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Babbling Kate

It's funny how three kids can be raised in the same household, and still be so very different.  Alison and Henry were both delayed in speech development, but Kate?  Oh my.  This girl can talk.  And talk.  And talk.

For the last year or so, she's been adding new words to her arsenal of speech.  She knows the power of words, and she knows how to use 'em to get exactly what she wants.  I find it funny (and quite miraculous) that she has picked up on the subtle nuances of language:  a shrug of the shoulders, a sigh, an eye roll. She's got them all down pat.  Lately when I ask her why she's done this or that, she'll shrug, and say, "I dunno," and then take a swig of milk from her sippy cup.

Her language has moved from words dotted here and there to longer stretches of words strung together.  Like real, actual sentences.  I've provided a translation for those who are not familiar with baby talk, but I'm sure you mamas out there can decipher them quite well.  We're gifted like that.  As of late, here are Kate's favorite sayings:

1. I dun lai dat:  Usually a run on sentence, "Idunlaidat!", this phrase is Kate's favorite.  Plainly stated, it means, "I DON'T LIKE THAT."  Yes, ALL CAPS.  Because she yells it like that.  Usually she says this when she's tired or *sigh* bored of something.  Like her sippy cup. Or her shoes.  Or her hair ties.  She'll bring whatever offending item is bothering her, drop it in our laps, and then, "Idunlaidat."

2. Bad Cat!:  This phrase cracks me up, and while the words are as clear as day, it still needs a bit of translating.  Henry and Kate are big fans of Caillou, and in one episode (which I have yet to see), Caillou yells, "Bad Cat!" I don't know the context, but I do know that Kate uses it as weaponry when things don't go her way.  Henry isn't listening?  We'll he's a "Bad Cat!"  This usually is followed by a crossing of the arms akimbo.

3. I wan to/I don wan to:  These two phrases are like conjoined twins as they're always said consecutively when Kate gets fussy.  Imagine a scene where she's tired, cranky, perhaps even hungry.  It's way past naptime, and you're, say, at Target.  Alone.  With three kids.  Yeah, imagine.  Kate sees a toy/magazine/tampons etc.  She reaches for the coveted item and says, "I wan to" (loosely translated to I want to or I want it).  You hand her said item to buy you 2 seconds of peace while you finish your shopping, and then immediately you hear, "I no wan to" (or I don't want it).  We'll continue this dance of taking items off the shelf and putting them back on.  Shelf off. Shelf on.

4.  Yoo Hoo!:  Again, this is clear as day, and no real translation is needed. Though I do have to say that Kate usually says this in the wee hours of the morning when the house is deathly silent.  Like a banshee, Kate cries out, "Yoo hoo!  Mama. . . . . . Yoooo hooooo!"  The more "o's" she adds to the yoo and to the hoo, the more desperate she gets.  I love my sleep, yes, but this wake up call is very sweet.

5.  Me Ket! Me Baby!: a.k.a. I'm Kate! I'm a baby!  Like most two year olds, Kate is busy developing her own identity.  She knows her name, and she often refers to herself as Ket (Kate).  A casual passing by the mirror, and she'll point and scream with recognition.  "Mama!  Ket!  Me Ket!"  As if to say, hey mama, there I am!  it's me!  I'm Kate!  It's all very sweet!

So there you have it.  A guide to babbling Kate.

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Onto other news.  Some good.  Some bad.  Wait, let me reverse the order.  We'll start with the bad, and then end on a happier note with the good news. Okay?

The bad. My dad is very ill, and I've been trying to deal with his illness as best I can.  I've decided to start a new blog, A Precious Minute.  The blog is in its most rudimentary stages right now, but I plan to chronicle my thoughts and feelings as honestly as I can.  It's mainly for me, but I invite you to share this journey with me, if you wish. 

Now! The good!  I'm having a sale at ze lovely paperie.  Swipe 20% off of your entire order with this secret code SAVECASH Go take a peek!  I have some new goods that'll be added soon.  Okay, end of shameless plug. 

