Halloweenies

THIS is what almost derailed us. Seriously, Elisa?

Halloween 2014. Not our best effort, but somehow we pulled it off once again. Learning from last year, I didn't force the issue of costumes-I-thought-we'd-decided-on (Draculaura and Clawdeen from Monster High). Nope. I went along with whatever last minute decisions the girls made (Ariel and Sofia the First) and we mostly got ready without issues. It didn't help that Elisa came home from school already grumpy and picking fights with Nacho. It was Friday afternoon, after all, and the week has been a long one filled with Carolina's head trauma and lots of other little bumps in the road. But shouldn't Halloween and the thought of trick-or-treating perk up a 6 year old? I would think so. But then, I'd be wrong. 

So we plowed through Elisa's bad mood and made it to to the Gardens around 5:00 p.m. The first few mews along 44th Street were pretty quiet and not many folks home. But that didn't deter the girls from trudging up and down them checking every door. When we finally crossed the street and spotted some friends, things should have picked up, but instead Elisa continued to do her own thing. Oh well. I knew we weren't going to last long, so I tried to finish strong with a new street cutting over to 45th and making a bathroom pit stop at Carmen's.  By then Nacho had rejoined us after going back to get Elisa a heavier coat (which she never even needed) and we were almost ready to pack it in and go to Jessie's for our pizza party. Bumping into the Lefers was a nice surprise though and so Elisa and Birdie and Carolina and Jasper all got to make the rounds for a few minutes before we called it a night. 

And after that, things almost mellowed. The kids had their candy loot and started digging in at the Andersons' house. We had pizza and chili and lots of spiked cider to keep the night fun. So while the kids went absolutely ape with swinging swords and toys and too much sugar, we grown ups had our own little party. It was a nice way for Elisa to get some chill out space which actually helped. At least I didn't hear about her being a pain in the ass to anyone else.  And Carolina was mostly good all night except for pooping in her pull up (after two days of consistent peeing AND pooping on the potty) which quickly spread up her pants and onto her Sofia dress. Yuck. So one more costume change and we were about to head home by 9 p.m.  Yes, another Halloween down, and just in time. I'm wiped out.  So glad we got to spend it with friends and in a place we love. That's all that matters. Oh, and maybe tons of chocolate.

Halloween Prep

Field trip surprise

Nothing quite like starting off your morning like this...

And ending it like this....

Fortunately, Elisa's trip to the Queens Botanical Gardens was perfectly balmy and beautiful on this fall morning. And we toured the gardens a bit before making sachets of potpourri from the dried herbs and flowers they have. We were just about to head back to school around noon and I could tell it was nearly lunch time because I was starving. I texted Nacho to say I would be heading home soon and then said my goodbyes to Elisa at the front door of the building on our return. And not more than 5 minutes later, Nacho called while I was driving home. I didn't answer it but when he left a voicemail, I decided to ring back at a stoplight. He was at the park with Carolina and she fell and hit her head. She was bleeding and it wasn't stopping. I couldn't get there any faster, but I was on my way. In probably 5 minutes more, I was pulling up and she was calmly sitting in the stroller covered in blood smears that soaked through her hair and clothes. It looked bad, but what looked worse was the nasty gash on her hairline on the left side. This would need stitches, so off we went to NY Presbyterian Hospital in the city. It was the only pediatric ER I've heard good things about and I trusted them with making her head wound heal properly.  

Getting there was a breeze and within minutes we had a wristband for her and were seeing the triage nurse who gave her some numbing gel and Motrin for the pain.  Then the wait began. At first she was almost in shock, but then little by little she started to talk and get more animated. By the time Nacho parked and found us, she was almost acting normal. And then it was time for the sedative. She drank it like a pro and within 10 minutes her words started to linger and she started fading out.  They lead us to the exam room and she cuddled with me in the chair. I sang and she laid against my chest. She was absolutely calm and sweet. Then she got the giggles and started asking weird questions. Nacho and I were giggling too. She wanted her friends to come to our house. Okay, sure. The stitching didn't take too long and the doctor and nurses were really great with her.  Of course it helped that Carolina didn't flinch at all. Instead she watched "Sofia the First" with me and we tried to keep her hands from roaming around with the new rubber ducky they gave her. I can't even imagine doing this with Elisa. I mean, this kid was the most serene child under duress. And true to her nature, the minute Elisa saw her after school, she started crying and screaming and refused to sit next to her in the car. Oy vey. Yes, it's all about her. Still is. 

