Bee Mine

Saturday we went to the 1st Birthday Party of Addie's friend Rya's little sister, Lyla. And we never left. Cap had to attend an event for work, so Addie and I went over at noon. We were still there just chilling in their background when Cap came around 4 and I left to get my hair cut. At 6:30, Cap said he was still there and that everyone who left for naptime came back. We didn't go home that night until almost nine. When the sun set, they hung a sheet from the side of their garage and all the kids watched movies wrapped up in blankets. Awesome. I love a good neighborhood party where everyone wants to stay all day, and night.

Sunday, we were invited to celebrate Greek Easter with Cap's Aunt and family at their house. Beforehand though we stopped by Travel Town. I'd like to say that trains hold about zero interest for me. We rode the cute little choo-choo around the park which was fun and that was about as much as I felt like I needed to check out. All trains look about the same to me and since we could only get inside one of them (an empty snack car and the engine) we didn't stay long. Perhaps it's a good thing we're having another girl!


Greek Easter Feast

Blood of Christ Eggs (so cool!)

Riding the little train

The Empty Snack Car

Engine #5

How to be a big sister

*

We've been reading a book about bringing home a new baby which, thankfully, Addie loves and has us read over and over each night. In The New Baby, the older brother wants to show his new baby sister all of his favorite things - toys, books, jokes - but the baby doesn't seem interested. What can you do with a new baby, he asks? Well, you can cuddle her, tickle her, give her a rattle and let her pull your nose, and of course, show her off to your friends. As we've learned from Hollywood, babies can be your best accessory.

When we talk to Addie about her little sister, she often adds her own rules.

The Rules of Having a Baby in the House According to Addie:

I don't want to push the baby.
I don't want to bonk babies heads together.
You can't put a baby on a wall.
You can't go poo poo in their mouth.

Words to live by.



(* photo is by my friend Jan)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

This might be the first weekend I never left the house. Usually even the thought sends shivers down my spine. I love my home, but I can get antsy. Fast. But this weekend it didn't matter because we brought the fun to us.

Saturday, my friend Jan from my old days of photo class and her daughter came over to dye eggs with us. I made a promise to myself last year that I would let Addie dye the eggs herself this time and I kept my promise. Yes, I can relinquish control sometimes! I can get kinda nutty about dying eggs so I turned my egg efforts to creating My Very Martha Egg Tree complete with hand blown and dyed eggs. I even went a little Easter batty and made the cute little pom-pom chick. Awww.




On Sunday, Addie ate jellybeans for breakfast compliments of the Easter Bunny and went on an egg hunt in our front yard. The eggs didn't like the sprinklers, but the slugs sure thought they had gone to slug heaven. I was pleased to hear that Addie still calls then "snugs," something she said last summer. Maybe they would have a better rap if they were always called snugs.



Then we all got dressed and 5 of Addie's daycare friends and their parents came over for brunch and another Easter Egg Hunt. Addie's own egg hunt was with her real eggs, and the hunt with her pals in the backyard was plastic eggs filled with more jelly beans, stickers, play-doh and princess rings. We had mimosas, quiche and angel food cake with fresh berries. Yum! And who needs toys when you have a Daddy Dogpile! Don't lie in the grass if you don't want 5 toddlers stacked on top of you.

I think Easter might be my new favorite holiday!




Check out more photos from Easter Weekend on the left!

The Butterfly House

I thankfully did not forgot about our little caterpillar friend turned chrysalis who had been living in a plastic cup the size of mini salsa container from Baja Fresh. Addie painted his new digs and even the leaf to match. I think sometime in the next week or two we should have a little butterfly friend. You can see Mr. Chrysalis hanging like a gray booger from the top of his dashing new quarters. I'm sure his new digs would have made it into Domino for Bugs.

In other news, I received the results of the amniocentesis, and our little bell pepper passed with flying colors. She's also quite the kicker. Cap even got to see and feel her ballet moves for the first time two nights ago.

Another Sunny Weekend

Do you think Addie is having fun at Jake's third birthday? I think so. I even warmed up to the puppeteer despite my fear of clowns, mimes, adults in animal outfits (yes Disneyland can have me cowering behind Cap at the site of Goofy 10 feet away), and anything that might possibly involve audience participation. The worst example of that was at a Burlesque game show we went to (only in Brooklyn, I know) that ended up involving contestants from the audience. Believe me, I did not want to win anything.