Have a great weekend all!

Seven Years Went Under the Bridge

For Allie.

There are chaotic days.  Days when the sink is full of dishes and the house needs tidying.  Perhaps it's a day when Henry is throwing sand in the house or maybe it's a day when Kate is fussing over this or that.  These are the days that I feel the pressures of raising 3 children, and it's always you who comes to my rescue.  When I'm counting down the minutes until daddy gets home from work, you are the one who helps me make it through the day with my sanity in tact.  Your gentle ways with Henry and Kate, and your natural instinct to love and nurture your brother and sister amazes me.

There are sweet days.  Like the days Henry picks me flowers from our garden. Or like the day when Kate motioned to her elbow and said, "Elmo."  I love that I can turn to you, and together we can share in the sweetness of the moment.  That's a sign, I think. A sign that you're turning into a marvelous young lady.  A person, who in time, will someday be my best friend and confidant.  I can't wait.

Happy 7th Birthday sweet one!

My Little Valentine!

OK.  Finally in from the printers. . . finally!  Just in time for V-Day! 

I'll choose 3 random peeps to receive a mini set (4 cards + 4 envelopes) of these sweet girls, and all you have to do is tell me about your favorite Valentine's Day.  Or perhaps your worst!?  Just leave a comment down below, and I'll draw names next week sometime.  Sound good?

And if these girls don't do it for ya, what about this:

You can win a set of these guys too (20 sheets + 10 envelopes) if you can guess who Frannie Girl is!?  Go on. . .take your wildest guess, and post it in the comments below!  I'll choose the winner based on either a.) the correct answer or b.) the funniest, wackiest answer!

And I know.  Aren't you AMAZED that I've posted again this week?! What on earth?! 

P.S. Thanks for the e-mails regarding the wacky comment code from the previous post.  All I can say is, "I dunno what happened!"  Bizarro!

Miss October 13th

Time's a flyin'!  Here's what I've been up to. . . in a nutshell:
Homework. Soccer. Birthday parties. Running (3 miles a day!**). Costumes. Magic Shows. Conferences. Dinner with friends.  Netflix.  Frozen Yogurt.  Cooking. Book fairs.  Mail love.  Walks with Henry.  Exploring with Kate. Learning with Allie.  Living and laughing with Hank.

Life is good.

** Edited to add: Woops!!  Can I clarify something?  Um, I run 3 miles each time I workout . .but I don't run every day. Big difference, no?  (I usually run 3-4 times a week. . . if I'm lucky).  And I have to say that I've never been much of a runner, but during the summer I bought a pair of Nike +, and boy have they ever motivated me! 

What I Did Over Summer Vacation

Man, I can't believe that summer is almost over!  Where on earth did time go?  That always happens, though, doesn't it?  Summer whizzes us by, and then before we know it, we're writing essays titled, "What I Did Over Summer Vacation."  Or something like that.

If Alison were to sit down and write an essay like this, hers might read a little like this:

What I Did Over Summer Vacation (So Far)
By Alison W.
"Summer started off pretty fun.  My mama signed Henry and me up for swimming lessons.  Henry kinda freaked out and screamed every day at  the lessons.  He didn't like hanging on the side of the pool.  So he just screamed and hollered.  Now he sits on the side of the pool and watches me.  Oh and he eats lots of popcorn too.  Mama says she makes it for him to keep him focused and still.  I don't think it works, though, because I always hear Henry yelling "Hi!  Hello Allie!" to me while I'm swimming.

Let's see what else?  Um, we've been eating a lot of frozen yogurt.  My mama said that she's "hooked" on frozen yogurt from The Golden Spoon.  I don't know what hooked means, but I feel like I could eat that stuff every day. Especially the mint flavor with gummy bears.  That stuff is so yummy.  My mama says eating her frozen yogurt is as important as breathing air.  I usually just smile and nod and say, "Can I get two toppings this time?"

