An Exceptionally Clean Bath (considering the alternative)

La spent all day today with her best friend "F." She was at school for all of ten minutes this morning before F's mom picked her up and whisked them both off to the Nature Museum right down the street.

They dropped La back off at home tonight, just as I was getting home from work. I received a good report. Just one minor freak-out on La's part ... I guess they were in the "Butterfly" exhibit, looking at all the pretty insects from afar, when all of a sudden a swarm of huge butterflies/moths swooped down and ambushed La. Yikes.

If it were Aunt M that was swarmed by those things, she would probably be sitting in an emergency room right now, downing her seventh dose of valium.

Aunt M does not like butterflies and/or moths. No. Not at all.

Apparently, La handled the situation well by stifling a scream and backing slowly away from the mob of insects that were invading her personal space.

When she was dropped off, F's mom mentioned that the girls had also helped her do some gardening, and that La desperately needed a bath. So after dinner, I threw her in some warm, sudsy water. Which immediately turned a muddy, brownish-gray color. Gross.

After the bath, as I was toweling her off, she looked at me and said, "Guess what mom! I didn't even pee in the tub this time!"

I responded with a horrified look and the question that one would expect to hear after a statement like that: "Do you usually pee in the tub?"

Her answer came as a look ... One of THESE looks, cheesy smile and all:

Hi. My name is La. I frequently pee in the tub. Please don't hate.

I'm just going to pretend that this topic never came up.

Best Friends.

Friday afternoon, I picked La and her friend "F" up from school for a little play-date. And I spent the entire evening laughing with the two of them. I haven't spent too much time observing how La interacts with her friends, due to the fact that I'm at work while she's at school, and spending time with the two of them Friday made me wish I could do it more.

They are like mini versions of my friends and me. They talk about the same exact things we do, gesture with their hands the same way, and even discuss boys just like us. They spent the entire evening walking hand-in-hand everywhere they went.

At one point, F clutched her hand to her chest and said, "Oh La, Sebastian breaks my heart!" (Sebastian is a very cute boy at their school) and La clutched her chest and said "Nehemiah (old boyfriend from Cle) breaks MY heart!"

F went on, "When I grow up I am going to marry Sebastian!"

La: "When I grow up, I'm going to marry Nehemiah!"

F: "And I'm going to have a baby too."

La: "I'm NOT going to have a baby. I'm just going to get married."

F: "La! You HAVE to have a baby! It's so much fun!"

La: "But it will hurt."

F: "No. It won't hurt at all."

La: "Okay then. I'll have one."

And just like that, La was talked into giving me a grandchild someday. Go F!

We went to the park, had a picnic, and they played on the playground. The evening was just perfect, and so was the company.

The Proud Owner of a Flaming Hot Barbie Scooter

Lately La has been a little bossy.

And a tiny bit crabby too.

It's like living with an old, stodgy, bossy, little curmudgeon with hardly any sense of humor.

The other day, I scolded her for attempting to boss me around. ME. Her mother. I threw in an extra line about how it's not nice to boss people around (HELLO! ESPECIALLY ONE'S OWN MOTHER), and that she shouldn't even boss other KIDS around. She replied with "I know. I told Katie the other day." And I was like, "You told Katie what?" ... she put her left hand on her hip while pointing her right fore-finger and said in a know-it-all tone, "Stop being bossy Katie!"

And then I said, "you know that by telling her to stop being bossy, YOU'RE being bossy, right?"

And she replied with, "Nuh-uh."

I don't know what it is. The heat? Part of being five-and-one-quarter? A stage? A hormonal imbalance? But she sure is sassy lately.

She got a scooter from Granny Lin the other day. The idea was that this would enable her to "pick up the pace" when we're out walking (namely, walking the 8 blocks to and from school, starting the first week of September).

But, to tell you the truth, she's not very good at scootering. Maybe that's why she's so crabby. Scooter frustration. Anyway, she just does not have the knack. She's way too particular about her footing (her right foot has to be in a VERY PRECISE position in order for the thing to budge, which takes FOREVER, thereby eliminating any time-saving benefits of the device), she gets distracted easily, and she crashes into objects/people/dogs. And when those things happen, the kid just gets crabbier.

I'm just not sure she'll be a pro at it by September. Observe.

We're remaining optimistic though, and if we have to resort to running to school, so be it.

A party. And then a PAR-TAY.

