They say it's your birthday.

Today was a perfect day. No, really, it was. Absolutely from start to finish. Except, maybe, that I am so overly stuffed with Luau Salad and Vanilla Bean Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, if you can even say that calls for an exception.

Alla has this new thing where she gets up on her own. It's like after four months of having the ability to climb out of bed on her own, she's finally gotten up the guts to actually do it herself. She turns on her light, then steps out into the dark hallway. We sort of have to call to her for her to come into our room. I am so glad our rooms are right next to each other so I can hear her when she then closes her door and appears disoriented there in the dark for a few moments.

So that's how the birthday started, lots of snuggling in our bed. This is how we start every morning. Since like her birth or something.

We had a lazy day. Ron made me breakfast, and while he made it, I got to lie in bed and read a book. Alla helped me finish the frosting for my White Chocolate Raspberry Cake. Yep, it's my own special cake from Terry that she used to make me and now that she's too far away I make myself. It is very labor-intensive! So I don't get to make it every year, and I'm very stingy with it as a result. Because it's divine. That cake is pictured above.

We had lunch and presents and cake. Yes I agreed to open presents at lunch. This is big for me. I like to savor. Meaning the presents can wait til right before bed. But Alla begged and begged and could not contain her excitement to see what was inside of the wrapping paper, so I caved. And so glad I did, cause what wonderful things to bring me joy!

Ron took a few 32 week photos during nap. Can't believe there's only two of these little photo sessions left, and then I'll be photographing my newborn! So unsure of why I have a giant watermelon for a belly, but apparently there's a baby in there that has decided upon needing that much room. Here's a nice one, followed by one that is clearly intended to show you exactly how giant of a belly I am growing.

After the little one's nap we ventured to The Cheesecake Factory, where the above-mentioned indulging occurred. Yum.

My family is amazing. My husband is super generous and giving and goes out of his way to make me happy. My daughter is just the sweetest, smartest, pluckiest little thing a mama could ask for. Do you know that when the waitress came to leave us a dessert menu, Alla called after her, "Excuse me!" We told her the waitress would be back and she could ask her then. So of course she came back a few minutes later for our dessert order, and Ron ordered his oreo slice and my vanilla bean slice, and Alla wanted so badly to tell her what she wanted but her mouth was full, so she asked her to wait til she finished her food. Then she said, "Excuse me, I want some ice cream." So outgoing, this one. We were really proud of (and impressed with) her.

Are you getting the picture of a full, relaxing day in which I have felt truly loved and appreciated?

Here's the best part, if I may go back to how the day began. We're all three in bed snuggling, it's kind of dark, we haven't opened the curtains yet (kind of wished we had, looking back), and Alla decides that our bed is an ocean and she has to go swimming, and furthermore, she cannot do this with her jammies on, so Ron must take them off. She also decides that she cannot swim with her underwear on either, so she removes those and just starts 'swimming' 'through' our bed. And then she's done and comes back and asks for her jammies again.

Yes, folks, that's the kind of kid we have. The kind where you just don't know what you're gonna get, but you know it's going to be pretty darn good.

Flashback Friday.

We sat down at lunchtime today with two photo albums from Alla's first few months, and she thoroughly enjoyed this trip down Mama's Memory Lane, asking who's holding me there, and what's Alla doing in that picture? Uh, that's you sucking on my chin, honey. Well here she's four days shy of a month old. Already full of personality.

More talent on display.

If you thought the first Jody Wenner Original was stunning, wait til you see the second.

I Heart Thursdays.

Oh so you thought you were going to get the post about how the mama was just beside herself leaving her little girl on the first day of presschol.

I nearly skipped back to the car.

You thought I'd just weep in the parking lot for two and a half hours?

I sped to Target and Marshall's. OK, so I did buy the little girl a Valentine's present. Yeah I was thinking about her.

But seriously, Thursdays are the best. I'm running all over town crossing things off my list, unencumbered. Next week: massage. Check.

And, yes, the girl did fine. Great, even. She actually did gallop all the way to her classroom, quickly found something to play with, had to be reminded to wash her hands first, and then barely kissed me before she got busy again. That's how it went, honestly. She did not even see me walk out. Oh that might have been cause I was skipping.

