Spring Skies

Spring Skies
Originally uploaded by Cathy G

Look who came out to play today! The sun!

It is a much better day than yesterday. Khubz and I rolled around in the laundry, journied out to Pet World where we played with friendly bunnies, stomped around in puddles which was fine because the SUN IS OUT today.

She is down for a well timed nap. I am getting on a conference call which should be relatively painless. And then we are going to head back outside into the SUN to do some frollicking.

The wrap up will be venturing out to the library for Spanish Storyhour.

I thoroughly love fridays. i love them. i love them.

reflections in the tub

your body looked long
all brown & naked & joyous.

you flipped and splished
like a fish in a stream

my soapy hands ran over
your wild arms & swimming legs
the bottoms of your feet &
the bottom of your bottom

i washed your shoulders
your soft belly & chest
your round cheeks
washed all the sticky from your hands,
between each finger

&

made my constant wish

that gentle touch

only gentle,
welcome touch

would come to
each part of you

I'm Ready

I am never tired of winter.

But this year I am tired of winter.

This year I am longing for spring.

Good News

Day One!

Khubz update

The girl is saying her name. She can't get the first letter sound. So it's like she's saying "ubz" or actually "ubzita." We can't get enough of it. "Como te llamas?" "Mommy?" "No. Como te llamas?" "Ubzita!"

Good times. We love it.

Khubz also provided a window into her dreams the other night. She was in bed with us (because, she's back in the bed with us, you know) and she was half asleep, half awake, still all slumber. And her sleepy, sleepy voice said "annie." "annie." "annie." Unbelievably sweet. Annie is her very good friend (when she's not prime competition.) We hadn't seen into her dream world since she used to nurse in her sleep as a newborn.

In other news, Scully & I have decided to wait another month before trying to get pregnant. We've got the money together for one try but that is a tremendous amount of pressure and my ovaries aren't going to age sufficiently in one month that it will matter.

And so, in the words of my sister, "well, then, we will wait."

I am definitely starting to see the leanings of crazy-for-a-baby. I can't even blame it on the crazywomanjuice. Just me. Really, really ready to be pregnant and have another baby. Really ready. Really.

So I guess therein lies my motivation to walk away from the rice krispie treats. Walk far, far away.

'Nuff said

the worm turns

What happens when you leave two dear friends, Laurie & Michelle, in the care of one unpredictably moody toddler? Let's find out.

Khubz was relatively gracious as she fixed dinner for our friends (1.800.rudy's.pizza) She demonstrated the high quality hors d'oeuvre possibilities that all begin with humble animal crackers. She proved that shredded cheese is not only a handy snack but is also a fine moisturizer when smeared directly into the skin. It was all going fine until Laurie suggested that Khubz should not pound her sippy cup in to the top of the pizza. Then, in a serious breech of etiquette, our friend took the sippy cup away.

Oh no, she didnt!

Oh yes. She did.

Luckily, Michelle was much better mannered. She smoothed things over, trying to help Laurie with some of her rough social edges. It was all okay. Khubz did some deep breathing. Dinner was over. They recovered with relative ease. There was much playing, laughing, repeated readings of Khubz's favorite book or "bibro" as she says. All seemed well. Then the clock struck 7. and the worm turned.

"Okay, Michelle! You better clear out of here!" Laurie said and prepared to move the girlchild towards bed.

Khubz had already become a pumpkin. She was clinging to an onsie she'd gotten off the couch. No amount of prying, cajoling or bribing could get her to let go. Upstairs, Laurie was still trying. "You can't take that in the tub with you, i'm sorry, you just can't" Ultimately, it had to be taken away.

First the sippy cup. Now this. You have gone too far.

"who do you THINK YOU ARE??!!!!" Khubz demanded, doing her best to escape the hazardous lavender-scented bubbles Laurie kept threatening her with. "what do you THINK YOU ARE DOING??!!!!" she sobbed when Laurie was drying her off. "why can't you just LEAVE ME ALONE??!!!" she plead, crying softly & quietly while punctuating her pitiful state with an occasional whimper, sniffle or sharp targeted kick.

Sitting in Khubz's room, Laurie dutifully read the goodnight book. Frowning, curled into herself, Khubz sat on Laurie's lap and only listened because she had to. Her face partially covered by the extra pajamas she was now gripping. Her arms were locked in front of herself and were only uncrossed so she could silently sign "more" at the end of the book without breaking out of her scowl.

By the third time through the book Khubz had stopped crying. She was afraid, insecure, unsure why her mommies had abandoned her into the care of someone like this. But she was more resigned and, frankly, she was tired.

Downstairs, the front door quietly opened and closed.

"Hello?" Scully very softly spoke into the house.

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!" Khubz responded from upstairs. Laurie and Scully switched places. Laurie quickly fled, still hearing Khubz's cries echo throughout the neighborhood.

Ignorant of the evening, I send a text to Laurie & Michelle while sitting in my hotel in Wyatt Earp country. "Thank you both SO much!" a small thank you from the other side of the state.

"Anytime!" Michelle responds. "Khubz is a treat!"

And Laurie?

"You'll be getting a bill from my therapist."

Drop Off

it was a hard morning for drop off.

