Pool, pool party!

How do you beat the heat when the temps are going to be above 90 degrees all week long? Join the pool party, of course! Thankfully, Oliver's mom Jessie snagged a kiddie pool early this summer and invited us over for a little post-preschool splash time. Much better than sitting in the dark watching Toy Story 3 again and again, and we got lunch to boot...

I'd say Oliver and Elisa were the last two fish in the pond mostly because they splashed the hardest. Elisa had her moment of being ejected from the pool for violating the no splash rule, but after a timid "sorry," I was ready to move on and let her end on a high note. And she did. It wasn't a playtime without incident, but once these two were alone in their dominion, things mellowed a bit and the shade was a welcome relief to the heat of the day. Now I just need one of these in our living room...hmmmm...there's an idea.

Moving ever closer...

These past few weeks of July have inched us ever closer to the big day, and there's building anticipation about exactly when this new little girl will make her appearance. My gut feeling (not to be taken literally) is that I will have this baby before the end of the month. But with a due date of August 4th, who knows if I'm just kidding myself. Normally, I love how every pregnant woman thinks she will go early. It must amuse our docs to no end. But really, for real *wink, wink*...I do think I have a good chance of going into labor on my own before August, so I guess time will tell how close I really am. And as many of my friends keep remarking, I am trying to stay busy up until the point that I collapse in a heap. It's definitely getting harder to do, but I really enjoy the time relaxing at the park watching Elisa splash around or just hanging out at the evening barbecues with our friends. Just a couple of weeks ago, we wandered around Central Park one afternoon with Elisa and managed to get her on the carousel for the first time ever. She wasn't too keen at first when Nacho hoisted her up on the towering horse, but by the time it started moving, she was all smiles.

Considering how the months of May and June were mostly filled with Nacho's absences, we are also looking forward to seeing him much more now that his training is done and he's passed everything with flying colors. The timing of the transition couldn't have been better in a lot of respects since he's got more time at home this month just as we're winding things up with the pregnancy too. And we've decided he'll take all of August off (through FMLA which is unpaid, but still a great option) to hang out and acclimate to this new little life. I keep wondering how much different it will feel compared to Elisa's birth and first few months. Nacho and I both openly acknowledge those were not good times in many respects. As much as the euphoria carried us through the first couple of weeks, by a month or so in, we were toast--physically and mentally. It was hard, hard work and we just didn't know what we'd gotten ourselves into. But time passed and it got easier and we realized maybe we kinda liked this girl. And now, three years in, we can't imagine our lives without her. So what will it be like for her to have a new person join us? Will this cosmic shift bring us instant alignment, or more likely, a gradual understanding of our new family? I'm so eager to find out. And I really think with as much as we've talked about the new baby that Elisa is going to be over the moon to finally see her and touch her and try to play with her. Picturing it in my head is near impossible, but I keep trying. Oh, to have a crystal ball and see what is coming next. I know I would peek which is why maybe it's a good thing I can't. There's so much to look forward to. And soon.

Splashin' around

Somehow in the past week or so, Elisa has taken to the local kiddie pool with a renewed vigor. It doesn't hurt that it's been in the upper 80s and we've been able to get there in the late afternoon when there aren't too many kids hanging around. I don't think she's brave enough yet to put her face in it, but she's really exploring the water and loving how much mobility she gets from just walking across the bottom on her hands. Watching her jump forward and land on her hands and then splash her way from one end of the pool to the other has been so much fun for me as well. If I were a betting woman, I'd say another year or so and this little mermaid will be sprouting flippers.

Birthday bonanza

Since having Elisa nearly three years ago, one of the biggest changes in my life has been the social network I've developed around the neighborhood. Having a child changes you in ways you cannot begin to name, but having mom friends enhances your social life in ways you cannot imagine until they are there. And truly, I have been lucky in this regard. Joining the Sunnymoms Yahoo group was really only the beginning because out of that came a smaller, more intimate group of friends who all have kids born between May and November of 2008. It is even more fun that there seems to be a cluster of kids in July and August whose birthdays keep us busy celebrating all summer long. So this was the first weekend of back-to-back festivities and we had a blast joining Oliver on Saturday at the New York Hall of Science and then Riley on Sunday at the Queens Zoo.

Oliver and his mom Jessie take a moment to enjoy the party...

Elisa ate her way through the icing first...

The kids all loved the circus display at the museum

The costume area was great for a little dress up fun...

Oliver and Elisa share in some human cannonball antics

My wizard girl takes the stage and pulls the curtain closed

Riley's safari walk through the zoo was loaded with animals for the feeding...

Oliver and Elisa check out Kitty the guinea pig up close

The kids all loved getting to feed the different animals and get their fingers tickled

Elisa got the hang of it pretty quick but got a little nibbled on at one point

Maya and Elisa got into the whole farm thing...

Riley blew out his candles like a pro!

Both parties kept the kids engaged and bouncing from one area to another, with plenty to offer this age group. There was a circus tent and cool playground at the Hall; a petting zoo with lots of animal food on hand and great science lab play area at the Zoo. Seeing how the kids all related to each other and the activities was a lot of fun for me since I'm used to the free form playing at the park, but this was a bit more like a field trip. And as far as I could tell, there were no tantrums or general craziness on display. Even Elisa kept it in check. It just reinforces how much they are all growing up. Three already. They are all such sharp little people with their own distinct ideas and seeing how they meld together to celebrate each other is so heartwarming. It's one thing for us moms to have chosen each other as friends, but it's another to see how they choose each other. When I mentioned going to these parties to my hairdresser the other day, he said, "A three year old has friends?" Yes. For these kids, I can honestly say it's not a stretch to call them friends. How lucky are we to be able to celebrate them together. Let the birthday bonanza keep on rollin'...