Oh we're going on vacation soon.  We're flying out to see my uncle, aunt, and cousin.  That should be fun, and if I remember right, our last plane ride was kind of crazy.  Mama likes to refer to it a "disaster."  All I remember is Henry pooped his pants on the plane, and then my shoelaces got stuck in the escalator at the airport.  Oh and I also remember Mama rushing off to buy some medicine called Addvill.

Another exciting thing that happened is Baby Kate started walking all over the place.  She can walk everywhere now, and she usually ends up playing in my room or my closet.  She's so cute, and I love being her big sister.  My mama has taught her some sign language, and she signs for simple things like "more," "milk," "eat." 

And Henry.  As crazy as he is, he really is my good pal.  We do fun things like play "FOOD" or "FAMILY."  Usually I'm the mama, and he's the daddy.  Oh and Baby Kate is, well, the baby.  We have pretend food, and we take orders and stuff.  Today Henry and I pretend cooked some tomatoes.  We all laughed when Henry said that he added his special salt, pepper, and syrup to them.  He always makes us laugh.

We also got to spend the night at our grandparents' house.  My Daddy surprised my Mama with tickets to see Sirk Doo Solay in a place called Vegas.  They flew to Vegas and saw the show, and my Mama was happy that she was able to go on a trip sans the kids.  (And she always whispers that part). 

Well, I think that's about it.  Summer is almost over, but we still have a lot of plans left for the next few weeks.  It should be a lot of fun!  Life is good."

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Hee!  i think that about sums up our summer vacation so far!  I have some (potentially) exciting news relating to The Paper Princess that I can't wait to share, but I'm afraid of jinxing things. . . so I'll just leave y'all with a cliff hanger!  I have been reworking some of my illustrations for card designs.  Here's the lastest one I redid. . . . still in its production stage!  Do you like?

Summer Pals

Today I was fiddling around in Illustrator, and created this illo for Lil' Miss Kate.  I'm going to have it printed on archival paper, frame it, and hang it in her room.  I sure hope she likes it. :)

Tomorrow we're having a picnic-style birthday party for Alison and Kate.  I have cakes to bake, party favors to pretty-up, and a million other party-related things!  Should be a fun day!  I'll fill you all in later!

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Oh, and so sorry about the temporarily "closed comments" in the raffle post (not sure what happened there!)!  Those folks who entered the raffle via e-mail. . .no worries!  I'm including you too!  In the meantime, if you haven't entered the contest, whattya waiting for?  :)

Young Love. And Stuff.

On Friday I volunteered in Alison's class, and I had the joy of reliving the ultimate elementary school experience:  CAFETERIA FOOD.  Yup.  The cardboard tray, mushy fruit in its semi-defrosted state, pizza with rubbery cheese, a bruised apple, a cellophane wrapped spork (alongside teeny tiny straw and wafer thin napkin).

Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

So anyway. There I am thirty-something hunched over on a kinder-sized lunch bench, sandwiched between Alison and her pal Yvette.  Next to Alison was classmate "Noah." Now I'm sure you remember the Noah of your time. The guy who enjoyed tugging your hair or breaking your crayons.  Perhaps your Noah was like mine?  My Noah sat behind me during carpet time, and he made strange meowing noises while the teacher read to us.  Sometimes he even enjoyed shoving small pebbles into my storage cubby.  Do you know him?

If you do, you know he did this all in the name of love.

That young love is a strange creature.  I believe that on Friday at 11:34 a.m., I witnessed Noah's candid love for Alison develop.  You see, Noah managed to toss Alison's carton of orange juice in the air enough times to aggravate the heck out of her.  I saw her sighing with irritation out of the corner of my eye, and I have to admit it looked like true love to me.  Because lord knows, that if a boy tosses your orange juice in the air, he's in love.  With you.

