CityMama™

History was made tonight...

by a very determined and focused individual. By an impassioned and articulate orator. By someone who often struggles to be heard, but never gives up the fight:

My three-year-old.

Tonight as I was cooking dinner, Wallie was at the fridge playing with her Fridge Phonics letters. (The toy is genius.)

Suddenly I hear, "B-B-B...B-B-B..."

Then, "A-A-A...B-AAA, B-AAA..."

Then I hear her say, "Mama? How do you spell "BAT"?

I walk over to the fridge and see that she has placed the B and the A next to each other.

"You need the /t/," I say, pronouncing the letter but not saying its name. "What letter makes that sound?"

"I need the 'Tapping T!'" squeals Wallie, and a few seconds later...

Sometimes wishes need helpers

"Mamma, what's 'prophetic' mean?" asked Bunny yesterday.

She heard it in a movie, but I love that she is a word freak. I remember being royally pissed off when my older (12-year-old) cousin told me (7-years-old) that I "wasn't allowed to use a word unless I knew what it meant." I tattled on him to my mom who was driving us home at the time and she replied, "He's right." Boy, that was a grumpy ride home for second-grade-me.

But he was right and I encourage the asking of questions in my house.

"It means that you think or know that something might come true." I tried to put it into terms that Bunny would understand.

Bunny thought about it for a second."You mean like wishes?"

"Yes, like wishes."

"But wishes don't come true," she stated. "Wishes are not prophetic."

At that moment I wondered why these conversations always seem to happen in a car. I suppose there is something non-threatening about making these declarations to the back of an adult's head rather than to her face.

I decided to tread lightly.

Scenes from Passover Seder

Last Saturday the girls and I went to our very first Passover Seder. (J. ended up getting called into work which was a big bummer.) We arrived at 5:30 and set out our shared dishes on the buffet. I made roasted chicken with Greek olives and separate dish of roasted asparagus. Other dishes included: two carrot dishes (very yummy), brisket, kugel, sweet potato tsimmis, a layered matzoh-spinach-beef dish, gefilte fish (I eat most everything but...), several salads, and macaroons and chocolatey desserts. Most everything was delish although I realized I am just not a potato kugel fan. I dont know why—I love everything in it, but just not everything together. We started the meal with matzoh ball soup, and since it's something I make often, the girls devoured that. (Bunny ate 5 balls.)

We followed a Haggadah which included modern references (as I understand it). We opened the door not just for Elijah but for Miriam, too. I liked that part. The girls we so patient and good. They were kept busy by the coloring activities and being seated at a table with other kids. I worried as I flipped through the Haggadah noting that dinner wasn't served until several pages in. By the time the soup was served, my gals were both raising their hands for the vegan soup with vegetarian matzo balls which was brought out first. "Are you sure you don't want to wait for chicken," I asked them? They shook their heads "no," and commenced slurping up their soup. Also a big hit with them: the charoset and making their "hillel sandwiches."

The seder lasted almost three hours and was fascinating...interesting...and quite moving. All the adults took turns reading the Passover story. Bunny was picked to asked one of the four questions but was too shy to do it so another child stepped in. Because we had read a story about Passover Seder leading up to the event, the girls were very excited about finding the afikomen. They didn't—and by that point they were both so tired that I thought at least one meltdown would ensue—but no. They were smiley and genuinely happy for the little boy who ended up being the lucky one.

In all, we had a great time. I love sharing experiences like this with my girls because we can all learn together. I look forward to next year.

Scenes from Easter Weekend vol. 1

"I got eggs 'n lollilops, whatchoo got?" "I got eggs 'n lollipops, too."

Hidden in the clover...

"I want my egg to match my dress."




Estr Egg.

Note: The girls' dresses are the same ones I used to wear as a kid. Not the exact same, it's just that the designs haven't changed in at least, uh, 38 years. If I could only dress my girls in one brand, it would be this one. (Screw hipster kids' clothes.)

Chocolate ice cream at 2 in the afternoon

I'm either the best mom in the world, or the worst.

Bunny, this is how I know you'll be fine

Somewhere around 3:00PM today I lay down on the bed, closed my eyes, and fell asleep. Hard.

Sometime later I heard crying. Wallie got whacked in the head with a horse while the girls were playing, and because she was feeling feverish anyway, I brought into bed for a nap. Bunny, I asked you if you wanted to lie down with us and you replied, "N-O." You like to spell things out these days. It makes you feel big. Off you went to do...something. (I know, Bad Mom, but really, she was fine.)

