Goodbye Rosie - We Hardly Knew Ya...

Yesterday we bid farewell to our lovable VW bug Rosie. Chris, who drove it to work everyday, was ready for a new car. I, being the sentimental old fool, LOVED that car - it was the perfect social worker car. We bought it on the day we found out I was pregnant with Kate as a form of rebellion. A lot of people, finding out they're pregnant would've been more practical and would've probably bought a minivan or SUV; but NO, we had to be different. Also, my parents had a blue one when I was born - it was the only car at the time that could fit my 6ft.-5 inch father (amazing headroom). Anyway, we now have a Japanese AND German car - so don't tell my grandmother (we didn't tell her about the bug for the same reason) - the Battle of Normandy may as well have been fought yesterday according to her.

OK, so we need to come up with a name for the new car - it's a navy BMW, so something masculine but not German (ie. no Adolf, Hermann, Josef, Goebbels, you get my drift). I was thinking Blue Man. Anyone have any suggestions?

Breakfast with George

Since it's President's Day weekend, Kate, Chris & I made the trek on Saturday morning to Mount Vernon on Saturday. Instead of doing the house tour, we strolled the grounds and got to meet George. Actually, Mama got to meet and get a picture taken with him. George, being well over 7 feet tall and regal in his uniform, was a little too imposing for Kate, so she stayed away from him. Mama loved the trees on the estate - especially the walnut tree that was planted in the early 1800s!

Happy Valentine's Day

OK - I'm an old sap - I LOVE Valentine's Day. I've never been cynical about it. I wear pink, red, and eat chocolate unapologetically. I think Kate has inherited this gene - she got so jazzed about making cards for her school friends and loved receiving them.

As for Chris, all this week has been a reminder of how much I love him. On Sunday, we went to his friend Reuben's engagement party. It was like 2000 all over again - Reuben and Roy were both there. If it hadn't been for these two guys, I may have never met my husband. I was thinking too of the top reasons I love him so much and here goes:

10)He's genuinely sweet - so many countless occurrences that I can't name them all.
9) He's tall, dark and handsome - yeah, this is such a cliche, but it's true.
8) He takes the "in sickness and in health" thing seriously. I don't think many people would've gone to their wife's radiation treatment with her every day at 7:30am for six weeks.
7)He's not a breast man or has any weird porn fetishes- good thing, with me having 1 1/2 breasts, he would've been sadly disappointed otherwise.
6)He's not now nor has ever been part of a cult. If you had known me from 1998-1999, you'd know what I'm talking about.
5)He listens to my a.m. descriptions of the weird dreams that I have and/or tells me of my sleepwalking escapades.
4) He's constantly singing - and he has a good voice (thankfully).
3) He's smart, without the elitist attitude, and can enjoy movies ranging from the obscure to the ridiculous (read: 40-year Old Virgin, Superbad)
2) He gave me Kate - the best present I've ever received. Totally worth the 18-hour labor.
1) OK, since this is the #1 reason, it has to be good. I have to go back to the Pablo Neruda sonnet read at our wedding to sum up everything:
***********************************************
Sonnet XVII

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
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I love you honey - Happy Valentine's Day!

Politics & (Kate) Prose

Due to living in VA surrounded by political conservatives and name-dropping lobbyists and their wives (ok - thankfully not THAT many - it IS NORTHERN VA!) - I've been having nightmares that my daughter has turned into a female Alex P. Keaton (read: a Lily Pulitzer wearing brunette Ann Coulter). Luckily, Super Tuesday eased my fears. Kate & I went to the polls to vote for Super Tuesday, and she was with me when I cast my vote for Obama the Great. The best thing for her was that she got a "I voted" sticker. The best thing for me (which quelled my fears for now) is that on our way home, we were stopped by some Republican guy named Fillmore (Elmore? something like that), who wanted me to sign a petition to put him on the ballot for the upcoming congressional election. Kate absolutely put her foot down after he requested my signature shouting at him "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO - GO HOME and EAT!!!!!!!" So much for politeness in politics - poor guy doesn't stand a chance with this family. Now I can rest easy.....

The Potty Chronicles

Yesterday was a big day in the big potty-training scheme of things. I told Kate that we were going to Target and that she was going to pick out her first pair of "big girl pants." She was VERY excited - for a while now, she's been aware of the difference between wearing her diaper and me wearing "big girl pants." We get to Target, she gets into the cart, and we head over to the kids underwear aisle. Right away, eagle-eye Kate sees the knickers she wants - the ones with Dora and Boots on them - and they're on the bottom row. I stoop down to fish through the bottom rack to find her size. Kate is so excited that she kicks me in the face and I end up doubled over in the floor in Target.

This is going to be interesting.....

Woulda Shoulda Coulda

OK, I have an addendum to my 2008 New Years Resolution list - to get a freakin' flu shot. You'd think that having a two year old would've prompted me to do so as soon as they were available, but NO, this makes my fourth straight day laying on the couch feeling and looking like the living dead. Obviously, I've had a lot of time to think about this, and I think the shot tops the running shoes hands down. I haven't left my house since Friday am and I feel (and probably look) like a troll in a cave. Chris & Kate and my neighbor and friend Marianne have been great though - thanks so much for your help! It's bad when you can't even take care of your own kid, much less yourself. Now on to my big outing today - I think I've reserved enough strength to go to the grocery store. One good thing that did come out of this - I finished a truly wonderful book - "Suite Francaise" by Irene Nimorovsky. The author was actually deported to and died at Auschwitz and her manuscript for this book was found only a few years ago. The book is about the Nazi occupation of France and how people from different socio-economic groups live with their occupiers. Highly recommend it! Anyway, as you can tell, no pictures were allowed this week - at least until the circles under my eyes disappear.