Magical Mist

Growing up in the midwest, I used to hate the spring. It was about 6 weeks of cold, wet, brown slop and a week of new growth that you can barely appreciate because it's just too icky. But since I moved out east, I have grown to LOVE the spring. I especially love days like today - cool, misty, rainy spring days where the grass and leaves have just turned bright green and the color is starting to pop and the gray sky just makes the green even greener. I don't know why, but I've always loved days like this...there's just something magical and cozy about the "gloomy" mist...It always makes me want to write...so I'm going to...and someday I will put up the pictures from Nora's birthday...

Back on the horse

Thanks to a wonderful friend who gently reminded me how important writing is to one's well being (or at least THIS one's well being) and then of my failure to post ANYTHING after publicly vowing to post twice a week, I am back on the blog writing horse...thank you Brett...

SO, here I am, sleepy, behind in work and recently cleansed of my poo bath from earlier this morning (Nora's, not mine) and attempting to write something coherent.

I wanted to post a video of Nora anyway, so I'll just start out with this for my first real blog entry: I think my child is the coolest kid in the world.

I don't mean to say this in the competitive, my-kid-walked-and-talked-before-your-kid-and-will-make-it-into-the-best-ivy-league-school-because-of-all-the-mind-building-activities-games-and videos-I-do-obsessively-with-my-kid-in-the-hopes-that-she-will-spontaneously-be-multilingual-and-doing-advanced-calculus-by-the-time-she-is-3 way. Because, let's face it, while I do try to speak to her in Spanish as often as possible, I'm as guilty as the next of plopping Nora down in her 'pack-n-scream' to scream or in front of her pile of books or (gasp) even in front of the evil, evil TV with Baby Signing Time blasting out while I finish something.

Nor do I mean it in the blind, my-kid-is-the-most-beautiful-and-best-child-in-the-world-just-because-she-is-my-kid-and-I'd-say-this-even-if-she-had-18-eyeballs-plastered-all-over-her-body-and-smelled-like-doggie-doo-all-the-time way that parents tend to look at their children. I'm pretty sure I'll never be one of those parents who just always thinks her kids are beautiful, regardless. I mean, I always love whatever kids I have and I know they'll all be beautiful in their own way, but as mean as it sounds, I just can't fool myself into thinking something that isn't. Granted, I do think that Nora is adorable, most of the time. There are definitely moments where I look at Nora and think, "Oh dear, this is not one of your pretty moments."

But I guess what I mean is that I truly enjoy being around Nora - not because she is my offspring, but because she's just fun and creative and smart and has such a pleasant (again, most of the time) disposition. There was definitely a time, right around 3 months, that I did NOT enjoy her...but luckily that passed and as she's gotten older, she continues to amaze me with her flexibility, fearlessness, love of people and kindness. Thank you, Nick, for giving her many of those qualities...

Now, she certainly has a "Kristin-streak"...she's persistent, stubborn and strong-willed. She likes things her way. But I think that's ok, because unlike her mother, she truly seems to enjoy and crave being around other people and plays well with them, especially for an 11-month-old.

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm excited to see how she changes and grows and to see what kind of person she'll become. There's so much pressure on a parents to help her grow up in the "right" way, so it's nice when she starts out with good blocks with which to build.

So there're my thoughts for today...and I end this with a video of Nora and Mori - best friends - although, I can't understand how Mori puts up with the abuse!!

Nora videos

Here are some more videos of Nora (because we're not nearly as interesting):

Our New Life

So I'm pretty sure this is the first time that I've written on the blog since we moved out to Maryland 2.5 years ago...sad. Last week, Nick and I started the first week of our "new life," complete with a '14 weeks to looking good naked' plan and a brand new, scarily OCD schedule that would make my mother proud. Part of my spontaneous, ADHD soul shrieked itself into a sad, ordered death. But, if it means that I get the things done that I need to during the day/week and can have evenings and weekends free to play, then I suppose its worth it. *sigh*

Anyway, one of the items I have added in to my schedule is writing...I decided that since I've basically given up all types of writing save the really dull, dry scientific paper and grant application writing, part of my soul has shriveled up and gone into a starvation coma. So, to remedy the situation, I decided that I needed to start writing again...but like anything you stop doing for awhile, I'm way out of practice and writing does NOT come as easily as it once used to...you know, I have to use my electronic thesaurus to come up with synonyms for words like "sad," "mad," and "open." And since I have this horrible habit of not doing things that don't come easily to me, I need a kick in the pants to get me moving. So here I am. I have vowed to write at least 2 blog entries a week in an attempt to get myself writing and to provide a consistent place for people to stay current on our ever changing, constantly nomadic lives. Oh, and watch Nora grow up. :) As I find that I always discover more about myself when I'm writing, and that I certainly could use some introspection after the whirlwind past 3 years that have landed us in one of the most expensive, and certainly most politicized, areas of the country...Consider it my lent sacrifice...

So as I watch the snow fall (yay!) for probably the 4th time in the past 2.5 years, I offer you a warm welcome back into the lives of the Giulianis. :-)

It's been awhile

Here's some videos:

Here's some recent videos of Nora:

Nora Grace