Christmas

Cousins, Christmas Morning, 2012

Christmas this year was, well, tough. Both girls were sick. Neither girl slept well. By the end of four nights of no sleep, Mommy and Daddy weren't the patient parents we endeavor to be. Still, it was Christmas for children, and Christmas for children is magic. Violet really has fun with Christmas now, and Daphne loved the wrappings and toys. It was wonderful to spend time with family, and it was a well-paced day. Next year we will spend the month leading up to Christmas in a bubble, and it will be perfect.

The girls' Santa haul.

Katie and I slaved over these cookies, but aren't they gorgeous?!

Claire and Violet went to feed the reindeer, and it was hilarious. It was freezing outside, so when we told the girls to sprinkle the food on the lawn for the reindeer, Violet threw the whole ziplock on the grass and headed for the door. "No! You have to open it for them!" She opened it, then threw it on the lawn. "No, you're supposed to take it out and sprinkle it for them!" Exasperated and cold, she dumped it out all in one pile and ran inside. Claire, who knew better how to properly sprinkle reindeer food, was apparently also cold and tired as she followed suit. Both girls then ran upstairs, explaining that they had to get to sleep so Santa could come! Highlight of the night: not ONE peep out of them on the monitor after goodnights were said. Until Violet woke up sick a few hours later, that is.

Baby's first Christmas. Aw, Daph. You're so cute. Even when I can't see straight because I'm so tired. Merry Christmas, baby. I love you.

Daphne, 9 Months

Happy 9 Month Birthday, Daphne, Daphers, Dapha, Dapharoo.
You sleepless cutie-patootie, you! I love you more than I love sleep.

Quick Update

This is just a quick update, but I have to post while I'm thinking about it. This post is all gushing, and nothing but.

Violet:
Is loving preschool. Her teachers say that she is always very concerned about what her classmates are doing. She regularly tells the teachers who needs help with his or her puzzle. When her table-mate Parita's dad was late picking her up, Violet refused to leave. She went and stood with Parita, and gave her a reassuring hug. She was genuinely concerned. She has made quick friends with everyone in the class, but she sure talks about Landin a lot. I do believe we have a first crush. She also enjoys her job every week. This week she was the key monitor. Last week she was the cone monitor. Next week maybe she'll be the crayon monitor or something. They are preparing for their Christmas show next week, and she's very excited to sing "Feliz Navi-dop" with everyone.
We are also enjoying baking and crafts at home. She's an expert egg-cracker and flour leveler, and she doesn't spill... very much. She's very cute and sort of bossy in the kitchen.
She can zip her own jacket zipper.
Violet told a story tonight. We have a big book of things to find, and each page has a different theme. She loves to tell stories about the people in the pictures. Tonight's stories were just so stinkin' cute. In the second story she told, the princess went to the evil witch to buy chiuauas (yes, the dog), because she didn't know she was the evil witch! Then, the witch stole the princess, but she didn't know she was a princess! The princess escaped into the woods, but didn't know where she was. "Then her found a castle!" Naturally, prince charming was in the castle, and they lived happily ever after. Sweet Violet.

Daphne:
Talks! Sort of. Last Friday we were absolutely sure for the first time that she said, "Uh oh!" It was so cute. "Uh-oh" was Violet's first word, too. Though when Violet said it, she thought it was hilarious. Daphne seems rather concerned. And, I'm pretty sure as of a couple of days ago that when she says, "Mama," she means it. Today, she signed, "All done" by waving her hands. It was so cute. She didn't want any more peas.
Here are some milestone dates:
Tooth #4, Upper Right Lateral Incisor: 11/1
Sat herself up: 11/3
Crawled once or twice: 11/12-13
Officially a crawler: 11/16
Pulled to a stand: 11/18
Tooth #5, Upper Left Central Incisor: 11/23
Tooth #6, Upper Right Central Incisor: 11/24
Stood hands-free (and promptly fell): 12/2
Took a nasty fall free-standing after pulling up on the dishwasher: 12/4
Said "Uh-oh" (first word): 12/8
Fed Violet: 12/13
Said Mama: 12/14
So, she's been busy. She's a funny little girl, and excellent crawler. The things that make her laugh, make me laugh. She loves tickles and flying in the air, and every time I show her a hand sigh, she cracks up like I'm the funniest person in the room. She doesn't love her pacifier, and if you're trying to, well, pacify her with it, she'll take it from you and throw it across the room. That goes for anything you try to give her that she doesn't want. If she doesn't throw it far enough the first time, she picks it up and throws it again while looking you in the eye. It's extremely cute... for now. She likes to play with toys that have buttons, and thankfully she's proven to be discerning as far as what she will eat off the ground. Dangerous things like Barbie shoes get spit out, delicious things like week-old Cheerios in the corner are eaten. Both of which make mommy scream.