Meagan and Mark's bridal shower was Saturday. Being her maid of honor meant that I was in charge of throwing a shower for the couple. And those of you who know me know that preparing and planning are not my "thing." However, I was fortunate to have the assistance of Aunt M (The Crowned Queen of Planning Stuff) and Meag's mom, Sheri ... and even Meagan herself.

The shower turned out very nice, and the bride was stunningly beautiful, as always.

We had mimosas ...

And we made cute party favors (Herbs in a bucket inspired by Angela. Thanks for the tip!) ...

And Aunt M made some heavenly chicken salad, which we served over field greens with walnuts, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, topped with a raspberry-champagne vinaigrette, and garnished with cinnamon-crackle bread. Wish I had a picture. Delish!

And then. Later that night, Meagan's friend Jen threw her a second bachelorette party.

Jen must be good at planning too, because she even thought to rent a party bus so that no one had to drive after partaking in "a beverage or two."

And that party bus? It had a pole. For dancing. A DANCER'S POLE INSIDE A MOVING VEHICLE.

Hoo boy. THAT made for an interesting commute to and from downtown Cleveland.

We did indeed put the pole to use, however, I assure you that NOTHING about what anyone did on that pole was even REMOTELY sexy.

See below.

The above photo was taken right after I attempted to hitch-kick my feet up to the ceiling of the bus and slide down the pole upside-down. For the fourth time.

Um, yes. I really tried that.

Here's what it looks like when someone who works out, has never been pregnant, and actually possesses abdominal muscles tries the same thing:

Go Kerri!

And I had to post the photo below because I JUST REALLY LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. (but mostly the part where Meagan looks like a sexy kitten about to pounce)

Today, Aunt M and I were so sore from that "dancing" pole that we could barely move our arms.

But it was well worth the pain.

Meag, thanks for being such a good sport about it all. You really rock.

Pointers From The Little Italian

We got home late last night from Cleveland, where we spent the weekend bridal-showering and bacheloretting ... and I didn't have time to post photos. But they're coming!

For now, here's a video that I took last week after a rough day at work. There's nothing better than coming home from a hard day and having her remind me of the important things in life. Like how to eat spaghetti the right way.

Fashion-forward

She threw this ensemble together while I was in the shower the other morning, and I thought it was especially cute:

Top: Gap, Skirt: Crew Cuts, Leggings: Target

And she wore this little number to bed the other night:

T-shirt and leg warmers from DuBois Bookstore, Miami University—Oxford, Ohio

She needs some running shoes. And an iPod.

Tonight we ran all the way to Aunt M and Kate's place. I just google-mapped the route we took. The kid ran 1.6 miles! (Well, we ended up walking toward the end because she got a tummy ache. But still!)

And when we got there we ate some delicious pasta that Aunt M cooked for us.

Running and Pasta. She must take after her Grandpa Dave.

Ellyn and Dan

My friend, Ellyn Schuerings, got married over the weekend to a boy named Dan Whiteash, from Pottsville, PA. 

And what a wedding it was!

The glowing bride, taken right before her big debut.

Ellyn is a very good friend of mine from college. We met on the second day of school Freshman year, when we found ourselves seated at the same table in our godawful 2-D Design class. Within minutes of becoming acquainted with her, I knew as much about Ellyn Schuerings as I knew about my own roommate (who was also my best friend from high school). 

Photo of Dan taken by La. 

Ellyn and I had many more classes together throughout our tenure at Miami. We also lived in the same dorm Sophomore year, and the same house Junior and Senior years. 

Ellyn gracefully took the role of "mom" of our house. She controlled our checking account, paid all of our bills and kept us organized. She even mopped our kitchen floors "the right way" by getting on her hands and knees and scrubbing with a sponge.

Ellyn helped organize an incredible baby shower for me, and she was there to help when I brought little La to school after my Spring Break Delivery. She took a babysitting shift and watched La during my Art History class each Tuesday and Thursday until we graduated. 

What I'm trying to say —in so many words— is that Ellyn is an amazing friend, will be a terrific wife, and an even better mother AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR HER TO HAVE BABIES.

-------------------------------------------------

The entire weekend was just a grand ol' time. They were married in Cincinnati, because that's where they met and where they now live. The rehearsal dinner took place at a restaurant sited atop a hotel overlooking the Ohio river. The restaurant rotated, so the view was constantly changing. I never knew how pretty Cincinnati was. It was very cool. 

The church where they had the ceremony was the one of the most incredible churches I've ever seen. It was built in 1859 and is perched high on top of Mount Adams, overlooking the city. 

