Nina vs. lasagna

you decide who won

note the fabulous results you can get in your hairstyle with just a dab of tomato sauce; works on eyebrows too

Real L.A. experience redux
We went to L.A. again yesterday, and had another authentic experience, though this time very different. First thing I noticed when I got off the highway was the Flynt publishing building. I know Larry Flynt isn't really Woody Harrelson, but I was intrigued anyway.

We went to an audition that had parts for babies as well as adults. The adults were there for a part which involved being athletic and specified that the people look really healthy. The men all looked healthy and fit, but the women--I swear if some of these women didn't get sustenance soon, they were going to pass out. They looked really hungry. Then in the bathroom I saw some actual healthy, fit looking women. I was tempted to tell them how good they looked in comparison, but my anthropological study was not complete enough; it might have been taken as an insult.

Then we walked around West Hollywood, looking for some sustenance ourselves. Those women had made me hungry just being in the room with them. Fancy, expensive furniture and Stella McCartney clothes could be had, but food, forget it. So we resorted to Ralph's, only unlike any Ralph's we have here in San Diego. It looked a lot like a fancy, small, independent store (though the food was the same, just less of it). And even the carts were chic and black. Alas, they had very little organic, so my dinner was cheese, crackers, and a jar of pickled okra.

As I lay in bed last night trying to sleep despite my cracked-out double espresso comedown, I was once again reminded of how happy I am to be who I am, where I am.

playing outside with Granki

Nina and I are stars! Ok, so only on the internet, and not really, but there are pictures of us on both the Sunshine Diapers page (in the Gainesville section) and on the Healthy beginnings page (several places).

It was too much to expect that everyone would be looking good in one picture (december)

Checking out Eloise (december)

Eloise looking pensive (december)

hangin' out (december)

For the Nina photo-starved among you, here are some from December!

"Sharing" with Anya

Last night in the bath Nina leaned in close to my face and said, "mmmmm." It took me a few seconds to figure out what she wanted--a kiss. I actually cried, it was so sweet, in fact I'm tearing up now. I'm definitely not a very emotional person, but seriously, you'd have to be made of stone not to react when someone that wonderful wants you to kiss them.

Nina's first word: uh-oh! Used most often after she has thrown something she suddenly remembers she really wants. She sometimes says "mama" and "papa" but it's not as consistent as "uh-oh."

Memoirs of a Geisha
I decided to go see the movie, even though the book is one of my favorites of all time. I expected to be disappointed, but I actually liked the big-screen adaptation. I love learning about Japanese culture and love the Japanese aesthetic, so I figured even if they butchered the book, I could enjoy the scenery. They did a fairly good job of cramming a great book into a pretty good film, though, and my only real complaint is I wish they had gone more into the art of the geisha (which means artist) but that might have made it boring for many people. I am also fascinated by kimono, so of course more detail about them and wearing them would have been good for me.

A real L.A. experience
Nina and I got a call at 12:30 on Monday from the lady at the agency we're working with for Nina's "career." She wanted to know if we could make an audition (Baby Gap) at 3:00. So even though we had run around all morning, we threw a bunch of stuff into the car and sped off to LALA land. We made it in time, too...just. It was so surreal, we were there for about 10 minutes and it was all over, Nina smiles for and charms everyone--except the people who want to pay her to do it. She just stared at them, no smiles forthcoming. I just couldn't throw her back in the car, so I decided to get us some dinner. The pickins were slim, but we ended up having a decent meal (by which I mean it didn't make either of us sick and I didn't have to sell the car to pay for it). At the restaurant, I opened the door to the ladies' room, and there was a man with a very skimpy leopard-print skirt and matching top on. No big deal, but he decided to use the mens' room instead, despite my assurances that it was ok with me for him to be there. Then we were driving down Santa Monica and saw some professional girls with skirts so short, at least half their booties were hanging out. I've seen some short skirts before, but not like that. So even though we were only there for a total of maybe an hour, we definitely got our full L.A. experience, complete with nightmare traffic on the way home.

Nina didn't get the job, which is ok because I definitely had mixed emotions about her advertising a company I won't buy from.

Okay, enough with the boring life of the parents...give us more baby pics!

We had a visit from Sir Elton John last night

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan
This book is wonderful! It is laugh-out-loud funny and also touching, especially as read by the author on the cd version I listened to. I'm sure that people driving by as I was walking down the street were wondering what the crazy lady was laughing at (especially on the days when I was pushing an empty stroller to pick Nina up from my friend's house). This book makes me grateful for the dogs I have, even on their worst days. Definitely a must-read (or listen) for dog lovers, but I suspect even the non-dog blessed among us will enjoy this one.

Oh no, there's a lion in the house!
I taught Nina that lions roar and now she goes all over the house roaring. It's pretty cute.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Life changes fast
Life changes in an instant
You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends
So begins this wonderful book about grief. I'm not sure what I thought it would be about, maybe more about a composed, healed woman looking back at the pain. Most people seem whole at the end; it is so refreshing to hear from someone who is still experiencing her pain. It was so much more immediate and raw; compelling. She talks with frankness about the places her grief took her and how this affected her life. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it as a delve into raw emotions that leaves the reader not depressed, but with a renewed faith in love and the infinite amount of it there is to give and have.