Growing Pains

Perhaps the most surreal part of being a parent is that you can literally see your child grow in front of your eyes. There are days when she'll wake up from a nap or come home from daycare and I'll take one look at her and see a whole new being in front of me.

"Did she get taller???" I ask Andrea. Yep, he sees it too.

I guess people who garden know what I'm talking about. One day you plant a seed and a short, random while later, you walk outside and there's a teeny tiny tomato making its way into the world.

(I just compared my daughter to a tomato.)

Sofia is getting big. And I'm now enough in the parenting groove to realize that her desire to sit on my lap and watch birds while holding hands is not going to last. I'm aware of it, now more than ever, and I know it's only going to move faster from here on out. So, this is my public promise to take it all in as much as I can - without becoming obsessive about it. Just feel free to take your time, Peanut!

Birthday girl!

My baby girl is 2 today.

I've said that sentence over to myself every day this week. I guess I've been trying to take it in, see how it felt. And it felt....exactly the way I thought it would: sunny with a chance of showers.

My baby girl.

Each one of those words separately has taken so much getting used to:

My.

Baby.

Girl.

And now, she's a real little person. A walking, talking, sassy little jokester with the cutest crooked smile and the sweetest, sweetest grey-blue eyes. I'm so proud of the little girl she is so far, and so excited to see what she will continue to become.

Happy 2nd anniversary of your birth day, my Peanut.

Happy Birthday, Andrea!

My husband deserves a trophy. In fact, if there were secret agents running around, stealthily choosing who to give such a Husband of the Year trophy to, I would bet my bottom dollar on him winning. No brainer.

I don't spend enough time praising Andrea. Truth be told, many times, if you had a window into our lives, you would find yourself thinking "Poor Andrea!" He is (so, so, so) often the poor soul who bears the brunt of my many character flaws. And yet, the reality is, he inspires me every single day to be a better person, a better Jodi and, since Sofia's arrival, a better parent. So, being as today is the anniversary of his birth, no time like the present to publicly sing his praises>>>

Andrea is strong. He is - though I generally hate this metaphor - a rock. If there were a fire drill, he'd be the guy who'd have everyone organized (and singing Kumbaya and sharing glasses of wine) in lines in about 2 seconds.

Andrea is hysterical. He's goofy, and a refined appreciator of double entendre.

Andrea is really freaking smart. And anyone who's ever spoken to him for more than 4 seconds knows this.

Andrea is kind. The only things I've ever seen him hate are injustice and mosquitoes.

Andrea is really creative. Lots of people only know his highly scientific/mathematical side. But, lest we forget, he's a Gemini! He's got so many sides to him, he'd give Freud a true run for his money. He is also a really gifted artist, little known fact.

Andrea is an amazing father. And Sofia is so very lucky to have him - and not only because he plays with her and makes her laugh and cuddles her every chance he gets...but because he really, truly, enjoys getting to know her for who *she* is and not at all who he wants her to be (though, Sofia, if you're reading this, I know he'd really appreciate it if you'd take the whining down a notch, thankyouverymuch).

I really could go on for hours here. I am a lucky lady, and that's even without any comment on what a hottie he is!!

So, my dear, one-of-a-kind adventurer...I love you and wish you all the joy you deserve in this life.

AUGURI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things I Love Right Now

• Looking down from the window above and seeing Sofia and Andrea, both of them with their head tilted in the same exact way, chatting with my neighbors.

• Passing by the restaurant where we had Sofia's 1st birthday celebration.

• Watching Sofia play with her best buddies from daycare, Carla and Vicki.

• Hearing Sofia say "Mommy!!" now, instead of just "Mamma!"

• Sofia kicking her legs and screaming with excitement at the prospect of a walk outside with her "pitto" (passeggino, her stroller).

• Her squeals of joy, loud enough to be heard above music and 15 other babies and their parents, just before going down the pool slide again.

• How she grabs Andrea's cheeks with both hands and turns his head to face her so she knows she has his full attention.

• Her kisses, complete with delicious "SMAK" sound.

• Her pot belly post-bath, after she's drunk half a vat full of bath water.

• Sofia rocking her "babies" to sleep (her Dolly, Mao her stuffed cat and her Curious George doll).

• How she hasn't *quite* mastered separating her fingers as she tries to tell us she's going to turn "DOOOO!" (two!).

Picking Up Peanut

It's 3:48pm. Crucial moment here in the household, because it means that in all of 12 minutes I will be going to pick up my Peanut.

Positives: I GET TO SEE PEANUT! I've missed her all day and can't wait for that smile I (sometimes) get when I walk through the daycare door.

Negatives: After said (possible) smile, I will then spend the subsequent 28 minutes convincing her to (a) leave daycare, (b) sit in her car seat (this is the worst one, and lately involves punishment of some sort) and (c) not to pull my hair.

Do the positives outweigh the negatives? Well, that wholly depends on what time you ask me. You see, the lovely thing about parenthood, spanning from the actual birthing to anything from meltdowns to missed curfews to screaming matches, is that, hours later, it is already physically impossible to sensorially remember just how much your kid pissed you off.

So, right now, seeing as I haven't seen my Peanut since 8:45 this morning when she insisted on turning on my car radio in the driveway before I left for work, I can say: no brainer, positives are definitely outweighing the negatives, can't wait to see her.

On the other hand, if you ask me in a half-hour, amid the hair-pulling-not-doing-the-carseat-thing drama, my answer will be of quite a different sort: ADOPT HER!!!!!

Happy Belated Mommy's Day, co-Mommies!

Decisions, decisions

Being a mom has made me less afraid of things I was afraid of before, and more afraid of things I was never afraid of.

Life has been somewhat tumultuous these past few weeks (work stuff) and, going through it, I realized that my way of handling it all has changed so much since Sofia's come to be. While big decisions are hard to make regardless, the heart of what's at them is now different. No longer thinking solely of what benefits me or even what is best for Andrea, but really focusing - happily focusing - on what it all means to little Sofia. How it will affect her life, how my decisions will come to touch her future self, if at all.

I suppose this is all pretty common knowledge (especially to parents more seasoned than I). And, of course, this is not at all to say that I've become selfless or do anything only based on Sofia. No, no, the self-centered me would never be party to that sort of silliness. I just feel more...balanced? Responsible? Protective?. All of the above I guess. All of the above, and a touch of Wanting to Make 'Er Proud.

What Allergy Season Means to Me

It's that time of the year again, folks! The one where I am the worst possible person I can be: simultaneously sneezy, fidgety, frustrated, snippy and totally out of it thanks to the antihistamines. You just gotta love me from May 1st (precisely) to end-of-June.

The annoying thing is, I really love Springtime so so much. I love the whole flower blooming and animal mating and such. The rejuvenation of it all. Who doesn't appreciate the poetic sunshine after a long, dark winter? Hitler, that's who. Oh, and me, at 3 o'clock in the morning when my throat is so scratchy it feels like I swallowed a vial of poison ivy. Thanks, Nature.

My new doc put me on new meds this year, we'll see how it works out for me. Right now, I'm on Day 2 (perhaps I should've started earlier...say, December?) and my nose is as red and eyes as puffy as ever. It took me 13 minutes just to get all the crud off my eyelids this morning when I woke up. (Enjoy your lunch!)

One day they will find a cure for seasonal allergies (if he weren't dead, I'd be calling Jerry Lewis right now - wait, he's dead, right?). Until then, I just have to suck it up. And wonder what the hell possessed me to move to Umbria, "the green heart of Italy."

ACHOO!