Casa da Caselli

Status follow up

2011-11-28T06:20:00.000-08:00

Nico can now successfully eat his own toes!

Also, he has sprouted two teeth over this last week and barely blinked an eye -- what a guy! And what a thankful mama.

Next step: real food!

Quick status update

2011-11-18T14:32:00.000-08:00

At 5.5 months, Nico is just over 18 pounds and hitting the 75th percentile in all categories. He began rolling over from back to belly this last week and is constantly, desperately trying to eat his own toes.

Welcome to the Hotel Caselli

2011-10-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

We don't have mirrors on the ceiling or pink champagne on ice, but we've got kids' toys on the floor and a big jug of sauvignon blanc in the fridge. Couple that with a big guest room upstairs and you've got the perfect recipe for inviting guests galore!

In recent months we've hosted a slew of family members visiting to see new baby Nico, plus John's best bud Ted from Colorado, my dance friend from Bend, our old neighbors and their daughter from Bend (twice, I think), a friend from Alaska getting ready to move to Portland, my sister and nephew, and in our craziest hosting event to date, the entire Danilava-Smith clan moved in for several days when they moved to Portland from Alaska (two parents, three young daughters, and one non-English speaking Baba -- at least their cat stayed in a kitty motel!). It's been chaotic but all sorts of fun. I love that we're able to welcome so many of our loved ones into our home!

Besides all the hosting duties, Nico (aka Little Dude, Tank, Chuckles, Tiger, Milkshake) has suddenly gone from a newborn to practically half a year old! When did that happen? Oh right, over the last five months. We don't currently have an official weight, but as of his last checkup about two months ago, he was already almost 15 pounds -- that's half of his big sister's body weight!

The Little Dude is something else. He charms the socks right off of me. Nico began smiling very early and hasn't stopped. He loves seeing the faces of his favorite people, and is always ready to greet you with a lopsided grin and a chuckle. And boy oh boy, is he a boy! What a loud little kiddo. His current favored time for joyful yelling and squealing and grunting is between 5-6 a.m. Awesome.

He's trying so hard to roll over, and he is one strong guy. But he's got quite a bit of mass to heft around, so I don't expect a roll to be imminent. He's also got a faucet for a mouth, drooling more than any bib can keep up with. The first time I called him "Drool Bucket," Sofia promptly went and found a little bucket and held it under his chin :) The crazy gumming and chewing has commenced, so I'm sure teeth are pretty close around the corner.

Oh, am I one lucky mama. Each night I stand between the two doors of my sleeping kids' rooms and enjoy a silent little moment of awe at the family John and I have created. How can I love two kiddos any more? I treasure those little innocent moments, because I can see now how quickly they fade, and grow fewer and farther between. I see Sofia becoming independent, creating space between herself and Mama. I deal with her emerging temper and willfulness. I listen to the new phrases she picks up from her friends at school, and wonder what she experiences when I'm not there. I can't help but look ahead to the teenage years...

Back to the present, here a bunch of unordered photos posted in an attempt to catch up (Aug.-Oct.):

Sofia and Aidan at the Alaska Zoo during our Sept. visit:

Randomly bumping into my best college friend, Emily, at the Alaska Zoo:

Father and son, chillin:
Back at the zoo, Sofia bustin a sweet move:
First day of VBS for Sof!
This is what happens in the backseat when I'm not looking:
Sofia and her friends found an awesome dirt pile to play in while at the Soap Box Derby on Mt. Tabor (which was super duper fun):

Laughing guy!

Sof getting silly with Mommy's boots:

Sofia began her first ballet classes this summer:

Cannon Beach with Uncle Keith and Aunt Toni -- Sofia learned how to fly a kite!

She also completely encrusted herself in sand:

She is such a great cook. She serves me a glass of wine before she begins, and makes things like strawberry-vanilla-carrot soup.

Cannon Beach again -- we're getting better at building sand castles! I did the bulk of the construction with Nico in the Moby wrap, making it more impressive than it looks...

Back in Alaska, at Shawna and Jeff's beautiful Chickaloon wedding:

Sofia and Shiva:

Cousins Cody and Nico:

Glow stick and necklace party at Grandma O's:

Most of the dancer crowd at Shawna's wedding:
Back in Cannon Beach, family shot at our favorite place to eat, JP's. The family who ran it closed it down this season, sadly. The owner/chef/grandma was kind enough to hold Nico and take him on a tour of the restaurant while we ate!

Super fun trip to Sunriver with Vegas friends Micah, Lisa, Grace, Joey and Cheyenne:

Sofia's first day of preschool! So proud...

Loving the hammocks in Chickaloon:

Rare Jo/Johnny shot:

Nico in the Chariot:

Real men sit in pink Bumbos:

A gloriously hot day at Mirror Lake:

Sofia's first field trip! Lee's pumpkin patch:

Cousins!

Sofia helped me get my costuming ready for a photo shoot:

Mets fan at the pumpkin patch:

Hooray for trampolines!

Fabulous gene pool:

Hey. You talkin' to ME?

Halloween party at school for our Pink Flower Fairy (costume by Mom):

Cherishing those little details

2011-08-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

We've always been very proud of Sofia and her language skills (come on, she talks about food going down her esophagus). I get the biggest kick out of sitting around and chit-chatting with her; watching her mimic adult tendencies. I love watching my little girl grow up this way.

But no matter how proud I am, no matter how much I love watching her grow up, I just know my heart is going to break a little the day she stops saying the following:

Ploby = probably
Bip, robop = bit, robot
Wery = very
Lellow, lell = yellow, yell
Free = three

Grow up, Sofia, just not too fast, please!

Psychedelic conversations, part 2

2011-08-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

There is no context to this conversation, this is literally how we jumped into things:

Sofia: That's the soft package we take on the airplane.

Me: Um, what?

Sofia: We take the soft package on the airplane and put it in the trash.

Me: Oh, I see (read: complete incomprehension). Then what?

Sofia: We put it in the trash, and when it comes out it's a beautiful butterfly!

Me: Wow.

Sofia: With a shell. And a ladybug.

I wish I could remember the conversation about the bubble who wants to be monkey king, but I've forgotten the pertinent parts. Because, you know, otherwise it wouldn't make any sense.

Psychedelic toddler conversations

2011-08-09T12:31:00.001-07:00

This whispered conversation just took place with Sofia. Why it was conducted in whispers I have no idea...

S: The volcano exploded so we are going on a Capri Sun vacation.

Me: That sounds like fun. How will we get there?

S: We'll drive there. In Mommy's car.

Me: OK. Will it take us a long time to get there?

S: Yeah, it will take us...like five minutes.

Me: What will we do when we get there?

S: We'll go see the waterfall, but we won't go under it. It's a new one.

Me: Then what will we do?

S: Go see the armadillo.

Riiiight. This is just one of many similar conversations. And I have to include her question the other day as we were walking and we were passed by two bicycles:

"Mommy, was that a peloton?"

Parenting is a lot of things, but it's never boring!

Another exercise in anachronism

2011-07-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

We're going back in time here to highlight some more milestones. During Aunt Lisa and G's visit, Nico was baptized! Also included are shots of Sof's buddy Hannah's birthday party at our house, Grandma Caselli and Auntie Jess.

Holy big boy, Batman!

2011-07-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

Since birth, Nico has put on five pounds, grown three inches in length and two inches in head circumference. Wowsa. That's just six weeks!

Also in the last six weeks, we've had visits from Aunt Lisa, G, Grandma Caselli and Grandma Oldfield. Frankly, it's all a bit of a blur, so I'll try to just put a bunch of pictures up and piece things together.

After all our visitors left, we took a hike in the Columbia River gorge, yet another waterfall trail. Sof gave the new Ergo a test drive and loved it. She also hiked the entire second half of the hike -- atta girl! Oh, and we saw a snake and I didn't even feel the urge to scream. I'm doing very well with my snake-fear conditioning.

While Grandma O. was here we walked up to one of the free outdoor Mt. Tabor concerts. It was great fun -- warm weather, Italian ice and fun rockabilly music.

Nico slept:

The kiddos got lots of snuggles from all the relatives (I'm still going through pictures and will get more up of the rest of the fam!!):

While Aunt Lisa and G were here, we did a ton of stuff, including going out to the new Wings and Waves indoor waterpark. Clearly, the kids loved it!

I took Sof and Nico down to the new Tabor farmer's market, where Sof got to decorate a cookie. What a fantastic new little market!

We celebrated the Fourth of July while Grandma O. was here. Sof wasn't too sure about the loud fireworks, but LOVED the sparklers and pop-its. We walked up to the Tabor reservoir to catch the big downtown fireworks display, and got an amazing view of all the illegal fireworks all over the southside. Dang, there were a lot of lawbreakers this year!

We returned to the Beverly Cleary fountains at Grant Park, such fun.

On Father's Day, I surprised John with a trip out to Hood River for a flight on a glider airplane! He was properly pleased with the whole thing, and I was tickled pink that we pulled it off.

Stay tuned for more out of order posts!

Sofia & Nico - love at first sight

2011-06-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

It was 3 a.m. Tuesday morning, and I knew. I knew we would have a baby that day, just like I knew at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday morning a little more than three years ago with Sofia.

Three years ago, however, I felt invincible. I went to the office, I held a meeting, I didn't think too much about what I was, or wasn't, eating and drinking. And yes, I paid for it later on. Though Sofia's birth was the most profound experience of my life to that point, there were certainly some, shall we politely say, rough stretches.

So this time around I was armed with knowledge gained from that experience. I ate the most nutritious food I could before the pain got to be too much, and slugged a ton of water. Score a point for me. But sometimes ignorance is bliss, because with all my lovely knowledge came...more knowledge. Knowledge of hours of contractions, exhaustion and pain that pushes you to the brink. Honestly? I was scared. I questioned whether or not I could do it again.

Thankfully, I had a little help.

In what has to be one of the biggest blessings of this pregnancy/labor/delivery/recovery, my sister flew down from Alaska on Monday evening -- just in case I happened to go into labor during the three days she was able to stay with us. Because of the effort that required, especially traveling with 2-year-old Aidan, I just assumed that it was pretty much guaranteed that I wouldn't have Nico while she was here. But in one of the best cases of timing EVER, there I was, in labor.

So with Sofia wonderfully occupied by Auntie Jess and cousin Aidan, I labored away. Labored and wondered just how all of this would turn out. The contractions grew stronger, but were still sporadically spaced out -- anywhere from 5-15 minutes apart. They needed to be consistently five minutes apart before it was time to go to the birthing center. As it turns out, they never did reach that point.

All of a sudden, contractions were coming fast and furious at 2-4 minutes apart. John called the midwives, who were to meet us at the birthing center in half an hour.

And here we faced the dreaded car ride. As there was NO WAY I was going to deal with these contractions while strapped upright into a seat bumping along the most pothole-filled road in Portland, I crawled into the backseat and hung onto the headrest for dear life. I may have also yelled at John once or twice...or maybe every time he so much as touched the brakes.

We reached the Alma birthing center at 9:30. Every second of the car ride was worth it the moment I entered the candlelit birthing room to the sound of the tub being filled. Ahhhh. It was here that I could finally, completely release myself into the process. No more clock watching, no more half listening to the kids, no more physically holding back. It was go time.

After about a half an hour on my hands and knees on the bed, I dimly wondered how much more I could take. Thought I never wanted to do this again. Wondered if I was two centimeters or ten. It was at this point that I caught my heaven-sent midwife Melissa telling John that I was likely about nine centimeters. I also somehow perceived her encouraging me to get into the tub.

With Sofia, I was so exhausted and dehydrated that moving from the bed to the tub was impossible. This time around I managed the ten feet or so to the tub, stopping for just one contraction.

The moment my skin hit the water, I could breath again. I knew I could do this. I prayed, I meditated, I let my body do what it needed to do. Every ounce of my strength was directed downward, and I realized I wasn't just having contractions, I was pushing. And then came the realization that although I was completely released into the birthing process, I was still in control. As soon as I felt I could take no more, I stopped. I let the water envelope me and relax me. When the time came, I marshalled my strength and gave it everything I had.

And thus at 10:31 p.m., May 31, Nico entered the world.

If there is a more intense moment in the world than when a mama first meets her baby, I can't imagine was it is. The physical relief, the elation, the amazement, the pride, the awe, the LOVE. And let's face it, a little bit of shock! All these things hit at once...and there are simply no words to describe it.

