Just Keepin' it Real

Today I was talking to my sister, and I mentioned that Alia has really been challenging for me the last couple of days. She asked in what way, and I told her about Alia's new nearly-constant whine. See, Alia has found her voice, and apparently, she feels it's best to use it to motivate me to better serve her....through whining.

Chris (my sister) asked if there was something wrong with her. I responded "no". She asked what I do when Alia begins whining. I tell her that I say things like "I know your tired, Alia...I'm tired too. However, rather than whining, maybe you could just keep it to yourself. That's what Mommy does". My sister got a laugh out of this. She asked if it pains me to hear her unhappy. I responded with something to the effect of "well, it does pain me in that it really gets on my nerves to hear whining for hours on end". My sister laughed, and responded that she had no idea life in Alia-land was anything but perfect. She said from the normal Alia reports, we've created a perfect child that brings nothing but 24 hour joy joy joy.

Well. As difficult as it is to say (because Alia is so wonderfully sweet and cute and does such a good job of being a baby), it's challenging! Especially with the new whining thing...I told my sister that one of my big pet peeves in life is whining, so it's funny that my little 6 month old has already honed in on exactly what makes my eyes cross and creates a black hole in my brain just behind my crossed eyes as her motivating behavior of choice. Oh, and don't get me wrong...there's crying too.

So after talking with my sister, I looked over the last blogs...and there I saw sweet photos, sweet videos, and reports of nothing but baby love and sweetness and cuteness. So there it is my friends. No perfection on this end!

Because this just cracks me up!

So yesterday, my friend asked for a photo of Alia's new teeth. And in an attempt to get the photo, I got all sorts of photos...mainly just like this one...the more I tried to pry little Alia's mouth open, the more she stuck her tongue out. As you can see from the twinkle in her eyes, it became quite a little game.

Another cute thing about Alia...because I haven't really focused on that before....

What's the cutest thing in the world? Well, aside from baby harp seals and Japanese cartoon characters...because that wouldn't really make sense in my Mommy blog. Anyway, if someone asked me this question, I would have to say baby goose bumps.

See, it all started with Alia's night time baby massage. I use the California Babies massage oil (in lavender), lube up my hands and rub her little legs and feet while we look into one another's eyes. She coos. Mommy coos right back. It's the best part of my day.

Then one night, I tickled her little feet. She half-laughed-half-cooed. Then I realized this little girl is ticklish! So I tickled her legs. And there before my eyes, I saw a whole slew of goose bumps pop up...up and down her little chubby legs. They were so tiny....adding to the cuteness....but so...prominent!

And that is the cutest moment of the week, my friends....so far.

So Sweet!

Here's Alia in her clamp-on high chair. We were playing peek-a-boo around a big bowl in the center of the island...she was beside herself with a big case of the happys.

My addiction....it ain't pretty

I'm walking down the streets of Laguna...strolling Alia toward the cafe for our 9AM appointment with her bottle and Mommy's cappuccino. When the thought plays somewhere in the back of my mind...."you shoulda brought the book". No I tell the thought. This is Mommy/Baby time. There's no room for my Wally Lamb book in this equation.

So we get to the cafe. And I hear it again. "it couldn't hurt to read a few pages while she's having her bottle". Damn you, little voice.

After we're done with our Mommy/Baby date at the cafe, we stroll around downtown Laguna Beach and there, on the corner, is the book store. The voice in my head says, "the stroller would fit through the door. And I'll bet Alia would love to see what a book store is...and I'll bet they have the Wally Lamb book prominently displayed on the front table...you could just read a few pages...you know, just until Alia cries from boredom".

And that's when I recognized my addiction for what it was. An ugly, dark, out-of-control, it's-running-the-ship addiction. I am powerless...I need to turn myself over to the the Baby Jesus so he can take the wheel! I am addicted to my book. I think about it all the time. I hide my "using" from others...it interferes in my accomplishing small tasks. I haven't lost friends over it....yet. Now that I think about it, I haven't really called anyone back since I started reading it last week. See? I'm on the slippery slope.

