June, 26, 2010: Full term baby

We are now full term (37 weeks) with our new baby. Don't know when she'll arrive, but judging by my short tempered-ness it could be soon.

This morning I pressed the wrong button on my camera and deleted all the pics on my memory card. I didn't wipe out our memories from the last couple months, but I did manage to lose some precious pictures. Darn it-- I'm so mad at myself. I hate when these things happen. If only I had saved some pics a couple weeks ago. Would have had most of them.

Anyway, in an effort to preserve some of those "memories" and "images" while they're still fresh, I'll do my best to recall here.

As it turns out, we just got back from a short trip to Galveston Beach/ San Luis resort. Here are some things I want to remember.

1)Milena loved making friends, as usual. I had a good picture of her and a new friend Emma Lou (who curiously had only one leg-- all my kids asked questions but still really wanted to be friends, which was good), along with some of Emma's relatives. They were all in the water at this gorgeous resort pool. Milena was in the middle of them giving instructions on how to play sharks. She also spent some time giving swimming lessons, despite the fact that she still needs them herself. "Don't panic," she says. Funny how she uses my words but really doesn't want me to 'teach' her. I guess I'm too impatient for her to learn. She did swim A LOT on this vacation-- never wanted to get out of the pool, in fact, and spent at least 5 hours in there on our 2nd afternoon. She invented a game called flying. However, she really wanted her water wings on! Well, maybe by the end of the summer she'll take them off. Her other big thing was running on the elevator, pushing everyone aside, and making sure she got to push the buttons to our floor and to anyone else's who would let her. She entertained us on the car trip by singing Michael Jackson ABC 123 and other pop tunes from a Wendy's kids meal CD. She made up her own versions with lots of baby, baby in them. Less fun were here constant queries-- Are we there yet? Where do they learn this question?

2) Alexander didn't get beyond the steps of the pool--even with water wings. He did, however, also really enjoy the pool and the social opportunities it afforded him. He met a girl named Robin and her friend and also talked to another girl who reminded him of Miss Joni from Montessori. He loved it when these teenage girls paid attention to him and smiled at his "brown eyes." "Why are my brown eyes cute, mama?" No phone numbers yet, but that'll come (sooner rather than later if he doesn't develop a shy bone, which could happen, I guess). He loved running after seagulls and jumping in the waves. Once at sunset he did it without papa and had the misfortune of getting stung by a jelly fish. A nearby lifeguard had the remedy-- vinegar. He was back to running and jumping in no time and eager to tell everyone his story.

3) We got some cute pics of the family with Cha Cha the rainforest frog. Alexander managed to lose 2 cha cha toys on the trip. He's very distractable in that way-- and very whiny and sad when he can't just get it back or get another. Actually, he's whiny a lot. I wish he could find another tone of voice to request what he wants. At Rainforest Cafe we also got a pic of Ricky and Alexander posing as monkeys next to the gorilla on a bench one morning. The adventure ride inside the cafe was fun b/c the kids were sports but were pretty scared of all the "real" jungle animals, including gorillas and crocodiles. They held on tight, needless to say. The volcano that erupted at night was a bit of a thrill too! Back at our hotel the kids loved talking to the 'copy bird' who said hello and bye. They spent time shouting-- "Polly want a cracker"-- in unison hoping he would say it back, but he didn't.

4) Natalya loved the pool too-- and she really liked digging in the sand. Too bad we didn't come with all our buckets and shovels. Next year. Natalya, however, generally preferred to be clinging like velcro to mom as I walked through the water. Only at the very end did she start playing a little with mama and papa in the water. She liked being passed from one to the other but really didn't want to 'float' by herself in the water at all. Papa convinced her to go on the slide. They made a big splash-- papa lost his hat temporarily and Nati and Papa went under for a sec. When Nati came up her eyes were the biggest papa had ever seen, and she has big eyes. She didn't choke but complained of a sore arm, sure enough, she had an abrasion. On her 2nd day Nati worked up quite an appetite. At IHop she ate her share of blueberry pancakes. Yum. She also hammed it up for us with a spoon stuck to her nose.

5) I'll definitely miss the pics of me and my almost 9 mo pregnant belly in my bathing suit. Maybe we can recapture the idea in the back yard, though the waterfall and lush tropical foliage in the background can't be duplicated. Boo hoo.

6) I really enjoyed relaxing at the resort. I liked the coconut cooler poolside, the sip of hibiscus mojito at Landry's, and the salt hand rubs. Too bad I spilled some of my coconut cooler-- too clumsy for my own good these days. I loved the idea of the swim up bar-- too bad I had 3 kids with me and wasn't really in any condition to enjoy the alcohol, but it would have been neat to try, though I enjoyed watching young people 'in love' have a good time and even get drunk. I really liked the look of the bar and the illuminated blue pool water at night. The surrey ride along the beach with Ricky and my gang was a great way to see the Galveston beach strip, though I like walking in the sand too!

