Playdate

Living in Sunnyside, we have been fortunate to meet so many families with kids in the same age group as Elisa. In fact, many from our playgroup are August babies and we have been able to really grow with them and experience all of the same ups and downs which just makes life so much better. There's nothing like seeing another kid do the same thing yours is doing to know it's all a phase and they will all move on eventually. Lately, as I watch the kids interact more and more with each playdate, I realize how all the personalities and egos are forming and maturing. And I use the word "maturing" here lightly. Though it's gotten easier to chat and enjoy my time with the other moms, it's become more challenging to know when to step in and manage Elisa's struggles and tantrums. Granted, there are times things go smoothly, but more often there is a power play for a cool toy, or a grab at the same snacks, or just a bit of strong-arming that goes into toddler playtime. It's not quite Lord of the Flies, but you wouldn't want to leave them alone for too long. You just never know.

During our playdate with Juliet and Kristin yesterday, there was a bit of pushing and some sobbing over toys (all Elisa, mind you). But there was also giggling and jumping and lots of hugging and kissing when we left. The girls really know when to turn on the charm and the multiple kisses--on the mouth!--were too adorable. It just makes you wish they could chat and talk about life like they clearly want to, instead of shriek and cry when they don't get their way. Oh, girls.

Breaking the bottle

So the time has come. It's time to ditch the bottle. If ever there was something I was lax about with Elisa, it's been the urge to move her off the bottle in favor of the sippy cup. Part of it was superstition that the only reason she slept those 12 glorious hours overnight was because she drank gallons of milk a day. Okay, not gallons, but you get the idea. She drinks a lot and it usually comforts me when she isn't eating much that at least she has her milk. But when I started giving her milk in a sippy months ago, she didn't take the bait. Milk in a sippy gets maybe two chugs and then thrown back at me in disgust. After several attempts, I would cave and just pour the milk in a bottle which delighted her to no end. She chugged it. Every time. So needless to say, the sippy cups have remained the bastion of watered down juice.

Over the last six months or so, I have promised myself that soon, very soon we would go cold turkey and pack up the bottles. But then there were trips or teething, colds or just not enough stamina to make good on my word. I needed something more. I bought more sippy cups to try in the hopes that one of them would be the holy grail of sippies. The ONE. But so far, Elisa still wants her milk in her "baba" and now that she clearly points and enunciates the word when she wants it, I have a feeling I'm in for a fight. Just this afternoon I tried to run some errands after her second nap and I purposefully did not bring a bottle. Just a sippy with juice. On the way home, I offered it to her and she waved it off. She asked repeatedly for her baba which I tried to explain was at home. That didn't bring on a full out tantrum, but she wasn't happy. Once in the door, she ran around asking for it.

So I've made a decision that we will be baba-free by the end of May. That's my goal and I'm committing to it here so I have to do it. And just for giggles, I bought another sippy today when I saw a Dora cup. She loves it. With juice.

Puddle jumping

After two and a half days of rain, we finally caught a break and hit the park this afternoon. Elisa had the whole place to herself for almost 20 minutes and was loving every minute of it. Before I could stop her, she was jumping and splashing and making a mess in the pools of water everywhere. The shallow ones I didn't mind, but when she landed her entire foot in water, well, it wasn't pretty. Squeak, squeak, squeak all over the playground. I was worried she might slip on the metal stairs, but she did fine. Easy to forget how resilient kids are when they are having fun.

Across Two Aprils

Last Year - End of April:

This Year - End of April:

Sometimes my favorite game to play by myself is Then and Now. It's easy enough. I sit and daydream and think "What was I doing a year ago? And how much has life changed since then?" Last year when I did this I was mostly remembering my pregnancy and thinking how easy everything was when I could carry Elisa around inside of me and she couldn't complain if I worked late or had curry for dinner. And then last fall, I was remembering how it felt to hold this tiny little newborn baby and wonder how I could keep up with all of her changes. I was so overwhelmed by motherhood. And now I sit and think about the renewal of last spring and how it felt like I was starting to get the hang of this baby stuff. I was venturing out more and more on my own with Elisa (when Nacho was working) and I was beginning to really connect with some of the other moms in my neighborhood. Since then, I have lost a job and gained everything else--greater peace of mind, more quality time with my family and the feeling that I am part of my community. We just joined the local organic produce co-op and I am excited about the summer ahead. Our kids are all growing up and some are already having their second babies and it makes me feel like this is what these years are about. Yes, it's different from my pre-baby existence and sometimes harder in ways I couldn't have anticipated, but there is a sense of progress. Life is moving forward. If I ever doubted it, all I have to do is look back at that little girl just sprouting a tooth last April and see how wide her toothy grin is now.