Later on, I learned a bit more about the moments surrounding Nico's birth. My little rock-n-roller had his cord wrapped around his neck, but God blessed and guided the hands of my midwives and they unwound him so gracefully we never even knew it. And apparently, my little guy took a bit of a swim upon his grand entry! John will swear he breaststroked across the tub.

The next few hours were a blur of bonding with, nursing, and eventually measuring Nico (7 lbs, 6 oz, 19.5 inches). Watching John meet his son was tremendous...I knew immediately we'd be fighting for snuggle time!

As I've looked back on all this over the last few days, my amazement continues to grow at the natural birth process, and at the utter awareness and skill of my midwives. Aside from checking Nico's heartrate, there was no need for me to be monitored or measured in any way -- simply by listening to me and watching me, my caretakers knew exactly what needed to happen and when.

Now I continue to process layer after layer of this, the second of the two most profound experiences of my life. Since the moment of Nico's birth, my circle of awareness is slowly expanding from simply realizimg that my baby was in my arms in a seeming blink of an eye, to my husband, to my body, to my daughter, and now it's slowly expanding to the world around me. I think I even know what day it is today! Monday? Yep! All right!

But the outside world can wait awhile still. Right now I'm reveling in watching this incredible love blossom between Sofia and Nico. It truly was love at first sight, and Sofia is exceeding all our expectations of being a fantastic big sister. She loves checking on Nico, and he's the first person she wants to see when she gets up in the morning. When she snuggles with him, he is quiet and still and looks at her with what I think are adoring eyes.

Here is Sofia meeting Nico for the first time:

This post can't be complete without a section on John. He has been nothing short of Superdad this last week. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, diaper duty, entertaining Sofia -- he has handled it all gracefully! He even managed to prune our front yard AND set up Sofia's trampoline. Now if I can just get a neck massage out of him, I can confidently say he's been perfect. Thank you, thank you, thank you, John, Sofia's father, Nico's father, my hero!

Counting down

2011-05-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Perhaps 37.5 weeks pregnant is not the best time to try to write a coherent blog post. But lack of blood flow to my brain be darned, here I go. When has incoherence stopped me before?

So yeah, we've reached the "any day now" phase of pregnancy and all of its accompanying emotions and physical discomforts. I've ranged from moments of wide-eyed terror at the thought of, "Oh yeah, this thing in my belly has to come OUT," to lovely serene moments of imagining myself gracefully and quietly taking care of Sofia while simultaneously having a five-minute, pain-free birth and cooking a delicious dinner. Ha. These swings are pretty unusual for me after a very even-keeled pregnancy, and definitely indicate that it's about time for Nico to get here.

Are we ready for another human being here at Casa Da Caselli? Who knows? That's like asking me right now if we're going to have more kids. Um, really? Check back with me in about a year when I've conveniently forgotten what it feels like to have a skull jammed into my tailbone. But all the little details that we can control are organized and ready to go, so I guess we're about as ready as we can be.

Bottom line is, I'm excited to meet this little booger who's been squishing my bladder for the last couple months. I can't wait for that feeling when his skin first touches mine. To see what he looks like, to see his Daddy's face when they first meet. And oh my, to watch Sofia and her baby brother!

Yep, it's a wild ride. Here we go again!

Hello, Captain Obvious

2011-03-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

A while back, we treated Sofia to a large lollipop from the fabulous Pix Patisserie. For whatever reason, she suddenly remembered this the other night and started asking very sweetly for another giant sucker.

Trying to put her off, we asked her where in the world she thought we were going to get a giant sucker from.

Pause. Toddler head tilt. Way-too-teenage-like gaze at the ignorant parents.

"Daddy, the giant sucker store."

How can you say no to that?

Family, dance and SUN!

2011-03-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Three separate things recently came together into a wonderful convergence.

1) The troupe I dance in, Nagamani Dance Company, got a performance spot in the Massive Spectacular, a professional dance production in Las Vegas.

2) John's sister was planning on getting married in Vegas.

3) I decided that no matter what, we were taking a family vacation before Nico was born.

To make thing oh-so-neat and easy, Toni scheduled her wedding two days after the dance show, allowing our whole family to make one trip together so we could do both things. Then we booked a teeny tiny little beach house in Mission Beach, San Diego, starting the day after the wedding. Win!

The show went off without a hitch, and I can't even describe how cool it was to share a stage and dressing room packed with the bellydance stars whom I've been following all googley eyed via the web for the last 10 years or so. Wow. Hugs and kisses from Mira Betz, Rachel Brice, Heather Stants and Unmata's Amy Sigil and Shelley, sharing glitter and giggles with Deb Rubin and Aradia and rubbing shoulders with Zoe Jakes, Mardi Love, Kami Liddle and others all in the span of a few hours? Who would've thunk?

But then the glitter and glam was washed off and packed away, and we went back to enjoying our wonderful Vegas family. We pet and fed the animals at Bonnie Springs, including the wild donkeys who stuck their heads right into our car, jumped on Aunt Lisa's trampoline, and generally hung out and relaxed.

Toni's wedding was simple and beautiful -- it couldn't have been any better! We're so happy for her and Sofia's new Uncle Keith. May they, and Toni's dogs, enjoy many years together!

Ah, and then San Diego! Despite the fact that we arrived to RAIN (what?!), the weather quickly shaped up and we had a great vacation. A visit to the zoo was our only "real" excursion, otherwise we walked the boardwalk, buried Sof in the sand and rode our beach cruisers around. It really couldn't have been better, except if we had stayed another week. The highlight (for me, at least) was on our last day. We were sitting on the beach right before sunset with my great friend Emily, who drove down for the day from Santa Monica. Just as the sky was getting set to change colors, we spotted a group of dolphins playing just beyond the waves. We got to watch them swim and jump all the way across the horizon. Magic!

Enjoy the pics (there are even more on facebook), which are more or less arranged in the order in which they occurred:

A long overdue* introduction

2011-03-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

It's fairly safe to assume that if you're reading this blog this is old news, but it just dawned on me that this item has received no press whatsoever! Gasp!

Without further adieu, I'd like to introduce Nicholas "Nico" James Caselli, the 28-week-old ninja-kicking-soccer-playing-tap-dancing-rockin'-rollin' little dude in my belly.

Nico is already an amazing blessing to our family. He came about in the most surprising way -- just when I thought there was no humanly possible way that I could be pregnant, hello!, two pink lines appeared!

Since that wonderful little surprise discovery six months ago, time has shot by like a newly licensed 16-year-old driving alone for the first time. But just like when I was carrying Sofia, I'm truly enjoying my time as two souls instead of one. I may moan and groan when I can't get comfortable, or when Nico keeps me awake at night by thumping on my bladder, but whatever. I love it.

And I'm not the only one. Upon hearing the news that Nico was indeed a boy, I don't know if I've ever seen John so totally thrilled. And Sofia is gearing up to be an amazing older sister, making sure I take my vitamins for the baby, and even voluntarily sharing her favorite snacks with me to make sure Nico gets some. She's already planning what toys she wants to show Nico when he gets here...after HER birthday, of course.

Here's 3/4 of the fam enjoying the beach in San Diego (more vacation pics to come):

*Crossing fingers that it's not a bad idea to use the word "overdue" in reference to Nico...

Gernillas and ephalents

2011-02-08T09:13:00.001-08:00

Listening to Sofia talk has quickly become one of my favorite things in the world. It's not just her sweet munchkin voice or her earnest facial expressions, it's that she really has something to say in her beautiful little toddler English. Not to mention she's turning into quite the little joker (taking after Dad, it would seem!).

Case in point -- she's known for a while what constellations are and loves looking at stars, her solar system placemat and the stars on her ceiling cast by her little constellation turtle lamp. Of course the first and easiest one to teach her was Orion's Belt, and she likes to point it out to us. The other day we were looking at the stars and she says, "Look Daddy, it's Orion's...diaper." Insert sly little grin and sidewise glance at Daddy to see if he got the joke.

So despite *obviously* being a genius with her language skills (she told Daddy he looked dapper the other day when he was getting dressed for work), she still has her own peculiar little toddler pronunciations. Gernilla and ephalent are the only ones I can think of at the moment (gorilla and elephant, just in case anyone missed that).

She has also starting singing mostly unintelligible songs, usually while wearing a crown. Every once in a while a few recognizable phrases pop up, but mostly only she knows what she's talking about. After recently seeing "Tangled," a reinvention of Rapunzel, her song was "I have magic hair that glows when I sing." Oh, to have that on video! Here's a little general video...not her finest material, but at least something got documented:

As always, watching the day-by-day development of a human being is astonishing. She's progressed from jerky scribbling to now drawing distinct eyes, noses and mouths. She's perfected the art of stalling. She's using my parenting catch phrases against me, i.e. "Not right now, Mommy, I'm busy."

Her imagination is running wild. Every morning at breakfast we're visited by a friendly dinosaur, whose visits are announced by his knocking -- which is Sofia knocking underneath the table. Her stuffed animals and toy dinosaurs are taking on lives of their own, and we spend hours "talking" with the animals. She even does the voices. T-rex is her current favorite toy, and she sleeps with it every night, waking up each morning with T-rex clutched in her tiny hand.

Speaking of sleeping, our bedtime prayers are yet another source of sweet imagination. I ask her each night what she wants to thank Jesus for and so far the list includes, but is not limited to: Daddy, ceilings, butterflies, T-rex, lights, triangles, legs, waterfalls, puppies, goggles, OMSI, flowers, and so on.

What can I say? I love my daughter and I am treasuring our last few months alone together.

Back home from home

2011-01-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

Two homes. I can finally say that I have two homes. When we arrived in Alaska for Christmas, I was overwhelmed by the sense of, well, home. I even thought about how nice it could be to move back. Imagine my relief when after a tremendous eight snowy days, it felt good to be back in Portland. What a welcome blessing to finally truly feel that home is bigger than Alaska.

So, the trip, the trip. Lots of cousin, aunt, uncle, and grandparent time. Much of this was spent spinning the kiddos in various chairs and receiving exams from Dr. Sofia.

Sofia decorated Grandma's Christmas tree. It's kind of hard to see just how much she managed to get into the tree, so I'm also including a shot of the grand pile once the tree was defrocked:

We reconnected with lots of friends, although those pictures currently reside on their cameras. Sof came home with about a million renewed friendships, warming my heart!

After John took his early leave to get back to work in PDX, I got to be part of the NYE Fire & Ice show, one of my favorite shows we ever did in AK, and rang in the new year with a bunch of my dear dance buddies at Aksana's. While this was going on, Sof and Gma and Gpa were ringing in the new year with popcorn, firework viewing and apparently quite a bit of gas. Hence the new family terms fartworks and burpworks.

Despite Sof and I only getting five hours of sleep, we made it back to Portland tantrum free, tired, and so happy to see Daddy!

Here are a few more pics to round things out -- major thanks to Photography by Grandparents for taking and sending, since we forgot our camera...

Bzzzz-y!

2010-11-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

This fall has been a whirlwind of great things! I'll try to hit the main points:

We enjoyed a fantastic visit from G&G Oldfield, which included a couple nights out in Newport. Beach time a-plenty, sunshine, aquarium visit and sea lion watching. AND, this year we didn't get into any car accidents! Hooray! In no particular order, here are pics from that week (the first shot is Sof in her lobster costume showing off her guns):

Next up, Halloween! Since Sof was actually cognizant of the holiday this year, I spent a little time making her a custom bumblebee costume. Frankly, I'm not sure who had more fun with that. Buzzzzz! Tonight, two weeks after Halloween, Sof decided that it's again Halloween. We dressed up in full bumblebee regalia and proceeded to tromp up and down the street to see if there were any trick-or-treaters out. Um, there weren't. Anyway, it was sweetly heartbreaking to see my little earnest, hopeful bumblebee set straight on a course for disappointment. Sigh. We remedied that with the big treat of watching the Bumblebee Movie whilst still in costume.

We also managed to find a window of nice weather to get in a little hiking. Too bad I can't remember where we went! Somewhere in the Columbia Gorge...

