Smashed Face

We went to Ruby's third birthday party on Saturday. It was awesome.


The kids had such a good time and every detail was perfect.

As the party was winding down, Ruby either invited Norah to come over and see her new playhouse or Norah invited herself (they made this plan without consulting us). Even though they were clearly tired, we thought what the hell, and agreed to let them continue playing. Ava, Caleb, and Lucas came over to check it out too and for a bit all was well.

Apparently, Norah got really tired and decided that she would just head on upstairs and take a quick nap in Ruby's bed. Somehow she managed to trip on the way up and smashed her face into the first step. There was a lot of screaming and a lot of blood. At first I thought she just hit her lip and figured that some ice would take care of it. Any kind of laceration on the face or head bleeds a lot, so I knew it likely looked worse than it was. But, I made her let me look in her mouth and there was also a cut (and a ton of blood) on her upper gum. That entire side of her mouth on the inside was quickly swelling and turning purple. And one of her front teeth was definitely not in the same place it was the last time I looked. Crap.

I decided to take her to urgent care and because there was still so much screaming and crying, Pamma offered to go with us and sit in the backseat with Norah (BVZ and Louis went home straight from the park). I am really glad I took her up on her offer because Norah was so upset and shaken up that I think she would have completely freaked out while I was driving. We didn't have to wait any more than about 10 or 15 minutes at urgent care, and the doctor said that while her tooth was indeed loose, as long as she didn't injure it further (or eat an apple anytime soon), it would tighten up again. Who knew teeth could tighten up again? The bigger issue was the laceration on her gum line, but there wasn't anything they could do for it (not bad enough for stitches). That part is pretty painful for her. The doctor said there is always a chance that she damaged the nerve when she hit it and if that's the case, the tooth will die and turn gray. He said he would be shocked if that happened here.

I felt kind of like a jerk, but I have to admit that I was really, really, really worried and upset at the thought of her losing a tooth. I know that they are just her baby teeth and in the scheme of things all that matters is that she was okay, but I was just not ready for my 3 year old with the gorgeous smile to be missing a tooth. Perhaps a bit superficial, but realistic nonetheless.

And to make matters worse, she WANTED her tooth to come out! She's been looking forward to a visit from the tooth fairy since she was introduced to the concept of the tooth fairy, and told me that she was going to try and pull it out. Argh! I told her that the tooth fairy doesn't bring anything if you lose a tooth before you are 5, but she does bring something if you get a boo boo and you are very brave. I put a new book under her pillow after she was asleep that she discovered this morning. Let's hope that takes care of that little complication.

Here she is in the car on the way home from urgent care. Poor thing.

We gave her ibuprofen every 6 hours because she was in quite a bit of pain last night. This morning she woke up with the side of her face caked in dried blood (SO GROSS). The swelling is a lot better but she's still pretty busted up. Her gum is so swollen it looks almost black, but thankfully her tooth looks fine (it's still a bit loose, but I am not that worried about it anymore).

She's talking a little funny, but in good spirits. Stoked that there's an entire carton of ice cream just for her. I felt so bad that we wrecked the end of Ruby's special day. She was so sad that her friend was hurt, she was crying just as much as Norah was. Not the way I want Ruby to remember her party day! (We'll make it up to you Rubes. I promise.)

Baby Goo Goo

Ruby is getting a baby sister in November. This is very exciting for all of us. Ruby calls her baby sister Baby Goo Goo. Norah is very into Baby Goo Goo. We have been playing Baby Goo Goo a lot lately, and Norah is Megan, I am Ruby, and this little wooden doll is Baby Goo Goo. Playing Baby Goo Goo basically involves Norah (as the mom) telling me that I can't touch Baby Goo Goo's head because she's just a baby and her skull is very soft. She says, 'DON'T touch her head, you're gonna smush her brains!' (Hey, at least she's listening to some things I say, right?)

Catching Up

Quick iphone picture dump....

