Birthday Party for Astrid #3

Astrid turned 3 on Saturday, and we celebrated 3 days in a row (Friday at preschool, Saturday just with our nuclear family, and then today's big birthday bash with lots of Astrid's friends). This year we made arrangements months ahead of time to have Astrid's birthday party at Peekaboo Playland, Astrid's favorite indoor playground in Eagle Rock. Peekaboo Playland is only open to the public during the week, and on the weekends it's reserved for private parties. It's the perfect spot to have a kid's birthday and they have staff on hand to help you set up, decorate, and clean up. When we arrived we saw that they had put out a sign on the front lawn with "Happy Birthday Astrid" written on a chalkboard, and colored balloons attached. A really nice touch. And since it's located in a craftsman-style house, and tucked behind a Chiropractic office that rents out the front of the house, the sign made it easy for everyone to find. Having fun on the slide attached to the indoor bouncy house.
Wheeeee!...the girls having fun going down the slide backwards.

Here comes the birthday girl!
Peekaboo Playland only allows up to 15 kids, and I thought that wouldn't be a problem, but as we got closer to the date and more and more kids were RSVP'ing - I found myself in a bit of a predicament - as I found out that Astrid has way more than 15 friends that wanted to come - from gymnastics class, dance class, preschool, and family friends. What I ended up doing was not inviting all her friends at school - but only her small class. The day of the party I was still getting last minute RSVP's so I ended up running out to the store that morning and buying more goodie bags - and we ended up having more than 15 kids there, but it turned out just fine. I'm happy to report that the party police didn't come and shut us down. =)
Kids can run amok around Peekaboo Playland and since there's padding all around it's safe. There's nothing dangerous there that your kids can get into. And it's one big room, so you can keep an eye on your kid from wherever you're sitting or standing. The owner has a small child a little younger than Astrid (and a newborn) so it has a toddler mom's touch.

Having fun in the ball pit.

The girls got into the costume chest and were playing dress up. These 3 girls are from Astrid's preschool (Olivia, Alicia, and Lilly - Olivia and Lilly are sisters).

Olivia was a godsend when Astrid first started preschool. Being the older sister , she was used to caring for her younger sister - and being a year older than Astrid, she acted as a mother hen to Astrid when I would drop her off at school. She would take Astrid by the hand and show her around and really made her feel welcome at school. She was Astrid's first school friend.

Normally Astrid isn't into dress up and she's definitely not into Princesses, but because she saw the other girls doing it - she had to wear a Princess dress as well.Twirling around telling everyone she was a Princess. She is our princess.The pink frilly dress didn't stop her from playing just as hard.

When I was deciding what to dress Astrid in - Astrid wanted to wear her pretty blue dress - but I opted for a more practical outfit (pants and shirt) so she could crawl and climb and it wouldn't get in her way of playing. But here she is wearing a dress over her clothes - and she's still doing all the things that she was when she had just the pants on.I love this photo of Astrid zooming down the slide - looking so happy.All the adults standing around chatting, drinking mimosas while watching the kids and cracking up at their antics.It's even more fun going down the slide with a ball, and a classmate who's going down head first. That's her classmate Atash.

Recently Astrid's preschool was closed for 1 week for Spring break, and we went to a sister preschool that was available for daycare during that week. By that time Astrid was used to going to school - but in an unfamiliar environment she reverted back to crying and latching onto me. Thank goodness she saw a familiar face - Atash who was also there for the week. As soon as she saw him all was okay and she sat down and started playing with the Duplo legos on a rug with him.More dress up fun. These 2 girls are from Astrid's dance class. Too cute. Cinderella trying on her pink slipper while downing an organic kid's milk.
Some of her friends had younger siblings like this one - here playing with balls.

You can see the cubby holes in the background to hold everyone's shoes - it's a shoe-free environment - and they keep the playground very clean. There's also a puppet theater. This little girl is from Astrid's dance class.
You can see the big banner hanging on the wall that says "Happy Birthday Astrid!"Peekaboo Playland also has an outdoor play area, with swings and play houses, slides, and a maze. In the summer they have pools and water fun. Now that I'm working, this is the first time we've been back, since they have private parties on the weekends - so it's not open to the public. Another working mom at the party lives in Eagle Rock and she was delighted to be here to check it out for the first time. For those same reasons, it was also U.'s first time here.In the kid swing it looks like Astrid is wearing a pink tutu.She loves the swings and will shout, "Higher!...Higher!"Papa and the birthday girl.Trying to ride the big bike.More swinging fun.
Our happy birthday girl.
Kids kids everywhere!
Moms having a chat. This is the first time I've seen some of the moms that I used to see on a weekly basis when I was a stay at home mom with Astrid.
As I was taking the cake out of the box it slipped and fell - first onto my leg and then on the ground. Just as U. was asking me a question - I said, "I dropped the cake" - he saw it lying upside down splat on the kitchen floor - and immediately said, "I'll go to the store and get another one!" Luckily the bakery we used is just down the street so he got another cake - had them write "Happy Birthday Astrid" on it - and I rinsed off the circus cake topping from the original cake - and we were good to go. Astrid wearing her special birthday hat.It was so cute to see all the kids wearing party hats. I even wore one for a bit. One kid asked me why Astrid got to wear a special hat and I told him because she's the birthday girl. He thought about it and said, "I never get to wear a special hat on my birthday." Sorry dude.
Mama and birthday girl.
I can't believe my daughter is already 3 years old! That old saying is really true - when you have a kid you have the longest days and the shortest years. They turned out the lights and we all sang happy birthday to Astrid. She's fascinated by the big 3 candle lit on top of her birthday cake.
Papa saved the day by getting this replacement cake. It was delicious by the way with really light whipped cream frosting and strawberries. Other than the flower, you couldn't tell it wasn't the original cake.
Astrid licking the frosting off a strawberry.
All the kids wanted to touch the cake and so shortly afterwards the staff whisked the cake away to cut it in the kitchen, and then brought out individually sliced pieces of cake on plates for us.
The girls looking at the boys going "Bad boys. You're not supposed to touch the birthday cake." Astrid looks aghast here that the boys were ruining her cake. I just thought it was funny - kids being kids. One kid pulled out one of the balloon cake toppers - but here you can see the circus themed cake with the multi-colored choo choo train (that one of the boys pushed deeper into the frosting as he tried to make it move across the cake), balloons, and a clown.