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Of course I couldn't help but reminisce about my elementary school days.  Of how boys were disgusting and gross in the early years, and then how boys were a blooming curiosity by the fifth grade.  Fifth grade was such an awkward stage for me (I hit puberty fairly early), and I towered over most of the boys in class.   I remember the day my fifth grade boyfriend asked me to go steady.  We managed to both sneak out of class at the same time, and I remember walking down the hallway together.  Hand in hand.  Nevermind that his hand was a clammy mess, I remember that moment so vividly.  Our simple love voyage ended in us getting a drink from the water fountain (he held the button for me), but I tell you, that was love.

It was sweet.  It was innocent.  And it was certainly memorable.

And I know he remembers that moment too, because shortly after returning to class, I managed a swift karate chop to his neck.  All out of love of course.  

Brought to You by the Number 9.

Very shortly, Kate will be nine months old, and nine months has always been a significant number to me.

Nine months  of pregnancy always seemed to drag on, and I always found myself focusing on time:  the length of a day, the stretch of a week.  Every moment was measured in these tidy bits of time.  While I may have grumbled about the effects of pregnancy on my body, I always secretly enjoyed housing my little bun.  Having another life growing inside of you -- it's a very intimate experience.

But nine months out of the womb?  There's always a bit of sadness when this milestone is reached, because to me it has always signifies independence and freedom from Mama.  Nine months marks the beginning journey towards autonomy.  From this point my little one will start to take flight, and she'll continue to grow into her own little being, her own little person. Someone separate from me. 

That's the bittersweet part.

Right now, Kate is learning more about the world around her, and each day she manages to display some new trick. Yesterday was clapping.  And the day before?  Scooting herself under the couch!  Kate usually sits on the floor gazing up at her siblings, her face brightening each time they walk into the room, and when she gets really excited, she flaps her arms up and down like a little bird.  Usually that's my clue to pick her up and spin her around.  She giggles when I do this.  And usually my heart melts from happiness.

I'm eager to see how Kate's future unfolds.  Will she be shy and sweet like her sister?  Or will she be loud and rambunctious like her brother?  Only time will tell.  But for now, I'm content living right now in this day. 

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As for Gifty! news, I finally, finally uploaded my treats from Kat of Pinku Rocks.  See them over at flickr!

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I also updated my long neglected links!  Yay! I feel so, so PROUD!  I feel like I just tackled a major project.  I've added some new friends that I've been meaning to add for ages! 

It Went a Little Like This. . .

Did you ever have one of those whirlwind weekends where you don't know if you're coming or going?!  Or one of those weekends where you wake up with a start because ohmygodwhatdayisit?  Yeah, my weekend was like that.  Driving, driving, driving all over L.A..  That was a real pain in the ass.

Oh L.A. don't get me wrong.  I love you.  I really do.

That is, I love you when I'm not hating you or cursing you.  You know, L.A., you do have some character flaws.  Your  freeways, those clogged arteries of our city that transport us from point A to point B at a snail's pace.  A 20 mile commute that takes just over an hour and a half.  On a good day.  Oh yes, those are the things I truly love truly hate about you L.A.

Anyway, to give you an overview of my weekend, click diagram for larger view.  The dotted lines represent the paths I took dashing back and forth across the city:

For you math folk, here is another representation o' my weeekend:

3(birthday parties + gifts/cards) - time management = 2 ADVIL

405 Freeway + game in the valley = EMPTY GAS TANK.

2 kids(birthday cake) - naps = HELL ON EARTH

2(Money Pit) - spouse + 3kids(Cherry Icees) - napkins = WHAT WAS I THINKING

Golly wasn't that fun?

Actually it really was fun (despite tantrums, sugar highs, sticky hands, and traffic jams)!  And we were able to spend good times with people we love!

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Onto Memeland, I was just tagged by Anne.  This should be fun!  Here goes!

