Four down....

...fourteen to go!  Princess superhero birthday party was a smashing success.  

Absentee

We moved into the new house yesterday which is why I haven't returned a single email in, oh, about a week. It's pretty sweet. Pictures to follow.

Dance

We would do anything in the entire world for Megan.  I now know this includes attending a 3.5 hour dance recital.  Megan has been taking dance for a long time and belongs to a legit dance studio (as opposed to Norah's parks and rec department).  The recital was pretty hard core and the production value was very high.  It was impressive. 3.5 hours.  But, impressive.  Norah would pretty much watch paint dry if it involved Megan and so she was more than thrilled to eat jelly bellies and watch the performances.  We did have to take a break at one point she she could run around the lobby and release some energy.  They piped the music into the lobby and you could see the dancers on a screen.  (Megan was in three dances.  We also watched 4,562 dances she was not in.)  Norah refused to stay in the lobby for very long for fear of missing Megan dance-even though I had a program and could tell her when she was coming on, I apparently was not to be trusted.  Norah doesn't mess around when it comes to Megan.

Anyway, she couldn't help but dance.  I think she was inspired.



(And yes, Megan was awesome).

Ruby in Texas (Days 3, 4, and 5)

On Saturday BVZ had to work, so our angel of mercy (Bubby) came over to take care of babies while we took the girls on an adventure.  I had been wanting for some time now to get the kids to the Play For All park for all abilities and this seemed as good of a time as any.  I got lost and had to turn around a few times and then any time I would make a turn Norah would shout from the back of the van, "are we STILL lost, Mom?"

Eh, whatever.  I got us there.  

It's an impressive place.  There's an enormous play structure, lots of different kinds of swings, all kinds of sensory tables and centers, and a fake town.  The girls loved the fake town.  M and I were a little more indifferent, probably because there wasn't even the slightest hint of shade at the fake town and even at 10:30 in the morning, we were roasting.

The sand pit was also a huge hit as well.  It was by far my favorite thing there.  Coincidentally it was the place with the most shade.

We got the girls happy meals on the way home, which in retrospect wasn't my smartest move.  I got Norah a cheeseburger and just took the bun off but she later complained of a stomach ache, so I am pretty sure that I gluttoned her.  I suck.  

The girls played in the air conditioning for the rest of the day and when BVZ got home we went to the Salt Lick for dinner.  I will never understand why so many people like a restaurant with Lick in the name, but it's an Austin institution.  I don't have a single picture because Lou is a h.a.n.d.f.u.l.  Throw in the rest of the kids (who were very well behaved, but still kids), and it was a very fun, but not relaxing at all, evening out.  The blackberry cobbler sort of made up for it.  It was awesome.  

After the kids went to bed M and I went to Super Target.  Yes, come halfway across the country and I will entertain you by taking you shopping for toilet paper and pool floaties.  I am that good.  

Sunday morning I took the girls and Lou to the subdivision park while M relaxed a bit with Baby E.  It's tough to take three kids to the park by yourself.  We lasted about 15 minutes.  I have no idea how people have more than two kids.  

We spent the rest of the day at Aunt Amy's house hanging out with the whole family, swimming, and grilling turkey hot dogs.  Ruby is a champion swimmer for not even being four.  It makes me feel very negligent about how lax we've been about getting Norah into the pool.  She likes the water, but my resistance to put her in lessons has been entirely selfish.  I just don't feel like I have the time to commit to it.  Oh, and I have no intention of wearing a bathing suit in public.

Anyway, Norah is always a lot more adventurous when Ruby is around.  She still wouldn't put her face in the water but she seemed way more at ease.  Lou was into the pool and we floated him around in his own little baby raft.  Baby E had a giant smile on her face, even when she got a mouthful of pool water.

It was great for the rest of the family to finally get to meet our friends, considering we all talk about them pretty much non-stop.  Ruby was as smitten with cousin Megan as Norah is.  

I don't think Norah took off her goggles for the rest of the night.  She has worn them in the bathtub every night since Ruby left. 

That night I totally had to make up for Super Target, so my sisters and I took M downtown to dinner and then to a wine bar.  It was pretty quiet for a holiday weekend night, but at least M got to see that there is more to Austin than cul-de-sacs and enormous grocery stores.

