Summer Watermelon Is Oh...So...Good!

We are fortunate enough to have a little one with a highly developed palate...or something like that. When I was pregnant, I tried to eat anything and everything I could in hopes that Lola would get an aquired taste for things most kids can't stand. I'm happy to report that I think it really worked. Among the normal things kids enjoy are the not so normal things that she loves. Her new interests are cabbage and cauliflower. WONDERFUL, I KNOW!!!!

This entry is not, at all, about the new (and rather gaseous) veggies that she is enjoying. It is simply about watermelon and enjoying it in the messiest and silliest fashion around! I origionally wanted to write about the enjoyment I had feeding her piece after piece, but I think it would be better to just put the pictures out there and let you see the joy that I was able to see! ENJOY!!!

Dandions and First Love

 I know this may sound a little bias, but I'm pretty sure I have the greatest daughter in the world! She is wonderful! I can't seem to get enough of my little chicken. She is at such an amazing, and exhausting, age right now. She literally wears herself out by the end of the day...and I don't mind that one bit! Ive been in the habit of taking her to the park in the evening, after the sun has exhausted itself from blasting the playground with its heat. I love when the sun retreats, allowing the cool shade and breeze to be great contenders. I take Lola about an hour before Pieter arrives home, then he meets us, and tries to sneak up on Lola so she can be really excited to see him.

Yesterday was no different except that there were three other children around Lola's age. We have kind of lost our "connections" with all the other toddler babes since we switched our park time visits, so this was a wonderful treat for Lola. There was one boy in particular, Justin, who was drawn to Lola. He wasn't quite walking yet so Lola wasn't too interested in him- naturally, "Who wants a guy who can't even walk?!?!", was probably what she thought to herself. So, being the incredible,-wobbly-wandering and independent type, she kept to herself the majority of the time and made the occasional "drop-ins" to show her affection, literally, and play hard-to-get. I've never seen Lola so affectionate towards another little one. She shared her wood chips with Justin and even gave him the sweetest, most innocent hugs a mom could dream of seeing. She is so caring towards other little ones; it's like she really cares for them!

A couple months ago I tried to show her how to blow on a dandilion. Of course, she seemed highly uninterrested and wanted nothing more than to eat the dang thing. SHOCKER, my child sticks everthing in her mouth. Yesterday she caught me by surprise when she plucked a fully loaded dandilion from the playground grass and tried blowing on it. Sure enough she ended up inhaling hard enough or secretly managed to get her lips around it because there were dandelion bits all in her mouth.

What A Joy!!!

I spoke with one of my friends from high school yesterday. She is now able to do what every fully pregnant woman can't wait to do...count the days on her fingers! It is always wonderful news when a friend tells you she is expecting, but it is even greater knowing that the arrival of the highly anticipated bundle of love is right around the corner! Speaking with her about the last couple weeks and the weeks to come brought back memories of my numbered days of being "side-kickless". My life, then, was good but only a fraction of how great it is now. I am thrilled that her life will be blessed and enriched in so many new ways. I am excited that her journey as a woman will continue and she will grow from the experience to come. I cant wait to hear about how much joy little C brings to their lives. To you, Brittany and David, early congratulations! I am so excited for you!

The Luckiest Girls In Town

I always wondered what it would be like to celebrate Father's Day with the man I was going to spend my life with and our sweet little child[ren]. I often wondered if it would be the relaxing day where I would wait on him hand and foot, preparing his favorite meals, watching movies, and snuggling. Our day was that and more! The weather was absolutely wonderful. It was breezy and warm, and the sunshine felt so good on our skin. We spent the day relaxing and enjoying each other. I am continually recognizing how fortunate I am. I am blessed to be with a man who sees me for who I am, all flaws aside, who has an unconditional love for his girls. He is the most caring and fun person I have ever known. I wish that I could put into words how truly wonderful Pieter has been to me and how amazing he is with Lola. I never imagined loving him more than I did...until Lola came along. She brings out a side in him that I have never seen before. She has brought back that passionate little twinkle that drew me to him years ago! I appreciate him more and more everyday, and only wish that I were able to express it to him in more ways than just my attempted words. Happy Father's Day, Babe! I love you!

Summer Todo List

I've been inspired lately by this blog, and by that I mean, it's my favorite blog do date. Pieter introduced me to it a couple months ago and I, since then, have been hooked! I love this little family of four and only wish that my post could be as captivating as hers!

So, getting inspiration from one of her previous posts, I decided that now is the time to make my first summer todo list.

I want to read more books...and by that I mean, actually finish a book.
I want to blow more bubbles with Lola.
I want to pull out my big bucket of sidewalk chalk and spend all afternoon outside drawling pictures with Lola.
I want to spend (at least) a day in San Fran!
I want to go swimming.
I want to fly kites.
I want to bake something sugary-sweet and delicious once a week.
...as a result...
I hope I'll want to WANT to go running.
I want to continue doing my art.
I want to register for one class.

I want this summer to be something special for our little family.

