Trick or Treat

Halloween sneak peak from my little chicken:

First things first

I'd like to post Halloween pictures of Edie BUT more important things need to be announced first.  Jeff and I are officially Aunt and Uncle for the first time! Jeff's sister had her baby 6 days early on October 21st in the wee hours and we rushed up north to meet her for the first time that afternoon.  I'm so sorry for not announcing this sooner! But I left on the 22nd for a business trip to Palm Springs and then I've mostly spent the last week fretting uneccessarily over Edie's dying front tooth. Edie took a spill at daycare earlier this month and belatedly her tooth appears to be dying and turning grey. I'm sure it was unavoidable and it's very common amongst kids this age and of course it's just her baby tooth, but it's possible/likely that she'll not lose this tooth naturally until she's 6 or 7.  BOO.

But back to business.  Our niece, Luna Ines Sampedro was born in the water on Sunday the 21st of October after a short and intense labor and here she is being ridiculously cute in a dino suit:

Seriously.

Wedding Day - Amy and Dave

WTF People? Why didn't anyone call me out for not posting this weeks ago as promised? I thought I'd scheduled it to auto-post but it apparently didn't work.  Better late than never is Amy and Dave's wedding (disclaimer that photos are out of order and I'm too tired to fix it):

The gift Amy gave Dave pre-wedding (her grandfather's restored pocket watch):

Kristin and Amy, getting ready:

Amy and Dave, setting up and goofing off:

Tables and chairs getting set up in the dinner tent:

The "moss whisperer" - Kristin arranged little moss nests around the votives in the most artful way:

And then took time out to pour us some bubbly while getting ready on-site:

Bride:

Tables:

The stage where they got married:

Post ceremony stroll down to the river with drinks in hand:

The "Raging River" (it's actual name):

Homemade jam from the bride and groom:

Amy's Dave reading the sweetest ever children's book during the ceremony:

More jam:

That's me giving a toast in the top far corner of the tent! No one is paying attention.

Amy's sister giving a toast:

The "guest book" where everyone typed their messages:

Amy and Dave's treehouse:

More setting up:

Pies!

Snack table:

Bar menu:

The happy couple:

The lovely bridesmaids (and some random photo bomber):

Cheerleading is the answer

Edie hasn't slept since last Thursday.

On Friday night she woke every hour or so, all night long, and it's continued every night since then in the same pattern. It's confusing and exhausting. She also has a cold and it dawned on me last night that perhaps all the waking was the result of an ear infection. Every cold she's ever had has eventually turned into an ear infection, so it made sense. 

But I was wrong. It wasn't an ear infection. 

I could go on to mention all the tantrums, screaming, and angry outbursts she's also been having this last week, but Jeff says I have an unpleasant knack for describing my suffering in such detail that everyone can feel my pain a little too literally. Suffice it to say it's been a hard week. In the face of such trials, my reaction is to simultaneously take everything personally AND be super angry at everyone around me. Hence, everyone is ruining my life and I'm a terrible parent.

I've spent the entire week being late for everything, stuck in traffic, being screamed at by someone half my size, and fretting over the giant zit blossoming right between my eyes and whether it will be gone before my high-powered business trip on Monday. I get tired like this and my life starts to feel like one endless stream of unpleasant tasks - pumping gas, refilling prescriptions, scheduling doctor's appointments, etc. Anyways. I guess I'm just having a hard week. Edie screamed at us from 12am until 1am last night because I said I wouldn't read her a story at midnight. I tried to handle it for a while but it eventually became clear that it wasn't working. Jeff tried his hand at it and while I listened to him try to reason with a wild animal, I cried in my bed. And the thing is - I almost never feel the physical urge to cry. But it feels so bad to listen to your kid lose their shit like that and not be able to fix it. I'm torn between hating HER and hating MYSELF in those moments. And all of these feelings are sharpened to a fine point by our sleep deprivation. 

Because I'm not so lost that I can't see what's really happening. I KNOW that she's 3 and that 3 is the "real terrible twos" and that parenting is difficult and that we'll get through this and blah blah. But I've got to say - it doesn't feel good at all when you're in the middle of it, regardless of the knowledge that you'll come out the other side eventually. In fact, the cliche'd platitudes mostly just make me feel like punching someone.

BUT. But! I decided that despite feeling like I could totally lay down and sleep in the middle of the sidewalk, I should go to my weekly dance class tonight. I skipped last week because of scheduling conflicts but tonight I met Heidi at the 5th Avenue Theatre and we learned a dance routine from the new Broadway version of Bring it On (yes, the cheerleading movie has been made into a broadway show).

