Happy 7th Birthday, Z

You're only just turning 7, but I can tell I'm going to love this age. Seven is independent, happy to disappear into her room for a couple of hours or play with her friends without adult intervention. You can do your homework independently, coordinate your own outfits, wash and comb your hair and butter your own bread.

You've got a few bad habits, namely being an incredibly picky eater and stubbornly refusing to even try suspicious foods, and being a messy eater of those foods you do enjoy. You're also a bit flighty, frequently dropping your dirty clothes where they came off of you and failing to put on your coat/shoes/socks until repeatedly reminded. Usually your absentmindedness can be blamed on your bookwormishness. When I wake up in the morning, you're in bed with a book. When you're supposed to be getting dressed, you're reading a book. You read books while you eat, in the car, on the school bus and during any and all down time.

Don't get me wrong, your reading and writing skills make your father and I so proud. Your stories and poems are hilariously inventive and the angry letters you write me when I've sent you to your room should really be tucked away in your baby book, they're so passionate (and accurately illustrated).

You've got other skills too. You're thisclose to mastering the splits at gymnastics, and you'll be competing with your team for the first time in January. You've picked up Hebrew about 1000% faster than your mother, scoring 100% on every test so far this year. You're also making ice skating look easy, but I'm thinking that might be because momma bought you roller skates this summer, giving you an unfair head start.

Regardless of the passion you choose to pursue, I can't wait to see what this year holds in store.

The birthday party

"It's really fun being 4." That was the last thing A said before falling asleep tonight, and that's not surprising given the awesome day she's had.

It started with an early morning birthday gift scavenger hunt (a tradition I started on Z's 5th birthday) and ended with a girls-only dinner at Duckfat (Josh was rocking/broiling at Pitchfork) and an outdoor bath in the kiddie pool. In between there were chocolate-chip pancakes, finger and toenail painting time, a date with Mommy (we rode my bike to Red Hen and split a scone) and her much-anticipated birthday party at the River Forest Community Center (the same place we celebrated Z's 4th birthday).


Although the party had more than its share of wild older boys and bratty little girls (including one who said "I can't believe there isn't any pizza. That's weird."), the kids had a great time and no one got injured.

Oh, and the 36 vanilla cupcakes I'd made and frosted with purple buttercream Friday afternoon were delicious (if not as Martha Stewart-beautiful) as I'd hoped.





You can see all the photos here

A's previous birthday parties
A budget friendly birthday party in Berwyn
Cupcakes rule
Mmm... cake

Happy 4th Birthday, A

Dear A,
You've grown and changed so much in the last year, but you're still very much my affectionate little girl with her flair for the dramatic.

You've grown taller and your hair's grown longer and you've lost your baby chub, but you're still a peanut according to the AAP (you measure in the 5th percentile for height and the 25th for weight.


You've always been loud and dramatic and you figured out how to make believe at a young age, tagging along as a willing participant in your big sister's imaginary games, but now it's so much more intense. You can entertain yourself for 90 minutes all by yourself, and when others are around you, it seems every sentence that comes out of your mouth starts with "Let's pretend..." Only you pronounce it "pee-tend." Just this month I've watched you pee-tend to be animals (snakes, cats, and lions), a princess, an evil stepmother, a mean mommy, a nice mommy, a babysitter and a baby.


Your relationship with your big sister Z has become more complicated. While you still look up to her and want her as your constant playmate, you can't resist pestering her with a poke or a kick or a "what's that supposed to mean?" I thought it wasn't something you could help, but then I heard you advising another younger sibling "If she won't talk to you, you should annoy her."


This year was full of firsts for you. You started Montessori school, gymnastics and art classes and nurtured a large circle of friends--mostly girls. You can identify all the letters in the alphabet, count up to 20 and perform some very basic addition and subtraction. You can tell by the sound of the word what letter it begins with and you can spell some basic words on your own. You love to be given jobs, whether it is making my bed, grinding the coffee beans or pouring your own milk into your cereal. Nothing makes you more upset that hearing your sister swoop in to give the answer you're still formulating.

And you're brave! Without a tear in your eye, you yanked up your shorts for a shot at the doctor's office. You'll jump into the pool and go right underwater. You loved the thrill rides at Dutch Wonderland and would have willingly gotten on the large roller coaster had you been tall enough. You're not afraid of strangers ("Bad guys are just pretend," you've told me) or new situations, but flies, bees and spiders freak you out.

