March 30, 2009
February 2, 2009
reflections on uma turning three
Uma today is three, and thats a magic number (just ask Schoolhouse Rock). She is such a beauty and such a character.
Although the twos were a many splendored thing, I have to say I am really looking forward to the threes. In the past few weeks she's started asking so many questions, "What do dolphins do? What do swings do?"
It's absolutely amazing to think of how much Uma has changed just since starting school in September. She has gained so many social skills and graces and is such a little lady now. We joke sometimes that she goes to charm school.
In no particular order, here is a list of qualities Uma displays at onset of turning three...
*Uma sings all day long. Her entire life is a musical.
*Uma needs everything to be "just so", she's quite the perfectionist and rule-follower. This may be the death of me later in life.
* If one tiny drop of anything should happen to fall upon her clothing, she must change it immediately.
* Uma is fiercely determined. Once her mind is set on something, look out.
*Everything must be pink or sparkly. It's not my fault, I swear (although I do push the rainbows).
*She is ecstatic playing with any ball.
*Her imagination and fantasy world is rich. She lives with fairies and gnomes.
*She loves performing, anything will do as a stage.
*She talks about her cousin Lucas everyday.
*Uma loves wearing dresses, and must have somethings that twirls if she is dancing.
*She loves choosing her own outfits, and her creations are hilarious.
*Uma is still incredibly shy. I still have to apologize to new folks who she gives the stare down.
*Although Uma is still a bit pushy and "large and in charge", she is certainly a very polite little girl.
*She still insists she is terribly afraid of ''maskes" (and face painting), although somehow clowns are okay.
*Uma loves to cuddle and cuddle and cuddle.
*Her recent obsession is preparing for her little and big sister. We have no idea how these are coming to us, but she is certain.
*Recently I asked her if she wanted a daddy and she said emphatically, "No, I want a puppy."
Although the twos were a many splendored thing, I have to say I am really looking forward to the threes. In the past few weeks she's started asking so many questions, "What do dolphins do? What do swings do?"
It's absolutely amazing to think of how much Uma has changed just since starting school in September. She has gained so many social skills and graces and is such a little lady now. We joke sometimes that she goes to charm school.
In no particular order, here is a list of qualities Uma displays at onset of turning three...
*Uma sings all day long. Her entire life is a musical.
*Uma needs everything to be "just so", she's quite the perfectionist and rule-follower. This may be the death of me later in life.
* If one tiny drop of anything should happen to fall upon her clothing, she must change it immediately.
* Uma is fiercely determined. Once her mind is set on something, look out.
*Everything must be pink or sparkly. It's not my fault, I swear (although I do push the rainbows).
*She is ecstatic playing with any ball.
*Her imagination and fantasy world is rich. She lives with fairies and gnomes.
*She loves performing, anything will do as a stage.
*She talks about her cousin Lucas everyday.
*Uma loves wearing dresses, and must have somethings that twirls if she is dancing.
*She loves choosing her own outfits, and her creations are hilarious.
*Uma is still incredibly shy. I still have to apologize to new folks who she gives the stare down.
*Although Uma is still a bit pushy and "large and in charge", she is certainly a very polite little girl.
*She still insists she is terribly afraid of ''maskes" (and face painting), although somehow clowns are okay.
*Uma loves to cuddle and cuddle and cuddle.
*Her recent obsession is preparing for her little and big sister. We have no idea how these are coming to us, but she is certain.
*Recently I asked her if she wanted a daddy and she said emphatically, "No, I want a puppy."
January 5, 2009
November 29, 2008
Lila lisps
A few weeks ago, Uma officially changed her name to Lila. I have no idea how this notion got into her funny little head, but she corrects us dozens of times a day " I'm not Uma, I'm Lila". Its been going on for about two or three weeks now, at first it kinda freaked me out, I wondered if this was a symptom of some multiple personalities or something but now we've all settled into calling her by her chosen name. Hopefully, this will pass. Funny, because they say everything is just a phase but some phases seem to last quite a while. For instance, last Halloween Uma(Lila) had no interest whatsoever in putting on a costume and lo and behold this year, although she talked about costumes for a month, when it came down to it, had no interest in being any sort of furry animal she had chatted about being endlessly. The good news is that she will now put on most other items of clothes and that is significant.