Since this was only the 2nd time we've allowed Astrid to have any cake I thought she'd be all over it, but interestingly enough she just ate the strawberries and just a couple small bites of cake and she was done. She was more interested in playing with the animal puppet and pretending that it was biting mommy's arm.

Us adults having some fun in the bouncy house. That's Jill (Astrid's Godmother - who took all these beautiful photos) and I. Jill's husband Bill took this photo. Aside from being fun it's always great exercise.
The perfect ratio of 3 adults and 3 kids inside the bouncy house.
Jill tickling Astrid.

After our 2 hours were up the staff let everyone know it was time to go home - and Astrid handed out goodie bags to all her friends as I tried to coach her to say thank you to everyone. Astrid had such a great time (and U. even admitted that he could have stayed for another 2 hours) that she started crying at the end because she didn't want her birthday party to end.

Thank you to everyone who came and made Astrid's 3rd birthday so memorable. And a great big hug and thank you to Jill who took all these beautiful photos.

Birthday wishes from Astrid's Godmother

Happy Birthday #3 Astrid!

Astrid was born 3 years ago today at 5:21 PM.

It's hard to believe our little bundle of joy is now 3 years old.

That old saying is really true: "When you have a child you have the longest days but the shortest years."

Tonight we went to La Grande Orange, a new restaurant that just opened in Pasadena (in the old train depot) for dinner, to celebrate Astrid's birthday. U. and I sang happy birthday to Astrid as she stared into the lit candle in her slice of cake and then blew out her candle.

Tomorrow is the big day - her birthday party with a bunch of her friends at Peekaboo Playground, her favorite indoor playground.

I hope I didn't traumatize my daughter & cause her to have a fear of roaches

So tonight Astrid and I spot a cockroach in the bathroom. A great, big, scary one. So I'm in there, trying to kill it with a broomstick handle. I'm standing on the toilet, trying to get at it as it's climbing along the windowsill, as my daughter is standing near the doorway watching. All of a sudden the sucker flies off the windowsill. I had no idea cockroaches had wings!

At this point I'm looking for where it landed, but I can't see it. Until I look down and notice it's on me. Eeeek! I jump down off the toilet and then all of a sudden my daughter is screaming and crying saying it's on her leg.

It was the most terrifying and yet comical thing that has happened to us yet. My 3 year old daughter is terrified of this huge cockroach. I'm 34 and just as freaked out by it, but I'm just better at hiding it.

I ask Astrid where the bug went and she's so freaked out all she can do is cry. So I hold her for a bit and ask her if it crawled under the fridge. She nods and finally says yes in fact it went under the fridge. I moved the fridge this way and that way and the bug was no where to be found.

Astrid said, "Maybe it went home. To bug home."

And later after she calmed down (after lots of hugs and kisses and reassurances from mommy that it's not going to hurt her) she told me, "It have ears."

I was holding her and I just had to put down my head and laugh.

"Why you laugh in my belly mom?" asked Astrid.

"Because you're just so cute sometimes," I said.

Now let's just hope she's not traumatized by this whole episode with the cockroach.

When I find spiders I catch them and put them outside, but cockroaches are different story.

A similar thing happened with my mom:
Once a mouse got into my parents' house while my mom was at home with a friend of hers. She was terrified, and both women screamed. They soon collected themselves, and after climbing down from their chairs, her friend and her cornered the mouse in the pantry and kept spraying Raid into it's face. After going through an entire can of Raid, the mouse just stared back. Later they realized the mouse had died with its eyes open. I'm telling ya that stuff is toxic!

Countdown to Astrid's 3rd birthday

Astrid's third birthday is next week. Last year for her 2nd birthday it was just a family affair. For her 1st birthday we had a traditional Korean affair with friends and family. For this year's birthday - #3 - it's important to invite Astrid's friends (from gymnastics, preschool, dance class) and family to come celebrate.