Okay...what I need is to take a deep breath....maybe other people are reading the book and are in my same situation? Maybe other people are amazed at this author's genius just as I am. Maybe there are others like me!

Okay, now I feel better. Now I feel..... like I'm wasting time writing this when I could be reading my book. See you later!

Alia's Latest Trick

Last month, right on the "4-month-old-should-roll-over-unassisted" cue, Alia rolled over. I caught the big event on digital film. You remember. Well, after that, Alia decided she didn't like to roll over. In fact, she would cry every time I put her on her belly. 

Until yesterday...when this happened.

Again and again, Alia rolled over to great applause. Ajay and I clapped; we kissed her; he told her "way to go!". And then Alia clapped, too, for the first time. 

Now granted, the palms of her two tiny adorable hands never met...one hand was in fact balled into a fist so it was more like the rock and scissors meeting in a game of rock-paper-scissors. But to see her trying so hard and just how close she was to her goal... the pride on her face was just priceless.

Ode to Wally Lamb

Okay, I don't even know if I'm using the word "ode" correctly, as I really don't know what it means....but in the context I've heard it used, I think it means "high praise for" or "I really like" or "isn't the [following word] great?". But anyway, Ode to Wally Lamb. Right now I'm reading "The Hour I First Believed" after waiting, what? 10 years for Wally's book that followed "I Know This Much is True". So anyway, I finished the Twilight series last week, and was finally able to pick up Wally's book immediately following.

Oh My God!!! Can that guy write. I mean, seriously, nothing can compare to his genius. When I read "She's Come Undone", Wally's first book, it was like nothing I'd read before. Ditto for "I Know This Much is True". And now, after all these years have passed, I have that same, overwhelmed-with-his-genius feeling with every turned page. His characters are so developed. They show themselves in sometimes very raw ways. You don't necessarily fall in love with his main characters or the supporting characters for that matter. But damn, is this guy good.

So last night, I got into bed, reached for the book on the nightstand, and was horrified to find that I was already on page 70. No! I want my cake...but I want to eat it. Slow down, Andrea, ready every word. Savor it. Don't begin eating like a ravenous animal...take time, enjoy it! But then the other side of me says, don't listen, Andrea! Shoot it back like a shot of tequila in your college days. Drink it. Quickly!

So, as you can tell, having this book has had quite an impact on me. The house....not quite up to standard. Sure, Alia is still clean and has a fresh diaper every 12.5 seconds, but other things just don't seem as important.

Our new morning ritual

Yesterday morning, I was up and showered early, so I thought it might be fun to take Alia into town for some errands and stop for a coffee for me and a bottle for her. We hit the dry cleaners, the bank, and then the Zinc Cafe downtown Laguna.

I grabbed a coffee, and Alia sat on my lap and enjoyed her bottle. We people watched, watched birds flying overhead, dogs walking by and clouds going by overhead. Alia was in heaven. She enjoyed seeing everything so much that she fell asleep in the car in the 2 minute drive back home.

With yesterday's enjoyment, and being up and at 'em early again today, I thought, why not? So we headed to town again. We strolled around and window shopped on our way to the cafe, and once there, again, Alia loved it. She cooed. She flirted with people at nearby tables. She was very happy. And again, was snoring by the time we got home.

So there you have it...our new morning routine. I think getting out and about early is a good thing for both of us. For me, it assures that I don't end up in my PJs at 2PM wondering where the day went. And for Alia, it adds some structure to her morning.

My little Leo

Way back when I was pregnant with twins, I looked at my due date of July 29 and realized holy moly, I'm going to give birth to not one, but two little Leos. In addition to Ajay being a Leo, I began to feel, well, a little overwhelmed. Three Leos in one house, and me, the little Picses. How would I ever have a prayer, or any peace for that matter.


So somewhere in the fourth month, my OB told me she hoped I would go to 38 weeks, and anything beyond that was cruel and unusual punishment for a twin pregnancy. I quickly consulted my astrological signs book and realized wooopeee! I'll have Cancers instead of Leos. Water signs to match my water sign. Homebodies to keep me company!


