A play date for Cooper meant some prime time for us girls to bust out some of the new makeup you got and play with it, giving each other matching makeovers.
Like a waterfall in slow motion, Part One
3 years ago
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Happy 6th Birthday, Daphne! As your Dad says, “How the hell did this happen!?”
Daphne, today is your 6th birthday. And, like every single other birthday, I cannot believe it because (1) it seems like only yesterday that I brought you home, a beautiful, snuggly, screaming little thing, demanding my constant attention and to always be held and (2) haven’t you been six for a while now?
Sometimes I call you my baby girl, and you rightly respond, “but I am not a baby!” (while rolling your eyes in a VERY unbaby way), and I equally rightly respond “but you will ALWAYS be MY baby”.
That pretty much sums it up. You are this little spitfire of a human – precocious beyond belief, and yet you are my only daughter, and even if only figuratively, I will always be there to hold you.
This year saw the start of elementary school. There were nerves (mine) and anxiety (mine) and excitement (yours). And while you may have also had some reservations about a brand new place with brand new people, you walked right in and rocked it.
Nevertheless, despite your rocking it, it wasn’t long before I started worrying that perhaps this awesome language immersion program might be too hard, and asking too much of you. I mean, none of us speak Spanish, and you are receiving 50% of your instruction in Spanish, and what would it be like if ½ of the time someone spoke to me during the day it was in a language I did not understand??? – that would be IMPOSSIBLY hard, I would freak out and feel like I was failing and my brain would be in a constant loop of self-doubt!
How could I do this to you? You are so brilliant!
I immediately worried we should pull you out so that you could be in a “regular” class where it would be easier. I scheduled conferences, wrung my hands, stayed up at night. And yet, when I asked you how school was going, you were like “great!” and when I asked how it was learning in another language, you seemed to like it – genuinely like it. It was bewildering to me for a while, until I realized that, believe it or not, you are NOT me, and the things that give me anxiety, nerves and insomnia are things you can roll with, adapt to and embrace.
Once again, Daphne, I find myself in awe of you.
Another example – we had your first at-our-house birthday party this year. It was a spa party, with 9 other little girls. We had a relaxation station, and stations to make your own face mask or accessories, or get you make up, nails or hair done. I was highly anxious before and during, worrying about how we would spend all 120 minutes, and how I would find something to talk to the other moms about during any “down” time, and hoping I wasn’t noticeably sweating.
You were the center of the action, and right in your element.
I looked at you and wondered if we were even related. Oh, to be so cool!
You have grown into this little lady – you are tall and lean, and so incredibly beautiful. Your dimple remains lethal, your eyes sparkle with mischief.
You have a strong sense of fashion. Each night you thoughtfully select what you will wear the next day. And thank goodness we do this the night before, because if you pick a shirt, and then can’t find the pants you have in mind, we cannot sub in some other (completely fine) pants – OH NO! we must go back to square one, and rethink the whole thing.
You are an avid reader, and knew pretty much all the kinder sight words before stepping foot in the school. And now you are a bilingual reader, saying your Spanish sight words with the right pronunciation and, even to my layperson ears, a ridiculously accurate Spanish accent. It is both really remarkable and ADORABLE.
You are oh so very “girly” right now – all sequins and play make-up and shopkins.
And you are remarkably tomboy right now – never wearing dresses, digging in mud and hanging with your brother.
(According to the world) you are my mini-me, and yet nothing like me.
You are barbies and football.
You are constantly crawling in my lap and never wanting to hold my hand.
You are “I love yous” and (mostly goodnatured) eyerolls.
I couldn’t have imagined you in my wildest dreams, and yet, I get to raise you.
And so, while I can’t imagine how it could be, I hope this year is even better than last, and I am so glad to be along for the ride.
Sometimes I call you my baby girl, and you rightly respond, “but I am not a baby!” (while rolling your eyes in a VERY unbaby way), and I equally rightly respond “but you will ALWAYS be MY baby”.
That pretty much sums it up. You are this little spitfire of a human – precocious beyond belief, and yet you are my only daughter, and even if only figuratively, I will always be there to hold you.
This year saw the start of elementary school. There were nerves (mine) and anxiety (mine) and excitement (yours). And while you may have also had some reservations about a brand new place with brand new people, you walked right in and rocked it.
Nevertheless, despite your rocking it, it wasn’t long before I started worrying that perhaps this awesome language immersion program might be too hard, and asking too much of you. I mean, none of us speak Spanish, and you are receiving 50% of your instruction in Spanish, and what would it be like if ½ of the time someone spoke to me during the day it was in a language I did not understand??? – that would be IMPOSSIBLY hard, I would freak out and feel like I was failing and my brain would be in a constant loop of self-doubt!
How could I do this to you? You are so brilliant!
I immediately worried we should pull you out so that you could be in a “regular” class where it would be easier. I scheduled conferences, wrung my hands, stayed up at night. And yet, when I asked you how school was going, you were like “great!” and when I asked how it was learning in another language, you seemed to like it – genuinely like it. It was bewildering to me for a while, until I realized that, believe it or not, you are NOT me, and the things that give me anxiety, nerves and insomnia are things you can roll with, adapt to and embrace.
Once again, Daphne, I find myself in awe of you.
Another example – we had your first at-our-house birthday party this year. It was a spa party, with 9 other little girls. We had a relaxation station, and stations to make your own face mask or accessories, or get you make up, nails or hair done. I was highly anxious before and during, worrying about how we would spend all 120 minutes, and how I would find something to talk to the other moms about during any “down” time, and hoping I wasn’t noticeably sweating.
You were the center of the action, and right in your element.
I looked at you and wondered if we were even related. Oh, to be so cool!
You have grown into this little lady – you are tall and lean, and so incredibly beautiful. Your dimple remains lethal, your eyes sparkle with mischief.
You have a strong sense of fashion. Each night you thoughtfully select what you will wear the next day. And thank goodness we do this the night before, because if you pick a shirt, and then can’t find the pants you have in mind, we cannot sub in some other (completely fine) pants – OH NO! we must go back to square one, and rethink the whole thing.
You are an avid reader, and knew pretty much all the kinder sight words before stepping foot in the school. And now you are a bilingual reader, saying your Spanish sight words with the right pronunciation and, even to my layperson ears, a ridiculously accurate Spanish accent. It is both really remarkable and ADORABLE.
You are oh so very “girly” right now – all sequins and play make-up and shopkins.
And you are remarkably tomboy right now – never wearing dresses, digging in mud and hanging with your brother.
(According to the world) you are my mini-me, and yet nothing like me.
You are barbies and football.
You are constantly crawling in my lap and never wanting to hold my hand.
You are “I love yous” and (mostly goodnatured) eyerolls.
I couldn’t have imagined you in my wildest dreams, and yet, I get to raise you.
And so, while I can’t imagine how it could be, I hope this year is even better than last, and I am so glad to be along for the ride.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Halloween
A rainy Halloween limited the trick or treating, but we made the best of it. Batman and Batgirl were quite the pair, and Harry Potter, as ever, was magic.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
World's Worst Blogger
This poor neglected site. I have immense guilt realizing that my quantity of posts in a year now resemble the quantity from a month when Cooper was a baby. As said before, not an indication of love, but of time. I am tempted, at times, to mothball this thing, but then I will find myself making reference to a time, and then wanting to look back at that time and those pictures, and then WHAM, down the rabbit hole I fall, sometimes for a long time, sometimes alone and other times dragging Steve with me (LOOK At THIS PICTURE!!!), revisiting things I remembered, and things I had tucked away and almost forgotten until I scrolled through here, and I realize how special this place is for me, and I recommit to continuing to post. So, in that vein, while Cal is finishing his nap and before the bigs return from a movie with Steve, here I offer a sampling of pictures from our last few months...
Can you believe how handsome this kid is? He looks so much like a baby I used to have...
Peek-a-boo! This tent is one of the cheapest things we bought many years ago that I am surprised we kept through the various toy purges, and am SO thankful we did. Cal loves a good hideout.
Sweet baby!
The reappearance of Trigger!
Cal loves to read. If by read you mean have him grab the book out of your hand and then turn the pages emphatically.
Doc McCalvin
I know this is a still from a video that won't play, but I want proof that we DID finally break down and allow the bigs to have a turn in those crazily overpriced jumping things at the mall.
See! We don't ALWAYS say no!