Sunday we indulged in some seriously delicious french toast at brunch with our old neighbors. Boy do I wish they could trade places with our current lot upstairs. Then we all headed to the beach for a few hours. Don't you think everyone should look this glamorous in $.49 cent sunglasses?

Pretty darn good weekend.

Gardening by the Yard

Before this weekend's adventures, I best post last weekends!

We took advantage of springy spring days and headed outdoors. On Saturday I got ambitious, and Addie helped me plant 2 cherry tomato plants along with some basil and italian parsley in an abandoned terra cotta pot that has been in our yard since we moved in. Only a naive urban gardner would dig in the dirt decked out in a white skirt. I think this weekend I want to add a few more herbs - maybe dill and mint. Hmmm. I wonder if this means I'll have to cook one of these day.




On Sunday, we went further field - all they way to Pasadena to the Kidspace museum to adopt a caterpillar. Addie named him Caterpillar, and I need to remind myself that we MUST build him a bigger home since he's already in the chrysalis stage. Kidspace is pretty awesome, but I don't think we'll make it back on the 18th for the butterfly release party. Maybe we'll just have our own!

We went with Jake and Chloe, and I'm taking it as a very, very good sign for impending Big Sisterdom, that Addie completely dotes on her half pint pal. She has a real fondness for babies and told me "Babies are funny." Addie gave Chloe a brush and showed her how to dust off the dirt on the dinosaur bones. Jake in turn showed Addie how to lick rosemary, always an important life skill.

More pics on the left too!

Two Lollipops

Introducing "Two Lollipops" written and performed by The Addie+Daddy Family Band.

After Cap was done playing guitar, Addie said, "Now Mommy do it!" I had to explain that Mommy doesn't know how to play the guitar. She looked at me like I was a lame lump of a person. Sorry honey. You are going to be disappointed later on too when you realize I can't drive stick, play pool, ski or tie a maraschino cherry stem in a knot with my tongue.

Maybe you'll teach your Mom a few tricks!

The Talk

16 weeks, looking more like 20 though. Must be the avocado sized baby plus Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas turkey, frozen pizza, soft serve ice cream, burrito, birthday cake, and bagel in there too. Octomom!

We decided to tell Addie the news. Here's how it went down:

"Addie do you want to be a big sister?"
(no response)

"You're going to have a little sister soon!"
(no response)

"Mommy has your little sister in my tummy."

Addie looked at Cap and said,
"You have a little brother in your tummy!"

Then she changed the subject.
"Stick out your tongue and I'll put my foot on it."

And there we have it.

Pink Redux!

Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl!

Yesterday felt like my birthday, I was so excited to find out. How in the world do people wait until the baby's birthday to discover boy or girl? I'm a very need to know sort of person and this is the only path I could take. In my 'according to statistics, advanced child-bearing age,' I also opted to do all the tests to make sure that SHE is going to be in A+ health. Yesterday, this included an 8 inch needle in my womb. I think it was harder on Cap then it was on me or HER. Holding my hand, at one point he looked over and said, "there's a needle sticking out of your stomach." Um, I'm aware of that. I can feel it. Why are you looking! I think he needed to sit down and have some juice after that.

SHE didn't seem to mind the space invasion, and even gave us the thumbs up afterwards. That's my girl!

Even Princesses . . .

Ride bikes in high heel shoes


and have poor manners. I can count two.

We are going to find out Thursday if we are having another princess or a prince. Got a hunch? You can cast your vote on the left sidebar.

Therapy II

Has Addie been sneaking out during snack time to trade her goldfish crackers for the hard stuff?

Tennis Junkies

Cap and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary (a month early) this weekend out in the desert, fitting since we were married in the desert - different desert but same gist. This is the 4th year in a row that we've gone out to Palm Springs to watch endless hours of professional tennis and we thought it best to combine this weekend with our anniversary and escape for 3 day and two nights. We stayed in an awesome resort, sat by the pool, had room service on our private balcony (someone doesn't like watermelon in their fruit salad), and watched 12 hours of tennis including Rafael Nadal (#1 mens player in the world) playing doubles and an up close view of him warming up on the practice court. Ahhh luxury.