That brings us to this weekend, I believe. We dug up all the snow gear yesterday and trekked up to Mt. Hood in search of snow. Just like last year, our hopes of snowshoeing down glorious white trails were dashed, but we did find piles of snow at Timberline Lodge to play in. We built a snowfort, a snowman and pulled Sof around in a sled. Of course, now she asks to go sledding all the time!

In the midst of all that and much more that I'm forgetting, I performed again at Bellydance Uncorked and have started taking weekly classes, something that's been a long time coming. Some highlights of things to look forward to? A date night with Hanna at Le Serpent Rouge (a show I've hoped to see for years and a friend with whom I don't spend nearly enough time), working with troupe Nagamani to prepare for our show in VEGAS, a Thanksgiving trip to Vegas and a Christmas trip to Alaska. Phew.

Until next time!

Battery woes

2010-10-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

This was it. Today was the day. Clear blue skies, warm temps and the leaves turning color but not yet dropping (much). I had my directions, lunch and snacks packed, toddler and self dressed -- I was ready to go hike some new trails and take some stinkin' cute fall pictures of Sofia.

We navigate to Tryon Creek State Park, hit the trails and arrive at a bridge. She peers over the edge, sunlight lighting up her hair while she wonders aloud where the water is going. I'm all ready with the camera, she strikes a smashing pose -- and the battery is dead. I should've known.

Camera aside, we had a delightful outing, the first of hopefully many hikes wherein she actually hikes more than she rides in the backpack. And, of course, since being out of the backpack puts her much closer to the ground, this hike resulted in...

Slug Watch 2010!

First there was the squeal of delight when she realized this long slimy thing was moving. THEN, she spotted the antennae and it was love.

"Hi slug. I'm Sofia. He's so CUUUUUUTE!"

This was followed by a long conversation in which she determined the slug was hungry and wanted apples and green beans, and then a discussion regarding where the slug's mommy was.

Give me this ANY day over...well, just about anything.

From the foot of Mt. Tabor

2010-10-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

And here I am, writing a blog post from yet another new house, this one positioned beautifully at the foot of Mt. Tabor.

Most of the boxes are gone (just don't look in our garage) and we feel incredibly comfortable in our new home. Sof has taken like gangbusters to the space and carpet and works diligently on her somersaults and, uh, kung-fu, apparently.

It seems she's grown up by leaps and bounds since moving into this house. She loves to hang out in her fort or her room, paging through her books. She totally digs our daily jaunts to Tabor, either hiking through the dog park or riding in the stroller to the top. She has established a number of "dance floors" on the path around the lower water reservoir, which she performs on during our evening strolls. She likes to tell us that the view is amazing and the sunshine is beautiful. I'm glad she can appreciate the simple things in life!

Sof also likes to tell us that our food is "delectable," and she is talking more and more like a mini adult every day. When we sit down at the dinner table, she says, "So. Daddy. How was your day?"

One of her current favorite books is "Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice," and unfortunately she REALLY loves the companion CD. We don't listen to much else these days. But I never fail to get a kick out of reciting the book back and forth with her.

We're looking forward to some upcoming photo ops so hopefully I'll get my butt in gear for some more thorough posting here. Next up -- pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island and Halloween parties!

Turkey basters, magic wands, etc.

2010-08-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

It was just a few minutes after we put Sofia to bed last night when we heard an outburst coming from her bedroom. And then again. We stopped what we were doing and started listening. For some reason, Sof was yelling out "Banano!" at the top of her lungs. Repeatedly. She wasn't upset, just exuberantly yelling. And it was simply hilarious.

This is a good example of life with Sofia recently - she's just funny to be around. The last few days she's been carrying around a turkey baster and occasionally singing into her "microphone" about whatever she's playing with. Or maybe about Lucy, or maybe a song about bahti (her blankie). And then, of course, she gives herself a round of applause after every song. If it's not the turkey baster, it's her magic wand and she's turning things into animals, yelling "Pot!" Which I have deduced is supposed to be "Poof!"

I suppose what I really need to do is videotape her more, because the thing I love most these days is her sweet little voice. I think about how quickly she's going to be a girl, a teen, a woman, and it almost breaks my heart to think I won't get to hear that innocent voice every morning. I wake up every day excited to hear what she has to say and how she's going to figure out how to say it.

To actually keep up with other news, it's been a most eventful and summer, and all highly unexpected events. We've experienced joy, loss and grief and in the midst of all of that, sold our lovely house. It's not easy to leave this house that I'm still head over heels in love with, but the decision to sell came after lots of prayer, thought and discussion. And for the house to sell in this economony after only 20 days on the market...well, I suppose this was meant to be.

I've also spent the summer dedicating hours to my new dance troupe, Nagamani, created by the amazing Lorraine, whom I met in Alaska about five years ago. I think we're on our way to some good things! Debut performances in Portland coming up Aug. 17 & 28!

My first little vegetable garden is producing beautifully. We've been happily scarfing up the sweet Walla Walla onions as they mature one by one. I'm biting my nails and watching my tomatoes, hoping that we'll be able to harvest some before we have to leave the house. We're also enjoying the absolute bounty, and I do mean bounty, of fresh berries. Sofia and I recently went berry picking on Sauvie Island, and she's been pooping blue for days. This trip also included an inadvertent jaunt on a nude beach, but that's a story for another day.

So from here...I'm not really sure where we're going to end up. We're set to re-enter the world of home rentals, and though I'm not particularly excited about it, it's rather liberating in some ways. And I know it'll lead to us finding the home that is right for all of us, wherever that might be.

But in the immediate and predictable future, a visit from Jess and Aidan! Can't wait to see them and get some good cousin pictures.

I've been slacking on taking pics lately, but here's Sof on Sauvie Island and a Nagamani promo shot:

Note to self - don't forget!

2010-06-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like that's all I ever tell myself. A million times I tell myself "don't forget (fill in the blank)," only to end up saying "I forgot." I wish I could say this was Mommy Memory, but unfortunately I've always had this problem.

This is one of the reasons I started this blog, so as not to forget so many things. And during my absence from the internet, I've forgotten quite a bit already. But here's one morning I really don't ever, EVER want to forget.

It was early enough that Sof and I were still in our PJs. We were having our daily dance party in the sunroom, when it began to evolve into something even better -- Sofia began teaching me how to dance.

She would position us in the mirror, begin a movement, and direct me -- "Do dis, Mama, do dis." I'd follow along until she began a different movement -- "Do dis, Mama, do dis." And was she ever impressive! Each move was entirely different and totally her own unique creation. And on a personal note, it was for some reason heartbreakingly sweet to hear her call me "Mama" instead of the usual "Mommy."

We spent the sweetest half an hour full of giggles and crazy dance moves. To be able to connect with my daughter in such a way is an amazing blessing, and one of those parenting rewards that makes up for days of tantrums. Not that, cough, Sof would EVER throw a tantrum or anything. Obviously. Cough.

Here's Sofia, Dance Teacher Extraordinaire:

Another dance party morning:

And here's Genius Child getting herself stuck in her stroller:

The party

2010-04-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for an elaborate birthday party complete with theme, party favors, clowns, etc., don't come looking here. A BBQ with lots of beer, wine and hot dogs? That's a little more our speed, and that's exactly what we did this weekend to mark Sofia's second birthday.

Sofia did decide about half an hour before guests started arriving that she had to have a birthday hat. I still am not really sure where this idea came from, and I certainly didn't have a birthday hat. But with a little construction paper, puffy paint and ribbon -- voila! A birthday hat:

No birthday in this family can pass without a little chocolate, and it seems Sofia is already aware of that. She got just a little upset when we delayed cupcake consumption to sing "Happy Birthday":

Ah, finally!

The party was a blast. All the kiddos left wet and dirty from playing with Sofia's new water table, and totally pooped from the impromptu dance party in the gravel. The adults went home properly wined and dined, and we even got to sit down for a few minutes at the end of everything. Success!

Two years and 7,247 diaper changes later

2010-04-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

OK, maybe not that many.

I woke up to the sound of Sofia singing to herself in her crib this morning. We've since eaten French toast, watched the garbage truck, and drawn on the newspaper with crayons all with Raffi playing in the background. I think we will build a fort soon. Is there any better way to begin your second year of life? I think not.

As any mom would probably say, birthdays are a little bittersweet. I'm so proud of our Sof-a-lof, but wow, is it all flying by so fast. Today I'm also kicking myself for not staying on top of this blog a little better. All these precious little memories are so fleeting, and I know I will truly value being able to read about them ten years from now.

Sofia's latest joys include playdough, bugs and tunnels. Everything is a tunnel now. We drive under a bridge - "Tunnel!" She puts her head under the bottom of my shirt - "Tunnel!" We get on the bed and pull the covers over our head - "Tunnel!" You can only imagine her joy when we actually drive through a real tunnel.

And speaking of bugs, we had a little incident with a tiny mouse in the dining room the other night. You would've thought this was the funniest thing in the world, according to Sofia - "Big bug! Big bug!" I'm sure seeing Mommy running around squealing and Daddy flailing around with the broom added to the amusement factor.

Music, singing and dancing are also clearly becoming more and more fun for Sofia. Every day she requests "Boom Boom" by Raffi. We have lots of sessions on the piano, either solo work or duets, and the child just adores to dance. See for yourself:

But the best things about Sofia are the sweet, quiet moments. She has taken to holding my face in her hands, stroking my cheek and saying "Love you." If she finds that I'm paying inappropriate attention to her, she'll gently turn my face towards her own, give me a big smile and a bright cheerful "Hi!"

She is also learning how to work situations to her advantage. The other day she came inside with a bunch of teeny tiny prickers in her hand. I went to work with the tweezers, which apparently fascinated her. Now whenever I need to distract her, I hand her the tweezers and tell her to take the prickers out of her hands, my hands, and Daddy's hands. However, she also now knows that she can come up to me waving her hand and whining about prickers, and it will generally get my attention, regardless of whether or not the prickers actually exist. A real trickster, this one.

Even through the worst ear infections, tantrums, and little spurts of mischief, this little child never ceases to warm my heart and make me smile. Remind me of that when she comes home with real tattoos...

Happy second birthday, my sweet Sofia!

Springtime in March? Seriously?

2010-03-07T13:19:00.000-08:00

I'd heard that such things happen, and as it turns out, the rumors are true! Spring does arrive earlier than June in places outside of Alaska.

We've been thoroughly enjoying the unusually warm and sunny spring here in Portland. Trees are blooming, daffodils are dazzling, birds are singing...it's pretty darn nice. Although I don't have any fabulous adventures to report, we've been making tons of progress in the yard. Most of my herb garden is in, pots out front are planted and Johnny even got the raised beds built yesterday. Cruising right along.

The sunshine totally agrees with Sofia, who gets pretty ticked off when it's time to go inside. She's an outdoor girl already, and is totally content with nothing but a few sticks, rocks and a pile of dirt.

Her vocabulary continues to grow by leaps and bounds. She's now stringing words together and is even counting a little bit. She's also figuring out emotions, and gets very concerned if she hears a baby crying. "Nying?" she says. Then, "Bahti?" (translation: she thinks the baby needs a blankie to feel better.)

Just the other day, Lucy had some of that gunk that dogs get in the corner of her eye (yes, this is pertinent to the story). Sofia saw it and thought it was a tear. She said "Ee-cy nying? Bahti?" and proceeded to give her blankie to Lucy. So sweet!

Just for fun, here are a few springtime illustrations. This is my little wine barrel herb garden:

Front planters -- there are even two blueberry plants in there! Can't wait to see how well they yield fruit.

Johnny building the raised beds:

Sofia randomly found my swimming goggles, and was running wildly around the house and screaming while wearing them. Awesome.

Annnnnd, we finally got some furniture for our living room. Rug, table and other odds and ends to come soon. We will probably also move the giraffe, although it does really help pull the room together...

Bellydance in Portland!

2010-02-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

Any Portlanders following this blog? Come take bellydance classes from me at the Hollywood 24 Hour Fitness on Thursday evenings from 7:30-8:30, beginning tomorrow!

We'll isolate and build core muscle, improve balance and overall grace, and get a good sweat on. Dance on!

Well, hello there!

2010-01-31T15:01:00.001-08:00

Hey, blog world! Long time no see. Frankly, I just haven't had much I wanted to say on the interwebs lately. Chalk it up to a little winter blues, and yet more adjusting to a new home.

