A Very Merry Vacation

It is hard to believe Christmas has come and gone and it is 2012! This year we didn’t have to make the long trek to Indiana and for the first time since Dhrumil and I have been married we celebrated Christmas in Connecticut. We both had almost two weeks off and had a wonderful time being with Mikayla all day long!

 

We started our vacation off by attending my brother in law’s brother’s wedding. This Summer we got to know Ted and his new wife Heather on a family vacation our family took with Clinton’s and Heather’s families. Attending the wedding was particularly special to me since Heather borrowed my veil. She looked beautiful in it and I was happy to have the veil used once again (my sister also used it).

The Happy Couple!

 This was also Mikayla’s first wedding and she did great. During the ceremony she spent most of the time in the back of the sanctuary and one memorable moment was when she yelled “YEA!” after a song was done. 

Mikayla has strawberries all over her face :)

It was nice to all be together!

We got home Christmas Eve afternoon and I was starting to develop a cough and wasn’t feeling so hot. Mikayla had just gotten over an ear infection and was almost over a bad cough. Mommy always gets the wonderful presents of sickness from little girl. I was determined though that sickness and exhaustion would NOT keep us from attending our churches Christmas Eve service and we enjoyed singing Christmas Carols with a squirmy girl and coughing mommy. On the way home Mikayla entertained us with her “TREE TREE” obsession with any Christmas lights she saw. That evening Dhrumil and I began to create Brunch that we were going to serve the next day. We also moved the play kitchen into position and covered with a blanket , excited to see Mikayla’s face the next morning.

The Kitchen

Christmas morning came and we read the Christmas story from Mikayla’s Bible and she added baby Jesus to the manager scene. It was a precious moment. Then the kitchen was revealed and to our delight Mikayla seemed very excited by it.

Too excited to look at the camera

Ready to celebrate!

We finished up Brunch prep and headed over to our friend’s house to set up brunch and await the arrival of my parents, sister and brother in law. They were all in the city for my dad’s Christmas morning service. Our friends Nancy and Justin graciously let us use their house since Clinton is allergic to our dog and we had a wonderful time there.

 

Brunch came out perfectly with rave reviews and Dhrumil and I were proud of it especially since we had been planning the menu for weeks. The menu was:

Honey Glazed Ham

Oven roasted potatoes

Vegetable egg casserole

Blueberry almond French toast casserole

Fruit Salad

Gingerbread muffins

Banana chocolate chip bread

Yummy food!

  The family voted that we would be doing this every year…

 

Highlights from the day included Mikayla playing piano with my dad, the company of Christina and Clinton, my mom’s “bag” of gifts and Mikayla’s gift opening skills (very slow and precise!) 

 

The whole week after Christmas was a blur since I ended up getting a terrible cough and had to go on antibiotics. We were supposed to go into the city a bunch of times that week to be with my family and also to go see the Nutcracker, but I was stuck on the couch hacking up a lung while Dhrumil entertained Mikayla.. I was really bummed, but I think Mikayla enjoyed 100% focus on her from mommy and daddy and much playing with her new kitchen.  Mikayla did get hives at the end of the week, but thankfully they didn’t seem to bother her.

Na and Uncle visited on one of our "sick" days

Her heart belongs to Uncle Clinton!

On New Year Eve we headed into the city and Mikayla got to take her second ever train ride. She did amazing and loved every minute! We headed over to my parent’s home of the week on Roosevelt Island and enjoyed the beautiful view of the East River from the apartment’s many large windows. My dad graciously watching Mikayla while the rest of us when to our Christmas present to see Godspell. And while I wasn’t concentrating on not coughing, I enjoyed the show immensely! I highly recommend! After the show we were caught in midtown with some of the New Years crowd which was INSANE! Sadly my New Year’s Eve story ends with us going to bed at 10:30pm… oh well it is what it is.

On the way to see Godspell

Telling Geegee something

On the Tram to Roosevelt Island

So bring on 2012, my 30^th birthday, our 5 year anniversary, Mikayla's second birthday and the move further away from childhood.

Through the eyes of a toddler

Have you ever wondered what people look like to an almost 2 year old? Well now you get a chance to dive into the brain of a little munchkin!

 

To preface this awe inspiring discovery…

 

Mikayla loves to read books… whether we are reading to her or she is reading to herself… books are one of her favorite pastimes. It gives me great joy to see her delight in books, especially when she giggles at a favorite part or sits down on the floor and “reads” out loud in nonsensical  sentences.

