Mia Gianna: 17 months

Dear Gianna,

In your 16 month, you endured a lot of changes. I think your daddy would say that you "thrived" through the travel and changes.  I would say that you have endured the changes of the move (not that you  had much choice) but you did get very clingy over the past couple of months.  You always want me to hold you!  Not that I am complaining (except when I need to cook dinner, or you know, use my hands for something).  I am enjoying this "baby" part of you as I am not at all anxious for you to become the independent toddler I know that you will be soon.

And you are becoming independent.  Now that you are a walker, you will just take off in any direction you want.  Isn't being able to walk the best?  I know that you are enjoying this newfound freedom (except when  the rest of your family is walking faster and ahead of you).

I think the funniest thing you do lately is allowing your daddy to kiss you.  When he comes home from work, or walks into the room, you lean your head forward so that he can kiss it.  It is like you are the queen offering your hand so that your subject can kiss your ring. 

You broke from teething tradition and now have a giant back toofy (a molar?).  So you have three front teeth on bottom, two on top, and this big tooth in the back.  I don't know what is going to pop out next, because you don't seem to follow the typical pattern.  

You are a terrific napper and sleeper.  Dare I say that???  But you are...even with all the changes, after a brief hiccup on schedule, you get right back into the sleep mode.  You still love your Penguin and bring him to sleep with you always.

When I mention to Bode that we are going out, or going "bye-bye,"  you will run and get your shoes.  You bring them to me, drop them on the floor, and then sit down so that I can put your shoes on your feet.  

You still love taking a bath more than anything.  Sometimes I have to "Shhh!" Bode because he will mention taking a bath around dinner time.  If you hear the word "bath," you start saying, "BAAAA! BAAA!" over and over.  If you are able to, you'll run to the bathroom and stand by the bathtub, announcing, "BAAA! BAAA!" You love taking a bath and God forbid if someone says the word before I am ready to give you a bath.

You are very loving and seem to be exhibiting typical "caretaker" roles, like playing with dolls, that are common with little girls. It really surprises me to witness this behavior coming out.  And I only attribute it to being a girl because Bode never showed any signs of "caretaker" or "loving" behavior.   If you are given a stuff animal, you will say, "Baby" and then give the baby a hug.  You will carry a baby around and pat it on the back while you carry it.   You are more interested in dolls and stuffed animals than cars or blocks.   You like blowing kisses, too.

Sadly, you are still not interested in reading.  I have tried reading to you in different settings, at different times, with and without Bode present.  In all cases, you show no interest in following a story.  Last night, I was reading a book to you and Bode at the dinner table, and Bode was absolutely engrossed in the story and pictures.  I looked over at you, and you were looking off in the distance, as if you were imagining what your future prom dress might look like.   Gianna, we are readers in this family and we expect you to enjoy reading!  

You do love music and will "dance" or sway while listening to it.  You still love clapping, and think it is quite the party when we all clap together. 

Happy 17 months, my lovely girl.

Love,

Mommy

xo

Dirt. It's what's for breakfast.

People!  I am having such issues with the weather. Already! And, (to quote one of my favorite Carpenters songs) we've only just begun!  It is dark here. I can't take photos in the dark. Any one who owns a camera knows this simple fact.  So although my goal was to complete holiday cards before December 1, it is not going to happen!  I tried to take shots this morning. Witness:

My children play with dirt and sticks.  Fa la la la laaa!

Yesterday, we added Christmas lights to the trees out front. Hooray! 

Runnin' runnin' runnin'...runnin' (a la Black-eyed Peas)

Miss Independent, just hangin'

Yesterday we went on a marathon shopping spree of craft supplies.  We bought ribbon, a glue gun, a (plain) wreath, ornaments, Christmas lights, and other stuff. (I'm already thinking, "What was I thinking???" I am not crafty.)  Today we are "stuck" at home because we are waiting on the car transporter to deliver the QEII.  I was informed yesterday that the rear window on the other car was busted in transport. Apparently, the car "bounced" and hit the back ramp. No more rear window.  They are replacing it and the car should arrive on Friday.  Not happy.   RWF has taken this news very calmly and casually. I imagine if it were the QEII's rear window, RWF would be getting pretty hot under the collar. I'm just sayin'....