Then, I lost my little guy, and I no longer had a twin pregnancy, which meant there was no reason that I shouldn't go to full term (here we go again...Leo!!). Since I opted to stick to the original plan for a C-Section, my OB informed me that Alia would be born during 39th week. Oh, and did I mention that at this point the "family astrologer" in India was contacted about which day would be most auspicious? This is the same family astrologer that chose our wedding day. Anyway, the family astrologer told us that July 21 would be the best day for Alia...yep, that's right...a Cancer.


And that's how it went...my OB agreed to allow us to have Alia on July 21. Alia is a Cancer. Technically.


Last night, however, while Alia decided to stand bolt upright and shriek at the top of her lungs in her kitchen-sink bath tub, Ajay laughed out loud and said, "Forget all the maneuvering and planning, I think we've got ourselves a little Leo, here!" And the more I thought about it, the more I actually have to agree.


Alia has a fundamental need to be the center of attention. She loves to be out and about...new faces, new places. She loves when we go on vacation, because in her eyes, it's the perfect way for us to better focus all our attention on her...since Daddy isn't working and Mommy isn't running the house.


As I said before, Alia's new favorite past time is to shriek for attention...she especially loves to this while naked in the tub, but any location will do...preferably a quiet location where she can get the most bang for her shrieking buck.


And now that we're back to our old routine...the routine that I'm happy with being a homebody Picses, Alia seems, well, a little bored! Our evening walks now seem boring to her...her same old neighborhood compared to all the sounds and sights and lights of the city streets of San Francisco.


There seems to be nothing greater to Alia than the huge Farmer's Market...even if she did nap through most of it...


or wine shopping with Daddy


or a nice lunch at a spectacular restaurant


or grabbing a beer (literally) with Mommy


And who could forget the mirrored elevator in the hotel just waiting for a good old fashioned game of Peek-a Boo! Yep...that's my little Leo.

Happy New Year

Well, it goes without saying that 2008 was by far the best year of my life. We had our share of ups and downs for sure, but welcoming Alia into our little family has changed everything about my life...our lives. 

We appreciate completely different things now. Life before Alia, our favorite hobbies included culinary adventures...checking out new restaurants , new cities, new countries (well, not new countries in the sense that they were just created out of thin air, rather, new to us) in the search of great food and new cultural experiences. Life after Alia is much more home and family focused. Fine dining was replaced with take out. Adventurous dining is when I make Indian food at home....which isn't adventurous at all for Ajay considering that it's his comfort food!

This year, we decided to take a little getaway to San Francisco to celebrate the New Year. In our previous life, we would have painted the town red and attempted to visit as many of our favorite spots as possible in the long weekend. We would have walked the city... from the Mission district to Union Square to the Ferry building. We would have stayed at the fashionable Clift hotel and enjoyed dinner out at the Slanted Door, stopped off at a few hip spots on the way back to ending our evening with a cocktail at the Redwood room at the Clift. This trip, in contrast, we are staying at the lovely modern Hotel Vitale directly across the street from the Ferry building. This spot was chosen specifically because of it's proximity to the Slanted Door restaurant. And instead of the fashionably late reservation for dinner, we'll be dining there for lunch...and most likely neither of us will be at the table at the same time...one of us will eat while the other walks Alia around. 

Yesterday, we drove our rental car to Pleasanton to visit generations-old friends of Ajay's family. We intended to have breakfast with them, and then head back to the city. But since I somehow managed to leave the car's lights on and completely drained the battery, we ended up staying through the dinner hour. We had such a lovely time in this amazingly comfortable home. Alia was free to nap as needed; she played with toys belonging to the grandson that comes for visits often. She had her own "changing station" for fresh diapers. It was a wonderful day spent with family friends that loved Alia. 

And this new life? I don't miss a single thing. Not the fancy dinners out. Not the late hours we used to keep. Our close-to-home getaways are the perfect alternative to long flights around the world. Our take-out dinners provide all the nourishment we need, especially since the new adventure in our life is named Alia.