We attended a 3 year old birthday for one of Astrid's friends not too long ago and Astrid is excited to have a birthday party of her own. If she's not behaving or she's in a grumpy mood, all you have to do is remind her about her birthday and her ears will perk up..."Birthday party? My birthday party?" And then she will get really animated and give you a run down of everyone who's coming to her party.

The place - Peekaboo Playground - Astrid's favorite indoor playground in Eagle Rock. It has an indoor bouncy house with a slide that kids (and adults love), a ball pit, trains, costumes for dressing up, puppets and a puppet theater, puzzles, an electronic kid's piano with a kid sized piano bench, and even an outdoor area with two swings and a maze and slides and play houses. Fun fun fun all around and it's much less hassle to do it there (staff helps with the setup and cleanup) and we'll leave with a "come back again for free" pass for the birthday girl.

I was surprised by all the marketing garbage out there for kid's birthday parties. I mean can't you have a kid's birthday anymore without having the theme be a TV cartoon character? A kid's birthday party should be about imagination, fun and whimsy right? So I chose a cake with a multi-colored choo-choo train and clowns on it.

In going with the circus theme I got balloons in primary colors - yellow, red, and blue, with matching table cloths, plates, napkins, cups and utensils in those same colors. I also found a really cute clown pinata that's Astrid's size. She loved it and wanted to hold it and kiss it. She kept saying, "It's so cute."

Astrid helped me make goodie bags for her friends today. "Presents for my friends?" she would ask.

The party is reserved for 2 hours (that's the allowable time) from 10 AM to 12 Noon. Since it's too early for lunch, but we still need to have some food to munch on, I'm thinking more along the lines of brunch. I'm also planning on having mimosas for the adults.

It should make for a fun Sunday morning, which I'm sure will go by so fast! It'll be the first time Astrid really understands what a birthday party is and to have her friends and family sing happy birthday to her is something special (Kodak moment). Yes, U. and I will be there with our cameras (photo and video), and Astrid's Godmother Jill who is a photographer will also be snapping photos galore. I'm looking forward to it.

Two days before I'll be bringing cupcakes to Astrid's preschool for her class to sing happy birthday to her and have a little party for her. I requested these cupcakes that are low in sugar with just a touch of frosting (the size of a Hershey's kiss), just enough to stick a smiley faced ring into. Me bringing cupcakes to my kid's school for her birthday? Now I feel like a bona fide mom.

Allergies?

Last month (March) Astrid's nose was running constantly. I remember this because she just started preschool and I was worried that the school faculty would think she was sick and send her home and she'd need someone there to constantly wipe her nose. At first I thought the runny nose was caused by her teething, but it's now mid April and her nose still constantly runs.

I mentioned this to U. and he noted that he thinks Astrid has allergies. It's definitely allergy season, so it's a definite possibility. Plus U. has severe allergies this time of year where he can barely breathe with his sinuses all plugged up, and his eyes get really red and swollen. He has to take daily prescription allergy medication just to function. I on the other hand have no allergies to speak of. (Thank goodness!) As in all aspects involving our child, we hope that Astrid got the better of our two gene pools. (For example - U.'s great eyesight - whereas my vision is so bad I can't read the clock on the nightstand without squinting.)

So now that I've pinpointed the possible link between Astrid's constant runny nose and allergy season - it's something we need to ask our Pediatrician about at our next check up and see what we can do about it.

When I pick Astrid up from school most times her nose is crusted over. I place a tissue in her pocket every morning and there's a box of tissues with her name on it in her classroom, because I can't expect the teachers to constantly wipe her nose every 10 minutes. But there's gotta be a better solution. I can give her some children's Benadryl, but it's medication - and I don't want to keep her drugged everyday. Does anyone have any suggestions for maybe homeopathic remedies that I can give my 3 year old daughter?

Made in the USA

Astrid and I went shopping for a new pair of Crocs for her, as she's outgrown her old ones, and they're just really great versatile shoes. Especially if there's a lot of back and forth going from the house to the backyard, swimming, etc. For kids it makes it so much easier to slip them on and off. I turned them over and was shocked...yes shocked...to see they are made in the USA. I rarely see that and never with shoes. I know there's a huge mark up on these shoes...because for kid shoes...these are pretty expensive ($27), but they're worth it because they last and they're easy to wash. Good to see there's an industry here for them and they're profitable. Go USA!

(Btw she picked out purple Crocs this time around. Her last pair were aqua.)

From the mouths of babes

Astrid was fascinated by all the people in the MAC store applying cosmetics. I didn't think much of it as I saw her staring. I was just happy I had some time to pick out a new lipstick while the little one was entertained by her surroundings. Until we left the store and Astrid starting talking, and showing me how people were applying makeup.

Astrid: "Why they put on their eye?"
Me: "Oh you mean mascara? They put that on their eyelashes."
Astrid: "Yeah on their eye."
(I'm thinking it must look strange from her point of view like they're putting something on their eye. This morning she quizzed me thoroughly about my eyelash curler and if it hurt. Which I assured her it didn't. Us women know it only hurts when we accidentally pinch ourselves.)
Astrid: "Why they do that?"
Me: "You mean why do they wear makeup?"
Astrid: "Yeah. Why???"
Me: "Oh I guess it's because they think it makes them look better."
Astrid pointed her little finger at me and said...
Astrid: "You too!"
I had to chuckle at that. Every morning she's watches me apply makeup in the bathroom before leaving the house. I'm guilty as charged.