Just lovely

As sometimes happens on the weekends when Nacho is home, I was searching for something fun to do outdoors yesterday. The sun was out and the weather looked good for the afternoon, so I wanted to get out and enjoy it. We're still dealing with two naps a day which means that there is a great window of time each day (usually midday) where Elisa is up and fed and rarin' to go. It's key to planning that I have most of my getting ready done while she naps and have packed up some snacks and maybe a few items (blanket, ball, bubbles) if we are going to be at a park. Yes, these are the all-consuming concerns I have now. Ah, motherhood...

Sometimes I like to question Nacho about where to go and what to do, but he is almost always too complacent and lets me decide. So I like to have a few ideas stored and ready at my disposal. If he likes one, then it makes the day that much easier. And yesterday I had an idea about an event at a local sculpture park in Astoria. So off we went in the car for a brief 5 minute drive to Socrates Park, at the edge of the East River overlooking Roosevelt Island. The park was budding with springtime blooms and petals blanketed the ground. It was a crisp, sunny day.

What I soon realized however, was that the event--a kite flying seminar and exhibition--was not on Saturday. Oops. We were there a day early but with the sun shining, the dogs running around and Elisa happy to play in the grass, we hardly cared. So after a little bit of wandering around the park, we ventured out to see where else we could go and luckily, there was another park just a few blocks south. This one had a huge mounded playground with really cool slides and Elisa's favorite bucket swings. We were set.

Later I asked Nacho to chat up the ice cream vendor and get us a treat. He chose a little snow cone with crazy blue and red coloring and that bomb pop flavor I remember so well from my own childhood. Mmmm. Elisa tried it and seemed a bit indifferent. After a few icy bites, she seemed more interested in the spoon which was fine be me. It wasn't THAT big anyway.

Afterwards I asked Nacho to snap a photo of us and didn't think it would work since Elisa seemed fidgety and ready to go play on the slide some more. But Papa worked his charms and Elisa sat and even smiled. And now I have a great memory of that fleeting day at the park. Because it all seems fleeting to me now. Twenty months down already and we are marching ever onward to two years. Years. Plural. I say that and it feels like just yesterday she was coming home with us for the first time. I think of that wonderful parenting mantra--the days are long, but the years are short. True indeed.

Intensity

It hasn't been a sudden realization by any means, but lately I find Elisa to be so intense. Everything she does is full of passionate giggles or alternating with screams and hysterical crying. There is not a lot of in between. If she loves something, she will want to do it again and again in that way that toddlers do. It's one track living. If it's the ipod, she will wake up pointing at it waving and trying to turn it on. If it's blowing bubbles, she will stop, pivot and start repeating "bubbles, bubbles" over and over again until we find where I have stashed them. It's always something and usually when we are able to satisfy this craving, she is happy and smiling and perfectly at peace in the world. But when she's not--watch out. When she wants another sip from your straw and you are trying to eat a meal out in peace, or she wants to gather all the ice cubes out of your drink or wants to sip a beer IN PUBLIC (sorry, yes, she loves beer) it just can't be done. And then the wailing and flailing and sometimes biting (again, yes, she loves to relieve her anguish through her teeth) begins. If I can think fast and find something to distract her or move the temper tantrum from full blown to moderate, I try. Have you seen my phone? Oooh, look at Papa's iTouch. Wait, are those keys you can dangle and smack on the floor? It sometimes works, but more often lately, it's futile. She wants to wail. She LOVES the attention. And if there is a mirror around, she will watch herself cry in it. Did we mention Leos are drama queens??

Practicing our words

Here is a little snippet of what Elisa has been up to recently--repeating everything. Enjoy!