Anyway. In anticipation of being at home, we gathered many supplies yesterday.  Today is a Christmas craft-down.   Not really. It is the start of the Christmas craft-down.   This morning, Bode and I planted our Amaryllis and Paperwhites!  I love planting these bulbs. I love Amaryllis, especially the pinky-white ones. Ours are red this year. I guess Saratoga Springs doesn't stock pinky-white Amaryllis. (dig) The Paperwhites are white, of course. (snort)

Bode enjoyed digging in the dirt over breakfast.

Mmmm!

Mmm, Mmm...Mmmmm!

The above photo cracks me up because I think about an adult Bode finding this random picture years and years later, and thinking, "What the hell?"

Hopefully we will have flowers by Christmas, or the new year!  This afternoon, I have more plans for Christmas craftiness.*  Or, if it's not raining, we might just get outside and run again.  I hope that you have sunshine in your 'hood.
xo
* I love, love, love the movie Steel Magnolias. And every time I think about Christmas, or Christmas crafts, I think about this movie.  Remember when Annelle bought all the (mismatched) nativity sets at the church fire sale, and glued all the baby Jesus onto wreaths?  I need to watch this movie again soon.

Outtakes

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with our New York family.  The food was delicious, but being with family was the best part.  Bode really enjoyed being surrounded by so much love and attention.  I enjoyed seeing my children spend time interacting with their family! And I loved seeing everyone that I haven't seen in a few years.  Hard to believe that time goes so fast. It was a great day with family...a perfect Thanksgiving.

But we are oh-so-tired from the move!  It has been a lot harder than we ever imagined. It has physically and mentally worn us out.  Bode, Gianna and I are all sick with snotty noses and coughs. We spent the rest of the holiday weekend in recovery mode. I tried to catch up on sleep.  During nap times, I would run out and grab a coffee.  I love my children dearly, but I am in need of a break. I need time alone.

Not one for "down time," Bob spent the weekend working on the house. He unpacked a lot of boxes (thank you!) and organized the too-chaotic-to-live-in messes so that they were semi-liveable.  I did manage to unpack the living room.  But there is still a lot to be done.

The one project that is really pressing me is Christmas cards.  I take Christmas cards very seriously.  I want the right photo to send out to all of our friends and family. And this year, I am feeling the need to capture the photo that says, "Whew! We made it!"  This year has been a crazy, hard year.  And I am so very thankful that we are ending it on a high note.  And I want our holiday card to say, "Yes, it is ending on a high note. And we thank you all for your love and good wishes and send it right back to you." A high note!

Today I pulled out the camera and I asked the babies to say "cheese."  But things weren't going my way. As I've witnessed in other photo sessions, getting two babies to look the same way and smile is almost impossible.  And when you throw a dog into the mix, forget it!  I felt like I was running a three-ring circus.  I was pulling my hair out trying to get these monkeys to smile for me.

And then the morning light disappeared. My window had closed. Witnessing my frustration, Bob invited Bode, Gianna and Priscilla outside for some play time.  I stomped around the house, irritated and depressed, thinking that we should just forget about the photo completely this year. I hung up Gianna's dress and Bode's outfit, and put the camera away (after reviewing the snaps I'd taken to verify that yes, these would not do). After I calmed down, I put on my shoes and looked out the window.  And what did I see?  I saw Bob with his camera, trying to snap the right photo of Bode, Gianna and Priscilla outside.  He had Bode, Gianna and Priscilla all sitting closely in front of a Christmas-y looking pine.  This is why I love this man! He is so great. He tries so hard to help me.   I joined them outside, but we didn't take any more photos. Instead, we did what we came out for: we played. We ran around our new yard, climbed a tree, and played tag.  Bode doesn't get the concept of "tag, you're it" yet. Instead of running away from the person that is "it," Bode runs toward him. It is pretty funny.  I even lowered my stance on "no juice!" this weekend and both babies enjoyed a juice box treat after the fun. (They have been sick, and I am all for liquids - any liquids - right now. I think Gianna went to sleep with a bottle of apple juice Thanksgiving eve!). 