But I have to say I think my feet are now firmly planted here in Portland, and we've established a nice daily rhythm. I can even boldly say that if I had the chance to go back in time, I wouldn't change anything.

I've been musing a lot, as one might expect, about Sofia's childhood and the world she's growing up in. What kind of country will this be? How will her social world function? What is she going to see and learn in the classroom? And seriously, how weird is it that Michael Jackson will be considered before her time? When I watch her expertly scroll through the album covers on my iPod Touch, I'm truly flabbergasted at how quickly things have changed. All I have to say is that in this house, Casa da Caselli, all of our books will have real paper pages. That you have to turn. One by one. And they never, ever have to be charged. Harrumph.

Anyhoo, Sof is, as usual, a laugh a minute these days. I can't possibly express what a joy it is watching her grow up. She has a sense of humor, bravery, confidence, creativity, trust, sensitivity, compassion...things I never expected to recognize in a 21-month-old! But I can see them, and I'm so proud of her.

Two of my current favorite Sofia antics are when she reads her books out loud, and when she has phone "conversations." She speaks her language so purposefully, so expressively it's just irresistible.

The absolute kicker was this morning. Sof found her handy dandy pocket German phrasebook, and wanted me to read it to her, which I did. Then she took it from me, and opened it up to begin reading it herself. And (*holding hand up to indicate complete honesty*), the child began to "read" the German book with a German accent. I can't recall the last time I've laughed that hard. Oh, um, wait yes I can...that would be the previous night when Johnny and I were having a Michael-Jackson-style dance off.

Ahem.

In other news, we took a little trip yesterday out to Mt. Hood to do some snowshoeing. In true Joanna style, I researched a lovely sounding trail, we packed everything up, drove an hour, and found the trail...sans snow. After a little asking around, we located another spot and finally managed to get in some snowplay!

Here's Sof, eating her first snowball:

And here's our masterpiece of a snowman:

See ya later! (*moonwalks out*)

Here's to Twenty Ten

2010-01-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

For this crazy bunch of Casellis, the new decade began with us...asleep. Yes, we were in Vegas over New Year's, and we were in bed by 11. No need to tell me how awesome we are.

But lest you judge, we really were pooped. New Year's marked the end of a wonderful visit to family and friends in Vegas, and a side trip up to Utah for some fun in the snow. I'm happy to report that after a few winters off, I got right back into the boarding groove, and wasn't too far behind Johnny coming down the mountain!

Sof and cousin Gianna picked up right where they left off, and I think I didn't even see Sof for about two days. The child was in seventh heaven -- surrounded by cousins, puppies and reptiles.

G taught Sof how to do somersaults:

We went to see the Christmas display at the Bellagio, and also caught the fountain show:

Sofia discovered the lazy susan at the cabin. Of course, now she thinks a wild ride awaits her on every table.

Sof wasn't entirely sure how much she liked the snow, but there was no question that the puppies did:

So now we're back at home and working hard at recovering from the bugs we picked up along the way. Regardless, it's SO GOOD to sleep in our own beds again.

And now we look forward to everything 2010 might hold for us. I've got a feeling it's going to be pretty good.

A Very Caselli Christmas

2009-12-22T14:03:00.000-08:00

I'd like to say this is an environmentally-friendly approach to the traditional Christmas card, but let's be serious. This is how I do Christmas cards when I can't find my lists and lists of addresses.

Anyhoo, this link just went out to as many e-mail addresses as I could muster up, but I'm posting it here to cover all my bases.

Merry Christmas!

Rain, rain, in our basement

2009-12-18T08:02:00.000-08:00

Well, when you buy a hundred-year-old house, little things are bound to crop up here and there. Such as all the rain water on the lot draining into our finished basement. As I type this post, I'm waiting for men with tools and an excavator to come destroy my lawn, er, fix the problem.

Besides that, the Caselli household has been steadily prepping for Christmas and travels, and really enjoying the Christmas season. Every morning Sof and I have our very own tree-lighting ceremony in the living room; her simple joy never gets old.

Apparently some critical neurons made connections in Sofia's head in the last week, because her language skills have suddenly exploded. She is very successfully imitating quite a few things that come out of our mouths. I was having a bad driving day the other day (no parking spots, endless one-way streets taking me the wrong direction, etc.), and through my irritated fog I became cognizant of Sofia copying all my grrrrs and groans and sighs. Nothings says "change your attitude" more than a 19-month-old sponge in the backseat!

Some random shots from the last few weeks:

It was juicy!

2009-11-27T14:03:00.000-08:00

Wow, has it really gotten this bad? Am I really reduced to blogging only around major holidays? Huh, that gives me a sort of vague lapsed Catholic-y feeling.

We celebrated our first Thanksgiving in our new home last night, it was also our first Thanksgiving on our own. The implications of that go far beyond a little homesickness -- I was responsible for putting the whole spread on by myself. Yikes! BUT -- the turkey was golden brown and juicy (let's just not discuss the giblets), the pie was perfectly sweet and buttery and crusty (yep, I made the darn thing from scratch, crust included), the yams were sweet, and the stuffing utterly gourmet. And yes, I'm still patting myself on the back.

Other than that, we've played host a few more times over the last month. Recent guests include Toni, Gaye, Jess, Aidan, and Mary H. I love ya'll to pieces and welcome anyone and everyone with open arms at any time, but MAN. It's nice to finally get a normal routine going.

Toni and Sof:

Cousins in their matching PJs:

I'm long overdue for an update on what Sofia's been up to these days. She's becoming more and more confident every day, and has very recently started telling me no when I try to help her do certain things. Little Miss Independent. She can now climb up onto the couch and dining room chairs by herself, although she often uses the dogs as steps if they happen to be lying in the correct vicinity.

Walking and reading seem to be the activities du jour. If you ask Sof, there's nothing much better in the world than putting on a pair of froggy galoshes and going puddle stomping. Add in a hill to run up and down, and you've got pure bliss.

We've also entered the world of animal noises. So far we've got lions, cows, kitties, chicks, owls and crocodiles down pat.

Sof has also recently fallen in love with her new tricycle. And no, despite was the retro Radio Flyer and plaid pants may indicate, my child is NOT becoming a hipster.

And lest I forget, she still loves her tube and her German phrasebook.

Mmmm, Kit Kat bars

2009-11-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

Ah, the post-Halloween afterglow of leftover candy. Good thing I just happened to buy our favorite kinds of candy! So now I am properly sugared up and ready to get a good post going.

Since I last wrote, we were visited by Mom C, Mom and Dad O, and are currently graced with the presence of Jess and Aidan. During Mom C's visit, we toured around the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, Hood River and the Japanese Gardens. We also dealt with Lucy's broken paw, and Sofia discovered how much fun the cone collar can be:

During Mom and Dad O's visit, we took an overnight trip to Newport. The weather was questionable, but we still squeezed in a little beach time. It was absolute heaven for a toddler who loves nothing more than to play with wet sand and stomp in puddles. We also made it to the aquarium, where, according to Sofia, we saw lots and lots of puppies. Despite getting rear-ended on the way home (everyone is safe), it was a fantastic trip!

Like any good writer, I'll bring the post full circle and finish up with Halloween. It was an enjoyable evening in, handing out candy to a steady stream of kids. No costumes for us this year (sniffle), but Sof had great fun in her lobster costume!

Pictorial

2009-09-25T13:53:00.001-07:00

My brain is lazy, so it's just pictures today.

From the Oregon Symphony's free concert on the banks of the Willamette:

Danika and Sofia:

Portland is rubbing off on Sofia. She is a becoming a nudist:

Sofia and Alyssa playing in the water room at the Children's Museum:

Fabric at the museum:

And one more of the smock, just cause it's so darn cute:

Miscellaneous musings

2009-09-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a round up of the latest happenings.

We briefly hosted the Danilava-Smith clan before their foray down into California. Sof was beside herself with glee at the prospect of having two live-in playmates. We did some touring of Portland, and topped off the visit with a rather disastrous dinner at the Kennedy School. Under our table looked like Pizza Chernobyl...I feel sorry for whomever our busboy was. Anyway, great chaos and fun!

After their departure, Hubs also left on a 4-day "golf" (read: beer) retreat with his new co-workers. Needing entertainment and distraction from a suddenly empty house, Sof and I struck out on three days of adventure of our own. Day 1 was a visit to the Hoyt Arboretum, an amazingly beautiful place. This turned into a bit of misadventure, however, when I missed a turn and extended our hike by about 2 hours. At least it was sunny! We also got splendid views of Mt. Hood, St. Helens and the city, and even had a coyote run right in front of us.

Day 2 was a trip out to Seaside for some quality beach time. Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead. Someday I WILL learn to check these things in advance. Sof finally discovered the joys of playing in the sand. She also got to play in the waves, sort of. I held her and we jumped over waves as they came in, much to her delight. Other joys of the day included caramel corn, chasing seagulls, and helping another little girl dig a big hole. We came home totally crusted in sand and very pleasantly pooped.

Day 3 found us at the farmer's market at PSU. We came home with artichokes, pickles, berries, flowers and more. I think it was at this point that I realized I had definitely injured my foot while hiking the other day. Enter grumpiness and limping as I realized I would have to begin staying off my foot.

This past weekend, John, Sof and I loaded up and headed for Oakridge to meet a group of friends for some camping and mountain biking. Well, they all camped, we bunked down in a cheap motel. John had a blast riding on singletrack again, it's been a long time for him. Sof and I killed time hanging out at the campsite and then driving around when she needed to nap. We did manage to do a little biking ourselves on a nice flat trail through the woods. Overall, great trails, great company! Here's baby Nick trying to impress Sofia...

Speaking of trails, we discovered doggy heaven! It's an expanse known as Thousand Acres, which is, well, an expanse of 1,000 acres. It has numerous trails running through it, and runs up against at least one river (I'm still figuring out the geography). Either way, dogs can go off leash here and run their little hearts out. And bonus for the two-legged poop-scooping crew -- blackberry bushes abound!

Last night marked a notable Sof development. While running around, she took a little breather to do some, er, business in her diaper. Then she looked up at me, pointed to her diaper, and said "poo poo!" We're so proud.

Next up -- the return of the Danilava-Smiths for more merriment and exploration of the city. And, as always, safety first!

A laugh a minute

2009-09-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

I really should have known better. Any parent should know that long periods of silence are cause for concern.

This particular period of silence? See for yourself.

Sof discovered that you can throw things out of windows without screens. And this is just the collection under *one* window.

Other times, the silence just leads to a fashion show, which I'll take any day.

No, Mom, I haven't been in the fireplace. Why do you ask?

2009-09-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Grandpa will love this one

2009-09-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Whilst I was unpacking more books, Sofia managed to find a pocket-sized German phrase book. She has now been carrying it literally everywhere we go for the last two days straight. Eindrucksvoll!

Latest lessons

2009-09-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

A toddler who constantly strews crumbs every which way is an ant's best friend. Also? Ants love a big bowl of salt water taffy.

Just call me Ant Slayer.

More Portland-ite by the minute -- an itemized list

2009-08-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

-"Last Thursday" on Alberta with Mark, Athena, Darby and Paul. Sof got a sweet new hat, and we watched some crazy street performers, who were apparently death dancers. And lest I forget, John located an amazing pizza joint. Not once, not twice, but three times I turned around to see him coming out the door with another slice in hand.

-Friday: Road trip to Cannon Beach. A bit rainy, but spectacular. John showed Sof how to go barefoot in the sand, which she wasn't too sure about. We checked out the view from Ecola State Park, where Sof discovered just how cool slugs are. The day also included two staples of the OR coast -- clam chowder and salt water taffy, yum!

-Saturday: Early morning run with Sarah at Forest Park -- yay for running on a dirt trail! This was followed by breakfast and coffee at St. Honore, where it's rumored they fly their croissant dough in from France. I don't know about that, but I will eat their croissants ANY time.

Bested by the DMV

2009-08-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, Oregon DMV. You got me good. The first trip to visit you for a driver's license and vehicle registration, I'll admit, I messed up. I definitely could've done a bit more research to see what you'd need from me. But the blame definitely started shifting to you on the second trip, when you wouldn't accept either pieces of my mail because one wasn't dated, and the other had a sticker for an address. You kind of started getting on my nerves then.