But of course I had to capture her expression when she saw I was there to pick her up. Note to self: these things happen very very fast, just flip to auto mode next time. OK I had about five whole seconds to capture this because once she saw me she came BOLTING and that's really where a mama almost loses it, when she sees how the little girl is overjoyed to see her she becomes completely overtaken. So between that and her running to me, we definitely don't have a perfect picture, but what we do have is what I felt as she came at me. The hurriedness, the happiness, the excitement of her first day that she did all.by.herself.

A Jody Wenner Original.

You will all be quite jealous when you see what Jody made for Alla.

Isn't it just perfect? Thanks a million, Jody, you are super talented.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Only four weeks til a new Jack.

2. Made these cupcakes for a new mama friend yesterday. Yum.

3. I know you're not supposed to stay in the devil-hot shower for forever in the dry winter weather, but my aching pregnant body cannot deny itself this joy, dry skin or not.

4. What does a pregnant mama have to do to get herself a hoodie that fits? I don't mean the top to my velour sweatsuit. I do not mean Ron's UCLA sweatshirt. I mean a genuine, sweatshirt material, zip up right when you get out of bed and live in the rest of the day, but fit over my big belly (read: maternity) hoodie. It does not exist. But I want it.

5. It was back to school today for us, and that means that on Thursday Alla gets to go by herself. She seems pretty excited, but did ask a little tentatively when we arrived this morning if I was going in with her or not. I'm sure she'll be ok. As for me...must schedule a massage...

6. Susie was right. This IS the best ham and potato soup recipe ever.

7. I am in desperate need of some warm stripey socks that do not slouch, that are high enough for my winter boots, and that do not get holes after a few washings and all-day wearings. I'm really hard on my socks. There must be some brand that can stand up to me.

8. Finished A Thousand Splendid Suns. Great, fast read. Now it's back to Owen Meany. Not as fast. Need some motivation to finish. Want to read Eat, Pray, Love. And look at my hypnobirthing book before, well, the birth.

9. Sleep is the devil.

10. We watched a great movie on Sunday night. Oh, go rent it. And make sure your volume is up when you click on the link so you can hear Falling Slowly. I so need the music. It is delightful. Stunning.

Flashback Friday.

Well since we're in the home stretch before Pondegore's arrival, I thought I'd dig deep into the archives for some never-before-seen shots of the little girl. I didn't start the blog til she was nearly eight months, so there's lots of good stuff to show off.

This was her official poop face. I kid you not. She literally made this face every time she pooped, which was a lot, so it was not hard to capture. I know I have others. But for some reason when I woke up this morning with the idea of dedicating Flashback Fridays to these almost three year old images of my daughter, this one popped into my head. Love it.

Round Two.

Found a few favorites from Christmas with Nana and Pappi. It was a much better idea to divide the gift opening into groups this year, wasn't so overwhelming for Alla.

She is now the proud owner of this just-her-size table and two chairs (other chair reserved for Shrek and his three babies, of course), which we hope will be a permanent fixture in the guest/playroom in the next couple months. A perfect place for her to Color Wonder.This might have been her favorite gift. A real-life preemie diaper in her stocking, just for Baby Rolla. Now if only Jody will show me how to make some real life clothes for this poor baby, we will be in good shape.The annual ornament from Nana & Pappi never disappoints. This year she got a big sister ornament! Oh how true that will be soon.

And lucky me to have captured this one. Alla not quite ready to be social after her nap, and lucky Dada to have gotten the snuggles. Ah it was so nice to have him home for a whole week. Next time he's home that long there will be a new one and the little girl love to figure out. But for now, it's just her. She's our very own love. And those are her words.

Happy 2008!

Wow. Is it really 2008? I remember waking up to 2005 and thinking that it was our baby's birth year. And now it's three years later and our 'baby' is almost three, and the one in my belly has less than ten weeks to grow in there.

If you haven't made a resolution yet, it's not too late. I will even suggest one to you: make sure to check slickdeals every.single.day. Because yesterday I scored the slickest deal EVER: a 3+ pound box of See's chocolates for $1, with free shipping. It will be mine on January 7th.

