Lydia and Aidan's Sleep Game

Thanks to going to the same daycare, Saturday music class, and our Sunday dinners, Aidan and Lydia act like siblings. They fight like siblings, become territorial, all of the good stuff. As they get older, their age difference means less and less, and these golden moments become more and more frequent. Here is Lydia and Aidan's sleep game, which they played for a loooooong time a few weeks ago. I strongly suggest watching all three parts... they are just too cute!

Lydia's First Friend

Three years ago July, Robin and I met our friends Brian and Elizabeth to share a bottle of wine at a local wine bar. Earlier that day, a nurse had told me over the phone that I was "not not pregnant," but we had already planned to meet at Vino Vino. Robin and I had planned to say that I was not feeling well in order to explain why I wasn't drinking, but shortly into the evening, I let it slip that we more than likely had a baby on the way.

The next time I saw Elizabeth, I was coming from our first appointment with my obstetrician, had a sonogram on hand, had just heard Lydia's heartbeat for the first time, and had confirmed her due date. When I told Elizabeth our baby was coming in March, she said, "So is ours!"* and so began the story of Oliver and Lydia.

Their first play date was before Oliver had decided to make his debut as an outside baby, and as Lydia wiggled on Elizabeth's stomach, Oliver kicked back. They met "in person" when Oliver was about 24 hrs. old, and Oliver has been a consistent part of Lydia's life ever since.

I have to say I love that little boy. His excitement, near-constant grin, and on-the-go nature have won my heart. First of all, he knows the vast majority of NFL ref signals and can tell a mean knock-knock joke. Selfishly, it has been wonderful to have friends to accompany us as we all made the transition to parenthood. On the 12th of April, exactly one month after Lydia's birthday, Oliver turned 2, and yesterday we celebrated two years with this adorable little boy.

As always, Brian and Elizabeth put on a great party, and as I watched Lydia and Oliver chase bubbles in the backyard, as I listened to Lydia talk about "Oliver's birthday party," and give him a hug as we left, I simultaneously marveled at how fast time moves and felt intense pride and love in both Lydia and her first friend.



*Oliver's due date was later changed. He wasn't two weeks late!

Mommy Can't Resist...

...a great pair of shades.





-- Post From My iPhone

Making Cosmos

Lydia Dances to Will.I.Am

Lydia is in love with this song. She's never seen a full episode of Sesame Street, but we heard the song at her music class, and we've been listening to it ever since. Here's Lydia jamming at breakfast time (note how at the end, she says "Mommy's turn!)


and here is a video of the actual song by Will.I.Am on Sesame Street.

It Rained in Austin...

...and Lydia got to wear her new raincoat!

My grandma sent Lydia some money for her birthday, and I had some fun. I've been wanting to buy Lydia a raincoat for a long time, but someone (*cough* Robin *cough*) said they weren't practical. As Lydia's aunt Heidi pointed out, they're SUPER practical when it rains, so I decided Grandma would definitely approve of using her money for a raincoat, especially when it looks like this:
A dress is also on it's way to our house, courtesy of Great Grandma Gloria, but I wanted to get the photo posted, especially since I think Grandma G. is my most dedicated reader. Grandma also sent a check for me in honor of Lydia's birthday, which I used to purchase a necklace. Yay for birthdays!

(Im)Modesty

Today I got my haircut at a new salon. I haven't liked my haircuts for awhile, and at the recommendation of a friend, I went to Modesty Hair Studio to get my hair cut by Naomi.

First, let me say that Modesty is super cute, as environmentally responsible as any hair studio in Austin, and they got me an appointment two days after I called. I was late, and Naomi was super understanding. She asked me what I wanted, we chatted, and she got down to business. Her observations about my hair texture, weight, etc. were spot on.

I haven't felt this good about my hair in years.

Being a mom AND a teacher, the frump factor is a huge fear of mine. I feel fairly confident that I have managed to dodge the frump when it comes to clothes, but time is super scarce, and opportunities to look nice and feel "put together" are few and far between, so my ongoing dislike for my hair has been frustrating. (Who wants to get dressed up, struggle with their hairstyle and end up pulling it up anyway?) At this moment, though, I'm unabashedly in love with my hair.

When I walked in after getting my hair cut tonight, Robin said I looked like a shadow of my former self--he was super complimentary, and I think it was much about the actual haircut as it was my clear excitement. As a teacher, spring generally brings lack of make-up, hair up, and exhaustion, and the need to get Lydia out the door with me exacerbates this problem. Only as I saw my reflection as I was leaving Modesty did I realize how much better I felt. I didn't know that I still had it in me to feel this good.

In sum, the Austin shout-out: Modesty Hair Salon. Opened by two women, local, green, pleasant, super cute decor. Do it. This project deserves support.

The mommy lesson: now that I've identified something that 1.) was really dragging down the way I felt about my appearance and by extension, myself and 2.) is easily remedied, I need to make it a priority. I think I'm worth it.