Video: India playing

When did that happen?

Yesterday I looking at a website, and noticed that a band I like is playing next month. I checked the date, and saw it is the evening that we return from Palm Springs. I thought that’s doable, but after about one second I realized we can’t do that with a two-year, and it hit me, I have a two-year old, how did that happen? It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital, and in other ways I can’t even remember what is was like before she was in our lives.

That was then...

This is now.

Summer reading list.

My book club (that sounds like I own it, I don’t) is meeting next weekend, and our book this month was choose your own and tell the group about it. I wasn’t sure what I was going to read, and on Memorial Day, I stocked up at Halfprice Books in the clearance section. Below is the list of what I got, broke down by if I have read it or not.

Read:

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell-So so book. She mentions the filming of Sex and the City, which I find a little tacky since she wrote the book the series is based on.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld-I really enjoyed this book. It is inspired by a first lady (Laura Bush) and you got totally see the president being George W. The author also wrote Prep which was a really good book as well.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett-I have seen this book in stores for years, and had tried reading something by the author before and hated the writing style. This book is about a group of terrorist and hostages and how they interact while stuck in a house in South America. If you like, books with many characters, you will like this book I know that I did.

To Read:

Until I Find You by John Irving-I used to read a lot of his stuff, but have not in many years. (Good old John is to old school to have a website I guess)

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult-Again an author I have read a lot of.

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart-Memoir of a lady that was one of the first saleswoman at Tiffany’s in New York.

Babyville by Jane Green-Easy chic-lit.

Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin-You guessed it, a book about Jane Austin’s life.

Currently I am reading The Given Day by Dennis Lahane which is so far doing nothing for me.

What is on your summer reading list?

Wedding memories

I was listening to the radio tonight, and Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson came on and I was reminded of our wedding, which will be four years this August. We had talked about just going to Vegas and getting married, but at somewhat the last minute (3 months to plan); we had a small wedding at my parents. The whole thing was homemade, and would be perfect in a recession. It was perfect than as well.

My mom made most of the food which is the one thing I thing I think we would do different as it was to much to do at the last minute. All of my family and a good portion of Jeff’s family spent the day before and the day of the wedding getting everything ready. Jeff and I made our own wedding cd and Bubble Toes was on the playlist. We lucked out and had a beautiful evening wedding, with the weather staying warm late into the evening, which was good as we were all outside. The next day it just poured, so we were so happy we had gotten married the day before. It was a great wedding and I am so happy to be married to my best friend.

I love you Jeff.

Training for a 5k

We bought a treadmill last week, and I decided to use The Couch-to-5K Running Plan to get back into running. I am not a runner at all, and am totally out of shape since quitting the gym back when I was pregnant with India. Jeff had asked me if I was planning to do a 5k after my training. I hadn’t thought of it, and told him no, but after thinking about it I have decided to do one on the 4^th of July. There is a race in Carnation where Jeff’s mom lives and where we spent the 4^th last year. I have only done one other 5k that was back in 2006 and I was in good shape. To bad on that race, I had no idea what the course was and a good chunk of it was uphill. According to the race website, the race I plan on doing is flat! I don’t really think I will be able to run the whole thing since I will not be up through the training plan, but I will give it my best.

I love you meemo

A few weeks ago, we had some friends over, and they asked if India had a favorite toy, and Jeff said, "No she likes all of her toys." Well that was then, and this is now. Meemo* has taken over the number one spot in India's heart. It is sad; I think he ranks higher than Jeff or I. When she gets up in the morning 9 times out of 10 she is hugging Meemo or putting a blanket around him. This morning I helped her wrap a blanket around him and then off she went patting his back and whispering into his ear.

It turns out though that Meemo is a bit of a troublemaker. The other day I caught India pouring water all over the furniture and then wiping it up with a rag. When I asked her what she was up to she said "Meemo." Way to throw a friend under the bus. Meemo also is a kind of a mess when it comes to eating. Just the other day he and India were sharing a bowl of frozen fruit (because he has to sit with India when she eats) and he got blackberries all over him. I guess they don't teach you manners at stuffed money school.

*I have decided to change the spelling of India's stuffed monkey from Memo to Meemo. It sounds like Nemo with an "M" but when I write it out, it appears that India needs a memo wrote up.

