Note to the Boo:

Hi sweetie,

You're fast asleep right now but I just wanted to tell you what a nice day I had with you today. I was a little worried that you didn't sleep so well last night (you woke up a cried for a little while around 4am) but this morning you seemed to wake up in a good mood. After breakfast and some exploring of the kitchen cabinets (I can't believe you found all those old cutout recipes from the 1970s in that one cookbook - I will definitely NOT try that green bean casserole), we woke up Papa and made sure he got off to work on time (well, not quite on time, but thanks for playing so nicely in the crib by yourself for 20 minutes or so, Mama hasn't seen much of Papa lately).

So, I had to get a bunch of work done this weekend, but after calling both our babysitters (it's generous to call them babysitters since each of them have stayed with you only once - I apparently need a longer list of babysitters) it was apparent that they were either up and out early on an Sunday morning (9:00 church?), sleeping late, or screening my calls. At any rate, I struck out on babysitters, but you took a 90 minute nap from 10:30 to noon that allowed me the time I needed to get my work done. Thank you!

I managed to catch Dee on her cell at her Mom's house while I was feeding you (and me) lunch - so we got to go for a nice hike with her on the rail trail when the day turned sunny unexpectedly. Other than treating my hair like some sort of permanently attached reins, you were a dream. You met your first horse, and were suitably awed. I wanted you to touch it's nose, but you weren't having any of that. "Just looking, Mama, thanks."

We then headed to the grocery store and you charmed every damn person in the store. I'd have thought you were running for office the way you waited for them to look at you and then beamed them your 6 tooth smile. You should patent that smile, kiddo. Everyone was smitten, even that grumpy lady by the cold cuts.

So we came back, unpacked the groceries, and then once again, you were a champ and let Mama do a little work while you dismembered my magazine storage. It's probably an indication that I don't really need to keep all those Science Weeklies, but I like those symmetrical stacks of Rock and Ice and Old House Magazines.

We went and had dinner with Papa at the Bardavon, and then listened to about 1/2 an hour of Dana Fuchs, the opener for Dickie Betts. She had played with your feet during sound check, so I was predisposed to like her. Dickie's manager half agreed to have him sign your diaper (after we joked about it), but after the comment he made about Dickie signing lots of private parts (of girls I hope were MUCH, MUCH older than you) I had second thoughts. So no Allman Brothers eBay items for me or you. Anyway, you seemed to like Dana's music, and I carried you around the audience for the first 40 mintues of the show.

I thought you'd be tired, so I packed you in the car at about 7:40, but you yabbered at me the whole way home. "Blah dah, ga da blaaaaa." Once home, it only took you about 10 minutes or crawling around to get completely crabby (turn to the wall, bonk, cry, get picked up, cry, get put down, cry, rinse, repeat), but then it took you almost 8 oz of formula to finally go to sleep - and then only after rolling onto your tummy, after you nearly finished the second bottle. I rubbed your back for 10 minute waiting for you to go to sleep. And sang to you the whole time.

"My baby girl,
My little Kaia girl,
Is the best baby girl,
In the whole wide world."

Boo, I had a really nice day with you. Thanks for all the smiles, the hugs and sloppy baby kisses you gave me. I love you a ton, littlest one. See you in the morning.

Mama

Nanny Diaries, Part II

So, the day I posted that last post was the last time we ever saw Nina. Well, technically, that's not true, since I hunted her down at her restaurant gig to find out what happened to our mattress and futon frame, but basically after the Monday evening that she dropped Kaia off with Barbara, she never showed up again. Which was a little bit of a surprise, to say the least, since I was out of town in Dallas and had paid her in advance in good faith.

We wound up having to repaint the whole barn, and purchase several items of furniture to replace missing items (bed frame, mattress, futon frame), but in the end, the barn is back in good shape and our new nanny, Georgann, is working out really well. We've just booked our trip to the South of France and Italy for this summer, and she's going to come with us, so it probably turned out for the best anyway, as Nina would not have been able to come with us on trips like that.

Kaia is really and truly crawling all over the place now, standing up, and even standing on her own for several seconds at a time before either grabbing the table/chair/bear/mom/dad again or sitting down on her butt. She's taken a few really nice headers, with a bruise or a lump here or there to show for it, but she seems like a tough little kid and mostly gets over her tumbles with a few hugs and kisses and is quickly off again. It's getting harder to get her to hold still for snuggles unless she's in the process of waking up or falling asleep. She's going to have quite a personality!

She's eating lots of real food now, and pretty much anything we eat she's trying a little of. Doesn't seem to be a picky eater so far.

This month also marks the start of my role as interim GM in New York, so I've taken Kaia in a few times to the city with me (Georgann coming along) and she seems pretty nonchalant about sleeping there vs here. Pretty flexible, at least at this point. Hopefully it won't be for too long, since it's pretty travel and work-intensive.

Kaia's first words, at least that we can tell have a specific meaning for her. . ."Daisy Dog." Although it sounds like Da dawh when she says it. Very sweet. As always, little Kaia-boo, mama adores you, and so does your good friend Da dawh.