For an entire hour I focused on nothing but high-kicks and getting my walk to look more "fierce". And what a difference an hour can make in a shitty week! I still came home to a filthy house and a kid that will likely wake up eleventy billion times tonight but I'm feeling just slightly better equipped to laugh it off than I was this afternoon.

Referral

My doctor confirmed that Edie does NOT have an ear infection. I asked him if he could write me a referral for an exorcist. He has 2 young children himself so he didn't look at me weird.

My child

Either
A. Has an ear infection or
B. Needs an exorcism

Almost hoping for the latter, as I'm thinking it might take less time than a 10-day course of antibiotics.
OHMYGODWHYDOESMYKIDNEEDTOHAVESOMANYFUCKINGEARINFECTIONS!!!!

Family Photo Shoot - sneak peak

Some raw film from our family photo shoot 2 months ago is now posted on the photographer's blog!  It's not edited, and I think there will be more/better to come, but if you want a sneak peak, here you go:

http://www.onelovephoto.com/blog/

Dear Santa

The other day, Edie and I were shopping in an expensive kids store with a friend.  Edie developed a strong need for a certain unicorn puzzle and was only persuaded to let it go when I told her that maybe we should start our letter to Santa early this year so she could tell him she wanted that puzzle. I think this confused her just enough to forget she "needed" that puzzle and we left the store without a scene (and without the puzzle).

Tonight, Edie asked if we could write our letter to Santa. I transcribed:

Dear Santa,
For Christmas this year, I've been a good girl.  Santa I want that puzzle with that unicorn and that princess and that fairy (please*). I want a present for Christmas - like another bunny rabbit (a mom one). I think I want 5 bunnies.  I just want bunnies.  

Love,

EDIE

*I gave her a luck that prompted the addition of "please" to the letter.

We had no idea that the tiny bunny stuffed animal our friend Todd brought her back last week from Russia would be so popular! He went to Russia for some work he's doing for the 2014 Winter Olympics, to be held in Sochi.  The olympics mascot is a bunny and Todd brought Edie home a tiny Sochi bunny that has become a big hit.

Also, Edie can write her own name! She just finally mastered the capital "D" and is now able to write the whole thing unassisted.  Granted, letters tend to be written more in the correct order and not scattered on the page if we supervise and suggest locations for each letter, but still!  I have no idea if this is advanced or if all recently turned 3-year-olds can write their names.  And I suppose it probably has everything to do with how long a kid's name is... but I feel so impressed with her writing skills! She signed her own name at the bottom of her Santa letter and it's so adorable.

Amy and Dave: rehearsal dinner

I did a terrible job of taking photos during Amy's wedding weekend.  I think I was too busy living in the moment and enjoying the process to think about photographing every second. For this reason, I've supplemented my photos from Holly's collection (one of the other bridesmaids).  Many of you reading already know about the wedding venue, but for those that don't - Amy and Dave got married at a place called Treehouse Point.  It's in the woods, near a river and those of us in the wedding got to stay on-site in TREEHOUSES! And before you think I mean this kind of treehouse:

Please note that I mean THIS KIND OF TREEHOUSE:

As in, the awesome variety. (note this is an actual treehouse from the venue).

But let's back up and start with Friday, the day before the wedding when we packed up and brought all the wedding supplies out to the wedding venue for some early set up. 

Unpacking:

The dinner tent, without any set-up:

Amy and I made up one of the beds in the more rustic treehouse that had an air mattress on a platform. She packed up bedding so we could climb up the ladder with it easily:

Climbing up:

The view from inside:

and back down:

Later that afternoon, we headed back into the city and met up with all the girls for manis and pedis:

With our bucky's on!

Later that night we went with Kristin to the rehearsal dinner.
Edie insisted on wearing her monkey backpack:

The happy couple:

Jeff and Paul enjoying their sliders and mac salad (provided by Mobile Marination - I think?):

Amy with her Dad:

The groom gave out custom belt buckles with bottle openers built in:

The ladies received porcelain mason jar votives:

Listening to toasts:

Edie quickly made pals with the only other girl her age: Vivian - and they focused most of their attention on this nearby fountain:

The only thing that persuaded them to leave the fountain was the promise of cake:

The next morning, Kristin and I started the day with a little refreshment shopping at Whole Foods (to help keep the ladies fed while getting ready for the big day):

We picked Amy up (and her dress) to drive out to the venue:

And that's where I'll leave you until tomorrow! Check back for pictures from the day.