Extra Super Fantastic

Whoops

2009-07-01T21:34:00.001-07:00

Oh, crap. I almost let another week go by without posting. because I've been so, eh, busy. yes. Ahem.

Max was out of town last week, we went to Tahoe with the Whittens over the weekend, and now I'm counting the days until the holiday weekend (one). Swim lessons, playgroups, lunch dates with Grandma, and lots and lots and LOTS of yard work.

Whew! I'm exhausted just typing about it.

This post is not about Michael Jackson

2009-06-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

We're off to Tahoe this weekend. Going to take the kiddo on some little hikes, play at Donner Lake, spend some time with our good pals before they have a munchkin of their own and turn into sleepwalking milk factories for a few months before regaining their (severely demented) sense of self. Fun!

Max has been in NYC this week. Despite his being sorely missed by his doting wife and child, this is one of the better single mom weeks that Samson and I have spent together thus far. It's partially because of the kisses--finally! Now when he comes at me with his mouth, it's not to bite me--and partially because of his unbridled enthusiasm for, well, just about everything. Any question I ask him is answered with a wide-eyed, emphatic "yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaah" along with a nice head nod. And there's nothing more fun than driving around, pointing out every bus ("Bus! Bus! Bye, bus. Bye."), train, truck, and car we pass. It's been a really terrific week with him. Hooray for us!

Back to life

2009-06-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

After two weeks--no, wait, let me rephrase that. After TWO FREAKING WEEKS of the runniest nose you ever did see on a 19 month old, Samson has finally been allowed back at the child care center at the gym.

Oh, happy day, oh glory of glories, oh magical moment where I park the stroller, usher him through the door that leads to plastic castles and tiny cars, and close the door without EVER LOOKING BACK, oh how I missed you. Even the stupid exercising part, which I suppose must be doing my body some good, because after my enforced two week hiatus, today my arms felt like wet noodles and my legs like rubber bands. Even typing this post hurts my abs a little.

The actual cold only lasted 3 days. What a three days it was, mind you--cranky, sleepless nights, green snot, all the fun stuff. But for two weeks after that, the kid was spunky, energetic, and just fine. Except for the never ending river of yellow mucus flowing freely from his nostrils. It was, of course, during this time that he decided to begin calling me "mommy," except it sounded more like "bumby" or "nummy." For a while, the word morphed into "mummitz," which has to be the coolest mommy nickname ever, right? I mean, I nearly went to the DMV to secure my vanity plate.

But he's been snot free since Friday, so I felt it was safe to return to the child care center, without the fear that I would be scolded in front of the other mommies whose children did not look like booger monsters. It's not (heh heh) that I would choose to infect other kids just so I could get an hour away from the boy, don't get me wrong. It's just that the pediatrician swears up and down that after 3 days of no fever and no green snot, toddlers are not contagious, and that even so, the runny nose can last for 2-3 weeks. But I've seen the child care center ladies give other parents their runny nose tongue lashings, and, while I don't blame them necessarily, it's hard to forgo that one hour a day where Samson is somebody else's problem.

He also learned how to blow his nose during the "illness," although he hasn't quite mastered the connection between nose blowing and the use of kleenex. Which was extra adorable at swim class last week. Ahem.

Almost, but not quite

2009-06-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, it sure is easy to slip back into that whole never blogging mentality again. But I caught myself just in time. And I will make up for it with a blast from the past. Prepare to have your mind photographically blown, yo.

Remember this guy?

How about him?

And then there's this guy.

And who could forget Mr. Mustachio?

That was fun!

Fairyland Friday

2009-06-12T20:28:00.001-07:00

Max took the day off today and we braved the marine layer and went to Fairyland in Oakland. Fun! I have distict memories of coming here as a kid--there are boxes in front of the little fairytale sculptures and playhouses what not and you get a special plastic key which activates the boxes so you can here the story that goes with the exhibit. Very cool. So we paid our extra $2 for the plastic key, and when it had a crown for a handle, I commented on how I remember it having an elephant for a handle. That's when the ticket taker lady through my already shaky memory neurons into a tailspin by informing me that the elephant keys were for the zoo, and that Fairyland had always had crown keys.

I was literally speechless for a moment as my brain replayed a handful of my childhood memories and tried to accept the fact that they were incorrect. I mean, once she said it, it made sense. Why would an elephant be the mascot of a fairy tale themed park, anyway? Nonetheless, I felt betrayed. I'm pretty sure that blue plastic elephant key had been my prized possession at some point.

But I'm strong, my inner child is resilient, and we proceeded to have a fine day chasing the kiddo around the brightly painted park, stopping to point out every pigeon ("Duck!") and to climb inside many a tiny house. Behold:

There was also some running in the grassy fields around Lake Merrit:

Even more fun ahead this weekend with all kinds of out-of-town friends and family. Uncle Paul and Aunt Kristy are here from Brooklyn, and Auntie Mir is here from Portland. Hooray for airplanes!

