Halloween part deux

Even though I dressed up on Saturday, too, today is actually Halloween. Please do not be confused.

I decided to give Olivia another try today. I was not, however, interested in another photo shoot at home.

 

Just because I make reruns look good,
it doesn't mean I want to be photographed
in the same outfit twice.

When I got to school and saw Annabelle in her pink bunny costume, though, it was on! So what if her dad wanted to get a photo of by herself? He sees her everyday and I'm fairly certain he doesn't have any photos of me, yet. So I got in the shot. Make that shots. Unless he wants to commit a good 45 minutes to editing everything in Photoshop tonight, I'm going to be in the family albums for years. To make sure all of the frames were usable, I stood perfectly still for him (a privilege I never afford my mom).

The rest of the costumes at school were pretty typical. No fewer than four Supermen, a lot of cats and princesses. You get the picture.

Our Halloween "party" (trick-or-treating at a retirement home) invitation limited our options a bit by not allowing

 

1. Masks
2. Scary costumes
3. Weapons of any kind
4. High heels (has this been a problem in the past?)

Miss Erica clearly lost her invitation because her adult Little Red Riding Hood costume absolutely violated rules two and four. Yikes! She tried to get me excited about her outfit by telling me that we were both wearing red but it didn't fly. I don't need my outfit compared to someone who is totally past her prime. Maybe next year, rule number five should address the cleavage issue.

Halloween part un

I'm not sure how kids in the suburbs do Halloween, but city kids don't go house to house. We go shop to shop. This weekend, the kids in my neighborhood met in the main square for photos and a dog costume parade. Then, the area shops handed out candy to anyone in costume. I don't eat candy or say "Trick or Treat," (totally by choice on both counts) but I do like to watch big kids. I was happy to attend.

The princess thing was completely played out this year. I saw three Meridas, two Cinderellas, a Belle and a Snow White. Yaaaaaaaaaaaawn. There were a lot of monkeys, a few dinosaurs and a surprising number of kids dressed as lawn gnomes.

Based on my respect for the character and the fact that the costume allowed me to wear pants, I chose to go as literary heroine, Olivia. Some dum dum thought I was Olive Oil.



We're practically triplets

I suppose none of it matters, though, because I live in Chicago. As any Midwestern kid knows, even the most thoughtful costume just looks like a kid in a snowsuit by the time the sun sets on October 31st.

My costume? Thanks for asking.
I'm a kid from the 1970's whose dad dressed her.

And introducing: The Bear

The October newsletter came out and I am all over this bad boy. I don't mean to take it for granted but it really is about time. Here are some of the highlights. As usual, the photo quality is phenomenal and someone left their caps lock on.

HERE IS THE BEAR PAINTING

THE BEAR, CONOR AND JULIAN IN AN ART PROJECT

JULIAN AND THE BEAR IN THE BOAT TRIP GAME!!!

The pièce de résistance, found in the BIRTHDAYS COMING!!! section is, "Congratulations to our lovely BEAR October 19, HAPPY B-DAY BEAR!!!!"

Congratulations? Um. Okay. Lovely? Why, thank you very much. I'm glad to have made such a nice impression.

Birthday Bear

Today is my first birthday. Last weekend, I hosted an event for close friends and family in my home. The party was so great that some people didn't leave for three days. I felt like Swag.

Dinosaur shirt and a perfectly pointed toe in sneaks.
This is birthday fashion done right.

 

The event planned at the learning center this afternoon will be less exclusive. Because it is taking place in the infant room, I have no control over the guest list. Everyone is invited. Whatever. I still get to wear a paper crown, bask in the glory that is the Happy Birthday song and eat the delicious banana cupcakes my mom made for the occasion, as long as Miss Jazmin doesn't hog dog them all herself.

Is there anyway we could hide these in the back
until Miss Jazmin leaves for the day?

As I reflect on my year on Earth, I remember the good times, like the first time I wore Diane Von Furstenberg, and the not so good times, like the weeks preceding all six of my teeth. It's been quite a ride. I can't wait to see where I'll be and who I'll be wearing this time next year.