Monday morning we had tentative plans to go to a friend's Memorial Day BBQ, but all the kids were getting pretty snotty (I think it originated with Lou) and we figured they might just need a low key all-day play day.  I wasn't really concerned it would be any other way, but I was very relieved to see that Norah and Ruby are still best friends.  Over the course of a long weekend they had a few moments of bickering and both had an epic meltdown or two, but overall they were nothing short of awesome.  They have such genuine affection for each other and still love so many of the same things.  They are simply great play mates.

Norah wanted to show Ruby how to make a crayon tracing of her entire body and M had the idea to make them three dimensional and then dress the life sized paper dolls.  Norah currently has the Ruby doll in her room and talks to "paper doll Ruby" every day.

This kid.  I actually can't think too much about her because it bums me out not to get to be around her all the time.

Lou was so into her (he spent a good 20 minutes ticking her here), until I dared try and hold her.  Then all bets were off.  Good thing he gets to always be the baby around here.

The girls played outside in the yard in in Norah's playhouse until I noticed a fire ant crawling on the side and asked BVZ to wipe down the side.  He got out the broom and moved the playhouse across the patio to make sure there weren't any more.  Um, so, there were more.  In fact, underneath the playhouse was an enormous nest of fire ants.  Like 12 billion fire ants and 15 billion fire ant eggs.  BVZ went out to get some poison and committed some serious fire ant genocide.  Needless to say, no one is allowed in the backyard for the rest of the time we are at this house (like 10 more days).  Oy, Texas.

Eventually, M and I took all the girls to the community swimming pool at our subdivision, which is right beyond the park.  It was pretty crowded but the baby pool was all ours.  Norah and Ruby probably could have stayed there for at least 12 hours.

M and I determined that if we could somehow combine their personalities they would make the perfect kid.  For example, Norah never gives me a hard time about leaving someplace fun and is incredibly cooperative.  But, she can be really timid and reluctant to try new things (ie, putting her damn face in the water).  Ruby has a harder time when it's time to go sometimes, but she is brave and bold and adventurous.  I think it's a huge part of why they compliment each other so well.  There's a slide at the park that Norah has refused to go down every day since we've lived here.  She spent two minutes at the park with Ruby and went down the slide multiple times.

The rest of the day was spent playing and eating take-out bbq.  As it got closer and closer to bedtime I could tell Norah was getting more and more agitated and out of nowhere she burst into huge racking sobs and wailed that she didn't want Ruby to leave, she didn't want Ruby to leave, she didn't want Ruby to leave. All I could do was hug her tight.  See, Norah got to hang out with her BFF but I also got to hang out with mine.  And I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye.

My sister gave both of the girls a frame with the picture of them together in their nightgowns.  I took M, R, and E to the airport very early on Tuesday morning.  Norah woke up to give them each a big hug and then went back to bed.  When I got home she was up for the day and ate her breakfast staring at the picture the entire time.  She told me that her heart was crumbled.

The sadness lasted the better part of the morning but then we talked about how great it was to have her around, and the next time we're going to see Ruby and all the fun things we are going to do with her.  Hopefully there's some Fairyland involved.  And some Caleb.  

It was a great visit and we are so appreciative to have such cool forever friends.  We're already looking forward to next time.  

Ruby in Texas (Days 1 and 2)

Everyone told us when we were getting ready to move to Texas that it was a good time to go because it would be before Norah formed strong connections or attachments to people or places in California.  Obviously, nothing could have been further from the truth.  She remembers in intricate detail our old house and places in the neighborhood we used to go.  She talks constantly about her old school and Grandpa Gene.  She asks about her friends and what they are doing now and demands to see pictures of them.  She reminds me on a daily basis about that one time she got to take a bath with both Caleb AND Lucas.

And then, of course, there is Ruby.  There was a lot of heartbreak surrounding Ruby.  When Norah was having such tremendous separation anxiety last fall someone said to me that while it was tough at the time, she would move on and make new friends and Ruby would eventually become a distant memory.  (Yes, this person is kind of an asshole).  It could never have been that simple because, 1) Norah has the memory of an elephant, and 2) Ruby's mom is one of my most favorite people in the entire world and I sure wasn't going to stop being friends with her just because we did something crazy like move to Texas (oh, and we're pretty partial to Ruby's grandma too...)  I figured we would somehow make it work.  

So, we have the girls skype and facetime and we went to California last winter (and hopefully plan to go again this summer).  Oh, and I may or may not text Ruby's mom 50 or so times a day.  So imagine our delight when Ruby's mom decided to bring her girls out to visit.  It was major anticipation for months.  MAJOR.  