The Girls
...are sharing a room! We put Daphne and her naughty non-sleeping ways to bed in the other bedroom all by herself, and we shared our bedroom with Violet for a week after Thanksgiving. We thought it was going to be tough, but Daphne slept much better when she was not in our room! After a week, we moved Violet back in. Now Violet sneaks in each night and reads by flashlight until she falls asleep. So mature, I tell you! They remain the best of friends. I really hope this lasts forever. We've made their bedroom into more of a play room for them. It's really nice, and it's helping to keep the rest of our home clean, too!

We are looking so forward to Christmas this year! Tomorrow we are heading out in the car to play Christmas carols, drink hot chocolate, and find some Christmas lights. And, we love our little family!

Thanksgiving at Home

Let me start by saying... I AM SO BUMMED THAT I DIDN'T GET A GROUP PICTURE!

Ok, now here are the ones that I did get. We hosted this year (a home with love has elastic walls!), and it was really, really fun.

The single shot I have of my beautiful daughters in their TG outfits:


Violet and Claire at the kids' table. Daphne will join them next year and Claire's little brother will take over the highchair.

Family and friends at the table, working on their Thanksgiving trivia. Each person had two trivia questions, and two trivia answers. They didn't match. Begin!

Baby's First Thanksgiving (Hi Daphne!):

Cousins with an impromptu crown craft:

The spread that spread across our whole apartment:

Wow. That's a lot to be thankful for.

Gum and Generosity

Violet had one piece of gum left. One, precious piece of Trident gum from Mimi. And without a word, of her own volition, she split it into three even parts so she could share it with Rushika and me instead of enjoying it all to herself. She was so happy to give it to us. So happy to see our reactions. So proud of her decision. Such a small item, such a big deal.

When we were in Hawaii, we went to a fair with children's game booths. Violet did the "fishing" booth and got two bracelets. But what she really wanted was to win a game and choose a prize from the prize box. The games were just too hard for her. She used all the tickets we had, but couldn't win a prize from the box. It was a heartbreaking lesson for a little girl who really wanted a prize, and a heartbreaking lesson for her parents who couldn't change the results. After just a few disappointed tears, Violet accepted that she wasn't going to win another prize. And then she slipped one of her bracelets around Daphne's ankle, dangling from the carrier, and marched off to dance to the band and ride a pony. Because if Violet was too small to win a prize, certainly Daphne was, too.

I read somewhere that you should never stifle a generous impulse in your child. Never say, "Oh no thank you honey, keep it for yourself," or "Are you sure you want to give that away?" Just sit back and let your child experience the feeling you get from giving something away.

Violet, child, you are special.

Daphne, 8 Months

8 Months Old? What? Oh, you little honey. You're so big. But you're still pretty little.


This one really looks like "Daphne" to me:

Mommy's 6:30AM workout buddy... a couple of days ago we walked 3.5 mi. to the Santa Monica Pier where we had breakfast and played at the beach playground, then rode the bus home.

Violet's First Day of Preschool

Violet Jean started preschool today, one day shy of her 3 1/2 birthday. I read a glowing review of the little preschool at our local park, so I told Violet we'd go check it out. She was thrilled. I was worried. I have been so tired. Our house has been so messy. Violet has been so restless. We needed something to change around here, but it's still so very hard to let go. Even for three hours.

We got there early, and I found the teacher in the office making copies for the day. She explained the program, talked to Violet, and invited us to come check it out. We signed up. It's on a week-to-week basis, so why not? I took Violet to the room, and she was in love. I mean really, she's been wanting this for so long. She's so articulate, she's so social. She wanted a chance to be Violet... without mommy. To "do it herself" and make her own little way in her own little world. She went to the seat that the teacher showed her, and started working on a puzzle with the assistant.

"Has she ever been away from you?" the teacher asked me.
"No," I admitted. "But I think she'll be fine."
"Ok, I just like to know what to expect. If you don't draw out your goodbye, it will probably be easier."
"Ok." I took a deep breath. "Violet, it's time for you to have a fun day at preschool! I'll be back at the end of the day to pick you up. I love you. Goodbye."
"Mommy! Wait!"
Oh no. I knew I wouldn't be able to stand tears.
"Where's my lunch?"

And that was it. She was ready. Of course that made me feel better about leaving her. Better than the poor parent who has to leave a child in hysterics. But still, I spent three hours wondering if she was ok, or if she was confused or acting out because she felt abandoned.
Three hours later I came to pick her up. She ran to greet me with a big hug and kiss, and said she had a wonderful day. The teacher said it was like she had always been there. That she only asked about me right after I left, then accepted that I would be back and went on about her day. She participated and followed directions. She even went to the bathroom by herself when she needed to. For three hours a day, four days a week, she's free to be Violet. And me? I'm free to check my email and clean the kitchen. Aaaaahhhhh.

I love you Violet. I am so proud of you and the incredible little social (and academic!) being that you are.