So things weren't going my way this morning.  I will keep trying.  Hopefully I'll get that photo! If you don't receive a holiday card from us this year, then you'll know why.
I'm joking!
xo

Work in progress

Yesterday the movers arrived with our stuff!  It was so exciting, and such a relief.

Of course, things got crazy pretty quick, too.  Imagine 6 men coming into your house, each carrying a few boxes, and asking you, "Where do you want this?" and imagine them doing this over and over and over for 7 hours. It was exhausting. I had two basic responses to the men asking me where they should put things. One response was, "What is it?" and the other was, "In the basement."  The basement has become my catch-all for the I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-yet. 

Bode enjoyed watching the men unload the truck(s) and carry boxes into the house. He was pretty good about staying out of their way as they worked.  Gianna was super-clingy. So I walked around the house with a baby on my hip for most of the day. My arms are tired, and it's not from carrying moving boxes.

Toward the end of the day, things were very, very messy.  The movers unpacked everything but really didn't know where to put it.  So everything is just out.  My kitchen is a crazy maze of plastic, glass, and paper. The other rooms are also chaotic.  I did manage to tidy up Bode's and Gianna's room before they went to bed. The house will just be a work in progress for as long as it takes.  I did tell myself that I can't buy anything or otherwise "decorate" until everything is put in its place. So there's a little motivation to keep plugging away at the piles of stuff.

We've been feeling very unsettled lately. Hopefully with familiar things around us, we'll start to "settle down." ;)

xo

Snow day, sick day

We woke up to snow.  Bode and Gianna are under the weather. I think this snowy weather is a perfect "snow day/sick day" to stay inside and unpack things. But a sick Gianna enjoys being held by her mommy. She only wants me to hold her, and gets very upset if I try to do anything else. What can I do? Just enjoy holding a quiet baby, right? :)  Bode has a cough and is feverish-feeling.  He begged me to take him out in the snow today!  So, even though I know that he is sick, I promised him that as soon as Gianna went down for a nap, we'd run outside.

Here are some pics that make me smile.  I love seeing my boy enjoy the snow.

When I wasn't looking, he threw his hat down in the snow!

Hi, RWF, Jr.

Priscilla is enjoying the snow, too.  If only I could let her off leash! She would have so much fun. But there are too many deer living in our backyard. She would be off and running, if you know what I mean. ;)

The snow plow guy came today (yes, that is his official name: the snow plow guy).  So Bode also enjoyed watching the truck plow our driveway.  After some introductions, the snow plow guy said that he's seen as many as 18 deer on our land.  Then he asked me if RWF hunts.  I said, "Nope! Have a great day, bye!!!"

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope that you are enjoying the pre-Thanksgiving festivities and that your kitchen smells divine! Squeeze all of your loved ones and stay toasty warm.  Over the river and through the woods, to Aunt Dawnie's house we go! RWF knows the way to carry the sleigh to some family, food and fun!

xo

"Home"

We have arrived safely in New York. Our new house, our soon-to-be home, is perfect.  We are settling in nicely.  The babies definitely have some adjusting to do (as do Bob and I) but it is going pretty well.  Here are some snaps, an accounting that everyone is indeed present:

I have some great snaps of the move from California.  But looking at them made me sad.  I will post them at a later date, maybe.  Right now, the focus is on "normalcy" and settling in.  The babies have a lot of adjusting to do, and we need to make it as easy on them as possible.
Happy Monday to you!
xo