Back from the edge

We pulled back into Sunnyside around 3pm today after a wonderful trip out to the edge of the island. Apart from our little trip to DC recently, this was the first time we've gone away as a family and stayed in a hotel and done, well, touristy things with Elisa. She still likes to nap twice a day and it's sometimes hard to envision doing a big trip knowing her stamina is not up for all day outings. But it felt like she could enjoy some of the things we had planned, and hopefully she would go with the flow or maybe even nap on the fly (I know, who are we kidding?) if I was really lucky. And to be honest, she did great. Yes, she got tired and beastly a few times, but she did take some catnaps and really seemed to enjoy the ergo carrier we borrowed. She fell asleep hiking both days that we used it and I was more than happy to keep walking just to prolong that nap a bit more.

Here she is passed out on our walk along the dunes, missing out on the great morning.
The views from the top of the dunes were beautiful and it felt so peaceful to be up there walking with no other people in sight.
Elisa awake in the afternoon and enjoying the tour of Montauk Point with the lighthouse behind her (still closed for the season--boo!)

We didn't have a big plan of what we wanted to do, but somehow we got to see the highlights that I'd read about. The walking dunes in Hither Hills State Park were amazing and very different. Basically, the sand has covered entire groves of pine trees and the winds keep shifting the dunes making them drift from year to year. It is tick season right now and I have to admit I was a bit paranoid about getting a bite. But we've been checking ourselves (and Elisa) every day and I think we're in the clear. Well, except for Nacho coming down with a crazy red rash but we think that might be from the softshell crab he ate. Hmmmm...I guess more than anything, I felt like we got to enjoy a place we'd been talking about for a long time and we did it the way we've always traveled--with an outline but no plan. Having Elisa along for the ride made it more challenging no doubt, but we've also tried to incorporate her into our plans without sacrificing too much. Yes, we would have walked further and maybe enjoyed a more leisurely dinner, but it was nice to be there as a family. She won't remember dipping my pancakes in ketchup or dancing around the hotel in her diaper and tennis shoes, but we will. And that's why we took lots of pictures.

Hittin' the road...

Today we are heading out of town for a little roadtrip to the end of Long Island. For the past few years, Nacho and I have been wanting to see Montauk, the sleepy fishing hamlet that's become as popular as the Hamptons. Even though high season makes it too pricey for our budget, we're hittin' it before all that begins. Our hotel was under $100 a night and I have some great recommendations for places to eat and there are tons of parks and beaches lining the route. Now we just need Elisa to perk up after her week of sniffles and coughs and hopefully we won't be turning that into a full blown cold. Here she is after our run to Target yesterday looking pretty sleepy and wiped out. Since we're leaving tonight and driving out around her bedtime, I'm hoping she'll relax and be ready for a day of exploring tomorrow and Tuesday.

More after the trip!

Ups and Downs

This week was a perfect example of how day to day can be a mix of highs and lows. After spending last weekend in DC, we have been laying low at home trying to get into a comfortable groove before we run off again. Elisa has been running a lowgrade fever on and off for a couple of days and this morning it turned to a slight cough which I'm hoping goes away as fast as it came on. Nacho has 4 days off starting tomorrow (Saturday through Tuesday) so we're planning a weekend full of family time and a brief trip out to Montauk in eastern Long Island. For several years we've heard great things about the sleepy fishing town turned hot spot, but never made it out there. In fact, I don't think I've been much further than the IKEA in Hicksville so this will be a real treat. I love the idea of exploring close to home and being able to see a place when it's not clogged with summertime tourists. The weather doesn't look like it will be too warm, but if the sun promises to shine, I think we'll be okay. We've had a couple of gorgeous days this week with lots of sun including yesterday. We were at the park all morning long with some of our friends from playgroup and I am looking forward to more of those as May brings even warmer temps.

The rain and cold this afternoon and evening was enough to keep us inside and inspire me to bake and cook. Nothing like having the oven on to spread some warmth and make the house smell good. Here we are before bedtime reading some books after dancing around like fools. Hopefully Elisa's fever will stay away tonight and give us a good start to the weekend. Let's hope anyway.

20 Words at 20 Months

Somewhere along the way, I remember hearing about this language milestone as a good indication that a toddler was on track. Twenty words doesn't seem like much, but when you hear constant babble all day, every day, you begin to realize how precious a single intelligible word can be. Elisa will repeat things from time to time without really getting its meaning and we all know she loves to list people and go through photo albums pointing away. But slowly, surely she has started using more words and I'm thinking that we're up to about 20, so let's see how many I can remember:

1. bubble
2. eye
3. mouth
4. car
5. bear
6. shoe
7. sock
8. bye
9. hi
10. agua
11. ball
12. bottle
13. baby
14. hair
15. teeth
16. up
17. on
18. thank you
19. hot
20. cheese
21. goal (or more accurately with a Spanish accent--GOOOOOOOOOOOL!!)
22. no--how could I forget the first word she really learned???

