyone’s menu! They’re irresistible & definitely nom-alicious!
That is one cute effing outfit, Matt. And the pictures of her managing the Dodgers are priceless. The picture of you gazing adoringly at her is just perfect. So glad you had a good weekend, and so sorry about the cloud.
GREAT photos! Maddy looks great, and it fucking rocks that you got to meet Tommy Lasorda!
wow.. what a day… you are getting too good with that camera, my friend.. I don’t think you need me anymore..
hope all is well.. have fun in the NY.
~g
yay! lots of maddy pics in this one! her outfit was gorgeous, glad you had a great first weekend. weekends *are* exhausting.
LOVE the photo with Maddy and the baseball card!
Great post – so happy you had a good weekend. I can only imagine how super cool those shoes you bought her are.
How freaking sweet was that breakfast?? Did I see bacon behind the flap jacks?
Madeline looks great in her new gear! She is one popular lady lately! Have fun in the NYC….cannot wait to hear about the trip!
Amy from Louisville in the KY
Looks like you had a great time! So sad about the Dodgers, but we always have next year. I love that picture of you looking at Maddie. You should make it a large pic and frame it.
OMG, love those pictures. The chubby little thighs on that girl, I’d want to munch on her too! She is so overwhelmingly adorable.
And she’s quite the fashionista. You’re going to regret teaching her those things in about 15 years.
Can I just say that I love how dopey people act around a baby?
Holy God, I can’t believe he tried to eat Maddie!
What a fun night.
Oh man now I really want some pancakes! Hehe.
My gosh those pancakes are huge! Were you able to eat it all up? LOL Robot is getting lots of action lately….
Love the baseball photos. My favorite is the one where you are looking at Madeline, you can tell you love your daughter so much in that photo! I had to laugh that Mr. Lasorda tried to eat Madeline hahaha.
Madeline is as cute as ever! Such a doll!
Great pics as usual….so cool to meet Tommy LaSorda, and back the one person who recommended the Ergo carrier… I second that vote. I hope Maddie’s little toesies weren’t chilly, I noticed people were wearing jackets! (I always worry about them being chilly!). You guys are looking great, and seem to be doing great, and that’s awesome!
Love that baseball card shot, and what an opportunity to meet TL and see a ton of Dodger greats! Sorry they didn’t make it to the WS.
Go Rays!
Is that a mini jean skirt Madeline’s wearing? That is too cute! And I love the picture with her mouth wide open at the game. Hope you guys have an awesome time in the big apple.
What a fun weekend…love the star-studded pics, I agree with Yosra, you should start some specific albums with Maddie, cuz she is world wide famous and big names are attracted to her.
As usual — travel safe & have a blast!
Did the restaurant decorate the pancake tops, or does your sense of style extend to breakfast foodstuffs as well as Maddy togs?
That daughter of yours is something else. What a beauty!
“drove out to the monrovia,
past a woman’s
store with a
ridiculous name”
I’m guessing it was “The Wizard of Bras,” with the GINORMOUS bra in the window? (Had to laugh, because that’s my exit and it cracks me up every time I see it).
Love the Tommy Lasorda pictures. How funny.
Won’t make the visit in NY, but if you’re ever lounging around in the central Arkansas area, we’re there. ha!
imo that picture is your best work, it was the first thing i thought before I read the caption. She really looks like Liz in that picture, it’s the eyes I think, you’ll always be able to remember Liz in Matty’s eyes, she is truly a gift from some heavenly being!
looks like a fun weekend…good thing you had on a LA hat on and not the M hat
here’s to many more fun and exhausting weekends!
Can I just say that I get more and more jealous of Maddy every day?!?!
(((Hugs from Central CA)))
ok, so i just have to ask…was the “woman’s store with a ridiculous name” in monrovia the “wizard of bras?” i just had to ask. every time i drive past that store i think it has a ridiculous name.
Very Cool!
“bored with sandy koufax”??
You better fix that quick!
Oh, good, you took her to a Dodgers game, phew.
