Zia:Her eleventh month: she turns one!

Oy. I just wrote a whole post and my phone ate it. I hate to skimp on a birthday post but I'm not feeling the bloggy love at the moment ;)  Daddy, I'll do my best...

Z's bday was lovely and chill. She was clueless, of course, but P did his best to initiate her into the beauty that is bdays :). Screeching "Happy birthday!!!" when she first opened her eyes, singing the birthday song all. day. long (he hates this when aimed at him.  Z, however, luuuuved it, dancing and clapping each and every time.). He even gifted her a Lego creation "made from the big, non-chokeables, Mama." This was, on second thought, deemed way too good of a gift and traded for a more quickly constructed tower. Hey, it's the thought that counts?

I spent more of the day in my head than usual. The kids typically keep me on my toes, out of my head and in the "now," but celebrating a birth seemed like a good time to take a break from my wannabe zen training ;).

I pictured different moments during her birth. It was such an amazing journey. I tried to remember what those first few weeks were like. We also watched a couple of videos from around P's first birthday. That period was shrouded in Superman's cancer diagnosis and surgery. So I gave up more than my usual daily thanks. Thanks that I still have a Superman. Thanks that we could have another baby. Thanks for this baby. Thanks that this life is so good at this point.

We celebrated with spaghetti and meatballs alongside Seth and Alicia. Dessert gave a nod to Z's favorite food, the Apple. I made apple and cinnamon stuffed biscuits and whipped some cream for on top. There was only a scant teaspoon of maple syrup in the whole batch, but Z was Thrilled. While the candle confused her, the food did not.  She hoisted her plate up and actually licked it clean;).

We gave her underwear. Actually, we gave it to her a couple weeks before her birthday even. P was appalled. I felt fabulously practical. Until, that is, Aunt Alicia presented Little Miss with a HandMade doll. As in, Handmade BY Aunt Alicia. With little red Z inspired shoes and tutu and even her name embroidered on her adorable floral butt. This doll is divine. I'm thinking I'll fuck practicality next year ;)

Z at a year? I will remember her stomping on her short legs, lunging forward with her finger pointing, smiling out a "What's that? What's that? what's that?!?!!" If the answer isn't quick enough, she grabs my face and, pointing, says, "What's THIS?!?!". Its the best WTF ever ;)

She loves backyard chickens and dancing and peek-a-boo and (still, sigh) putting things into her mouth (but less so;). She loves music and hopping and books and playing chase.

She loves to get into her Highchair for meals. And smear her food everywhere, tasting it, actually eating it occasionally. She loves to then drop and fling it to the ground and suddenly start shrieking, ready to get down, like, yesterday, lady.  I rush to warm a rag and clean the food that clings to her every crevasse (she defies diapers AND bibs so we strip her for food:) and this, apparently, takes. too. long.  But a cold rag seems cruel.  Every meal, same drama.  I finally asked my mother what the heck we had done with P, as I don't remember such dinner-time drama.   She sweetly reminded me that P didn't sit to eat until he was 5.  Before that we shoved spoonfuls at him as he raced past us.  He felt feeding himself a cruel and unloved way to live.  Z is entirely insulted if her food is not from her own fat fingers.  Such opposites :)

She loves P's play kitchen.  I caught her pretending to wash her hands in the small sink the other night.  Turning it "on," rubbing her hands under the little wooden faucet.  She seems so little for pretend play.  She seems so little for everything.  But, she is a year now :)

She loves outside.  She stands at (under) the window, climbing the frame with her tippy toes, trying to peek out, screeching "Owwwsye!  Owwwsye!" and signing "want."  She loves putting her patent red leather (picked by her brother) shoes on.  (The practical brown suede ones I picked? Not so much.)

She loves the park.  And the playground.  And the kids playing on the playground.  She loves the whole experience, watching, chasing, swinging, climbing, sliding.  (Come to find out?  E started sending her down the slide By Herself months ago.  Like, at 7-8 months.  Granted, she was walking then, but she was tiny.  Other parents, myself included, looked on in horror.  She glides down, happy as a lark.)

She loves music and dancing.  It soothes her sooo well.  She loves to carry the iPhone around, playing music when she is ready for bed and we are (bad parents) not quite...  She loves to be sung to, to be held and swayed and sung to.  She loves to listen to loud music and dance and hop with P.  She grows tired and then she reaches for me and wants me to dance with her in my arms.  She loves listening to Seth and Superman play the guitar or the piano.

She loves her Aunt and Uncle.  She loves seeing them, it makes her smile So Big.  She loves getting into their flat and rolling on their fuzzy rug, rubbing her baby buddha belly over the softness.

She loves FaceTime with my mother.  She grabs the phone and puts it to her head "hey yare" (that's hey there;) she says over and over.  Then she signs want and points to the phone, saying hey yare.  My mom connects and Z just smiiiiiiles.

