this was so cute, i thought it deserved it's own post. nissa and i were hanging out and i needed to go change loads of laundry. she was in a cozy mood (kept climbing into my lap) so i set her on the couch next to where gibson was laying. since handy manny was on, she sat sucking her thumb next to gibson while i changed loads, then for a long while after i came back and started folding clothes. i was able to get the camera, come back to the couch and capture a few seconds of the extreme cuteness. gibson is in sleepy bliss with is head near her lap. nissa is intently watching TV gently petting gibson's face (which is unusual for her). man o man.
Monday, January 25, 2010
so much to say, so little time
first and foremost, i have to say you know you're sick when every pocket you reach into has a used tissue in it and you are taken completely by surprise by a poopy diaper. that about sums up my first day out of the house since wednesday. yipes. yep, nissa generously shared her cold with me. . . jerk! a cute jerk, but still. how can you really stay mad (or even get mad in the first place) at a little person that climbs up onto you, puts her head on your chest, tucked under your chin and sucks her thumb in cozy comfort? you can't. plain and simple.
the last time i was out of the house was to take nissa to the doctor's office for her follow up H1N1 flu shot. fortunately it was only with a nurse, so i didn't have to pay the copay and it was very fast. to my relief, nissa had all of about 30 seconds of crying in response, then was completely a-ok. even when we walked next door to get blood drawn for her iron test, she only had a brief "what the heck" moment, then was back to her normal self. she's one tough cookie, that one. and it's good to know that when she's not getting 4 shots in one visit, she can be consoled without going to the breast. . . i'm firmly thinking of my exit strategy at every turn!
we're chalking up nissa's wakeful nights from last week to a new tooth on the scene. it's on the bottom, on nissa's right of the two that are there. this will be the first solo appearance! all 6 of her current teeth arrived in pairs. i'm still working on capturing it, and her 2 new ones on top on film, but no such luck just yet. it was an amusing adventure to try and show grandma and grandpa g with the webcam- they had to stay alert and i ended up with a slimy finger, but i think we got the message across.
nissa has taken such a liking to her climber, it really makes me happy we made the investment. we set it up in the front room, mostly because that's where it was delivered to and i had to set it up immediately. it was like a compulsion. nissa insists on climbing up every time she's in the room with it and even just today, when given the opportunity to crawl freely upstairs, made a bee line straight for it as i was picking up her room before putting her to bed (i'm hoping to lead by example on that one- putting toys away before bed. . . nissa helps sometimes). in the dark, she cralwed straight through to the climber and was most of the way up the stairs when i caught up to her and turned on a light. i love that she's not afraid of the dark! until recently, she would crawl up, then bop around on the landing until i offer or she asks to slide- where i put her on her bottom and she pulls herself (holding my hands) to slide down. she can sit, but doesn't always do it by request, so hasn't figured out the advantage to doing so for the slide. anyways, the last 2 times we've climbed she's gotten herself down from standing on the landing and pushed herself backwards (belly down, feet first) down the slide. she really seems to like it that way! i think she appreciates being able to do it by herself, and i like that she's found a reasonably safe way to enjoy the slide. not like her insistence on climbing up the slide, or standing on the rocking chair in her room! man, the latter gives me a heart attack every time. she's only fallen over once while climbing up, but i dread the day that it happens. oi. to be the mother of a monkey.
my little monkey is also a little tough girl. the other day grandpa a told me a story about how nissa dragged her carseat (she's still in the carrier-style) from the door to the couch in their front room. that's the length of the room! she just decided it was time to move it and did it all by herself- which is no small feat, since the carseat is not exactly light. she tried picking up her music activity table the other day too. still not sure where she was planning to go with it, but she was determined! sometimes she even seems to walk better when she's carrying something. guess she needs the distraction?
nissa's independence is also carrying over to the dinner table. every night we eat as a family at the dining room table with nissa in her "my little seat". i usually give her her food on a plate (thank goodness for corelle) and let her feed herself. of course, this means a) we all eat better so nissa can eat healthy and b) i usually make something i that lends itself to being cut into little pieces. i've been giving her a spoon too (real deal) to get her used to that. 9 times out of 10 this means being serenaded by a clanking melody (dad often chimes in), but i try to recommend eating with the spoon, instead of hanging. just like i recommend drinking the cup contents instead of spilling it out, or leaving the food on the plate unless it's going to her mouth; but it's just a recommendation. . . clearly. anyways, nissa will occasionally "use" the spoon, with little if any luck. today, as we enjoyed some paprikash, nissa successfully navigated some noodles onto her spoon, then into her mouth! the bite was a bit big for polite standards, but i was so impressed by the effort, i didn't mind. i'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon enough, but i know it'll be slow when she can just grab food with either hand and shove it in.