Ah, the chicken that walks and plays the chicken dance song... another one I am surprised survived the culling of toys we have had to do over the years (lest we would have long ago run out of space!). Unlike the tent, my fondness for this toy has not increased with each repetition of the chicken dance song. And lo it is replayed often.
I keep thinking that damn chicken might break as Cal doesn't leave it be when it is playing, but walks around with it and drops it intermittently. He apparently needs to drop it HARDER.
More sweet baby!
I am not even sure where this is from... but it has all 3 kids! And Cal looks SO serious about his food. Accurate!
The Sass!
Viewer tip: You can always tell the photos that are from our nanny (she sends me at least one a day), because Cal's hair looks so much more suave. She fancies him up.
This move NEVER gets old.
Love this boy.
The bond between Daphne and Cal has grown even stronger now. She really loves playing with him, and he is so lucky to have her.
Literally my three favorite people.
Happy mornings!
OMG were these sunglasses a HIT... until they broke. Cal - not known for her delicate touch.
Our nanny needed me to spring her early one day, so I came home and took a call from the kitchen table. Next to this guy.
Sweeter baby!
Cal loves nothing more than to pull clean folded laundry off of the couch and drape it all over himself.
Another photo from our nanny - note the hair!
Seriously - this kid IS happiness. Unless you won't give him your cell phone (or anything else he desperately NEEDS!)
And so began Cal's love affair with Pink. We have rewatched the SNL performance MANY times. He goes in and out of a transfixed stare and dancing. You can ask "Cal, do you want to dance?" or "Do you want to watch Pink" and he will run to the TV and turn it on and stare expectantly at you until you fire up the performance. I am not sure if or when we will ever be able to delete it from our DVR.
As I said, Cal loves a hideout...
And he SO loves his big brother (and who can blame him?)
Can you believe how handsome this kid is? He looks so much like a baby I used to have...
Peek-a-boo! This tent is one of the cheapest things we bought many years ago that I am surprised we kept through the various toy purges, and am SO thankful we did. Cal loves a good hideout.
Sweet baby!
The reappearance of Trigger!
Cal loves to read. If by read you mean have him grab the book out of your hand and then turn the pages emphatically.
Doc McCalvin
I know this is a still from a video that won't play, but I want proof that we DID finally break down and allow the bigs to have a turn in those crazily overpriced jumping things at the mall.
See! We don't ALWAYS say no!
Ah, the chicken that walks and plays the chicken dance song... another one I am surprised survived the culling of toys we have had to do over the years (lest we would have long ago run out of space!). Unlike the tent, my fondness for this toy has not increased with each repetition of the chicken dance song. And lo it is replayed often.
I keep thinking that damn chicken might break as Cal doesn't leave it be when it is playing, but walks around with it and drops it intermittently. He apparently needs to drop it HARDER.
More sweet baby!
I am not even sure where this is from... but it has all 3 kids! And Cal looks SO serious about his food. Accurate!
The Sass!
Viewer tip: You can always tell the photos that are from our nanny (she sends me at least one a day), because Cal's hair looks so much more suave. She fancies him up.
This move NEVER gets old.
Love this boy.
The bond between Daphne and Cal has grown even stronger now. She really loves playing with him, and he is so lucky to have her.
Literally my three favorite people.
Happy mornings!
OMG were these sunglasses a HIT... until they broke. Cal - not known for her delicate touch.
Our nanny needed me to spring her early one day, so I came home and took a call from the kitchen table. Next to this guy.
Sweeter baby!
Cal loves nothing more than to pull clean folded laundry off of the couch and drape it all over himself.
Another photo from our nanny - note the hair!
Seriously - this kid IS happiness. Unless you won't give him your cell phone (or anything else he desperately NEEDS!)
And so began Cal's love affair with Pink. We have rewatched the SNL performance MANY times. He goes in and out of a transfixed stare and dancing. You can ask "Cal, do you want to dance?" or "Do you want to watch Pink" and he will run to the TV and turn it on and stare expectantly at you until you fire up the performance. I am not sure if or when we will ever be able to delete it from our DVR.
As I said, Cal loves a hideout...
And he SO loves his big brother (and who can blame him?)
Monday, October 9, 2017
Nanny Sick Day
Although it's a bummer that our nanny has strep, I enjoyed some extra one on one time at the park with my littlest buddy.
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