Okay, so I think I might have a few missing but I cannot for the life of me remember them. Now that's not to say that these are the only words Elisa has ever spoken, but these are the ones she seems to actually know. And the cool thing about watching her language skills develop is how well she understands me when I ask her to do something or when Nacho speaks to her in Spanish and she follows commands. She can point to all the (main) parts of her face and body in both English and Spanish. She loves to repeat those words over and over again, especially when she is tired. She loves naming her stuffed toys from Yo Gabba Gabba and if one is missing from the room, you can ask her to go find it. I think she seems on target for what most kids at this point are doing linguistically, but she has definitely not come close to using two words together which some of the books say is normal for this age. I realize that all things happen in time, but for me, hearing her talk and getting more meaning out of her babble is so exciting. I was thinking the other day that 2 years is a long time to wait to be able to talk to someone and yet, we give babies that much and more before they make sense. But really, could you be in a relationship with someone you couldn't talk to? I guess that's why babies are so damn cute.

Washington Weekend

We're home tonight after our weekend jaunt to Washington, DC and I wish I could say it was worth it. On one hand, we had a great time seeing Stacey, Mia and Jordan while checking out a bit of Old Town in Alexandria, VA. But on the other hand, I wasn't prepared for another setback of tummy troubles that plagued me all weekend and zapped my energy and stamina for keeping up with the gang (and Elisa's antics). We had a good enough flight down on Friday afternoon and met up with Stace and the kids at the airport before heading out for a bite to eat at Eamonn's Dublin chipper in Old Town. The lure of fried cod and thick cut fries with a side of curry sauce was too much for me to pass up. But I realized hours later that this tempting of fate was far worse than Elisa's screaming at bedtime--she finally passed out, but I would be up most of the night with nausea and more.

Here I am eagerly anticipating the delicious fried fish dinner with Elisa who has decided to give up all fish--something she used to eat with gusto. I should have listened to her.
The next morning at the Washington Monument as we passed through the city on the way to the Spy Museum.
Elisa checking out the harbor at the end of Kings Street before our Thai dinner.
The "Spring-Breakers" posing for a minute before heading off to eat...

By Saturday morning, I was feeling halfway better but had zero energy. I don't think I realize how much it takes to just maintain a baseline of normalcy with a toddler. It's a lot of friggin' work even when you're home so being on the road and having to improvise and keep things going was a bit more challenging than I was up for. Nacho flew in and joined us on our city walk which was a good thing since I caved about mid-way through the day. Elisa decided to resist sleeping in her stroller (go figure) so when we got to the Spy Museum and there were no strollers permitted, I knew she wasn't going to last. I took her and Mia over to the National Portrait Gallery for a little while before deciding that the day wasn't heading in a good direction. I just couldn't keep up the pace and Elisa was NOT going to snooze riding around. I had a perfect scenario for what I wanted to do--go back to the hotel and take a long nap with Elisa--but I had no idea if it would work out that way. Fortunately, by the time we took a little break and headed back, we were able to check-in to our hotel and Elisa had no choice but to cave in all that quiet darkness. An hour and a half of pure golden sleep. Ahhhh. And that was the fuel for the rest of the night.

We ventured back to Kings Street for a Thai dinner and Elisa was peacefully tired by 9 p.m. when we left her with Papa and hit the hotel pool with the kids. I had hoped she would make it swimming, but there was no way. Not this trip. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about the hotel sleeping situation with Elisa, but overall she really did as good as I could have expected. The first night with Stacey and the kids, she just didn't want to calm down and sleep. But she was worn out and screamed until she could no longer fight. The next night in the front room of our suite, she seemed to be more relaxed and went down easy. We've been talking about going somewhere during the 4 days Nacho has off next weekend, and this was our trial run of sorts. Now we just need to recover and figure out how much energy we have for the next go round.

