The Kiddie Cocktail

Nothing but bullet points

This is all I got. New year, schmew year.

• Our holidays were pretty good. There was as much lazing around as one can do without a lot of childcare, without a lot of vacation time and with a small, speedy, demanding and loud child around. For the sake of some peace and wine, I did introduce Dora the Explorer into our household, a move which I may live to terribly, terribly regret. I tried to make sure we ate well, listened to Christmas music, and that the house was full of pretty lights, decorations and booze cheer.

 

• The Olive had a really good time. She loved having us home, loved the nights we did drinks and snacks in front of the fire instead of sitting down for dinner. She got lots of great gifts, but not too many. She walked around the house saying "It's Christmas time! It's Christmas time!" She was adorable about wanting to open presents and more presents, but was sweet and accepting when we told her Christmas was over and there weren't any more presents. Sometimes, I think I couldn't ask for a better kid. Except when I want to put her in a box with airholes and ship her to China.

 

• My mom came for a week. I think we all had a good time. Except for the fateful day we all tried to do a Capitol tour. It began with Seth bailing on the tour and going home to save our $50 worth of fancy travel coffee mugs and Nalgene bottles and organic food from being thrown in the trash, because you can't bring ANYTHING into the Capitol. ANYTHING. Not EMPTY WATER BOTTLES, people. My mom and I bailed on the tour about 15 minutes in, when it was apparent that it was a dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, DUMB idea to bring a toddler along who can't fathom why she should not be allowed to run like a rabid raccoon around the Rotunda, shouting "Look! Windows! Lights! Statues!" Our morning ended with an actual head wound on a marble step in the Vistor's Center, FTW!
• New Year's. Pffft. The thing about New Year's Day, just now? it's not a holiday. I can't stay up late. Because it's going to be just another day where someone demands my attention full throttle at 6:00 am. I was asleep by 9:30 on New Year's Eve. I did make a really awesome dinner for the Eve. Marinated steak, Pioneer Woman's shrimp, parmesan mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, some great bread, pastries from a local bakery, and wine, beautiful wine.
• I am opposed to New Year's resolutions. People set impossible goals, never keep them, and end up disappointed and without any change in their lives. It's the false hope of New Year's which is itself an overblown, overhyped occasion. More on that...some other time.
• That said, damn it if I didn't start thinking about what I could do better. At the top of the list: be a better wife. Gonna start with actually hiring a babysitter once in awhile. I so have control and micromanaging tendencies. They are magnified about ten thousand fold when it comes to The Preshus Child. Hence, we've barely had any babysitters (other than family) for two entire years. I know. Roll your eyes at me, tell me I'm overreacting. The kid will be fine. I am. I know. You are totally right.
• And I want to write. More. Better. Faster. Pussycat! Over 2010, I discovered so many more amazing writers here on the interwebs, people who brought me to my knees with beauty, tears, and gut-busting laughs. You inspire me, all of you.
• You can see I'm off to a REALLY FUCKING GREAT start with that "more writing" thing as I am finally posting for the first time in over a month with bullet points.
• I also want to take more photos. More! Better! Faster! Yeah, you know. My 35 mm f/1.8 lens changed my life last year. It's fast, I learned about bokeh. I shot great, different stuff; just not enough of it. This year, more of that, plus trying my hand at Photoshop, which I finally sucked up and purchased.
• I so covet one of these bags. I am sure that the second I get it, my photos will dramatically improve. Fortunately, my birthday is coming up and I think I have already wheedled my way into this bag. I'm coming for you, Annie Liebowitz!
• And now I would like 4 extra hours in each day, in which I am not doing anything for anyone else or eating or sleeping, so I can actually write something coherent, and climb up the very steep learning curve of Photoshop.
• Speaking of sleep. this time of year kills me. Just kills me. Almost literally. I don't do well with the lack of light. I don't have an office with a window. I have to actually go outside to see the sun, and brrr. I'm taking vitamin D and getting exercise to try to combat this, but I'm not sure it's working. Yesterday, an amount of coffee that should have had a Clydesdale tap-dancing still left me ready to crawl in bed at 5:00 or sooner. I used to like winter. I think I used to get outside more. I also used to have the freedom to lie on the sofa all day, wrapped in a blanket, alternately dozing and watching movies. Hibernating. Small children are not conducive to the hibernation state. Goddamn, she really wears me out, but I guess I love her anyway. Anyone with winter coping advice or crack or coke or uppers will be welcomed with open arms and more booze.
• In other news, only 59 days until we get Daylight Savings Time again. Fo' serious. March 13, y'all. I'll see you when the sun comes back.

Portrait of a weekend

Because Saturday was supposed to be (and was!) below 90 degrees and 90% humidity, we went to check out a new park. Where we tried not to be insanely jealous of all the nice, well-maintained public stuff that you can find across the border in Arlington County, and then made ourselves feel better about it because we don't have to pay the taxes, or live in a suburban neighborhood where you have to drive everywhere, and hey, we can just come here any old time we want and enjoy your stupid really nice parks, Virginia. Without paying taxes. So there.

Taken just a few minutes before the Olive's first ever run-in with a very thorny bush. So much for nature loving.

Then we went home to the city and played with stuff that was more familiar to our neighborhood.

Rocks, bricks, caution tape. That's how we toddle roll in the W D of C. 

I always try to cook something awesome on the weekends, because we have more time, both of us are home to baby-wrangle, and the Olive will sit still in a restaurant for approximately 1.7 seconds, so we don't go to those so much anymore. There were corn tortillas and avocados lying around my kitchen, and some roasted peppers and tomatoes destined for salsa, so fish tacos it was.

Fish taco fixins. Plus random mozzarella that just needed to be eaten.

Deep frying makes everything better. Especially battered tilapia. 

A dearth of lemons in my house on Friday led to French 75 fail, so we had to drink them on Saturday. There are no photos, because once I got one in my hand I couldn't set it down long enough to take a picture. And damn, those things are stronger than I remember. Damn, I'm getting old.

After I passed out slept soundly due to my French 75 sleep aid, I woke up early with the Olive on Sunday. (Girl is an outstanding and energetic alarm clock that works great as long as you want to be up by six. And "by six" also includes "before six" which, eh, is just the way it is. COFFEE.) It was supposed to rain on and off all day, so it was going to be a stick around the house/neighborhood sort of day.

Our first order of business was to take the doll stroller for a walk and drag it up and down every flight of stairs on Capitol Hill. Like these:

And these:

And these:

And these:

Yeah, I wasn't kidding about those stairs. It's all I can do to keep her from going up EVERY SINGLE STOOP on the Hill. I think she sees all those stairs as mountains to be conquered...because they are there. Which makes it hard to, you know, just take a walk down the sidewalk.

It started to rain, so we went back home, got our raincoats, and went back out until lunch.

 
Leaky drainpipe - practically as good as a spray park.

Then came lunch, nap, and Papa Playtime, where a few of the dads in our neighborhood took the kids over to a local playground. I was at home ALONE for like, two whole HOURS, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I got all the chores done, made dinner, felt both free and very lonely, and sat around downloading all these photos until the Olive and Seth came home.

Dinner (baked pasta), some "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" (Olive's current favorite song), storytime, and bedtime for the Olive. Wine, ice cream & True Blood for Mama & Papa. The end. I got my money's worth out of this one.