Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Insanity

If I leave my makeup bag where Alice can reach it, she will find it, open it, and help herself to its shockingly-expensive-for-thier-size contents, each and every time.


She'll wait until I leave her alone upstairs for a few minutes and then she'll begin twisting off lids and pulling off caps. She likes to dip her fingers in my pot of gel eyeliner, smoosh the brushes around the inside of the lipstick, and mix the colors like an alchemist mixing a formula. 



Do you think that one day soon I'll learn to find a better spot for my makeup bag? 

Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day Ball Game

Before I tell you about our Memorial Day trip to the ballpark, here is one last shot I took in California of Matt with Dylan. Baby D looks pretty relaxed with Uncle Matt, don't you think? 

He'll learn...

 

Anyways, after a Memorial Day weekend of relaxing and barbecuing with neighbors, we spent today at Coors Field, rooting on the Rockies.


With the walk to the stadium (to avoid the hassle of parking and to give Alice a chance to take a cat nap in the stroller on the way), lunch downtown before the game, the game itself, the walk home, and the stop for frozen yogurt after, the outing took the whole darn day.

 

Alice was a most enthusiastic fan, clapping and shouting "yaaaaay" for every pitch (until she got distracted).

 

I made the mistake, when buying the tickets and selecting our seats, of not taking the blazing sun into account.  At a mile up, the sun can be seriously strong, and we knew it was too sunny to stay when Alice agreed to wear her sun hat, complained that her seat was too hot to sit on, and requested her sunglasses (which I forgot in the stroller we left at the entrance).

 

Luckily, the stadium wasn't full, so we snuck past the ushers in a shadier section and found ourselves some seats that didn't require any further sunscreen reapplications.

 

I forgot how entertaining live baseball games are: the cheering, the songs, the vendors shouting catchy slogans about peanuts and cotton candy, the snacks, the wave, the kissy cam. And there's usually a baseball game going on too, if you're into that. 


After every group cheer or song on the loudspeaker, Alice would join in the clapping just as the rest of us were about finished, and then beg, "Again? Again?"


She was mesmerized when the whole stadium stood to sing "God Bless America" and positively thrilled to discover that all 35,000 people at the game knew the words to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", which she's been practicing for weeks in music class.


I think the part of the outing that made the biggest impression on Alice, unfortunately, was the ComfortDental(R) Tooth Trot in the middle of the sixth inning.  Three people, dressed in huge dental-hygene-related costumes (Toothbrush, Toothpaste, and Tooth) raced eachother while 34,999 disinterested Rockies fans checked their email and went to get beers. One little lady in the shady section, however, is still talking about how Toothbrush completely outperformed 'Paste and Tooth today.

 

 We'll definitely be back to Coors Field this season. It was a perfect way to spend Memorial Day!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Trading Places

Saturday and Sunday were a bit of a Grilli-Jacobs-Wiethe family relay race:  Grammy Karen and Grampy Greg flew into Denver from Indianapolis on Saturday; the next day, after a quick Mother's Day lunch, I left Denver for Los Angeles in order to pay a visit to my precious new nephew, only missing my mom's departure from LA for DC by a few hours.  


As excited as I was to visit with the little guy and my sister and brother-in-law, I was worried about my plan to be away from Alice for a week. What if she missed me too darn much? What if she didn't sleep well without me in the room next door? What if . . . ?


After receiving daily updates from Matt and Karen, let's just say I feel foolish for ever having worried.  Not only does it seem that Alice is having the time of her life with her grandparents, I'm told that our garden has been weeded, mowed, and adorned with new flowers, delicious meals have been enjoyed each night, and Alice has even, ahem, made a non-liquid deposit in her potty for the first time.  


And, all the while, I've been enjoying snuggles with this sweet boy.


Watching him snooze and carry out very involved, multi-minute, full-body stretch fests.


Learning the tricks of the trade for changing a baby boy's diaper instead of a baby girl's.


Trying to be helpful, but figuring I may as well join in when baby and mommy decide that it's nap time. 


Remembering what it was like during those first few weeks of motherhood when you're exhausted and amazed and enamored and frustrated.


Trying to sound convincing when I say that it really does get easier and that in no time these few months will be a blurry memory. 


Marveling that despite the huge learning curve that comes with the territory of brand new motherhood, this new mommy is doing spectacularly, somehow managing to care for Dylan and still be good company for me at the same time.


Mostly, I've just been enjoying myself, relaxing knowing that my baby is happy and safe in Denver, and feeling grateful that this little peanut has joined the family.