 

Being one who was part of theatre growing up and who competed in high school reading snap shots of children’s books, I especially enjoy reading in many voices and giving life to the characters. And when I don’t think I can read Jake’s Big Adventure for the tenth time in a row, I give the narrator a new accent and achieve an unspoken goal in my head to top it the next time.

 

But enough about me and how I read… back to the brain of an almost 2 year old! A few months ago I was reading to Mikayla out of a Little Golden Book that used to be mine when I was little. The particular book was a collection of Mother Goose Rhymes and I am not sure what it is about those rhymes… but Mikayla could listen to them over and over again. (on a side note… some of those rhymes are a little PG rated… like the one where the man didn’t say his prayers so the goose threw him down the stairs. Hello! I change the words when I get to that one) I was giving a particular good performance of “sing a song of sixpence a pocketful of rye” when all of the sudden Mikayla pointed to the old woman holding the pie and replied “GeeGee” which is her word for my mom. I paused for a second to which she again pointed to the woman and said “GeeGee.” I asked her if that woman was GeeGee and she replied “YES!” Every time we read that book now she points out GeeGee.

GeeGee!

For Christmas my sister got Mikayla her newest favorite book, Knuffle Bunny. This is an adorable book for Mikayla because she is very attached to her own bunny. Within the past week every time we read the part where the baby and her daddy are in the park she point to a jogging couple and says “Mommy, Dadas” to which I ask her… “that’s mommy and daddy”? “YES!”Hmm maybe she has aspirations of us exercising this year. 

Daddy and Mommy

So there you have it… what we look like through Mikayla’s eyes! Seen any resemblances? 

A Dollar

I spent a dollar on a snickers bar today.

 

Did I mentioned Dhrumil and I are doing a weight loss challenge? Whoever gets closest to their goal by our trip in March will get to choose the excursion we do in Jamaica. My personal goal has been to cut out most sugar.

 

I spent a dollar on a snickers bar today.

 

Forgot to mention it was 10:30 am and I was sitting at my computer daydreaming about caramel, nuts and chocolate. I was in the middle of a full out war in my head… don’t do it, just do it, don’t do it!

 

I spent a dollar on a snickers bar today.

 

Guess I should mention that I googled what one dollar can do… Do you know it could help alleviate poverty? I could have also doubled it every day to become a millionaire in 20 years.

 

I spent a dollar on a snickers bar today.

 

Snickers bar in hand I returned to my seat, only to notice the BRIGHT GREEN nutrition facts staring at me. Why do they have to be so noticeable? I broke off one small piece, hoping to dull the blaring fact that what I was about to put into my mouth was pure evil.

 

I spent a dollar on a snickers bar today.

 

That bite was good. I slipped the snickers bar into my desk drawer for later enjoyment. After a moment’s pause I took it right back out and threw it in the trash where it landed with a comforting BANG. I started to feel sick from the insane sugar that was now coursing through my veins.

 

I wasted a dollar on a snickers bar today. 

Next time I'll get Peanut M&Ms.

Personal Archives

Today I was reading through my old blog and some of my old posts on this blog and noticed a trend. It seems that through difficult times in my life I tend not to write for a while. I see this trend happening now due to the mixture of my busy schedule and the death of my grandpa. I guess that is why I haven't written about his death until now...

I haven't had a chance to just stop and take in the fact that my grandfather is no longer on this earth. In this moment, I am coming to the realization that I will not see him again until I am in heaven. Of course the knowledge of heaven and seeing him again and knowing he is happy and rejoicing gives me great joy, but there is still the dull painful ache that I have never experienced to this extent before. The world has lost a truly wonderful man and he will be remembered!

Grandpa would have been 90 this February and I have had some nod and say "ah" when mentioning this fact. I know I have done this to many who have had their grandparents die and now I wish I hadn't. The fact is... it doesn't matter what the age is... they were still very much a part of your life and the shock of death is still very real. 

I had some time to clean out my closet today and I came across a box of old letters and cards that date back to high school.  Now that I am in the profession of information management my mind immediately went to... are these records? Do these documents have purpose to my life and therefore need to be kept for an amount of time or can they be "deleted"? After shutting off my  business mind I noticed letter upon letter of encouragement from dear friends and family and also many from my grandparents. In that moment I was so thankful to have kept these personal "archives." I am so thankful God gave my grandma the gift of writing many many letters! Currently her mind is being taken over by dementia and I think it makes the death of my grandpa that much harder. I will cling to these letters as a piece of her and my grandpa to keep for years to come.