Four Jobs I've Had in My Life:
• Manager of an ice cream store in beautiful Hermosa Beach.
• Teacher's Aide in Hollywood.
• Teacher (both elementary and middle, urban and rural, private and public)
• Intervention Speciailst (current job)

Four Movies I Watch Over and Over
• The Outsiders
• Waiting for Guffman
• Uncle Buck
• A Christmas Story

Four Places I've Lived:
• Los Angeles, CA
• D.F., México
• Ciudad Interlomas, México
• San Diego, CA

Four T.V. Shows I Like to Watch:
• Project Runway
• Everybody Hates Chris
• Grey's Anatomy
• Desperate Housewives

Four (Favorite) Places I've been on Vacation:
• Europe (very general, I know.  I backpacked through Europe for a summer in college)
• México (Cancún, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Isla Mujeres)
• Hawaii (to see the fam)
• New Orleans, LA

Four Websites I Visit Daily
• Most of these places
• Flickr
• Yahoo
• Amazon

Four of My Favorite Foods:
• Tito's Tacos
• Falafel Sandwiches w/ Tahini Sauce
• Macaroni and Cheese (homemade)
• Rice Krispy Treats!

Four Places I'd Rather be Right Now:
• napping on a beach in Hawaii
• napping in my hammock
• napping on the couch (after watching TiVo'd Project Runway episodes back to back)
• napping in my bed while Hank takes care of the kids for the rest of the evening!

And since we're on the topic of FOUR.  Henry TURNED FOUR YEARS OLD TODAY!  Woo hoo!

*****Gifty UPDATE!********
Everyone should have received their Gifty! partner information.  If you have any questions about the theme, the cost, shipping window etc.  Here is the Gifty! info link.  As for the theme, "From the Heart."  This could be Valentine's Day related or just something, well, something from your heart!  Everybody now, "Awwwwwww!"
 

Rip It Off. . . Quick!

Yes, folks.  Tomorrow is the day.  The official R.T.W.A.E.M. (Return to Work After Eight Months) Day.  After much deliberation and many sleepless nights of "Should I return to work" or "Should I extend my leave?" thoughts tumbling around my brain, I finally concluded that yes, I need to return to work.  I also concluded, after absolutely no deliberation, that YES, THIS SUCKS.  Um, yeah.

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In a way, I'm kinda excited to see my friends at work.  So tomorrow should have a small portion of fun included in the mix, don't you think?  That honeymoon period of "How are yous?" and "What have you been up tos" should last for at least a couple of hours tomorrow, right? And won't everyone else be be suffering from the Monday Tuesday blues, especially after being off for the holidays?  Somehow I manage to feel better when everyone else around me is, well, miserable.

I think the worst part about going back to work is that I'll have to be ready two hours earlier than normal.  Just thinking about waking up that early is making me yearn for a nap.  Naps are golden.  Like dear George Costanza said, "The only thing that gets me up in the morning. . . is the thought of a nap."

And let's see. What else? Oh yes, my wardrobe. Um, last I heard spit-up on one's shoulder cannot pass for the grunge look, and sour-milk scented sweaters can't either.  The three-days-in-a-row-jeans won't quite suffice in the workplace so I'll have to explore the depths of my closet to find something decent for tomorrow.  I'll have to think of something quick. 

I'm hoping that I can stretch out this honeymoon phase of returning to work by feigning real work for at least a week.  Or two.  You know, the I'm carrying a manila envelope because I've got some really important documents that I'm working on trick.  When y'all know I'm really going to the bathroom to check my hair.  Again.

I just wish that I could get tomorrow over with quicklike.  You know, like ripping off a bandaid. Just do it quick, and get the misery out of the way.  A painless procedure.

Work.

*Sigh* 

Wish me luck, guys.  And you know, as the eleventh hour approaches, I'm actually thinking of filling out that Leave of Absence form afterall.  Stay tuned to find out what I do.

And meanwhile, Anne, good luck tomorrow!