Walking with the monkey

We picked up one of those monkey backpack/lash things for India when we were doing some travel in late 2008. At the time, it was really to big for India, and she hated it. I broke it out again last weekend, with mixed results. I figure if I start using it more often, India will feel more comfortable and start letting me put it on her for longer periods. Yesterday, we took a walk about the neighborhood and she wore it the whole time. She did try to take it off a few times, but all it all it went pretty well. The best thing of all though, is when we got home and took the monkey off her back; she decided to take it for a walk. She has been dragging the little monkey backpack all around the house this morning. She can’t say monkey yet but her version of it is something like “memo”. I can just hear her walking around saying “memo, memo”.

India and her glasses

As a friend of mine Kate mentioned, I never really posted anything about India's eyes and glasses. We had a follow-up appointment in late March, and the glasses are doing the trick of keeping India's eyes from crossing. The Dr. said that most children are born farsighted, and for India, this causes her eyes to cross if she is really tired or focusing on something quite close up. He believes that she will just grow out of this and will not need a second surgery. This is great news; because I was really dreading that she might need another one. The bad news is that it could take 6 or 7 years for her to grow out of this! I guess it is different with every kid, so we have to go back every 6 months and see how her eyes are developing. It could get quite expensive if we have to keep getting her new glasses as her head grows. Oh well, it's worth it.

Career choices for India?

Based on India’s recent activities, she might have found some career opportunities.

· Escape artist
· Stripper (yes, you read that right)
· Mathematician


Escape artist-Last week at the babysitters, India somehow climbed out of her playpen that she sleeps in, and climbed up a flight of stairs without drawing any attention to her. The playpen side probably came up over her waist, so I am not sure how she did it without falling and getting hurt.

Stripper-Being the considerate daughter that India is, she woke up about 5:45 a.m. on Saturday and was just playing in her crib. She did that for about 45 minutes, when she got bored and started to cry. Jeff went to go and get her, and when he did her found that she had taken off her pj’s and was just hanging out in her diaper. I found her the next morning in the middle of trying to take off her top. I hope that this trend of being bored does not lead to taking off her clothes.

Mathematician-The only career choice that sounds promising. We frequently count to three and have India jump, run, or whatever, and in the last couple of weeks, she will say “two” during the countdown. Last night Jeff and India were hanging out counting (yes, our social life is that exciting) and here is how it went:

Jeff-One
India-Two
Jeff-Three
India-Four
Jeff-Five
India-Six
Jeff-Seven
India-Nine

Ok, she might not be ready to blow away the counting world yet but she is on her way.

I am such a slacker

I really do need t be better about updating this, oh well such is the life of a mom. I thought I would do a recap posting of what India has been up to lately.

• Bye bye game-Earlier this week, India and I were hanging out in her room playing. At some point India went to her door and walked out shutting the door behind her. Less than one second later she opened the door and yelled/laughed while running into my arms. She probably did this 10 times and thought it was funnier each time. Later that night Jeff even caught her doing it with her stuffed animals. She will still play the game with me, but it is not quite as fun for her as the first time.
• Jackey-India loves to go places, and if you even mention that, you might be leaving to go somewhere or say the word “go” she starts yelling jackey (jacket) and shoes until you put them on her. This is fine if you are actually planning to go somewhere in the near future, but typically we have just said “go.” Last week I actually had to hide one of her jackets from her as she was so upset that I would not put it on her and throwing herself on the floor. I would get her calmed down, but as soon as she saw the coat again she was back to having a fit.
• Glasses-We have our appointment next week to find out if the glasses are doing the trick or if she will need a second surgery. Cross your fingers that the glasses are working.

Interview with India

Glasses girl

I have been quite the slacker with blogging lately, oh well.  In late November, early December Jeff and I noticed that India’s eyes were crossing from time to time.  It seemed to be just when she was really tired or trying to focus on something close up.  We made an appointment to see the Dr. in late January.  We were not able to see her normal Dr. but his partner who thought that we should try glasses on India before jumping in to another surgery.  When she had the surgery last year they did tell us that on average people had to have 2.1 surgeries to correct the cross eyes.  Her eyes had been looking great at all over her appointments up to this point, so we were more than happy to try glasses. 

I took India to a local children’s eye care center to be fitted for her new look.  She cried and screamed the entire time, so when they called me a week later to say that the glasses were ready to be picked up I thought I was going to be in for a fight.  India provided me wrong once again, and just loved wearing them.  I think it helped that there was a ton of people in the place that kept saying how cute she looked.  She has had the glasses for a little over a week now, and while she is good about wearing them there are times when it is a struggle to keep them on.  She likes to hang out in our bedroom and when she sees herself in the mirror 9 times out of 10 she will rip the glasses off her head.  However, she is good about when I ask her where they are to bring them to me.