Moving right along

Today was a long day of waiting, until about 2 PM.  Then, as scheduled, the  moving truck pulled into our driveway. Well, not "the" moving truck.  The big, real moving truck can't get up into these thar hills. So they have a smaller moving truck to "shuttle" the contents of our house to the big moving truck parked 20 miles away. 20 miles! Bob told the driver that he'd show him a closer spot. (ha)  So a moving truck arrived this afternoon. Three men got out.  They laid carpet runners and cardboard down on the hardwood floors and went straight to work.  They worked hard, disappearing into closets and rooms, then emerging with filled boxes. The only noise was from the television that was playing the 49ers and Giants game. Bob told me that we need to be Giants fans now.  Huh?

On yesterday's walk. How I love holding Bode's hand when we walk!

Bode woke up from his nap and I told him that a big moving truck was outside.  He didn't dawdle like he usually does; he let me dress him quickly.  We went outside and stood in the driveway. He studied the moving truck for a long time.  Then I got Gianna up from her nap.  Because it was so crazy inside, we stayed out and played with toys.  It was hard to keep up with the two of them. They were both going in different directions. Bode would disappear to the driveway to watch the men walk up and down the ramp of the moving truck. Gianna would walk around the backyard. Finally, I put them both in the "city stroller" and took Priscilla for a walk.  I put them in the city stroller because the BOB stroller was loaded onto the truck almost immediately. The "city stroller" is a "city stroller" for a reason.  It didn't handle the pathways well at all. A woman came galloping up the pathway on a horse, and I felt stupid using our city stroller. I might as well have been pushing Bode and Gianna in a cardboard box! We cut our walk short and continued playing on the patio. Bode pulled Gianna in the wagon!  This is a first, and I was so surprised to see him do this by himself.  Gianna loved it.  They both giggled like loons whenever Bode bumped into something. 

We have told Bode that we are moving to New York.  He asked me today if we were getting on a plane again.  He asked, "Are we getting on a prane again?" Like all I do is drag this boy to airports!  I told him that we would eventually get on an airplane but the airplane ride would not be as long as Germany. He asked if we were home.  "California is home. Right, Mommy?"  This is what we drilled into his head the night before we left Berlin and for the 19 hours that we traveled "home" to California. It was like a mantra. Probably more for us than him. I felt conflicted about my answer, but I told him that California is our home right now.  I told him tomorrow we would be staying in a hotel. I tried to talk about it like it was an exciting adventure.  "And then!" I concluded, "Then! We will get on an airplane! We will fly to New York!" (Liar. We are actually flying to Boston.)

In the car on the way to get the temporary QEII.  When I asked Bode what he was doing, he replied, "Hiding."

I didn't expect it to be so hard to talk to Bode about moving. We have told him everything. But I'm also leery of putting too many thoughts (scenarios) in his head. First, I try to keep it simple and focus on what is happening in the immediate future. But then, I feel like I am lying to him so I tell him more than he probably needs to know. I am sure he is handling it well. He probably doesn't understand why we went to Berlin. He thinks he's at "home" in California. And he's probably wondering why we are going on another "prane," and what will happen after that.  But I guess it doesn't matter. We'll just settle into our new "home" in New York as quickly as possible.

Tomorrow is going to be another busy, crazy day.  The movers will be here at 8 AM.  The guy who is to pack our washer and dryer will be here at 8:30 AM.  The car transporter will be here between 11 AM and 3 PM to take our cars away.  (Today we picked up our temporary QEII. It is a GMC Yukon XL, about the same size as QEII. Bode wasn't impressed.) Gianna also has a ped appointment at 11 AM tomorrow. I want Gianna's pediatrician to check out Gianna's lip and just give me her blessing that we did everything we could have done (or not done) when Gianna tore her frenum while in Berlin.

This child loves hard-boiled eggs!