It's Just That Kind of Day

2009-06-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's a toddler shoe in the fish tank. Sigh.

Fire it Up

2009-06-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

In my book, summer is officially here. We barbecued not once but twice today, had fresh fruit for breakfast and dessert, and we walked to the farmer's market this morning. That's about as summer a day as you can get. And the best part is this ridiculous bread and sauce that they sell at the market...it's so good that I might short out my laptop from salivating.

It all comes down to the food. Holidays, special events, seasons, milestones. I may not remember much of what the Rabbi said at my son's bris, but I'll never forget the chicken livers my mom made.

Speaking of my son, we went to the park yesterday to feed the ducks.

Apparently, since I was a child, someone has replaced all of the ducks with geese. Ozzy was vigilant and protected us from these giant birds of prey.

Samson had fun, switching between goose poop inspection and the jungle gym.

I know, you're all, what? She blogged twice in one week? And posted pictures?? What gives?

My dedication. To you. That's what gives.

A Blog! I Have One!

2009-06-05T22:12:00.001-07:00

The other night, I wished and wished and wished and wished for a blog of my very own. And then I was all, oh crap.

Just watch as I start paying attention to my blog again. I'm ready. Seriously. Why are you laughing?

It's hard to concentrate with all of these wounds. These, toddlerific, bite-sized wounds. On my leg. And my shoulder. And my chest. Ow.

Just waiting for the red velvet cupcakes to cool so I can frost them (don't get all excited, they're Hungry Girl.). And then eat six of them before bedtime.

Toddling around the capitol

2009-05-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

So we decided to drive to Sacramento for Max's birthday, mainly so we could stop at the outlet mall for some much needed retail therapy. You haven't seen a place until you've seen it with a toddler: Fairytale Town, Funderland, Sutter's Fort, Rick's Dessert Diner--plus, you run everywhere you go.

We had a great time--until Samson was attacked by an unruly display shelf in the Train Museum in Old Town. Note to museum staff: when directing a couple with a toddler to "the most toddler friendly area in the museum," and you go on and on about the Thomas the Tank Engine play area, you might also want to mention the low hanging shelves that line the walls in the 15 feet between the elevator and the play area. The low hanging shelves which are just about the height of a toddler head. With really sharp and pointy corners. I'm just saying.

So we didn't actually make it to any other part of the train museum that day; when the bump on Samson's forehead grew larger and larger before my eyes until it was the size and color of a small plum, we headed straight to the hospital. He's fine, it's only a goose egg, but we did decided to cut our trip short and head back to the Bay after that.

Luckily, we'd had a really nice time the day before--including an actual dinner out, the first in a looooong time. The biggest gun in my keep-the-toddler-quiet-in-the-restaurant arsenal these days is yogurt.

I said keep him quiet, not keep him clean.

I can only say I'm sorry

2009-05-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Apparently, I haven't gotten any better at managing my time wisely, nor have I found a way to increase my energy to that of a toddler's. By the time he goes to bed, I have exactly enough energy to eat dinner, do the dishes, click a few buttons on the remote control and drag my sorry ass to bed. And it doesn't get any better in there; my dreams are weak interpretations of my slumber time environment or variations of the previous days events. For example, last night I dreamed about rich old ladies who lost their money at a grocery store (basically a re-do of the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode I have watched on the DVR before bed), and about large, fluffy, black goats that had invaded our yard and wouldn't go away...all while Milhouse traipsed around the living room above my head, making infinitely more noise than a 12 pound cat out to be able to make.

WEAK.

I did, however, plant a ton of strawberries (literally. two thousand pounds of strawberry plants.) while Samson napped today, and yesterday I uploaded pictures of our recent comings and goings (like this one) and of the garden and its Springtime glory. So all is not completely lost.

Keep it moving

2009-05-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

New York was a success, although I may have given you a different answer had you asked me on the airplane. Samson was a champ, the wedding was beautiful, and my diet was blown to hell.

Palm Springs--now that's some serious vacationing. Three days of girls only, no babies, low-cal cocktails and a nice shimmering pool. A girl could get used to this.

I promise, I swear, pictures soon and fun tales of bright lights, big cities and the Viceroy Hotel to come.

Toddler Travel

2009-04-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

We're heading to New York City at the end of the week to celebrate some nuptials. Not just and nuptials, but family nuptials. My big brother has tricked a lovely young lady into spending the rest of her life with him. Ha! Hope she likes hockey, bacon, and tea tree chewing sticks. Ha.

