Giving Getting

It has come to my attention that in posting birthday pictures last month, I neglected to include present-opening documentation. This, I am told, is an intrinsically necessary part of birthday picture sharing. So, here we go.

We did not open presents at the party. Because it was the first one and Little One expect any, and so why incite riots among the many toddlers for no reason? Even though no one cried or perpetrated violence, Little One still had fun opening them. And She's still having fun playing with Her cool new treasures. So thanks, everyone! And also, now, you're welcome.

Woo Hoo!

Floating on Air

Did I not tell you that New Mexico is fantabulific in the fall? I did! I told you about the air and the sky, the purple asters and yellow aspens and the pinon coffee and the roasted chilis. But I saved one of the best for last.

The Balloon Fiesta! Every fall, Albuquerque throws a big party for all the people loco enough to drift through the atmosphere dangling from a bag of hot air. The party is huge and everyone is in a giggly, effervescent mood because, well, the air is filled with giant balloons! It's like being in a happy dream. Or a Dr. Seuss book!

We had to drag poor Little One out of bed at 4am into the Brrrrr. But once we saw the first little glowing orbs over the Sandia skyline, it was worth it. Little One had a ball. She stared and stared. She wore Herself out trying to point to every single balloon and ask, "that?"... "that?"...."That??" She played and took in the scene and fiesta-ed until She collapsed into a comatose state in the car.

There were hundreds of balloons that day, so many it was like someone just threw a patchwork quilt over the whole valley to keep us warm. Little One loved them all. I agree, they were beautiful. But I have to admit that out of all the colorful flying objects in the sky, I did single out a particular favorite.

Thanks for all all the fun, NM familia! Little One and I can't wait to fly back soon.

E and I taught M everything she knows, vatos.

A girl has to learn how to be a linda chulita from somewhere. Poor Little One, it's in her blood, but she's been too bereft of the necessary quantities of eye liner and hairspray to be a true New Mexican girl. Lucky for Her She has a Tia to show Her the ropes! But hold on there Tia, I said. Let's not graduate the Little One to 5-inch hoop earrings yet! I decided we should start our little DC urbanite out slowly, maybe just giving Her a general Out West introduction first, before teaching Her how to enunciate "eeeeee-ho-ley". The familia was on it. Nana started Her off right by providing the proper kicks, and Tia M gave Little One an overview of the most vital stereotypes to subscribe to, like:

How to play a mean 5-card-draw (or speed):

How to utilize the local transportation facilities (or pretend to):

How to consume Nana's 10-alarm chili without tearing up (no really, She ate it up it was amazing):


And, of course, how to mosey (with the help of TiaM's BFF):


Nice tutoring, fam! Little One was a bien estudiante. Next time maybe we'll kick it up a notch, and throw some hydraulics on the stroller. Orale!

Des Colores

Once upon a time, I was a little kid (really!) running around the mesas and arroyos in northern New Mexico. All my childhood memories smell like chamisa, taste like green chile, and are encircled by the most brilliant blue. Even though I haven't lived there in over a decade, I still get homesick for it sometimes. Especially in the fall.
The fall in New Mexico is when the mountains turn yellow and shimmery all at once, and the air is crisp and people roast their chiles outside. There's just nothing else like it.
So you can't even imagine my delight, Peanuts, when I got to take Little One, just before Her birthday, to the little pueblo where my dad, baby sister, uncle, and nana live. It was heaven! Partly because nana fixed all my favorite Mexican food! Partly because we got to see so many of our favorite people at once. And partly because I got to share with Little One the joys of purple asters, tubleweeds, and a sky that fills with stars at night.
I also consider the trip to have been educational. I'm trying to teach Little One Her colors. Now that She's seen a Santa Fe sky, She'll be able to know what blue really is.

There were lots of good stories. But sometimes pictures are more fun.