Day 392: A New Tooth and A New Stage

We have been working hard to get Lola to sleep through the night. Those of you close to us know that this has been nothing more than a constant struggle for the three of us, partly because Lola hadn't really been put on a bedtime schedule and some of us, I will name no names but you know who you are, are still enjoying the co-sleeping phase that we should have been past a long time ago! Sure enough we managed to step foot into the realm of sweet dreams and groggy-free mornings! YAY FOR US!!!!  It pleases me to report that Lola now, for the most part, sleeps through the night and mommy and daddy are especially happy!

We had one night in the last week that was completely horrible. Sure enough I noticed that she now has a new top tooth to add to her collection! YEAH LOLA!!! Unfortunately, they aren't her two front teeth. They are the ones that are sandwiched between the front teeth and the canines. I imagine she will resemble a little vampire for the next couple months, and if her teeth take as long as they have been, I have a pretty good idea of what she will be for Halloween this year. I'm not at all sad about her lack of teeth. She is already a year and only has four pearly whites. I've been really lucky because I think she may have only attempted to bite a couple times. I have a sense of when she will "attack" because she gets really still, her mouth open, and her big brown eyes spanning from side to side like she's either debating with herself whether or not to do it or when would be the perfect time to chomp down.

The newest addition to Lola's personality has been her enthusiasm towards independence. I'm going to be honest, I miss taking Lola for walks in the stroller without her having a melt down and wanting to walk, by herslelf. I'm not kidding about the walking by herslef part either! It is close to impossible to distract her long enough to grab ahold of her hand. I guess this is just another phase. She also HATES having her diaper changed. Every diaper change seems to turn into a battle of the strong-willed, her buns clenched so tight and her body completely arched like she's been practicing her yoga backbends. She is one tough cookie, but I always win! I have a feeling it's going to be a long road and many years of steering my wild child in the right direction, both figuratively and literally, but it will really be a fun journey. She has also really been into singing and dancing. She babbles along to songs and shakes her little hips and gives the occasional foot stomp. What a cutie! I've got her used to brushing her teeth in the morning with me. It's pretty cute seeing her ready for the day with her little toothbrush in her mouth.

Being Lola's mom has taught me a lot about myself. I never thought I could love someone to the point of tears. She is such a sweet little bird. I love the funny sounds she mumbles in her sleep, her crazy little pointer finger, the insanely styled bedhead she wakes up with, even the consistent string of drool that's been hanging from her mouth. She has taught me to be patient, or better yet is teaching me to be more patient, and has taught me to laugh at the gobs of food highlights in her hair. I'm convinced that it's the hardest job on the planet, and it's a 24 hour job for the rest of my life. Like the deep and honest relationship I have with my mom that continues to evolve, I know and look forward to having the same with my daughter! But for now, I'll enjoy the present!

$5 bucks well spent

Since last summer, I have made it "tradition" to treat myself to a little something every week from the farmers market. Aside from benefiting from fresh fruits and veggies, I allow myself to spend $5 on a bouquet of flowers. Now in flower shops and grocery stores little cash flow wont get you much in terms of flowers, but our local FM has two tents that sell the most beautifully, vibrantly colored flowers I have ever seen. Last week I purchased a bouquet of gladiolus. There were about 7 already opened up and another 5 or so that were just waiting  to make a later appearance. To my surprise, they are still alive today.

I generally go for the same color palate. I really love Mexican folk art, being Mexican and all, so I tend to gravitate towards anything that is saturated in color. This week a bouquet of thistle-like flowers caught my eye. They are absolutely gorgeous! I would love to have flowers like this, or this color at least, at my wedding. I really hope to capture a something that resembles Mexican folk art, and I think these colors would be perfect.

Unfortunately, the pictures don't really do my fabulous bouquet justice because I took most of them when I was already indoors.... but trust me, they are breathtaking.

Art, Peas!!!!

In efforts to go a couple hours without Lola's meal on my shirts, we bit the bullet and spent the $35 on a high chair for the little one. Actually, we went with the cheaper one because it folds down so flat, and those of you who have visited our Sacramento apartment know it is literally the size of a shoebox. We used to feed her in the Bumbo, but she quickly outgrew that and, even quicker, she realized she could escape when we weren't watching. I have very much enjoyed the transition, and my 'clean' t-shirts have too!

We now have her eating 3 "big girl" meals and 3 snacks a day. This is in effort to ween her. So far it has been okay, but she is one tough cookie, like her mama! She has shown very little interest in cow's milk, but I'm determined to get her off of me! Lola has, however, shown a great interest in many fruits and vegetables that we hadn't introduced to her until recently. Among her many favorites we can now add beets, kiwi, blueberries, oranges, cherries, broccoli, and asparagus. She also likes tofu which is awesome because we have it a couple times a month.  

ygiu'jn999999999ooooooooooooooyttttttttttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyhghhbvbh- (Lola writes, Hi friends and family!) 

I try to have her meals planned out in advance, and she has really taken a liking to the idea of eating in her high chair! 

Allowing her to spoon-feed herself is a different story. I know I need to get over it and just allow her to explore her hand-to-mouth coordination, but it really is like watching paint dry. It is really amusing, but not very amusing when there are errands that need running and little ones that need naps so a particular mom can get to the chores that are easiest done Lola-free. Nevertheless, I think she managed to get three, pretty much empty, spoons in her mouth. 