We finally made it up to Sonoma last week to meet the twin babies of our good friends Karyl and Issac. James and Helyn are perfect, adorable, sweet babies. At three months old they are both so mellow and even tempered, and cute, cute, cute. Of course, I managed to not take a single picture of both of them together. I did get this funny shot of Louis and James hanging out in the pack-n-play.

Norah is really into fudgesicles these days. I am too.

Lou has now tried oatmeal, avocado, and as of this morning, butternut squash. He really likes food, but I don't think he totally gets the concept yet. He opens wide and tries to gobble food down, but his tongue and brain don't quite connect and he ends up pushing the majority of the bite out. He seems to be into the flavor, but I think we may take a break and try again in a few weeks. I made a big batch of butternut squash this morning, but I will just freeze it for later.

The library is still our favorite Thursday afternoon destination. These statutes are outside. Norah calls them her children. She told me to take her picture with them and send it to Pamma.

Lou is cute.

They both are.

Lou has discovered his tongue and feet. He often tries to lick his feet, but isn't very successful.

Ever since watching Alice in Wonderland, Norah is really into tea parties in the hallway.

Louis is a GREAT sleeper. When he's swaddled. Unfortunately, he has recently learned some kung fu moves and doesn't stay in a swaddle for very long. We have those swaddles that velcro around (I can never remember the brand name), and the other night I woke up to find that he had gotten his arms out but one of the velcros was still fastened, and he was basically strangling himself with it. No good. We tried to go cold turkey on the swaddle, but that ended up in a sleepless night for everyone. So, like I usually do, I turned to my good friend the internet for advice and found this:

Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit. The concept is pretty simple...the material is some kind of microfiber and weighs down the baby so that he doesn't engage his startle reflex or thrash his arms and legs around. It's warm and comfy. He pretty much looks like that kid from The Christmas Story or Maggie from the Simpsons wearing her star snowsuit. All I care about is that it works. And it does!

Fairyland

Last week one of our favorite friends Suzy took some time off of work so her husband could go on a quick trip to London to check out potential neighborhoods (they are moving at the end of the summer...exciting for them, so sad for us). Suzy suggested we check out Fairyland in Oakland and Norah and I were game. I mentioned to BVZ what we were doing and he said that his mom used to take him there all the time as a kid and it was "pretty beat." That would have been around 1979, and apparently it hasn't been updated much since then. I am not sure that anyone over the age of 5 would have much fun, but Norah and Caroline LOVED it and we had a fabulous morning.

There was a little gnome on the top of this mushroom that blew one bubble every 2 minutes or so. Yeah, one bubble. You could even see the little plastic wand. This little fairy couldn't have been more impressed (yes, she's wearing pink fairy wings courtesy of our friends Karyl and Isaac...thanks, guys!)

This giant dragon was a favorite of Caroline's and she could easily navigate her way up and down his scales. Norah wasn't quite as agile (shorter legs, way bigger chicken), but did her best.

This was a big hit-Rapunzel's tower. Norah would have climbed those stairs all day. There was a VERY steep slide inside the house that she would have nothing to do with. It took a couple of climbs up, but Caroline finally went down it.

This is a bad picture, but it was one of Norah's favorite "exhibits." It is a giant whale with a small fish tank. BVZ totally remembers this, which I think is funny. See that purple box? For $2 at the admissions gate you can buy a plastic key which will turn on music and stories at these various boxes located throughout the park. I bought one but kind of forgot about it (plus, a lot of the boxes didn't work and the kids weren't that interested in listening anyway). Norah now uses the key to "lock" Cinderella and other tragic heroines in her bedroom at home.

I think this was Gepetto's workshop.

Lou behaved how he usually does....smiled and looked around for a while and then took a nap.

There were a handful of animals (some rabbits, a horse, etc.) but the kids weren't all that impressed. Norah likes to look from afar only and Caroline apparently is still not over an unfortunate incident she once had with a goat. Tunnels were more interesting.

There were a few rides that looked as though they were last updated in 1983. I wasn't too concerned because Norah isn't that interested in rides (let's face it, she's a huge chicken). There was a ferris wheel type contraption that circles the kids around in enclosed cages. Caroline saw it and made a beeline for the line. Norah held her hand and went running off with her. I told Suzy there was no way in hell Norah was going to get on, so imagine my surprise when she jumped into the little cage with Caroline and clapped her hands in anticipation. The ride started. It made its way around once before we could hear the "Mom! Stop this! Please! I want off!" The woman operating it was very gracious (I would imagine this probably happens a lot), and quickly let her off. Norah dried her tears and we watched Caroline finish the ride.

She recovered quickly and kept on exploring.

Then took a break for a snack.

There was an Alice in Wonderland exhibit that Suzy and I both really liked (BVZ remembers this one too). You wander through a maze of cards and then walk down a tunnel with various scenes from the story set up in diorama form.


Kevin was such a trooper. He chilled in his stroller and ate goldfish crackers.

There was a puppet show performance of 'Sword in the Stone' going on that Norah was pretty into, but I made her go potty instead.

After a pee break the show was over, so the girls hopped on this very sophisticated and technologically advanced ride that went .0000001 mile an hour. So, of course Norah loved it.

There were lots of cute and funny photo opps.

Both of the girls really loved the carousel. They rode it a lot.


It was a really, really fun day. It was very overcast so the weather was quite cool (almost chilly), and the park was not very crowded. I don't imagine I would have enjoyed myself if it had been hot and/or crowded, so thankfully things aligned in our favor.

The girls were pretty tired when we left but somehow caught a second wind. Norah apparently decided she needed to run around and took off as soon as we left the confines of the Fairyland gate. Now, perhaps we are spoiled in that she has never been that kid who takes off or runs away or otherwise puts herself in imminent peril, so I was dumbfounded when she bolted off and didn't respond to my repeated screams of 'stop!, freeze!, and red light!' I was pissed and once I caught her I let her know that her behavior was inappropriate and dangerous and as a result of her refusal to listen she forfeited the privilege of watching a movie that afternoon.

And believe me, after a long morning with a kid who no longer naps regularly, forfeiting a movie is a way worse punishment for me than it is for her.

Truth and a Lie

Norah and I always talk when we are in the car. Sometimes I wish she would just sit there and listen to NPR with me, but most of the time I appreciate our conversations. A few weeks ago we were sitting in traffic and we were both getting really antsy. So, I decided to see if I could qualify her as a child witness in a criminal trial in California. See, it's pretty shocking, but the standard is really low for a child to be considered competent to testify. The judge conducts a hearing and determines whether or not the kid understands the difference between the truth and a lie and then if the kid understands there is a consequence if she tells a lie. That's it. (Be horrified and offended. It's nuts.) Anyway, Norah would definitely be qualified to testify.

Since then one of her new favorite games to play in the car is 'truth or a lie.' We take turns coming up with a question and then the other has to say if it's a truth or a lie. It started pretty simple, ie, "Norah's brother is named Louis, is that a truth or a lie?" Or, "Norah lives in Antarctica, is that a truth or a lie?" After a while she started to get a little more abstract and would say things like, "cars are people, is that a truth or a lie?" Or, "the street is not really a street, is that a truth or a lie?" Sometimes, I don't know the right answer. Sometimes there isn't a right answer, which cracks her up.

Tonight on the way to the library she said, "trees are beds, is that a truth or a lie?" I said, "that's a lie. People don't sleep in trees." To which she responded, "IT'S A TRUTH! A TREE IS A BED FOR A SQUIRREL!"

She's way smarter than I am.

Sushi Dinner

Norah is really, really into the Yoko books by Rosemary Wells. Yoko is a Japanese kitty living (presumably) in America. In one book, Yoko disobeys her mom and takes her special 'Girl's Day' doll to school for show and tell and the doll gets ruined. In another, all the kids in her class make fun of the way Yoko reads and writes (in Japanese), but they end up all wanting to learn how to write their own names. In yet another, the kids make fun of Yoko's sushi lunch. As a result, Norah has become mildly obsessed with eating sushi.

