Blooming lovely

Today started out with a little babysitting playdate with our friend Leonardo. Our preschool is closed all week so we've been missing those mornings out for Elisa. At this age, having a playmate entertain her for a morning feels like a break for me. They were so sweet together watching photos and videos of themselves, playing Big Bad Wolf in the tent set up in Elisa's room, and letting me bake cookies while they danced around the living room. Carolina napped through out and I was actually kind of sorry when he had to go home...

But by mid-day we were ready to get outside and play. Elisa's been just on the verge of sickness for a few days, but she still loves running around the park. I'd say we could just stay home and rest inside, but really it was too gorgeous out. It just made my whole day to be in the sunshine and talk a little walk with the family, so I figured it would make hers too. It's only April but already the path to our local park is well worn. Today we stopped to enjoy all the beautiful blooms on the way since they won't be hanging around for much longer. The freedom of doing whatever we feel like most days is not lost on me. Lately, it makes me realize that I have this time for a reason and I should try to pace myself.

So we had lunch and then headed back home to let the girls nap while Nacho caught a futbol game on TV and I closed my eyes on the couch. Within minutes, I fell into that kind of gloriously deep sleep that feels like you've descended down a wormhole into another dimension. When I popped awake an hour or so later, I was more refreshed than I am most mornings. Why are mornings so horrible? These past few weeks have been especially brutal with frequent night wakings and undignified 6am wakeups that have been kicking my ass. But today I banked a few more hours in the sleep department. If only it actually worked that way. Tomorrow will be another early morning and probably more sunshine and park time. It's the pattern we've fallen into because it's easy and it suits both girls. And right now, that's good enough. Now if we can just get Elisa back from the brink of sickness, I'll be ready for a weekend adventure or two. SoHo last Saturday was a nice change of pace. Where to next?

Two peas

They may not be matched in size or physical ability, but if these two could have a compatibility test on laughing, I think they'd be a complete match. The amount of giggling and shrieking and general happy smacking (from both sides) has grown exponentially this past month. It's one of the things I most hoped for when the idea of having two kids became a reality, and so far, so good. Of course, we have many years and tears ahead of us, but right now there is harmony watching them together. It mostly manifests itself in Elisa doing anything and everything to make Carolina laugh, followed by more of the same until the last belly laugh is out of her. The other day it was Elisa diving under her toy table for something and Carolina thinking it was the funniest thing ever. This caught me by surprise, but oh god, the laughs were so heartfelt. Elisa was beside herself trying to keep it going. And then there are the times I hear the shrieking turn to crying and when I ask Elisa what happened it's something like "I pinched her" or "I pulled her hair." I think she still has a hard time believing Carolina can't control herself when she smacks or grabs her. So Elisa tries to get in her own little zings from time to time. But really, those times are pretty minimal for now. So I'm just enjoying these little moments and trying to savor it between all the monotony of routine and naps and maintaining the status quo. At times I know my stint as a stay-at-home mom is winding down and I really just want to make the most of it. But that's hard. It's not easy to appreciate the good stuff when you are ready to throttle the three year old for her tantrum or you just want the 8 month old to sleep 12 hours a night without needing anything. But this is life. This is where I'm at right now. It's not all happy and shiny, but when I see these two laughing at the same thing it makes me forget all that. And smile.

Saturday in SoHo

It's been a while since we ventured into the city for a casual walk on a weekend. With two in tow now, it's definitely a more daunting challenge to get everyone ready while Carolina naps and then hit the ground running. But today we gave it a shot and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful. The sun was high and bright and the streets of SoHo weren't terribly crowded, although it's not my favorite place to push a stroller. And yes, Elisa still needs one. So that means we shift Carolina to the Ergo when we travel and then let her use it on and off when Elisa plays or eats or just decides her knee doesn't "hurt." Yes, my geriatric three year old has bad knees apparently. [Insert eyeroll here] So the system we have now seems to work okay and with a plan to shop a little, grab some lunch and hit a park, I'd say we were off to a good start...

