Random thoughts

Mariana is from Colombia. How is she really going to know it? Sure we'll take a few trips there someday. I would love to go now but I have no vacation time to use. I'm still getting used to being an employee. It's a grind right now, this time of year. There's a long stretch without a 3 day weekend. Working blows. I want to hang out with Mariana and listen to her little voice develop. She has perfected the pronunciation and usage of the word "no". Shocking right? It must be nice for her to finally get her point across. Each day we hear a new word, today's word: hole. She waves and smiles at herself in the mirror. She can climb onto the ottoman. She's getting good at feeding herself with a spoon. It's hard but sometimes I have to let her fling oatmeal all over the place. She's learning, sigh.... Grandma stayed over 2 nights last weekend. It was fun to see Mariana light up in the morning when she came downstairs to see her. I'm not sure who got more excited though, her or Grandma.

Check out this video. I made a ghetto toy for my baby girl- a Clementine box turned into a sled. Watch as Mariana slides around and at the end implores me to acknowledge her bear (yes, that is what she's saying)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqO8VhmfMis

Spongegirl Scratchface

I can't list all the things I see Mariana learn every day. I've heard people say that kids are sponges for learning and I'm just discovering what they mean. What did she show me this weekend? She knows what a bear is, she can point out flowers and birds in a book, she can even say "sushi" for petes sake. Hilary called me this morning to tell me Mariana's been learning sign language from the video she puts on as a nail cutting distraction. Of course this is all very exciting and and bone chilling at the same time - What else does she understand?! Yikes, guess we have to start s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g things, that parental habit that used to annoy the crap out of me. Although it's probably a few years away it makes me wonder when she'll ask about where she came from. It will never be a secret to be revealed to her on her 18th birthday but rather something we'd like to deal with organically; addressing her questions as they come up. I'm trying not to let it become a big deal in my head so that when the time comes she won't get a panicked look from me.
We had a "date night" out together, just Hilary and I. We went out for dinner in Williamsburg and then walked around looking in store windows. This was supposed to be our hot night out. What did we used to do before Mariana? Movies and drinking and partying 'till dawn? Well, maybe a few times but not for a long while. I have been thinking lately about how it's good that we're already old and boring so the transition to parenthood has been easier.This is Mariana with a mouth full of clementine and a few scratches on her nose from a faceplant on the playground. She's still getting used to the new feet

Sharing

Mariana is such a sweetheart. She wants to share everything. She always goes over to the cat to offer the ball to her. She's undeterred by Green's anti socialism. Yesterday she was really looking into my eyes and talking. Who knows what she was saying but she really meant it. I can see her awareness growing by the day. The way she looks at my lips when I'm trying to get her to speak looks like she's really concentrating. I tried to get her to say "queso" and she came out with something like "kaykoo". Ehh, close enough, I know what she meant.

We went apple picking a few weeks ago. Mariana was into it a little, until she plopped her face into a pumpkin stem- then not so much. That's where these photos come from, Stuarts Farm up in Westchester County, NY. Next year she's going to be physched to run around the pumpkins and eat cider doughnuts and pluck apples from the tree.

Mariana is also sporting her Yankees sweatshirt for the first time - thanks again to Greg and Deb.

Siete/Seven

I think today was really the first day she called me Dada. I mean she pointed at me and said "Dada" when I sat down next to her. I approve. Yesterday when I got home Hilary showed me her newest word, "outside". It's a little slurry but it's clear that she's repeating sounds and words now. Friday I got a call while I was at work saying that Mariana was standing at the door, banging and saying "outside, outside, outside!" It seems we've hit a turning point. She'll now be able to tell us what she wants. Yikes. I keep waiting to hear the f bomb drop from her lips since it's her Mothers favorite word. Soon enough I suppose...

Monday will be a big deal. She will officially know us longer than she didn't- 7 months without us, 7 months with us. We are so hopelessly in love with this little girl. I've spent a lot of time worrying lately; about work, about the house but mostly about my parents. Having Mariana around is such a bright spot in my life. I've been thinking about us as a family and wondering about the future and how Mariana will handle us getting old like we are with our own parents. The Nana and Poppi that she knows are very different than the people in my head. The Mom in my head drives around in a yellow Lincoln, has her own real estate business and looks like Stephanie Powers looked in Hart to Hart. Not the fragile white haired woman sitting in a chair with weird giant blue boots on her legs. Will she ever know how energetic and caring my Mom is? How funny and endearing my Dad is? The Dad in my head still has lots of dark hair in his beard, plays golf every day and does yard work in the middle of August in a turtleneck. Not the 80 yr old man that has a hard time driving at night and seems worn out trying to take care of my Mom. The truth is that that IS them. They still are those people. How will Hilary and I change over the years and how will Mariana remember us? Will Mariana know how her Mother changed her entire life around when she came along? And how will she remember me?

this photo features Mariana with a mouthful of peas

see Mariana entertain in this video. Damned youtube wouldn't accept the music I put with it. Grrr... But you'll see just how sweet she is; trying to get everyone involved, going from person to person with a ball.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKBcyshFlU