babyisms

1. Lately Micah has taken to saying to us, "I have a secret for you, gimme your ear." And then we lean in and she says, "I lub you." And sometimes we get, "I lub you da most, most, mostest." I never want it to end. (side note: when she first started doing this a few months ago, she would lean in and put her ear to my ear instead of her lips - so cute!)

2. She marries everything - I can't stand this but I don't tell her that and I have agreed to allow her to "buy me a pretty dress so I can marrying Milan". She offers to buy me this dress on a daily basis.

3. I also dislike when she says one thing (like pink or princesses) is exclusively for girls and another thing (such as blue or fire trucks) is for boys. Yesterday she told me that the boys in her class told her that blue can't be her mommy's (my) favorite color because it's a boy color. She said she told them they're wrong. Good girl.

4. She's biting her nails and peeing her pants nonstop and I feel like she will never outgrow either.

5. She is a completely different child at school and it's causing her to be twice as hyper at home. I feel as though she only expresses her true self at home. Oh, the guilt I feel from it...

6. Her hair still isn't growing but I'm taking her to get it cut Saturday because she has so many split ends. (It's been about 8 mos. since she had her last haircut - which was her first, by the way.) People balk when I tell them I'm paying for it and why don't I do it myself but it's so curly that I just don't know where to begin. Besides, I tried once and the little cricket just won't sit still for me.

7. Her favorite film is Nightmare Before Christmas and anything related to Disney Princess. She's also a sucker for Farscape , Spiderman and the "dancing Shrek". (side note: Micah has always loved to feel a little scared - she loves to be surprised and likes to watch things that scare her. We were watching Star Wars: Episode III, by far the scariest thing we've ever let her watch, and there were scenes when I told her she needed to cover her head with the blanket - we used to just distract her - because a scary scene was coming. So now she'll randomly tell us she needs to cover her eyes - even if it's not scary.)

8. She just recently began drawing faces such as eyes and nose and mouth on her drawings - so cute! She's also starting to stay within the lines when she colors.

9. Last night she ate about a pound of tofu and 15 broccoli stalks but she balks at eating corn. Strange kid. God I love her.

10. Milan and I are working on designing her a shirt that reads, "I'm still hungry" because we hear that phrase around 83 times a day and no matter what she eats, she is never full.


ETA: The haircut went really well. The stylist did a great job and Micah even got her hair washed first. This was, by far, her favorite part until at the end the stylist pulled out a spray bottle of glitter and Micah screeched, "Mommy! I'm gonna have a princess haircut!!"

20 Things

I decided to participate in 20 Things over at Mama Says Om. I really enjoy that site and I went and read a lot of the blogs that had linked their 20 Things. I found it not only interesting, but inspiring as well. So, here are mine:

1. My hair is naturally auburn but has been dyed black, blonde, red, purple, blue, pink and green.
2. I once had tongue, labret and nipple piercings but now, since the birth of my daughter (when I had to take out the final piercing - nipple) I don't have any.
3. I have one tattoo and have been aching for years to expand it.
4. The only other person in my family with auburn hair is my daughter.
5. I grew up being told I was "different" as though it were an insult. It wasn't until I lived in Madrid in 2001 that I began to realize how special it makes me and what a wonderful thing it is.
6. I don't have many (any?) friends - probably because I'm so damned "different".
7. I think one of the most important lessons I can teach my child is empathy.
8. My first job was teaching gymnastics.
9. When I was 19 and 20, I held 3 jobs and worked from 7am - 11pm (sometimes as late as 2am) 6 days a week.
10. During that same time frame, I put myself into $5000 worth of credit debt that I'm still paying off.
11. I don't find single-parenthood challenging. For me, the challenging relationship is the one with my boyfriend.
12. I regret the middle name I chose for my daughter and the fact that I spelled it incorrectly on her birth certificate.
13. I yell a lot. a lot. too much.
14. I want to go back to school but am afraid. Not of the school part, but that I will be away from my daughter that much more every day.
15. I wish I could forgive my parents, especially my father.
16. I can't attend wakes - they skeeve me out.
17. I was grounded for 6 months because my SAT scores were not as high as was expected.
18. I am an avid participant in my activities - such as reading, writing, tv - you have to call my name loudly and repeatedly or even tap my shoulder to get my attention.
19. I absolutely love the fact that my daughter is the spitting image of me.
20. I hate my last name and can't wait to change it but plan on keeping it in my name and my daughter's as a symbol of all we have accomplished together.

vday flowers

happy valentine's day

wow - i just realized i started this blog a year ago. my how the time flies. my wonderful boyfriend sent me tulips and irises for v-day in a cool flat-bottomed vase. i will post a photo later today when the buds have opened a bit.

our first valentine's day together, in 2004, we went out to dinner at a nice, local restaurant. we had delicious lobster and wine. however, the restaurant had packed everyone in like sardines and as you scooted between your table and the one beside it to get to your seat, you had to be careful your ass didn't knock over their water glass. of course, with such close proximity you could hear the conversations of at least 3 other couples and then to add insult to injury, they sat a group of 6 behind us. this group got plastered and was so loud that as we were leaving, the manager was asking them to leave. apparently, almost every table had complained about them.

we vowed that was our last v-day dinner so today we are going out for sushi for lunch! i can't wait! a glass of plum wine and a dragon roll - yum!

Added: Umm... I guess maybe I'm not going on hiatus... go figure.