A Halloween Spell: T-O-D-D-L-E-R

What the heck?! What happened?
I mean, I know She's the big "One", and I know She keeps growing every day, but....what happened?! Little One went to bed last night, not a teeny infant, sure, but more or less a baby. She woke up a full-on toddler. What?! All day She has been going around doing grown-up toddlery things She's never done before, as if She's done them forever. She picks up Her glass, takes a drink and sets it down, without spilling. One handed. She cleans up Her toys. She puts one foot on Her walker wagon and pushes with the other, scooter-ing around the living room. She talks! With real words that are almost entirely intelligible! Where did my baby Little One go? I didn't even get to say goodbye! Well. I guess there's some Halloween witchcraft out that makes babies morph into toddlers while they sleep. I admit She's an outrageously fun toddler, so it's not all bad. But I'll tell you one thing. Halloween night, when She's twelve? NO ONE SLEEPS.

Daddy's Girl

Little One, now that She's all big and One and everything, has developed a very impressive memory. Which means that I better stop all my deviant behaviors now that She can be used as a witness. It also means that She remembers us, even when we're gone, and can miss us. Aww. This is sometimes very not-cute. Like when it's nap time and She can't possibly sleep, She misses me so much, and must howl "mmmaaaaaamamaaaa!" as if She has been abandoned forever. Until I peep in the door. Then She breaks into the Glorious Sunshine smile, holds Her chubby arms out, reaching through the crib slats till Her cheeks smoosh between them, and screams, "Mama!!! MAma!!!" Bouncing with excitement on the crib mattress.
Only to dissolve into death throes when I pop back out again.
BUT! Sometimes, it is pretty darn cute. Like when She hears the sound of a car door slamming. And then She flings Her toy over Her shoulder, hits the deck (because She still travels fastest that way), and slithers in fast-forward to the front door, to pound on it screaming, "DaDA! DaDA! DADA!" Sometimes it is Dada! And the dogs follow suit, and J gets one heck of a welcoming committee. Sometimes it's someone else's car door. In which case the pounding and squealing slowly taper off, and then She just stands there, waiting. Occasionally asking, "Dada?" And then sits. Waiting. "Dada??......dada?" And finally gives up and goes to find a toy basket to overturn. Oh my. There are many mysteries in life. But one thing J will never, never have to wonder, is whether anyone loves him.

Life Lessons from Little One

Little One and I spend our days learning.
Much of our time is filled with me showing Her how to do things- practicing with the fork, helping Her pull the zipper, annunciating and repeating the "g" at the end of "dog", encouraging those shaky penguin-like steps. I'm the mom. I'm the teacher. Demonstrating life's little practicalities as we go. But what's really lucky and wonderful for me is that as She learns about the small things in life like zippers and flatwear, She always has a moment to teach me about the Big things.

Like how to try. Like how to be undaunted, and just try.

No matter the scale of the challenge.

Excorcism at Luray

Think heat. Misery. Shrieking and gnashing of tooth. Writhing. Flailing. Screami....you get the picture. Little One with a fever. We figured, hey, as long as we've got the sound effects and the degrees on hand, might as well add some fitting scenery and call it complete. So we loaded up the little gremlin and headed towards the core of the earth.

Hauling a sick baby out to southern Virginia for a hike may not seem like the most compassionate way to coddle Her, but in fact it turned out to be just the thing. The two hour car ride lulled Her, finally, into a nice long nap. The cool, damp air soothed Her hot little goblin body, and the crazy stalactites and stalagmites provided ample distraction.

The best part, in Her estimation, was that the cave people had thoughtfully placed this railing along the trail for Her to cruise along.

It led Her to all sorts of fascinating sights.


There was also a performance by an organ, which some guy actually made out of the hollow stalactites by scampering about with a tuning fork banging on them, and then attaching little hammers on them and linking them up to a piano. It was hauntingly beautiful, so much so that even Little One held still to listen.

There was also this. Maybe money does not grow on trees, Peanuts, but apparently it does accumulate in the groundwater and form little pools of affluence in the bottom of caverns.

We did not get to dredge the moneypit for our next mortgage payment (it goes to charity), but we did have a really good time, and Little One even got another nap on the way back. I guess sometimes the best way to cast out a demon is to set it free in it's natural habitat.

Oh and Little One is feeling much better. She's ready to go exploring more caverns looking for Her own moneypit! (All that gnashing can lead to expensive orthodontics).