Carlita
This is a hairy situation
Thursday, September 04, 2008
We saw this guy the other day and today we had to rescue it from being roadkill. OK, so I doubt this is the same caterpillar, but they were definitely of the same species. This one is fatter though, so unless it gained a lot of weight in a night it probably isn’t the same caterpillar, but whatever. It’s cute!
If it is some kind of sign of things to come then I’m totally stumped. I mean, the metaphor is right there, staring you in the eye, but it just doesn’t sit right with me. Not any of it. So right now it’s just a caterpillar, maybe even the one from yesterday.
* * *
I realized today while stacking in the frozen pizzas (oh. my. god! I’m trying to steer away from candy, so now I’m eating frozen pizzas. Not necessarily an improvement.) that we need to make room for more stuff, so maybe it would be time to make away with the placenta.
Yes.
The placenta.
It’s been in there for two years, and yes, that is at least 1½ years too many, believe me I KNOW. Some tree is going to get the pleasure of trying to grow on top of a really old placenta and wonder what it did to deserve that.
* * *
Carlita is just now frustratingly and painstakingly learning to put the right shapes through the right holes in her toy bucket. She never showed any interest in the toy before now, and now she can get really vocal when it doesn’t fit where she wants it to fit. If I help her too much or too little they know about it down the bend.
And defiant, oh my! She is currently eating a slice of toast as is, in favor of my spreadable cheese concoction, because the dry bread slice is from the lot of bread slices that she emptied on the floor from their bread bag, and I might have been a little stern when I told her how we don’t do that sort of thing, so now the slice that she snatched up will be her cross to bear because mommy was being mean and now I will suffer because she suffers, spreadable cheese be damned!
She and her father are alike in many, many ways.
25 Months Old
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Dear Carlita,
I know I missed your birthday month, and I was this-close to not writing this month’s letter as well. It’s not that you are not worth writing for and about, it’s more that I don’t know how to articulate this period of your life - there are no major physical transformations, except your hair is getting longer, and so the changes we are experiencing are mostly of a spiritual nature. It’s hard to put into words, because “I feel closer to you” somehow implies that we weren’t close enough to begin with. You are my child and I love you no matter what, but lately I have been feeling closer to you.
Maybe it’s your age and having the kind of mindset that comes with it, something I can somewhat relate to and work with that has made it easier for both of us to click. And yet it’s hard. It’s hard each and every day, and I don’t do that well on even half of those days, nearly all nights ending with me telling myself that tomorrow is another day, I can try harder tomorrow. I know the day is coming where I have to get you out into the world, because you are depressingly under-stimulated here at home with me, alone. It’s just you and me until your dad comes home. You deserve more fun in your day-to-day life, and as hard as I try, that tomorrow where I can be all those things for you is not going to come.
There is no other fix for that than to try harder, but when even that does not cut it maybe it’s time to look for something better. I don’t know what that thing will be, or when we would be able to afford it but I know the day is coming, even though lately you and I have really clicked. I love being your mother, I need you to know that.
You love the lake, you love water puddles, balloons, rocks, your books, the cats, you could spend hours in the bath, you adore any clothing that is pink or purple and, controversially, you love coffee. You wouldn’t touch a baby doll with a stick, and you still fight sleep tooth and nail (just like your father. Still.) You have thrown your first official toddler tantrum, and I had to squelch the urge to laugh, failing miserably. I am so sorry. Surprisingly your growing independence is just the thing that makes our mother/daughter relationship that much better.
And even though saying this might make it seem like I am the most ungrateful mother on earth, I just can’t wait to have actual conversations with you, to know what is on your mind and sharing my own. As much as I miss the baby years I can not wait to see what we have ahead of us. It’s all so very bitter sweet.
Give me some of what you’ve got
Friday, August 29, 2008
I found these over here, and while I haven't actually watched any Olympic games this year, much less on American TV, I still found these hilarious.
Here are the top nine comments made by NBC sports commentators so far during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:
- Weightlifting commentator: 'This is Gregorieva from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing.'
- Dressage commentator: 'This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother.'
- Paul Hamm, gymnast: 'I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.'
- Boxing analyst: 'Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious.'
- Softball announcer: 'If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.'
- Basketball analyst: 'He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.'
- At the rowing medal ceremony: 'Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew.'
- Soccer commentator: 'Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field.'
- Tennis commentator: 'One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them... Oh my God, what have I just said?'
My rock throwing skillz, let me show you it.
Happy weekend!
Beach baby
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
She has started calling herself “baby” in conjunction with pointing at her own picture, and it kills me, it kills me dead with its cuteness. Words still pop in and out of her vocabulary though, and most of the time you wouldn’t know what word she is trying to pronounce unless you, well, speak Carlita. I still have a hard time understanding her, and I listen to her babble all day long (especially since she is cutting naps like a jaded teen cuts classes, but that is hardly anything new.)
There has been loads of cuddles for me lately, and it makes me all soft and gooey. Even though we have always gotten along well (can we just say she was, like, the most laid back baby, ever!), I’ve never been very good at interacting with her in her awesome babyness*, and it saddens me that she no longer is a baby, that I won’t ever get a chance to do it right with her - and as much as I want to give her a sibling, it scares me even more to think I might not manage any better with #2. Or, you know, what if I did do better second time around? THE GUILT!
*I suck at baby talk, I suck at the repetitiveness that is baby play. Probably the only thing I did really well was breastfeeding and we quit that when she was 17 months - lesson learned! If/when there is a next time I’m going to breastfeed for as long as it’s wanted.
If anyone has any good toddler activity ideas to send my way, it would be greatly appreciated.
