The Looming Hair Cut

I think Logan and I have a healthy dose of natural anxiety regarding our approaching task of caring for not one, but two children. But more pressing is this odd mourning emotion that Eva will no longer be our only child. We find ourselves in bed crying over the fact that things won't be the same, we won't be able to focus on only Eva anymore. It feels like the day before a hair appointment when you have a fabulous hair day and you think, perhaps I should cancel my appointment...I look great, my hair is perfect, I don't want to change a thing. Its not that I don't love the 30 minute shampoo and head massage, the frivolous hour of reading magazines as my color processes and that literal, 'just stepped out of a salon' feeling, its just that
Eva is so much fun right now, she is in a phase of 'fabulous hair day' and I don't want to change a thing.

Here are some of our favorites from this phase of Fabulous Eva:

A Good Morning.
Every morning or post nap when Logan goes in to get Eva out of bed, her first words are always, 'Mommy Home? and every morning or post nap when I go in to get Eva, her first words are always, 'Daddy Home?' Her first concern and main desire is for us all to be together. And then she goes to a more natural request like, 'Gno pees' (milk please) or 'apple pie pees'. This tender showing of love is almost enough to overcome the feeling I get every time I pick her up from nursery at church, or a play date with a neighbor. As soon as she sees me at the door or through a window she runs for a hiding place shouting, 'bye bye mommy'...clearly much happier to stay where she is and continue her social call than come with me!

Scary Soap.
Eva has an irrational fear of soap. Happy time in the tub with bubbles, spongy letters, rubber duckies and flapping fish takes a terrifyingly frightful turn as soon as the green bar of Irish Spring slips off of its deck and into the water. On her tippiest tip toes at the back of the tub as fast as she can she's squealing 'Oh No Mommy, soap, soap, scary soap'. My mom sent some teddy bear shaped soap a month ago and I was anxious to see how this affected the fear. Evidently those cuddly, smiling bears are just as scary as the slippery green.The bears must always be in sight, but have to stay in their 'corner' on the tub deck while Eva's in the water... or else.

The one and only Eva

Walking Wounded.
Eva is constantly tripping, slipping, bumping into, falling over and scraping up against just about everything making her signature scent one of Neosporin and contributing to her current obsession with 'ban-ans' - band aids. One of our favorites was the evening of her 2nd birthday as Eva was running in deliriously giddy circles of post party delight clutching a new puzzle that played, 'bah bah black sheep' when you inserted the sheep piece. Her shrills of delight quickly turned to shrieks of pain when she slipped on the kitchen floor and fell to her face - biting her tongue and perfectly splitting her chin on the sharp edge of the new toy. Sitting on our laps with a sack of frozen peas tucked up under the wound, she quickly found a happy place again when she realized her ice pack contained teeny, frosty, green treats.
And with blood on her chin and a mouthful of frozen peas she commenced her circles of birthday glee.

Enunciation.
Miss Eva's vocabulary has exploded as of late as she parrots practically every word we say. Our favorites are, 'ba-ba-dit' (strawberry or diaper, depending on the situation), can-se-cope (cantaloupe), watee-num-num (watermelon), fee-shee (fishy), Oh baybee (oh baby), mm-mm-bideet (just a rhyme she likes to sing) and sank-uu momee (thank you mommy). In the last couple of weeks, she has started repeating the last consonant sound of her final word; For example muffin (which in Eva's vocabulary ends in a 't' sound) is 'muffint-t-t'. And all clean is 'Ah keen-n-n'. 'Hi Narnie' can also be heard many times throughout the day as she picks up random inanimate objects and talks on the phone (always to Marnie - who I evidently spend quite a bit of phone time with to have modeled such behavior).

More sing. More dance.
The minute Eva is strapped into the car she insists on 'more sing' or music. Whether it comes from our vocal chords or the radio doesn't matter, but there must be music. And between each song, she gets nervous during the 2 seconds of silence and insists again, 'more sing.'

She also loves the car dance. Clapping, the tongue stick out and back in, pats on the legs, her darling shoulder shimmy, the silly eyes from side to side, or one of her Dad's creative creations like the pointer finger extensions on the sides of her head above each ear. She often commands from the back seat, 'mommy more dance' until you join her silly choreography -- which can make safe, two handed driving a challenge. She is, of course, much happier dancing outside the car where she can run freely in circles, do her bend over arabesques (ala fantasia hippos), and her animal impersonations.

