Meeting Amalia

Many of you know that I met Laura in grad school. We both remember clearly our first conversation over coffee at the misson cafe, which i drove by recently and noticed is no longer there. so sad.

We sat across from each other and said, flat out, no girl stuff. No comparing, no jealousy, no weird unspoken vibes. Let's not do that. Let's create a safe friendship, where neither one of us thinks otherwise, ever. I've never had a conversation with a friend like that right off the bat. Obviously both of us had been through our fair share of the proto-typical girl friendships and had little patience left for it.

Ever since that day, our friendship began and grew greater and greater and it continues to, free of all the things we "vowed" it wouldn't be. It's become such a source of comfort in my life. I seriously don't ever think about how I look or feel before I see her. I just am where I'm am and I can tell her any of that. She is one of the most giving and compassionate people I know. Her life with Jeff is filled up with amazing friends because of the energy they put out. So authentic and genuinely loving.  It used to be just Laura who would come over and have dinner with us and then Jeff entered our lives too. They got married and soon enough we were having dinner the four of us, instead of the three of us, and getting to know this awesome guy in Laura's life. Brad and I love Jeff as much as Laura. He's such an interesting guy who's doing so many cool things on his career path. I used to worry that we were boring him with our counseling psych talk, but now he totally hangs with us and teaches us about the amazing projects he works on.

Laura & Jeff were scheduled to come over for a "goodbye dinner" a couple years ago. They were headed off on an adventure- going to live in Argentina for 2 or so years. Laura called and cancelled, apologetically. Come to find out a few days later, she told me she had found out that she was pregnant. Little Amalia's life burst open in her body and she began her first part of life on earth- in her mama's belly. They re-scheduled the dinner with us and we still got to have our goodbye dinner, but they didn't change their plans. They were off, and Little Amalia was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in September of 2011.

I have to admit I wanted to shower Laura with baby love at least once a month, the way she had for my pregnancy with Ava. It was hard to have her so far away, but at the same time I was excited for her. So brave to have her first baby so far away from comfortable home.

It was awesome to find out that I was pregnant with Nathan just 4 months later. We shared a good part of pregnancy together. She reminded me of things I had forgotten

We sykped and showed each other our growing bellies and then in December of last year they made their first trip back to the States and we got to meet Amalia!

Here she is with Jeff trying to rock her to sleep.

I was about to burst myself, so pregnant with Nathan, so there aren't many photos of that visit. ;)

They made their second trip to the states this past September.

We got to spend an afternoon with our babies (and have a couple adult dinners).

It was so so fun to watch them interact and see how much Amalia had grown. She is 11 months in these photos. As most babies are, she is such a cool combo of her mom and dad. I think she looks a lot like Jeff, but her big blue eyes are unmistakably Laura's.

What a trip to have our kids play together and be so close in age. 

It doesn't get better than that. To share families with your dearest friends.

We love you Jeff and Laura!

We can't wait for your to be back in the States, but we admire your adventuresome spirits and know this journey will never be regretted or forgotten.

xoxo

Merry Xmas to you in Rio!!

Happy Halloween!

It was a great day! 

If you were peeking through the windows at our house you'd have seen us having a halloween dance party at 7:30am. Monster Mash, Thriller, Purple People Eater, Witch Doctor all blaring while mommy danced in her pjs's with Nathan in arm, and Ava twirling along (oh and daddy looking at us from the kitchen laughing and shaking his head). 10am we were at Ava's school for the Harvest festival. Brad and I had a quick halloween lunch date, a walk and lunch together downtown (thanks to our awesome sitter), naps and then trick-or-treating.

