An afternoon at the Irvine Spectrum

I've joined a couple mom's groups in the area, hoping to make some friends and find some little ones for Annabelle to socialize with... We recently went on an excursion to the Irvine Spectrum, an outdoor mall that typifies the OC consumerism habit during the day and doubles up as a singles scene during the night. They do, however, have several fountains that Annabelle enjoys, including one at ground level that is safe for her to play in. Here are a few photos from our visit there. We had the best time!!

These little fountains would shoot up high really fast, then disappear entirely before coming back to their original short height. Perfect for enticing a toddler.

Annabelle would shriek with delight when they blasted up a few feet out of the ground.

There were two of these turtles and I thought they were so beautiful. Annabelle enjoyed several minutes of standing directly in front of them so that the water would hit her belly, drenching her entirely.

Summer End

Some of you might not be aware of the fact that Dave got laid off from his job in the middle of July. After allowing one day to freak out about money we both decided to really appreciate the time together, whether it turned out to be two weeks of unemployment or more...

Well, Dave starts his new job this Monday. We had nearly the entire summer together, just the three of us, and it was a dream. Dave really got to know Annabelle in a different way, learning the rhythms of her day and getting in some serious daddy-daughter time. The three of us got to visit new playgrounds every week, explore some of the far reaching corners of Orange County, check out the aquarium in Long Beach, sneak into the playground at the Disneyland Hotel, try out new restaurants, fly up to San Francisco for a couple of weddings, and take a road trip up the central coast.

We fixed a few things too: Dave and I both did some pretty intensive therapy on our necks, we took Annabelle to a chiropractor, we started eating organic produce, we covered some major ground in the getting "us" back on track post-baby, and we came to terms with what it means to be hippies living behind the orange curtain in Southern California.

And while we are both excited to have the financial help it offers, it's going to be hard to let go, I think. Big changes are ahead for everyone. Dave is going to start working ten hour days. Sigh. Annabelle will miss him. So will I.

But I think we will remember this summer for the rest of our lives.

Putting on the pounds...

Annabelle has finally started to gain weight! After a dramatic slow down of weight gain (falling from the 90th percentile to the 50th with a gain of only 3 ounces in six months) Annabelle has started to eat. She has eaten well every day for about ten days.

It's such a relief!

I can't tell you how much it bothered me to suffer through an entire day or two of her refusal of food. On those days I would work SO hard just to get her to eat maybe a single rice cake, a bite of cucumber and half a banana... and that's all she would eat besides nursing a few times.

And, true to form, all it took was Annabelle finally making up her mind that she wanted to do it. Until I met Annabelle I never really knew how willful a one year old could be.

We owe a large part of our success to Addie, Annabelle's new little dolly. Last Saturday we had a garage sale and my mom pulled open a bag full of stuff I had decided to sell a long time ago. Annabelle reached into the bag and yanked out this terribly ugly homemade doll made with plastic parts and bright purple acrylic fiber. It even had purple hair. I couldn't stand it. Annabelle didn't put it down for two hours.

Since my daughter had never played with the same toy for more than ten straight minutes in her entire life, I immediately recognized that she was ready to attach herself to a transitional object. I started to panic, not really feeling ready for the moment. I didn't have anything at hand that I could use to encourage her attachment. I instantly remembered this doll I had seen at Target.

So I picked up Annabelle and we dashed off to get her her very own Addie. And wouldn't you know, Annabelle hardly lets go of her. She nurses with Annabelle. She dances too. Annabelle even hugs her tight in her sleep.

But best of all, they eat together. And when Annabelle feeds Addie she places the food to her doll's lips and then quickly shoves it in her own mouth, chews, and swallows. Some nights when Annabelle is done eating dinner after only about five minutes, "Addie" will continue to eat for twenty minutes or more! It's wonderful!

There are, of course, some side affects- both good and bad: Dave and I can finally enjoy some extended conversation during dinner because Annabelle is engrossed in the activity of feeding Addie. This is really nice for us. Annabelle has visibly gained weight. This is a relief and also a mixed blessing... I sit here with sore shoulders and a really sore back! I've been schlepping the same 24 pounds around for the last four months, and I actually noticed the jump in weight this past week. My baby-weight routine just kicked itself up a notch, I guess, and I wasn't prepared for the harder work.

Annabelle signing to Addie about eating.

An open letter to my daughter

Waving at the ducks today in the park near Independence Hall at Knott's Berry Farm.

Dear Annabelle,

I cannot believe how entirely entertaining and fun you are these days. You are growing way too fast, but it is the speed with which you are learning that makes you so enjoyable!

There are moments that I live for: the way you pat me on the back when giving me a hug, when you leave to go for a walk with your dad and then run back into the house smacking your lips asking for a kiss goodbye, when you are crabby and cranky and whiney until I pick you up and you lay your head on my shoulder as if that's all you ever wanted anyway, the way you point with your finger at my eyeball after I say, "I love you" as if to identify the "I" as "eye" and you are trying to sign "I love you" back to me... and especially the way you crawl into bed with me in the morning to wake me up, remove the t-shirt I've thrown over my head while laughing as if it's one eternal peek-a-boo game, then crawl down and point at my water, knowing that I'll sit up and take a sip, then run to the bathroom, knowing that I'll go there next, and then run into your room and point at the chair while holding up your nursing pillow. You've got our morning routine down to tee.

And you have surprised me so much over the past month! Like the time you brought a bottle of nail polish to me and handed it to me and then pointed at it and then pointed at your toes. You have never seen me paint my toes, yet you seemed to have matched that exact bottle of polish to the color I was wearing on my toes. Or this morning when I was having an allergy attack and you brought me a box of kleenex from the bedroom.

Lately you have been fascinated by the smallest things, like ants or flies. Or only what seems small- this week you noticed airplanes and helicopters in the sky, signing "where?" as soon as they fly out of sight.

And last Saturday you finally started to talk! I know that about six months ago you said "mama" over and over. But then you stopped. We haven't heard much other than grunts and babbling for months. Dave assured me that you would talk when you decided to and he was right: you ran into the bedroom with a book opened to a certain page, plopped it down at my feet, pointed at a picture and said, "bay-bee!" very distinctly with a big smile. And then you ran for the bathroom shouting, "Mama! Mama!" Later that day you said, "Up!" when trying to climb up on the couch, and "Dad!" when walking down the hall. Then you pointed at the door and said, "Buh-by"... I think you must have been secretly practicing in private and wanted to just shock me by unleashing all your words in a single day. Now when you wake up in the morning you cry out, "Dad!" knowing he's the one to get up with you when you wake up every day.

But the most impressive thing about you is how happy you are. You smile and laugh your screaming cackling laugh at everything, especially new things. Everything I show you brings a smile. Every new noise, new sight, new toy, new place, new event, new habit makes you happy. I love it. I love it so much!

You are pure joy. Thank you for choosing me to be your mom. My love for you is boundless.