Two-Years-Old/Baby Number Two

It's been too long since I posted. That's mostly because right before Stella's second birthday, I went from being "happy-go-lucky" pregnant to "24-hours-a-day nauseous and exhausted" pregnant. For 8 weeks. But more on that later.

Stella's two. And until about a week ago, I was regularly telling people how awesome I thought two was. Sure, we had moments, but on the whole, it's been pretty great. High points: unsolicited "I love you"s, singing (particularly "itsy, bitsy spider"), "reading" books like "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" from memory, and generally being engaged, talkative, curious and fun.


Stella in her butterfly pants and with her first ponytail. She was quite pleased with herself!

Well, a week ago, Stella decided to embrace two in a new way. And it's still not terrible, but I have a feeling we're getting a taste of the next year....or so. Now when she sits down for dinner, she immediately says, "I don't like it!" and pushes her plate away. The response to nearly any suggestion is "no", and today she pulled a teenage move by getting offended by Tyler for some mysterious reason (have I mentioned she can have a flair for the dramatic and sensitive?), ran to her room, and shut the door hard. I thought we wouldn't get that for at least 10 more years! There's also the bedtime procrastination, the fight to put on her coat *every* morning, you get the idea. I know this is an important stage, and she's just asserting herself, but living with a constant contrarian can be taxing.

But overall I'm feeling much less taxed lately. Baby number 2 is doing her/his thing, but I'm back to having energy and generally feeling good. Nineteen weeks tomorrow--nearly halfway! The due date is July 14th, and I'm pretty excited about having a summer baby: sunlight, long days, lots less worry about keeping the baby warm. Poor baby could stand to have a better nickname, but it doesn't mean any less actual excitement. It's interesting being pregnant again. I'm more impatient to get the show on the road, but also more aware that there really is a baby we just don't know yet who's in the process of developing. Stella doesn't seem quite sure what to make of it yet. Sometimes she knows the baby is in my belly (one morning she was insisting it was a girl), and other times she says the baby is in her tummy or that *she's* the baby. This will be an adjustment. Ultrasound is in two weeks--so we'll have pics to post soon! And it's probably nearly time to start with the belly pics--I'm actually still not showing much, but it's not far off....

"Book!" Click! "Mommy!" Click! "Red!" Click!

It's been a long time since I posted here. So long, in fact, my little "Stella Reporting" header graphic barely even looks like me any more. But, I figured it was worth doing an entry so that I could make a big announcement:

I am a photographer.

After much pleading, I finally managed to convince mommy and daddy to let me use their camera. Daddy insisted on trying to explain the "proper" way to hold it and showed me where the button was that caused the camera to click and (sometimes) the light to flash. But, after these brief instructions, it was time to show the world my unique photographic vision. A couple of quick notes on how to take a proper picture:

1) It's important to announce the name of the subject, as you take its picture. This lets the subject know you are photographing them. For example if you want to take a picture of the giant stuff elephant in the living room, shout "elfant" first.

2) Place at least one finger over the lens. I'm not sure why this is important, but it is. Trust me.

3) Aim the camera slightly above or below the subject. This makes the photo more artistic.

Now, on to my photos...


A self-portrait.

My baby, Claudette.

Can you spot the elephant? Where'd it go?

Bike!

Mommy. Mommy is a great subject for my photos.

Daddy. Meh.

Mommy and daddy.

My feet.


A plate for pie. I discovered that putting the camera on a flat surface and pressing the button works well.

Mommy again.

Me and my soothie... plus daddy photo-bombing me


"Melmo" and a doll that my friends, Liam and Meerim, brought me from East Timor, laying on the rug that my parents say I can't have juice on.

Books and mommy.

...Well, that's just a small sample of the 160 or so photos I've taken. Daddy promises he'll upload a bunch of them to Flickr, but we'll see how that goes. After all, he did end his last post by saying "more soon" and that was, what, over a month ago.

Speaking of which, a lot has happened in the last month or so. Daddy turned 35, and must be having some sort of mid-life crisis early, because he got a new tattoo. He says it is me, but it looks like a flower and a star... go figure. We also had a lot of fun during Christmas. First with family up here, and then we went down to Texas to see some more family, but maybe I'll see if mommy wants to post about that.

Oh, and one other piece of news, I guess. Mommy and daddy keep trying to tell me there's a baby in mommy's belly.

I have no idea what that's all about.

'Tis the season...

'Tis the season... to fall behind on blog entries. Fa la la la la la la!

I can't believe that nearly a month has passed since our last entry here, and that last time we checked in, it was only a little after Halloween. Yowza! Anyhow, let's see if I untangle the last couple of weeks and get everyone up to speed!

Late November brought not only Thanksgiving, but also Stella's 2nd Birthday! Since Stella's actual Birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day this year, we decided to throw a party for her on the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving week. While Stella can sometimes be overwhelmed by large groups, this time she really seemed to enjoy being surrounded by her friends, playmates and ...well... cupcakes!