Happy Sixth Anniversary

From my Facebook post this year:

Happy 6th anniversary to Erik Lima: diaper-changer, trash-emptier, early-riser, baby-rocker, story-reader, bath-giver, fort-builder, bacon-bringer, dish-washer, joke-teller, long-distance-driver, and all around wonderful husband and father. I love you. You make my life fun. I wouldn't want to be struggling to raise children with anyone but you. ♥

11/6/2005
(Maybe. We can never remember our anniversary.)

I love you, Erik Lima. We (still) make a good team.

Halloween!

Halloween was so very, very fun this year! Violet decided emphatically sometime in September that she wanted to be Mary Poppins for Halloween. She had toyed with the idea of being Diego, then the Little Mermaid, neither of which I was very excited about. Then one day, she just knew that she was destined to be Mary Poppins. She loves the movie and the soundtrack (which just loops and loops in the car), so she really made a great Mary. She can sing (a three-year-old version of) every song. Too too cute.

I had SO much fun making her outfit. She wanted the nanny Mary, not the Jolly Holiday (white and red dress) Mary, thank goodness. I think she just really wanted the hat. So I watched the movie and pulled up pictures from Mary's first appearance at the Banks home, when she sings "Spoonful of Sugar." I made the skirt, apron, bow tie (which was lost before Halloween, hence the red bow in a few pictures), scarf, carpet bag (excellent for trick-or-treats!), and hat, on which Violet glued the flowers and cherries. I found the shirt on clearance at Old Navy for $2.43. Now THAT's a Halloween costume! Erik took Violet to a UCLA game in late September or early October, so I had most of Violet's costume done early.

So then I had to think about Daphne's costume, and I really had to think hard, as Daphne has no opinion whatsoever other than that she'd like something comfortable. I settled on *wanting* to make her a Jolly Holiday penguin, but I didn't think I'd have the time for that since we traveled to Maui in October, and got home just a few days before Halloween. Well, an internet search turned up the cutest homemade penguin costume (also Mary Poppins themed!) over at makeit-loveit.com, and I knew I had to make Daphne a penguin. I finished the whole costume in one night... but not quite like the tutorial suggested. I have a pretty hard and fast rule about Halloween costumes: the only acceptable closures are Velcro, elastic, or ties. So Daphne's costume is, well, costume quality (as is Violet's- hello elastic skirt!).

At the last minute, Erik and I decided to be chimney sweeps. I made us a couple of red scarves, and magicked up a hat for Erik using fleece and felt in about 7 minutes. Voila!

Here are some pictures:

Mary Poppins!

(Professional quality photo by my friend Julie- THANK YOU!)

A dancing penguin, clapping her little wings:

The wind is changing...

(Another pro quality photo, this time by my friend Susan- THANK YOU!)

The whole family at our local park's Halloween festival.

Violet won first place in the costume contest.

She's so cute I can hardly stand it!

Sweet Violet was so, so proud of and happy with her costume.

She even let me get a picture of her with her wig on:

Halloween Schedule:
Sat. 10/29: Morning- M.I.L.K.s playdate in the park

Evening- Stoner Park Halloween festival and movie on the lawn

Sun. 10/30: Costume contest and festivities at the mall (Violet and Daphne won best sibling costume, and Violet got to watch "herself" in "Spoonfull of Sugar" on the big screen at the Disney Store.)

Mon 10/31: Morning- Playdate/Party at Autumn and Zoe's house

Afternoon- trick-or-treat at Erik's work

Evening- tot with the kids in the building and around the neighborhood

WHOA! We certainly got our use out of these costumes! Probably overdid it a bit, but that's the nature of Halloween!

Hawai'i

Aloha! I'm just going to post a couple of my favorite pictures here, and it will have to suffice to say that we had a lovely vacation. The plane rides were bearable (really, the girls were wonderful on both flights), and Maui was beautiful. Traveling with children is different that traveling alone, that's for sure! We are, as always, grateful for our little family and grateful for the means and peace to pursue leisure.

Daphne, 7 Months

Happy 7 Month Birthday, Daphne Frances. Enjoy your Cheerios, sweet baby girl.

Ballet/Adventures with Food

Violet is a ballerina. Also, she is a tap-dancer. Early this October she started her first dance class, and of course, she loves it.

10/12

Meanwhile, Daphne is focusing her efforts on becoming a self-sufficient baby. She LOVES to feed herself. Here she is with her first finger-food, chunks of sweet potatoes.

10/12

Pumpkin before:

(10/4)

Pumpkin after:

We Painted!

Look,we have a green wall! Thanks Antonio, Sean, and Rushika for being our Tom Sawyer painting crew. Also, we now have the Blogger app on the iPad, so maybe I'll finally catch up on the last few weeks if blogging!

Daphne, 6 Months

Half a year old, dear baby! I love your smile, Daphne Frances.