As I drifted in and out of sleep, I could hear you scampering up and down the hall. I remember you coming in and kissing me right on lips whispering, "I love you, Mamma."  Then off you went.

Around 5:30 you came into the room to wake us up for dinner. Sometimes I feel like you were my mother in a previous life. Slowly Wallie and I unpeeled ourselves from the covers and sat up. "Come on," you said, "come look at what I made for Wallie."

You led us down the hall where, attached to her bedroom door was a colorful paper heart which you had affixed with loops of tape like I taught you to make.

You bent down, your cheerful, excited face next to Wallie's sleepy one, and explained, "It says 'I love you, Wallie.' I made it for you because you're sick."

First tooth lost

Big kid time! Aaawwwww!

The Strategist and the Superhero

Watching Donna Brazile today on CNN:

Wallie: She's pretty. Mamma, you should be her when you grow up.

Me: I'd love to be her when I grow up. She's a smart lady. So that's who you want me to be?

Wallie: Yes. And when I grow up, I'm going to be Batgirl.

Emergent

I've been feeling a little wistful today thinking about my girls and how big they are already. We made it a point to hibernate this weekend and have a "family intensive" last couple of days before life returns to normal.

J. and I watched some videos of when Bunny was first born, and in one shot, she is lying next to her beloved teddy bear (which she still sleeps with every night) and they are exactly the same size. Sob! Then we were going through photos and found one of newborn Wallie on Santa's lap. Sniffle! I had to walk away from the computer...I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't watch through my tears any longer. (And where did all the crying come from all of a sudden?!) I cannot believe Bunny and Wallie are not my little peanuts anymore.

We tell Bunny all the time to just stop growing already, and she giggles and says, "No!" because she thinks we are joking. We're not. If I could have one wish it would be to take away the awareness of getting older for Bunny and Wallie. Not take away them getting older, but just take away that feeling of not wanting to be the age that they are. Of wanting to be older instead. I wish being seven or thirteen or the ripe old age of twenty wasn't so enticing to them. ("When I'm twenty I'm going to drink Coke," says Bun.) I want them to enjoy the age they are at the moment.

Case in point. Something exciting is happening in our house right now, and makes me love this age. Bunny and Wallie spend a lot of time "writing" lately. Bunny sits down to pen letters and Wallie is right there by her side copying her. Bunny of the Infinite Patience doesn't mind Wallie's constant "what letter is that?" queries.

Everyone recovered?

Presents put away? Houses back to normal? Kids down from their sugar highs? Tell me about your Christmas!

Our Christmas morning was pure child-driven magic. Though both girls have been excited about Christmas, it's the first year that Bunny really "gets it."  It's the first year the anticipation has been palpable for her which has made the waiting all the more fun for us, frustrating for her, but a great excercise in patience, nonetheless.

We were awakened at 7:30AM by Bunny who jumped onto our bed exclaiming that Santa had visited. "I see Santa wrapping paper and the cookies and milk and carrot are all gone!" she added. Amazingly, she didn't immediately rip into her presents. Actually she's not the type.  But Wallie is.

Meeting Butterscotch for the first time. "Finally we have a pet!"

We all got up—J. and I grabbed video and regular cameras respectively—and the morning was officially in full swing. Bunny and Wallie squealed with delight as they spied their "big Santa gift," Butterscotch the pony (whose head we had fun with the night before.) We worried that after they saw the pony their other gifts would pale in comparison, but that wasn't so. The t-shirts and undies, games, books, Japanese dollar store trinkets, and paints and markers that rounded out their stash were met with equal enthusiasm. I'm going to enjoy spoiling them while I can because I'm sure when they are tweens they won't be as happy to receive underwear and a shirt with a sparkly ice skate on it.

After breakfast of baked french toast and sausage, it was time for one more present. The girls followed a trail of crumbled carrots out to the garage (Rudolph is a very messy eater) where a new "big girl bike" was waiting for Bunny (a red and black boys' bike with "absolutely no pink or princess stuff on it because I do NOT like princess at. all.") and a pink three-wheel scooter was waiting for Wallie. More squeals were had and we had to pry them away from Butterscotch, bike, and scooter for Christmas (and more presents) at their great-gramps' house.

We all came home ex.haus.ted., but the girls were so amped up from the day that even though Bunny and Wallie went to bed at 7.30, they didn't fall asleep until 9.00. J. and I watched a movie and went to bed ourselves.  And no one got out of bed until 8.00 this morning which was pure heaven.

Merry Christmas all. Hope Santa was good to each and everyone of you!