It is basically impossible to take a picture of a room full of 2 year old's and their parents, but this off-the-cuff image catches some of the chaos.

Cupcakes from Seattle's Trophy Cupcakes!

Stella's old nanny, Tirza, and her daughter, Natalie, were able to come to the party. It was great seeing the two girls play with each other after several months of not seeing each other, but you could tell it was hard for Stella to say "bye" at the end of the party.

After that, it was on to Thanksgiving proper. And while, sadly, my Grandmother, Aunt and Cousin's were unable to attend our Thanksgiving dinner because my Grandma had surgery just a couple days before (I've been assured everything went smoothly), we did end up with a full table since Sarah's mom, stepfather, bother and sister-in-law came into town to celebrate with us (as well as Ambika), and be there for Stella's actual 2nd Birthday...

Stella blows out the candles on her cake. (Thanks dad, for catching this picture.)

Unfortunately, while I did click several photos during the actual meal itself, they all pretty much turned out dark and/or blurry, so I'll spare you. But, you can be assured that Sarah cooked another wonderful Holiday meal!

Owing largely to the snow (more on that later), most of the rest of that week was spent hanging out and relaxing with Sarah's family. But, we did make one or two trips out to do some sightseeing with them. Including a trip to the aquarium (which, again only yielded one or two photos) and to the Museum of Flight.

A typical scene from that week, curled up on the couch, talking, read and napping.

Sarah, Tim and Jeanne standing in front of Air Force One, which we got to walk through. I'll spare you the pictures I took of the Air Force One bathrooms...

...but I won't spare you the picture I took of the Lockheed Blackbird. AKA: The X-Men's jet. I geeked out a little.

The one cute picture from our aquarium visit. Sarah and I have gotten bad about not taking pictures any more. Need to get back in the habit. Still, this one is cute.

After Tim and Jeanne left, Sarah's mom and step-dad accompanied us on one other family tradition: Buying a Christmas Tree. For the last couple years, we've bought our tree at the Dunshee House, a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. A great way to combine two Holiday traditions (buying a tree and giving) into one!

The tree strapped to the top of our car!

That evening, after Sarah's mom and Don had left, Sarah and I decorated the tree... with Stella's help of course. Last year, when it came time to decorate the tree, Stella was just a little over one, not yet walking unassisted, and was in bed before we even began unpacking the ornaments. This year, she was more than happy to help out. Surprisingly, she didn't show much interest in breaking or throwing anything, and instead did her best to actual hook the ornaments on to some of the lower branches. Usually these attempts ended with a plaintive "help peas," but still its the thought that counts.

Making sure every ornament is "just right."

Stella checks out a Christmas book with the tree glowing in the background.

The "family by the tree" photo. Something that's become bit of an annual tradition.

As I mentioned above, it also snowed that week. The first flakes started to drift down during Stella's Birthday Party, but it wasn't until Monday that things started to get white. And, unlike most Seattle snows, this snow actually stuck around for most of the week. The whole thing seemed eerily similar to the snow storm right after Stella's birth, but Sarah and I tried to just roll with the punches, making sure things went smoothly with her family and the Holiday plans.

For her part, Stella seemed nonplus about the snow. She took a couple strolls in it, but was otherwise content to stay warm in doors.

Trying to catch snowflakes with mommy.

Taking it all in...

...but then heading back inside to get warm.

Well, when I initially started typing this, I had hoped to get things caught up through Mid-December, but just realizes that it is nearing 4:00pm, and that I need to get ready to head down to Stella's Day Care to take part in some holiday festivities there (cookies and singing). Sarah is, sadly, not feeling well. Both her and Stella have been struggling with another string of colds recently which is another reason we've fallen behind here. But, hopefully, Sarah or I will be able to do a follow up entry in the next couple of days.

That said, I wanted to end by noting how much Stella has changed in the last couple of months. More and more, her single words are being strung into simple sentences. And, more than once, I've been struck by the fact that I almost feel like I'm having actual conversations with her. Her favorite question is still "wo go?" (where go? ...and half the time the challenge is just figuring out what the "wo" is), but she's also big on color and counting (though her version of counting involves repeating "two, three" again and and again). She still loves coloring, but also loves her play dough (which she play cooks with), her toy pots and wooden food, and especially her dolls (which she spends countless hours putting blankets on top of). She loves Elmo, but has a much more complex relationship with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, as seen in this sample conversation:

Stella: Roar!
Me/Sarah: Is the abominable snow monster scary?
Stella: Yeah. (pause) No teeth!
Me/Sarah: Yes. Then they take his teeth out, and he becomes nice.
Stella: Nice! (pause) Wheeeee!
Me/Sarah: Yes, and then the reindeer fly.


Hopefully more, soon.

Ye-ya (aka "Stella")

Stella, tonight. We haven't been good about taking many videos for awhile. Partly because Stella usually doesn't really cooperate (as soon as we turn it on, she wants to be *behind* the camera) and because we've just been too darn busy. But tonight I realized that she won't talk like this forever. And I couldn't resist sharing.