4 weeks of school/work

To date it's been 4 weeks of school for Astrid and 4 weeks at my new job.

Morning Routine
We've become a well oiled machine in the mornings. We have a small window of time to get everything done (bath, breakfast, change of clothes, lunch packed, hair, and then mommy gets ready), and for the most part Astrid is great when we stick to our routine.

Astrid has what I call her "rain man" tendencies when it comes to wanting to do things in a certain order and sticking to the routine. Probably normal for most kids. For example, she has to have her hair done while she is watching a cartoon (it turns into a major catastrophe if I try to do her hair in the bathroom or with the TV off), and she will not brush her teeth until right before we leave. Silly stuff like that.

But on the flip side, she also knows what to expect and what comes next. So after our bath she knows we're going downstairs to have breakfast. And she knows that after she gets dressed we do her hair, etc. And when we leave the house she'll ask to make sure we have her lunch and her clean bedding (on Mondays). She knows what's expected of her and she understands when we're on time or late.

It's a big help that she's so cooperative. For example, I ask her to put on her shoes (which she does by herself now) and this gives me a couple minutes to shut off the heater, gather up our belongings, put on my shoes, etc., and since she's putting on her shoes next to the front door, we're ready to leave the house.

Food
I try to switch it up and give Astrid an assortment of things to eat for lunch, so she doesn't get bored, and I'm starting to see preferences. She will tell me in the morning what NOT to put in her lunch. For example, she'll say "Mommy no yogurt today". So I'll ask her if she wants a cheese instead for her morning snack at school. A week later she might ask me if I can put a yogurt in her lunch.

I recently found out that she does not like lunch meat. I tried turkey and then chicken, and always it comes back uneaten in her lunch bag. (Which is probably a good thing with their high sodium content.) Prior to school she never ate lunch meat because she had hot lunches with mommy everyday. So with trial and error I'm finding out her likes and dislikes for a sack lunch.

At dinner, we're still trying to have a sit down dinner with all 3 of us when it's possible (Mama, Papa, Astrid - as Astrid is fond of saying.) But some nights when Astrid is fussy, I question whether it's worth it. U. and I don't have an enjoyable meal and it seems more stressful than anything. But last night we had a very nice dinner together. So that's still a work in progress.

Friends
Astrid has a lot of friends at school. When I drop her off at preschool in the mornings I've seen kids shout her name, "Astrid!" and get all excited and wave hi to her. One little boy, Mio even ran up to her saying her name, and then stood next to her like he was her boyfriend. And then there are the older kids that Astrid likes to play with. One day one of the girls, Olivia (who was a life saver in the beginning - who would take Astrid by hand and show her around and introduce her to the other kids) was downtrodden and was looking down at the floor - Astrid saw her and said, "Mommy what's wrong with Olivia. Why she so sad?"

School has definitely been a positive in Astrid's social development. After giving me a hug and a kiss goodbye she will run over to her friends and play, without needing any encouragement.

I also hear about her day on the drive home. About one girl crying, or another being a bad girl, or a couple boys who she plays with at recess, and all the kids in her class. I can't wait to get the school photo with names under each kid's pic so I can identify each child.

Challenges
It's still a challenge with U. and I both working. We've agreed that I get 1 designated evening a week to myself for social and networking events, or to stay late at work. On the home front it seems we're always doing laundry. You never imagine how much laundry piles up when you're working. We may need to get her housekeeper to come every week (rather than once every 2 weeks).

Today we both went to the grocery store separately (neither of us knew the other one was going) so now we have 5 half gallons of milk. Oh well it'll get used somehow.

Astrid washing the dishes

On the nights our babysitter Jill comes over, I usually have some sort of fun activity for them to do together, that will interest/excite Astrid, to keep her engaged (and to keep her from crying when U. and I are leaving). Activities include: baking cookies, baking scones, making a pizza, beading a necklace and bracelet, arts & crafts, drawing on large pieces of poster board, colored sidewalk chalk, bubbles, books, etc.

But tonight none of those things interested her. But guess what did?

Washing the dishes. I went downstairs and saw her standing on a chair pushed up to the kitchen sink and she had on my orange dish washing gloves, and she was scrubbing away. Our babysitter Jill was supervising (and we were both cracking up). It was really cute and funny to see Astrid so into it. She didn't even mind when it was time for me to leave. She barely showed interest and just said, "Okay bye mom."

Kids. *shrug*

Astrid's adjustment to school & mommy returning to work

The other night U. said to me, "I feel she really needs you."

So then we got into this whole discussion about Astrid's adjustment to all the changes that have taken place recently - starting preschool, me going back to work full time. It must be difficult for her in many respects.

First off being with me almost 24/7, and now that gets cut back to spending only 10% with mom.

Then there's the fact that I am her official translator. I can understand just about everything she says - either it's clear as a bell to me, or I can figure it out - from spending so much time with her - and now she's on her own at school. I told her teacher Miss Fathima that Astrid has a hard time pronouncing her name and says, "Miss Tima" instead. I wonder what else the teachers don't understand that she's trying to tell them. It must be frustrating. I know when I pick her up she's ecstatic to see me. Not only because it's me, but because I understand her.