It's always such a joyful experience to trick-or-treat with Ava. She is so enthusiastic and sweet, making the whole thing so fun and everything a parent imagines it might be. It's awesome. I just love hearing her sweet little voice say "trick-or-treat". And this year we had Nathany-buddy with us. Brad actually asked me while we were walking from house to house, "what did we do with him last year?" Duh. "I carried him" I told him, giving him a wink. In Brad's defense, Nathan really is that baby that feels like he was always here and part of this family, so I can see how he thought that for a quick second. It was so cute to celebrate Nathan's first Halloween. Thanks to Uncle Geoff and Auntie Betty he has his costume for this day before he was even born. And how fitting to be a cow, when his absolute favorite food is milk. I mean, that's pretty right on :)

We had this big plan to go back to Johnson St., like we had the year before, but at the last minute we thought "hey, we live in a great neighborhood, let's walk around here and just see what it's like."

Turns out it's full of halloween life! We walked down Nino and off into the cul de sacs.  There were kids gathered for a halloween party, and every door we went to was ready for us. It was super easy and mellow. We started at 4:45, so we were the 1st trick-or-treaters for many, but it was nice to be close to home. We hit every house we saw with decorations outside for a solid hour and then all of us were yawing. It worked out really well. 

We left with 2 happy trick-or-treaters and came home with 2 happy trick-or-treaters.

Aren't they cute?!! 

Little Miss Cupcake and Mr. Cow

And this was their ride. 

what a life this boy has. Such a king.

we headed home, ate dinner and candy for dessert, lit up our pumpkins and our walkway, and waited for our very own trick-or-treaters. 

For Ava I think getting trick-or-treaters was equally as fun as being one. :)

It was another great Halloween.

We are so blessed to live in such a safe and thriving community!

Happy Halloween 2012.

Show us your teeth, Nathan.

Right when he wakes up- that is the best time to take photos of Nathan.

 Now, when we take him out of his crib, our little guy looks back for his blankie.

He's officially attached.

 And there they are! 6 teeth popped through, and they are sharp!

He's so proud of them. They are so cute! Sometimes I catch him feeling them with his tongue. 

I can only imagine he's thinking "hmm, sharp things in my mouth. how did they get there?"

So funny to dream up things babies might be thinking :)

he's coming after me. He wants to eat the camera! 

the teething necklace works wonders!

 whatever is around is fair game to Nathan for biting now, including wet wipes.

Brad says "if Nathan were writing a memoir it would be have to be entitled Eat the World!"

That's mostly what he's up to these days :)

Growing, growing! he's 8 months and 1 week.

He's cruising already!

Next post he'll probably be walking! :)

Oh, no!

our pre-k girl began school!

Ava began her 2nd year of pre-school at Mariposa Montessori earlier this month. 

We are so proud of her brave spirit in a new, much larger classroom with 18 children and 2 teachers. 

It helped that on the very first day back the first teacher she saw was lst was last year's ms. Junko who wrote me this letter on the last day of the school year:

Dear Cassie, 

I would like to say that you again for your love and Ava's. Ava's pure, pearly tears filled me with a lot of love. I was also very touched by both of you when Ava gave me a flower bouquet on Wednesday (I was having a hard time to stop crying afterwards). I am so blessed to have parents like you who have such a loving gentle heart. I will absolutely miss you both next year, but I am glad that I can still see you two at school. Getting know you and Ava is a precious treasure in my life.

Thank you so much again. Have a wonderful summer!

With lots of love, 

Junko.

(a few photos from the last day, last year)

Ms. Nabila, Ava, Ms. Junko

That letter is just a great example of the loving energy at the school.

On the first day back this year, Ms. Junko, having to greet her new 3 day students, paused to give Ava a long heart-felt hug and welcome her back to school. 

After her day was over she got to see Ms. Nabila (who told me privately last year that Ava was one of her favorite students) *you don't really want teachers to have favorites...unless their your own, I guess--ha!) I was touched at how long she held onto Ms. Nabila. It showed me that she built some real attachments last year and it was comforting to her to see them, still there, just a few doors down. It was the best way I could imagine re-entering the environment for Ava.

The adjustment has been very smooth and she seems engaged and actively learning already!

Today on our walk home she told me, " Did you know what mommy? The sun is made of burning gas! And there are other planets, like Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and ummmm....."

