Let the Name Game Begin

Now that I have passed the 20-week mark with flying colors, it is now time to start discussing names. This time around, our discussion will be more complicated. We do not know if we are having a boy or a girl, nor will we know until the day that little cutie-pie makes his or her entrance into the world.

As many of you know, Matt and I are a pretty indecisive couple - and very indecisive when it comes to naming our children. My problem is that I like too many names and have a hard time narrowing down my list. Matt, on the other hand, is much pickier than I am. Here is a sample conversation between us:

Katie: Hey, Matt. Maybe we should start thinking about names. Do you have any ideas?
Matt: No, I haven't even thought about it. Maybe we should wait until the time gets closer before we talk about it.
Katie: But it might be nice if we didn't have to wait until the moment we leave the hospital to make a decision.
Matt: We have plenty of time.

So - you can see that even trying to talk about names can be a struggle for us. When we finally do have the conversation, this is usually how it goes:

Katie: Do you have any names that you like?
Matt: How about you tell me names and I tell you if I like them or not.
Katie: OK, how about Ivy.
Matt: No.
Katie: Megan?
Matt: Fine.
Katie: Noah.
Matt: No.
Katie: Ben
Matt: Fine.
Katie: Aren't there any names you like?
Matt: I like Emmy and Sophie.
Katie: Sorry, those are taken. Remember that you didn't really love those ones at first?
Matt: I didn't? Oh, I thought I did.
Katie: I think you said something like, "No," or "Fine."
Matt: Oh.

Basically, Matt's answers are limited to those two responses. Now, I don't want to make Matt out to be a dud. He's not. He is a lot of fun. But he does have a hard time with names. And now our work is doubled!

So, I would like to solicit you, my readership, for ideas. That's not to say that I don't have any. I do have some names that I really like (which I won't say yet.) But I would love some suggestions. At least so I can have the chance to say, "No," or "Fine." Or maybe even, "I LOVE it!"

What have I been up to? Or not . . .

To all of my fans out there (all five of you!) I must apologize about my lack of blogging in the past couple months. Since I hit the six and a half weeks pregnant mark, I've been neglecting many of the things I enjoy doing (reading, blogging, photography, exercise, cooking) and ignoring all of the things I don't like doing (mopping the floor, laundry, grocery shopping, dishes).

To give you a few examples:
I just put Christmas cards in the mail. Today. Yes, it is January 4.
I have a stack of books on my bedside table to read - and these are books I want to read! But the problem is, the moment I open one, I fall asleep. Here they are, in case you're curious:
In Defense of Food
Outliers
Room With a View
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Olive Kitteridge
The Best American Essays of the Century
I haven't composed my children's traditional Christmas letters yet (and I love to do this!)
I haven't written in my journal in at least six weeks
I've only gone to the mall about twice in the last eight weeks
I have not reorganized my office space
I have not cleaned out my files
I have not cleaned out my pantry
I have not finished Sophie's photo album that I wanted to finish before her 2nd birthday (10/31)

BUT - lest you are tired of my whining about what hasn't been done - I will now detail a few things I've accomplished despite nausea and fatigue:

I made my first real cheesecake and it was sensational
I baked and decorated sugar cookies with Emmy
I sang and danced to Christmas songs with my girls - several times
I've made a new and wonderful friend
I didn't complain too much
I went to bed early, often
I made dinner for my family most nights
I sang in the church choir Christmas concert
I lost my voice caroling at the top of my lungs while cruising through San Francisco in a cable car
I read many books to my children (a few current faves: The Three Trees, A Small Miracle, Snowmen at Christmas, Who is Coming to our House?, Fanny's Dream, The Paperbag Princess)

And there you have it. My life during the past two months. And now that I have some perspective, I can see that even though I've felt crummy the majority of the time, I've been living a happy life. And I'm starting to think about what really matters to me.

