I just finished watching an interesting segment on Today about the changing role of dads and how many fathers have become ’stay at home dads’ while their wives returned to the workforce.  Profiling former high level executives from leading financial services firms, the segment showed how Dad’s have had to step it up and take responsibility for their children and their homes since losing their jobs as a result of the economic downturn.  There are now ‘Daddy & Me” meetups in parks and get togethers for ‘Stay at Home Dads”.  The segment quoted that membership in the ‘Stay at Home Dad’ meetup group on Meetup.com has more than doubled in the last six months.  With 75+ members in the NYC group these Dad’s admittedly are just trying to keep things afloat until they find a job.  They all acknowledge how hard it is to stay home and have a new appreciation for the wives who once were home juggling feeding schedules, diaper changes, music classes and other activities.  I have yet to stumble upon these men on the days I spend in Central Park but I’m sure they are there.  In fact, I am seeing many more mom’s strolling the city streets with their little ones than ever before.  Slowly but surely I think we are seeing more and more stay at home moms or dads.  It will be interesting to see when the economy picks up how many will choose to stay home indefinitely vs. those that choose to return to the workforce.

Friday night Darren and I had another date night and decided to try 42 at the top of the Ritz Carlton in White Plains.  We have been to The Ritz a bunch of times but have never dined at the restaurant atop the tallest building in town.   We stopped up a couple of times for drinks and tapas but this was to be our first dining experience.  Dressed up for a night on the town we arrived without a reservation but miraculously they were able to seat us.  Upon walking in, my first impression, was wow – this is beautiful.  The dining room is in a completely separate area than the bar and lounge thus creating a more intimate atmosphere.  The tables were positioned in such a way that no matter where you sat you had a view of the sunset, the Hudson River or the skyline of Manhattan out in the distance.  The sun was just going down as we sat and it was a clear night so we could see for miles.  So far, everything was perfect and we were both excited.  The waiters and staff were all very friendly and extremely accommodating.  We took our time ordering while we enjoyed some wine and a fresh array of breads that were served.

The menu although somewhat small certainly does have something for everyone and aside from a few of the meat dishes they were reasonably priced.  There were many ala carte options as well as a tasting menu and a small fixed price menu.  We opted for the ala carte section.  I started with the beef carpacio and Darren had a calamari and pasta appetizer.  I was rather disappointed.  The beef carpacio was fair at best and despite the three different toppings, none of them had much taste aside from the fact that it seemed the chef poured the salt shaker all over it.  Terrible.  Darren’s calamari/pasta served in a tomato broth however, was very flavorful and the portion was extremely generous for an appetizer.  I should have ordered that.  Oh well.  I thought things would improve with the main dish but not so for me.  Once again, Darren enjoyed his plate of grilled vegetables with chevre cheese but I disliked my lobster dish.  Again, it was too salty.  That should never be the case.  Prepared over wilted spinach the lobster tail and mini claws were swimming in a sauce that tasted like it had sea water on it.  I ate it but I should have sent it back.  Dessert was no better.  But this time we both agreed that what we ordered was tasteless.  Very disappointing from my perspective.

Overall, I would give the restaurant high marks for the service and atmosphere but they get a huge thumbs down from me for the food.  Darren on the other hand really enjoyed his meal and would gladly return.

Last night we celebrated Darren’s grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary at Equus in Tarrytown.  What a beautiful place!  Equus is located in the The Castle on the Hudson and was one of the nicest restaurants I’ve been to in Westchester thus far.  When we pulled up to the entrance we were warmly greeted by the valet and then escorted inside.  We gathered in the bar area for a few cocktails and to toast Grandma and Grandpa before moving into the Garden Room for dinner.  The old world charm is just oozing out of every corner in this historic landmark and makes for a very elegant and romantic atmosphere.  The restaurant has several dining rooms but the Garden Room was perfect for our celebration.  The menu has a variety of choices and offers ala carte selections as well as a three or six course tasting menu with wine pairings.   I had the onion soup au gratin to start and it was exceptional.  I love soup to begin with, especially onion soup, but the chef made an extremely tasty and flavorful broth with the vadallia onions and it tasted better than any other onion soup I’ve had.  For my entree I ordered the monkfish with butter lobster and it was outstanding.  The portion of fish was generous and came with 1/2 a small lobster tail and 1/2 of the meat of a claw; both of which were so sweet and juicy.  Sweet english peas accompanied the fish and they were delicious too.  Everyone else ordered either meat or fish and I didn’t see anything left on anyone’s plate when the meal was finished.