Have I mentioned that Julian bit me, yet?

Because he totally did.

Miss Erica tried to keep it confidential and tell my mom that an anonymous infant who is moving to the toddler room this week was the biter. Duh. My mom isn't an idiot. Only one giant baby is transitioning this week.

I won't say it didn't hurt, I won't say I didn't cry, but I will say that I was brave and strong and that I didn't bite him back. I'll let the bigguns take care of him.

You know where you are? You're in the toddler room, baby!

Might I suggest a sedative for tomorrow's drop off?

When you're a baby, you hear a lot of people give your parents unsolicited advice on how to raise you. My mom and dad are generally pretty polite when they receive this advice and then roll their eyes and make fun of the advice giver when they get home. They keep saying that it's a good thing I can't repeat them, yet, but their secrets will always be safe with me because I know if I spill the goods just once, they won't give me the gossip anymore.
 
Becky, mom to Cooper (four) and Kayla (two) is a constant advice giver. I'm not sure she actually likes her kids that much. She's always in a hurry, never says, "I love you" at drop off and drives an SUV that is way too big for the city.
 
Most of her advice comes in the form of "Just you wait". She is constantly looking at my smiling mom cuddling me while she wrangles Cooper and Kayla, saying things like, "Just you wait until she can talk back." "Just you wait until she fights you about getting in her car seat." "Just you wait until she wakes up in the middle of the night and takes your Yukon for a joyride to Indiana to stock up on cheap cigarettes to sell at the park."
 
This morning, Cooper ran past my mom and me to do a puzzle with the other kids in his room. A few steps behind, Becky was carrying a screaming Kayla by the neck of her puffy coat. Seriously. Kayla's kicking legs were at least a foot and a half off of the ground and her weight was supported strictly by imitation down feathers from Old Navy and pure anger. As the two headed, kicking, screaming beast walked by, it turned to my mother and said, "Just you wait until that one is two". Ouch.
 
Being two sounds really hard. I'm not going to pretend I will handle it gracefully. I'm sure I'll have to put my mom in her place at least three dozen times that year. I have to believe, though, that we can come to some sort of disciplinary compromise that doesn't involve me being hoisted through a room full of my peers like a big cat cub, without any control over my body.

Funny how the last people who should give advice
are always the first people to give it

Insult to Injury

Because my family was running a bit behind this morning, my drop off coincided with Ben's. My mom was politely talking to his mom about how his transition to the toddler room is going, blah blah blah. Ben's mom commented on how much pretty hair I have (blush) and then asked if my name was Molly.

Ouch. Just ouch.

We've only been in the infant room together for nine months. I guess Ben wasn't talking about me at home as much as I thought.  

Beep Beep! Introducing the newest infant

If the Social Security Administration's annual list of most popular baby names was any indication, you'd think the parents of the world were getting their act together.

Sophia, Isabella, Emma, Olivia and Ava (the top five names for girls in 2011) are beautiful, classic names that will stand the test of time and serve those who wear them well. Sure, by the time you get to the 21st most popular name, you're in Brooklyn territory, but overall, baby names seem to be making sense again.

So I'm sure you can understand my surprise when Lexus rolled into the infant room this morning. Take a moment, if you need to, because I said Lexus, not Alexis. Even though she already has her ears pierced, Lexus is actually a really lovely 12 week old. Her parents, Julie and Jeff, seem totes normal, too. They aren't even high school students, as their daughter's name would suggest.

Why would Julie and Jeff do this to their baby? Is naming your child after a luxury item supposed to convince the rest of us that the child is of high stature? If so, someone should tell them that Lexi are made by the same people who make Toyotas, so they can't be that fancy. They aren't even European.

You wouldn't name your daughter Celica, would you?
Wait. Don't answer that.

For better or for worse, parents can name their babies whatever they want. I just think it might be a good idea for some people to let the drugs wear off before signing the birth certificate. 18 years from now, someone is going to have to write Lexus on a college application. 23 years from now, Lexus will be on a resume. 28 years from now, she will be saying the words, "I, Lexus, take you, Hermes". 30 years from now, she'll be naming her daughter Jane.