When U. and I go out and leave her with her long-time babysitter Jill on our scheduled date nights, she cries and really has a meltdown, not wanting mommy (me) to leave.

U. has been away on business on several occasions since I started working again, and Astrid is pretty oblivious to it; but when I'm not there, her whole world crumbles. It really seems like her world revolves around me.

U. picked Astrid up from school a couple times, and she did not stop crying and asking for Mama. (Even though U. and I had both prepared her and told her again and again that Papa would be picking her up from school.)

When I pick Astrid up from school she will beg and plead to go to a restaurant and does not want to go home. I attribute it to wanting to spend time alone with me, and have me all to herself.

It's tough because 1) U. wants to have that strong connection with her and I know it hurts his feelings when Astrid acts like all that matters to her is mommy, and 2) I need my space and time for myself as well. But U. and I both understand that it's a phase she's going through given the circumstances. It makes our evenings and weekends extra precious now because it's the only time we get to spend as a family with Astrid.

So on those days when I'm exasperated by her crying and clutching onto my leg, not wanting me to leave - I remind myself of those sweet moments when she whispers into my ear, "Mommy...I love you so much."

What a grind!

I finished my first week at my new job, and tomorrow will be midway through my second week. With me going back to work full time and Astrid going to preschool full time, it has completely changed our daily routine. It's been quite a challenge. It feels a bit overwhelming like it did at first with a newborn. Mostly because it's all relatively new and I'm just winging it without it feeling completely manageable yet. It's back to falling asleep on the couch from pure exhaustion at the end of the day. But I know soon it'll become old hat and I'll have it down. It's just a matter of time. I keep telling myself that.

Our evening routine
Currently, when we get back home it's a mad dash to cook, eat dinner together as a family, do the laundry, wash dishes, prepare Astrid lunch for the next day, and then get Astrid ready for bed (bath, brushing teeth, blow drying hair, pajamas, and bedtime reading and lullabies sung to her). U. has been a saint cooking dinner every night he's been home. On those days/nights he's been away on business the first week, Astrid and I dined out at restaurants. (As a result Astrid will tell me, "I no want to eat at home. I want eat restaurant!")

We shop on the weekends for groceries at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's and the farmer's market, so we're pretty well stocked up during the week. I'm always trying to think of new things to put into Astrid's lunch to keep it exciting. On that note: I also purchased a fruit slicer that makes 8 perfectly sliced pieces every time. I first saw the scientist guy on the Food network using it to make apple slices for a pie. Rather than buying those prepacked apple slices that are refrigerated, I decided to get the slicer to slice up fresh fruit for Astrid everyday. It works great with all varieties of apples and pears.

Our morning routine
Recently Astrid has been waking up at 3 AM, and U. will bring her to our bed to sleep with me (and then goes and sleeps on the couch by himself - poor U. Plus he leaves for work at the crack of dawn). I don't know what it is about that time, but she's chatting up a storm and wants to tell me about this and that. At 3 AM I reserve the right to continue sleeping and be grumpy if someones talking loudly in my ear- so I remind her it's "dark outside" and she needs to go to sleep.

Regardless, she's up (wide awake and ready to go) before 6 - so in order for me to get ready for work - we take a bath together. Most days she plays in the bath after I get out just long enough for me to brush my teeth and blow dry my hair.

Then we go downstairs for breakfast. I don't eat breakfast, but Astrid does, so it gives me time to cut up fruit for her, put her frozen gel pack in her lunch and her lunch containers (I prepared the night before), and sometimes enough time to fold laundry. Anything we need to bring with us is placed on the bottom step next to the front door - so in the rush to get out of the house - we don't forget anything. This includes Astrid's lunch bag, her bedding (the preschool has the kids bring home their bed sheet, blanket, and pillow every Friday to be washed, and brought back on Monday), and my purse.

After breakfast we go back upstairs and I get Astrid ready for school. I get her dressed, get a matching jacket ready, brush her teeth, and do her hair.

Then I let Astrid watch a PBS cartoon show while I get ready.

Then we're flying out the door.

On the bright side
My commute is great (by LA standards). About a 20 minute drive in the morning, and 30 minutes in the evening.

I was also fortunate to find a preschool for Astrid within a mile from my office. That has been a blessing, to be able to spend a little bit of time with Astrid at school every morning (and have time to chat with her teachers about her), while getting to the office on time. After work it's great too, because she's so close.

Astrid is also liking her preschool more and more - which makes me happy as well.

And I can't say enough about how nice it (and what a big help it is!) to have a wonderful husband. U. got home from a 3 day business trip and long flight and what's the first thing that he does? - He's does all the laundry, washes the dishes, and cooks dinner for us. Yeah okay he had me at chicken - I walked in after my first day at work and smelled the whole, roasted, organic chicken in the oven that U. had cooked for us. Mmmmm. *mouth watering* I have to tell him sometimes, "I'll do it. You're making me feel like a horrible wife. Don't do everything."

And I'm getting into the swing of things at work.