But we made it home and I spent most of this evening monitoring Carolina and making sure she wasn't running around. The sedative made her really uncoordinated and scarily so. I just kept thinking about her falling again against the tables or hitting a toy. Ouch. Everything looked sharp and deadly. Making it to bedtime was kind of a marathon after such an active and stressful day. And the beer and potstickers I made to reward myself for another parenting job well done never tasted so good. So yeah. Our first ER visit with Carolina is over. First stitches ever are complete. Now let's hope this scene doesn't repeat itself any time soon. I'm glad Nacho was on duty if only because I think he handled it as calmly as anyone could. And I was extra glad we were there together to take her in. Sometimes you just need that little bit of support as you manage these firsts. And we did it with grace and humor. Not bad. But really, the gold star goes to Carolina. What a champ. Love that kid. Love her even more tonight.

Spooktacular Weekend

Oh, October, how I love you so. The colors pop and brighten my mood, there's always a cute dessert to make my day and then a parade of adorably dressed up kids. Yes, this weekend had it all. We started on Friday night at the AMB Halloween party where I was on duty as the photographer.  The girls were dressed as their Monster High counterparts Draculaura and Clawdeen.  They ran wild around the festivities and I barely saw them except when they were hounding me for something. And then Saturday morning came and with it Elisa's first meeting with the Daisy Scouts. I didn't get to stay (it's drop off from 9-11am) but from the looks of it afterwards, she had fun and got to color and sing songs. After that we had lunch and got ready for the SGP Halloween Party at 1pm. It helped that it was an absolutely gorgeous day outside and the kids didn't even need their coats. They marched around the track and afterwards were rewarded with one of the biggest bags of candy I've seen at these events. Not bad. They were thrilled to find out that they could eat as much as they liked. Who cares? It's the beginning of a week of gluttony that I remember and love from childhood. So yeah, they are learning not to overdue it, but for now, it's all about eating til you're sick. Good times. 

Date night by day

Since Carolina started preschool in September, the morning routine of entertaining her while trying to keep a somewhat orderly house has gone out the window. Now I have nearly 3 full hours on multiple days to myself to do whatever I want or need. At first I tried to do fun things like pedicures and get coffee with friends. And then slowly, real life crept back in and there were groceries to buy and clothes to wash. Most days, I come home and feel like I barely sit down before it's time to go back and get her at 11:30 a.m.  It isn't much time when you think about it, but it's been a real relief on the days when I had photo editing work to get done or even to schedule meetings. And for Nacho and I, it's meant the return to having a few hours a week to ourselves when he's off of work. We've even had a few coffee dates to get us out of the house for a little while and enjoy talking about all the stuff that's going on in our lives which we don't always have the time or space to articulate. It's been refreshing. And so today even in the cold damp rain, we made our way into Central Park for me to scout out some locations and then grab a delicious coffee and croissant at Zibetto's to warm up. Date night at 10 a.m.? Works for me.

Time warp

Today I was invited to Elisa's class to share some of our family history and traditions.  Her teacher sent home a few letters during the past month offering for us to come in and talk about our family and I briefly composed an email in my head to answer it. But then I got another note that said Elisa would be sharing about her family on Tuesday, October 21. We were nominated first. And could I please fill out the questionnaire if I couldn't make it and send in a sample of our family's traditional food thanks very much. Never one to back down from this kind of challenge, I jumped into action trying to narrow down what we would talk about and what things I could bring in to visually pair with our history. Elisa answered that her favorite family vacation was Disneyland so I set aside our photo book from that trip so she could have something to show off. And then I thought about the food. What would it be? Nacho was off working for two days so he wouldn't be here to make something traditionally Spanish. And since it was all on me, I went with something that my mother would make: Mary's Sugar Cookies cut into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. I mean, who would say no to one of those deliciously iced creations?

But I don't think it really hit me until I was done with our presentation and taking a photo of Elisa next to the dry erase board her teacher used to illustrate our family story that I realized just what we were talking about. When you think back to the origins of any family, it starts with a love story (hopefully). And then it twists and turns and jumps and pivots into something completely new and hard to recognize at times. This is our story. Our family. Four people. Mom, Dad, Elisa, Carolina. Two languages blending Missouri and Spain. And we have traveled--to Disneyland and camping trips and many places in between. We eat popcorn with smoothies on movie night and we love to bake cookies. That's us in a nutshell. And when I started to look at how that all adds up and then glanced back at the face of my beaming daughter, it all made sense. So here on the blog I thought it would be fun to revisit our story in as few pictures as possible. I think I did pretty good. It's the kind of timeline I see and still can't believe it happened to me. How did we get here? From that summery night in June of 1999 to now. It's all there. I'm glad I got to share it with the kids even if they mostly just wanted the cookie.