Today I spent several hours cleaning and de-junking my kids' room. During this time, they begged and begged that I play with them, read to them, color with them, paint with them, do puzzles with them . . . I denied most of their requests. I was on a mission and I was not going to be deterred. I'm glad I finished my task. But when I think of how Emmy wrapped her arms around me while I sang to her at bedtime and kissed me square on the lips, and how Sophie said her prayers in the softest, sweetest, whispery voice and then went right to bed - in the end I think I'll find more joy in spending time with them than in a clean bedroom.

1.1.10

Doesn't that date look like a great beginning?

I started the new year by sleeping in (thank you Matt!), eating a bowl of Oatmeal Squares, and flipping through the January issue of Real Simple.

And now it is 9:45. We'll see where the rest of the day takes me, and for that matter, the rest of the year.

Happy New Year!

An Announcement

Metaphor
by Sylvia Plath

I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.

Christmastime is Here

Finally! We've had a slow start this year because we all got the stomach flu and were out of things for about a week. Yuck. Anyway, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas - aren't these the cutest pajamas ever?

Minutes from my Life

I haven't written anything new in awhile - but I have five minutes (precious minutes!) to spare, and I'll write what comes to me.

Last week, Emmy's ballet class was canceled so I took the two girls to the Palo Alto Children's Library. I really love that library. They have an outdoor courtyard with beautiful trees and benches that are little kid-sized. We checked out some books and went outside to read. Maybe it was the crisp air, the idyllic surroundings, the greying air, the sweet eagerness of my children - but I felt so content there, reading aloud. We read "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse" and "Lilly's Big Day," by Kevin Henkes. He is an author I have discovered recently that I really really like! For you children's book lovers out there - check out "Chrysanthemum" and "Jessica." Anyway, I got so into those books - and as silly as this sounds, I was brought to tears as I read them! Although these were little children's books about a spunky mouse, the feelings communicated were so real - so true that they captivated me. I love children's books.

And there it is, 6 minutes have passed. But I'll leave you with one sad thought. The other day while I was driving, Emmy asked me, out of the blue, "Mommy, do you ever laugh?" I asked her, "Do you think I do?" And she said, "No." Isn't that the most depressing conversation you've ever heard? Now, I know for certain that I do laugh, and that I laugh with her. But apparently, not often enough.

The goal? Laugh more.
(And perhaps after I laugh, I need to tell Emmy to make a note of it, so she doesn't forget.)

Baby dolls, a witch, and a kitty - what a weekend

October 31 is destined to be a busy day for us because not only is it Halloween, but, more importantly, it is Sophie's birthday! So yesterday, we celebrated Sophie's birthday in the morning, and Halloween at night.



We've been prepping Sophie for her birthday for the past few weeks. We've been reading her stories about birthdays, singing the birthday song, and talking about eating birthday cake and ice cream. We should have prepared her for the candle-lighting and for the expectation that would be on her to blow out the candles. The moment that Matt began lighting her candles, she started crying, "No! Fire, burn me!" As we sang, "Happy Birthday," she could not decide whether to laugh or cry, and when we told her to blow out the candles, she decided to overcome her fear of fire by touching the flame. This, of course, resulted in a confirmation of her fears and very loud screaming. Luckily, the party guests were oblivious to this drama, and when I glanced over at them, they were already happily eating their cupcakes. Gotta love two-year-olds.

Despite this incident, Sophie's birthday party was a success. She loves baby-dolls right now, so we invited three friends over for a baby party. We sang to the babies, read stories, took the babies for a walk in their strollers, danced with the babies, fed the babies, and put the babies to sleep. Jojo (Sophie's grandma) made baby-face cupcakes with binkies sticking out of their mouths. Sophie was probably the most thrilled with these adorable cupcakes, and she took her time relishing it.

For Halloween, Emmy was a witch and Sophie was a black cat. Or, in her words, a "kitty . . . meow." They were pretty cute, and on cloud nine since I let them eat as much candy as they wanted all night.