But the third trip? When you wouldn't accept my mail because it was addressed to John & Joanna Caselli, not Joanna & John Caselli? That was just a bit much, don't you think? At least by then I'd learned the quickest route to get to you.

The fourth and final trip, well, I finally turned the tables and successfully jumped through all your hoops. Ha, take that! I got my license. And, I have to admit, you did redeem yourself just a touch by having an employee who busted out the "Joanna" song. I think we can be friends now. Or at least pleasant acquaintances.

Heaven = Fabric For Less

2009-08-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

Want an endless selection of chiffon for $2/yd? Gorgeous sari and other embroidered trims for $1/yd? Shelves and shelves of sparkly Indian jewelry? Go no farther than 6 blocks from my house -- Fabric For Less. How sweet it is.

Here, there, everywhere

2009-08-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

OK, we're here. Not sure what's out "there." And our stuff is still everywhere. But? It's all good.

We're one week into our new life in Portland, and it's been like trying on that perfect dress. You see it on the rack and think that it could be a possibility. Deep down you know it's the right one. You reach for it and as soon as you touch the fabric you start to fall in love with it. You take it into the dressing room and -- ta-dah! It's everything you hoped it would be.

So although we haven't quite worn our new dress out on the town yet, yes, Portland is a beautiful fit. We have quite the laundry list of things still to be done, like building a compost bin, furnishing our living room, installing a few shelves, etc. But we wouldn't be nearly as far along as we are without the help of my mom, who helped me wrangle Sofia and the two dogs on the flight to Portland, and then stayed with us for the first few days. Thanks, Mom!!

Yesterday marked one of our first excursions out of the neighborhood strictly for fun -- we went to the Saturday Market under the Burnside Bridge. Arrived just in time to see flamenco dancers, followed immediately by bellydancers (Gypsy Caravan, for those keeping score). Clearly, I was a happy camper, and as soon as Johnny spotted the food booths, so was he. It was a close call between Beirut, Africa, Thailand and China, but Beirut won out and he scored some excellent falafel.

Sof and her eagle eyes spotted the fountain/wading pool before I did, and just had to be part of the action:

It's not all quite sunshine and falafel, though. Our battles du jour include dogs busting through screen windows and digging holes under the fence, and a whiny, rashy toddler fighting off an unknown virus. It's nothing serious, but enough to make her want to be held every bloody waking minute. I just sigh, and know that this, too, shall pass.

Next on the agenda? We're not quite sure yet. We do know that a Ben Harper/Pearl Jam concert is approaching, so we're busily working on making nice with the neighbors/potential babysitters across the street...I think we will also bribe them with some salmon. Couldn't hurt, right?

She said "shoe!"

2009-08-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

We move from Alaska to Oregon, and this is what it takes to get me to update the blog. Sof said "shoe" tonight, although it sounded a bit more like "zoo." Close enough.

Full update and pics to come as soon as I locate my camera cord!

Leaving on a jet plane

2009-08-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is D-Day. Departure Day. I'll step onto the plane, wrestle with Sofia for three hours, and then disembark into a new life. It's a strange, strange concept.

But I'm ready! After living through the Summer of Perpetual Goodbyes, as it shall henceforth be known, I'm ready to get a move on.

So, Alaska, it's been great. I've got nearly two decades of memories to take with me, and I'll always be an Alaskan at heart. Look for me cruising the streets of Portland or the great beaches of Oregon. I'll be seeing ya soon.

Phew

2009-08-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

I've just been saved from yet another extremely expensive "whoops." Last time the expensive "whoops" involved a diamond necklace from Hubs, which is now probably being enjoyed by a hotel maid somewhere in Munich. This time, it involved my fabulous SLR camera, which I realized that I had left at my going away party Saturday night. BUT. I've received word that it's safe, so PHEW.

Oh, now look at that handy little segue, which allows me so nicely to talk about my going away party. It consisted mostly of a horde of bellydancers taking over the Sahara restaurant for a mass inhalation of falafel, kebabs and wine. I was gifted with a number of gorgeous and heartfelt dances (just for me!!), and some amazing farewell speeches that I'll always remember. Needless to say, I came home with puffy eyes and much less makeup than earlier that evening.

I have been so amazingly blessed to have been part of this community. It's an experience I will never forget.

And now that the teary goodbyes have been said to my buddies, I can relax and enjoy our last two weeks in Alaska living with my parents.

Sof has handled the transition thus far like a champ, though that's not a surprise! It's especially no problem to have Grandma around to play with her all the time.

Speaking of Sofia, she's not a baby anymore! I just realized this the other day. She's a TODDLER. I turned my head for a minute, and poof! There's a little girl. A walking, semi-independent, babbling little girl who loves to play in forts and walk around with her blankie over her head. Amazing.

Stay-at-home mom tips: Volume 1

2009-07-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Disappearing into the bathroom with a book is a great way to get some no-questions-asked alone time.

The great transition

2009-07-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Only one week left in our beautiful Alaska home. The home where John and I began our life together, the home where we first brought our beautiful baby girl.

I've been focusing on treating this move as less of a "good-bye" and more of a "see-you-later" type thing. But every once in a while, little reminders sneak up on me of just how emotionally tough this whole moving business is. Shoot, there are times when all I have to do is look at the flowers in my backyard and I get all weepy.

But writing is therapeutic. Just when I think I want to wax poetic about the deep emotional ties I have to my raspberry bushes, I remember the mosquitoes that prey mercilessly on me as I try to pick berries. Just when I'm about to expound on the profound loss I will feel for our decks, I remember the bee hives that lurk beneath them. When I ask the age-old question how I will cope without 20 hours of daylight in the summer, I remember the 20 hours of darkness in the winter.

I also remember how I didn't really fall in love with our house until we were faced with the prospect of leaving it. How sick I was of being buried by snow for 6 months at a time. How much I craved a real road trip. How I truly believe that starting in a new place together will be the best possible thing for my small, beloved family.

And at the same time...

I remember how, even though I love my family, I didn't really get the value of being here with them until I realized they won't be right around the corner anymore. I didn't understand how much I cherish my friends and they cherish me until I told them we were leaving. How the isolation and tough conditions of Alaska breed a unique type of people, whom I will miss tremendously.

So as my heartstrings are being pulled every which way, I'm just going to put myself in God's hands and know that all things will work out.

And now, I'm going to dry my eyes and pull out one of my favorite books to read to Sofia -- Oh, The Places You'll Go, by the tremendous Dr. Seuss.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
through your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike,
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Real estate purgatory

2009-07-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Apparently selling and purchasing homes simultaneously is not compatible with having a life. The last few days have been nothing but a barrage of repairs, mortgage paperwork and headaches (mostly for John). But each day we get a little bit closer, and I think someone's currently replacing the lightbulb at the end of the tunnel, so we should be seeing that soon.

Thankfully, we have our own personal little angel wing to always cheer us up!

Playing catch up

2009-07-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Since I last blogged, here are the haps:

-Took trip to Portland without Sofia, fell in love with a house.
-Lost house to another couple.
-Mourned loss of house.
-Stewed over what to do next.
-Found out other couple lost house.
-Got house back.
-Celebration!
-Made new dance costume, got ready for Girdwood Forest Fair.
-Performed to Gypsy Underground at Forest Fair.
-Had a lovely Fourth of July at Forest Fair, and then at home with the Danilava-Smith clan.
-Began new session of dance classes.
-Adjusting to life with a walking toddler.
-Dealing with record-setting high temps.
-Hanging out in the park every day with Sofia.
-Being equally sad and excited about life outside of Alaska.

Here's a random assortment of recent pics:

These are from a trip out to Hatcher's Pass over Memorial Day weekend...

Hiking with Sofia in Glenn Alps, with Lucy getting too close to a mama moose and her two babies:

Our new house!

And finally, a cutie patootie shot of Sof and her bud Alyssa:

Dance, clean, pack, dance, pack, clean

2009-06-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Since the triathlon, my life can be summed up by those three words. Our dance community put on a successful show as a fundraiser for the Abused Women's Aid in Crisis shelter, so Sof and I spent a good deal of time going from studio to studio for rehearsals. We also managed to squeeze in a weekend out in Chickaloon, where Sof got to ride a trike, watch the dancing, listen to the band and climb:

Then it was time to get ready for my big trip to Santa Fe, a trip I've been dreaming about for the last three years. I took a week-long workshop to become certified as a SEEDs teacher. SEEDs (Self-esteem, Education and Empowerment through Dance) is an amazing teen girl mentorship program which uses bellydance as a hook and training method. After dancing, the girls learn about basic life skills -- their own development, nutrition, self esteem, body image, budgeting, financial independence, goal setting...these are just some of the many topics covered.

Besides all that, my travel buddy Joanna Lee and I rented a convertible whooped it up as best we could in our limited (and exhausted) free time. We checked out the Rio Grande gorge, roamed around Taos, drank wine aptly named Red Hot Mama, laughed at the German market in Red River, went to a BBQ at the lovely Myra's home and just generally enjoyed each other.

The week was absolutely incredible and tough to put into words. Completely inspiring, humbling and motivating. I went with my dear friend Joanna, and we came home with ten new dear friends in the other participants. And thank goodness for my family at home -- John took care of Sof while still working full time and trying to sell our house. And Jess kept Sof during the day while also taking care of Aidan. Phew! Here's a link to a bunch more pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kendesh/sets/72157619816374617/

Congrats to the SEEDs teachers graduating class of 2009!

Theeeeen, I got home from New Mexico around midnight on Wednesday, turned around and flew out to Portland at 7 Thursday morning. Ugh. Thus commenced a whirlwind of househunting, neighborhood scouting and seeing old friends. We did find a few neighborhoods we loved, with Multnomah Village topping the list for those of you keeping score.

We still don't have an offer on our house here, which means we haven't made any offers in Portland. But we did have SIX showings on our first day back home, so the interest (and cleaning) continues.

In some of the biggest news of all, Sofia took her first steps while I was in New Mexico!! She is quickly becoming a professional walker. I will definitely get some video up as soon as I can, but I'm currently having issues publishing my vids to youtube. Grrr. Suffice it to say it was a long flight home from Portland!

And now, I best go clean.

Stats

2009-05-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

Despite my absolutely abysmal swim time, I still managed to finish 262nd out of 1229 finishers. I was 34th in my age group of 158. Given my mediocre training, I'm pretty happy with that!

An even rosier spin on the numbers is that Mom and I finished in the top 20 mother-daughter teams (19th out of 111)! Not bad at all.

Coupla bad mama-jamas

2009-05-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

Once more, Mom and I have conquered the Gold Nugget Triathlon. I've lost exact count of how many times we've done this, but I think we're somewhere around 7 or 8 times? Maybe more?

The day could not have been more perfect. Not a cloud in the sky, and barely a whisper of a breeze. John and Sof made it out in plenty of time to cheer us on, and the event got John inspired to enter a triathlon himself! If our moving plans allow, we're both hoping to do the Eagle River Triathlon.

I can't speak for Mom here, but my race went all right. As it always does, adrenaline got the best of me in the pool, and I think I floundered more than I swam. This is probably best evidenced by the fact that I was passed by about four 12 to 14-year-olds. In my defense, I think they all are on the same swim team. And even more in my defense, I passed all those little bastards on the bike.

While we wait for the results to be posted, here are some pics of myself, Mom and my Fairbanks friend Mary, who wins the All-Time Badass Award for completing the triathlon with a broken foot and a crutch.

Here I am at T1, the transition from swim to bike:

Me, finishing the bike portion. Please note that not only am I breaking the posted speed limit, I am also about to pass one of those annoyingly-fast-swimming pre-teens:

Kicking it in:

Crutching it in:

Mom finishing (boy, does she look happier than I did!):

Me, Mom, Mary -- happy to have earned our finisher's T-shirts:

The mother-daughter team:

The future mother-daughter team:

Epic

2009-05-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

When I was young, I constantly begged for a dog. When I got older, I began to want kids. How lucky am I to now have a baby who thinks she's a dog?

Now that I've got the requisite cute factor covered, it's time for another epic update. Yes, once again I've been slacking on my blog updates. And yes, once again I'm going to shamelessly list my excuses, not the least of which is having a one year old in the house. Besides that, I'm running my third (and successful!) session of Bellydance Bootcamp; preparing for a performance on May 30 (which involves choreographing, rehearsing and costuming for three pieces); training for the Gold Nugget Triathlon on Sunday; planning a weeklong solo trip to Santa Fe for a training/certification program (more on that later); and finally, prepping for a Major Life Change.

