Complainer Pregnant Lady Dialogue

Scene 1: In the tub, evening.

Matilda - I need to get in the tub and soak my back. 

Me - (Laughing) What happened to your back?

Matilda - It is SO sore. 

Scene 2: Lounging in the living room, mid-day. 

Matilda - I'm lying on the couch and resting my back. 

Me - Oh, is your back feeling sore?

Matilda - Yeah, it's sore. I was eating a lot of snacks. 

Me - Did the snacks make your back sore?

Matilda - Yeah!

(I have no idea why she thinks excess snacking would lead to sore-pregnant-lady back. Regardless, it seems she's heard enough of my complaining.)

More Pics

And now Kyle has gotten all his pics up from the party too. Yay!

Birthday Pics by Adam

Adam came through again with some fast, awesome party pics for your viewing pleasure: go to his Flickr to see them all. Thanks so much Adam!

Pooped from the Party

I would rate Matilda's party today as a huge success. All the kids seemed to have a blast and there were no major melt downs. Lots of folks had never been out to the farm before so it was really fun to see everyone discovering all the fun there is to be had there. Lots more pictures to come. For now we all are collapsing into bed with plans to face the piles of presents & party debris in the morning.

Here we are on the wagon ride that started off the festivities: If I have this baby in the next few days I think we can blame this super bumpy "cow train" that we rode with some of Matilda's good buddies: Molly, Gigi, Avery & Sebastian.
Finally, my favorite memory of the day, Matilda was surrounded by all her friends (of the toddler and grown up variety) while we sang Happy Birthday AND she blew out the candles like a pro!

Babies are Distracting

Matilda is so enamored with her new little buddy Stella that she can barely think whenever the baby is present. The phenomenon is so amazing to watch as M looses all ability to listen or focus. I am not sure if it is a curious peek for us into what the first days with the new baby at home might be like or not. Regardless it is reassuring to see her being so good with a baby. I (Also, big thanks to S & G for being so tolerant as Matilda relentlessly manhandles their child.) 

M offers Stella a bottle - the sticker kind. 

Stella is surprised by a sneak attack hug from behind. 

Cake: Part 1

Happy Birthday my sweet. 

Enjoying the Birthday

We are taking it slow around here, just savoring the day with our 3 year old. She is currently having one of her rare naps so I thought I should throw up a few pictures of the fun so far. 

With her beloved bacon. She ate her slices in seconds & then was hounding her Daddy for his sausage. 

Ants in the Pants is a huge hit. Even just making the ants hop at each other is entertaining enough, forget hopping into the pants! 

Aunt Lois & Uncle Mike sent M this awesome parachute which may be the winner of the day so far. She went crazy when we opened it and has spent the better part of the afternoon hiding under it, sliding around on top and cajoling us into playing more with her & the new chute.

The rest of the day will involve baking cupcakes, eating pizza & salad (Matilda's choice), more present opening and then some ice cream cake with Stella & co. 

Back At The Old Zoo

The Old Zoo in Griffith Park has been the site of many great memories for us. Both pre-and post kid we have had picnics, hikes and aerobie sessions there. The day before Matilda was born, while in early labor, we did a big "hike" around the Old Zoo. (I used the word hike very loosely here considering how slowly I dragged myself up the hill.) We held her second birthday extravaganza there. 

Last weekend we found ourselves there again mucking around. Tim took the picture below of M posed in the same spot where he got my photo during that labor-hike (a photo I can only find here). It is astounding to see where three years gets you. I think the proximity of M's birthday to my due date for our new baby is making me extra sentimental this year. I can't quite believe what a big girl we have and am getting more excited by the day for this new baby to join our party. 

Toilet Terror

Matilda had her first experience today with a toilet that flushed automatically while she was still sitting on the "throne." I figured this was inevitable and it seemed to be as horrifying for her as I feared. She leapt straight off the seat into my arms. Thankfully she had just finished peeing so neither of us got too messy from the experience. I tried to put some spin on it immediately saying, "Wow, that was a big surprise wasn't it?" She saw right through me and replied, "I was so scared!" Let's hope this doesn't contribute to any long term public-restroom-phobia.

More Fun Than A.....

We have started doling out Matilda's presents, letting her open one each day to extend the fun. This morning she got a Barrel of Monkeys from Aunt Jeanne. It is an unequivocal hit - she has been sitting there for a solid 25 minutes playing with them. Just now I heard her say (to an empty room), "These monkeys are so fun; they are yelling at me!"

Saturday Spoilin' for our Gal

We spent most of Saturday enjoying ourselves & spoiling our soon-to-be-3 year old. First up was a trip to Griffith Park for some soccer dribbling and exploring at the Old Zoo. Next Matilda & Tim rode the Merry Go Round. As the ride started she yelled,  "This is a good ride!" However, as the ride progressed she became a little doubtful. I can't blame her as it is the fastest, loudest Merry Go Round I have ever ridden. Tim's been trying to take Matilda for some Disney Soda Fountain spoiling for many weeks now but it never quite happened until this weekend. As usual, it did not disappoint. Matilda is generous with her ice cream. We kept asking her what flavor ice cream she wanted & all she could answer was sprinkles. In the end we ensured she got the sprinkles & chose her standard favorite of chocolate. 