La was asked to be the flower girl. I should mention that La has been living her entire life to be a flower girl. She has studied, practiced, and has mastered the art of looking cute and walking down the aisle. The problem was that she may have been a little TOO good at it. She put that gown on and POOF! ... turned into a micro-managing control-freak who thought the entire day revolved around her. Aunt M nicknamed her "Flowergirlzilla."

But, gosh was she ever a cute flower girl.

But oh-so-sassy.

Takes after her mama.

And her Aunt Meag.

What a positively fun weekend.

To the beautiful couple Ellyn and Dan: We wish you many, many years of happiness and success. May your blessings be plentiful and your troubles be few. 

Recovery

La, Aunt M and I just got home from an action-filled weekend in Cincinnati. We were down there for the wedding of Ellyn and Dan. (Ellyn is a good friend from college) I will go into detail about the wedding in another posting, but I will tell you that it was an incredibly good time.

For now, a couple photos ...

La outside of the church before the rehearsal started. She looks so innocent in this photo. But in her mind she was scheming her vicious plot to micromanage the entire wedding. 

And here she is in front of my old dorm! (We made a quick stop at Miami on the way down to Cincinnati to show La where she spent her first eight weeks of life and to eat lunch at our favorite restaurant, Kona Bistro. Yum.)

Time for bed. 

Keeping me on my toes.

So far, June has felt more like October than the month that comes before July. The wind feels brisk and dry like it does in the fall. It's been rainy, and it's been chilly, and I swear those fragile little leaves on the trees (that just came out!) are about to turn colors and fall off from the shock.

But. The other night, the sun decided to peek its head out for a bit. I asked La if she wanted to go to the park, and she responded with an enthusiastic YES! Followed by, "But, I'm going to be a runner."

We live only two blocks from the lake, so there are a lot of runners around here. And La idolizes them. So she suited up in her bike shorts, her pink Chuck T's and a Chicago Public Library t-shirt ... and she was off like a flash!

She ran the entire way to the park (which is only 5 or 6 blocks), speaking only to discuss iPods or to yell at me to put my camera down and to KEEP UP!

She fit right in.

I now have absolutely no excuse not to exercise. Except that I DON'T WANNA.

And I'll love him and squeeze him and make him my own. And his name will be Cheese.

Tonight we hung out with Aunt M. (She's doing fine, for all of you who are wondering ... Nothing but a lingering cough.) We had dinner at one of La and Aunt M's favorite sandwich joints, Potbelly, and proceeded on to Molly's Cupcakes. Yum!

On our walk back home, we came across a little man (or woman?) who La named Cheese.

This little bunny was so darn adorable, and he seemed to be following us, so we were tempted to take him home with us. Every time we gave him a little pat, and sent him on his way back into Chicago's excuse for "brush," he would hop right back out to see where we were going. He seemed to be saying, "Take me with you!" ... and even I was tempted to succumb to his pleading eyes. After all, there IS a PetSmart right at the end of the street where I could purchase all kinds of bunny-friendly objects. And he IS the most darn adorable thing in the whole wide world YES YOU ARE CHEESE YES YOU ARE LITTLE BUNNY YOU! CUZ YOU'RE A LITTLE BUNNY AND YOUR NAME IS CHEESE!

But then I remembered the Brody Fiasco of 2007-08.

... And decided to just let him fend for himself in the great wide Chicagoland world. Hopefully his mama was just around the corner, keeping tabs on the little man.

But now La has it in her head that she needs some sort of furry pet. I told her "maybe when you're 8."

So, this little piggy I know ...

Above is the radiant Aunt M. The photo was taken yesterday before she set off for one of her colleagues' wedding. She toted a stellar hairdo, a stunning cobalt dress, some rocking silver shoes, and ANOTHER THING.

I'll tell you that Aunt M has not been feeling 100% for about a week. Last weekend, she was pretty miserable, so she stayed in and took it easy (aside from going to see UP with us). She got over the worst part of her sickness early this past week, and seemed to be on the upswing of her little illness toward the end of the week. But then the cough began. She already has asthma, so when she has any sort of upper-respiratory issue, it's multiplied exponentially by her chronic condition. 

She decided to go to the emergency room this afternoon. La and I escorted her to the hospital at the end of our block, and made sure she was settled in, and then we left her there. When I walked in to her little partitioned space in the hospital to tell her we were leaving, she was robed in a hospital gown and a face mask. At the time I thought to myself that this precaution was overkill. It's not like she has The Swine Flu or anything. I mean, come on! 