The Major Life Change is that we are moving to Portland, OR. Hubs is transferring within his company, and we hope to be on the road by the end of the summer. Moving, you say? Weren't we supposed to do that last year? Well, this year it's a certainty, and this year both halves of the spousal unit are happy about it. Besides all the emotions that come along with a move, we're also now dealing with the reality of getting the house ready to go on the market and searching for a suitable home in Portland.

Phew!

So back to the present, the triathlon is looming. Sofia has been an awesome training partner, riding in her trailer or stroller for many of my rides and runs. She's even been helping Dad work on the bikes:

Speaking of Sofia, she's been happy as a clam lately. She's standing on her own like a champ and is thinking REALLY hard about walking on her own. Just the other day, she was standing up and picked up her foot a little bit. We're soooo close. Her current favorite activities include hanging out on the stairs or in the dog room, usually playing in the water dish. She also enjoys long walks on the beach.

And now, Sof and I are off to the studio for a practice.

ONE

2009-04-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Sofia, my angel, my sunshine, my sweet doodle bug,

A little less than a year ago, I wrote you a letter telling you about how you were born. Alas, that letter went to the great laptop graveyard in the sky, so I'm writing to you here in the hopes that it won't get lost this time. Also because I don't have a printer.

Last night you kept waking up, which is unusual for you. You didn't seem to want anything except to be held. So we went downstairs and lay down on the couch, you snuggling up on my chest. Your breathing became peaceful and pretty soon there we were, belly to belly, you sound asleep. It's been months since you fell asleep like that. I glanced over at the clock to see that it was -- almost to the minute -- exactly a year since we laid like that, meeting skin to skin for the very first time. I cried then and I cried last night.

You see, Sofia, when you were born and the midwife put you on my chest, I couldn't believe the miracle of you. There you were, this extension of me, this new soul, my heart beating outside my body. I couldn't find words to describe it when I wrote that first letter, and one year later, I still can't find the words.

This last year you've been my little partner in crime, my traveling ray of sunshine. You've trekked to New York, Las Vegas, San Diego and Colorado. You've danced with me and all your bellydance sisters in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Seward. After dumping cell phones in the fireplace, unraveling the TP and eating dog kibble, you've learned the meaning of NO. You can take your shirt off, dance to any rhythm, climb the stairs and make farting noises with your mouth on the sliding glass door.

Through all the tears (yours and mine) and frustration (yours and mine), you've brightened every second of every day for the last year. And even more than that, I watch how every day you can light up the day of a complete stranger with just one smile. I hope you never lose that ability. I hope you never stop dancing. I hope you always love dogs. I hope you remain curious about the world around you. I hope you laugh. I hope your faith never wavers. I hope you always know how loved you are.

Happy first birthday.
Love, Mom

Look, Ma, no shirt!

2009-04-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

The other morning, I heard the most self-delighted baby giggles coming from the living room. Camera in hand, I found the spectacle of Sof learning how to undress herself.

Sleeve one:

Head:

Finally free:

Celebrate!

Oh, yeah, and this morning she discovered the toilet paper roll:

Who needs vitamin D supplements?

2009-04-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Not us! We just spent a glorious ten days in Vegas and San Diego, soaking up the rays. And -- drum roll please -- not one of us got sick! This is a major accomplishment, given that at least I have been sick on our last three visits.

So not being sick let us cram in tons of activities. We mostly spent our time with the family at Lisa's or Mom's, and Sofia absolutely ate up all the attention. She followed G all over and got endless laughs out of big cousins Frankie and Anthony.

I loved being able to take my daughter outside without having to think about ten thousand layers of clothing. So strange to think that she's almost a year old and this trip was her first experience sitting in grass! We did a little hiking in the Red Rocks, a truly beautiful place. Of course the only camera we had was John's Blackberry, so this is the best we could do:

We spent a couple evenings at the ballpark for Anthony's tournament:

Hung with the Armijos:

Then we road tripped out to San Diego. The five-hour drive there and back was worth EVERY SECOND of our single day there. We hit Old San Diego for dinner the first night and consumed -- what else? -- copious amounts of Mexican food and margaritas:

Sof got her hands in the sand for the first time. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but she liked the wandering duck:

We spent most of our whole day in CA at Sea World, doing all your typical Sea World things. Dolphin show, Shamu show, feeding seals, traipsing through the shark tank. I was amazed at how much Sofia seemed to perceive. Her favorite was walking under the shark tank -- she was mesmerized.

That evening John, Sof and I walked along the beach at sunset -- one of my favorite things in the world to do. We met the rest of the fam for dinner at this fantastic beach-front restaurant. As was to be expected, Sof got a little antsy, so I had to get up and distract her for a bit. We stepped outside the restaurant to discover a live fire show on the beach right outside! A poi spinner and fire juggler were all Sof needed to settle down.

Back inside, Sof entertained herself by feeding Aunt Lisa:

Once back in Vegas, it was time for a big boy and girl night out. Johnny and I left Sof with Lisa and Jenna and hit the Strip to go see the Phantom of the Opera. Don't let the fact that Johnny dozed off four times fool you -- the show was outstanding. Although I suppose it doesn't matter what show you put on a $40 million stage, it will be entertaining one way or the other. Again, all we had was the Blackberry for photos:

This brings us to Easter Sunday, our last day. We just happened to catch some old friends of John's for an Indian lunch of dosas, Heny Melwani and his dad:

Then the Easter feast with the whole family, including the most fabulous stuffed clams I've ever had.

Crammed somewhere between all the eating and ping pong, we had a little early first birthday party for Sof:

And now that this post has reached epic proportions, I'm going to call it good.

Bad blogger

2009-03-30T17:54:00.004-07:00

What can I say? Life as I knew it no longer exists -- Sofia is mobile. My blogging time is now spent keeping her out of the fireplace, taking dog kibble out of her hands and generally trying to prevent life-threatening injuries. These distractions are quite fine by me, as it also takes my mind off our never-ending winter, just made even more gray by a lovely layer of ash from one of Mt. Redoubt's eruptions.

We've otherwise been staying busy fending off the stomach flu, celebrating birthdays, teaching dance (that one's just me), and chasing the Sof-ster. She's getting smarter and smarter every day, watching what I do and then trying it out herself. She's turning the pages of books when we read to her, she "combs" her hair, and has figured out how to open numerous things she should not be opening. She sure has a knack for turning everything she touches into a potential injury.

And, of course, the walking! See for yourself:

P.S. My b-day present was a new video camera. Now I can actually upload videos onto my computer! Yaaay! Be prepared for tons of gratuitous baby footage.

Tiny dancer

2009-03-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

The little man

2009-03-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Because he deserves more than a Tweet

2009-03-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Aidan McIntyre was born early this morning, on Friday the 13th under a full moon. Good thing we don't believe in omens. Everyone's healthy and doing marvelously. 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and a little fuzz on his head with some male-pattern-baldness-style hairlines in effect. Tough to say who he looks like right now, he's still a little squishy. But a handsome kind of squishy.

Sofia has another cousin to add to the list and is no longer the main show in town! Shoot, I guess this means we're next in line...

Of martinis and pickles

2009-03-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

As we cruise disturbingly quickly toward Sofia's first birthday, the milestones keep piling up. I'm currently getting a gas out of the following:

- She turns the pages of the book when we read, and that's regular pages, not board books. Also, she's consistently doing it with her left hand, so I think it's pretty certain that she's a lefty.
- She's latched onto my "uh-ohs" when she drops something and is now almost saying it herself. A lot.
- She dances any time a beat is created. When we turn music on, someone claps, etc. She's got the clapping thing down, too.
- She loves pickles and spinach. Not at the same time, though that wouldn't surprise me. She spits out Cheerios, but goes crazy for pickles and spinach.
- She FLIPS OUT with excitement when Daddy shakes the martini shaker. I don't know how this even got started, but she can be at her most grumpy and when that shaking starts...look out. Party animal here we come.
- She really loves the vacuum cleaner. This is to the point where it's actually difficult for me to vacuum because she follows me around and tries to grab the vacuum or the cord.
- Hmmm. The last two points bode well for the future -- just give her a martini and a vacuum cleaner and let her go to town. Just kidding. Or...maybe not??

She stands!

She crawls!

She loves her tongue!

She wants to eat the camera!

A laugh a minute, that's for sure.

Carnage. This time for real.

2009-03-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

I totally expected all sorts of new bumps and bruises as Sofia learned to stand and walk. What I did NOT expect was her to chip a tooth that had barely even emerged from her gums. Yep, she lost her footing while playing with her little table and took a spill, and, I'm assuming, hit her tooth on the table on the way down. Imagine how fun it was to find blood and a fragment of baby tooth in her mouth. Poor little monkey. But she's just fine, she cried for a minute and it's been business as usual since. Just with a battered gumline now.

And now I've gotten my first taste of wanting to fix something for my baby that can't be fixed. Better get used to that feeling, eh?

Mayhem, carnage and pasta

2009-03-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

The restrained beasts snorted, hoofs kicking the ground and sun glinting off the sharp points of their horns. Crowds of spectators gathered anxiously along the sides of the chute, awaiting the beginning of the fabled event and the prospect of carnage and mayhem. The participants in the chute cast repeated glances over their shoulders. What was going through their heads? Fearful thoughts of being trampled or gored as they tried to outrun the beasts? Excitement at the thought of the impending adrenaline rush? Perhaps they were looking for an escape route?

And then...the beasts were released. The participants surged forward, sometimes with only mere inches separating flesh from horn. From our safe vantage point, John, Sofia and I cheered along with the rest of the crowd.

But wait! A participant is desperately reaching out! Hand outstretched, she...pets the beast? And hold on, what's that? That beast over there just stopped to eat a carrot. And that one stopped running and is now walking the other direction.

Welcome to the annual Running of the Reindeer, a ridiculously entertaining event in Anchorage. And, one in which my parents actually participated! See, can't you see the terror in my mom's eyes?

Petting the reindeer:

This was as close as we got to carnage:

Apparently the Lord Himself sanctioned the event?

And, of course, Sof:

This has nothing to do with reindeer, but later that evening Sof learned how to lick the pasta sauce spoon, and LOVED it. Next we need to teach her how to dunk a chunk of bread into the pot...

The "Latest deets" sidebar

2009-02-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, but I got on the Twitter train. This is essentially blogging for people who are too lazy to blog. Or, you know, interact with other human beings. Twitter limits you to 140 characters per post, and other "tweeters" can respond to your short "tweets."

So I linked up my "tweets" to this blog. It's rather fun, it indulges me when I'm not up for writing a full post. It also has the potential to be a creative challenge for those who care enough to try to communicate as much as possible in 140 characters or less. But as you can see, it's also displaying my tweeting responses to other tweeters' tweets. So until I get my settings the way I like them, any tweet with an "@" symbol in front of it is me tweeting at another tweeter's tweet. Phew.

Yay for internet trends! We'll see how long I last with this one.

Mildly perturbed

2009-02-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

Along with the joys of being able to pull oneself up to standing come some new issues. Case in point -- now if I put her to bed when she doesn't want to go down, she can stand up at the edge of the crib to scream her little head off.

My poor little mama heart just can't take it, so the last couple days I've returned to her room to get her out of her crib. Of course, little smarty pants figured that one out pretty quickly, and has been trying to work it to her advantage. Last night we knew she was exhausted, so decided to let her cry it out. It worked, but...when we checked on her before we went to bed, we discovered that she had fallen asleep folded completely in half. She had obviously been sitting up, then it appears she just passed out and fell face first onto her legs.

Around midnight she got fussy, so I unfolded her, thinking it was the ungodly position she was in that was making her uncomfortable. She started wailing again, then eventually drifted off. When I got her this morning, she was folded in half again.

Surely this can't be the healthiest way to sleep? But is it worth waking her up to unfold her? I am mildly perturbed.

