Heart about to burst

Not just once, but at least three times over the last several months, Sofia has told me out of the blue that when she grows up she wants to be a mommy to kids who don't have mommies of their own.

Eight months

It's been eight months (and a few weeks) since my sweet baby boy was born. Eight months filled with seemingly never-ending nights, crying jags, diapersdiapersdiapers, and all those baby-related things that make the days so long and the months/years so short. So how did we get here so quickly? Been busy -- I'll hit the highlights:

We spent Nico's first Christmas in Vegas, and had a ball!

About two weeks after returning home from Vegas, we packed everything up again and caravaned ourselves back down to Vegas. This time, we left the kids with Aunt Lisa and Johnny and I jetted off to Puerto Rico! Hmmm, perhaps I should rename this entire blog "Thank You, Aunt Lisa!" We made the most of our kid-free vacation. Don't get too carried away now, I'm talking about doing things like leaving the hotel room empty handed. Carrying nothing but a purse on the airplane. Having uninterrupted conversations. Showering whenever I felt like it. Sprawling on the beach and not thinking about anything. Having rum for lunch. Having rum for snacks. Having rum for dinner.

That is to say, it was amazing. It was a company trip, and we adored our travel companions. We were treated to amazing dinners, free booze everywhere, an insane beach party complete with fire breathers, rum tasting, live music and fireworks, a waterfall hike, sailing and snorkeling, dancing every night...ah, yes. Can I go back?? We loved sitting out in the warm night air, listening to the coqui frogs chirping. Riding the funicular up and down the sea cliffs, taking the boat out to the resort's private island. Holy smokes, how spoiled are we?

Kids? What's that? Oh right, the kids did just great while we were away.

So, back to Portland and our usual routine. Sofia still adores her preschool, and clearly loves her teachers. She has already decided that she will be a teacher when she grows up. We regularly have yoga and dance "classes" in our living room, and she does a fantastic job of teaching me.

I recently found out that there is a bridal veil included in the costume area at her preschool, which explains this little Sofia gem:

One night several weeks ago, Sofia approached me with an earnest look in her eyes. Very seriously she informed me that she was going to have a baby girl that night, and she needed to get married. She then gently took my face in her hands and told me she was sorry, but she couldn't marry me. She had to marry Daddy because he's a boy.

Have I ever mentioned that she just kills me?

So obviously she's thriving. She knows the words "despondent" and "haberdashery." She can draw smiley faces. She clears her dishes from the table and loves to mop. And yet, she still says things like "a little bip," "schlocate" (chocolate), "free" (three), and so on. Free going on 16.

Nico, of course, changes by the day. Before we left for Puerto Rico, my favorite Nico behaviors were the squeezes he would give me when I picked him up, and the way he would nibble my chin. Anytime he fussed, we could start singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider and it would immediately calm him down (Sofia would sing "the ipsy bipsy spider went up the water sprout!"). Of course, things change quickly. The Itsy Bitsy Spider isn't as magical as it used to be, and he doesn't squeeze me as much anymore. But, the squeezing has been replaced by the best baby belly laughter ever. This is one happy kid!

He's been sitting up on his own for probably about two months now, and you can just see how much he wants to move around on his own. He's trying so, so hard! Yesterday he managed to spin himself in a full circle on his belly, but crawling still appears to be a ways off. But boy, is he talking. We're getting all sorts of bababas, nananas, and (best of all, obviously) dadadas and mamamas!

Although he got off to a bit of a slow start, he's now doing a great job eating just about everything. I'm doing my best to stick with baby foods, but this kiddo clearly wants to eat what we're eating. Is this a boy thing? I don't know. But he is all boy, making crazy faces and, shall we say, aggressive noises. That also could have to do with the SIX teeth that are simultaneously coming in on top!

In personal news, dance is on another upswing. Over the next three months, my troupe, Nagamani, has 4-5 shows booked, I'll be competing as a soloist in La Danse Orientale (which Nagamani won in the troupe category last year), my independent Tuesday evening classes are gaining momentum, and I got to dance onstage in the finale of the Beats Antique concert with Zoe Jakes, a pregnant Mira Betz, Oberon, Henna, Claudia and Aksana. OK, so we were wearing neon green spandex alien bodysuits, but it was still all sorts of awesome! My biggest dance news is that I'll be attending Rachel Brice's 8 Elements Initiation in April, a 5-day intensive. I guess I also need to rename this blog "Thank You Best Husband in the Whole Wide World!"

Life is full, life is good. Of course it's not without its tantrums and mood swings, but all you can do is look at those things and know that they make you appreciate the smiles, the giggles, the snuggles, and the QUIET more than you ever thought possible. Pictures soon...