But the most you part of your personality is your outgoing nature. You'll strike up a conversation with anyone. Similarly-sized kids on the playground, your friends' parents, grandparents, the cashiers at Trader Joe's, doctors, dentists, babysitters and neighbors have heard your anecdotes, many of which you plunge right into without too much context. "We're growing sunflowers in our back yard. Come and see," you'll say to our next door neighbors as you grab them by the hand and lead them past the grill and into our back yard. "We're having burgers and pineapple on the grill. With big pretzel buns! Do you like hamburgers? We're growing so many things in our garden."

I remember loving age 4 with Z. I can't wait to see what you will bring to the coming year.

Similar
Happy 3rd Birthday, A
Happy 2nd Birthday, A
Happy 1st Birthday, Baby A

My birthday, my way

I kicked off my birthday celebration one day early by attending the Gilty Moms party put on by Gilte Children at the Trump Terrace. Check out the picture of the Wrigley building and the lake beyond. That is small portion of the stunning view 210 degree view from the 16th floor terrace at Trump Tower.

It was a beautiful evening, I got to see many of my favorite mom bloggers and I brought along two of my colleagues as well.

Gilty Moms was followed by my book club meeting, which interesting enough also includes a few good bloggers. We put our discussion of Wuthering Heights to bed early (no one liked it) so we could discuss Weiner's weiner and the perils of helicopter parenting.

On my actual birthday, I arrived at work to a decorated office and took breaks to enjoy the Facebook wall posts. I also used GrouponNow for the first time to treat myself to a $26 mani-pedi.

In the afternoon, my awesome team took me to Starfruit for my favorite treat. Aren't we a good-looking group?

But the day just kept getting better. Our friends Jay and Kate joined us at graham elliott for one of the best dinners I've ever had. Although we chose the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairings, we somehow ended up eating the entire experience menu, all 10 delicious courses. Highlights for me were the the truffle parmesan popcorn that arrives with your menu, the deconstructed caesar salad, the charred octopus, the jidori chicken and the lemon cake. I liked it better than Alinea.

It's my birthday

There's nothing like a birthday to snap a girl out of her funk and remind her how loved and lucky she really is. Thank you everyone for the emails, the Facebook wall posts, the balloons, cookies and cocktails.

And mark my words, I won't turn 35 without becoming a Bat Mitzvah, a Creative Director and the parent of a kindergarten graduate.

See what I was saying when I turned 33, 32, and 31 (or maybe skip that last one--it was a sad birthday).

A birthday surprise

Most of you will be reading this post on Thursday, February 11. Otherwise known as Josh Klein's 35th birthday. Since he'll be hanging out with A all day and both kids all afternoon, his day will not resemble the picture at the right.

However, I'll be taking him out to eat at Gaetano's to celebrate, and he knows that. His gift, which he also knows about, is a meal at Topolobampo. I couldn't get a reservation until late March, but this way he gets a celebratory meal and a "foodie present," to be redeemed later.

But back to the birthday surprise. You see, I baked and frosted a cake while having our neighbors and their 3 kids for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches on Tuesday evening. And even though I was able to get a head start because Josh was driving through 6-8 inches of snow to pick up Oscar from his neutering surgery at the Anti-Cruelty Society, I still had to cook the icing and frost the layer cake right under his nose. With 7 kids running riot through the house. (I made the Caramel Cake from The Cake Mix Doctor cookbook. And it was delicious.) Josh was speechless. Partly, I think, because he couldn't figure out how on earth I could bake a cake so fast and partly because it wasn't his birthday yet. I think I've stumbled upon some kind of secret birthday surprise strategy here.

Happy 5th birthday to you

Dear Z,

I can't believe I'm the mother of a five year old. Five!

It's clear you are not a baby anymore. You're not a toddler. You're barely a preschooler, flourishing as you are in the kindergarten program at Montessori school. You're a kid. A little person. Heck, you'll probably remember being five.