Who's a Busy Bee?

In a number of ways, I think I'm a pretty good mom. In others...let's just say there's room for improvement. Halloween is probably one of those areas. For whatever reason, I feel pretty ambivalent about the holiday. Some people love it, plan costumes out months in advance, put out decorations, really see it was the best holiday of the year. I'm not anti-Halloween, but let's put it this way: before Stella was born, I think Tyler put a costume together for me the day of a party for about three years in a row. So you can imagine some of that washes into Halloween where Stella is concerned. And this year we had an extra hill to surmount when we all got a stomach flu the weekend before. (So much for the idea of cute pictures of Stella in a pumpkin field.) Tyler spent the Thursday before Halloween running around trying to find a last minute costume until I asked one of my coworkers if she had one from when her kids were younger we could borrow. (Thanks, Kasey!!)

But I get ahead of myself. Our first Halloween activity (on the Friday before...) was pumpkin carving. Tyler and Stella had picked one up the night before at our local produce stand, where the pickings were a bit slim. But Tyler, being the lovely anthropomorphizer he is, has a soft spot for the less than perfect gourds. Though Stella's preschool had had a few days of pumpkin-related sensory activities and an actual carving, she seemed a bit unsure and then downright disinterested.



My part--getting out the guts. The expression here is probably Stella's face after saying "no!" to my suggestion that she participate.



More carving ambivalence


Tyler steps up for the artistic part...


and acquits himself nicely!


We followed that up with our first costume party, when Stella promptly refused to put on her costume. I decided not to push it since we really wanted her to warm to it by Halloween. You'll notice she's wearing a fleece vest--she just couldn't understand why I was offering some other jacket to wear when she had a perfectly good one on!



Stella, along with a sock monkey, tiger, Snow White, Batman, Superman and Winnie the Poo.

On Saturday, we went to the zoo despite some sogginess. We had a good time but didn't manage to see the main attraction--animals eating jackolanterns. (Nor did we take any photos. Nor would Stella wear her costume.) On Sunday we had a second costume party with our PEPS group. This time, Stella acted like she didn't want to wear her costume but I popped it over her head and she decided she loved it! She'd point at herself and say "Bee!", "Bzzz" around and flap her "wings"--very cute.


This is a pretty bad phone photo, but I love the controlled chaos of trying to get a group shot of near two-year-olds. (And you can see the awesome squirrel costume Lena wore!)

Finally, it was time for the main event. We took Stella to Grandma and Grandpa's house for trick-or-treating. Stella was a little unsure of going to strange doors, but she was intrigued by the idea of candy, and like Grandma Susan's decorations!


Stella the bee! The flower-y skirt is a bit unconventional, but I figured it kind of looks like she's hovering over a field....and she wouldn't put on her black pants.


So hopefully next year we'll get our act together and avoid last-minute illness. Of course, by then, Stella will also probably have her own opinion about what costume she wants, which will be a whole new ball of wax!!

The leaves aren't the only thing turning red

With the leaves turning red and the gray clouds swirling overhead, it can only mean one thing: Fall? No, wine-making season! Several weeks ago, we kicked off this year's batch of wine over at Gary and Cynthia's house, with the Annual Crush. After two years of having to juggle the crush and the U-District Foodbank Auction on the same day, this year we were excited that the crush and auction fell on separate days, and we wouldn't have to rush off halfway through de-stemming.

Anyhow, pictures!!

Our previous years wine, 2007's "Ranger Rick Red," 2006's "Round the World Red" and 2008's "Stella Rose's Stellar Red."
Ready to toss some grapes! Behind me is the 2-3 tons of grapes for this years wine.
...And speaking of grapes! Here's this years grapes. Like last year, we are doing Syrah.
...And speaking of Syrah, er, I mean Sarah! Sarah after a hard days work, proving you have to be willing to get a little messy.
Last year, we got a picture of Stella sitting on grapes. This year: Stella in a grape press!

One thing that has changed from previous years of wine making is this year, after the crush, we brought our portion of the crushed grapes back to our house for fermentation in the newly built wine-making room in the back of the garage. So, after a couple weeks of fermentation, my dad, our friend Gary, and I did the Press: Where we separate out the newly created wine, and then press the remaining skins and stems for any last wine we can get out of them.

More pictures!

The infamous Press. It was down-pouring so we did most of the press in the garage itself. Beyond my dad and Gary you can see the wall and door leading into the wine room.

Dad and Gary bump stems and skins into the press. Try not to cry for all the spilled wine on the ground.

Gary and I try some of the newly created wine. Tart and acidic. It can definitely stand to do some aging in the barrel.

My dad holds up what's left over after the press: Compacted stems and skins. Hmmm, I wonder if this would make good fertilizer?

Finally, not to worry, pictures of Stella in her Halloween costume are coming soon! We just wanted to get caught up on this, but Sarah promises to do a Halloween entry soon.