All the live-long day

WARNING: the following post is for mature audiences only and contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

Big news today. Esmé has successfully used the potty for its intended purpose. In other words, not as a hat, a place to hide her toys or as a means for climbing on things. Lately she's shown a lot more interest in actually sitting on her potty. The new ritual has been to sit on it after her evening bath while brushing her teeth/chewing her toothbrush. The toothbrush is how we bribe her to stay on the seat. Otherwise she hops right off with an "all done" before anything could possibly happen.

And to date, nothing has happened. However yesterday morning she started talking about "poo-poo on the potty." I sort of shrugged it off since, well, with a 20-month old you get a lot of that kind of potty talk. But then later she started in with "poop, poop," something she brings up when her diaper has become a hot mess. So assuming it was time for a change, I brought her upstairs. Before I could get her on the changing table, she made a beeline for the bathroom and started tugging at her clothes. It was then that it dawned on me. "You want to go poo-poo on the potty?" I asked. She responded with that "well, duh" look of hers. Quickly I popped her on the potty. Honored her request for verse after verse of "I've Been Working on the Railroad." All for about 20 minutes. Nothing happened. But it occurred to me that at the very least, toilet training has officially begun.

Then this morning came and again the potty talk. This time I didn't waste any time. I got her back in the saddle again. Found myself again belting, "Dinah won't you blow, Dinah won't you blow, Dinah won't you blow your h-o-r-n..." And wouldn't you know it, she peed. Right in the potty. I greeted this development with such glee that I think I might have frightened her a bit. And she was still rather stuck on the idea of "poo-poo in the potty." She's such an overachiever.
So proud!
But then she happily called Daddy to share the big news.

Easter, etc.

Now that we have a little person in the house I'm becoming more aware that holidays are no longer simply "deadlines" on the calendar by which time I need to have certain gifts purchased and cards filled out. No, now I need to start thinking about the build-up leading up to the holiday. I need to decorate, talk things up, get a general holiday buzz started around the house. For Christmas this was fairly easy. The tree sort of forces you to get in gear ahead of time. But Easter caught me off guard. I realized that we were sorely lacking in the Easter decoration department. Thanks to Nana we at least had baskets, but we needed something more. So here's our hommage to springtime in general and Easter specifically...



A wreath for the door. Esme calls the forsythia "schmee-schmah" which happens to be what she also calls our neighbor, Cynthia. You see the connection.








Some eggs that my mom and I painted. You can get the play-by-play here.












The basket Nana made for Esme last Easter.




Easter was a little touch and go for us. Esme was fighting a low-grade fever the days leading up to the holiday. Plus she was definitely experiencing some major tooth discomfort. I'd dare say the worst yet. The night before Easter she hardly slept at all and consequently we didn't either. She napped most of Easter morning, and we wondered if we'd even make it out of the house and down to Aunt Stephie's and Uncle Kevin's at all. We did fortunately, and Esme was able to join her cousins on the egg hunt...




Of the 100+ eggs hidden in the yard, Ethan naturally took home the lion's share.













Ella kept right up, though. Here she is hunting for eggs among the "schmee-schmah."














At times Esme seemed a little exasperated with us adults. Here we were gesturing wildly at these plastic eggs, forcing them into her little hands when there was a perfectly good swing set that needed her attention.





Though brisk, the day was beautiful. We enjoyed an excellent leg of lamb with roasted potatoes and asparagus. Mmmm.

Road Trip: D.C.

So we decided to take a road trip down to Washington D.C. En route we stopped in Dundalk, Maryland to visit with Ruth and Jay. Ruth fixed us a delicious lunch then treated us to an afternoon at the Baltimore Aquarium. Both were thoroughly enjoyed and much appreciated. Esme loved the aquarium as well as having the opportunity to get to know Ruth and Jay a little better.

We hoped that an afternoon strolling around the aquarium would land Esme squarely in the nap zone, and that she'd use the time in the car traveling to our next destination, our hotel in Alexandria, to catch up on some sleep. Of course Esme, as always, has her own agenda. Instead she thought the time would be better spent requesting and re-requesting and then re-re-requesting all the varieties of snacks I had neglected to pack. I finally appeased her with a piece of cheese which she decided made a better balm than mid-afternoon treat. By the time we'd reached the hotel she and her car seat were thoroughly lathered in cheese.

We had just enough time for a dip in the hotel pool before dinner. Dinner was at Hard Times, a restaurant recommended by D.C.-insider and all-around great gal, Christy. It really fit the bill. Kristopher and I dined on Texas-style Chili Mac with Cheese while Esme enjoyed the same, only hold the chili.



The silver-lining to Esme's lack of afternoon nap was the ease with which she fell asleep and then stayed asleep in her hotel crib. We all woke refreshed and ready to face the day and a packed agenda.


After breakfast we took the subway to the Mall where we headed straight for the Museum of Natural History. They have a hands-on exhibit which was perfect for Esme. Here she is exploring the inside of her daddy's nose and trying her hand at reptilian dentistry.