We had a great time. Ate and rested well-- though we never got to bed much before midnight. The kids finished their "best day ever" (part of a song) when they finally got 30 minutes at the hotel KIDS club playing on a pirate ship and watching Toy Story on TV. The hotel had an old kind of charm and was rather elegant-- in a southern/ Victorian way in the lobby-- and yet very modern and yuppie on the pool deck. The food at Mosquito cafe in town was especially good-- loved the desserts on the ride home. Would have loved a bite of the chocolate volcano with ice cream at Rainforest Cafe, but I was too full the night we went there. Overall, it was an uneventful trip, but in a good way-- no baby arrived during it.



We also lost some precious images from Milena's 6th birthday parties. She had a small party with friends Arwyn, Mackinley, Lila and Max, Sara Oberle, and Evelyn as well as Alexander and Natalya, of course, at Sci Port on June 5. Special memories included her dad arriving in time to take lots of cool pictures of Milena and her friends-- including close ups and some pics of Mackinley with her hair standing up from a static experiment. Oh, well. It was a space theme, so we got to see Milena put on a way too big astronaut suit. Did you know astronauts have to wear diapers under there? She looked like she was about to fall over when they put the helmet on but didn't mind being the center of attention. The kids all had fun making astronaut food, including pudding and asteroid ice cream from dry ice. Alexander and Natalya and all the kids got into the day, smashing their chocolate chips and later screaming to help make the ice cream. Nati raised her hand no matter what the question asked; she was ready to be involved. Milena, standing under a banner with her name on it, dressed in her yellow Ecuadorean sundress, and missing one upper front tooth, assisted our guide while all her chums laughed and cheered for her to make that ice cream. Afterward, we all enjoyed the hands on museum.

I loved the American Girl bistro/ store in Dallas on June 10. My favorite pics included the kids watching Katie get her hair done in a fancy flip at the beauty shop. They all watched so intently when it was FINALLY her turn. Nati had a cute picture standing between 2 blond bitty twins in their doll high chairs at the cafe. Alexander insisted on sharing his lunch/ his lemonade with his loaner doll, bitty twin Chad. Milena took care of Katie and really enjoyed the banana split sundae with cherries and lots of cream that she ordered. Because it was her birthday the waitress put candles on it, and we all sang happy birthday to her. Papa was getting tired by the end of it all and didn't seem happy about all the "chazerah,"but we did manage to have a delightful lunch.

When we finally got home from Dallas that night we ate egg sandwiches and blew out more birthday candles on special cupcakes from the Whole Foods in Dallas. Milena got her share of sweets for sure-- these were chocolate frosted, fudge filled, except for Natalya's. She picked out a mini one with a frosted pink flower on top. Nati also insisted-- not only on singing to Milena but on being sung to herself and blowing out one little candle. I'll miss that pic. She can't wait for her birthday to come. She keeps saying her birthday is Saturday-- in "Jamuary."

Between May 15 and June 20 we also had some minor events whose pictures I wished I'd been able to keep.

1) Milena finished kindergarten in style. I had some cute images of her end of the year play, The House that Jack Built. Milena said her lines as narrator quite well. She seemed to forget at one point but quickly recovered. She still recites the rhyme on occasion. I loved the pic of Diego and Abby as the maiden all forlorn and the man all tattered and torn as they 'wed.'

2)Milena also had a ballet recital in May. She wore a mint green tutu and a pink flower clip in her hair. She looked very beautiful! Her class danced to "It's a beautiful morning." She did well. She's learned how to skip and is more confident with her steps. Still can't tell how great a dancer she'll become, but Grandma Cecile and I loved watching her on stage!

3) We kitten sat for our neighbors. Moe was 7 -8 weeks, and the kids all adored her in the end. Nati and Alexander were skittish at first. Kitty bite me, said Nati. After a while, though, they all took after Milena. I think we're not ready for a kitten yet simply because we'd love her to death, possibly literally. No one wanted to put kitty down. Milena carried her in her dresses, kind of like a mama kangaroo in a pouch, with tiny tabby's head poking through the top. Alexander liked her on his belly while he watched tv and chilled with his thumb. Nati loved carrying her all over. As little as the kitty was it stretched from Nati's neck to her knees. She was very nurturing, just like with her Chinese baby doll and with her new white stuffed kitty her papa bought for her, but sometimes she didn't realized that the kitten didn't like being squeezed or held by the neck-- even when it cried/ mewed she was reluctant to let go. I had to be on guard all the time-- or risk kitty's life!