Norah was obsessed with getting the spare bedroom "just right" for M and Baby Ella.  Then she showed me nine million times her "cutie" face that she was going to make when she saw Ruby for the first time.

The ladies didn't arrive until very late Thursday night and I couldn't bring Norah to the airport with me (not enough car seats).  She very begrudgingly agreed to go to bed if I promised, promised, promised to wake her the instant Ruby walked in the house.  Her allergies were out of control, so I may or may not have plied her with Zyrtec.  For the allergies. 

I picked up Ruby, M and Baby E at the airport and proceeded to get stuck in the worst traffic (construction) for well over an hour.  It was probably 11:30 by the time we got back to the house.  Ruby marched directly into Norah's room and woke her ass right up.  Norah was disoriented for about 15 seconds and then threw her arms around her friend.  

As soon as she heard Ruby was coming to visit, Norah asked if I would get matching princess nighties for them both.  Done and done.  

Despite the late hour there was no way we were telling these girls they had to go to bed.  They played until, oh roughly 2:00 am.  We gave them milk and cookies at like 1:00.  It was that kind of night.

 The last time I saw Baby E in person she was just weeks old.  WEEKS.  Now she is a rolling, smiling, laughing, load of baby awesomeness.  Despite the fact that she traveled all day and it was the wee hours of the morning, she was just happy to sit and hang out.  I love her.

There had been a lot of anticipation that Ruby would sleep with Norah in her room.  We put the futon mattress on the floor and told the girls they could figure out where they wanted to sleep.  It lasted about 10 minutes before Ruby decided she wanted to sleep with her mom.  Norah was bummed but they agreed they would try again when they are five.

They slept in (kind of) and immediately launched into serious dress up.  It was a princess tea party pancake breakfast.

M had the brilliant idea of renting a mini van so we could load it with all four car seats and ride together.  BVZ went to work and Bubby came over to hang out with the kids while we went to get the Dodge Caravan.  (I won't shit talk the van too much...it was actually pretty awesome).  Installing four car seats in 95 degree heat?  Not awesome.

Lou was excited to see new kids and pretty smitten with E.  He kept bringing her toys and tried to play with her.  I think he would have wrestled her if he could.  She's nine months younger but just a few pounds lighter.  He has a lot more hair.

We figured we could handle one outing a day and so decided to load them all up and head to the splash pad.  It's hard to get four kids out of the house.  HARD.  And we are two (very) competent adults.  The girls were thrilled to sit in the back seat together.  There was lots of hand holding.  Sweetness overload.

The splash pad is at a park right across from the new house (so we did a drive by).  The park itself is tough for me because there is very little shade, but there is a nice and covered "dinosaur dig" (ie, giant sand box with fake dinosaur fossils) that the kids really like.  The past couple of times we've gone there has been a series of large mud puddles.  I am not sure who put them there (I hope the parks and rec people), but nothing could possibly gross me out more.  Of course that means it is the first thing Lou headed for.  He didn't really leave the vile mud water until I dragged him out.  There are pails and shovels and other random toys scattered throughout the dig.  For sure he used several things to drink the mud water.  More than once. I look in his eyes every day for brain amoebas.  

After the mud they hit the splash pad.  You can't really tell but the sprinkler system is in the shape of a whale.  It's cute.

Lou hit the swings while the girls decided they needed a "nap."  I wish.

Then it was back to the mud and back to the water and back to the grass.  Throw a picnic lunch in there, rinse and repeat.

World's cutest, and most agreeable, baby.

Ruby brought a lot of awesome presents for Norah, including this fabulous hat.  It wasn't completely intentional for them to look this adorable together, it just kind of happened.  Again, adorableness overload.

Norah loved E too.  She and Ruby decided that they would share Ruby's little sister.  Norah offered to share her brother as well.  I am not sure Ruby took her up on it.  I am not sure E was too keen on the deal either.

It was really fun but really, really, really, really hot.  It was nice to have M around because we both complained as much as we wanted to about the heat and didn't feel bad about it at all.  Hot days call for pizza movie and popcorn nights.

(To be continued so that this post isn't ridiculously long...)

Monday

Sunday night/Monday morning, Lou spiked a very high fever.  He was super sick and generally miserable, so I decided to take him to the pediatrician to rule out an ear infection.  He slept on and off all morning, Norah and I watched a movie, and then I attempted to get us all ready to get out of the house.  I was in my bathroom getting ready when I happened to glance in the bathtub.  And saw this. 