From the museum we headed back out to the Mall. Already we were impressed enough with Washington as a family destination that we resolved right then and there to make it an annual ritual. With that in mind, we snapped this picture.


Consider it the start of a new tradition.

Early April is the perfect time to visit Washington. Our visit happened to coincide with their annual Cherry Blossom Festival. And though we skipped the parade, we didn't want to miss the blossoms themselves, so we headed down to the tidal basin to take them in.
















From there we headed out to the National Zoo. We figured that a healthy dose of museum-quality stimulation and fresh air would inevitably lead to some sort of stroller nap come the afternoon. Though once again Esme proved us wrong, she was a trooper just the same and really enjoyed herself at the zoo. She was able to get quite close to a pygmy hippo as well as an orangutan. Upon coming face-to-face with the hippo, Esme seemed a bit frightened, though later she did ask for "more hippo" and even used the sign-language for "more," something she reserves for her most urgent requests, like snacks. Kristopher and I were quite taken by the pandas. And lions are always something to see.



We had read about a kid-friendly restaurant in the neighborhood called Lebanese Taverna, so we headed there next. We had a delicious dinner with lots of tasty mezza and kabobs and, of course, plenty of RICE.












Another good night's sleep and we were ready for some more sight-seeing. As we wanted to make it home by dinnertime we only had enough time for one monument. We decided to make it the National Cathedral. Before heading up there we hit our "usual" breakfast spot (usual in the sense we dined there Saturday as well). A good, diner-like meal could be had there, so it really fit the bill. Typically when we dine out Esme often finds the surrounding tables to be far more interesting than her own, and this meal was no exception. She was so taken by the table next to ours that eventually we all started chatting. As it turns out they were from Phillipsburg. They knew Kristopher's parents quite well. Small world.

So after a stop at the Cathedral it was north on 95 with a quick stop for lunch in Baltimore. As we pulled into the Inner Harbor, Esme started shouting "Fish!" So I guess the Aquarium did leave quite an impression on her. Once again our hopes for a car-nap were in vain. She did fall asleep once. For five minutes. Oh well.

Rice!

Esme loves rice. Loves it. Will whoop for joy at the mere mention of it. Consequently when we're hankering to eat out, we make a point to frequent restaurants where the ancient grain is readily available. Needless to say we've been eating a lot of Thai and Japanese lately. You'll hear no complaints here. At our favorite Thai spot Esme has been dubbed "Rice Girl" by the hostess. This is because the moment we walk into the joint, Esme starts shouting "Rice!" at the top of her little lungs. A month or so ago we took a trip into New York City. We rode the train in, another Esme fave. Wandered about a bit, then ended up at a restaurant called, appropriately enough, Rice. We used to go there in our Brooklyn days. And lucky for us, they've got a Midtown spot so we were able to stop for a quick dinner then catch our train. This was, perhaps, Esme's perfect day. A train ride, which she still hasn't stopped talking about. Followed by some time in the stroller people watching and pigeon harassing. And rounded out by a dinner of, none other than RICE!

Breakfast is primarily oatmeal these days. It's nice because we've gotten into a routine where I can make us both the same meal. I mix in some banana and apple for flavor and an added nutritional boost. Just about every morning when asked what she'd like for breakfast, Esme responds, "Cereal... hot." She also like her milk, "hot." She's a girl who knows what she likes! She has been mixing it up as of late asking instead for "yogurt" or "pancakes." The former is definitely becoming a new fave. The latter is a weekend thing.

Here she is after having invited her panda to join in.

The other night Kristopher returned from yet another trip out west. This presented the rare opportunity for us to enjoy a weekday dinner together. Ordinarily Esme dines alone for dinner, and Kristopher and I eat later, more towards 8:00 pm. Lately, instead of making Esme her own separate meal, I've been trying to simplify by giving her some version of what we're having. Here's an example:



We enjoyed a stir fry of tofu, spinach and asparagus over brown rice. Esme also supped on the asparagus (which she loved-- yay!), rice and tofu. I added some mango and black beans to her plate. It is unusual for her to clean her plate this well, but she is a pretty good eater just the same. Especially if rice is on the menu.

Hooligan

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Sorry for not posting much lately. I do have a few in mind, just haven't had the time to get them up. For the time being, here's a little blarney from our own Esmé Lilly...







Thanks, Aunt Sasha, for bringing the hoody back from Ireland.

Baby Rich

Welcome to the world little Richard Alexander! We're so happy you're here. Esmé was thrilled to meet her newest cousin this weekend and hasn't stopped talking about him since. I'm sure they'll share many adventures together.

First Haircut

So we decided it was finally time to cut Esme's hair. As a farewell gesture to her wild locks, I gave her pigtails that morning. After running a few errands, we stopped by the local barber shop. True to form she was a trooper, only getting antsy toward the end. Here are some highlights, including a few "after" shots from our day-trip to Point Pleasant the following day.