Thursday, April 26, 2007

So Sweet She Has No Idea

Stella just went off on a play date with her friends, Tara and Eric. She didn't even cry when she had to stop watching Sesame Street. This is how much she likes them.

I had to send her with a bag of diapers and a change of clothing because of her, shall we say, potential for bodily fluid overflow today.

When I came back inside I thought about the contents of the little bag she was clutching as she got into the car--how she had no idea I had to send along extra clothing just in case. And the thought broke my heart just a little because she's still so little and innocent.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

I'm No Good at Small Talk

I can act, though. And I've acted my way through many a painful small-talk situation:

  • Flagstaff BBQ circa 2000 (with a close-talker who caused me to circumvent an entire park ramada)
  • Unexpected encounter with someone from high school circa last month
  • North Scottsdale MOM's Club drop-in mixer at the library circa last month (I wanted to see what it was like, and now I know, you're all out of my league)

All that is to say that I do not enjoy small talk, but I can endure it. But when you've stared down the double barrel of death like I have you realize there's little time for pithy conversations.

All this is to say to the fellow mom at book club who works at Sprouts and introduced herself to me and was met with a somewhat cold, yet polite, response, "It's not you, it's me. It's not your son either. And it's not that you work at a grocery store. It's just that I didn't have anything to say."

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Not Quite a Month

Life is busy mostly because Stella is busy.

She still jabbers instead of really speaks, but come one, she's only one. She did identify Cookie Monster on her diaper the other day. This was a completely unsolicited designation. She picked it up and pointed and said, "kiki." This is what she says when she means cookie. I thought it interesting and sweet. Especially because whenever Cookie Monster shows up on Sesame Street she greets him with a large howl of laughter. Like she knows this thing is going to be a "totally wild and crazy guy."

Even thought she can't articulate things yet, she does understand a lot of English. She knows where to go sit when I tell her to get in her chair. And just today she threw something in the garbage for me while I sat on my butt. This is going to work out great!

We've started some swimming lessons and Stella howls for different reasons from 11:30-12:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays. She does not like being forced to swim under water and splash about. Really. Regardless, she's getting better. And since she is growing up in the hot hot desert, she must learn to swim otherwise, how will she entertain herself?

Which reminds me of my childhood. We spent days in our bathing suits, throwing pennies on the bottom of the pool to retrieve them and throw them back again. We had diving competitions, tea parties, water ballet, mermaid stories, inflatable toy fights, it was all a part of surviving the summer heat. And the legacy goes on.

For a fun picture, go here: Hansoniana.