Fun family times. 

2nd Haircut

Matilda went back to the kids salon for her second haircut this week. We have been trying for a while to talk her into getting a haircut at the shop where I go, but she was having none of it and demanded the kids salon. Tim actually agreed to having me cut it, especially since it was just going to be a trim, but in the end I chickened out and took her to a "professional." Below you can see a "before" shot of her tangly hair. It was just really uneven in the back and looking a bit frizzy from the lack of regular trims. Here with Gaurav & Stella you can see the "after" shot. The stylist cut off less than an inch but it really evened the back out nice and made it all look healthier. It looks much shorter to me, but I think that is just the curl pulling it up. 

For Diane and Madhulika

I suspect that since Sarah & Gaurav are slightly occupied with the rigors of moving (on top of new baby care) that the grandmothers are feeling slightly photo deprived. So here's my contribution from Friday night dinner with Stella:

Matilda was very sweet with Stella giving lots of kisses and "sharing" her baby doll by piling it on top of Stella. Next she was planning to give Stella the big soccer ball but we intervened.

Stella models her first pair of running shoes. It is never too early to start training for your first marathon. 

Matilda inspects the sneakers. 

Stella lounges as the center of attention while showcasing her awesome, freshly washed mohawk. 

Orthodontia Here We Come

M got a clean bill of health from the dentist today. Leading up to the visit she was very excited  for it, but got a little gun shy once we were in the exam room. She did finally allow the dentist to check her teeth while sitting on my lap. He said all her teeth look good with no problems and encouraged us keep up the good work and to start flossing regularly. The only caveat he gave was that her teeth look closer together than average, but that so far he didn't see any problems with them. We didn't ask what close teeth means, but I can only imagine fancy metal spreaders and horrible retainers in Matilda's future. 

Procrastination

In an effort to avoid the other projects that I am less interested in, I have been doing massive baby clothes organization. Until this month all of Matilda's clothes still lived on the changing table in piles of varying states of disarray. Now, I have gotten her clothes moved into an actual dresser & tamed all the old clothes she has grown out of into storage bins. 

Today's bit of "nesting energy" was expended on getting all the tiny new baby clothes onto the changing table. On the top shelf here you can see piles of pink, piles of blue (courtesy of hand-me-downs from our generous neighbors), and some gender neutral piles front and center. I forgot how cute all the tiny clothes can be. The bottom is all the less exciting stuff: diapers, receiving blankets, towels, burp cloths and various accessories. 

Incognito

Matilda has been very into her dress up clothes this weekend. This morning she declared she was going to be a ladybug. She then proceeded to wear her ladybug dress all day - even while practicing her dribbling skills in some sensible jeans and converse. 

After sleeping in until 8:45 this morning (!?) she needed some shades to face breakfast. 

While shopping in Target she found a new use for an Easter bucket to pass the time.  

The New Baby

To further prep Matilda for the impending arrival of her sibling, we have been reading some "big sister" books. Matilda has really taken to these books. While we just borrowed them two days ago from the neighbors they have all gotten multiple readings daily and M was declaring all afternoon "I am a BIG sister!" One book, which is in French, she loves for the super detailed illustrations - it really tries to lay out all aspects of the pregnancy and early post-partum stage for a little kid. We "read" through it without actually looking at the text but just describing each picture. I am always at a loss for words though when it we come to the page showing sperm meeting egg and then cells dividing. I mean, what do you tell an-almost-three year old about that?

More simplistic, but equally loved by M, is a book titled The New Baby that features the Bunn family. This book is my favorite simply for these two pages: 

Don't worry though, since we can't be bothered with a crib I will be spared exposure to all those fumes and Tim won't look nearly as lazy as Mr. Bunn. 

Callers Beware

If you call my cell phone and just get heavy breathing or possibly some clunking around, assume you have reached Matilda. After you tell her "Hello" you could remind her she's not supposed to answer the phone. Four times in the past 2 weeks she has gotten to my phone before me and taken the liberty of answering it. Of the various callers so far only Tim caught on and actually got her to say "hi" back and talk with him. 

Sing-A-Longs for Uncle Brian

Matilda has been singing non-stop lately, mostly these two songs.

This first one is Down by the Bay (lyrics here, in case you can't quite make them out), an old standard from Girl Scout camp. It was revived around our household when I got this awesome Threadless shirt. Matilda had already sung the song twice through when I decided to pick up the camera. I guess by then she remembered she was still hungry, please disregard the flying soup as she sings:


In this one she starts and then gets mixed up about which song she was singing.