Uma's (Lila's)little Waldorf school has been transformational in her development, she has blossomed so much in the last 3 months. Her teacher is like Glinda the good witch from Oz, pure magic. The environment and activities she does with the children are so homespun, nature-centered, and sweet. Entering the world of Waldorf is like learning a new religion filled with fairies, gnomes, and angels. I love it. I'm never a true "joiner" of any one philosophy or group, but I do love everything we've been learning along the way. My motto, though, for parenting and beyond is "a little bit of country, and a little bit of rock and roll".
Since beginning school, Umalila (as she sometimes refers to herself), imaginative play has grown so much stronger. She will play by herself for huge stretches of time (thank you, goddess), happy with her own company and the worlds she creates within. This is monumental, as she has had me on such a short leash (just like her short umbilical cord!) She is a wonder to watch at parties, talking to strangers (!), playing with other kids, just having a ball without clutching to me for dear life the whole time. I have been in awe of her transformation.
One somewhat funny thing Uma(Lila) has caught from school is a lisp. One day she came home and it was like her tongue had swollen to double its size. It was a bit worrisome at first, I even asked her teacher about it. Upon further investigation, I realized it was her little new best friend who lisps, and this girl is absolutely darling. So, now we have a little girl name Lila who lisps. Isthn't that sthweet?
Uma's (Lila's)little Waldorf school has been transformational in her development, she has blossomed so much in the last 3 months. Her teacher is like Glinda the good witch from Oz, pure magic. The environment and activities she does with the children are so homespun, nature-centered, and sweet. Entering the world of Waldorf is like learning a new religion filled with fairies, gnomes, and angels. I love it. I'm never a true "joiner" of any one philosophy or group, but I do love everything we've been learning along the way. My motto, though, for parenting and beyond is "a little bit of country, and a little bit of rock and roll".
Since beginning school, Umalila (as she sometimes refers to herself), imaginative play has grown so much stronger. She will play by herself for huge stretches of time (thank you, goddess), happy with her own company and the worlds she creates within. This is monumental, as she has had me on such a short leash (just like her short umbilical cord!) She is a wonder to watch at parties, talking to strangers (!), playing with other kids, just having a ball without clutching to me for dear life the whole time. I have been in awe of her transformation.
One somewhat funny thing Uma(Lila) has caught from school is a lisp. One day she came home and it was like her tongue had swollen to double its size. It was a bit worrisome at first, I even asked her teacher about it. Upon further investigation, I realized it was her little new best friend who lisps, and this girl is absolutely darling. So, now we have a little girl name Lila who lisps. Isthn't that sthweet?
November 2, 2008
November 1, 2008
September 15, 2008
first days of school
Uma has started pre-school! Her little in-home Waldorf is just as sweet as it can be. I have been so excited for her to have this time to herself, and for me to have time to start up my little dream business too. I really didn't think I'd cry dropping her off on the first day of school as I have been so excited for the break but as soon as I said goodbye to her and walked out of the house I felt it bubbling up and as soon as i got to my car I was a blubbering mess. My little girl is so big! She wore the cutest outfit ever too. She was just so damn cute.
Later in the day, we went to a friends birthday party and they had rented a karaoke machine. We were watching everyone make fools of themselves and then Uma started to run around a bit so I went to the kitchen to talk to some friends. Next thing I know, someone said,"Who's up?" and everyone started shouting my name. i went in to find Um in the front of the crowd, a huge mic in her hand and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star cued up for her. She sang the song in front of everyone all by herself! No prodding!
Later in the day, we went to a friends birthday party and they had rented a karaoke machine. We were watching everyone make fools of themselves and then Uma started to run around a bit so I went to the kitchen to talk to some friends. Next thing I know, someone said,"Who's up?" and everyone started shouting my name. i went in to find Um in the front of the crowd, a huge mic in her hand and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star cued up for her. She sang the song in front of everyone all by herself! No prodding!
September 4, 2008
Farewell to summer
Uma had a rocking summer.
