One Crazy Week

We having been trying to get into a three-bedroom apartment within our complex for a VERY long time. The rent is not that much extra and their is a lot more space. Plus, we are considering adding another child to our family and quarters start to feel pretty tight with child/children around (as most of you know). Additionally, I have a low tolerance for clutter and mess so that adds to my need/want for a larger place to live.

So, after weeks of haggling with the landlords they finally allowed us to switch apartments. The only catch is that we had to be out in 8 days. And three of those days were a planned cabin trip that we really couldn't and really, really didn't want to miss. So we went to the cabin and once we got home, we have been packing like maniacs. Two evenings and one day later, our entire apartment is packed except for the few items that we really would need for our last days here. We received the keys to the new place this evening and the big move kick-off starts tomorrow at about 11 a.m. Larry was fortunate enough to be able to take the day off of work and I only have to attend an am meeting and then I get to home -- And then the fun really begins!. We are lucky to have flexible employers.I think I have been running on pure adrenaline this week because I feel like crap and yet I keep going and going, packing and cleaning away.

The next kink in the plan is that all three of us came down with a nasty cold this week. Great timing, huh? I have a bad case of laryngitis and no almost no voice at all. Aha! But that cannot stop me from rambling on and world called the Internet. I have been using tons of Zycam-ing and Emergen-C so fingers-crossed these will help shorten the duration of my cold.

Odessa has been taking the move way much better than expected -- I didn't want to traumatize her with all our belongings being boxed up. She LOVES to help unfold the boxes and put things in. She also has been using the boxes to build forts, towers, and tunnels. However, in my effort to make the move a positive thing, I think I may have gone overboard. More about that on a later post. I have to at least attempt to catch a couple hours of shut-eye tonight.

So anyway, wish us luck!

Big Girl Panties

Although far from potty trained, we got Odessa her first big girl panties. They didn't have princesses in her size so we ended up with Elmo and Minnie Mouse. Very cute and she is happy and excited to have them!

I never thought I would hear myself say...

"Odessa, princesses don't use their wands as weapons"

Odessa, 2 1/2 years old

I thought I knew what people meant by the "terrible twos"... But that was before I had a 2 1/2 year-old of my own. Some days are awesome. She is beautiful, silly, fun, sweet...all those wonderful things. Then some days are not so awesome.

Here is an example:
wake up, cry because I didn't let her play with the oatmeal before cooking, begin eating, cry because she has a blue bowl instead of a green one, throw bowl on floor, ... (continue this pattern for ten hours)...

It is one, big all-day meltdown. It really reminds me of when she was a super-colicky new noodle, I don't know what is wrong or how to fix it. It doesn't appear that their is any rhyme or reason to the madness. I try to change what I am doing so to give her more (stop cleaning and start drawing or doing puzzles) but it really doesn't seem to help anything. It is like she needs a padded room or a tranquilizer. Just kidding!

Oh, the drama. But, despite all of it, I find myself melting with love for her. That has to be the biology behind procreation. You just love them so much that you want more! Even when life is totally insane.

She just keeps growing and learning and it all happens so fast! She knows all her ABS's and most of her 123's. She counts to seventeen (we have seventeen steps which lead from our apartment to our garage). She pulls down her pants and goes "potty" on her own. But, as Larry said, she just can't put the diaper back on! :) I guess this means it is time for pull-ups or panties or whatever the next step is in potty-training. She gets in bed with her books when she is sleepy. She repeats EVERYTHING which is a big lesson for me that I say some phrases way too often (ex "I'm too tired!"; "Lar!"; "Sit down!")

Current obsessions: princesses, Elmo, the movie Mama Mia, ABBA music, pockets, hearts (as in the Valentine kind), glue, temp tattoos...

Anatomy of a Tantrum

Tantrum Handbook:

Step 1. Do the "crumple"; kitchen-floors and anywhere in public work best.

Step 2. Peek out to make sure that someone is watching.

Step 3: Look damn cute until one of two things happen: 1) be "rescued" by nearby mom/dad/other or 2) become distrated by the cookie you now see that is on the floor, and therefore no longer need to be rescued...because you can't remember the reason behind the crumple in the first place.

I love you my addorable, little drama queen!