It'll all come together soon, or I'll just be crashed on the couch 3/4ths of the way through any TV show I try to watch. There are worse things.

Licking

What is up with all the licking? I've heard of kids doing that, but never thought my kid actually would. But now here she is licking everything (my leg, my arm, bathtub, furniture, the carpet). It is so gross and I keep telling her to stop, but it seems like she just can't help herself.

Please someone tell me this is a short phase which she'll grow out of soon.

Proof my kid is funny (a comedian in the making?)

Astrid has always taken great pleasure in making me laugh. And when she makes Papa laugh the whole house is filled with laughter.

After dinner tonight as I was strapping Astrid into her car seat we had this little back and forth

Astrid: "Mama take bath with me?"
Me: "No, I don't think so. Not tonight honey."
(Recently I have been taking a bath with her in the evening and then another one in the morning before work, but I'm trying to limit myself to just one bath in the morning so my skin doesn't get super dry.)
Astrid: "Why?"
Me: "Well, because I'm not dirty. I didn't run and play on the playground like you did."
Astrid: "You not dirty?"
Me: "No, I'm not dirty."
Astrid: "You butt not dirty?"
Me: (Pause) "No, my butt's not dirty." (laughter)
(I had to really think about it. She's right - you only get that shower fresh and clean feeling after a bath. Haha.)
Astrid: "Gotcha!"
(We both started cracking up, and I ended up bathing with her.)

In the bathtub

Astrid was using her toy trumpet as a phone. I tried to say something to her, when she put her finger up to her mouth and said - "Shhhhh. Just a second. I talking on phone. Don't cry." - and went back to talking on the phone (er trumpet), shooting me sideways glances until she couldn't hold it in any longer and started laughing out loud.

1st few weeks of preschool (in review)

1st day of school
"Mom? I see boy butt. Boy go poop."
Communal toilets. Oh boy.

1st week of school
"Yeah kids nice to me. Everybody nice. No one hurt me."
"Little Indian BOY."
When I sing the 10 little Indians song to Astrid, I always make them little Indian girls, but at school they say little Indian boys. So Astrid tried to correct me. But she loves it when I sing girls because she's a girl so it's alright that Mommy changed the song just for her.

2nd week of school
"Mommy I missed you! I so happy to see you! You so happy to see me!"
When you're never away, you never experience the joy of being reunited with your kid.

3rd week of school
"My turn. My turn."
When she stayed at home with me there was not waiting for a turn, so this is definitely new. Everything is about it being her turn. Which is good I guess. She's learning to assert herself so she's not left out.
"You want to go time out?"
I saw Astrid putting her doll in the corner of her crib and asking about a time out. We don't use time outs at home so I knew she must have learned it from school. (We use the naughty step.) The gist of what I got is that some girl was put in time out and Astrid watched everything go down.

How was school?
Q: "What did you do today?"
A: "I don't know." (typical answer)

Unfortunately her teacher, "Miss Fathima" goes home at 1 PM daily, so when I pick Astrid up from school I can't get the real scoop on what went on that day in class (to talk to Astrid about it)- but I do ask her teacher when I see her in the next morning. And there are other teachers there who tell me she's a very good, smart girl and she's getting along well with the other children.

I do ask Astrid pointed questions, but the answers I get back or pretty much hit or miss and don't give me a picture of what really happened that day.

Now she also says "bye" to the teachers and to the other children when we leave (which she refused to do initially but now she does it straight away). Now we're still working on saying "good morning."

Nap Time
Naps I knew would be the hardest transition for her because she's used to sleeping in her own crib, being sung to by Mommy, having her back and feet rubbed. And I would get comments from Astrid everyday about how she was "sad for mommy when nap". But today one of the teachers told me that Astrid was napping now for 1.5 hours, when originally she did not want to go to sleep. I asked her how they put the kids to sleep and she said they gently pat their backs and tell them to go to sleep. She said that Astrid doesn't need that as much anymore.

Packed lunches
Everyday I pack a nutritious and fun lunch for Astrid. I bought cookie shape cutters to make different shaped sandwiches for Astrid. The first day it was a circle with a smiley face made out of raisins. U. saw what I did and basically told me I was more thoughtful than his mother ever was when he went off to school for the first time. The real reason I do it is because I want her to know that her mommy loves her even when we're apart and that she's reminded of it everyday. That's important to me.

On her own
Now that she's in preschool, she doesn't have me doting on her, so it was necessary to train her on a few things. In preparing her for school, I reminded her daily to always pull up her sleeves BEFORE washing her hands. That way avoiding her sleeves getting wet. So far so good, except for one day when she did come home with wet sleeves.

I also taught her how to use a tissue to blow her nose on her own. She's teething right now so her nose is constantly running. So every morning I put a clean folded tissue in her pocket for her to use at school, and I also brought a box of Kleenex with her name on it in her cubby hole at school if she needs more.

I also taught her how to use a napkin to wipe her mouth and hands as she's eating so that she doesn't stain her clothes, and isn't walking around with dried food on her face.

I also can't do elaborate hairstyles, or anything with big hair clips because I have to be mindful of her napping in that hairstyle and how it will feel when she sleeps, and how it will look when she wakes up.