We milked August for everything it was worth. It was one adventure after another. In the beginning of the month, we decided to go camping with another mama and daughter- one that I taught for over three years at Trillium. We headed out to central Oregon to a destination called the Painted Hills. it was gorgeous- red striped hills and sunflowers under a periwinkle sky. We camped out for two nights, hiked around a bunch, and even had a very close encounter with a rattle snake! I nearly stepped on it with Uma on my back. we escaped unharmed but with adrenaline pumping for some time afterwards.
When we got back into town, I was felling to escape into nature again so decided to take uma to a 3 day sacred music festival called Beloved. It was incredible. Gorgeous music throughout the day and night with performer from around the world singing their hearts out. It was located in the coastal range on a beautiful property and there we found many friends, both old and new. We both danced and frolicked so hard that each night we both nearly fell over with exhaustion. I teamed up with another family we know and love, and we set up a tent for our kids to sleep right near the stage. It was phenomenal to se the kids sleeping peacefully as African drummers or Pakistani ecstatic singers belting out their music.
The last few weeks we've been berry picking, hiking to waterfalls, going to Sauvie's Island, riding bikes, and just trying to soak in summer's last rays. The next chapter awaits....
We milked August for everything it was worth. It was one adventure after another. In the beginning of the month, we decided to go camping with another mama and daughter- one that I taught for over three years at Trillium. We headed out to central Oregon to a destination called the Painted Hills. it was gorgeous- red striped hills and sunflowers under a periwinkle sky. We camped out for two nights, hiked around a bunch, and even had a very close encounter with a rattle snake! I nearly stepped on it with Uma on my back. we escaped unharmed but with adrenaline pumping for some time afterwards.
When we got back into town, I was felling to escape into nature again so decided to take uma to a 3 day sacred music festival called Beloved. It was incredible. Gorgeous music throughout the day and night with performer from around the world singing their hearts out. It was located in the coastal range on a beautiful property and there we found many friends, both old and new. We both danced and frolicked so hard that each night we both nearly fell over with exhaustion. I teamed up with another family we know and love, and we set up a tent for our kids to sleep right near the stage. It was phenomenal to se the kids sleeping peacefully as African drummers or Pakistani ecstatic singers belting out their music.
The last few weeks we've been berry picking, hiking to waterfalls, going to Sauvie's Island, riding bikes, and just trying to soak in summer's last rays. The next chapter awaits....
July 23, 2008
almost two and a half!
It's been a good couple of months since I've written anything about lil Umie's development into humanhood. It's all J.K. Rowlings fault, as I devoured her entire series in this span of time. Now that I've finished, I can finally be a productive human being.
Uma will be two and a half in a few days. She looks four and acts like she's going on 13. Our neighbor called Uma "large and in charge" when she was only a few weeks old, and she was spot on. I've had to hold back from starting to say the mantra my Mom said to me my entire childhood, "Because I'm the Mom!". She is already bossing me around and telling me what to do. Sometimes this is funny and cute, sometimes not. Half of the time she acts like a darling toddler, the other half she is a bossy African- American grandmother.
She has so many little sayings these days. Six weeks ago she started trying to make her sentence structure a bit more complex by putting the word "because" in the middle and then basically repeating herself. days were filled with phrases such as "I really need that lemonade because I need that lemonade" or "I need to go to the park because I need to go the park". Then she looks at you with her eyebrows fixed and lips all a pucker. As the weeks have passed, she is now becoming a bit more logical with her use of 'because" but the take home message is usually consistent with "I want that because I want it". Who can blame her?
Other charming phrases she uses constantly:
1. "I was just doing something" (useful in many situations)
2. "Alright, now" (employed both sweetly and demandingly)
3. "Be calm." (whenever she wants someone to be quiet, used with large sweeping gestures)
4. "Do you hear me??" (used menacingly)
5. "Mama, you are not going to noga(yoga)!" (going to yoga means that I'm going to go someplace w/o her. Used anytime she sees me put more than two minutes into my appearance, wear earrings, etc.)
There's more, but those are the ones that are in the most vogue at the time of writing. She is fully conversational now. She always asks "Remember..." and pulls something funny out of her memory. She still sings all day long, the whole day like a campy musical aria.