So Max and I are bringing the kid--after all, what's an intimate garden wedding without a whiny toddler? Far to quiet and civilized, if you ask me. Anyway, we've never taken Samson to a BIG CITY before, and aren't quite sure what to do about taxis and subways and what not. I mean, we understand the general concept. You use them to get places. It's the specifics that have me flummoxed and slightly anxious. Like are you supposed to use a car seat when taking a taxi? If so, how do you get a taxi to pick you up if it means waiting while you install your huge car seat? We could have Max flash one of his insanely stellar calves, but that may get old. Any thoughts?

I think we've got the airplane thing down. Portable DVD player? Check. A hundred little packages of cookies, raisins and goldfish? Check. Apologetic grimaces for those sitting near is? Double check. We're still trying to decide whether we should take a taxi from the JFK to our Manhattan hotel or if we should brave the subway for a 45 minute trip with our whirling dervish and our likely-to-be-too-much luggage. Hmmm. Again, thoughts? I'm looking at you, Maggie, you travel maven.

In other news: it's HOT. Like, lower 90's hot. We're going to go look at water tables after nap time.

In other other news: I spent my very first night away from Samson over the weekend. Long story short: it was AWESOME. I only missed him a lot. More on that later.

In other other other news: the hole left by Nanna's passing is still huge and raw. It helps to fill it with cupcakes.

Short One Dog

2009-04-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

Ugh. We finally had to say goodbye to Nanna this week. I'm too sad to write much about the experience or my family's reaction right now, but I think it will probably be an important part of the grieving process later on. For now, here are some of my favorite Nanna related posts.

If I had a Nanna, I'd hug her in the morning

Are you ready to ROCK???

A great big cheer for 8 big years!

Loopy Loo and the Lurid Lump

The spring, she has sprung, yes?

Damn, I miss that girl dog. Damn.

Black Hole

2009-04-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

For the last week, our home has been trapped in a black hole. Well, more of a yellow and green mucus colored hole. One cold became one cold + one flu, which became three colds, which became two colds + one sinus infection. If you value your health, STAY AWAY. And buy stock in Kleenex.

Eat Your Veggies

2009-04-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful class about how to start our very own backyard organic vegetable garden. It was a housewarming gift from two dear friends, and we are all raring and ready to go! I especially like the part about dumping your kitchen garbage in a pile in the backyard. This is called "composting." I always thought it was called "trashy and lazy."

Our plans are grand and most likely unattainable, but we intend to plant:

tomatoes
carrots
sweet corn
broccoli
strawberries
lettuce
peas on a terrace
sunflowers (only because the class came with a seed)
pumpkins (ditto)
basil
parsley
rosemary
chives
onions
potatoes? I think it may be too late...
California poppies (true story: I accidentally typed "california poopies")

Our lovely yard came complete with five raised bed-box-thingies, a plastic composting bin, and nice brickwork around the bed area. We've been dreaming all winter about doing something yummy and fun up there, since we really don't get to actively enjoy it much. Boy howdy, that's about to change big time.

Awesome! Everyone's invited to our place for grilled veggie pizza and strawberry cupcakes!

How to Survive Day Nine of My Eleven Day Stint as a Single Parent

2009-03-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

Have Rosa and Dave bring Jack's Prime over for dinner. I get to spend all day looking forward to burgers and sweet potato fries, and Samson gets to fall all over himself showing off for company. Dave is no longer a person, he is now a Samson-flipping-over machine.

It helped IMMENSELY that today was a nanny-share day (one of the last--sob!). And this amazing weather has given us lots of time to spend at the park, taking toys from unsuspecting kids and insisting on going down the big boy slide. Adorable as always, Samson has taken to running around the park yelling "Nooooooooo!" at the top of his lungs. For no reason. Hilarious. Also, it turns out he's a close talker.

Where the Wild Things Are (My House)

2009-03-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

Day eight of my eleven-day stint as a single mom is finally coming to a close. We knew when we had Samson that Max would have to travel some of the time for work, but this trip is really getting tough to handle. I don't mean to hit below the belt--Max really doesn't travel all that much, and he works so hard for our family, and it's important that I remember this when Samson is chasing the cat, wielding an ice cream scoop, he only napped for 45 minutes, and the cavalry's not coming for three more days.

Sigh.

As with every other stage of his development that come and gone int he last 17 months, I will miss this curly-haired demon, this emptier or kitchen drawers and chaser of house pets. He's discovering how fast and far his feet can take him, and his most urgent business is to find out what is inside of each and every drawer/box/closet/cupboard. It is imperative that he taste every kitchen utensil, and find out how each toy sounds as he drops it down the stairs. Being 17 months old is serious business.

That said, SWEET LORD I need a break. Lucky for me, I have a group of super awesome girlfriends and we've scheduled a trip to Palm Springs in May. A swimming pool, a fridge full of booze and BBQ. trust me, I'm counting the days. Hell, I'm counting the minutes.