A dear friend had her second baby boy on Monday, and is already blogging. (Do not expect the same from me.) Congrats Cathy and Rick! And welcome to the world, little Joey.

I got all sorts of scrapbook-reading goodness for Christmas: this and this. Such inspiration!

I'm also glued to A Thousand Splendid Suns. Ron got it 10 days ago at the library, so it's due on Saturday. But since he finished it early, and there's a ginormous wait for it, I'm determined to finish it.

Alla has become quite the little chocoholic.

And lover of oranges. Love.

Wish Ron didn't have to go back to work today. We miss him here.

My back officially aches. Driving sucks, sleeping sucks, sitting here blogging sucks. There must be SOME position that will feel normal.

I'm doing Photo-a-Day for the month of January again. Did that last year, included journaling with each 4x4 photo in an album (ok so the album hasn't been bound yet but I'll put it on my list), so I have a little description of each day/photo. Very fun look at your life when you take a shot a day. There is NO way I could ever commit to one a day for an entire year. But a month is do-able. Here's my shot for today, taking Nana & Pappi to the airport. Our house is awfully quiet now.

Round Two of Christmas is still to come. But for now, Happy New Year!

Last post 'til the New Year.

And it's a good one.

Because I'm going to share some fun memories with you.

From our date night!

Our overnight date night.

That's right. She who has never not been there when the little girl wakes up, that's me, decided to go with her handsome husband for a night away. I even left the giant purse with room for changes of clothes and wipes and crayons and snacks at home and took the swanky new itty bitty red number that Mom and Bob brought me from Florence. Stunning. Couldn't even fit my wallet, that's how dedicated I was to this date thing.

And we went far. All the way to Minneapolis.

But do you know what they have there?

The Melting Pot. 'Nuff said. Don't even need to link it.

Be'wiched, home of the best pastrami and coleslaw in the world.

And Nick and Eddie. Anyone who comes to visit us, ok, anyone who comes to visit us once this baby is no longer a baby and we are no longer getting the hang of it, is getting a trip to Nick and Eddie for the most amazing butterscotch pudding ever.

We literally finished up the sandwich at Be'wiched, then decided spur of the moment (thanks to my memorizing an article in the Star Tribune about the best local restaurants of 2007, which I thought it would take aeons to try out) to head over to Nick and Eddie. See how very saucy we are.

Best of all, we just hung out, the two of us. The old Ron and J.J., not worrying about naps or what to have for breakfast or how many stories to read or if we'll get home before a meltdown. Just hangin. Reading books, staying up, sleeping in. Well, ok, pregnant women don't really sleep in all that well, but I promise I at least did not get out of bed.

Thanks, Nana and Pappi, for those 24 hours of just the two of us.

Round one.

Surprisingly, I took few photos on Christmas Day. I don't think I was prepared for the frenzy. Last year, Alla wanted to open, then play, open, then play. I thought there were too many gifts to open in one setting. But Mama was wrong. She got through them in record time, asking for another and another. Unbelievable.

Santa was good to this little girl. Left her a note and everything, explaining that Rudolph had made a big mess of his carrots, which then caused Alla to immediately stop reading, go get the mini-sweeper, and start cleaning up. A girl after my own heart. Soon after, she spied the gifts downstairs and wanted to go see. Minutes later, she had gotten everyone awake and we were all opening gifts!

Like I said, the opening went by so quickly with paper and itty bitty pieces of kitchen food everywhere, that I spent more time trying to make sure that no gem was mixed up in the garbage than I did snapping away. But what I looked forward to most of all were her Santa gifts, and so there's that. A big girl bed.

And, hidden underneath her new big girl quilt, a blue camera all her own. Ah, the magic.

Christmas week.

Two more days until the Big Guy [hopefully] arrives. I think I've been a good girl. I know Ron has been amazing. And my dear little Alla has been her sweet self all year long.

We're busy here. The family's all in town for the holidays.

The little one made bookmarks for her teachers. She starts her one day of preschool on January 10th. Whoa.