Since turning four, you've learned so much and made me so proud. Since learning to read, you've progressed rapidly to level 3 on those Early Reader books. You love all aspects of school: math, science, geography, culture and art. You're still into fairy tales and princesses, but you're also asking questions (and occasionally jumping to conclusions) about Judaism, history and the natural world. You've learned to swim (although you're still doggie-paddling at this point) and you continue to shine in gymnastics class.

The year ahead is packed with the promise of more firsts. A trip to Australia. Public school. The school bus. Riding a bike without training wheels. Even the possibility of flying unaccompanied to visit grandparents (although I'm not sure I'm ready for that).

You're a model big sister, advocating for A and leading her around the house in elaborate games of pretend. Although you're not a holding hands, huggy kind of kid, you still have an enormous number of friends. Limiting your birthday party invite list was a touchy affair since you wanted to invite all your school friends, neighborhood friends and the kids from your old playgroup. We ended up limiting you to 10 female school friends--all of whom RSVPed yes and are coming to the almost sleepover on Saturday.

But life with you isn't all sunshine and roses. Your smarts, coupled with two parents who never shy away from a debate, mean you try to negotiate for everything (I think I wrote this last year, too). You're moody, and you have a whiny cranky voice that can peel wallpaper off a wall. You've also become more of a picky eater than before--something I honestly didn't think was possible. The whiny, cranky negotiator in you becomes particularly intolerable at bedtime. It's virtually impossible for me to put you to bed without a fight, but you behave much better for Daddy, since he has a zero-tolerance policy for nonsense. Good thing the both of you are enjoying the Lemony Snicket series so much!

More birthday letters

Z at age 4

Z at age 3

Z at age 2

Tee-hee...mama's got treats in store

Tomorrow is Z's birthday, so tonight I wrapped and hid presents around the house and wrote clues for her to follow. I also made Smitten Kitchen's Brown Butter Crispy Treats. Because I love Rice Crispy Treats, brown butter and salt.

Cupcakes rule (yes, A's cheap and easy birthday party was a success)

We came. We sang.

They ate.



And played.

And those threatening clouds behind these water-pistol toting mamas? Fuggetaboutit.

Happy 2nd Birthday, A

Two years ago today I finished 25 hours of labor and met you, my second born. I've treasured your babyhood, not only because you were a good baby, because I was confident you'd be my last. I loved wearing you, nursing you, rocking you and watching you watch your big sister with those big brown eyes.

It's a cliche to say that my love for you has grown as you've grown, but it's true. You were a sweet baby, yes, but you're such a fabulous little kid! I love listening to you talk. Your speaking skills have evolved from caveman-speak to full, 90 percent lucid sentences in a matter of a couple of months. You'll be speaking at Toastmasters events in no time.

You love doll babies and doll baby accessories, Little People, other kids and Caillou. What is it with little kids and Caillou? You get excited about trips to the pool, the park and the zoo, shouting "I ready! Let's go now!"

While your enthusiasm for all things continues to skyrocket (bedtime and diaper changes excepted), your palate has diminished. Instead of eagerly wolfing down whatever is put in front of you, you ask for waffles, pizza, meatballs, bananas and applesauce. And snacks. You would happily subsist on a diet of chips, raisins, Trader Joe's fruit bars and cookies. You see food on my plate and demand "I want dat. Own plate!" only to take a closer look at the food and declare, "No, dat's yucky. No want dat."

You're still a good sleeper, going down between 7 and 7:30 and waking up after 6am. You've surprised us with a couple of pee-pees in the potty this week, but you're more interested in stripping down naked than getting potty trained.

Your favorite books change from week to week, but right now you're a huge fan of Caillou books and the new board books Nanny brought: No No Yes Yes and Binky.

We're celebrating the big 0-2 with a low-key party at a local park. At least, that's the idea. I emailed some friends and neighbors and told them to meet us at the playground to play and eat cupcakes. I'm not planning any games or hiring any entertainers. But as the responses came back I realized I'll need 44 cupcakes. Parents and their 2.5 kids, they add up fast.

The cupcake

It all started out innocently enough. A backyard pool party with wading pools, pizza, Capri-Sun and adult beverages.

We sang happy birthday to Evan.

And the cupcakes were passed out. Kids love Jewel cupcakes.

Me, I love it when parties include Jewel cupcakes because they don't tempt me at all.

Nothing quite sets my teeth like the overwhelming sweetness of a frosted Jewel cupcake.