I kissed Scully & Khubz goodbye and headed out the door to warm up the cars and head towards work. While I was enjoying Shakira's La Tortura over & over & over again, Scully was having a harder morning.

She picks Khubz up from her booster seat where she has eaten taquitos--a breakfast that is impossible to smear in her hair or on her clothes. Khubz is brushed off, bundled in to her jacket, the backup gloves are employed because I left her primary gloves in the truck yesterday. She is ready to go! Scully picks her up, keys in hand and the child's pants are sopping wet. She has peed through her diaper.

Off goes the coat, you have to take off her shoes to get her pants off and once you take off her shoes you then have to fight the girl to keep her socks on. . . you know how it goes. On goes a new diaper, the girl fighting FIghTInG! every step of the way. Then Scully has to get clean jeans on her, restore the socks, get the shoes back on, get the jacket and the hat and the gloves (both of them) back on and get ready to go AGAIN. . .

Then there was the battle about whether or not she could take her book with her to daycare. . . FINE, mama says. Let's just get a move on! And, of course, when you put Khubz in the carseat you have to momentarily take the book out of her hands to get her strapped in. These was the straw that broke the Khubz's back.

It was a very hard morning.
Sorry Scully!

Theory & Practice

We got to spend the evening with Funk. The girl was a blast. We had a living room picnic and feasted on grapes, played with baby dolls, played upstairs in Khubz's room, changed diapers and got into Pjammies, wiped noses with ease and effortlessly laid down for the night before 8:30.


Now here's a more detailed reflection on the evening.

I have no idea how women with more than one child do anything. And the two children I had with me were good children. They did not bite, scratch, claw or flee. They were ideal children. And I still have no idea how parents with two or more children do anything.

You are astonishing.

I made a few tactical errors. Luckily, the girl children were both forgiving (Funk was more forgiving than Khubz, truth be told). If you have one child and are thinking about borrowing another, I encourage you to avoid these key missteps:

• Do not assume that your child will accept the other child sitting in her booster seat.
• Do not assume that your child will peacefully eat while sitting in your lap even though she always, always wants to be in your lap rather than in her own seat
• Do not assume there is no difference between how milk tastes in a green cup versus a pink cup
• Do not assume you can put your child down to sleep in her crib and then walk out of the room while holding the other child.
• Do not assume your child will not contact the dark overlord to punnish you for trying to put her down while still holding another child.
• Do not assume that the borrowed child will be glad to hear the same books or songs you saw at her house.
• Do not disregard when the borrowed child says, "no. no. no. Mah Mommy does. Mah Mommy." Stop singing that personal penguin song immediately. Back away from the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Do not make any move towards the Hungry, Hungry Catapillar.

In truth we had a blast! There was much sharing of toys and playing together and discussions about "Mah Baby" or "Mah Khubz" or "Mah Noise." Khubz replied with her newfound pronunciation of "funkie" Funk was totally wonderful about eating her cottage cheese, bread, ground beef, bananas, grapes and milk. We watched one video and mostly played & had a great time together.

My most important tip is: do not assume you should not have the party.

It really was a blast.

While I was out

I am still with the living, hamdillah. There are many people to thank.


My nurse friend is the one who sent me to the dr. in the first place. I would have just blown it off as the flu except that she sent me for anti-flu medicine. And she also sustained me with a constant barrage of hillarious and sympathetic text messages.

Dawn saved my life by picking my daughter up from daycare so I didn't have to leave my house. She did this even though it meant having to put in our carseat which also meant having to move her carseat to drive my daughter 2 blocks while her daughter protested the relocation only to drop off my daughter and then take our carseat out of her car and eventually have to move her own carseat back! I'm tired just writing it. Even though she says it didn't take very long, it meant a lot and it was awesome of her and her temporarily displaced daughter. Thanks, Dawn. I love you every day. I especially loved you Tuesday.

My friend at work didn't blink when I told her I had pneumonia and wouldn't be able to go help with an all day training. So yeah, even though you thought you were going to that training so you could observe & learn. . .yeah. . . maybe you wouldn't mind, you know, doing the training? She didn't blink. "My GOD." She said. "Pneumonia! Get some sleep!" And I did. And it was awesome.

My tireless partner came home and found that my parenting strategy Monday night was something like this: put bowl of cheerios & a cup of water on the floor, kiss my baby girl, tell her that the goddess will watch out for her and pass out on the couch. I don't really remember her coming home or getting the girl to bed. I remember waking up the next day to find that the entire mess had been cleaned up and she and Dawn had taken care of everything for the next day so I could just keep sleeping. It was awesome.

There are more people to thank, I don't mean to neglect you. But I am still tired and am about to turn into a pumpkin. So let me thank the kind blogosphere with the most joyous thing I can offer: some pics of my girlchild. (that may be the cheeziest thing yet said on this here blog. no apologies, though, cuz i mean it.)

Khubz in her most Muslim moment Yet!

Does Santa come to quasi-Muslimy households

where toddlers irreverantly immitate prayer while playing in box lids?

Khubz can't bear to look.

And finally, yes, that is my daughter

playing with an orange. All day long. And eating it.

Whole. My daughter. Yes.