I’d be tempted to nibble on her all the bloody time…
NLCS game 3, Lasorda and Hershiser, juggling the Dodgers line-up?!?!? You are blessed, Matt! But I still feel for you. You are an inspiration with out even trying!!
Great photos and I’m so happy that you’ve had some awesome times to experience with Maddy!! I especially love her GM experience – and at such a young age – she’s so poised!
I hope you’re having a wonderful NYC weekend!
Shoot – modify to last post- hope you HAVE a wonderful NYC weekend, not having…a little brain dead and wishful that it was Friday already!
Cheers!
you should have gone to every dodger game with mad, maybe we would have beat the phillies
ps. those pancakes look divine, where is that?!?
pps. madeline is one adorable baby, but you already know that.
Damn, Matzah Grrl beat me to the punch.
Hey, it’s my exit too … .
Also, they have HHH bras for sale there, or at least they used to advertise that they sold them there.
Awesome outfits on that lady bug! Such great pics of you two! Looks like a great time at the Dodgers game! Glad Maddy fingers are NOT on Tommy’s diet! Think he was the slim fast dude??
i peeked ahead at your flickr pics last week and saw the one of lasorda. i sent it to my husband who responded w/ the following:
“WOW!! Do you know who that old guy is? That is tommy Lasorda……mr. dodger. He is a baseball icon and dodger legend. He was also the “dugout wizard” on the baseball bunch when I was growing up. If he & Madeline are at a dodger playoff game party where tommy Lasorda was present, there is no telling who else was there.”
he’s a little jealous! sounds like you two had fun @ the party.
wow – you were able to pack a lot in, that’s good. And it looks like you had a great time too. Love the pancakes btw, yumm… (maybe it’s just because I’m hungry right now).
i’ve been lurking here for roughly 6 mos. i must get my maddy fix. and i talk about the two of you to my husband like you’re both old friends. he gets confused…. and i’m ok with that.
anyway, the reason i broke my lurking-ness… i need to know where the pancake place is. we’re going to be down in the la area from thanksgiving, and pancakes that big just call out to me.
thanks!!!!! i’m going back to lurking now.
Ummmm…I haven’t read through all of the comments yet to see if this has been clarified yet, but I just have to guess that the ridiculously named women’s store in Monrovia just HAS to be Wizard of Bras, right? I just have to roll my eyes every time I hear one of their radio ads. Anyways, you are doing an awesome job with Madeline. She looks cuter and happier every day. Have a great trip to the NYC!
Looks like you guys had a blast!!! I have to say, I do believe the pic of you looking at Maddy under ” and I her” is one of my favorite pics ever!! Frame it Dad!!!
Oh Matt, I read all the time but don’t post enough. I just wanted to say that I am so, so, so impressed and touched by you and Maddy and Liz. Every. single. day.
Wow–what a great first weekend after heading back to work. The photos of Maddy with baseball legends were so wonderful. Love the one of Tommy Lasorda eating her hand. Too funny. It’s such a joy to see her getting more interactive. What a darling, darling baby.
Hope your second week back at work was better than the first. Can’t wait to hear all about NYC too. Wish I was there to see you both. Have fun!
what a very cool evening! I love the outfit you put together for Madeline..You rocked the cat box on that one! Very cute.
Tommy tried to eat your kid, how hilarious!
Just a side note. If Maddy gets constipated from the rice cereal just mix it with some prune juice or pureed prunes.
What a great weekend, from that awesome outfit to the game! It looks like you all had a blast. (Oh and I love that pic of hertrying to eat the sandy koufax card. So cute)
)
But I want to know what on earth was that on top of your pancake??? LOL I love those thighs on M. By the looks of them I think I can say she has surpassed my lil man. (he hasn’t gained since we saw you.
okay seriously, where did you get those pancakes?!
Orel fucking Hershiser.
Your baby girl is absolutely gorgeous. She looks just like you!
Amazing!! Love, love, love your blog!!
The mini looks great on her!
Love you both!