Doggie update: Nanna had a down day, but she's still doing OK. But the real news is my new found doggie freedom. Ozzy, AKA the dog who can't be alone, has finally learned to be alone. I've been leaving him the backyard while I run errands and what not for the last week or so, and it's been working out really well. It's strange, but it almost feels as though I have a normal dog. Huh.

I'm Simultaneously Horrified and Fascinated

2009-03-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Good lord, that child is exhausting.

EX. AUST. ING.

In other news, Hamlet 2 is the best movie ever. Don't believe me? Go on, have a taste.

Yes, that's Elizabeth Shue in the audience. COMIC GOLD.

Correction

2009-03-20T07:34:00.001-07:00

Before I start getting emails from hostile grandparents about my previous post, let me add the following words:

-buh bye (he's destined to be a stewardess)
-da da (diaper)

And there are probably a dozen more that I am blanking on. Plus, he woke up this morning asking for an apple. And I know matos (hebrew for airplane) is right around the corner.

For shame

2009-03-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

What a sad sack lack of blogging. I have no excuse.

Updates:

Nanna is doing so well! For a few days last week, she was getting worse and worse. After lots and lots of soul searching and some talks with a few close friends, we decided to put her down this week. She must have over heard me, because almost over night she began eating more, playing more, and just felling better in general. The lungs are definitely suffering, but she's still loving life so we're just taking it one week at a time. BIG THAKS to everyone for your emails, thoughts, and support. This whole thing still sucks, but it's a little better than it was a week ago.

Samson is some kind of jibber jabber machine. He's not speaking any language that I know, well, not much anyway. It rare for him to not be going on and on about something, and he seems very knowledgeable and full of conviction about whatever it is he's saying. Hmmm.

Current verified word list in real languages spoken by other people besides him:

-feesh (fish)
-shoosh (shoes and/or socks)
-jeesh (cheese)
-yo yah (yogurt)
-wuff (dog)
-at (cat)
-nook (book)
-milk (milk)
-agua (water in spanish)
-ba ba (dad, or aba in hebrew)
-ma ma (snack, and/or possibly mom)
-blehleb (banana--real language factor is questionable, but it's a very consistent blehleb)
-bup (up)
-alp (help)

Also, he has started picking my nose. So proud.

In other news, a friend got me to go to Jazzercise with her last night. I hurt all over, and I've got a aural Rhianna floaters. Imagine my embarrassment when I learned that you don't have to wear a leotard. Ahem.

Weekend Warriors

2009-03-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

Another single mom weekend for me; it's boys' weekend in Tahoe. I learned from the last one (the rain, teething, and a crummy mood made for not so much fun), and have made all sorts of plans to keep both Samson and myself busy as freaking BEES.

Today we met a gaggle of lady friends and babies at Golden Gate Park for some tea and pastries and incredibly brazen squirrels. Then we had lunch at Park Chalet. The weather laughed in our faces, but we persevered. And Samson--holy crap, what a well behaved child. No nap, more confinement than he prefers, his first taste of crab salad, and still he had a smile on his face the whole time. Big ups to Ash for playing entertainer, and to all the gals for spending a Saturday with a ticking toddler time bomb.

Tomorrow, we host playgroup here at home. I hope the other mommies like Nilla Wafers and raisins.

I used to have a blog...

2009-03-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

A beautiful week of sunshine means more outside time and preventing Samson from eating eucalyptus pods and less time blogging. Hooray!

DST is RAD

2009-03-09T14:18:00.001-07:00

So even though it's still pretty light out, Samson goes to bed in his normal 6:30-7 ish time frame with no problems thanks to my genius weekend project and skillful installation techniques. He wakes up a few times between 8 and midnight, thanks to a couple of new teeth that are trying to free themselves from their gummy prison. And then, my awesome little boy who is still awesome even when he wakes up at his normal time of 6:30 am, was extra awesome and slept. until. 8:15.

I love room darkening roller blinds, I love daylight savings time, and I love getting to sleep and extra hour and 45 minutes on Monday morning.

Oh, hey, I forgot to ask...

2009-03-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hey, hormones? It's been 16 months now since I gave birth. Do you you think you could let me get through one hospital drama, sex crime drama, or dog food commercial without crying? That would be awesome. Thanks. A lot.

Walkin' the dogs

2009-03-06T12:45:00.000-08:00

Shhh. Don't tell anyone, but it's been dry for a couple of days now. And it's supposed to stay dry for a few more days. Let's not talk about it anymore so we don't jinx it.

When I'm out walking the dogs, I'm used to being stopped by people who want to know about Ozzy; what sort of dog he is, why does he make that funny moo-ing noise, etc. But people must be able to sense that Nanna is sick--I was stopped three times this morning by people asking about her, saying how pretty and sweet she is, so shocked to learn that she's 13 this year. And I think she really liked the attention. Poor, skinny, sleepy girl.