By the time we managed to hit C. Wonder and Crumpler on Spring Street, Nacho and I had checked off our lists and Elisa had an ice cream cone mostly eaten. Everything was going according to plan (even her near tantrum when the cone almost fell in her lap. God forbid I try to save the damn thing with a cup and spoon. Oh, well. You get what you get). Hitting a small playground nearby gave us just enough time to feed Carolina as we let Elisa work off some steam. And while I chatted to a pleasant older woman from Trinidad who was eating a delicious smelling lamb and rice tray from a food truck, the scent of Lombardi's pizzeria started to overpower me. Considering this was my THIRD pizza lunch this week, I should have abstained. But the thought of that crispy crust and perfectly oozing mozzarella was too much. And what a good decision that turned out to be. Elisa had a window box to play and eat in while Nacho and I got down to demolishing the pie as Carolina looked on in silence. And mad props to this baby of mine once again. I really don't know how she does it, but the kid was beyond tired by that point and yet she only grunted and whimpered a couple of times, between full on belly laughs at her sister and grinning widely across the table at me. Afterwards, we swung by Gimme! Coffee for a quick latte as we headed southwest towards Chambers Street. It was a nice ziggety zag walk that we thought might take us all the way to Battery Park. But in the end, we stopped short at another park to chill for a few minutes before turning back home. Hopefully this was a small glimpse into the future, and it was good. So very, very good. And really, that's the feeling this day gave me. Elisa was her usual overbearing self mixed with a redemptive dose of charm. But more importantly, she didn't totally wig out at anything. She was tired and hungry at certain points, but she kept herself in check. Little bribes helped move her along and by the time we got home, she finished her dinner and went to bed. By 7:30pm. It was delightful. And Carolina was down by 6:45pm. A full day of city roaming and this quiet evening feels like the perfect way to end it. Thank you, New York. It was a pleasure doing business with you.

Playmate

Carolina has become so much more interactive lately. It's that weird thing that happens sometime between about 6 months and 9 months where one day you realize, hey, this is actually a little person. Cool. And with that has also come a lot of babbling and shrieking both happy and angry. If she doesn't get what she wants or if you fail to keep your attention on her, things can get kind of loud. Take for example the other day as I brought the girls over to a friend's house for a little playtime. Carolina was eating at the highchair and just as I paused to tell a story, she let out one of the loudest shrieks I've heard from her so far. It was a definite wake-up-mama-you-stopped-feeding-me plea. And of course, it got my full attention. Yes, this might not be our shrinking violet afterall. Which is probably for the best. Elisa needs someone who can hold her own.

Easter Recap

A quick backtrack to our Easter Weekend wrap up before we move on. There was egg dyeing, egg hunting and more importantly, egg eating (well, okay, the candy kind). It was a gorgeous weekend of bright sunshine and Nacho had Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning off to hang with us which gave me the extra oomph I needed to be crafty and have some fun activities lined up. This was our first year doing anything Easter-y at home and I think it went well. We didn't talk much about that whole Jesus-died-for-your-sins part, but the Easter Bunny was a big hit...

I won't launch into what happened at our Sunnyside Gardens Egg Hunt, but suffice it to say, we did not find any eggs because of the poor planning and event organization. It was a disaster, mitigated only by the fact that Elisa is a kid who rolls pretty easily with the punches in the oddest of circumstances. Yes, she has her redemptive qualities. When she found an empty egg that a parent had thoughtfully rolled under her feet, she picked it up and started screaming "I found one!" Ummmm, okay, sure. And who knows, maybe I was more disappointed for her. Isn't that always the way it goes in parenting? You plan something or you have an idea and you want it to go well for the kid's sake. But really, it's also about you. What are the traditions you are giving her? More and more, I find that I am debating the role of religion and culture, tradition and custom as we inch further along in this thing called childhood and especially on important holidays. I want Elisa and Carolina to have the memories I have of Christmas and Easter, however Pagan my reasons may be. I loved the candles and cookies and present exchanges in December and the flowers and chocolate and pastel eggs in the Spring. And right now I think that's enough. In time, we'll see where this city and this multicultural life take us. I can envision attending services in all kinds of churches and temples some day and talking to the girls about what they think. But for now, I hope they just enjoy the egg hunting in their living room and the stained fingertips from dunking eggs. It was a beautiful, calm weekend of doing things together and that made it all worthwhile.

Hoppy Easter!

The Easter Bunny was good to us and left plenty of eggs to find in our living room this morning. It was Elisa's first egg hunt and basket at home, and she didn't miss a beat before she jumped in blurry eyed and started pouncing on the eggs. She was so pleased with herself for finding them. Like, duh, Easter Bunny, you are SO obvious. It was hilarious to watch her grin and smirk all through the hunt. Later, we managed a family pancake breakfast at the table (a rarity), and with that, my day was off to a great start. Nacho had to work later so the morning was fairly quiet, but with an invite from Molly Killeen to celebrate Easter dinner at her place, I knew we'd be well fed and entertained later on. And I was right...Elisa disappeared for a while as she and the boys jumped, dived and laughed their way through the dinner prep. And Carolina hung out on the sofa with Anna while we all chatted and forgot there was a baby in our midst. What a girl!

So yes, it was a truly enjoyable and tranquil end to a busy holiday weekend. Now I'm full as a tick and ready for bed. Ah...here comes another week!