Grandpa,
Your love for God was infectious. I always knew you were praying for me. You always came to all of my orchestra concerts, ballet recitals, plays... you name it, you and grandma were there. You supported me, you loved me. Thank you.

I think I was 3 when this picture was taken of us

So thankful Mikayla met grandpa!

Vegetables

Vegetables. Not sure what it is about them that has most kids running for cover.

Growing up I never had that big of an issue with vegetables and wasn't bribed into eating them. I enjoyed corn and carrots. Brussel sprouts were served regularly along with broccoli and green beans.

I love vegetables… my husband is a vegetarian… my child will love them too.

I remember scoffing while watching a spot on a TV morning show about a woman who wrote a cookbook for moms. The recipes hid the vegetables so children would eat them… “HA” I said to myself “it is all in the way you raise your child, mine will NEVER need something like that.”

Cue the Chef Boyardie commercial where the mother destroys a whole can display to keep the word vegetables from being heard by her child. “Who would do such a thing?” I thought to myself… I was more distinguished than those who ate hidden veggie Chef Boyardie. My children would eat vegetable casseroles, enjoy things like kale and leeks and not even blink while downing carrot ginger soup garnished with arugula.

Then I had my own child.

The organic pureed vegetables were first. Though she made faces at the beginning, Mikayla grew to enjoy them, especially sweet potatoes and peas. Being a working mom it was easier to give her the jars and not puree my own, but eventually I started to give her fresh veggies. This should have been the first sign… she was not a fan.

Then she became a toddler…

For some reason Mikayla does not like to try to new foods. Thinking back on her short life I cannot remember a moment where this behavior manifested itself. Perhaps with her birthday cupcake? Now with the wonderful “no” and the ability to throw her food, Mikayla has made it known that the only vegetable of choice is “PEA.” Ironically Peas are somewhat of a triumph for me since I left them on her plate for a week until she ate them. I have tried this strategy again, but with sad results.

So where am I now? Well Mikayla has an amazing appetite, but it consists of peas, fish sticks, chicken, brown rice, yogurt, applesauce and fruit.

Then there was yesterday… where Mikayla met steamed broccoli in a dance I call… the “mmmmmm” dance.

She eyed the broccoli as something mommy was making for her to play with. “MIMI” she called… did I dare? Fine, might as well. I brought the small tree of broccoli over and held my breath… one bite, just try ONE bite. “MMM” I said… she tasted a piece “mmm” she replied with a coy smile. No this couldn’t be true. “MORE” I gasped… and quietly, with a smile pasted on my face and the thought that THIS might be the vegetable of salvation… “MMM” I said… she ATE IT “mmm” she replied again. Feeling the joy of victory flood my body and spontaneously taking a moment to do the "I am an amazing mother" dance I glanced back at Mikayla in time to see her spit out the tree and made a noise close to “ickyyuckblah!”

Guess I need to find one of those cookbooks.

18 Months

Dhrumil and I just looked at each other a few days ago and said... "ahh we have a child" I guess even 18 months after the fact we are still in awe that this little person came from us and that we are responsible for her!

Before time fast forwards I wanted to document what Mikayla has been up to lately. It is crazy how much you forget in such a short amount of time. I have a friend with a newborn and when she tells me some of the sweet things she does I’m like… “wait I think Mikayla did that!?”

Mikayla has been changing so much lately that it is a blur when she really started doing certain things. I guess it doesn’t really matter having the exact moment written down. What matters most is that I have experienced those bursts of growth with Mikayla and it has added to my life’s story. All of those little moments have created who Mikayla is now at this very second.

In my mind Mikayla is now official a toddler. She runs like a toddler, she laughs like a toddler and she SCREAMS like a toddler. It is especially fun to have her throw a tantrum in a store, in front of a GIANT line of people waiting to buy baseball tickets and also in a restaurant. We are learning in those times though and for the most part, taking it all in stride.

We have recently been seeing small glimpses


Here are some of the latest...

