Monday, August 18, 2008

Our first date night as parents :)

So, Nick and I celebrated 3 years of marriage this past weekend. How quickly time flies by! We went out to Nopa in San Francisco as one of Nick's dear friends is a chef there. Our dinner was fantastic!

I had a yummy glass of Pinot Noir:

And the pork chop (not a normal selection for me! Normally I'd go for the fish, but the grilled peaches and endive sounded too good to pass up!)

Nick got a side of corn. This stuff was yummy! (he also had corn with his main entree and the server said "Unless you just really like corn, in that case, go for it!") I had a side of french fries.
Here's Nick, enjoying his Halibut with a corn succotash.
Sorry for the random shots, the iphone allows me to document my life in a whole new way! In any case, we had a great meal. The food was fantastic! Also, while driving away from the house I said to Nick "Is it bad that I'm excited to step away from her? That I'm looking forward to tonight?" He said "Of course not!". When we got to the restaurant (and found rock star parking after driving around ~ 15 blocks or so) and sat down, I realized it felt good. It was good to know that Jenna was in capable hands (Thanks Aunt Heidi!) and thanks to texting, we knew she was asleep within 30 minutes of our departure.

While eating, I saw a brief glimpse of myself, as me, not as a Mom. I know that sounds weird, but I realized that being a Mom isn't my only title. I'm not "Mom". I'm Janessa. Before having Jenna, I tried to rationalize my "new life" as a Mom. Now, I recognize I'm multifaceted. The Mom facet is just the newest one to my "life experiences". Not only am I a Mom, but I'm also a wife, daughter, sister, foodie, wine snob and employee. I have many different sides to me, and just because Jenna's here, doesn't mean that I'm no longer "me".

In any case, the dinner was fantastic, we weren't stressed at all. Jenna did great and didn't wake up from the time she was put down at 9 until 3:30 am. When we did get home, of course we rushed right over to her crib to take a peek. She was there, sleeping peacefully as if we hadn't left the house at all.

I really hope Nick and I are able to continue with monthly date nights because the only thing better than getting a few hours just between Nick and I is coming home to this:
8weeks, 2 days!

7 comments:

Alison said...

Awwww - what a beautiful entry Janessa!! Loss of "personal" identity is something that terrifies me about parenthood. SOOOO glad to hear that doesn't have to be the only way! I appreciate this post a lot. --Alison

Meg said...

Aww, it sounds like you had so much fun!

Viva said...

i approve of your choice for your first date night! :)

Sophie (Luojjang) said...

Congrats on your first date night! I"m glad Jenna was such a star also!

Mommy Moreno said...

what a wonderful night!!! and youre right the best part is coming home to that darling little girl that you two created - it makes it all that much sweeter. Happy Anniversary!!

Anonymous said...

Awww, so sweet Janessa! Congratulations... so big! But I do have to ask, as a fellow knitter...
Where, oh where, did you find that ADORABLE puppy hat pattern, and can you direct me to it please. I LOVE it, and it looks so stinkin' cute on little Jenna!

Shopping's My Cardio.com said...

you forgot one..."friend" :)

that pic at the end is really lovely. you should frame it and put it above her crib, so that when you're tempted to smother her with a pillow because she's been screaming for so long, you'll have proof that better times are ahead ;)

also, i love that you ordered based on the side dishes...totally something i'd do.