4) I have some great memories right now of my 3 sitting in a row eating toasted waffle with cream cheese for breakfast. I also had some cute pics of 1) Alexander sitting on the potty talking to Nati and telling her to run and tell Milena she was a poo poo head, or some other insult. Nati was all serious and in the next pic Nati was off to Milena , BIG GRIN ON HER FACE. Couldn't wait to get her riled up.

June, 2010 Time to Write Again

So many details, so little time to write. Currently, we are expecting a new little sister. Anya should arrive sometime in early July. I'm excited. I enjoy pregnancy, and I know I'll miss it and probably want to experience it all "just one more time." However, I am also feeling big. It's not so easy maneuvering with a hard belly that weighs about 10 lbs or more. I also don't like how all my pants fit oddly and like to settle below the belly! This intereferes with my modesty. As a write, I'm feeling a bout of strong hiccups.


Milena just turned 6. She's lost 3 teeth, recently she lost one on top, so she looks appropriately , well, 6. She had lots of birthday celebrations, including one with friends at Sci Port, one with Grandma Cecile at Cheeburger Cheeburger, and finally one in Dallas at the American Girl Store. We got Katie Anna's hair done and enjoyed a quaint, girly lunch at their bistro, complete with a banana split for dessert. Milena is most fun right now for her quickly developing ability to read. She is reading, or at least trying to read, everything. Many children's books are now a breeze. I am so tickled when she reads the bedtime story to her siblings before bed. Last night she had them entertained with The Hungry Caterpillar. At the appropriate time they would all shout in chorus "but he was still hungry." Milena likes to be the leader around here and has a real obsession with or need to be 1st. You know, first is the best, second is the worst. When not stirring up dissent among the little ones, she can be a good leader and a good mommy. They like to follow her lead in games like "ducky shower" and "hatching ducklings," which always occurs after bath. We hope Milena will pick up more swimming skills this summer. She's still very tentative and scared, but I know she can do it.


Alexander is a mighty ball of energy. His brown eyes melt you, but he can be quite the stubborn pest too. He loves being cuddly and affectionate, but he just can't sit still much, so he jabs and pokes while sitting on you and often practically knocks you down when coming for a big hug. He has friends at school, Chaselyn, Max and Peter. He loves singing and performing, especially when he's in the right mood. He wants to be told he's the best and want to be both of his sisters' best friend. He's pretty smart-- still incredibly articulate and with the memory of an elephant. One weekend recently he got hold of a joke book and 'memorized' several, which he repeated over and over. We had a kind of talk show going. "What is a squirrels favorite ballet?" (Nutcracker) At Milena's Sci Port birthday our guide asked about the number of planets. All the Montessori children knew there were 8, and knew their names. Alexander then added that Pluto was 'a dwarf planet.' He likes presents but cries if the present is not what he had in mind! Oops. He is not very dexterous with eating and writing yet. I need to practice exercising his hand and fingers, I think. We have lots of funny Alexander stories. Just yesterday he told me he wished he didn't have a penis. Odd, I thought. He said without one he wouldn't have to hold it down when he used the bathroom. (He still doesn't stand up to go). Also, it grows when he touches it. Someday, I don't think this will bother him . Time will tell.

Natalya is just about 2 1/2. As far as I can say, she's the icing on the cake. She's cute, and makes my whole clan cuter in her role as the caboose. Just in the last month or so she has started talking and singing a whole bunch. She is very energetic and loves jumping on the "trampleen." She does not like "cochroashes." She loves going to birthday parties and has been saying "My birthday's on Saturday." On Milena's birthday we had to light a candle and sing to Natalya too. She likes to count "1 2 4 6 or 1 2 3 9 10." We're getting there. She can be shy in new situations, but once she warms up she is the loudest one. Loves to scream. She takes care of baby dolls and has a favorite, our little Asian baby. She talks to her dolls. A lot of times her dialogue is something like "You stop that" "You go naughty chair" She does not like to be criticized or sent to the naughty chair herself under any circumstances. Just try-- she will crumble. She has so many adorable facial expressions. She'll melt you with her big, batting eyes. She is very regular in her bathroom habits, and we could often tell what she had been eating at La Petite daycare. One day she told me as I changed her diaper-- "no corn in there." Recently, there had been quite a bit. She likes singing and reading to herself and can keep both herself and us quite entertained. Can't usually understand all the words she's saying in these sort stream of conscience episodes, but they're funny and reflect the outgoing/ boisterous part of her personality. She and Alexander will often show their bellies when they've eaten a lot -- or just eaten period. They're good buds-- but she'll often alert us "Nander did it."