And then, being the classy 376 day old babe that she is, she decided not only to lick the bowl, but to wear it....

...and wear it well she did!!!!

*****

 So my "your baby is this old" email came the other day and said that Lola may be able to start doodling with crayons. So in effort to stay in the grid, we went to CVS, which has every random thing imaginable. I wasn't able to find the thick crayons and I was nervous to buy the skinny ones because I knew she would try to eat them. I did find some neat pens though, that only write on special paper and some non-toxic paint for my future artist extraordinaire. So we shimmied on home to get the party started. 

Surprisingly enough, she did better than I expected her to. She did try to eat the paint (SHOCKER), but I couldn't get upset because the mess was minimal and, well, she looked freaking adorable with paint all over her fat little fingers! ENJOY!

It's a great feeling knowing that our awesome Dunder Mifflin-Dwight K. Schrute magnets will be put to good use, and I am honored to show off the new, one-of-a-kind, works of art on our fridge!

MASTERPIECE!!!!

Lola- The Crash and Burn Energizer Bunny

Our days at the park are endless. We go just about everyday depending on the weather. Ever since last week, Lola has been exceptionally interactive. She has begun to jabber in her own little language, which is hilarious. Occasionally she will murmur something that sounds like "human words".... Today wasn't any different than our usual park visits, except there were no kids! So the two of us made the most of it. Lola LOVES playing in the wood chips. Normally I'm one of those hovering moms, but today I decided to step back and see what she would do. She walked, better yet waddled, around the park pointing and chatting to herself about God knows what.

Eventually I went over and took a seat on the floor alongside her.

She began handing woodchips to me, followed by a very polite (but mumbled) "Tantoo", which I'm assuming is a lose translation for "thank you" in Lola-sh.This continued and continued....

.....and continued....

....and continued....

until finally she found one she considered unsatisfactory!

Then it was time for her to move onto something else. Ever since she has gotten better at walking, she's had the shortest, and cutest, attention span. One minute it's one thing, the next, it's another. It is so funny. She went from playing on the floor to playing on this toy motorcycle that rocks back and forth, to walking up to the sidewalk, and eventually to the gate that holds kids captive...mom's like that!

Believe it or not, she then lost interest (or maybe she just gave up) at walking along the fence. Near by was a beautiful green leaf. She quickly scouped it up and began walking near the playground again. I'm not entirely sure if her jogging skills have gotten better or if it's just that she wants to move faster and her legs cant keep up. I quickly remembered that there is a small step before entering the woodchips, but apparently, I didnt remember fast enough because right after this..

...she fell face first. I think I do a great job of capturing her momentum, and a horrible job at keeping a "safe" eye on my child. Good thing she didn't cry!

We spent the next 20 minutes hanging out in the shade of the playground. She finally got tired...and I mean melt-down tired, and took almost a 2 hour nap when we got home!

It was a wonderful day! And I can't wait to see what Lola does tomorrow!

The Day We Had Lola

I can't believe that the first year of my little Lola's life has almost finished. I remember the morning my contractions started and I remember telling Pieter not to be upset that I lost my mucus plug...clearly I was scared. I think "being funny" is my defense mechanism. I remember moving really slowly throughout the day, being really uncomfortable and alone. I imagine I watched lots of TV that day, I wish I would have remembered what. I remember not wanting to go into labor that night because it was the finale night for Lost and The Biggest Loser. I remember eating very little, half a peanut butter sandwich and a pomegranate smoothie, for fear of labor being "unnecessarily" messy- females reading this will know exactly what I'm talking about. I remember the outfit I wore, my red sweat pants and black V-neck. I remember the "BABY'S COMING" bags waiting by the door. I was well read- kept up on the development of the baby, took the birthing classes...but in that moment, at 6:30am, I knew, she would come that day. Well...I was wrong, but we did get the process started. I remember the concerned look on Pieters face when he was timing my contractions. He looks so cute when he's concerned. I remember getting to the hospital after hours so of course it took longer because we had to go in through the ER. Then they ended up losing my pre-registration, so while having what I thought at the moment was horrible contractions  I had to fill out paper work. Sure enough, Pieter stepped in and the only thing I had to do was sign.

There isn't much I remember from that night. I do remember being exhausted. I remember falling asleep between contractions at the wee hours of the morning. Nothing could have prepared me for what labor is. I realize now that it is called that for a reason. Your body works hard. Your mind works hard. You use all your strength, everything that is in you just to know that in a matter of seconds you'll be holding your little sweetness. One of the only things I remember about pushing was knowing that she was right there, knowing that I was the only thing keeping me from her. I felt energized. I felt like a different woman in that moment. I remembered not wanting to take breaks. Pieter says that I pushed for 2 hours. I don't remember it being that long.

Finally, at 11:19am, little Lola decided to grace us with her presence.

It was the most unreal feeling. It was the biggest high. It is pretty indescribable getting to hold your child for the first time. It is the moment when you, officially in a sense, become a parent.

This picture of Pieter makes me smile. I always knew he'd be a wonderful father!