She loves her brother.  Most of the time ;)  She loves all of the amazing stuff he does.  She loves when he shares so sweetly with her (it happens, really;).  When he wrestles her on the bed.  When he looks at her while they are eating and Just Laughs.  When they wake up together.  When they chase each other.

She loves her Papa.  Seeing him in bed on a weekend morning is infinitely funny to her, because he is so rarely there.  She loves (usually;) going to the playground with him.  She loves eating his cottage cheese and watching him (with some concern) do Froggy.

And she loves me :)  Its the sweetest damn thing.  She hugs and kisses me.  And when she comes home from the playground, its always been almost too long for her.  So she stomps across the floor, bitching the whole way, arms out and runs to positively fling herself into my arms.  She wants to nurse, to cuddle to talk to me.

Its freakin amazing how much a baby grows in the first year.  And how much we have all grown to love this baby.  Hm.  Guess I should make that "toddler."  Wow.

Weekend update

Seems I pop out a post each weekend these day... P plays with E and I try and go through a hundred emails and blog while Z smiles through her REM cycle. 'slovely ;)

Not much to report this week though... We went to Omsi one day (that's our science museum), Z's first non-infant visit. She Loved it. And P was Sooo sweetly excited to share this museum with her, so excited that she was big enough to run around and play with him:). I forgot my phone and, thus, have no pics :(. Sad story ;). But on an upside, I'm finding I kinda love it when I leave my phone behind....

As much as I adore trying to keep up with loved ones, sometimes it feels so splitting. Responding to a text or checking Instagram right when P starts a story or Z is trying to tickle me. It isn't half bad having a whole me for those two;).

(I'm finding the same to be said about clocks. We haven't hung any(thing!) in the house, leaving only one on the stove. With my phone spending more time on the charger (single focus, single focus:) I'm finding I often have No Clue on my when's. And I kinda like it. We already eat bereft of a normal schedule (hunger and when it works based;) and I'm finding that's extending to everything. (Yes, this, of course, means we are annoyingly privileged. I know.). But it's taken me years to let loose of the idea that lunch and naps have to happen at certain times, so this is fabulously freeing :)

Anyhio, there was a great story-time featuring balloon blowing clowns across the street one morning that thrilled both kids. And lots of crafting and gardening and apple picking and tree climbing and play- grounding and bed tickling this week too. And P spent a day feeling funky and grumpy and then two days later, Z seemed to have caught this "crabby cold.". Of course, I was trying to accomplish a few things that day and the screeching almost-toddler was making my plans laughable, making me, erm, kinda grumpy. So P says to me, "Mama, I think you may have caught my crabby cold too!". Sigh. Perfection, how you elude me.

o! Big news, before I blather much more (don't you hate it when I have totally pointless posts?!). I'm calling the tomato test a total success. I gave it three weeks. She's had a number of reactions during this time, but all to tiny variations (chia seeds, eating out) - the tomatoes don't seem to be a problem. I'm SO happy. We'll work our way through the nightshade family now and test each separately (since Seth is allergic to potatoes and Z certainly Used to have an issue there - better safe than sorry:). Then... Eggs. Egads I'm excited :). Still skipping seeds (all sorts) melons, eggs, most nuts and corn.

Other big news, I'm working on Z's naps, big time. P has been more pointed in his request for Zia-free time, and I notice how much it helps him when this actually happens. So we're trying to get an hour together on the weekends (E takes Z) and I'm trying hard to get her to nap in bed rather than my arms so he has me to himself a little each day....

The first step was working away from bouncing her down for bedtime. I am so exhausted by the end of the day that watching the boys turn in while I wear down the floorboards bouncing this baby.... well, ;).

She wanted Nothing to do with this little experiment. And had made that perfectly clear over the last 11 months. So the first few bedtimes were long and (loud and) full of a frustrated missing-her-bounce baby. But we (lovingly) persevered and she's been peacefully hitting the hay between E and I for the last week :). So. Much. Better.

But she just won't take a solid nap. 20-40 minutes after she crashes, she wakes up. In my arms it's a simple hush and bounce, maybe a little more milk and she resettles. Left in a bed, it's a shrieking, tired baby:(. So I found the old baby monitor and rush in when she rouses. A little bounce and milk and she's making it back to sleep, often for another Hour. Getting an hour to focus on Phoenix is heavenly. She seems nowhere close to night weaning (still wakes every couple hours) but maybe she will at least settle into a solid nap sometime soon...

That's it for my non-newsworthy blog post this weekend :)

The Garden

This being our second summer in Portland, I'm exceptionally aware that nirvana will end. The rains will come. E is already looking forward to them. I, on the other hand, am trying to suck as many moments out of our yard as humanly possible. We'll be in the attic crafting quite enough this winter....

Fortunately, the kids Love being in the yard. Seemingly above all else :). Thanks to Superman and Grandpapa's back breaking work, we had a fall garden to plant. I know nothing about fall gardens. We don't do fall platings in NYC. Here? There is a twelve month harvesting season. I kid you not.

Come to find out, there is also a large caterpillar, aphid and leaf miner population. All of whom seemingly descended upon our fall babies.