After dinner we were escorted to a different room for dessert and a cabaret show.  The Castle offers a cabaret show every Sunday evening and this summer they are featuring talented broadway singers performing a variety of music specials.  Last evening was a tribute to Johnny Mercer, lyricist and singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others.  He wrote the lyrics to more than a thousand songs, including compositions for movies and Broadway shows from the late 30’s to the mid 50’s.  While most of us did not know Mercer’s music, Grandma and Grandpa did and they were enjoying every minute of it.  It was so wonderful to see Grandma singing the words along with the performer.  She was in heavan and I loved watching her beaming smile as she listened.

It was a beautiful night all around and we enjoyed it from start to finish.  For a special occassion or a romantic night out, I highly recommend Equus.  Darren and I will be returning in August to celebrate our anniversary and are looking forward to it.

On Friday, I will be seven months old.  Wow, seven months!  The time is flying and I’m starting to get really good at things.  I’m a big talker first of all…must take after my Uncle Kenny since he’s the ‘mayor’ in my book.  Hopefully I will have his way with the ladies too when I get older.  I’m Mr. Social and flash my gummy smile to everyone I see but I don’t have any teeth yet.  I love to have conversations with my hands and feet and babble all day long.  I’ve already mastered ‘da-da’ but still haven’t gotten around to saying ‘ma-ma’.  Sorry Mommy.

I finally learned how to roll over from my belly to my back.  What a milestone!  Now every time Mommy is lotioning my back and tushie, I find it necessary to roll right over so she picks me up and lets me do it over and over til I get cranky.  I still haven’t figured out how to roll from my back to my belly.  I’m almost there though, maybe next month.

My biggest achievement to date is my ability to eat.  I love my fruits and veggies.  Surprisingly, I like the green veggies as much as the yellow.  While I am a good eater most of the time, if I’m not in the mood I lock my lips so don’t even try to get something in there.  It’s not going to work.  My favorite foods are bananas, pears, carrots and peas.  Mom keeps introducing me to new things and most of them are good.  Over the next couple of weeks she said she is going to add some exciting new foods to my diet including chicken, turkey and beef.  I wonder how I will like those.  She also can’t wait to mash up a good melon like cantaloupe or honeydew since she says they are yummy sweet and very healthy.  Aside from food, I like drinking water.  My doctor said I can have a little bit when I am outside on a hot day or a few sips when I am eating my lunch or dinner.  He said I could start to use a sippy cup but I didn’t like it that much so Mom tried giving me a few sips right from the cup and I like that MUCH better.  Looks like she is going to be teaching me to use a real cup very soon.

Developmentally, I’ve come a long way in the past month.  Aside from rolling over one way, I’m getting much better at sitting.  I also grab and reach for toys that are nearby.  I can hold a toy in each hand and transfer one to the other too.  I love to stare at my hands and marvel as I make them move.  My feet are by far my favorite body party that I’ve discovered.  I’m in heaven when Mom lets me be barefoot and I can grab hold of my toes.  It’s the best part of my day when I can lay on my back and put my feet in my mouth.  Nothing is better than that!

It’s been such an exciting month for me (not to mention, Daddy who was in the New York Times on Sunday).  I can’t wait to see what next month has in store for me.  It certainly is going to be an exciting summer!

Summer is just about upon us and it’s pool time!  Mommy is so excited to be home with me in the summer and for the two of us to hit the pool for some splish splash time.  Last weekend the weather was absolutely beautiful so Mom put me in my swimsuit and lotioned me up so we could make my maiden voyage to the pool.  Needless to say it wasn’t quite what she hoped for.  The water in the kiddie pool was quite chilly and my little feets didn’t like it in the slightest.  I’m used to the warm water of my bath tub where I can splash all over the place without feeling chilly.  I put up a bit of a stink so that didn’t last too long.  We then sat under an umbrella on the lounge chair and I took in the scene.  Forty-five minutes later we were back home and I was a happy camper again.

Mom would not give up though so yesterday it was time for the pool again.  This time we packed up and headed over to Grandma Bobbie’s.  Grandma Bobbie’s good friend Heidi has a big pool and she and Mommy vowed to get me to like the water.  Once again I wasn’t thrilled with the cold water but Mom and Grandma didn’t give up.  They splashed water on my toesies and legs until it didn’t feel so bad and then I started kicking a little.  I had my serious face on as I was still trying to make sense of this whole experience but by the end of the afternoon it was getting better.  Hopefully, next time I will like it even more.  We have a whole summer of fun ahead of us!