She made cookies this morning. Let's see...we've got Chocolate Crackle a la Martha Stewart, Spellbinders, Potato Chip cookies, Candy Cane cookies, and, best of all, Alla's sugar cookies. All yum. I don't usually bake. I really really don't need the cookies sitting around tempting me. But there's lots of us here to enjoy all the yumminess.

I'll be 29 weeks tomorrow but here's my official 28 week shot via Ron Killins Photography. 11 more weeks??

And, lastly, I am a true California girl at heart, but here's why I love living in Minnesota. You're almost guaranteed a White Christmas, and sometimes you even get these truly lovely serene scenes that some people only dream of.

Better get used to blurry photos.

Because my direct line to Santa leads me to believe he may be fulfilling Alla's one desire in this world, which is to have her very own blue camera.

And if this is the best she can do with Ron's high tech Sony then I'm just warning that what's to come might be slightly worse.

But to view her world through her eyes is a hoot.

Some samples for your viewing pleasure.

I'll spare you the series she took of my still-half-painted-from-the-wedding-six-weeks-ago toes. She actually instructed me to take off my socks.

And I'll leave you with this gem Ron snapped of the three of us from arm's length. Well, Pondegore's trying to sneak in there, too.

And let's be honest, I'll be using loads of her images when I can't seem to get my own out of the camera and onto the screen.

What do you do on your day off?

Well certainly mamas don't actually get 'days off,' per se, but any day we stay at home and do next to nothing feels as close to it as you can get. No running to school or the library or Target or Christmas shopping. Just hanging out. These are the days Alla is happiest. She love love loves to be at home. Good thing, too, cause we'll be doing a lot of it when Pondegore arrives in March.

Yesterday we considered playing in the snow. But seeing as how the temperature hovered around ten, even Alla decided it was too cold. So I brought the snow to her and she played with it in the sink.

Until she had to give her whales and sharks a bath.

And while drying off said whales and sharks, the little one discovered her ballet shoes (which she calls 'bullay shoes'), which she then tried to fit over her footie pajamas. We decided it might work better with a different outfit.

Which led to the tutu. And of course I, knowing these things, told her that ballet dancers always wear tights with their tutus. Well, they do. And buns. What'd you say, Mama? Buns, dear. So she got a little modified bun complete with a big satiny bow and I made my amends with pink for those ten minutes because she turned on the Christmas tunes and danced around on my bed for awhile. Started with plies (her words not mine) and then did her kicks just like the big dancers (The Rockettes, of course), and that was that. The tights stayed on through nap and all the way til bath, when they were tossed due to the giant hole that had formed in the right foot. Which only made her look more like a real ballet dancer.

I told her when she's three she can take ballet. I can totally deal with pink in ballet form.

Welcome to the third trimester.

Well here we are.

The time when you just get bigger and most things get harder.

And then there's that line on my belly all the time from most everything being too tight.

Only 13 weeks to go.

It's a stay at home day.

Like I've said before, these kinds of days are the BEST. Especially today when it's snowing. When we had hot chocolate after lunch. Note to self: get to the store for more marshmallows. Actually, just get to the store - period. We have no bread, no milk, and no options for dinner besides fish sticks. Pizza Thursday? NOOOOOOOO! What are you thinking??




We are trying to perfect a fine balance of doing nothing (it's almost three and we're still in pajamas, and if we do get to the store, I for one will be wearing some variation of these pajamas), Mama cleaning the house, and both of us playing together. My thought for today is, how on earth does the house get cleaned when it's not just her and I but her and I and a new one?


Well plenty of time to worry about that later.

My other wonder for today is what you all eat for lunch. Alla has either a peanut butter sandwich or Annie's mac n cheese. I'm not concerned about her. I'm getting bored, so if you have a super lunch, share share share! I love sandwiches, but turkey, cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato gets boring. As does grilled cheese, and tuna, and peanut butter. And even soup. So any new ideas?


Lastly, the virtual baby shower gifts have been arriving daily, and I've got a huge drawer full of great baby gifts. And they arrive gift-wrapped, in the cutest containers, with ribbons, and personally written notes from the owners of these companies. LOVE IT! Think we might need to re-do Alla's closet soon, though, just to make room for all that stuff a baby needs. How does one little unborn person have so much?
OK, I'm off to watch last night's Private Practice. Love that show.