another talent that is slowly taking form is nissa's language skills. we are mostly at a grunt-and-point level of communication, with food, drink and being held being the most commonly requested items. i've tried (inconsistently) to use sign language, but with the exception of done/enough, it doesn't get used much. i do try to make a concerted effort to narrate activities in anticipation of the words coming soon enough. the other day we were playing with a winnie the pooh themed toy and i pointed out tigger. i swear she said "tigger" right after me. and grandma a swears nissa said "grandma" after she said it. who knows. we'd like to think it happened. but the coolest thing this weekend was watching nissa "read" while on the changing table (the latest effort in changing distraction) when she looked me right in the eye and said "momma" as if she was telling me something about what she was reading. i think she meant it that time. usually "mama" means "i want something" or "pick me up". it rarely means me.
wow. i got it all in. excellent. i'm glad that i find the time to do this once in a while. i'm full of cute little stories about what my lil' pumpkin is up to, but i forget them soon enough and with my brain as lacking as it is, i need something to track them until she's old enough to appreciate them too.
the last time i was out of the house was to take nissa to the doctor's office for her follow up H1N1 flu shot. fortunately it was only with a nurse, so i didn't have to pay the copay and it was very fast. to my relief, nissa had all of about 30 seconds of crying in response, then was completely a-ok. even when we walked next door to get blood drawn for her iron test, she only had a brief "what the heck" moment, then was back to her normal self. she's one tough cookie, that one. and it's good to know that when she's not getting 4 shots in one visit, she can be consoled without going to the breast. . . i'm firmly thinking of my exit strategy at every turn!
we're chalking up nissa's wakeful nights from last week to a new tooth on the scene. it's on the bottom, on nissa's right of the two that are there. this will be the first solo appearance! all 6 of her current teeth arrived in pairs. i'm still working on capturing it, and her 2 new ones on top on film, but no such luck just yet. it was an amusing adventure to try and show grandma and grandpa g with the webcam- they had to stay alert and i ended up with a slimy finger, but i think we got the message across.
nissa has taken such a liking to her climber, it really makes me happy we made the investment. we set it up in the front room, mostly because that's where it was delivered to and i had to set it up immediately. it was like a compulsion. nissa insists on climbing up every time she's in the room with it and even just today, when given the opportunity to crawl freely upstairs, made a bee line straight for it as i was picking up her room before putting her to bed (i'm hoping to lead by example on that one- putting toys away before bed. . . nissa helps sometimes). in the dark, she cralwed straight through to the climber and was most of the way up the stairs when i caught up to her and turned on a light. i love that she's not afraid of the dark! until recently, she would crawl up, then bop around on the landing until i offer or she asks to slide- where i put her on her bottom and she pulls herself (holding my hands) to slide down. she can sit, but doesn't always do it by request, so hasn't figured out the advantage to doing so for the slide. anyways, the last 2 times we've climbed she's gotten herself down from standing on the landing and pushed herself backwards (belly down, feet first) down the slide. she really seems to like it that way! i think she appreciates being able to do it by herself, and i like that she's found a reasonably safe way to enjoy the slide. not like her insistence on climbing up the slide, or standing on the rocking chair in her room! man, the latter gives me a heart attack every time. she's only fallen over once while climbing up, but i dread the day that it happens. oi. to be the mother of a monkey.
my little monkey is also a little tough girl. the other day grandpa a told me a story about how nissa dragged her carseat (she's still in the carrier-style) from the door to the couch in their front room. that's the length of the room! she just decided it was time to move it and did it all by herself- which is no small feat, since the carseat is not exactly light. she tried picking up her music activity table the other day too. still not sure where she was planning to go with it, but she was determined! sometimes she even seems to walk better when she's carrying something. guess she needs the distraction?
nissa's independence is also carrying over to the dinner table. every night we eat as a family at the dining room table with nissa in her "my little seat". i usually give her her food on a plate (thank goodness for corelle) and let her feed herself. of course, this means a) we all eat better so nissa can eat healthy and b) i usually make something i that lends itself to being cut into little pieces. i've been giving her a spoon too (real deal) to get her used to that. 9 times out of 10 this means being serenaded by a clanking melody (dad often chimes in), but i try to recommend eating with the spoon, instead of hanging. just like i recommend drinking the cup contents instead of spilling it out, or leaving the food on the plate unless it's going to her mouth; but it's just a recommendation. . . clearly. anyways, nissa will occasionally "use" the spoon, with little if any luck. today, as we enjoyed some paprikash, nissa successfully navigated some noodles onto her spoon, then into her mouth! the bite was a bit big for polite standards, but i was so impressed by the effort, i didn't mind. i'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon enough, but i know it'll be slow when she can just grab food with either hand and shove it in.