It was such a relief to have the movers start packing today.  It will be nice to be on our way. I'm anxious to get moving. I'm anxious to get settled.

Happy weekend.

xo

Hello, Goodbye

Yesterday was Bode's last play date with his play group.  This was the first time we have seen everyone since we left for Berlin, and the last time we will see them again. Hello, goodbye.

I just hate that these two won't grow up together!

We will miss you, Derek!

It was a grey day and it sprinkled off and on.  For some reason, I was inspired to cook!  I made homemade tomato soup.  I chose tomato soup because I have about 500 cans of tomatoes in my pantry.  It was delicious (if I say so myself). It reminded me of the tomato soup that you get at La Madeliene.   It is Michael Chiarello's recipe. Does anyone know who I am talking about?  (swoon)  I used to watch him when I was a girl. And I mean: girl.  I think I may have been 10 years old.  My father was a huge fan of cooking shows.  Back then, you could only watch cooking shows on PBS. They didn't have dedicated channels like Food Network! Sunday afternoons, my parents would watch Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and Martin Yan dominate the stovetop.  I inherited that love of watching a master chef expertly moving around the kitchen, deftly chopping herbs and vegetables, mixing the ingredients together, and putting them into a "magic oven" that cooked a wonderful looking meal in under 3 minutes. The only downside to watching cooking shows is that you miss out on the wonderful aromas!  I could watch cooking shows all day. They are so calming and relaxing. 

We went for a family walk yesterday.  It is so nice to have Priscilla back with us.  We missed her so much. An owl was who-who-hooting as we walked down the road. There are so many things about this area that I will miss.

Happy Saturday.

xo

Supermarket sweep

One good thing about this move to New York is that we will have family nearby (well, 2 1/2 hours away).   Part of the reason I am handling this move to New York so well (?) is because we have resources available to us on the other end. 

We arrive in New York really late. Dawn has offered to pick up some groceries and  put them into the house for us. What a relief! It will be so nice to have milk and some other essentials waiting for us when we get in. Last night, I had written up my grocery list. I asked Bob to look it over.  He read the list, with this look of disbelief on his face.  I asked what was wrong with my grocery list.  He said, "This is only to get us through the first night?"   He nixed the list, implying that I had been a little too detailed and the list a little too long.  "You're acting like Dawn is your personal shopper, and you're going to be holed up in the house for  a month."

Really?  Because I thought asking for 1 dozen organic, free range eggs and 3 gallons of whole organic milk was necessary for us, and helpful to Dawn.  I looked over the grocery list again. I conceded that I didn't need to request a block of medium cheddar, a bag of shredded cheddar and a container of shredded parm.

That's when Bob decided to play a joke on his sister. We made up a grocery list of things we "needed" for the one night, "essentials" to get us through the first couple of days in New York. We guffawed and snorted as we named the wackiest groceries we could think of.  We roared, thinking about Dawn picking up gallon jugs of one item and  6 packs of another item. I won't detail our list, because our "wacky" items are actually "real" items to the general public.  (we are the freaks) I will say that some items we laughed about that didn't make the list were a 1 lb bag of Twizzlers and a giant tub of margarine.*  It was hilarious (to us).

I emailed the (wacky) list to Dawn, and waited for her response. We knew that she would see the list and respond, "C'mon you guys...where's the real list?" 

Instead, she took us seriously. She responded, prompting me (nicely) about the more nutritional aspects of food for Bode and Gianna. Where were the fruits and vegetables? What would Gianna eat, or would this food be sufficient for her? 

I told Bob about Dawn's response, and we laughed some more.  Ha, ha, ha.  I laughed into my pillow all night, thinking up more silly "essential" items. We are obviously loopy and in serious need of some comic relief!!!

In the end, I sent Dawn the "real" list, complete with fruit, items to get us through the first couple of days.  Thank you, Dawn, for playing along with us! Sorry that we are so desperate for humor that we had to play a joke on you!  We love you and thank you for all of your help!


On a more serious note, have you donated to your local area food bank yet?  We are fortunate that we can "joke" about buying groceries. I am emptying my pantry and donating some items. I also plan to buy some more canned goods to round out our donation for our local food bank. Think about it.
Happy Friday.

xo

* for the record, I happen to love Twizzlers.  I prefer butter or olive oil over margarine. It was more the absurdity of Dawn searching the grocery store for these "needed" items, than the actual items themselves.  I realize that everyone has different grocery essentials!

The post where I admit that I am a hoarder

Today the Salvation Army came by and picked up some furniture from the house.  It is starting to look like we are actually moving!

Another plus, all this packing and purging has helped Bode find some of his "lost" cars.  Yesterday he was thrilled to find Guido.

On the down side, as I get rid of furniture, I'm having to empty drawers.  I don't know what to do with the contents of the drawers!  So instead of just throwing the contents out, or sorting them for Goodwill, I just create piles. Piles of stuff everywhere! I have one pile that contains hairbands, some iPod headphones, a new toothbrush (in the package) and a journal. Easily sortable but somehow, I haven't managed to do it.  And here I've just revealed what a horrible housekeeper/organizer/person I am. So why not just tell all?  I also have piles of random stuff that I'm not sure if it should be packed by the movers, or if it should go with us on the plane, etc. etc.  Yesterday afternoon, I sent my mom an urgent! email asking her what I should do with my spices.  Tossing cinnamon out is one thing, but saffron makes me pause. Later, I thought about how silly this is...spices? Things are getting confusing. At least for me.  But the piles!  They are getting old.  The house, while bare, is really junky with the piles of stuff all over. 

A PILE of new winter boots for everyone.

And just when I get comfortable donating the baby toys, they show renewed interest and love in them!  It makes it so difficult to get rid of anything.  Note: I haven't gotten rid of any baby stuff!

Bob took down the baby gate yesterday. I was so nervous about Gianna handling the stairs once the gate was removed. What a joke (on me).  She's shimmying up and down the stairs like it's nothing.

Helping take down the baby gate. Gianna has her hair brush. Bode is holding the screws.

I am trying to take the babies to the park every day. The weather here is so gorgeous! I am really trying to soak it up while we can. It hit me last night when I was driving home from the park: how absolutely perfect the weather is here, and how we will miss it!

In addition to side-stepping boxes and avoiding piles, I'm also trying to get last-minute errands done. I have a list of things I want done here so I don't have to get it done (immediately) when we get to NY.  Today, Bode got a haircut. I also took him to the shoe store to see if his feet have grown. I bought sneakers for Bode and some tights for Gianna. Then I popped into Baby Gap and saw a cute pink snow bib and (matching) down jacket. I tried the jacket on her, and she looked absolutely adorable. A little pink puffball.  Of course I had to get it for Miss Mia.  It wasn't on my list of things "to do" but I have to have some fun, too, right?

Is anyone watching Parenthood?  We have had 4 episodes to catch up on. I love it. Every night I try to convince Bob that we "have" to watch a Parenthood.  You know, to catch up. It is so great. We are almost caught up. I love that Christina had her baby. I'm worried for Sarah. I feel bad for Crosby. Isn't it great when tv makes you forget about your own issues, and worry about someone else's? (ha) Because the tv characters are REAL, you know. That reminds me, we found a show to watch while in Berlin. We called it the "German Parenthood."  We couldn't figure out when it came on (at first) so every night, I'd ask Bob "Is the German Parenthood on yet?"  It comes on Friday nights, so naturally I think of it for tomorrow night's tv viewing. I will miss it.  I will miss the Peter Krause-type main character and his quirky family. It is weird to get hooked on a show where you don't know what they are saying or what is happening. But trust me, it happens. Bob and I had no idea what they were saying, so we would make up dialogue and story lines as we watched.  Fun times.

Happy Friday!

xo