Note to self - don't forget!

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

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

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?

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!

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!

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

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.