Ending on a good note

I wanted to end this week's posts on a good note, but after my horrible night yesterday with vomiting and diarrhea, I'll just say we survived. The sun came out again, but we weren't in a mood to enjoy it. Instead, we stayed in today and I let Nick Jr. do all my heavy lifting. Thank God for on demand TV because Yo Gabba Gabba saved my ass. Luckily Elisa avoided whatever I ate or whatever germ I may have come in contact with because she seemed to be her usual self. But I was not. This was the first time I have had to take care of her alone while I didn't feel well, and I don't think I did too bad. To be fair, she rocked two 2-hour naps for me, so that was a nice way for me to rest up and sleep a bit. And there were a few moments when I just couldn't soothe her the way I normally would because I wasn't able to play or do the things we usually do like dancing around and reading book after book. Her meltdown here was just a blip in an otherwise pretty tolerable day. But since she's getting so big, I figured I might as well share these pics for posterity. She loves to throw a good fit sometimes, and I have to say she is quite the actress. But then what 20 month old isn't?

A fine weekend

The sun has been shining here for several days bringing the temps up into the 60s and 70s which makes life just seem more fun. No bundling up to go out or having to bring the rain gear everywhere. So we took advantage of two sun-soaked days on Saturday and Sunday to enjoy some family time with Nacho home and get outside. Sunday we took a long stroll through Manhattan starting at Union Square and ending back near Washington Square after detours through the West Village, Tribeca, and SoHo. Of course, Elisa wasn't thrilled when we didn't turn towards the neighborhood park (on our way to the subway) but we quickly subdued her with a train ride and later a bit of sidewalk meandering and a quick swing in a city park. She has her moments of refusing the stroller and really straining to get down, but still I think she enjoys seeing people and will usually patiently sit if we just keep moving. The trees and flowers around the city were popping with color and blooms of all kinds. It was one of those afternoons where you just feel charmed to be in this place right now. A nice way to end the week.

We opted for an early dinner at Bubby's in Tribeca which I had never been to before. I don't think I'd even passed it on the street, so it was kind of a surprise to round the corner and see it and think, oh, yeah, let's do this. So we had a little refueling before heading home which was definitely needed. I'm not used to walking this much, despite our love of it--we just haven't kept up our pre-baby routine of death marching around the city. It felt good and exhausting in that unplanned way which I remember and cherish. Elisa found a couple of older girls to ogle at the table next to us, and I looked on as another mom nearby struggled to quiet her young son. It really is a different life that we have now and there is no way to do everything we did before without sometimes paying a heavy price. But when our desires merge and we can all be outside for a nice stroll, some good scenery and a satisfying meal, it makes me feel like we're a pretty good little family unit. Elisa was well worn out by the end of our day and her subway sleep made stretching the evening for bath time a bit more tolerable. As I find more and more these days, it all works out in the end.

A day in the sun

Yesterday we ventured out on Long Island to Caumsett State Park about an hour away. It was a beautiful scenic drive filled with lots of gorgeous old homes and estates. The weather was in the 60s and the sun felt great with a nice cool breeze. Our friend Kristin had been there before when her daughter Juliet was just a little thing, so we asked if she would ride along and go for a walk with us. Here we are playing on the hill overlooking the coastline...

Our little family enjoying this afternoon together...
Nacho and Elisa running wild...

Finally, here is some video of Juliet and Elisa in all their running glory. These girls worked up quite an appetite out there on the trails. We stopped for a brief picnic before continuing on around the grounds. There were definitely places we'd like to see more of, so I think when it gets a bit warmer, we'll be back. It's great to have so many places to explore so close to the city.

Today we're looking forward to spending some time in the city strolling around in all this sunshine. Just love it. Hope it's a great weekend wherever you are too.

A better day

Although it started with a screaming fit at 4:45 a.m. this morning, today actually turned out to be a much better day for Elisa and I. No doubt she was starving this morning when she probably normally would have rolled over and gone back to bed. So I offered her a bottle in bed--something I never do--and I jumped back into mine. Luckily, she took it and after only a bit of crying about 20 minutes later, she passed out and slept until almost 8 a.m. A minor victory on the sleeping in front, but I'll take it. Later, we had a good amount of snacking mid-morning, followed by a two hour nap and then a fairly decent lunch. Can you say 180 degrees? Whatever. Nothing about life with a toddler is consistent so why don't I remember that in the heat of frustration? Anyway, today was better and that's what made giving Elisa her new stuffed toy from Aunt Stacey so much fun. Can you tell she's in love?