So she's less pampered in a way, but so much better at washing her own hands (and of course she wants to do everything by herself anyway).

Final Destination
The school sold it's property and will be moving in June or July to another location in Altadena. So we'll have to see how it goes and if we will continue with the school or move Astrid to another school at that time.

Singing "Old MacDonald" during the morning commute

Nothing like singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" during the morning commute, and hearing Astrid's laughter in the backseat at all my animal sounds.

While driving Astrid to school I've gotten into the habit of turning off the radio, and then taking requests by Astrid, and singing to her, and us singing children's songs together. We both enjoy it and it gives us some bonding time with each other before and after the day, driving to and from school/work and home.

Astrid's 1st day of school (preschool)

Today was Astrid's first day at school.

Here she is holding her lunch bag.

It was a cold, rainy day, so I dressed her in a warm jacket with lots of layers underneath.We've been preparing for this day for awhile now. I found a preschool for Astrid that's a mile from my office. It gives me peace of mind knowing she's close and I can be there within minutes if necessary. It also makes the drop off and pick up much more convenient.

Originally I thought I would be able to stop by and take her to lunch once in awhile, but the Director pointed out that it makes it harder for the children to adjust and most kids will just cry when their parent leaves to go back to work.This school has 5 classrooms divided by age, which includes a separate classroom and playground for the older/bigger kids in Kindergarten. Astrid is in the intermediate class with the 3 year olds.Playing with puzzles.Astrid's teacher was out sick today, so I wasn't able to meet her, and the classes were combined as the school was dealing with the teacher's absence.Astrid made friends with this nice little girl named Ronni.Astrid prefers older kids (than kids her age), and older kids are also drawn to her because she's tall for her age and looks older.Circle time.Counting numbers as one kid picks his nose.The plan is to get Astrid acclimated to preschool little by little before I go back to work full time on March 1st. So today she was there until lunch time. U. and I thought it was an important bonding experience to break bread with the other children at the school. Gradually I will leave Astrid at school for longer periods of time so that she can experience nap time, recess after nap, and the after school program.

More pics of the school grounds below:A 3 seat teeter totter.Grass area, and playground with wood chips on the ground.Tricycle tarmack.A playhouse with a tree stump inside and tricycles, bikes, and cars.In the mornings and for recess the kids zoom around these 2 trees in their bikes and vehicles. It's adorable.

Pasadena Progressive Montessori School

615 S. Catalina Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91106

http://www.progressive-montessori.com/home.html

They have a piano in the classroom, and an in house music teacher who teaches music to the children, and who brings various instruments for the children to play with. I will also be enrolling Astrid in the gymnastics class which is taught by an outside instructor who comes to the school on a weekly basis.

They also have an annual concert recital which will be fun to watch.

Boy how time flies. My baby is already going to school. I stayed with her for a couple hours and then hugged her and reassured her I'd be back to pick her up after lunch time. She was hesitant to let me go but after giving me 10 kisses (which is highly unusual for her), she nodded to let me know it was okay for me to leave and she'd be okay. I got a little teary eyed when I left. It helped when I called U. to let him know how it went. Somehow while talking the lump in the throat went away. And when I was back to pick her up (I got there during lunch rather than after) Astrid was happy to see me and I was thrilled she had made it through her first half day at school on her own without any tears.

Happy Valentine's Day 2008!

Self defense (from psychopaths and bullies)

Earlier this week Astrid encountered a small boy at the playground in Montrose. He was standing on the bridge as she was crossing, and as soon as she saw him Astrid stopped and looked coyly at him. It looked like a cute encounter - two little kids looking at each other, too shy to say "hi". Then all of a sudden out of the blue this boy attacked Astrid. He clawed her face and got her right underneath her eye.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I immediately shouted, "Stop! Don't touch her!" and scared the boy into backing away from her. But I was underneath the bridge and there was no way I could immediately get to Astrid to protect her. Astrid just stood there in shock looking at the boy with big eyes, scared to death of this kid.

The fastest way to get away from him was to go down the slide, so I told her to hurry and go down the slide. As she was edging towards the slide, this deranged kid attacked her again. I screamed, "Stop! Get away from her!"

As Astrid made it to the slide and was coming down I looked around for the boy's mom. There was a woman standing off in the distance on the grass on her cell phone, but she didn't even look my way so I thought it couldn't be her. This predator kid was roaming the playground unsupervised.

Astrid had red marks on her cheeks from the boy's nails that had clawed her face, and she was really scared. I had told the boy to keep his hands to himself, but rather than drag him around and look for his mom who was no where to be found, I wanted to focus on Astrid - making sure she was okay after this traumatic experience, so we went for a walk.

Traumatized she just kept talking about the boy and how he hurt her. "Boy hurt me." She was afraid of every kid who approached her after that. I tried to reassure her that no one was going to hurt her and most kids were nice, but that was just a bad boy.

Astrid was traumatized and so was I. I have never encountered such a disturbed kid like that who would attack another kid for no reason. And I felt so bad for Astrid. She had just stood there and let him attack her, without defending herself. I felt it was my fault that I never taught her self defense. I was so focused on teaching her how to be a polite, respectful, little girl and didn't think that I was also teaching her to be a docile victim. And that made me even more mad that another mom would raise a predator and let him roam the playground attacking other children. So I went back to the playground.