Ugh.

And while Zia absolutely Adores playing in the yard (and is putting fewer and fewer pieces of gravel in her mouth, knock on wood), she Most Adores doing whatever I am doing I the yard. Alas, I did not lay the stepping pavers through the veggies for 8 inch long legs. And I planted seedling all around said pavers. So as her short, fat legs follow mine, her delicious feet lay fallow wide swaths. But it's damn cute watching her try to step big and stay on those stinkin pavers ;). She really does try!

As well as tries to help weed. Alas, she randomly plucks :). It amazes me to watch her mimic. Last week, she squatted right down beside me as I thumbed through the mint, squinting for caterpillars. Every day since? She has squatted beside the mint, muttering a call to the caterpillars, thumbing the leaves, searching for something she doesn't even understand. Babies are so cool :)

Except when they are trying to climb the back fence to get to the neighbor's chickens. Or eating non-edible berries, dropping from the neighbor's tree. Or digging glass out of the dirt. Or digging cat poop out of the sand. Sigh.

P, meanwhile, has been working on an enormous hole. Just perfectly treacherous for a toddler to toddle around :). And feeding the caterpillar for which he and Sophie (neighbor) share custody. And climbing the trees, always Almost dropping onto little toes. And... torturing his little sister.

One could imagine that amidst so much help, I could find it difficult to catch caterpillars and wage war on aphids and water the seedlings. One would be right. Thus, our first foray into the brassica family has been a rocky one. My dreams of canning the excess have been replaced with slim hopes for a few nibbles.

The garden's saving grace has been Aunt Alicia. If we get a single brussels sprout, it will be thanks to her. She often glides out about the time I'm chasing Zia out of the garden with my last ounce of patience and calms the children so that I can finish my rounds. Zia positively lights up for her. And it's a well established fact that Phoenix would prefer her spend the Entire Day with us, Every Day. I share my children's sentiments :)

Hopefully, we'll also have a large bounty to share :). I've just gotta gets some more ladybugs...

Random pics of backyard time. And P, (finally finding a purpose for that huge hole;) burying his time capsule.

Not back to school

We hit the Not Back To School party at Oak's Amusement again this year. It was fun to see the difference a year made. I was a week-ish away for
popping last year (and crazy miserable in the heat/concrete!). This year I had an extra kiddo that was pretty enthralled with watching the rides... and running around. Seeing her tinyness zooming about while large groups of children wove their way around her - totally conjured up the Lion King stampede scene for me. Eek! But everyone was so careful and sweet:)

But the biggest change was for P. As soon as we walked in, a friend grabbed him and invited him to join him for a ride. More friends found him and his group grew and grew and grew. They were all so sweet, compromising on rides and who wanted to do what. He had a blast :).

I can't even begin to explain how thankful I am for the welcoming homeschooling community here. Just the community in general, I guess? P goes to the playground at the end of the street almost every day (with E while I do dishes) and comes back with tales of all his friends, new and old. He feels So loved here. I *loved* the anonymity of NYC when I moved there. But with kids, the needs are different I guess :)

Hiking the falls

I felt frisky Thursday and thought, what the fuck, we can make it to the Gorge! P was good to go so...

Ummm, no. We cannot make it to the Gorge (a mere 30 minutes) without Massive Crying. So, so sad. Thank gawd we invited Aunt Alicia. After the screaming and heaving had turned my heart to a mushy mess, she traded me spots so I could squeeze back by an inconsolable Z. Man, that baby Hates the car. Sigh.

But other than *that*...;). it was a blast. We had a little picnic and a nice hike. Z is captivated by waterfalls. P just Loves to hop all around :).

There is a side hike off Horsetail Falls that skips the switchbacks in favor of climbs. This unmaintained trail is Exactly the sort that P adores and after playing beneath the big falls for a bit, he was begging for backcountry. Super Aunt attempted it for a bit, but being remarkably smart and responsible, she wisely chose to wait with her 34 week bump at the bottom :). Being much less sage, I tied Z to my back and followed the pied pipering of my kid's pleas. Its an insane trail and we had to scoot on our bums at some points, but the finish is amazing. You land looking over the falls beside a bubbling, split, smaller fall with moss and beauty dripping everywhere. I'm planning a repeat. With Ethan carrying a big picnic so we can spend the day :). And a walking stick for the slippery spots. Z was spellbound by the beauty of the hike, barely bouncing on my back. P, of course, sent BB over the falls, screaming :)

On the way home, we stopped for the loo and played in a shady river, freezing our toes and tossing rocks (looking up at yet Another gorgeous waterfall.) P played on the fallen log bridges, feeling pretty adept;) Alicia and I had to marvel at how amazing Oregon is. I can't wait to share it with (even more) family next summer!!!

Lots of pics :). Horsetail falls is the one you can go behind/under (there are a few others below) We hiked it last year before Z was born and it took my breath away. Other than that - there's pics of the hike, the view, the falls and, of course, the kids ;)