Bliss Cupcake Review

Craig and I went to Bliss Cupcake Shop today to try it out. Good thing we had a coupon and got two for the price of one. The cupcakes aren't horrible, they just aren't as good as Saint Cupcake (see previous post for links to their sites). I compare the two, because Bliss' cupcakes are similar to Saint's cupcakes in looks and style.

But that is where the similarity ends.

Bliss' cupcakes really aren't that much better than what you get at a grocery store. The cake was dry. They also had a ice cream section that was bigger than the cupcake section, which took the spotlight off of the cupcakes. And it wasn't homemade, just Tillamook brand. Both Craig and I got the "large" cupcake, but his was smaller than mine (more like a medium).

The ambiance is bare and boring, with no decor to speak of. The customer service was okay, but I sensed some impatience while we were deciding what flavors we wanted. Everyone behind the counter seemed scattered and lost. This may be because they just opened a few weeks ago.

This is the difference between Bliss and Saint Cupcake; with Bliss, I don't want anymore when I am done, while with Saint, I want to eat the whole box and more.

Saint Cupcakes is about a 20 minute drive from us, and I think it's worth it to get the better (and slightly cheaper) cupcake when we want a treat.

Nine months old already!

It is so hard to believe that Gabe will be nine months on February 27. In just three short months, he will be one year old.

Wow. Time flies!

He is still talking up a storm and has added "ddddd" to his vocab. We're trying to get him to say daddy, of course. This week, I will also start feeding him solids three times a day, in addition to continued nursing.

I haven't written much on this blog about the parents (Craig and Carisa; remember us?). Last week, I had to get one of my molars prepped for a crown, :(. It wasn't too bad. I have never been particularly skittish about dental work. I currently have a temp crown on and it's been fine. I avoid sticky and hard foods. Unfortunately, there is a huge bag of Doritos on the kitchen counter that is constantly taunting me.

Craig has just launched the new and improved website for his employer, iovation. Check it out. I think he has done a really great job!

One thing I think we will do this weekend to unwind is to check out this new cupcake place, called Bliss. Portland seems to have this strange fascination with exotic cupcakes. We've already checked out Saint Cupcake, which is excellent. Now, we will check out this new place and see if they are any good. What is great, is that this place is within walking distance of our house. Nice.

The need for Speed

Gabe is lunging forward very often. He seems to know that leaping forward is the right thing to do, but once he ends up on his stomach, he can't quite get the hang of crawling forward. Oh, and don't worry. I make sure he is on a soft surface in case he lands on his face, which he actually does not do very often. He does this thing where he ends up on his tummy. Right now, he seems to scoot on his butt or leans forward as long as he can if he wants to get to a toy.

I am currently working on a DVD of photos of Gabe to give out to family. I should have known it would take some time! I am now up to over 50 photos, but I think it will turn out nice. There is a cool application on our computer called iDVD that makes it very easy (you can do videos, too!). I should have it finished by the weekend. Above is a pic of Gabe playing with Mr. Caterpillar.

Standing Tall

Gabe is doing something very interesting now. He wants us to get on the ground with him where he will grab our fingers and leverage himself up to stand. He likes doing this over and over. When we have to stop, he gets upset. He loves to practice standing. He does this thing where he will shake his head back and forth (like he is saying "no") and laugh, while he is standing.

Today, he has been a little cranky. I think he may have some teeth coming in because part of his upper gums are puffy. Considering how painful teething can be, he's been in a overall positive mood! Can't wait to see which teeth are going to come in next!

Talking and Reading

Gabe is doing a lot of talking lately. He started out making a lot of sounds using his tongue several weeks ago. The last few days, he has been doing "ba ba ba" sounds. Now he does this every time he talks to someone or when he is being read to.

He seems to like reading very much. After he is read to, he wants to hold the book; however, that inevitably leads to gnawing on the book. He gets upset when the books needs to be taken away, so I give him one of his soft books to hold instead. He probably thinks that's a poor substitute!

Stylin'

I tried to comb G's hair differently last night after bath time. We started bathing him in his little tub, inside the bigger tub lately. Before, when he was smaller, we bathed him at the kitchen sink (inside his little tub). For some reason he was scared of our bathroom. He'd whine and didn't like being laid down on the sink to be wrapped up in his blanket to get dried off. Looking at the lights from that angle scared him, I think. Last night, though, he was fine and seemed to have fun.

Back to the hair. Usually, we just let it air dry and do it's thing, letting the curls go their merry way. I thought it would be nice to comb it and lay it to the side! It worked, kind of (look at the pics). His hair is much easier to control when wet. I thought he looked pretty handsome. A change from his usual "Kramer" look (hair standing on end). I'm once again pleased I didn't have a girl because I don't have to worry about styling hair!

Finger Foods

Gabriel is doing very well with eating solids. He is eating twice a day, and in his morning meals I mix some rice cereal with fruit to thicken it up a bit. So, I got to thinking about the next phase in his eating evolution: finger foods. At BabyCenter, they suggest several kinds of finger foods to start with such as pieces of bread or bagel, carrots pieces (cooked through), pasta, banana pieces, or very ripe mangos or pears.

Only, to me, most of these food don't make sense for a baby that just has two front teeth. There is just so much a person can gum. Even I have to make sure I chew a bagel good enough, and I have all my teeth! They do say that babies have to master the "pincer grasp", a major milestone in motor development, before you want to start finger foods (Gabe hasn't reached this). Personally, I would add that I think babies should have a few molars in to help grind that food up.

So to those that have kids, when did you start finger foods? I've decided to forgo them for now. We'll see what happens in the next couple of months, maybe more teeth will come in.