December 2007 Archives

Wishing all our family & friends the merriest of Christmases, and happiest of New Years!

It's been a very festive but busy holiday season here at The Ranch. Since Thanksgiving we've had my birthday, Sophie's birthday and party, two alphas and a gold master for work, the Dare to Care charity event Brandie hosted with our friend Amy, the Conversations filmmaker series, Christmas shopping and most recently a holiday party at the Art Mission Theater.

We're heading down to Aunt Sarah's for Christmas Ever dinner, and driving home Christmas morning to see if Santa visited. As Josie would say, "Ho ho, Meh Ca-Ca!"

This post is long overdue, or at least I've been mentally writing it for some time.

Our younger daughter has had many nicknames over the last year and half, including the names of clumsy presidents (due to her propensity for falling down and getting goose eggs) and various fascist dictators (for her demanding nature around the dinner table, which she's demonstrated since about six months of age when she apparently first started realizing her sister was getting food items she wasn't; just ask Grandpa George about this injustice.) She has continued on this trend of demanding equality with her sister to the point where she's potty-training herself to be just like "She She".

It's these traits along with her generally headstrong nature that have given us cause to joke that "Indignance" rather than "Grace" might have been a better choice for her middle name. It may sound unfair of me, but I've learned from reliable sources that I was something like her at that age.

In case any of you are scrambling around trying to find that perfect gift for me, I think I've found it:

Behind the Scenes at Weta Workshop Charity Auction

Thanks to Chris & Joanna for the heads up!

Our little baby turned 3 today.  She already had a wonderful party on Saturday so we made today a little more low key.  She picked what she wanted for breakfast (peanut butter puffins) and then opened some presents from Great Grandma Mary and Uncle Jesse and Uncle Dan.  Then she went about her day doing big, three year old things.

She's back on the potty training and while she won't tell us if she needs to go #1 on the potty, we are trying to get her into a routine of sitting on the potty at specific times of the day.  Just before her nap we were in the bathroom finishing up the business.  Washed hands and then she gave me a snuggle.  I sang Happy Birthday to her and bawled the whole time, remembering this day three years ago.  Sitting in our hospital room waiting for her to wake up.   Waiting to see what she would be like.

We no longer have to wait.  Everyday is an adventure full of stories, songs, fits, fights and snuggles.  She wakes us up every morning.  While no longer sleeping in our bed, she still gets up before us and plays in her room.  She politely closes her sisters door (which wakes her up) before playing in her room.  She does a great job sharing with her sister even though it can be difficult at times.  She is really showing signs of wanting to be in school.  She loves structured activity and thrives with her new memory game she got for her birthday.

She loves peanut butter, milk, Buzz Lightyear, cooking with mom and dad in the kitchen, reading her books, watching "shows", drawing, playing dad's guitar, jumping off of things, playing outside, sledding, making snow angels, bossing mom around, singing songs and her sister.

It's a wonderful time to be with our beautiful little girl and we are so grateful that we have this time together.  We love you Sophia!

Sophie had a big milestone today.  She gave up her pacifier or "Booey" as she always called it.  We took the last two she had kicking around the house and wrapped them up to "give" to a new little baby who would really need them.  When the time came to actually wrap them up, we found a small box, gave each "booey" a kiss and said "thank you for being such a good friend."  Then we wrapped them in some festive paper and I told Sophie I would write a note to the little baby and she could tell me what to say.  Here is what she came up with.

"To Baby Jesus,
We hope you love these Booeys and no matter how you like it you can keep it in your throat.
Lots of love,
Sophie Jean"

It was so cute and hilarious that she picked Jesus to give her binkies to. 

She asked for them at bedtime and I reminded her that we gave them to baby Jesus.  She started crying a bit but then said "He really needs them."  and moved on to another toy.  We'll see how she does tonight.  I think Jake and I are more sad than happy to see them go.  It's just another sign that our little girl is growing up.

Yesterday we celebrated Sophie's third birthday with a houseful of family & friends. Will, Elizabeth, Colin, Ashlyn, Grandpa George, Grandma Sue, Amy, Ilya, Auden, Aunt Noralee, Aunt Joanne, Stephen, Aunt Carol, Hannah, Sarah, Ed, Lucas, Katina, Mike, Nicholas, Maria, Kevin, Kim, Piper, Presley and Michele all came for pizza (a variety of sheets from Nirchi's) and cake (another masterpiece of baking by my fabulous wife).

The festivities started around 4pm, and wrapped up between 7:30 and 8. It was our first real party in the new house, so we were very excited for it to start and a little sad when it was over. We had intended to linger later to celebrate my birthday with any of the adults who weren't driven away by cat allergies or sugar-crashing toddlers, but the only hardy folks were Patrick & Martha, who held out until 10.

From start to finish it was really everything we were hoping it would be. Thanks to everyone who came, for all the gifts and help making the party special for Sophie. She had a blast playing with all her friends, and spent all morning (except for the part we went outside to play in the 6" of new snow) playing with her new toys.

Now that title may paint pictures of a little toddler and an infant zombie sitting on the floor with hand fulls of gray matter and blood dripping down their chins, however, that's a post better saved for another day. No, my children ate my brain while in utero. I remember while pregnant with Sophie, Jake and I would sit in bed at night, Jake reading 'The Expectant Father' and me 'What to Expect When You're Expecting'. Jake turned to me and read aloud "Your partner's brain will shrink by 5% while pregnant". How silly. Mine must have shrunk 5% with Sophie and another 10% with Josie because there are times where I can't remember the simplest things.

While pregnant with Josie Jake and I were driving in the car. I started hearing this whistling sound. I looked around, rolled my window down to see if maybe it was outside. Nope. I turned to Jake and asked "what is that noise?" It's your cell phone!" he answered in shock. I didn't recognize the ring tone that I had set two years before.

Then the other day, I couldn't for the life of me remember that 7 x 5 is 35. I was trying to do some strange division to decide. Jake decided to give me an introductory lesson to multiplication which only made me angry AND stupid.

These little lapses pass and my intelligence recovers but not every story is cute and painless. Like the time we flew from New Jersey to Nevada for my grandmother's birthday. We decided to stop by Jake's sisters house to get our pack n play but left so late that we only had time to stop and give Sophie a diaper change and completely forgot the pack n play. When we got to the airport, we were still late and barely made it to the parking shuttle bus in time to make our flight. While sitting on the bus we realized that we had forgotten Sophie's carseat in the car. On the return trip, we arrived around 11 pm and headed to the car. I couldn't find the parking ticket. I searched and searched but no ticket. When we told the attendant that we had lost it we assumed we would just have to pay the maximum fee and move on. He asked for our registration and my heart froze. I had taken it out of the car before we left to get our New York state insurance and never put it back. The attendant let us know he couldn't let us leave until they called the police and had them run a check on our car. We finally left around 12:30 after the New Jersey Port Authority came and cleared us. That was a long hour and a half in the car with a tired, angry husband and a tired toddler.

I've given up on having perfection with remembering things but I do try to help myself out now and again. Like, putting my keys in the same place every day would help. I really should start doing that.

My girlfriend Dawn from Texas sent me a postcard a while ago and it pretty much sums it up.

It reads, "I had a mind once. Now I have small children."