One tooth, two teeth, three teeth, sore teeth

2009-02-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

Chances are, if you've talked to me in the last couple days, you've either heard Sofia screeching or heard me talking about Sofia screeching. Poor child has four teeth coming in simultaneously. She's no longer interested in her teething toys, and believe me, we're trying everything. We've got water filled teethers, vibrating teethers, smooth ones, bumpy ones, hard ones, soft ones. I've tried frozen washcloths, wet washcloths, not to mention the homeopathic teething gel, tablets and drops. Bottom line is, it just plain hurts.

So, seeing as John conveniently choose this time to go to Fairbanks on business, my sole purpose in life right now is Mission: Distraction. This has led to the discovery of the drum, which Sofia absolutely loves. She bangs away on it, and when I play it she "dances." I love my girl!

And two more "big girl" milestones -- she crawled *to me* for the first time this week! Also, I came to get her from her crib this morning and she was standing up. Oh my.

Yeah, yeah, not the best picture, but she's working so hard at it I just have to post it. Besides, who doesn't love round, squishy baby butt?

Blue 42! Blue 42!

2009-02-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

In the end, it was a football that did it. A little nerf football on the floor was what finally got Sofia crawling. She's been inching toward this milestone for weeks, and she successfully crawled several "steps" this morning. After she got her football, she went directly to my bag and pulled out all my cash.

Something tells me we're in trouble.

Love affair with the bowl

2009-02-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

Besides the chapstick, Sofia's other favorite toy is the silver mixing bowl. It's remarkable. You can put things in it, take things out of it, push it around, chew on it, and even sit in it. The possibilities are endless!

And here's a little photographic evidence that Sofia doesn't just look like me. She's got PLENTY of her father in her*:

*This was NOT premeditated in any way. The shot of Sofia was taken yesterday, the one of John is from New Year's.

Winter adventures

2009-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Now that we've broken out of our cold snap and gotten new snow to make up for the warm snap, we're right in that sweet spot of winter. Temps in the teens to 20s, a beautiful snow cover and blue skies. So, like all good Alaskans, we're doing our best to take advantage of it.

On Superbowl Sunday, Mom and I continued our annual tradition of skiing as a Mother-Daughter team in the Ski for Women. I think this was my tenth year, and Mom's 13th doing the ski. This year we even got it together and made costumes! Here we are, Devils with Blue Dresses On:

This last weekend we were finally able to break out the snowshoes. Mom, Dad, John, Sofia, Lucy, Bella and I headed for the hills and spent a beautiful afternoon trekking around Prospect Heights/Powerline Pass.

How many Casellis does is take to adjust a snowshoe? I like that Sofia's not even a year old and she already finds her parents amusing.

The little things at 9.5 months

2009-02-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've recorded all the little things about Sof that slay me on a daily basis. Here they are, in no particular order:

- How she can travel so far without actually crawling. She has mastered getting on all fours, then rolling back onto her butt, sitting up and starting over. She's also become quite adept at pushing herself backwards on her belly, especially on the pergo.

- She's discovered how to shake her head "no." She loves doing this, and loves it when other people do it. She'll giggle and then copy the movement. It's especially funny to her if you stick your tongue out at the same time.

- Her facial expressions are developing like crazy. This is going to require some video...

- Chapstick is her new favorite toy. We have baskets full of carefully researched child development toys sitting around the house, and she wants the chapstick.

- She giggles and gasps and gets excited every time I pull out books to read to her.

- She LOVES flying with Dad.

- She can drink out of a regular glass no problem. It's the sippy cup we're still working on.

- She digs hanging out in her walker, but so far can only move backwards. Maybe if she weren't so preoccupied with feeding the dogs her little snacks she could get it figured out.

- Her need for stimulation is growing. The child has learned what it is to be bored, and lets me know when she feels that way.

- Girlfriend's got a mind of her own. She's figured out that she doesn't like it if you take something away from her that she's not done with.

- She "talks" with her buddy, 2-year-old Danika. They'll sit across from each other and scream back and forth, each copying the other's tone and volume. This can go on for quite a long time...

- Dad's Mets cap is still one of her all-time favs.

It's all Greek to me

2009-01-30T09:17:00.000-08:00

Was our child's first word really "opa?" I think it was. She got all sorts of excited sitting at the table with us while we ate our gyros and falafel, so I yelled out "opa!" And she copied me. Not once, not twice, but three times. So there you have it. Opa.

When babies attack!

2009-01-26T09:02:00.001-08:00

The following event is the result of, I believe, some leftover crumbs of chocolate brownie on Aunt Jess's face. Apparently Sofia likes chocolate? I'll let you be the judge. Let me also just add that this video is only the tail end of this incident. The entire thing lasted several minutes, but we were all laughing too hard to even think of documenting it at first.

Marketing madness

2009-01-14T16:04:00.000-08:00

I'm in full blown marketing mode. My first session of bellydance classes since having Sofia begins on Tuesday, and I'm feeling the stress of wondering how many people will show up. Therefore, I'm digressing slightly from the purpose of this blog to shamelessly promote my classes.

Here's the promo:

If I have any Alaska readers who are interested, get the rest of the details at my partner's website, www.dancewithaksana.com.

Daddy's girl

2009-01-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

Sofia's baby chatter repertoire has vastly increased over the last week, she has now mastered the letter "d," along with a few others. Papa is thrilled to now hear "dadadadada."

Besides documenting her growing "vocabulary," I just need to take a moment for some gloating -- she eats peas. The child eats peas. PEAS. That's a green vegetable. Perhaps she takes after her dad, who prefers a second helping of salad over dessert. Huh. That plus a dog who prefers grapes over steak scraps...what kind of alternate universe am I living in?! I better go eat some fudge...

Can I have some cheese with this whine?

2009-01-02T09:51:00.001-08:00

I wasn't going to complain when our refrigerator broke on Christmas Eve. I wasn't even going to complain when the repair guys said they couldn't get to it until Jan. 5.*

HOWEVER. I am going to complain now. I am going to complain that our pipes are frozen and we have no heat in the longest and coldest cold snap of the winter. Consider my complaint filed.

*Just for the record, Johnny successfully did the repair on our refrigerator. He gets major bragging rights for that.

What's more fun than a NYE fire show?

2009-01-01T10:59:00.001-08:00

How about a New Year's Eve outdoor fire show on the COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR? I think I can officially call myself a bada$$ after performing for 2 solid hours outside in negative 10 degrees. Super duper!

For the second year in a row, my girls and I were hired to perform at the downtown Fire & Ice New Year's Eve celebration. Last year we were such a hit that this year we got paid more, got a better location, and -- brace yourselves -- we even got our very own warming tent! Talk about moving up in the world. And to top it all off, we even made the front page of paper this morning as the lead color photo. You can see all the photos at www.adn.com, if you're so inclined. Or you can just look at my pictures:

After the show, I met John and Sofia over at Jess and Pete's house. It was there that Bradyn proceeded to school us in electronic Battleship:

Cody worked us with the Wii:

And Sofia once again proved that she's a party animal, staying wide awake and smiley until we drove her home at 11:30 because Mama was more tired than she was:

Happy New Year!

The nose knows

2008-12-29T10:56:00.000-08:00

Sofia has discovered that Daddy's nose is ever-so tasty and just the right size to suck on:

And two new skills -- she's starting to give "hugs," and she's almost figured out how to clap her hands. Genius!

"Lucy, stop licking my bear poop!"

2008-12-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

Ha! I bet you were expecting the next post to be "Baby's first Christmas," or something equally cliche. I'm not claiming to be immune from the cliche and mundane, but I like to keep you on your toes.

Christmas in the Caselli household was as lovely as ever this year, with Sofia playing in the paper and ribbon and Lucy trying to get into everything -- hence the post title. John filled my stocking with chocolate items closely resembling bear poop; Lucy seemed to like these best.

We were truly blessed this year, spending both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family. Not only did we get to go to church to see the kids tell the Christmas story, we also spent hours laughing over games and freshly aerated wine (courtesy of my parents' slick new instant wine aerator). Johnny whipped up an amazing prime rib and some spicy Italian soup -- I'm still stuffed.

Without further adieu, our Christmas in pictures:

Sofia's first present with Grandpa O on Christmas Eve:

Christmas morning:

Sofia skis!

2008-12-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

Today, the coastal trail was graced with three generations of skiers at once. Mom, Sofia and I took the Chariot ski trailer out for its inaugural run, and Sofia got her first ski run under her belt...er...Huggies.

Though it took me about an hour of wrestling with the Chariot, figuring out how to fold it up, attach and detach the poles and skis, get it in and out of the car, etc., the effort was well worth it. Sofia loved it, and even slept the second half of our run. The rest of the afternoon she was as smiley and giggley as I've seen her -- apparently it agrees with her!

I can't wait to get out again. That is, once my muscles have recovered...

Ma-ma-ma-merry Christmas

2008-12-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

Sofia has progressed from saying "babababa" to "mamamama." Merry Christmas to me!

Another one for the puppy love gallery

2008-12-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

Sofia has always loved the dogs, but the thrill has apparently kicked up a notch recently. She squeals and giggles with sheer delight when she touches them, and loves watching them shake their ears, growl at each other...pretty much anything. And Lucy clearly returns the affection.

In other Sofia news, she has mastered the letter "b." Our house is almost constantly filled with a lovely baby chorus of "babababababababababa." This is then, of course, followed by John saying "dadadadadada" and me saying "mamamamamama." Not that we're competitive about this or anything.

Because no Caselli should be without one, Sofia just received her first punching bag from Grandma Caselli. It's a toss up as to who actually enjoys it more -- Sofia or the dogs. Either way, it's a great toy and good for lots of giggles. Thanks Grandma!

Then and now

2008-12-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

I found a few photos from this time last year. I was somewhere around 20 weeks pregnant, and we were celebrating Johnny's big 4-0 in Seattle. How can we ever top spending his birthday at a Seahawks game??? Sharp contrast to today, when his birthday plans revolve around when we can get a babysitter. Not that I'm complaining -- could life be any better with this smile?

A very Caselli Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

First, it needs to be said that I'm sick. There is so much pressure in my head that it feels like my brain is twice the size of my skull. My eardrums have not popped in three days and two flights. That means I get a free pass for any spelling and/or grammatical errors or strange tangents in this post. Something also needs to be said about the effect that a 70-some degree swing in temperature can have on a person. It's not fun going from 75 sunny degrees to TWO FLIPPIN DEGREES. Anyway.

So we just returned from our week in Vegas. Apparently it's become traditional for us to get sick when we go to Vegas. Sofia caught the bug first, and of course promptly covered us in her germ-ridden drool. She's just fine now, but John and I are down for the count. Both our ears are completely plugged. It's pretty sad listening to us try to talk to each other right now -- neither of us can hear the other.

Besides getting sick, it was a fantastic week. Sofia was an angel for her first Thanksgiving! And, like the post title implies, it was a Thanksgiving in true Caselli style -- complete with pasta, cannoli, pool, boxing and lots of loud people. It was one of those weeks where, given enough wine, I might be persuaded that living in Vegas would be all right. Seriously, our Vegas family is amazing, and it's getting tougher and tougher to leave them.

Here's our week in pictures...

Johnny got to catch up with his buddies:

Sofia got to meet her Papa Caselli:

Aunt Toni and cousin Anthony taught Sofia all about the speedbag:

The cousins turned Sofia into a pool shark:

We got lots of quality family time:

Sofia played the piano and made friends with all the Consiglio dogs, including the two brand new pug puppies, Rocky and Bella:

And last but not least, Johnny and I got a night out on the town. We caught the La Reve show at the Wynn, watched the fountains at the Bellagio, and just generally enjoyed wandering around the strip together:

Swimming with the fishies

2008-11-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

Or rather, swimming with toddlers. Lots and lots of toddlers. Today Sofia and I met some friends at H2Oasis, the local indoor waterpark, for her first swim. We discovered that apparently the parent-toddler session is quite the popular event around these parts -- the place was packed! Now I know where I'll be getting my social time during the winter...

Probably the best part of the whole experience was how incredibly cute Sofia was in her little swimmer diaper and surfer-style swim top. Sorry, no pic this time, managing an infant in a swimming pool doesn't lend itself well to photography. I'll try to get one next time.

Anyhoo, Sofia rocked it. She wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but after about 10 minutes, she was enjoying being shuttled around the surface of the water and watching the hordes of kids around her. And then...after mustering my courage for about half an hour...we dunked! And dunked again! Sofia's only reaction was a few blinks. Of course, I have to thank my mom for the tip about blowing in her face to get her to close her eyes. Worked like a charm!