Papa Mit and Aunt Karen kindly watched Addie over the weekend. We can't say thank you enough for that special treat!

While we spent a lot of time talking about how incredible Miss A is, we also enjoyed reading poolside and not worrying about whether our toddler was going to fall in. I was laughing though at all the somewhat bored parents who were endlessly forced to "Look at me!" when their kids did hand stand after hand stand in the pool. Already Addie says that as she shows us how can she can twirl on one leg or do a somersault.

Happy Anniversary Po!

Back from the Desert

We're back after a 4 day weekend from the land of Grandparents and Giant Cacti. We stayed with GranJanne where Addie slept 4 blissful (for us) nights in her own room, skinny dipped in Sabino creek (Addie not us) and fed a giraffe and some ducks.



Pop Pop, Nana and Uncle Drew also swooped into town to snatch some Addie time visiting the Desert Museum, digging for fossils, seeing a ball game and chowing down on avocado enchiladas and soft serve ice cream. When she wasn't off on adventures, Addie could be found drawing with crayons or markers just about anyplace she could spare 5 minutes.



I just can't believe that I haven't seen this crew of family since this time last year. That's just not right! Sniff Sniff! Addie was sometimes confused. After we'd leave dinner, she'd ask where are friends were going. Oh, my lil pepita, they are your family! You'll want to make this distinction later when you need to hit them up for cash.

I already miss the smell of that desert air. Good thing Cap and I are sneaking off to Palm Springs this weekend to celebrate our 5 year anniversary (a month early) and watch a sickening amount of tennis.

Check out more pictures of our adventure in Tucson here.

Numero Dos

Fingers and Toes, 11 weeks


I've already broadcast the news on the ever so personal medium of Facebook, but it wouldn't be right for the archives if I didn't also have a post dedicated to Baby #2 on the blog.

So, I am thrilled to announce that we are expecting a little one in early September. Labor Day could be just that.

Wanting to wait until we know the gender, we have not told Addie yet. However, I think she knows something since she attempted to "out" me several weeks before I was ready to spill the news. I went to pick her up at daycare about a month or so ago, and was asked, "So, I heard the good news!" Trying to play it cool, "Oh yeah? What good news?" "Addie said she was going to have a little sister!" So, Addie appears to know it's a girl, and according to my co-worker's hoodoo voodoo dangling necklace test, it's a boy. We shall see in a few weeks!

The Make-up Artist

Addie has discovered that, if she moves the step stool over by the sink, she can reach my make-up drawer. Danger!

She's always been in love with nailpolish and we have to hide chapstick from her or she'll apply and reapply for hours. When I went out Friday night she wanted to watch me put on lipgloss and asked if she could wear some too. Why not? It's only pink Burt's Beeswax gloss. (I don't have very sophisticated taste in make-up these days.)

Saturday though, we got out all of my make-up out. My knowledge, I admit, is limited, but I do know the basics: lipstick goes on lips, blush on cheeks and eyeshadow on eyes. Oh and eyeliner, lash curlers and mascara are not for little girls to play with. I uncovered some Chanel eyeshadow I must have bought when Velvet Goldmine was in theaters and remember Urban Decay?



Addie didn't agree much with the eyeshadow on eyes part, and instead carefully applied shades of browns and pinks to her cheeks with the eyeshadow brush along with the blush using my new fluffy contoured blush brush. She also was enamored with a lipstick brush I uncovered, applying it to both herself and me. Here she is even learning the fine art of blotting. She was really so careful and meticulous during the whole thing. Either she'll make a great painter or a surgeon, or Paris Hilton.

Thankfully, she's made significant improvements since October, when I let her play with the black lipstick I bought for Halloween.

My Fair Lady

Addie: It's MY fair lady
Mama: No, it's MY fair lady
Addie: No, it's MY fair lady
Mama: Uh, nope, definitely MY fair lady
Addie: MY fair lady
Mama, No, MY fair lady
Mama: Well, who's fair lady is it?
Addie: It's your fair lady and my fair lady

Therapy

These are all sad faces including "sad mommy" (little one floating below right) and "tiny sad face" at the very bottom right.