"Venus?"

"Yes! Venus, mommy!"

I was a little taken back, to be honest, that she had taken it all in and reiterated it back to me. 

She also told me, "And I'm learning my new teachers names. Do you want me to tell them to you? ...Ms. Grishma and Ms. Felina."

I over excitedly said, "yes! that's right, Ava! Great job remembering!" to which she replied, "but I don't know which one is Ms. Grishma and which one is Ms. Felina."

"that's ok", I said. You will soon enough.

When I picked her up from school this week, Ms. Felina mentioned to me how well behaved Ava is and obedient to the classroom rules. I smiled inside at the thought of how much she challenges us at home. 

Every day after school she plays "school" in the living room. She's not the nicest teacher, I must say, constantly asking the "children" if they are abiding by the RULES! 

I listen from the kitchen and 2 things pass through my silly mind. The first time I wondered, "are her teachers really strict and hard on her?" No, no no, Cassie. Nonsense! Then I remembered how I used to play "school". Just ask Poppi if you want to know. Not the kindest teacher either (sorry Poppi). 

It's so amusing to see her have similar qualities as I had as a kid. Maybe it's just about development, maybe she's exerting her sense of power in her imaginative play.

Either way, it's fun to be around. Never a dull moment with her these days!

I continue to know this is the right school for her. And the right school for me. I really enjoy the others mothers from her class also. They are very down to earth and easy to talk to and build friendships with. I only wish we all moved on to Kindergarten together. But there I go getting way ahead of myself. :)

*thanks to Poppi for snapping this shot of us before we left on her first day

And thanks for G&G for supporting Ava through this amazing school!

We are beyond grateful!

8 months old today!

*check out this blast from the past!*

I found these old photos tucked away in an album we used for our wedding slideshow.

How fun to see what an amazingly perfect combination of the two of us our kids are. 

Brad is 8 months old in these photos. 

don't you just want to squeeze him?! 

He is so cute and has the biggest head ever! hahaha!

That face hasn't changed and I see so much of Ava in him.

And here is me, 6 months old. 

I couldn't look more like a boy (thanks, mom). :))

I see Nathan here too. 

It's just amazing how the combination of genes makes these beautifully unique people.

For some reason, today, that thought fills me with joy that I, in this life, get to experience it. 

I get to look in the faces of my sweet children everyday and see pieces of Brad and myself, all the while knowing, they aren't me, they aren't Brad. They are Nathan and Ava and I get to know them. 

I just feel blessed. 

This is the biggest blessing of my life, I'm sure.

Here's Ava, 7 months old looking so much like Brad, right?

And our boy. 

He's now known as "nathan-y buddy" and "squishy boy" 

both nicknames created by Ava herself and totally sticking for mom and dad too!

my favorite thing about this age is the smiles and the enthusiasm for life.

When I go into his room to get him from a nap or in the morning he pumps his arms up and down and smiles in excitement. These days I find him standing, griping the rails of his crib and balancing.

If he's not doing it there, he's using my leg, or anything he thinks might be stable to try and stand. 

Most things aren't stable, of course, so over the course of a day, between Brad and I, we've literally saved his life hundreds of times.

He's a mover, so if he's not standing, he's crawling.

He's shown us that he knows his name. 

When we call "Nathan" in that sing-song way, he turns in our direction and speed crawls over to us. the slapping of his little hands on the hard wood floor always brings a smile. I know he's coming :)

For reassurance, milk, or exhaustion, he crawls to mama.

For playing and excitement he reaches for daddy.

And for pure entertainment and drama he goes for Miss Ava, and boy does she deliver! :)

I wonder what he's thinking when he's watching her.

He's begun just the slightest bit of stranger/separation anxiety, but it's not hard to win him over.

I love this age. 

I've loved every stage with him.

Pure "squishiness" as Ava would say.

oh, and those baby blues!

happy 8 months to our little bundle of joy!