Here you get to hear an abbreviated version of her "Hey Ho" song. Hey Ho is a song Tim made up, sung to the tune of Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones, but with the lyrics altered to sing about going out for gelato. At the very end you can also hear Matilda expressing a little nervousness that someone will take her food away. I am not sure the source of this insecurity, but I do recall she was ravenous this particular lunch and ate an astounding amount of food.

Forgotten Quote

I remembered another favorite:

"I smell a squirrel poop." (Muttered during our picnic in Griffith Park Sunday.)

Quotes

The world of using the toilet has led to some great quotes from M lately:

"Daddy has BEAUTIFUL yellow pee."

"Mommy's butt is SO big!"

"That person (stranger in the next stall) had a FART!"

"Daddy poops standing up."

"Mommy has BIG panties." (Sensing a theme here, enough already kid.)

I wish I could remember all the others. 

Looking Especially Haggard?

Three different people today asked when I was due and then proceeded to comment on how I must be so glad to be almost finished. One women then went on to say how much she hated being pregnant so I assume she was just trying to be sympathetic. But for the other folks I have to just assume I was looking frazzled and huge. Which, is fair to say: 

Looking every day of my 34 weeks. 

License to Shop?

One of my baby-prep projects has been to get the saved baby clothes we have in storage out and organized. Tonight as we pulled out the newborn size stuff I discovered the majority of the items are covered in stains. After a quick google search I confirmed the source of our problem. Matilda was a huge spitter; it turns out that breastmilk stains, which easily wash out, will reappear after storage for some time. 

My googling did turn up some possible solutions involving a variety of tactics: lemon juice, baking soda, scrubbing, club soda, sunlight. I'll give it a go and report back. It may be that Grammy now has permission to go wild in "babyland!"

Injustice

It seems really wrong that as you get to the end of pregnancy sleeping is so difficult. Between the constant peeing and my inability to get comfortable I feel like I am already in great practice for the awake-all-night-newborn-stage. 

Little Language Nuances I Want to Remember

Along with all the other changes lately (namely impending big sisterhood, but also the potty training) Matilda's language skills are suddenly making me feel like she's growing up so fast. She has finally started using "I" and "my" in place of speaking of herself in the third person always. Thankfully she is only using the correct form about 50% of the time so far so we still get lots of "Matilda wants to do it herself!"

M now has this great ability to give even the simplest response in a voice dripping with attitude. "Do you have to pee?" "Noooooo, not right now." The shrug and eye squint that generally accompanies her response is the part that slays Tim & I both. The best, however, is how she'll walk up and say, in a big sappy voice while clinging to me, usually as she wants something, "Oh Maaama, I looove youuu!" She says it so much lately that rarely do I feel it is sincere, and more often I feel like she is leveraging for something. But regardless of intent, her delivery is adorable.

For quite a while now she has been saying anything, when she really means nothing.

Me: "What's in your mouth?"

Matilda: "Anything."

An appropriate answer since it really could be anything - Matilda is still surprisingly bad about putting non-food items in her mouth. Her current favorite is a ball of wadded up gum-type adhesive that affix new credit cards to the envelop they are shipped in. I thought the mouthy-baby-phase would be long gone by now.

Me: "What did I just ask you to do?" (Delivered with my own form of attitude since this is my classic do-I-need-to-tell-you again?? phrase.)

Matilda: "Anything."

Usually after a bit of heel dragging the anything that she then chooses to do is what I have been repeatedly asking for. Yesterday I noticed that her anything was replaced by a correct nothing in response to several queries.

I almost feel grateful for all the little language errors that I do catch as proof that she's not all grown up yet. Today I noticed that she still says "headfore" instead of forehead, which is something. I think I am hanging on to every little vestige of her babyhood that I can at this point.

Somewhere Under 10,000

9,640 is my very rough estimate of how many diapers Matilda has soiled in her short life. Today Jose, our trusty diaper delivery guy, will make his last visit rounding up all the cloth diapers. Matilda hasn't actually used them since she gave up diapers cold turkey on February 15th, but I was hesitant to have all the diapers disappear prematurely in the potty training game. Today M is excited to say goodbye to Jose and even made a thank you card for him. She won't have much chance to miss him though since he'll be back soon enough with tiny diapers in April! Then the new baby can have races with Jose just like Matilda used to. 

Shredding

I am still slowly working my way through the bags of papers we cleared out of the filing cabinet. Matilda loves it when I get the shredder out, here's why:




The entire living room is now covered with a thin "nest."

Happy 1 Week Birthday!

Our newest neighbor is one week old today! We have been lucky enough to see her several times this week, but here are some photos from our first meeting when Stella was just over 1 day old. As Matilda says, "Stella is so CUTE." Here's more photographic evidence so you can judge for yourself. 

The beaming papa:Generally I think she looks more like Gaurav, especially here, but that just falls in line with the whole natural paternity test theory. However, the Sarah genes come popping out when Stella looks a bit worried!