another talent that is slowly taking form is nissa's language skills. we are mostly at a grunt-and-point level of communication, with food, drink and being held being the most commonly requested items. i've tried (inconsistently) to use sign language, but with the exception of done/enough, it doesn't get used much. i do try to make a concerted effort to narrate activities in anticipation of the words coming soon enough. the other day we were playing with a winnie the pooh themed toy and i pointed out tigger. i swear she said "tigger" right after me. and grandma a swears nissa said "grandma" after she said it. who knows. we'd like to think it happened. but the coolest thing this weekend was watching nissa "read" while on the changing table (the latest effort in changing distraction) when she looked me right in the eye and said "momma" as if she was telling me something about what she was reading. i think she meant it that time. usually "mama" means "i want something" or "pick me up". it rarely means me.
wow. i got it all in. excellent. i'm glad that i find the time to do this once in a while. i'm full of cute little stories about what my lil' pumpkin is up to, but i forget them soon enough and with my brain as lacking as it is, i need something to track them until she's old enough to appreciate them too.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
beginning of the end
last night nissa went to bed without nursing. it wasn't without trying, but when she was more interested in giggling than the task at hand, i packed up, sung her a lullaby and put her down. she hasn't nursed for long the last few nights, but i chalked that up to having a cold (and it's so hard for her, holding her breath). i'll keep offering a few more nights, i think. though the prospect of getting myself back to myself is kinda exciting. i had a taste of it over the weekend, and it was nice.
in reality, the prospect of our nursing relationship coming to a close couldn't come at a better time. . . nissa has been super lovey lately! always wanting to be picked up, giving hugs, giving kisses even! all those months of showering affection on a kid that squirmed away was worth it. don't get me wrong, she still squirms away more often than not when you initiate the kisses, but it's always nice to get some unsolicited kisses too. her most adorable moments come in the evenings when we're on the couch watching TV and she'll walk up to adam and kiss him right on the lips. and the affection does not stop with family! stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes are getting hugs galore. gibson gets the occasional kiss attempt, but he usually takes over with his own kisses. appealing pictures in books are getting regular kisses for sure. it's too cute for words. perhaps i should define kissing, nissa-style: pushing her mouth against something while humming. used to be a lips-pulled-in, mouth open approach, but now her mouth is usually closed or mostly closed. it's really funny to watch.
here she is in action, on christmas:
in reality, the prospect of our nursing relationship coming to a close couldn't come at a better time. . . nissa has been super lovey lately! always wanting to be picked up, giving hugs, giving kisses even! all those months of showering affection on a kid that squirmed away was worth it. don't get me wrong, she still squirms away more often than not when you initiate the kisses, but it's always nice to get some unsolicited kisses too. her most adorable moments come in the evenings when we're on the couch watching TV and she'll walk up to adam and kiss him right on the lips. and the affection does not stop with family! stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes are getting hugs galore. gibson gets the occasional kiss attempt, but he usually takes over with his own kisses. appealing pictures in books are getting regular kisses for sure. it's too cute for words. perhaps i should define kissing, nissa-style: pushing her mouth against something while humming. used to be a lips-pulled-in, mouth open approach, but now her mouth is usually closed or mostly closed. it's really funny to watch.
here she is in action, on christmas:
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
hair cut!
so, having not cut my hair short (above my shoulders) since college, and early college at that, i gave it a whirl on monday! i had been threatening adam for a couple of weeks now that i'd cut it, i'm kinda relieved that i made good on my threats.
i went over to big hair on roscoe, the best salon in the city! that place is what supercuts only aspires to be- affordable, but still hip. i am happy every time i go there: handy location, reasonably short wait, and the staff are all dripping with equal parts cool and professional.
so i asked for my hair to be hacked and even brought along a zip topped bag to collect the evidence. what was left was expertly cut up into a medium bob that looks AWESOME after washing and zero styling. i can only imagine how cute it'll look when i actually try to do so. and what a pleasant change- cute hair! i rationalized to adam that there was no point in having long hair if i kept it up in a bun day and night. it was too long for me to manage well, so it had to go for now. give it time, it'll be back!
back at work, folks have been pleasantly surprised by my new 'do and i appreciate the reception. what strikes me as ironic is folks have commented that it makes me look younger, but it makes me notice my growing collection of gray hairs! admittedly, i don't have many, but apparently they've been hiding in the wings and now that i parted my hair differently, BAM there they are. oh well. better start embracing them, because it's only down hill from here in that department. as i recall, my mom was completely gray by 35, so how can i expect my experience to be much different? i should confirm that with her, but i know it's about right. i distinctly remember being picked up by her from school (preschool/kindergarten) and one of my classmates asked me if that was my grandma. uh no, dummy. that's my mom.
