Honey, that's how I feel.

Lola recently discovered that those pretty things don't feel as great as they look. I wonder if she'll adopt my "Reefs in the Summer; Converse in the Winter" shoe philosophy. Based on her love of accessories, I highly doubt it.

Dude. I can not make this up.

Lola.
On the way to swim class.
In the outfit she selected.
(Yes, those are crab goggles.)

Truce

As you may or may not know, Josh and I have different perspectives on Lola's potential participation in organized activities.

That sentence seriously sounds like my kid is going to be a crime boss.

In fact, we've had countless arguments over what sort of extracurricular activities Lola will or will not participate in. Our agreed upon rule: Once she is old enough to voice her opinion, she can do whatever she likes, so long as she is in a safe environment.

The problem is, she hasn't figured out what she likes quite yet.

For a long time, I advocated signing her up for a Parent-Tot gymnastics class. I used to teach those sort of classes at the local community center, and I loved them. The babies and toddlers were so adorable and they all loved to hang on the bars, attempt to walk across the balance beam, and play parachute at the conclusion of each class.

Josh hates gymnastics.

He believes it provides a platform for body issues and injuries, as well as those squeaky voices that only Olympic gymnasts seem to possess (Thanks a lot, Mary Lou Retton.)

I worked long and hard to convince him of all the benefits, but didn't really get very far. Also, the fact that all the Parent-Tot classes in our area were on weekdays, and thus, Josh would have to take her to these classes, which he refused to do, didn't help my case.

Finally, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Without discussing the matter with Josh, I signed Lola up for a swim class.

Each Saturday morning, Lola and I spend a half an hour at the pool. She LOVES it. She talks about her swim classes all week long in anticipation of that little half an hour. During her class, there are classes for older children taking place in the same pool, and recently, Lola has become obsessed with their swim goggles.

After a week of her saying, "I need goggles." (Yes, she did say that.) I bought her some at Target, and for the past three days, she has worn them everywhere.

In the bathtub (of course.)



With her pajamas.





And even when she wants to snuggle.



I think swim is something she likes, and Josh likes it too. I think we have a winner.

Disco

The morning after we acquired Gary, Lola woke up singing, "Goooooood Morning, Gary!" This is was a different line from her usual tune of, "MOMMY! MOMMY! MOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?" (Note, the "where are you?" line is done in a voice that sounds very much like Arnold Schwarzenegger, which is something I have been trying to capture on video for the last week, because man, this little Arnold-girl is going to go viral.)

Happy that Lola remembered our new pet, I picked her up out of her crib and went straight to the fish bowl.

When I saw it, my heart dropped.

Gary was resting on the rocks at the bottom of the bowl, and the water in his bowl was PINK.

I've mentioned that I think my fish is gay, right?

I tapped on the side of the glass. Gary fluttered to life. "Goooooood Morning, Gary!" Lola said. Looking at the pink water, I was a little baffled. Then, I realized that the dye on one of his fake plants must be the culprit. But, I didn't know what to do. We didn't have another container for him, or water prepped for a quick switch, nor did I even have anything to use to scoop him out of his toxic environment.

When I called Josh at work and told him about the water situation, he suggested prepping some new water for Gary and waiting until he got home to do the big switcheroo.

So, I prepped the water, got Lola dressed, and took a photo of her with the iridescent bowl.


Poor kid. Polka dot turtlenecks should be illegal.

When Josh came home, he insisted that we move Gary into another container so we could clean out the fish bowl. Our big problem was that due to the narrow neck of our re-purposed vase/fish bowl, only my skinny hand could fit into the bowl. After a ten minute argument between Josh and I about how I was (NOT) putting my hand into the bowl and scooping out the fish, I demanded that Josh go to the pet store and buy a net.

Three dollars and twenty minutes later, we scooped Gary out (via the fish net) and plopped him in a mug.




Once we cleaned out his bowl, and replaced his toxic tree, we transferred Gary back to his home. Crisis averted. Kind of.

Festive

Fashionista

Happy Halloween

Here is our little monkey.



She refused to stand still, or sit, for a photo.



Which resulted in me chasing her around the front yard, and down the street.



I had to grab the front of her costume to slow her down. She thought that was pretty funny.



Once we were back in the driveway, she saw some birds.



And, it was official, photo time was over.



Happy Halloween!

Their Hair Band Debut

Lola the Explorer

I'm not quite sure when the transformation occurred. It's like we went to bed one night with a sweet baby (and woke up six times before daylight), and then in the morning, we had this daring toddler.

Her favorite activities include:

1. Doing totally crazy things. Like biting the couch.

2. Racing around super hero style, while shrieking and screaming at levels so high that I'm beginning to think she might have the ability to communicate with dolphins.

3. Tasting and feeling and stacking and throwing all of the rocks in the backyard.

4. Climbing on things that she shouldn't be climbing on.

5. And lastly, putting things on her head. You know, so she'll be able to find them later, when she needs them.

It's exhausting. For all of us. :)

Baseball Season is Here

and, really, I couldn't care less.

(Sorry, Liz.)

Although, I will say, I think Lola is a Padres fan. Or, at least, she's a fan of the hat.

Go Pads.

The Dolphin Puppet Eats Panda Shoes

A co-worker of mine passed on a pair of shoes to Lola. They are black, a mary jane style, with an ankle strap. The face of a panda bear shapes the toe and while Lola never really wore them (originally, they were too wide and then later on, too short), she absolutely adores them. She often crawls around the house with one of the shoes clutched in her hand with the other one hidden under the seat of ride on airplane toy.

Yesterday, as we were playing with Lola, we found a new purpose for the shoes.

Holiday Cheer

I took the day off so I could do a few things around the house. My list for the day was pretty low-key: prep for Christmas Eve dinner, clean the kitchen, swing by the grocery store for said dinner.

I also attempted to introduce some holiday cheer to Archie. He didn't dig it.



Before you start to think that I have the most depressed dog in the world (which I probably do) and begin to believe that Archie is depressed because I torture him all day long (which I don't), please be rest assured that he is not the only member of this family that I love to dress up in silly outfits.



Lola just seems to tolerate me a little better. :)

Minnesota, Part III: Seasons

The original reason I planned this trip was so I could play in my alma mater's Annual Alum Soccer Game. Each year the alums suit up and play the current varsity team, and every year there seems to be a barrier against me playing in the game. For the first three years after I graduated, it was law school. Then, my master's program. The following year, Josh and I were on our honeymoon. Then last year, I was pregnant.

I figured this year would be the year. I would be ridiculously out of shape, but I would play. Plus, October is one of the most beautiful months of the year in Minnesota. All the leaves change color, and autumn is in full swing.




Or, um, you see snow fall (as well as turkeys crossing the road) while driving.







And then, the day you are scheduled to play in the alum game, you go outside and the car is covered in snow.




Yeah, soccer in the snow. Just the reason why I moved home to California.

A few years ago, I would have played. Shoot, I would have played in nothing but shorts and a jersey, and afterwards, I would have proudly displayed the giant red octagon imprints the soccer ball left on the inside of my thigh because in 35 DEGREE WEATHER, THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS.

So, I did something that I think falls into the "adult" category. I did what any sane adult with an eight month old infant would do. I opted out. I said, no thanks, left my shinguards in my suitcase, tortured my kid for a bit by taking some outdoor photos of her and then went shopping at the Mall of America.


Luckily, Ehlan had an extra bunting that I could put Lola in. Lola was NOT a fan of the snow. NOT at all. I believe my choice to skip the soccer game (and therefore not subject her to sitting outdoors for 90 minutes) was a smart choice.

In fact when she touched snow for the first time, she looked up at me, and her eyes welled up.




I think it is pretty obvious who is the native Minnesotan.





I love the photo below as well. It's as if Aidan is comforting her, "Don't worry, it's OK, we're going inside soon."


Regardless of the snow, we still made a special trip to alma mater. Oh, the beloved St. Kate's.




Ehlan and I like to joke about how one day Lola will be a first year and Olivia will be an upperclassswoman and show her the ropes. In the photo above, they are sitting in one of the chairs in Derham Parlor that no one ever dares to sit in. Our little future Katies. :)

Fourth of July

It is rare that Josh and I are able to spend a morning together. With him working on my days off and me working on his days off, we hardly ever get to sit and sip coffee in the same room at the same time. But today, because it was Saturday, I wasn't working, and because it was the Fourth of July and Josh's retail giant employer was closed, he wasn't working, that meant that today, we simultaneously sat on the couch with our coffee.

It's amazing how the introduction of an infant into your life can make you appreciate the smallest details.

After our coffee went cold, I went shopping with the bean queen. The combination of crappy economy plus holiday weekend created a formula for incredible bargains. I bought Lola two outfits (that will fit her circa Summer 2010) and I purchased a black bikini from GAP for $9. The swimsuit purchase was a shiny moment on two levels:

1. I bought a two-piece swimsuit from GAP for $9. It was originally $56. Don't worry, both pieces match. :)
2. I bought a two-piece swimsuit. A month ago I went swimsuit shopping and nearly broke down in tears when I realized under those god awful dressing room lights that my post-par tum body just wasn't ready for swimsuit season yet. And, while I'm not quite ready to pubicly wear the swimsuit, I am working on being swimsuit ready by August 10. Why August 10? Because that is when we are going on vacation. We're spending 5 days on the beach to escape this Northern California heat and darn it, I am spending those five days in a swimsuit.

After I reveled in my thrifty purchases to Josh, we went to a 4th of July BBQ. Lola sported some shades:



Lola enjoyed the company so much that she literally crashed on our host:



We left before the fireworks began, mostly because we know that not everyone in our family enjoys this holiday. When we came home, Archie was hiding in his kennel:



The county we live in permits firework sales. When we first moved here, we were surprised to learn of this news because our county is also urban and thick with trees. Adding fireworks to the mix doesn't seem to be the best idea, but apparently, that is just how it is. Unfortunately for us, and even more so for the Arch, is that people start setting fireworks off early...and then go late. At one point I tried to lure Archie out of his kennel, but that resulted in him running into Lola's room and attempting to crawl under her crib. This, of course, woke her up and she wailed a loud cry, which then scared Archie even more and caused him to run into the office and cower under the desk. I wish I had a photo of that to share with you.

Later, there will be more on Lola in her crib, but for now good night and I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday.

About to go out for a walk

It's 39 degrees outside and this is the warmest outfit she owns (that fits). I can't decide if it's adorable or really ugly and obnoxious. (I'm going to layer her in a few blankets so the neighbors won't be able to pass any fashion judgment on our sweet little beancake). Whatever the case, you can't beat the Target clearance rack - $2!

One Month Stats

Even though she's only 3.5 weeks old, here's her one-month stats:

21.5 inches

8 lb, 8 oz

According to her doctor, these numbers put her at the 50th percentile. At birth she was below the 50th percentile, but I can't tell you exactly where she was...maybe 20th? Numbers don't matter to me. All I care about is knowing that she is healthy and growing like she should. And apparently she is growing like a weed. Not that I'm surprised because this baby eats and eats and eats.

Here she is, all three and a half weeks of her. This isn't the greatest photo, mostly because it was taken on Josh's cell phone and because she has a ticked off look on her face (she knew I was just about to change her diaper).

But, I find this photo pretty amusing. I love this sleeper because of all the cassette tapes on it. The tapes have titles like, "My Mommy Rocks," "Up All Night Rockin'" and "The Crib Mix." But as Josh pointed out to me, this sleeper is also awesome because when Lola grows up and looks back at this photo she'll probably know what a cassette tape is, but she'll have never experienced a cassette tape - much like my generation never experienced the eight track. Who knows, maybe even CDs will be extinct by the time she hits her teen years.

And I'm also pretty sure she'll laugh about the cabbage patch kids changing pad too. :)