There's always lots of frosting.

Prepared with copious quantities of blue and green food coloring.

Blech. After passing on the cupcakes--all the better to save room for our anniversary dinner at Publican (which was AMAZING)--I hosed off A. And she hosed off her chair. She topped off her chocolate crumb bath with a trip down the inflatable slide and into an overfilled baby pool, where she slipped under the water. Which makes "I go unda-wawa" the phrase of the day; although "happy birthday" is a close second.

7/12/09 update: Food coloring does not appear to be metabolized by the human body. Neon poops. Nuff said.

33 years ago...

Thirty-three years ago, in Arlington, Virginia, my mom was 17 days past her due date. She marched into her OB's office and demanded my prompt removal. I was delivered--sometime in the afternoon--via C-section. My mother still bears the zipper-like scar down her belly.

I'm sure she bears other scars too, less visible. After all, it takes becoming a mother to know how difficult it can be to raise children. To instill good behaviors and values. To quell tantrums without losing your cool. To come up with new craft ideas, disciplinary tricks and dinner recipes. While holding down a job or two. And packing up and unpacking a house every three years. To do it every day, all day, until I turned 18 and you said, "Good-bye now. And never come back!"

Thanks, Mom.

Now tell me what it'll take to get you to move to Chicago!

This photo was taken in Bonn, Germany. I'm either 2 1/2 or 3 and my sister is 1. My mom is 31. Nothing makes raising two small, closely spaced kids easier than moving overseas, right?


Updating at 4:20 to include this picture my mom just scanned for me from my 2nd birthday party.

Birthday freebies

Yes, I'm turning 33 and I still get jazzed about my birthday. I'm a grown-up, so I won't throw myself a party or expect a gift from anyone but my immediate family, but freebie whore that I am, I've signed up with enough companies to ensure I'll be rolling in birthday presents.

My big day is exactly one week away, and I've already gotten an email entitling me to a free stir-fry from Flat Top Grill. For dessert I can head west on Lake Street and indulge in a free Like It Creation from Cold Stone Creamery. I'll probably pass on the "free dessert with any meal purchase" coupon I got from Boston Market.

I got a couple of birthday shopping discounts too: Loehmann's is offering me 15% off any purchase and Old Navy wants me to save $10 on a $15 purchase.

If I receive anything else--aside, that is, from the annual offer-free birthday card from Southwest Airlines, I'll add to this post.

It's birthday party season and I'm prepared

For whatever reason, we get loads of kiddie birthday party invites between September and December. Loads.

I hate Toys R Us. I can't afford to buy dozens of high-quality wooden playthings (that may never get played with) from Geppetto's. And I don't have the time or the energy to hand-select the perfect gift for every one of our children's playmates.

So today I spent 20 minutes in the Borders bargain books section and came home with a pile of presents my kids would be delighted to receive (but won't--hahaha). They ranged in price from $2.99 for a Disney Sleeping Beauty book with read-along CD to $6.99 for book with six 48-piece fairy jigsaw puzzles. But thanks to a kind cashier who applied my 30% off coupon
to the $6.99 item (technically it was for a $10 one item purchase), I walked out of there with seven gifts for $28.48 ($2.65 of that is tax).

My gift closet is stocked and we're ready to party.

Happy 1st Birthday, Baby A

Baby girl, you've come a long way in a year. From 8 pounds to 20. From a tiny bundle to a bundle of boundless energy. No longer do you gaze contentedly upon the world from your perch in a sling. No, you're a crawling, cruising, squealing hunk of kid who wants to do, play with and eat whatever everyone else is doing, having fun with or chowing down on.

Before you were born I worried that as our second born, you'd get second-class treatment. But while you've always had to share your parents and your toys, you've got the gift of an attentive big sister whose mere presence thrills you from your beautifully curling hair to the tips of your fat little toes.

Big changes are in store for you this month, Baby A. We'll be weaning you from formula and breastmilk to whole fat moo juice and replacing your beloved bottle with sippy cups. I think you'll love facing forward in your car seat--even if that means an end to "mixed-up paci," the little game of pass the pacifier that you and Z play in the back seat.

Mmmm...cake

Here's our almost 1-year-old enjoying the sugar-frosted American tradition whereby we usher our children forth into a diabetic future.