Seriously?  SERIOUSLY?  Of course I lost my shit.  Lou was in his crib and I made Norah stand on my bed while I panicked.  It was furiously trying to climb up the side of the tub but wasn't having much luck.  We don't keep cleaning products in the bathroom (everything is up on a high shelf in the laundry room), so I turned on the hot water and poured in an entire bottle of hand soap.

Death by bubble bath.

It took a while but the thing finally stopped moving.  It was huge.  With an orange/red head and 12 million little legs.  Oh yeah and ENORMOUS pincers.  Internet research later revealed that it was a Sonoran Desert centipede.  When it bites it injects a shit ton of venom, which is painful (but not deadly).  I am still not sure how it 1) got in the house and/or 2) got in the bathtub, I am trying very hard NOT to think about it..

The carcass was too big to go down the drain and although I was certain it was dead, I was way too freaked out to do anything about it.  So, I did what any rational, well educated, thirty-six-year-old mother of two would do.  I called my mom and asked her to please come over and dispose of the body.  And she did.  

I love living in Texas.  

Lou does not have an ear infection, but he sure is sick.  Day two of 104'ish degree fever, no eating, sicko diapers, general malaise and non-stop crying.  I will take that over a centipede any day.

ETA: Of course Lou got weighed at the doctor's office.  When he was sitting on the scale the numbers flashed 24 lbs, 3 ozs and I thought, hot damn!  That's awesome.  But then the nurse noticed that Norah had her hand on the scale.  He really only weighs a measly 20 lbs., 6 ozs.  That's fifth percentile for weight, folks.  I would be concerned except for the fact that he drinks a gallon and a half of whole milk a week, eats more than Norah and I put together, and is in the 75th percentile for height.  And don't forget those giant feet.  So what if he is currently wearing 6-12 month shorts that I have to roll at the waist so that they don't fall down?  Kid can scale a staircase is 3.5 seconds and runs faster than I do.  I think he'll be alright.  

Tap

Her second dance was tap.  Trevor was doing the camera work in this one (Megan did ballet).  I appreciate his keeping it interesting.

Ballet

Norah had her first ballet recital today.  Now, she's been taking dance for a while now, but just at the local parks and rec department (as opposed to a dance studio).  I am not opposed to the latter, but they are really expensive and require quite a bit of commitment, and c'mon.  She's three.  BVZ takes her to class every Saturday and so I don't really know that much about what goes on.  I didn't even know she was going to have a recital until she came home with a costume (that BVZ forgot to tell me he paid for).  It was way fancier that I was expecting...there were five classes and they each did two dances, so the whole thing lasted well over an hour and a half.  Norah did great.  She's into it and she's a total rule follower, two things which bode well for a three year old ballet recital.

Girl

When I picked up Norah from school today I asked her what she wanted to do.  She said, "play school."  Hey, at least she likes it.  She decided that playing school should consist of her practicing writing her name.  This is a big deal because she usually does the N backwards.  She was very proud of herself.  I like the font she chose.  It kind of looks like it could be on a poster to a horror movie (you know, like the H is dripping blood or something). 

She recently got moved up to another classroom at school and this one has mostly already four-year-olds.  The girls play jump rope on the playground and try as she might, Norah just can't do it.  She tries really, really hard but she's either too short or too uncoordinated or too something that I have yet to figure out.  At bedtime we talk a lot about continuing to try hard even though it would be easier to just give up (and yes, I got a jump rope so we can try to figure out the problem).  She waited up for BVZ to get home tonight and they also had a conversation about it.  He told her how proud he was of her for how hard she has been trying.  She said, "oh, I know.  I am proud of myself too.  So is Santa."

As has been mentioned, her current favorite show is Doc McStuffins.  I love it too.  It's fabulous.  The protagonist is an African-American little girl who is a doctor to toys (they come alive when no one else is around).  Her mom is a people doctor and her dad is a fabulous stay-at-home-dad.  Doc is kind and generous and super smart and really funny.  She also makes mistakes, learns from them, and becomes a better doctor and friend.  She has her "clinic" (ie, her playhouse) and when she's in there with a patient she puts a sign on the door and says, "the doc is IN!" 

I noticed over the past week or so that Norah's been hanging her Hello Kitty purse on her door.  I asked her about it today and she told me that when she's in her room, she turns the face outwards and announces, "the GIRL IS IN" and then when she is not in her room, she flips it around and announces, "the GIRL IS OUT."

I love television.