And...happy BIG 3-0 AMY!

You know you want to see.

We've been elfed.

Adding two more.

Two new blogs to note:

The Laughrey's (well I'm pretty sure that's Katie, not Wally, blogging there)

and

my own sister, Jenny, blogging about my little niece Emily and their upcoming bundle of joy!

Peace.

Twenty on Tuesday: Let's just see the rest already.

1. Well since it's been three weeks now that we've been back from California, we just need to finish up that little segment and move on with life. So, without further ado, the rest...starting with our trip to Disneyland in which Alla love love loved Eeyore. A friend asked us when we got back if we did the whole princess thing, and I have to say, Alla's not so much into the princess concept. A much bigger fan of Eeyore. Nana did, however, teach her the princess wave, which she requests that we do at random times.

2. She also loved this piano in Goofy's house where you play a key and it makes a silly noise, to which she would respond every single time, oh my! That's the oh my face you're seeing.

3. Best loved song at Disneyland: Yo Ho, hands down. Though Alla did not like the going down part of the ride.

4. Katie and Kelsea on the merry-go-round. Another big thrill for Alla, but if you know anything at all about Alla, it's that she completely adores merry-go-rounds.

5. After a long day with no naps, I think they hardly made it onto the freeway before passing out.

6.
7. The next day, Alla and I headed up to Gramma and Grampa's house in the chilly mountains, where Alla was treated to tea (oh this was a JOY!) which she basically poured all over, but had great great fun with, and Ratatouille, which in case you didn't know, is pronounced "ratty-too-ee."

8. Special chair for big girls.

9. Special time with Gramma and Grampa, who we don't get to see enough.

10. Have to say to my wonderful hosts again, thank you for sharing your beautiful home with us for a week!

11. And thank you for snapping a few of us. I love this pic because you can see Redondo in the background, because we got to eat at Polly's on the Pier which we hadn't gotten around to in four years of living there, and because of those curls that just popped out in the humidity. If someone could bottle that, I would be eternally grateful.

12. Lest you think that I only have photos from a month ago, I will share one from our big snow on Saturday. I think we might have gotten 6ish inches. Ron and Alla made a trip outside midday to make sure the Netflix went out. Priorities.

13. Today she woke up with a head full of bouncy curls that were hardly tangly at all. Daddy takes amazing care to condition her hair every night. So thank you, Daddy, for making my job easier this morning.

14. We have started the 24 days of Christmas countdown for Alla. I would love to tell you that this is some original idea I dreamed up in one of my many sleepless nights, but it's straight out of Martha Stewart. But instead of putting it up on a wall, I'm killing two birds with one stone and decorating the mantel for the holidays.

15. Inside those little boxes are either tiny surprises like a wind-up bath penguin, a piece of paper with an activity on it (tonight we are watching Shrek the Halls - have I mentioned her Shrek obsession?), or a note telling her to look in her kitchen or on her train table, for example, for a bigger prize, like tomorrow's coloring book, or Sunday's Shrek baby. Oh. My. God. When she gets that Shrek baby, I think you might actually be able to hear the shrieks and squeals wherever you are in blogland.

16. Have you gotten your tree yet? Saturday is the big day for us.

17. Are you eating your fill of pomegranates? You've maybe got two months left, so eat up. Sunday's coupons had one for $1 off a pomegranate. And we got three inserts that day. Do they know who they are dealing with? Major loss for them. Whoever them is.

18. What's on your Christmas list? I have an official list, distributed to those who ask. But I'm also harboring a secret desire for both a sewing machine and a typewriter. Don't ask why cause I couldn't tell you. No specific plans for either. No curtains to be made, no books to write. No place to store them either. But I just like the idea of them for creative purposes. Like sewing a bunch on layouts or cards or announcements and typing a bunch on layouts and things to hang on the wall and photographs or announcements. It's just a wild thought, but those are the thoughts you have this dreamy time of year. Maybe I should hit up our local Goodwill.

19. I'm officially 26 weeks and 2 days pregnant. This is the final week of the second trimester.

20. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN! Go wish Megan a happy 3-1 and see what amazing things her husband wrote for her!