Do you think Addie needs a child therapist? Or maybe we are just hoping for some sunny skies after what feels like an eternity of rain and clouds. Or a vacation for all of us. Good thing we are heading to Tucson in 2 weeks!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We started our celebration with slightly wonky heart-shaped pancakes and are ending it with homemade spinach fettucini by Chef Cap, heart-shaped sugar cookies decorated by Addie, and handmade glitter valentines (I glued, Addie glittered) for the three of us.

xoxo

A Sticker for My Chart

The end is in sight.

Addie has starred two potty charts along with the sweet, cavity-inducing help of skittles. Her diapers are dry during the day and, yes, even at night. Oddly she has no inhibitions using public toilets either, unlike me. I wasn't sure when it was appropriate to stop giving her skittles every time she uses her potty, but we're plum out of potty charts. She's cold turkey right now, poor gal. "Can we go buy a chart?" she'll ask. She's been doing so well, but we aren't in the clear yet. Not sure how to phrase this, but we are still "practicing" with, um, #2. For the first time this week, though the fear factor was overcome and Miss A was rewarded with a brand new xylophone. Think reward not bribery. Perhaps, we'll be off to buy purple underwear this weekend - her choice.

Otherwise

Addie's becoming quite the chatterbox. Her vocabulary continues to expand and she shocks me on occasion with the words she knows, like "otherwise." For some reason, that really got me.

"I have to hold my cereal bowl with two hands, otherwise I might drop it. I need to be very careful."

She frequently likes to tell me What Is. Yesterday she told me matter of factly, "Everyone has a bum. You can't take off your bum; that would be owie."

She is also learning the way of the modern world. She came home from daycare and told me:
"Roman has one Mommy. He doesn't have a Daddy."
"Teddy has a Daddy and a Papa. He doesn't have a Mommy."
I explained that there are lots of different kinds of families.

I wasn't sure though what to say when she asked me, "What is die?"
Thankfully it was in reference, not to one of our dear departed fish, but to the song about the Little Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. I think I'm going to have to change that last line.

I'm Happy!

Addie likes to play a little game.
She shouts, "You're happy!" and we're expected to make a happy face.
"You're sad!" sad face.
"You're mad!" mad face.

Tonight I turned the table, and the camera, on her.

After Addie did sad, happy and mad,
she also added a few faces of her own.
"This is pizza face!"


and

"pasta face!"


Now, where's her agent?

adaptation by addie

The Farmer in the Dell according to Addie

The farmer takes a wipe
The farmer takes a wipe
I don't hairy-o
The farmer takes a wipe

This reminds me of my own version of the song Bingo where I was certain, well into age 5, that Bingo was his stable, not his name-o.

Day at the Beach

Check out Addie's cool new shoes. She's like an urban Dorothy in these. Thanks GranJanne!

MLK day seems like ages ago. After all Bush was still President. I had that holiday off for the first time in almost a decade, and we drove up the coast to a quiet mansion laden stretch of beach in Malibu. Addie poked at shy anemones and Cap wrote her name so big in the sand that all we could see from our picnic blanket was "DIE." Perhaps fitting for the end of the last eight years.



Check out more photos of our day at the beach on the left.

Potty Mouth

Addie, Mommy is leaving for work. Can I get a kiss good-bye?
No
Can I have a hand kiss?
No
Can I have a chin kiss? forehead kiss? eyebrow kiss?
No, No, No
Well, what kind of a kiss can I have?
Poo-poo kiss.

Quiz Show

I swear we look at her animal cards for fun in a no-stress environment, but Addie seems to think she's under the gun to identify 26 animals in under 2 minutes. She almost buckles under the pressure a few times and stumbles early on by the cow but recovers. Will she win the rattan dinette set or the washer/dryer?

The End

I'm glad we don't have carpet because I think a spark of static electricity might have ignited our Christmas tree.
I thought I was going to be sad to see Christmas go, and, if you had asked me on New Year's, I would have said yes.
However, I'm ready to move on - to Chinese New Year! We're thinking of throwing a Sarah is getting Old/Year of the Ox party.
When I told Addie that January was my birthday month, she told me she wanted to make me a strawberry cake.
I'm down with that.
When I told her I was turning 35, she said,
"No Mommy, you're turning 40."
That, I am not down with.