Now, this recent development is BVZ's dream come true. He loves sushi. I mean, loooooves sushi. He would eat it every single day if he could. Unfortunately he happened to marry someone who definitely does NOT love sushi. By this point I can confidently say I have tried it enough times to know I really, really don't like it. I want to like sushi. I think it's beautiful, I think it's healthy, I think I like the smugness that comes along with eating sushi. However, I just can't get past the texture. Oh, and the taste. Now, some rolls I can do as long as the seaweed is kept somewhat to a minimum. I hate seaweed. It tastes like the ocean. And snot.

Anyway, we had a super fun day today at Caleb's birthday party, but we were wiped and had no interest in cooking anything. There is a cute Japanese place that's about a 5 minute walk from our house, so I suggested it for dinner and BVZ and Norah were both thrilled.

Of course, we started with edamame, which is something Norah has had about 900 times in her life. Sometimes she loves it and can't get enough, other times she's just so-so. Tonight she couldn't get enough. I think she ate the entire dish on her own.

Lou conked out during the walk and stayed this way until about 5 minutes before we were done. He's such a good baby.

I got an order of veggie pot stickers just in case she hated everything else. She insisted on using her chopsticks and was surprisingly agile with them. She's left handed, by the way.

Next we ordered her a California roll because she loves crab and avocado. She was into the rice and filling, but not so into the seaweed. I don't blame her. It's too chewy and tastes like snot. She asked me to take the seaweed off and so I mangled the roll but then she scarfed it up.

The big hit of the night though was the variety of sashimi that BVZ ordered. Girlfriend couldn't get enough of it. She ate a TON-salmon, tuna, yellowtail, you name it. I was impressed and BVZ has a new dinner date.

Dessert was mochi ice cream (ice cream with a kind of 'shell' made from some kind of sticky rice. To me it tastes like ice cream in peach fuzz. I love it). I tried to convince Norah to get chocolate or vanilla but she insisted on green tea flavor. I thought she wouldn't like it (I love it but it isn't very sweet), but she pretty much licked the bowl clean.

I was very proud of her for being so adventurous.

The Plight of the Second Born

Yesterday we were trying to get out of the house to go to a play date when Norah, in order of occurrence, needed: a glass of water, help reaching the goldfish crackers, clean socks, a hug after her third existential crisis of the day, her butt wiped, some milk, another hug, help rescuing the kimono lady from under the bed, and a time out for refusing to put away her water color paints.

Louis was fed and changed and happy so I just stuck him in his crib with a balloon tied to his wrist while I dealt with his sister. For like 20 minutes.

True Love

Lou has a new love. It's his arm. Arm receives at least 3 hickeys a day.

In the Span of a Half Hour

Louis and I picked up Norah at school. She was exhausted and the moment we walked in the door she asked to take a nap in my bed, which I happily obliged. I fixed Louis a bottle and we settled in on the couch. My sister called. I talked to her for 5 seconds before Norah emerged from my room complaining she was "so hot." She appeared to be covered in sweat. Upon further examination it was determined she was actually covered in Vicks Vapo Rub. Covered. Louis got stuck in his papasan chair and I stripped Norah down and hosed her off in the shower, scrubbing with soap. She asked to take a bath, so I filled the tub for her and got her settled in with toys. Went to rescue Louis who had pooped. Pooped so much that poop was escaping out of his diaper and running down his leg. Took him to the changing table, opened the diaper, and discovered the wiper warmer had no wipes. Holding him by the legs I opened the closet door with a giant stretch and discovered there were no more wipes. Realized the diaper bag was on the floor of Louis' room by the door and it had wipes. Let go of Lou's legs to retrieve said wipes. Retrieved wipes in 4 seconds. In 4 seconds, Lou kicked like a donkey and poop flew across the room. Then he rolled over. In poop. Stripped him down, wiped him off (all the while having a conversation with Norah so I know she hasn't drowned), got Lou situated and then he peed everywhere. Stripped him again, changed the cover to the diaper changing pad, wiped up pee. Put Lou on the floor on a blanket and spray down the poop walls. Picked Lou up and he barfed everywhere. Went to check on Norah and discovered that she had been pretending she was in a sinking boat and was dumping cups of water out of the tub and onto the floor in order to "save" herself.