Naomi Louise Bascue Mitchell (December 6, 1920-July 5, 2011)

Earlier this week, I found out my Grandma Mitchell passed away in her sleep at the age of 90. By coincidence, my mother had been visiting Kansas City for a few days already and gave me a bit of a warning that things had taken a turn, but still the news came with the awful finality that death brings. That was it. Grandma's labored breathing and slow build up of fluid was over. She would not be in pain or at anyone else's mercy any longer. And really, it was time. The past two years were full of ups and downs for her in the nursing home, and lots of flights back for my mom to visit and check in on how things were going. Since Elisa was born in August 2008, we've made four visits to Kansas City and each time Grandma was beside herself to see "that girl" and catch up on our lives. She may not have had the same mobility, but her mind was sharp and she definitely enjoyed seeing Elisa dance around and charm the staff. And I took pride in the fact that my own Grandma got to see me as a mother. She herself had four children and spent years working as a nurse in Independence, MO. She was a vibrant and fun loving woman who traveled widely and photographed everything. I'm sure part of my wanderlust and photography bug is attributable to her and it was for Christmas one year that she gave me my first manual camera. I can still remember leafing through a photo album she had in her house showing photos of her road trip to Mexico with my Grandpa before the war and the babies that would follow. I was riveted by her almost anthropological detail in these photos...Mexico City came alive and I wondered what possessed them to travel like that. I suppose they both enjoyed that bit of freedom and both were generous, eager people who loved making new friends and bringing their tales of adventure home. Even into their retirement, they moved to Guatemala for a year which meant Grandma had a reserve of Spanish she learned then to meet and greet Nacho's family when the time came for her to do so at our wedding. She was a true original.

I can even say that I look back fondly at all those garage sales she made me stop at with her along the way to dance practice, or a softball game. Being on time was not one of her main virtues. But then she never missed an opportunity to find some little treasure or meet a neighbor--it was just part of her social fiber. And I'm sorry that she never made it to Ireland or to Spain (two places she would have loved), but I tried my best to bring those adventures back to her in the same way she recounted her trips to Japan or Mexico. There have been many people wishing me well this week after hearing the news of her passing. And to all of them, I say thank you. The world has truly lost a special person. But still, I find it hard to mourn my Grandma's death in the traditional way. I really feel like she lived life to the fullest even into her 90s, and she touched so many lives along the way. What more can you really ask for in one life? I would be thrilled to do the same. She knew all of her grandchildren and, if the count is right, 27 of her great-grandchildren. She had an abundance of love in her life and I think she felt that right up to her last day. What a life to celebrate. I'll remember her always.

Happy 4th of July!

What a great way to end the long weekend here in the hot city. We opted to stay put at home in Queens tonight and let Taylor venture off with a friend of mine who was going kid-free into Manhattan to see the fireworks up close. But for us, just creeping out into the hallway at 9:30p.m. for a quick view from the 6th floor before bedtime was well worth it. Speaking of...Elisa's bedtime routine has been getting later and later this summer and for the past week, it's been closer to 10p.m. than I'd like. Oh well. Some things just evolve and she's at least been making up for it with sleeping in til almost 9a.m. So yeah, I can't complain too much. And if anything, it meant that staying up to see the fireworks all aglow was worth a little later bedtime. There's something about seeing them, even from afar, that makes you smile. Happy 4th and happy birthday to our playgroup friends Oliver and Alexandre who make this day memorable for another reason!

The countdown continues...

Three years ago this week, I started this blog to keep myself busy as the countdown to Elisa's arrival began in earnest. She was due around the 21st of August and I was giddy with anticipation of meeting the little alien kicking machine inside my belly. I had some idea that it was the calm before the storm, but in reality, it was hard to envision how much life would change. As I pondered it all, I was just feeling more and more ready for the experience, to get on with things, and to know this little girl. Funny how much has happened between then and now and how similar the feelings are this time around. As July begins and I face the prospect of only 4 more weeks with this baby tucked quietly inside me, I am all too eager to get her out--to have her in my arms and to introduce her to the family she will complete. The logical part of my brain knows she is much more portable right now, hardly making any demands on me. Why the rush?? And it's this guiding force that I've been calling upon as I try to hobble around the city for a few more weeks with just one child to complicate life.

Eating a mega-delicious pizza at Lombardi's on Spring Street...
Elisa clearly hamming it up for the camera at said pizzeria
Espresso gelato (her request after I chose strawberry) afterwards in Little Italy...
Taking a break at the American Museum of Natural History's Hall of Ocean Life
Dinosaurs all around us!
Elisa taking the sign "Touch this fossil" a bit too literally
Playing in the sprinklers post-museum on a hot summer day...

If you need a little sugary rush after all that, Magnolia Bakery on the UWS does the trick.

Who doesn't love a fourth of July cupcake??

The truth is, I feel just about as swollen, tired and uncomfortable at the end of the day if I sit on my butt at home as I do when I go into the city for a little adventure. And the adventures are way more fun and distracting, even when it involves a few meltdowns along the way. Because hey, we're still having plenty of those at home too. So why not aim for the great moments--like Elisa sitting through an entire 45 minute IMAX movie with me) or having a cupcake and iced coffee break together--and deal with the fall out as it happens? Her slap happy rendition of "Teenage Dream" on the 7 train back home was worth all of that just for the fun of watching her slide into exhaustion with Katy Perry on the brain. I keep thinking to myself that having a new baby in the mix will be one more audience member for Elisa's antics, and I suppose that can't be too bad. But it will likely mean a slow down in all our running around these next few months. So maybe that's why I'm trying to cram it all in during these last few weeks of relative freedom. Feels like it's a lot, but something has to tide us over til the haze of newborn mania recedes and we can jump back into life. Life with two.