i'm pleased to report that nissa has been pleasantly indifferent to my haircut. i also have another memory (maybe from being told about it?) of my mom coming home with a short perm and being petrified of her. i did not like the change whatsoever! i'm sure it broke my mom's heart at the time and it would make me miserable if it happened to me, so i'm glad i didn't have to deal with it.
i'm also happy to report that i'll be donating my cut hair to locks of love. if i recall correctly, this will be my 4th donation. it's a bit longer than 12 inches in it's braided form, so it's probably closer to 13-14 inches long. i hope whomever gets my hair enjoys it as much as i did. i kept it in pretty good shape, you know. . .
i went over to big hair on roscoe, the best salon in the city! that place is what supercuts only aspires to be- affordable, but still hip. i am happy every time i go there: handy location, reasonably short wait, and the staff are all dripping with equal parts cool and professional.
so i asked for my hair to be hacked and even brought along a zip topped bag to collect the evidence. what was left was expertly cut up into a medium bob that looks AWESOME after washing and zero styling. i can only imagine how cute it'll look when i actually try to do so. and what a pleasant change- cute hair! i rationalized to adam that there was no point in having long hair if i kept it up in a bun day and night. it was too long for me to manage well, so it had to go for now. give it time, it'll be back!
back at work, folks have been pleasantly surprised by my new 'do and i appreciate the reception. what strikes me as ironic is folks have commented that it makes me look younger, but it makes me notice my growing collection of gray hairs! admittedly, i don't have many, but apparently they've been hiding in the wings and now that i parted my hair differently, BAM there they are. oh well. better start embracing them, because it's only down hill from here in that department. as i recall, my mom was completely gray by 35, so how can i expect my experience to be much different? i should confirm that with her, but i know it's about right. i distinctly remember being picked up by her from school (preschool/kindergarten) and one of my classmates asked me if that was my grandma. uh no, dummy. that's my mom.
i'm pleased to report that nissa has been pleasantly indifferent to my haircut. i also have another memory (maybe from being told about it?) of my mom coming home with a short perm and being petrified of her. i did not like the change whatsoever! i'm sure it broke my mom's heart at the time and it would make me miserable if it happened to me, so i'm glad i didn't have to deal with it.
i'm also happy to report that i'll be donating my cut hair to locks of love. if i recall correctly, this will be my 4th donation. it's a bit longer than 12 inches in it's braided form, so it's probably closer to 13-14 inches long. i hope whomever gets my hair enjoys it as much as i did. i kept it in pretty good shape, you know. . .
Saturday, January 9, 2010
the eyebrow!
so, not many people can raise one eyebrow. i can. my right, to be precise. it's helpful to convey confusion, doubt, skepticism. . . or just make a funny face.
this morning, when nissa woke up, i came in and asked her a bunch of questions. one of which (not sure which, but would make a better story) elicited a lowered right eyebrow. not quite the raised, but the two moves work together, right? i was excited by the look, which perplexed her further. :D
nissa may have daddy's eyebrows, but she's got my eyebrow muscles!
this morning, when nissa woke up, i came in and asked her a bunch of questions. one of which (not sure which, but would make a better story) elicited a lowered right eyebrow. not quite the raised, but the two moves work together, right? i was excited by the look, which perplexed her further. :D
nissa may have daddy's eyebrows, but she's got my eyebrow muscles!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
4 years ago. . .
it occurred to me this morning, as i was getting ready for work, that a scant 4 years ago yesterday adam proposed. he tortured me with assisting him with the logistical issues in making the purchase. he tortured me further by having the box sit next to me during dinner (which he made, and was delicious). he offered a wonderfully worded, sentimental but honest proposal to which i'm not even sure i responded to. later that evening, i was sure i had let bridgeport out for his evening constitutional because i remember admiring how sparkly the ring was in the light. ah memories. now all i have to do is loose my lingering maternity weight so i can fit the beautiful ring on my finger comfortably again. that, and get the setting fixed yet again. i LOVE that ring, but the setting loosens over time and i can't bear the idea of loosing that beautiful diamond.
the snow is streaming down right now in the tiny beautiful flakes that pile up quickly and sparkle in the light. i love it, but hate to drive in it. i just hope i'm able to take nissa and gibson out for a walk in it this evening. i think they'd both love it, but gibson especially!
the snow is streaming down right now in the tiny beautiful flakes that pile up quickly and sparkle in the light. i love it, but hate to drive in it. i just hope i'm able to take nissa and gibson out for a walk in it this evening. i think they'd both love it, but gibson especially!
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