A Race.
When you're pregnant, and striving to invent creative ways to avoid bending over to pick up your toddler, you'd be surprised how powerful a race becomes. Eva will race me up the stairs to the tub, for a nap, to get her shoes...anything. On your mark, get set, go - and she's off huffing and puffing as fast as she can to pick up toys, hand me the dropped fork, grab my water bottle, etc. Lately a race between two humans, Mommy and Eva has become a bit stale, so now she insists that we become tigers, kitties, monkeys or bears as we race. She assigns our characters and then off we go roaring, meowing, purring and thrashing our way through the task.

Land Ho!

Saturday we put on an activity for all of the families at church to celebrate Pioneer Day. We wore the bonnets, bobbed for apples, faced the scurvy, stopped for supplies in Hawaii, endured tropical storms, enjoyed homemade ice cream and apple crisp, and learned all about the early Mormon settlers of 'Upper California' who came from New York on a boat called, 'The Brooklyn.'

Fondue or Fondon't? That is the Question.

The Second official meeting of the Feasting Society was summoned by a threatening ransom-like note daggered to our door warning, 'Come Hungry...or Else.'

And come hungry we did to Anne and Rory's Romantic Fondue Feast.

The menu was incredible with two delicious cheese fondues, a salad course, a gorgeous meat spread featuring filet, sirloin, chicken, prawns and six homemade dipping sauces, and of course a chocolate finale to die for.

Our lovely host and hostess creating a culinary masterpiece before our very eyes.

Anne introducing the fifth and final course, fruit and various sweet things served with individual pots of molten chocolate.

By the time we finished off the final chocolate course, things had escalated to a state of utter loopiness... Blame the gluttony, blame the late hour, blame the sugar, all I know is it was a feast to remember!

The Giants

We woke up last Saturday morning and decided to hit the city for an afternoon Giants game with our friends the Wudels. We guessed wrong that Saturday afternoon would be the perfect time for a fast, commuter (3 stops to SF) Caltrain ride, and instead found ourselves packed in with every other Giants fan from the Peninsula on a slow weekend train (13 stops to SF).

It was all worth it when we arrived in time for the Anthem on a rare clear day with seats overlooking the Bay and quickly made ourselves at home with garlic fries, a red rope, a smothered Giants Dog, and a Sheboygan Brat. Hey -- when cheering for a 'Giant,' you have to consume like one. Thank heavens we weren't watching the 'petites' play.

Johnny, Logan and Darling Kate.

Beautiful AT&T park.

The Carringtons

My sister Marnie, her husband John and Darling one year old Marion came to visit! Besides the major project of getting us settled in our new home -- we enjoyed a campus tour, walks downtown, time in the courtyard, burgers and shakes at the Creamery, golf on the Stanford course, a day at the beach, shopping and a baby shower. It was absolutely wonderful to have them here.

Father and Son in matching seer sucker.

Lots of cousin love.

Funny how quickly a hug becomes a choke hold.

Don't let Eva's choke hold, or the worried look in Marion's eye fool you...they were quite happy touring campus together in the bike trailer!

A Chilly Day at Half Moon Bay

Loaded to the gills with beach blankets, buckets, snacks and babies, we escaped the Palo Alto heat (97 degrees) and headed for the beach which was almost a surprising 30 degrees cooler.

I enjoyed dried mangos, banana bread, a strong ocean breeze, the sound of crashing waves and a nap.

Eva enjoyed 'wading' up to her shoulders in the chilly water with purple lips and her Dad at her side.

Marion and Eva built sand castles and enjoyed the 'hot tub' John created in the surf.

Don your white, Don your pearls, Emily Anne is having a Girl!

A shower for my second baby girl felt indulgent, but my dear friend Anne and her sister Mary decided it would be a shame to pass up an opportunity to throw a party. So we decided to keep it intimate, a brunch perhaps, and of course there had to be a theme.

Good Heavens, what a dreamy morning. I found myself dripping in pearls and seated at the head of a gorgeous table in a peaceful garden while course after course of decadent, feminine, beautiful food was served.

From Aperitif Quiche and Chilled English Cucumber Soup topped with Romanoff Black Caviar, to a salad of Feta, English peas and Edamame in a Parmesan cup, to Skewers of Cantaloupe, Mint Leaves and Prosciutto, to Citron Crepes and Berries with Cream, and of course the chocolate course...it was absolutely spectacular.

All the while I'm sipping chilled cucumber water and giggling with so many of my favorite women. I kept asking myself...could this be heaven? Then I looked down and saw the favors - ripe apricots, red plums and beautiful lemons from Mary's tree in white gossamer bags and thought yes indeed, this could be.

Sisters...Sisters...never were there such devoted sisters....

Marnie and I pose with our gracious hosts Anne and Mary