Uma delights now in wearing her "party dress" which is any dress that is lacy or flowing. She now has a vague concept of princess, but truth is she is much more of a diva. The good news is that we just passed out of the incredibly irritating phase where she refused to wear almost any of her clothes. She insisted on wearing one of two outfits for over a month(including sleeping), but now she's open to wearing new things again-thank goddess.
We've had an awesome summer so far. We've had a tons of visitors-my dad and then friends from exotic locations such as Maui, Philadelphia, Amsterdam, and Brooklyn. We've been on countless picnics, gone to the beach three times, went to the Oregon Country Faire, and we just returned from 3 days at delightful Breitenbush- a hot springs retreat center nestled n the forest. It was at Breitenbush that I was finally able to DROP HER OFF with some fantastic mamas and call it 'kid camp". This may not sound like a big deal, but Uma has not historically been a "drop-off" kind of child. It was so amazing and adorable how she took to it. She loved it and felt really good about herself for going as well.
Another first this month was her first haircut- at a salon! No pics to prove it but she was lovely.
Last but not least, Uma is pretty much potty-trained! It's been a very interesting month of huge successes and plenty of smelly laundry, but she's doing a great job. She looks so damn cute in her underwear.
Uma will be two and a half in a few days. She looks four and acts like she's going on 13. Our neighbor called Uma "large and in charge" when she was only a few weeks old, and she was spot on. I've had to hold back from starting to say the mantra my Mom said to me my entire childhood, "Because I'm the Mom!". She is already bossing me around and telling me what to do. Sometimes this is funny and cute, sometimes not. Half of the time she acts like a darling toddler, the other half she is a bossy African- American grandmother.
She has so many little sayings these days. Six weeks ago she started trying to make her sentence structure a bit more complex by putting the word "because" in the middle and then basically repeating herself. days were filled with phrases such as "I really need that lemonade because I need that lemonade" or "I need to go to the park because I need to go the park". Then she looks at you with her eyebrows fixed and lips all a pucker. As the weeks have passed, she is now becoming a bit more logical with her use of 'because" but the take home message is usually consistent with "I want that because I want it". Who can blame her?
Other charming phrases she uses constantly:
1. "I was just doing something" (useful in many situations)
2. "Alright, now" (employed both sweetly and demandingly)
3. "Be calm." (whenever she wants someone to be quiet, used with large sweeping gestures)
4. "Do you hear me??" (used menacingly)
5. "Mama, you are not going to noga(yoga)!" (going to yoga means that I'm going to go someplace w/o her. Used anytime she sees me put more than two minutes into my appearance, wear earrings, etc.)
There's more, but those are the ones that are in the most vogue at the time of writing. She is fully conversational now. She always asks "Remember..." and pulls something funny out of her memory. She still sings all day long, the whole day like a campy musical aria.
Uma delights now in wearing her "party dress" which is any dress that is lacy or flowing. She now has a vague concept of princess, but truth is she is much more of a diva. The good news is that we just passed out of the incredibly irritating phase where she refused to wear almost any of her clothes. She insisted on wearing one of two outfits for over a month(including sleeping), but now she's open to wearing new things again-thank goddess.
We've had an awesome summer so far. We've had a tons of visitors-my dad and then friends from exotic locations such as Maui, Philadelphia, Amsterdam, and Brooklyn. We've been on countless picnics, gone to the beach three times, went to the Oregon Country Faire, and we just returned from 3 days at delightful Breitenbush- a hot springs retreat center nestled n the forest. It was at Breitenbush that I was finally able to DROP HER OFF with some fantastic mamas and call it 'kid camp". This may not sound like a big deal, but Uma has not historically been a "drop-off" kind of child. It was so amazing and adorable how she took to it. She loved it and felt really good about herself for going as well.
Another first this month was her first haircut- at a salon! No pics to prove it but she was lovely.
Last but not least, Uma is pretty much potty-trained! It's been a very interesting month of huge successes and plenty of smelly laundry, but she's doing a great job. She looks so damn cute in her underwear.
June 24, 2008
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