One sided posting

I've noticed that a lot of my posts are about Alice and hardly any about Isaac. This isn't because that I'm not spending time with him, it's that I'm experiencing all things with Alice for the first time. With him I am still experiencing things with him, but I don't feel that I am stumbling as much (yet). 

Today we sat on the blanket on the beach and played with a cloth. We sat on the hotel bed and played rolling a ball around. We sing songs, play games, go for walks, eat dinner together and I carried him in the onya carrier until he fell asleep. 

Isaac: if at some point in the future read this blog, know that the path I walked with you was still newish, yet familiar at the same time. I felt more confident and had less reason for introspection. At least in the first 8 months, which is today. It's been a wonderful 8 months. 

A wonderful drive

Today (right now in fact) we are traveling from Monterey to Pismo Beach. It's a beautiful drive with nerve wracking turns, long drops and crashing aqua waves. There are long grasses with fuzzy / feathers on their tops and monarch butterflies flying by (so Laura tells me)

I'm currently relaxing in the car with Isaac while Laura takes Alice to see some elephant seals. I wouldn't call this "the road less traveled" on this holiday weekend, but it's surely the slow way. Now I just need a lateé and pastries to munch on by the seaside and my day would be complete. 

Down by the sea with my blanket and babies

Today we went to the super kid friendly Monterey Bay Aquarium. Lots of fun and Alice did better than I had hoped. That's not to say that it was perfect, it just it was pretty good for someone who recently turned three. 

Laura has been reading the Spirted Child book and been teaching me some things. It's hard when you want to yell at your kid for provoking and what they really need is a hug. Hugs seem much more effective than time outs. 

Back to our day. It was fun. I'd love to live close so that I can read more and experience it better. Better to have gone than not at alm though. I always love the jellies and the kelp forest was pretty neat. It was really cool to see the schools of fish and how they wheel and behave. I think that I could watch that for a week. 

Yet another awesome day. 

Sleep deprivation

It's been more than a week now of Alice going to bed late and getting up in the range of 4-5 am. On the rare day she'll sleep in to around 6, those are the days that I'm awake from 4 with worry running through my head. It's currently 5:17 am and she has just finished multiple plates of peppers, humas and crackers. Now her plan is to "play and play and play". 

Well, as they say, you can sleep when you're... at work. 

Not sure exact date, but this post not correct date published 

Last day

Even though The Dark One made an appearance this morning, it occurred to me that this is the last day Alice will be two. It brought a tear to my eye.

2014-11-23

The Day of Three Approaches

We are drawing very close to the Day of Three. What will happen on that faitful day I can only guess at.

We really see (at least) two different children. One being the helpful, bright, and inquisitive little girl with bright eyes that look up to us. The other is much darker and tests both patience and boundaries as much as possible. 

This morning we were seeing the dark one again and with limited options I suggested that we play dress up with the two toys we brought. Well, that was an instant success. Pretty soon she wanted to ditch the capes for playing "astronaut" with Mr Bunny and Mr Bear. Soon you need a spaceship for them, so a box from the grocery store stood in for that. I think that it became a time machine after that, or a transmogrifier. Who knows. Either way it means we had some fun times with our girl while keeping The Dark One away. 

2014-11-22

El Sleepito

Traveling with kids is so very different than it was with just the two of us. I guess everything is different, so I should not be surprised. Instead of us getting to a majestic view and experiencing it together, we gave to take turns as the kids sleep in the car. Or if they are actually awake, the stress of the climbing the tiny guardrail and being in danger. I know soon enough they will be bigger and I won't gave these concerns anymore. I know that I'll miss these moments hanging out in a car with two sleeping children.

The more I think about that, the sadder I feel. At what point will they not want to be held "like a baby" and cuddled? At what point will Alice no longer look up at me and beg / ask to be picked up? That day will come far too soon I think. 

Look at this: I started off whining about them not being grown up enough and then finish the post saying that I'll miss it when they are no longer little. Geesh. 

2014-11-20 @ 13:37 

"I'm very good at this."

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day. We went to the Yerba Buena Gardens Children’s Playground which was pretty cool. Not many kids mid-day on a Monday but perhaps better for our purposes. Meaning I could go down the slides and not take little kids turns. 

I love playing with Alice and I think that she loves having a large play friend that she can boss around. At one point we were climbing an angled "ladder" made of bars and she turns to me and matter of fact states "I'm very good at this."  Well, yes you are little one. 

She is almost three, but will she remember these moments? Maybe not. But I hope that the happiness she has echoes through the rest of her life. I know it will in mine. 

He loves his sister

It gets me how much abuse Alice piles on Isaac. He doesn't complain, doesn't yell. He smiles and laughs. He loves her so much it's not even funny. And she loves him, but it's hard when someone else takes up time that you used to have 100% to yourself. It is how things are. 

Somehow today he stayed asleep in the side-by-side stroller while she totally melted down and at one point dug her elbow into his face to sit higher in her seat. Later in the evening I think that she was trying to crush his body with hers and he was laughing and laughing... He might have been really tired, but still. The unconditional love is amazing. I'm sure it won't be just as pure forever, but I can hope it holds out for a while. I just hope he remembers it when he tries to crush her via steamrolling. It would only be fair. 

Parking it real

It seems a bit funny to travel across the continent and find yourself spending a large part of your day at a play structure. I think that it speaks to our priorities in life: travel, fun, our kids, togetherness. People travel to theme parks for a more... artificial type of play. Don't get me wrong, I see ourselves doing the same in a couple of years. 

Happiness is who you are with. 

Unexpected sadness

There are some books that make me cry. Ones like I Love You Forever. I don't think that I understood as a kid how sad it really was, but now I totally feel it. Alice loves that story and cruelly makes me read it when she can. 

However, I don't understand why Where The Wildthings Are makes her cry. Every time. And she insists on reading it. She gets sad when Max sends off the Wildthings and is lonely. Part of me understands that it is a bit sad, but not sobbing level of sad. 

Maybe that is the difference between being (almost) three and being thirty four. The difference between being a Wildthing and the person rocking her back and forth, back and forth... As long as I'm living, that's the person I'll be. 

What have we gotten ourselves into?

This thought keeps running through my head before we do almost anything. What have we gotten ourselves into by ____? Moving out, getting married, buying a house, going on vacation with a 2 month old, going anywhere with 2 kids? I usually feel like we've done something crazy that I will regret. I never do. But it could happen...

Does that mean we should just do more and think less? I would think about the implications of that, but that wouldn't be enough doing...

Now, let us contemplate the wisdom of the great philosopher Rene Descartes when he wrote: Where's my tea? Who ate my fruitcake? What happened to my pants?

Random picture that came with my new wallet

Ding dang dong

There are some things that you see that you can't forget. Some that you just don't want to. Today with Alice in her winter jacket running down the path while doing the actions to "fere a jock ah". Very cute. Makes the difficult parts of the day dissolve away.

She loves songs and stories. And I love her.

RUN AH WAAYYY!