Minutes before the party started, I was describing the Costco cake I'd purchased for the event to my mom.
"It's vanilla with chocolate mousse filling. It says "Happy 1st Birthday A and it's decorated with a rainbow."
"A rainbow? Aren't those reserved for gay people? I see rainbow flags all over, and they're always for gay pride."
"We'll it's not like they've laid claim to all rainbows," I responded. "Besides, who says this isn't a gay-friendly birthday party?"
For the record, all the kids were begging to have a slice with rainbow on it.

Also, I'd sent Z down the street to play with her new friend Brianna for an hour before the festivities began. She came back decked out for the party.

Birthday surprises

My team surprised me at work yesterday with delicious, adorable cupcakes from Sarah's Candies, which I now know is located dangerously close to my office at Macy's. The cake Josh bought me from Alliance Bakery was even more mouthwatering: vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream, filled with lemon curd and decorated with elegant green roses. I dug in without taking a picture, but here's a glimpse at the birthday portrait my mom commissioned. It is now framed and hanging in our basement family room.

I got a code on my birfday

Hopefully I won't be too stuffed up to taste my vanilla-lemon birthday cake tonight.

As far as my birthday haul goes, my bike trailer hasn't arrived from BabyAge yet, but I got some lovely jewelry from my sister, a family portrait by this local artist from my mom and electronic greetings from friends and relatives, my dentist, Sephora and Cold Stone Creamery. Unfortunately the ice cream parlor's "free birthday creation" coupon seems incompatible with any Mac browser.

I've always loved celebrating my birthday (except for last year when my Grandma died that day), and today is no exception. The last 12 months were busy and truly blessed. I gave birth to my second (and likely last) child, took my newborn to BlogHer, and enjoyed a summerlong maternity leave. I walked Z to preschool for the very first time and saw her finish her first year at Montessori a very mature, bright little girl. I invested in some major home improvements, landscaping our yard and finishing the basement. And I switched jobs, leaving OgilvyAction, where I'd worked for almost 8 years, for a new position at Arc Worldwide.

I can't imagine 32 will hold as many milestones, but I'm ready for the ride. First up? Baby A's first birthday party, taking two kids to the Pitchfork Music Festival and Lollapalooza and a trip to Portland to visit Franny and family.

I'm wishing...

"Show me when on the calendar your birthday is, Mommy."
I flipped forward to June and pointed to the middle of the month.
"It's after Abby's birthday and after Nanny and Rick's wedding," I told her.
"We're getting a bike trailer for Mommy's birthday!" she bragged to our new neighbor, who was over for a playdate.

When I let Josh in on my birthday wish, he said it was too much of a family gift and not nearly selfish enough. So I told him he can buy it, assemble it, and get my bike tuned up too. Perhaps he's wishing he didn't open his mouth.

I have other wish. It's also an all-family affair, but decidedly less practical: a tasteful* family portrait by this guy.

*Tasteful=black and white, no matching outfits

Happy 3rd Birthday, Z!

Dear Z,

What a year! In November of 2006, you were a doll, but you were still sleeping in a crib and pooping in your pants.

Now you've moved into a big girl bed, said goodbye to diapers and thrown your sippy cups to the wind. You've ridden a trike, become a big sister and started preschool. You finally started using fluoride toothpaste.

And you've become quite the conversationalist. You remember names, places and our plans for the week. You tell jokes. You even lie once in a while (but your face gives you away).

You love movies. In addition to the Disney Princess greatest hits (Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty), you're a fan of Toy Story 1 & 2, The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, Alice and Wonderland and The Muppet Show.

You like to play with dolls and act out scenes from your favorite fairy tales and our own lives. Sometimes it seems like every sentence you utter begins with "Pretend." As in, "Pretend I'm the mommy and you're the little girl and you don't want to go to bed," or "Pretend I'm the Cinderella and you're the Prince and we're marrying. Where's your ring?"

You collect small treasures and squirrel them away around the house. Acorns, pennies, plastic spider rings and ugly rocks you find along the sidewalk--you horde these little items, inventory them and... then usually forget about them a week later.

I could go on and on, but I'm returning to work tomorrow and I need my beauty rest. This past year has been a joy, and I've loved being home with you and your little sis for the last four months of it.