Is 2:00 pm too early for vodka?

First Taste

At Louis' well baby check his pediatrician asked when we planned to start trying solids. We didn't start with Norah until 6 months and I had anticipated doing the same with Lou. She said that there was some new research that indicated it was better to start sooner rather than later (the idea is that the longer you delay introduction to foods the greater the chance the kid will develop an allergy). She said that the new standard is for them to recommend starting any time after 4 months, but no later than 6 months. She also thought introducing some cereal or oatmeal might help with the barfing.

Rice cereal really has no nutritional value other than iron, so we do baby oatmeal instead. Mixed with a little formula and he was very, very interested. (Bubby helped so I could take pics.)

I am not sure he is quite ready for the Stokke chair, so until he is just a little bit stronger the bumbo will do.


Norah insisted on taking a turn as well and jammed the spoon in his mouth.

He's gotten about a tablespoon of oatmeal every day and gobbles it up. He opens his mouth up like a little bird and practically pants for it. We are still taking it very slow and will probably try some avocado in a few weeks. Although he did have a taste of Norah's popsicle today when I wasn't looking, so his digestive system is probably ready for it.

Louis: Four Months

Lou was officially 4 months on Tuesday, but I wanted to let Norah bask in all of her birthday glory. Plus, his well baby check wasn't until yesterday. He is weighing in at 14 lbs, 11 ozs, and 25 and 1/4 inches tall. I went back and looked at Norah's 4 month stats and she was the exact same height and an ounce less. Kind of eerie how similar they are in size, although she had a bigger head.

He's a great baby. He smiles and laughs constantly (in fact when he got his shot yesterday he didn't cry-he laughed! The nurse couldn't believe it). He gives big gummy kisses and loves to snuggle into your neck. He can fall asleep anywhere and under any circumstances. He still likes the pacifier, but only gets it at sleepy times. He busts out of his swaddle every night, so those days may be limited.

He sleeps through the night, going to bed at around 8 or 8:30 and waking to eat around 5:00. Sometimes he wakes to fuss earlier than 5:00, and as long as it's after 2:00 or so I generally just lay him next to me and he snuggles in tight. After his first morning bottle he generally sacks out again until 7:30 or 8:00. He takes 3 naps a day, sometimes with another cat nap thrown in there for good measure.

He is eating between 30 and 35 ounces of formula a day and yesterday he got his first taste of cereal (more on that in a separate post). He still barfs a lot. He is really strong and can do some serious baby push ups. He rolled from front to back but I missed it (I had changed his diaper and put him on his tummy in the crib to wash my hands and when I returned he was on his back). He loves bath time, going to the baby gym, and grabbing toys, hands, and his sister's hair. He is quickly growing out of all of his 3 month clothes and is in a size 3 diaper. After his bath his hair stands up in a perfect Mohawk. He is really blonde.

We are really, really glad that he's ours.

Sunny Day with the VZ's

Last weekend Aunt Vanessa was in town to take BVZ and Grandpa Gene to a Giants game. On Sunday, we got her for a few hours before she had to go back to the airport. The sun was out and so we took advantage of the great weather and hung out in the backyard. Vanessa came loaded with treasures for the birthday girl. Everything was a hit, but of particular interest was a package of flower stickers perfect for adorning faces. Norah graciously walked around and gave us each a flower.


Grandpa Gene and Miss Mary also brought birthday treats and lots of hugs and kisses.



Thanks, VZ's for feeding us lunch and spoiling the birthday girl!