So now I'm looking forward to my weekly swimming date with my girlfriend and her son. And of course, this is all for Sofia's benefit and has nothing to do with the luxury of lounging around in a nice warm pool on a cold winter day. Obviously.

I guess she likes solid food

2008-11-11T09:19:00.001-08:00

In a previous post, I crowed about Sofia using a spoon to feed herself a few bites. Well, seems her eating habits have deviated a bit, and I'm not sure if it's for better or worse. On one hand, hey! At least she's enthusiastic about eating. On the other hand...well...

You can leave your hat on

2008-11-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

It seems that Sofia has an affinity for wearing things on her head. Perhaps, similar to the wet willy, it's merely a strange new distraction. Whatever the reason is, it's highly amusing. Especially when what's on her head also has something that dangles in front of her face, much like the proverbial carrot on a stick. So, without further adieu, I present to you...bookhat!

No hat post would be complete without a shot of Sofia and her beloved Mets hat:

And finally, a long overdue shot of Sofia and her favorite hedgehog for Sarah. She loves playing with it, and giggles every time I bring it out:

How big is Sofia?

2008-10-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Big enough to sit up on her own. According to her latest stats, she's grown 7 inches and gained 8 pounds since she was born. What a bruiser!

Six months old and a south-pawed self-feeder

2008-10-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

For probably the last two months, Sofia has been fascinated with watching us eat. And, surprise, surprise, she seems particularly taken with chocolate. I guess the chocolate gene is a powerful one. But I digress. She's so into this eating thing that yesterday she grabbed the spoon from me and I let her have at it. And she fed herself. Now, I do have to admit that anything that makes it into her hand automatically goes into her mouth, but I'm still going to say she fed herself. The proof? Is in the pictures:

Daddy has also finally gotten into the feeding game, which is, needless to say, very nice for me!

40 is the new...senior citizen?

2008-10-25T18:34:00.001-07:00

A whole slew of my girlfriends are having birthdays this week, their ages ranging from 29 to 51. They're all handling their advancement in age gracefully, which I admire. And then, whilst waiting for my coffee at Kaladi Bros., I was treated to the view from the other side of the age spectrum. Behold this conversation between two young hipsters about the hiring situation at the coffee shop:

High school age customer: So you guys aren't hiring anymore? Did a lot of people apply for the job?

High school age barista: Yeah, a bunch of high school kids applied, and a 40-year-old lady.

High school age customer: Whoa. If she worked here and I walked in, I'd be like, whoa. That's weird. That's just weird.

High school age barista: Yeah. I mean, are there like no other jobs for her age?

High school age customer: And how was she...uh, physically? I mean, did she like know you're on your feet all day?

High school age barista: Yeah, I dunno. She seemed, like, a little shaky.

Really? I mean, really? I guess when I was in high school, 40 DID seem old, but I don't think I ever thought of 40 year olds as semi-senile seniors tottering shakily around. Then again, who knows how accurately I'm remembering anything in the dotage of my late 20s.

Oh well, I'd take 40 over 16 any day. Orthopedic shoes and all.

The freakish contortions of young people

2008-10-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

This picture slays me. This is Cody and Bradyn at their mom's wedding...they got special permission to go up and look at the church's organ. This was the result of the excitement of such a special occasion. Sugar may have been involved, too.

We be pirates, yar!

2008-10-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sofia and I are pirates for Halloween this year...like everyone else and their brother. But hey, it be fun being pirates, matey! John's costume (not a pirate) is still in the works.

Here's a closeup of Sofia's skirt and awesome skull and crossbone leggings:

These pics were from the big bellydancer Halloween party, which John managed to get out of. I don't blame him :)

Time to start saving for braces

2008-10-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

'Cause she got her first tooth!

I'm actually a bit late with this post, I made the discovery on Thursday afternoon when she was chewing my finger. She's been in an awfully good mood for someone who's cutting teeth. We're counting our blessings on that one!

She thinks she's a seagull

2008-10-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Sofia's latest noise sounds exactly like a squawking seagull. Hilarious.

*Calling myself out: Yes, I just had to look up "squawk" in the dictionary to remember how to spell it. Guess my brain still hasn't returned to its normal size...

Return to Chickaloon

2008-10-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend resulted in two new goals for me: learn how to make cranberry ketchup, and build a sauna in our backyard. Chickaloon will have that effect on a gal!

Sofia, Lori and I headed out to visit our friends out in Chickaloon on Saturday, arriving in time to don our big dance skirts and join the party in progress. The boys were in their groove, putting out amazing music with drums, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, sitar and sarangi. We immediately joined in the dancing with the girls, with Sofia very happily observing the whole thing from her bumbo chair on the couch.

This girl is destined to be a musician and/or a dancer. Usually she crashes hard at 8 p.m. without fail, but this night she stayed up in happy party mode until midnight, just listening to the music and watching the dancers.

After crashing in the cabin known affectionately as the "Love Shack," we woke up the next morning to a fresh blanket of snow, and it was still coming down. There's just nothing like the insulated quiet of new snow in the woods. We bundled up and hiked over to the main cabin, where Melea was fixing pancakes, coffee and potatoes, served with her homemade cranberry ketchup!! Yum. I'm obsessed with this ketchup and must make some for myself.

Breakfast was followed by a stint in the sauna, complete with an essential-oil-infused sugar scrub. Perfect way to detox for the drive home!

Again, no Chickaloon pictures, which is a shame. I had a prime photo opp of Sofia swinging in the indoor hammock. But these weekends just don't lend themselves well to hauling a camera around. Next time.

The grand Plume-Bah

2008-10-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

Another look at the flower hats:

Botanicals, belugas and other miscellany

2008-10-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

We made our grand return to Funky Town last weekend, this time for the Seward Music & Arts Festival. The sun ended up shining the entire weekend, a miracle of enormous proportions. With the snowcapped mountains and orange and yellow trees, the scenery was spectacular!

The festival itself was a fine, fine time. Hubs took care of Sofia while I performed, and got some time to mingle with the other Bellydancer Baby Daddies. Or, as he's otherwise known, Eric. How cute are the dads with their little girls? They spent the entire time in the beer garden, so I think they had fun.

I did a fun gypsy-esque number:

And another sassy little ditty:

After the festival, the bellydancers + entourage took over Ray's. I also happened to bump into my high school physics teacher, Mr. Ennis. He's still my favorite teacher -- how could he not be? He got me to like PHYSICS, for crying out loud.

The next day John was kind enough to go solo with Sofia for a while so I could soak in Lori's hot tub with her and Shawna. Mmmm. It was just what the doctor ordered!

Sadly, the weekend had to come to an end. The drive home was another classic Alaska road trip. We stopped on the arm to watch a para-surfer (I have no idea what that activity is officially called), and while we were stopped we saw nine beached beluga whales. Lest you worry about the whales, the tide was coming in quickly, so they were safe:

And, just before pulling into town, we drove past Potter's Marsh, where a number of swans were sunning themselves. Beautiful!

So that brings me to this weekend. It was just another usual Friday night for me, wearing a five-foot-tall flower hat. You know, nothing new.

This was actually quite a hoot. Shawna and I modeled these crazy creations at the big Sono fasion show at the new convention center. I think we were a hit, of sorts.

And finally, my sister Jess tied the knot this weekend! It was a quick, private ceremony with just family in attendance. So now Sofia has a new Uncle Pete! Yay!

The little details

2008-10-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

So, I recently learned that pregnancy physically reduces the size of a mother's brain. With that in mind, I'm going to record a bunch of little details that I know I'll forget otherwise. Bear with me, just because I get a kick out of this stuff doesn't make it riveting blog material...

I love...
- The way she pushes herself up using the back of her wrists instead of the palms of her hands.
- The way she carefully holds her hands in front of her face and inspects them.
- How my annoyance at the 5 a.m. wake up call can so quickly fade as she coos softly in her singsong voice.
- Her fascination with her feet, and how she now enjoys sucking her toes.
- How she lunged for the food dish with mouth open as soon as she saw the spoon go into the bowl.
- How she has fallen for Lucy. Last night she busted a gut for a good five minutes watching Lucy and John play tug-o-war.
- The way she screeches for the sheer joy of screeching.
- Racing her on the changing table to see if I can get her hands through the sleeves before she tries to suck them. I always lose.
- The way she fusses, then stops to shoot us a sidelong glance to see if we're coming for her. She's smart...
- How the sight of Daddy when he comes home never fails to get a grin and a giggle.
- How she is so good at rolling from her back to her belly, but still hasn't gotten it the other way, which is easier. Will this be a pattern in her life? Always doing things the hard way?
- How well she fills the role of centerpiece in her bumbo chair on the dinner table.
- Her extreme snugliness in the mornings.

I think I'll leave it at that for now.

Unorthodox parenting

2008-09-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

I wonder if we're the only parents to use the "wet willy" technique to quell fussing?

At least we don't have to use it all that often these days.

The three amigas!

2008-09-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sofia and her buds, Alyssa and Adriana. These girls were all born within a month of each other.

PC vs. Mac? Don't make me answer that...

2008-09-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Does computer karma exist? If so, what in the world have I done to a past computer to deserve the technological ills that have befallen me recently?

First, there was the virus that wiped out my PC. Then the repair that brought it back. Then another crash, another repair, this time including a complete backup onto an external hard drive. Then the problems started again. So, I decided to bite the bullet and order a Macbook, hooray! The Macbook arrives to much fanfare, only to have problems from the very first boot-up. Apple helpline tells me I need to erase the computer and reinstall the operating system. OK, I'll go with this. So I erase the computer and try to reinstall the operating system, only to find that my media was damaged and the installation couldn't be completed. Back to the Apple helpline. They send new discs. Discs work. Computer seemingly works normally. Eventually problems begin again. I call Apple to return the darn thing. And now....dah-dah-dah-dahhhhhhh! I have my new, functional Mac beneath my fingertips. Only to find that the back-up of my PC didn't work. Siiiiigh. At least I'm online.

Anyway, time for some much needed updates! We are in the golden age of babyhood right now. The fussy stage is completely over with, and we've got pretty much the world's cutest, smiliest, non-mobile baby on our hands. It's great -- who says that parenting is tough*? (*insert highly sarcastic tone here)

Sofia has totally mastered rolling over from her back to her belly, but has still only gone the other way twice. Perhaps she is not an ambi-turner...She is ridiculously strong, and loves shoving everything into her mouth. Her completely drool-filled mouth. Yep, the epic drooling persists, and we still haven't seen any signs of teeth yet. Fine by me!

She got her first taste of solid food last week! She went right for the spoon like she's been doing it for years, slurping that yummy rice cereal like a champ. We aren't on a solid food routine yet though, it's not totally necessary at this point, and we were also interrupted by our trip to Denver.

Regarding the trip, I just have to say how absolutely luxurious it was to not be flying standby. Wow. Having guaranteed seats actually made the lines, rude airline employees and baby-frisking security guards seem tolerable. Once again, Sofia traveled amazingly well. She charmed all those around her...with every flight, whenever we deboarded and were setting up the stroller, she'd have at least 3-4 people pass by saying "bye Sofia!"

Colorado was gorgeous, as always, and our hosts Ted and Brit were lovely, as always. In lieu of more writing, I'm just going to post some pics from the trip:

At Garden of the Gods:

At the Colorado Springs Zoo:

Hippos are HILARIOUS:

Sofia and new puppy Bijou:

Action shot. Sofia mid-rollover:

Ted, Brit and Sofia:

The real deal

2008-08-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, here's the actual photo that one of the paintings is based on. I meant to post it in yesterday's post.

The artist, my dear friend Joanna, wrote on the back of the painting: "Even before you were formed, I knew you." Still brings tears to my eyes!

Life or something like it

2008-08-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure what this blog post is going to be about, but I'll write it anyway for documentation's sake. I don't really have anything profound to say, just that life is ever-challenging and never ceases to produce intriguing possibilities. You can be sure that there will be future posts elaborating on that. As for the "something like it" reference, here are some paintings that have been gifted to me in the last six months by some very special people...interesting representations of what life has been like...

This one was based on a photo of me before an Asian-themed performance for the folk festival at six months pregnant:

This one was based on a photo of Sofia and I (obviously) when she was two weeks old: