Oscars Mania

Tonight we're having an unconventional Oscars party -- the grandparents, DH, me and LO, who is recovering from bronchitis.  It's fun living in LA because we get to watch it all in real time and hear the helicopters flying overhead for hours on end.  If we were hipper, we'd hit a party or two, but really it's not worth the drive (says a tired parent).  Gram is making cabbage rolls from scratch, an endeavor that is taking her the entire day.  It's a cheap party since Gram & Gramps are off the sauce for Lent and I figure why not join them.

I've printed out Oscars ballots for everyone and I'm looking forward to scrutinizing everyone's red carpet looks.  Think about it -- half this town has spent the entire day getting hair, makeup and wardrobe done.  At least we get cabbage rolls for our efforts.  As far as the picks go, there are many nominations that baffle me.  "Tree of Life" was so bad it got booed at film festivals, "The Artist" is nothing special and why isn't it in the foreign film category, anyway?  Good old fashioned Weinstein politics, surely.  My vote for best screenplay is Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" and Meryl Streep for best actress (despite the fact that the film was lousy) and Brad Pitt for "Moneyball."

So there's my completely biased POV.  I'll be watching it all with LO, explaining the whole process to her and how she should really avoid a career in entertainment.  One day, if I'm ever nominated, I'll tell her the same thing.  "NO WAY," as she would say.  

Back in Cali

DH and I had our first adult get-away last weekend since LO was born.  Yes, it's been 2 years.  We went to NY for a friend's 40th and left LO at our place with Gram and Gramps.  DH and I reveled in our freedom, went to museums, saw friends, we even splurged on a movie, "The Artist" (yawn).  The highlight for me was the amazing Italian dinner we had at Lupa Osteria Romana, http://www.luparestaurant.com/.  I had the Cacio & Pepe -- highly recommend.  I'd eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could.

With all of our exploring,  I was proud of myself for keeping my separation anxiety in check.  Gone for 4 days and not one tear shed.  Then I find out LO did not ask for us while we were gone.  Only once the night we returned, she asked Gramps where we were and he explained that we were flying home.  She said okay and went back to playing.  What's up with that?  

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my little sweetheart!  LO turned 2 on Friday and we had a small family party in the park to celebrate.  She made out like a bandit in the toy department, but we can't help it -- it's just too darn fun to buy her toys.

Curious George was the theme since LO is in love with the books and cartoon right now.  She liked that plus the big bouquet of balloons, stack of presents and cake.  I think she got what it was all about, or at least she got that it was a special day all about her.  After opening each present, she wanted to stop and play with it rather than move on to the next one.  Her favorites are the Play-Doh, the Playmobil pirate ship (some girls get doll houses, ours gets a pirate ship), the Dora karaoke mic and the Schoenhut piano.  She sits at the piano and plays while singing into the mic like Elton John.  I don't know where she picked that up, but it's hilarious.  Yesterday she and I rocked out to pop music, her singing into the mic and the two of us dancing in the mirror.

It was a whirlwind, to say the least.  Now that the relatives have flown home and it's all over, I have to admit there's a tinge of longing for that little baby to be back in my arms again.  But then I look at her an am so blown away by what a little person she has become and I want to see more more more.

4 More Days

LO will be 2 on Friday.  When somebody asks me how old she is, no longer will I be able to answer in months.  Two is two.  There's no more cuddling this child like a baby, she's on the move and extremely independent.  She relishes in saying "No" to everything:

Me: Do you want to eat breakfast?
LO: No, I don't want to eat breakfast.
Me: Do you want to go to the park?
LO: No, I don't want to go to the park.  (lie)
Me: Do you want...to get dressed?
LO: No, I don't want to get dressed.
Me: Do you want...to go see Gram and Gramps?
LO: No, I don't want to see Gram and Gramps. (lie)
(This goes on until...)
Me: Do you want some chocolate chips?
LO: (looks up from her toys) Okay!

Today we officially turned LO's car seat around to face forward.  She hated being backward so much with the sun always in her face and barely able to crane her head around the sides to see anything.  We got her a Britax Frontier 85 SICT, which will eventually serve as a booster seat down the road.  We were so excited for her to have her first ride, but when we got to the car, she refused to sit in it.  She wanted to sit on the actual backseat.  "Where's the buckle?" she said.  "I can't find it."  DH and I looked at each other: "You gotta be kidding me."  She had to be forced into her seat, but she eventually loved it.  Another day, another milestone.

Is anybody else turning their seat around soon?  Am I the only one a little sad to see my baby turning two?

Cirque du Soleil

Watching the Australian Open -- Sharapova grunts so loud, I have to turn the volume down or else she'll wake LO.  She just beat Kvitova, which means the final on Saturday is going to be Sharapova v. Azarenka, the tour's loudest grunters.  The Daily Mail measured Maria's grunts to be equivalent to a small aircraft landing.  I've experienced both of them in person and it's no joke.  I may have to watch with the volume completely OFF.

LO loves watching tennis with us.  We're tennis junkies and it's already rubbing off on her.  When I was pregnant, I worked at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open as the Field Producer for the TV broadcasts.  By the time the US Open rolled around, I was so pregnant, I could barely bend over to pick up the camera.  Ironically, the first time I ever felt her move was in my hotel room after a long day at the Open.  I'm convinced she had seen a match she liked that day and wanted to let me know about it.  She's probably the only baby that had been to the Slams by the time she was born!  I got her a t-shirt back then that finally fits her.

Also in the entertainment department, we took LO to Cirque du Soleil's "Ovo" at the Santa Monica pier.  I thought she'd want to leave after 10 minutes.  She was scared at the beginning, clinging to Daddy and shouting to turn the lights on, but she quickly became enamored with the show.  She was totally interested in the giant egg, the funny insects and the acrobats.  She's still talking about them.  "I love acrobats!" she's been saying ever since, jumping and trying to do somersaults in the house.  If you're looking for an activity, try the matinee.  LO loved it, but we did meet another mom who brought her 2-year-old for his birthday and he refused to go back inside a few minutes into the show.  So I guess it depends on the child, but certainly worth the gamble!



http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ovo/default.aspx

Short Attention Span Theatre

Here's the latest.  Naps are forming around 1:30pm these days.  LO refuses to sleep before 8pm.  This battle has recently turned into some bedtimes for her after 10pm.  Knock down, drag out marathons where we try to cajole/sweet talk/force her to sleep.  It's not that she can't sleep, she can't sit still long enough to feel how tired she is.  Reading books at bedtime is another challenge because she'd rather run in circles in her room and wants me to do it with her.  This inability to sit still is also apparent at bath time.  She either refuses to get in entirely or dips in, then by the time she's soapy, screams to get out.  Rinsing off has become one of us holding her while the other sprays.  Nice.

Here's an example of how quickly she goes from bliss to boredom:

In fact, while sitting in my lap on the sofa the other night, she turned to me and said, "Mommy, I'm bored."  This morning her first words upon waking were, "Mommy, I can't take it. Any. More."  What "it" is, I don't know.  Is this just part of the terrible twos?  I feel like she's soaking in the world at such a rapid pace, it's staggering just to watch.

23 Months

According to the stats, I had 4 page views from Russia this week.  To all my comrades, Holla.

LO just turned 23 months.  This means her 2nd birthday is right around the corner.  The big dilemma is do we throw a big expensive party or just celebrate with family?  Looks like the bouncy castle will have to wait another year.  We've decided to have a small gathering with family since Gram and Gramps are in town and now my sister and brother-in-law might fly in for the occasion as well.  So instead of the bouncy castle, I'm going to enlist Uncle J to play horsey with LO until she's had her fill, which could be hours.

In the I-Don't-Know-Where-She-Gets-That department, LO has taken to telling me what to do with a vengeance.  When I tried to put her to bed, she clings to Daddy and says "Mommy go out.  See you next time!"  "Mommy food!" was the directive I got tonight.  She now calls her Yo Gabba Gabba dolls her "guys" and "everybody" and wants them to go everywhere with her.  Before we go out, she puts them in her diaper bag to bring along.  They sleep with her too.  And in the mornings, I have to carry them downstairs, of course.  She used to try to carry them all herself and scream whenever one fell out of her grasp.  Now she's wised up and just tells me to "Carry everybody, Mommy.  Bring them."  We moved her from a toddler bed to a twin bed (a mattress on the floor), and her first words when seeing it were, "It's perfect!"  And, as she pushed her little cart around the house, she said, "I help with the shopping."

The best, however, came a few days ago.  LO hugged me and declared, "I love you, Mommy."  I'm still smiling.