But, it turns out, in fact, that she DOES have The Swine Flu. 

And she's sitting on my couch right now.

She was given specific instructions not to return to her place of work for at least 7 days. She's also supposed to avoid coming into contact with anyone that she has not had contact with in the last week. Given that La and I have hung out with her at least 5 separate times in the last 7 days, and since I can remember a few specific instances within this timeframe wherein La or I have inadvertently come in contact with her germs (shared drinks, etc), I decided it would do no more harm if she came over for the evening and slept over. Plus, my dad is completely paranoid that she's going to have an asthma attack tonight and die in her sleep. And staying with her hearing-impaired sister seemed like the most reliable preventative measure. 

I'm thinking about setting my alarm so that I can check on her periodically throughout the night to make sure that she's still breathing and that she hasn't grown a snout.

I'll keep you posted.

Who am I?

When I picked La up from school on Friday, she was drawing the picture below. Can you guess who the subjects are?

Click photo to enlarge

Five going on Twenty-Five, wearing a size 2T.

The photo below makes me feel like I'm peering into the future at the grown-up version of La. Sophisticated, stylish, confident, and oh-so mischievous.

Jacket: Baby Gap size 2T courtesy of Aunt M (I think it's time to retire this one), Top: 'Fairies Rock' courtesy of Aunt Kathleen, Pants: Baby Gap courtesy of Aunt Ashley/Grandma Dale, Shoes: Kenneth Cole Peep-Toes  courtesy of Meagan ... Hmm. I guess I didn't buy her anything that she is wearing in this photo. I sure am lucky that people love buying her clothes. 

Inspired by an episode of "So You Think You Can Dance"

Domestic Gals (for the evening anyway)

Tonight La and I came home and cooked some dinner. After that, we planted La's herb garden that I bought her for Christmas. We even drew cute little labels for the pots. She's attempting to grow basil, sunflowers and zinnias. (But, knowing my severe ineptitude at remembering to water house plants, it will be a wonder if anything sprouts) We then whipped up some homemade chocolate chip cookies from scratch (my work peeps are going to love me tomorrow) and even folded some laundry. (Which has been sitting in a heap next to my bed for two-and-a-half days. Which I wasn't going to mention. But I just did.)

And then! La taught me how to do the chicken dance THE RIGHT WAY. And to think of all the years I've done the chicken dance without knowing there were lyrics. What a shame.

Kindergirl.

She's growing up. And it's happening so darn fast.

Last week, we toured La's soon-to-be kindergarten, Nettelhorst. It was an incredible thing. The curriculum is centered around fine and performing arts, so this school could not be better-suited for La. 

I hope their drama department likes Taylor Swift songs and quoted lines from "Bolt."

We brought our pal, Kate (Aunt M's roomie) along for the tour, and I'm so glad that we had a witness with us. Every once in a while Kate and I would exchange awe-struck glances with each other and once Kate even turned to me and whispered, "This is a PUBLIC school?"

Some of the highlights:

• There are three floors to the school, but they're not referred to by numbers, but rather "earth, sky and space." 
  
• There are only two to three classes per grade, so it's pretty small.
• The school is one of the first "healthy initiative" schools in Chicago, and they do not serve any "crap" whatsoever. Students are not allowed to even bring soda or chips in their lunches. They even have a salad bar.
• Each hallway and classroom has been decorated with murals done by students and local and national artists.
• There's an "Africa" wing with artifacts galore, including a 400-year-old, solid wood bed that the kids use as a table for crafts.
• Nate Berkus (Oprah's official interior designer, in case you live under a rock) has taken over the "community kitchen" wing of the school and will be redesigning the entire area for the 2009-10 school year.
• Test scores are some of the highest in Chicago (I should have put this as the first bullet point. Whoopsies.)
• The school is in the process of earning a science accreditation, meaning it will be an official "arts and science" school.
• Nettelhorst has been given a large grant from the Chicago Blackhawks and will be the first Chicago Public Elementary School with an official hockey team.
• The after-school program offers over 40 different extra-curricular activities for students to choose from, including karate, chess, ballet, mosaic art, and chinese.

I left the building with an overwhelming sense that La and I are right where we are supposed to be. La adored the place. She fit right in with all the big kids. My baby isn't a baby anymore.

I know that she is more than ready for this huge step; this giant leap into many, many years of schooling. I just hope that I am.