Beantown

We mourned the end of the 6-week portion of my leave of absence by heading to Boston. We strolled to the Common and went to the Public Gardens to watch the swan boats and see ducks, the swans, the flowers and trees. Then we roamed around Chinatown, which is now well represented by Vietnamese establishments as well, and had pho at our favorite pho shop, Pho Pasteur. (Speaking of which, it has come to my attention that some people think that the web address "thephorondas" was chosen because "theforondas" was taken, but this is not true.  It was done purposely because of the Vietnamese soup "pho" that we love so much and which is pronounced "faw," similar to the sound that begins our last name.) I also got some delicious bubble tea which I haven't had in quite a while. I was introduced to that drink in 2004 during my trip to Taiwan and now it is available in many cities in the U.S. I saw it in Hanoi too but never got it as we were always on the opposite side of the lake when I'd think of it, so I've had a craving. We stopped at a bakery and picked up a cake for the birthday girl tomorrow.  It was such a beautiful day and Bizou is a wonderful traveler and city girl.  We arrived home to birthday cards and a package in the mail with a stunning outfit from my cousin in Paris.  We also stopped at Baby Gap on the way home since Anthony had a bee in his bonnet about getting Beatrice some summer clothes for her birthday.....not that she needed a THING, but we used to go to Baby Gap while we were waiting for the past year and look through the racks and dream of actually having a child to clothe and now that she's here, he wants to actually buy some things.  So we had a little fashion show trying things on, which she was NOT up for, but we made it as quick as we could.. I was shocked that the 12 mo. or 12-18 month stuff  he bought and that was sent actually fit, or was just a little big. She's outgrown 6-9 month stuff now, the 9 mo. items fit with no room to spare, and 12 mo. is comfortable.  I'm anxious to see how much she's grown at her doctor's appointment next week. We tried on her birthday outfit that she'll wear tomorrow and she is a real stunner in it. Tune in tomorrow for photos!