Strawberry picking is.....

overrated. Well, I think I just had higher expectations for the deliciousness of the strawberries. Isabella also lost interest after the first 5 minutes.

Lytle came down this weekend and took charge of the girls for a day and then we hung out together on Monday. We were sad to take her to the train station for what seemed like such a short visit. Counting down until we see each other again.

Adieu

It's official, starting today and for the next two years I am a single mom. No, seriously....I'm not kidding, this is my new reality. Yesterday was orientation at the Wharton School and spouses/partners were invited to attend the all day event. It became extremely apparent in a short period of time that both Jason and I severely underestimated the intensity of this program and for the next two years, schooling will take center stage in our lives, especially his. As I left the building last night, leaving Jason there all week for a rigorous 40 hours of lecture I could not help but think that this is a metaphor of what the next two years will be like. He will be at school and I will be rearing the girls, our time together will be limited, but in the end I know the sacrifice will be worth it. At 1:30 this morning he sent me an email and wrote only this, "this is the beginning of the end..." I don't think I could have said it any better.

4 months....a bit late

Olivia had her 4 mos check up today. (yes, she'll be 5 mos next week....but who's counting?) Poor thing has been sick for the last week so that put us a bit behind schedule.
I remember when Isabella would go in for her shots she would cry for about 3 seconds and was over it. Olivia on the other hand really took it hard and it actually took me about 5 minutes to console her. I think she's going to be a bit more sensitive than Isabella. Such a little sweetheart.

Length: 27inches (99%) Whoa!
Weight: 16 lbs (65%)

I'm on a call....

So....looks like it's only normal for a toddler to suck on a binkie and talk on the cell phone at the same time. Just recently Isabella has really been into Olivia's binkies. Isabella refused to take one at about 6 months of age, but now that Olivia has one, she thinks they are the greatest. Gotta nip this quickly.

No fear

Isabella didn't think twice about picking up this furry creature. I picked him up first to get him out of the house and as soon as I put him in the grass, I looked back and she had him in her hand. She was grinning from ear to ear and thought this little carerpillar was the coolest thing.

Dinner

I was surprised when we sat down for dinner tonight and Isabella began devouring the shrimp. She was also a fan of the hummus. I used my new food processor for the first time and that is one serious piece of machinery. The marinade on the shrimp was so simple and absolutely delicious, definitely a keeper.

Upgraded (in your best Beyonce voice)

After 10 years of using this, I received this in the mail yesterday. Oh the possibilities....

A happy baby

Olivia is truly the happiest baby I've ever met. She smiles all of the time and is just happy to hang out with the family, especially Isabella. I caught Isabella reading to her the other day and now that Olivia is interacting more and more, Isabella just loves it.
I worked the last two nights and I really missed the girls, so I'm happy that I'm off for several days to just have fun with them.

Happy Mother's Day

Being a mom is truly the best thing in the world. Really.

Gardening 101

I really don't know the first thing about gardening, but I'm going to give it my best shot. I did have fun going to the local nursery and picking out some beautiful looking herbs. Isabella loved helping me plant them and Olivia enjoyed what was in my opinion the most beautiful day of the year so far. I'm still debating whether or not I'm going to make a raised bed and really go all out or if I'm just going to try a few vegetables in some pots for starters.

Mother of the Year

My incredibly thoughtful and sweet sister-in-law Kelly seems to always send a gift or package at just the right time. She sent this video to me a few days ago and the timing couldn't have been better. The girls have been sick this week and I worked a night shift at the hospital and I couldn't take them to the sitter. So, within a 38 hr period I only had 2 two hour long naps. Painful. This video put a smile on my face. Thanks Kelly!

observations

I thought it was funny when Isabella picked up a box of tampons this morning and said "mami," although not quite as funny as when she picked up a box of Tums and enthusiastically said, "papi!"

Nap time

While I was upstairs putting Olivia down for a nap I suspected that Isabella was stirring up trouble downstairs because I didn't hear her and we all know that silence is never a good thing. To my surprise, I found her kneeling on the fireplace hearth sound asleep. She's never been one to fall asleep easily unless she's in her own crib. All of the traveling we've done over the last couple of weeks has really tired her out.

Kitchen Essentials

I love Ina Garten. Her recipes are simple, fresh and delicious. I also like her list of kitchen essentials.

D.C.

We had a great time visiting Lytle and Darwin this weekend at their new place. The location couldn't be better. They live in walking distance to the metro line and within minutes of D.C. We enjoyed devouring Lytle's carefully planned meals which included delicious chips and queso, baja fish tacos, strawberry crepes and an asian chicken salad. Isabella loved running around their complex which includes a children's play gym with a looking glass into the fitness room. What a brilliant idea! Olivia was so happy to be back in the company of her favorite aunt and uncle and spent much of the time showing off her baby talk skills and showering them with tons of smiles.
We spent a rainy Sunday at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the girls enjoyed their first ride on the metro.
I can't wait until many more trips to D.C. and look forward to the opening of the rooftop pool at Lytle's place in a few weeks.

Vacation or Trip?

A friend of mine said that before kids you call it a vacation and after kids, it's just called a "trip." After our 4 days in Ft. Lauderdale, I think she's right. Don't get me wrong....we had a fun time, but it was definitely a lot of work and not what comes to my mind when I think of a "vacation." We enjoyed a bit of beach time even though is was incredibly windy the days we were there, of course. Isabella loved the pool and was so cute in the water, even trying to make herself put her head under out of pure curiosity.
I must say that the girls were great on both flights. Isabella melted for about 5 minutes when we were preparing to land because she couldn't hang out in the aisle and play with her new friend, Simona. Olivia just enjoyed the roar of the plane and slept the entire way each time, sans Children's Benadryl.
We had a fun time playing with the butterflies at Butterfly World and were excited about our adventures at Lion Country Safari, but 20 minutes into our car ride, Isabella would have nothing of it and basically screamed until we went back for her Elmo and blankie and when we got back to the hotel, she just crawled into bed. Oh well.
Overall, I would call the trip a success. As a family, we truly spend a lot of quality time together without the distractions of work and home. It was nice. We also learned a lot of lessons about traveling with young kids and I'm now rethinking my solo trip to California with both girls in August.
Perhaps next year and for the next 10 years we'll do Orlando instead.