Loves:
Reading books
Eating yogurt
Running
Saying “no”
Night Night (her bunny she sleeps with)
Ducks (yes still!)
Giving kisses
Laughing
Going on walks
Swimming class
Dancing (especially when I ask her to plie)
Eating
Looking at pictures of the family
Pointing to things and saying the name


Drawing with chalk
Buckling anything with a buckle
Sitting in her crib for a long time and reading or playing

Newest words:
She comes up with new words everyday… words I didn’t know she knew and also words I do not hear again for weeks. She is brilliant at communicating and for the most part I know what she wants.
One, two, three
Ook (book)
Ish (kiss)
Bye (finally after months of Hi)
Yesh (not as frequent as No, but it is starting to be used correctly)
GeeGee (my mom)
Inton (Uncle Clinton)
Bathsss
Up
Out
Alk (walk)
Trees

Giving a kiss to friend Brady

Telling daddy what she wants him to do while playing

Kissing night night

Enjoying a stroll in daddy's shoes

She loves to sit in her crib with a bunch of stuff

Adventures of House Hunting

Prospects of becoming a house owner are exciting, scary and exhausting all wrapped up into one lovely package. I was excited when Dhrumil and I came to the agreement to start house hunting, but it was hard to quiet the positives and negatives of this endeavor which were in a constant shouting match in my head… Stability! Goodbye money! Ownership! Responsibility! No close neighbors! No neighbors! Easy! Hard! Staying! Packing! GOODBYE MONEY

 

One would say this is a buyers’ market… and it is. BUT living in one of the most expensive counties in America always tends to put a damper on things. An 1100 square foot house is the same price, if more expensive, than a BRAND NEW 2400 square foot house in Indiana. Sigh. Thus our search began on the thought that oh wow that house is only 450K how can that be!?

 

We decided to start this process with Mikayla in tow. Our realtor thought it would be great for her to be part of the experience and though apprehensive we agreed. The first house we viewed on a day of 5 houses Mikayla yelled “NO” the first step we took into the house. I couldn’t have agreed more. Though Mikayla was an angel during the house hunting, the rest of that day had a mixture of no living space, no closet space, smelly basements and no bathtubs. Needless to say by the end we were feeling deflated and defeated. Unless we were millionaires living in our county might not happen.

 

Instead of throwing away the towel we decided to get back out there and see more houses. Sunday morning we were all dressed and ready for church as we embarked on yet another day to view potential dwelling places. A block from our first house Dhrumil pointed out a little Chihuahua mix walking down the sidewalk alone. **DISCLAIMER – Dhrumil has radar for stray dogs, he sees them from a mile away and has delivered many a pooch home to their owners. I have encouraged him on numerous occasions to open DADDY D’s K9 rescue, but he has decided to stay in Finance**  Maybe this dog should have been a clue or omen to what would come. I sprang out of the car and pounced on the little dog, as though rehearsed I called out the phone number from his collar and Dhrumil called the owner. Already late for our first house no one answered the call and Dhrumil told me to bring the dog in the car. He seemed friendly enough… so in the car he came. Thankfully I spotted the street that was on his collar and I again sprang out of the car and delivered him to his owners.

 

To continue… we finally made it to the house and liked what we saw. I then happened to notice many pictures hanging that had Dhrumil’s good college friend in them. WAIT!? Ended up being his friend’s parents’ house. Such a small world. Though we thought that house was the best we’ve seen so far, we just didn’t think it was the one. So on to the next.

 

The next was a flip and though the inside was very nice, we didn’t like the street and while discussing this with the realtor we both happened to turn our backs for a SECOND. I’m sure many of you know what turning a back for a SECOND can do when a toddler is loose. Wasn’t it a toddler who started the economic crisis because her dad’s back was turned while she did a little buying and selling of stocks?

 

Anyways I hear an “OH NO” and look to see my sweet angel in her white Sunday dress have her hands covered in gravel tar. You know that black stuff that they put on streets? I ran to get wipes, that didn’t work. We ran into the house and while Dhrumil held Mikayla the realtor and I both scrubbed her hands all the while Mikayla was screaming and yelling MIMI MIMI! That is what she calls herself… maybe she was saying mimi was dirty? Yup so that didn’t work either. We decided to run to the nearest Home Depot and while Dhrumil was saying his apologies to the realtor I ran into the house to try to clean off the tar hand print on the white door. Yup that didn’t work. Once we arrived at Home Depot we realized neither of us had our wallets so we had to drive 30 minutes back to our house, all the while I was in the back seat ensuring Mikayla’s hands did not come into contact with her face, her mouth or my dress.

 

On our drive back I had a light bulb go off… they clean those oil covered pelicans in the commercials with Dawn...maybe it would work on a toddler? Though I didn’t have Dawn, I grabbed the kitchen soap and while Mikayla played with her toys in the bath I scrubbed… and after 15 minutes we had a clean Mikayla.

 

Has this episode deterred us? Of course not. What has it taught us? Kitchen liquid soap is a powerful ally in the fight against dirty toddler.

 

Stay tuned to more adventures of house hunting!

 

 

 

 

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