Mommy Odessa

While I was taking my shower, Odessa wheeled in both her shopping cart and her baby stroller. Pablo in the shopping cart and not-yet-named asian baby was in the stroller. From there she spent quite a bit of time "taking care" of each of the babies. It is so sweet to watch. I hope that some of my mommy-skills pass on to her (but not all! :)

Christmas 2008

We had plans to stay at a cabin this christmas but the weather didn't cooperate and so we stayed home instead.

Here is a picture of the tree and trimmings that we bought and threw together the day after Christmas. I had vowed to not purchase anything for the holiday, but that really depressed me. I felt like Odessa was missing out on some of the magic of the holiday.

So, bright and early on Friday morning we headed to Target and bought a tree, some trimmings, and a few horribly commercial, plastic gifts for Odessa to open. And at 50% off! We also made it to the toy store on NW 23rd and I bought her a bouncy horse ("pink bunny!" accoring to O) and a special doll that I had been wanting for her.

We decorated that afternoon and opened gifts after nap. Although I know Odessa wouldn't miss it, she really, really had fun! And I had fun enjoying some of the traditions that I was missing and bringing a little of that magic to Odessa.

I love the second picture -- you can tell Odessa is about to totally melt :)

The Snow Continues

A Question from Kiki

Question from Kalina to me:

"Why do you think it is that we were born with no talent?"

Snow!

Here are a few pictures of Odessa in the wintery wonderland that we have been calling home this week. She really is not all that thrilled about it. She does like to look at the snow but she doesn't want to walk in it or touch it. Like mama, she prefers to view the outdoors from the confines of a warm bookstore or coffee shop :)

Snow Day (Week?), December 2008

Please don't call child protective services...

So messy! But she loves it!

Princess Mommy

Odessa calls this picture "princess mommy". She will be very dissapointed in her lack of royal heritage when she gets a little older.

1st School Photo

From September -- but still cute!

Multi-tasking

Here is Odessa using the internet and doing some writing, all at the same time. It is so cute seeing her look so grown-up, hard-at-work.

Happy Halloween!!

This is definitely the most fun Halloween we have had with Odessa. I don't think you can really blame her for the last two years -- she was just too little to be all that excited about traditions. It is a lot more fun though now that she actually kind of "gets it".


We have been talking about how, on Halloween, we get dressed up and go visit people and say "trick-or-treat" and then they give us candy. At the mention of candy, her eyes light up and she says "yay!" (okay, for sure my kid). I am glad that she is not yet at the "why??" age because the strangeness of the holiday would be difficult to explain.


The only problem is that she thinks the phrase "trick-or-treat" is like a secret weapon -- whenever she sees candy she looks up at me and says "trick-or-treat" expectantly. I can almost see her thinking "aha! Now I know the magic word!" Somehow "please" and "thank you" haven't made near the impact on her vocabulary.

Feeding the Ducks, Westmoreland Park, Oct 08

Princess Odessa

This cold, fall weather has made me yearn for hibernation...and cookies. Every day after work I feel like eating dinner and then hanging out at home -- reading or watching a movie. Odessa is not into my indie-drama flicks however. So I decided to rent the Disney movie "Enchanted", hoping that Odessa would enjoy the singing and dancing enough and that she would be okay with hanging out at home for the evening.

"Be careful what you wish for":

Odessa is now obsessed with princesses. I am one of many modern moms who would prefer stronger female heroes for Odessa than Cinderella or Snow White. I had foolishly thought that if we didn't encourage the whole princess obsession, then maybe Odessa would be left ambivalent.

I was wrong. I think that a love for all things sparkly and frilly may be encoded in the genes of many young girls (and some boys).

I hear the phrase "more princess" a lot nowadays. We have Enchanted on DVD and on CD in the car so we can listen to the soundtrack on the way to school in the mornings. Oh joy! It is a little crazy.


The other day I read this post on the Mothering website and found it very interesting, and a little helpful in relieving my princess-obsession encouragement guilt.

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/childhood/a-little-princess.html

Pumpkin Patch, October 2008

Perfect weather for a day at the pumpkin patch. It was really busy there -- obviously not a novel idea -- but we had a really nice time! Odessa was very into choosing "her" pumpkin (I had to steer her towards the smallish ones), loved the hay ride, and at about a thousand grapes on the car ride home.

Let the new hat season begin!