Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Merry Early Christmas



We are taking a bit of a hiatus to visit Joe's family in NJ. Merry Christmas, Merry Everything, hope you get lots of goodies in your stockings!

Mom Has a Birthday

My thirty-third birthday was last week and I spent it with my favorite people doing some of my favorite things: eating and shopping and wandering around a big city. So, birthday success! Started off with breakfast here with my parents (even got a muffin with a candle and the Happy Birthday song from the staff - most people hate/are embarrassed when that happens. I, however, eat it up. Me and my only-child ego love the attention. Love it. Ha.) then the Hubs and the Babe and I took off for San Francisco. In a nutshell: Sody got her first trip on BART, we walked around Union Square and ate at Burger Bar in Macy's. (Nutshell review of that place: SO. GOOD. The meat, the boozy milkshake, the fat fries, the skinny fries, the sweet potato fries - oh, yes! we had them all - I am still thinking about them.) All in all, pretty perfect day.





Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Eleven Months, holy cow


Sody turned 11 months old last week, which means the monumental First Birthday is upon us. And it also means we are dangerously close to having a TODDLER on our hands. Peace out, Babyhood.

How, oh how, am I going to remember this little baby body? The way her chubby tummy feels when I kiss it? The softness of this thigh or that roly-poly arm? Sometimes I just stare at her or hug her too long or bury my nose in her little neck and breathe her in – all as though I am trying to burn the senses into my brain. I want to hold onto these things forever, just as I wanted to hold onto her newborn self forever too. You really forget how they feel, how small they are at first. And sometime soon the way she feels now is going to feel so faraway, too. I don’t want to forget.

Last night I let her stay up a little late because we were having too much fun. I sat in a chair and stood her up with her feet balanced on my thighs and looked at my big, strong, amazing girl. She moved in to kiss me (this is a new thing – we ask for kisses and she is just starting to understand) with an open mouth and we both erupted in giggles. I tried so hard to commit the moment to memory: the kiss, the laughs, her sweet face with the gap between her front teeth. And then I gave her about three million tummy kisses and pretended to eat her. There is a script that always goes along with the fake nibbling: “Oh, I am going to eat up this little baby because she is so delicious! Yum yum yum, what a yummy baby!” (yes, I really do sound like this) Over and over and over. Then cue her giggling and the goofiest little grin you have ever seen.

She is just so happy about life. Sometimes I still can’t believe someone this good exists.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Reader



Recently I started taking Sody to our local library for their “Baby Lapsit Storytime.” It’s about seven or eight moms and their babies, sitting in a semicircle on the floor while the children’s librarian reads a story and leads some songs and activities. It’s fun. It’s free. It’s sort of social…a little for me but more so for Isota. The chance to see other babies always seems to be a bit of a thrill for her.

What is funny to me about storytime is that the word “lapsit” is in the title of it. Isota has absolutely zero interest in sitting on my lap for any length of time during the half hour. And who could blame her? There are babies to visit, moms to wave to, the librarian to climb up on (how else will you get a closer look at the book??), strangers’ purses and cell phones to find and other kids’ pacifiers to grab. Really, it’s like Baby Disneyland for a half hour. Which means I am basically on my feet going after her the whole time. Up, down, up, down, Sody why don’t we stay here and look at this nice story?

What is strange to me about storytime is that the other kids aren’t quite like this. They all just calmly sit in their mom’s laps. Who are these robot children who don’t move? I don’t get it. On the one hand I think, well, that’s nice – the moms get a little break since they aren’t running after their spirited child the whole time. But mostly I am just dumbfounded and find it a little weird. I know that every kid is different and some there aren’t even at the exploring age yet, but still…where is their curiosity? I love that Isota wants to know everything that is going on in that room. Her curiosity is truly something to behold and encourage. And her charm wins everyone over when she comes over to check them out. I have gotten a couple looks from some particular moms who give me a vibe of “Why can’t you manage your child?” which of course drives me batty as we are talking about the under-1 set. Babies need to explore and do their baby thing! That's how they learn! But whatever, their children will never blaze trails because their moms won’t let them. My girl is going to rule the world. Or at least the library.