Birthday Babe
Friday, September 21, 2007
Thirty three years ago my mom went through a massive amount of pain (that I can only now fully appreciate) to have me! Totally worth it, right Ma??? So far the day has been pretty good. I am very excited about tonight; Jimmy has gotten Terri to babysit and is taking me to a five star restaurant that I miscall Blinky's (www.binkleysrestaurant.com). My friend, Grace, has raved about it; she is a total foodie and knows all the chefs' educational backgrounds and lineages. She kept excitedly muttering something about French laundry which might be some wierd style of washing vegetables. Anyway, I KNOW it's gonna be good because the "tasting menu" costs 60 bucks. We don't order any specific dish; they just bring out four courses. I wonder if anything is going to come to us in flames. I do like spectacle. Here is a sample desert:
Whatever it is, it looks FABULOUS!
This day is so filled with importance. Not just my birthday (smile) but my friend, Meghan's son, Michael's birthday and my friend, Sarah's wedding anniversary and Yom Kippur (sorry, no fasting tonight!!!!) and the fall solstice. Yikes!
I am hoping Sasha's b-day gift to me is five hours of sleep. Mmmm....
No Pressure
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Yeterday my loving husband casually says, "So, 33 was the year that Jesus founded a religion and died for our sins and Buddha found enlightment. What are you going to do??? I mean, no pressure or anything, but it should probably be something big."
"You mean like not kill my husband?"
"Or clean out the garage...I would consider that momentous coming from you."
She's Not A Show Monkey
Friday, September 14, 2007
Each month at my New Mom's Group, we try to take a picture of our babies because a) they are all waaaay more adorable than the average ankle biters and b) it'll be so cool to see how much they grow over the years. My little sweetpea decided to fall asleep two minutes before we took the pictures....and refused to wake up or open her eyes. Last month, she was pissed that I had woken her and decided not to smile. I feel in my bones that next month, Sasha will rise to the occasion and give us a big ole' grin.
I can't be mad at her, though. Last night she slept 7 1/2 hours in a row. I desperately needed the sleep because the past four nights she hadn't dozed for more than two hours at a time. I am not a pleasant person when not getting a sleep cycle. Who knew one's life could completely revolve around whether one is getting three solid hours??? I tried all sorts of methods and swear it is just random chance whether Sashi is gonna go the long haul slumbering. We didn't do anything different last night. Wierd. But not as freaky as our cat who has boycotted drinking from the multiple waterbowls around the house. Mu took a break from lapping out of the toilet when she spied a new place to quench her thirst. Our house is one of insanity.
Sasha at Three Months
Saturday, September 8, 2007
I can't believe that Sasha is only three months old today. It seems like we have had her forever. This has been a huge month of change. She is much more responsive and interactive. As soon as she sees us awake in the morning (early, early morning), she smiles. She giggles when being changed because having a dirty diaper is VERY amusing. She chatters for a good part of the day. And, squawks loudly when she is ignored or left alone for more than two minutes. Sasha has gotten very vocal about her disapproval for certain things like NOT being carried over the shoulder (only two month olds are cradled) 24 hours a day, being burped, having to occasionally do tummy time, and going to sleep period. We have noticed that she has three stages in expressing distaste for the aforementioned activities. Stage one is when her voice becomes a bit louder and has a certain edge to it. We have been warned that we have about three minutes until all-out bawling (the last stage). Stage two or "Can you not hear my EXTREME discomfort, you evil parents?" involves thrashing and a higher pitched yelping. Needless to say, Sasha has trained me well to coming running at the first signs.
We have not been blessed with a daughter who sleeps through the night at two weeks and we detest those parents who are. Or the ones whose babies sleep for the recommended fifteen per twenty four hour time period. Sasha has been getting worse and worse about snoozing. She will only nap in my arms after being rocked to sleep and for an hour at most. A few nights ago, Junebug started a new trend of getting up twice in the night (she had been down to one and she had been sleeping for a 5 to 6 hour stretch). Now, it is three hours at a time. Sasha did sleep eight hours one night in the middle of August. It seems like a dream now...
The biggest new accomplishment is that Sasha can roll over consistently from stomach to back (she started this about a week ago). This means that she won't do tummy time anymore so that she can strengthen her head control. As soon as we place her on her belly, she flips over. It is pretty adorable because she lifts her tushie way up in the air to do it.
This month has been rather turbulent but we still love our princess. According to my friend Kristen, a manipulative baby is a smart baby. Although, Ron just bought us a book to increase Sasha's IQ by twenty points. Is that a good thing? Anyway, we wouldn't sell Sasha for a million bucks....right, Jimmy? Right???
San Diego: Hot, Hot, Hot!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
So, we decided to go to San Diego during their heat wave (the one that killed off 25 people) because I guess Phoenix wasn't warm enough. My parents don't have air conditioning which was great because the humidity was only 600%. Fortunately, the power stayed on so we had all the fans going (I hate to think what their electricity bill is going to be).
Sasha got to go swimming for the first time and I think we might have a waterbug on our hands because she loved it. The first day she only stayed in thirty minutes but then the next day she bobbed happily for over an hour. We are going to have to give her swim lessons next spring.
Sasha looked absolutely adorable in her matching bikini and hat. The bottom is a swimming diaper so my sister didn't have to worry about Sasha peeing on her (which she would never ever do- so uncouth!).
It was great having so many babysitters on hand. Jimmy and I were able to enjoy an adults only lunch with some friends and to workout! Sasha is going to miss all the attention Grandma, Auntie Beck, and Bobby gave her. My father adored his new grandaughter. He kept commenting on how beautiful and good she was and that he loved her. It was so touching to see and hear this. He wanted to hold her nonstop.
Gramps also declared that he wanted to marry Sasha but besides it being illegal, she might be a little young.
We had fun going to the zoo (we went in the morning so the sun beating down upon us wasn't too excruciating). I loved the monkeys and pandas the best. Most of the animals (as well as Sasha) were trying to escape the heat by sleeping. We also got to see a few movies...well, Jimmy got to see some. Sasha decided she wanted to yelp through most of both films so I got the honor of walking with her for two hours in the lobby. Not that Rush Hour 3 was all that appealing to me...
Sasha was fabulous during both one hour flights...makes me less worried about flying out to Chicago in October. I am glad I had Jimmy with me because I don't think I could have done it alone what with all the luggage, car seat, and stoller.