I spotted the kid immediately. And guess what? He was attacking another child. This time his victim was an older boy, so when he clawed this boy's sleeved arm, he didn't flinch. I saw a woman standing nearby watching (the same lady I saw standing on the grass). I asked her, "Is that your son over there?" And when she said "Yes" my first thought was - how could she ignore the commotion when he was attacking Astrid? She must have heard, but she didn't even respond. What kind of parent does that? When I told her that her son attacked my daughter and she was terrified of him - she just said, "Oh sorry", shrugged and turned her back to me. I had no doubts that she had heard this many times before.

So when we got home I practiced with Astrid to shout, "No!" when anyone approached her and tried to hurt her and to protect herself and run away. We practiced over and over again. Each time when I'd pretend to attack her and asked, "What do you say?" She'd say "thank you" or "please". It just broke my heart to see/hear that.

She's a timid kid to begin with and with her starting preschool soon it's important that she get over her fear of boys and learn to protect herself when I'm not around. Hopefully she'll never have to, but it makes me rethink enrolling her in a Karate class or something to learn self defense and how to be forceful and kick some butt if necessary. In the meantime we're going to avoid Montrose park. Not only because Astrid is terrified of going back there, but also if I see that kid again, I'm liable to go ballistic on his mom.

Astrid's 1st curse word

The word was "a*shole." I have to note here as a "not proud but worthy of comment" post since it was her first spoken curse word.

Today while Astrid and I were standing in the parking lot next to our car, another driver honked his car horn a few times nearby at someone else and it was really loud and annoying. Astrid blurted out something that definitely sounded like a curse word. So just to make sure I heard right, I asked her, "What did you say?" To which she repeated softly (and just barely audible but clear as a whistle), "A*shole."

Of course I told her to never use that word again and it's not a nice word. But of course she will (hopefully when she's a lot older and not directed at us or anyone we know)! She just smiled at me, knowing it was a naughty word, and said, "Okay Mommy" promising me she wouldn't use that word again.

U. and I try our best not to use profanity, especially around Astrid because she's like a sponge and picks up on EVERYTHING. Especially if there's any indication that it's a "strong" word with a lot of feeling behind associated with it. Like "Jesus" or "Jesus Christ" which she has said on occasion before. But that's taking the Lord's name in vain and not a curse word right? Same thing, different category. *Ahem* wonder where she got that from?

Normally she's such a polite, respectful, well mannered girl - so to hear a curse word come out of those sweet bow tie lips of hers was quite shocking. Although I appeared outraged on the exterior, on the inside I was cracking up. (Funny at 2 but as a parent you can't show it!)

When I shared what happened with U. we both started questioning where she learned the word from. He swears that he only uses *A-hole* while driving (if that's any consolation), and so she couldn't have picked it up from him. *shrug* Who knows? She could have just as easily picked it up from me. No use in finger pointing. Just have to nip it in the bud and be extra careful not to use words we don't want her repeating. Or come up with alternatives like "fudge" and such. Oh the censorship starts so soon!

Starting to identify and write letters

At 2 (a couple months shy of 3) years old, Astrid is starting to recognize letters.

Alphabet Recognition
Astrid loves books. (In fact "book" was her 3rd spoken word after "mama" and "papa".) One of her favorite things to do is curl up beside me and have me read a book to her. "Read to me Mama! Please!!!" she frequently asks of me.

Before, "reading" on her own she would stare at the pictures and turn the pages. But now she's actually looking at the letters and words. It's exciting to see those wheels turning in her head, and see that she's starting to get the concept of reading.

In addition to reading books, she likes this cartoon called "Super Why" which teaches kids alphabet recognition and reading in an interactive format. (Still not big on TV, but I do let her watch a little - PBS cartoons - in the morning when I'm getting ready or when I am doing her hair.) One part of the show has the main character holding up a letter while he asks the kids watching, "What letter is this?" Astrid surprised me by correctly shouting back - "R"!

And when writing her name on her clothes in permanent market (for preschool), she shocked me by identifying the letters: A, S, T, R. When I quizzed her on it again shortly afterward, she was able to tell me the letters: S, T, and R. That's pretty amazing, especially since I haven't been focusing on this. I think she gets it passively by doing her alphabet puzzle, and hearing the names of each letter from me.

Also, when we were stopped at a gas station, she looked up at some signs in the strip mall and started identifying letters - saying - O, S, C, D. Great to see that she's starting to recognize letters in environmental print as well.

She's so eager to learn. I'm sure it's only a matter of time until she starts pointing to everything and asking me what it says.

Writing
Astrid's also starting to imitate writing letters on her own. Recently she wrote what looked like three w's. U. inquired, "Are you trying to write www as in a URL?"

I have some writing workbooks for preschoolers that I've been saving. They've got letters, words, and sentences in dotted lines so that they can be traced over. Might be fun for her to start practicing writing, but I'm not going to pressure her. (I have bad memories of my mother trying to get me to write at a really young age and it was not pleasant.) But as long as she's eager to learn and gets a lot of pleasure and a sense of accomplishment out of it, I will support it.