Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks...

The girls attended their first Cubs game over Labor Day weekend. It is a rite of passage for anyone growing up on the North Side and, with my cousin and his boys coming into town for a visit, there was no time like the present..

To get the full experience, we took the Red Line from my parents' to Wrigley. Morgan is an old pro at riding the CTA since we regularly took the El to her ballet lessons at Ballet Chicago. She stood in the crowd, holding on to the pole, as if it were no big deal. Sophie, on the other hand, was not a fan of public transportation! When we got off the train, I think that she would have knelt down and kissed the pavement if I would have let her!

Attending a baseball game with two young children certainly is an experience. Between the trips to get cotton candy/hot dogs/peanuts/water/you-name-it, requisite visit to the souvenir shop, trying to keep the kids from bopping the nice lady in front of us with the little bat that we purchased at the aforementioned souvenir shop, and potty trips, I think I watched about 15 minutes total of the game. Sadly, the Cubs lost but we all had a good time nonetheless.

End of an Era

We are marking the end of an era here. We are now a crib-less household. This morning, Vito converted Sophie's crib into a daybed and we have taken the first of many steps away from having a baby in the house.

With Morgan in preschool, we had been taking the opportunity to introduce the freedom of a "big-girl bed" to Sophie during naptime. The first couple of days, she would be out of the bed like a shot and we'd immediately pick her up and put her in the crib. The next couple of days, she became a little more stealthy but ended up back in her crib. Finally, she slept two naps in Morgan's bed and we decided that, with the long weekend upon us, it was time to make the transition.

As you can see... so far, so good. Sophie climbed into the bed and practically put herself to sleep. Of course, we've yet to try and put them down at the same time. That will be a whole new adventure tonight.

Next, I imagine will be to rid ourselves of the pacifier (or "fuss" as Sophie appropriately calls it). Then, potty-training (which Sophie is more than ready for but Mommy is not). All of these little steps, while exciting, are a little sad. It seems like Sophie's babyhood has passed so much more quickly than Morgan's. It brings to mind the lyrics of one of my favorite songs as sung on by Liz Callaway on her album, "The Story Goes On"(It's originally from the musical "Big")

Two months old, he looks up at you
How his smile melts your heart
You want to say, "Stop, time"
Don't move on
Even as you watch that look is gone
Then he's two, such a little man
So alive and so smart
Again you say, "Stop, time"
Stay just this way
But the future comes and he can't stay
Nobody warns you of this parent's paradox
You want your kid to change and grow
But when he does, another child you've just begun to know
Leaves forever
Birthdays fly - 7, 8, 9, 10
Every kid he becomes you clutch and say "Stop, time"
Hold this one fast
But it's not supposed to last
And that time has come and passed
For he's growing
And he has to go

Webkinz Mania!

I like to consider myself a trend setter rather than a trend follower but one thing that has passed my family by until recently is Webkinz. Morgan and Sophie were just a little too young when they first came out and, as time went on, I didn't feel the need to introduce them. (Frankly, I get little enough time to work on the computer as it is without someone else waiting in the wings!)

Well, the other day, Vito brought home two Lil'Kinz... a cat and a dog. Someone had left them at the park and, after a few months in the lost and found, they needed a good home. Morgan chose the cat and gave the dog to Sophie.

When asked what she wanted to name the cat, Morgan replied "Nothin'" which turned into Nuffin. Sophie's favorite turn of phrase at the moment is "Wha' Happen'?" and thus the dog had a name.

After a day or so, we logged into the Webkinz site and an obsession was born. Some of it is too complicated for Morgan to do by herself but she loves to play some of the games, make her pets move around their rooms and interact with their stuff, and take her pets to see the vet, Dr Quack.

I've begun logging on while Morgan is at school and adding a few surprises for her to find when she logs in provided that she is quiet during nap time!

So, if any of you out there are part of the Webkinz world, send a note to SoMoGio's pets Nuffin and Happen!

Morgan's First Day of Preschool

Yes, it is official. Morgan is now a preschooler.

While I wasn't always a good student, the first day of school was something I looked forward to a great deal. I think it was the idea of starting over: New crisp folders without any pen marks on them or creased corners. The clean pencil bag with newly sharpened #2s. Seeing friends. Meeting new teachers who had no idea that you weren't so keen on turning in your homework.

So, it was with great excitement that I anticipated Morgan's first day.

We awoke first thing in the morning and had a healthy breakfast of granola.



Then, she dressed in her uniform and grabbed her backpack. Morgan was all business, refusing to actually pose for pictures so I had to snap on the fly.





We lined up outside the school and all walked into the classroom. After overcoming a momentary bout of shyness, Morgan sat right down and started playing. I slowly eased myself to a far corner to watch her take her first steps of independence. And, as if she knew what was going through my mind, she turned and called "Mommy?"



I reassured her that I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. Then, I asked her if she was ready for me to go. She nodded yes, gave me a kiss and said "Bye Mommy."
My independent, self-assured little girl beginning her own adventure. (I just hope she learns more quickly than I did that it is just as easy to do your homework and turn it in as it is to do your homework and leave it in your backpack!)

Wait for me!!!

In the ultimate example of second-child syndrome, I realize that I've written quite a bit about Morgan and very little about Sophie. Sorry sweetie! This one is for you...

Sophie thinks she is a big kid. Never was this more evident than at a playdate with some friends last week. They have a son, Rowan, who is a few months older than Morgan and another son, Gavin, who is a few months younger than Sophie. You'd think that it would work out that the big kids (joined by the five year old neighbor boy) would play together and the little kids would play together giving the Mommies a much deserved break. Not so fast. Sophie, tossing less than a glance Gavin's way, chased after the big kids the whole time calling "Wait! Wait!" Her little legs padding through the grass as fast as they could and her right arm pumping back and forth, faster and faster, as if it were willing her body along.

The main distraction on that hot day was a plastic slide set up to end in the inflatable pool. The older children were big enough that they could land and keep their heads above water but Sophie could not. Did this deter her? Nope. As soon as she stopped sputtering and choking on a mouthful of water, she would smile a proud smile, climb out of the pool and take her place in line with the big kids to do it all over again.

Winds of Time

The calendar may read mid-July and the temperature may be upwards of 85 degrees but, in my household, fall is in the air.

Why, you may ask...

Because Morgan is registered for Pre-K and we just received her supply list and school calendar. Alongside such usual things as 3-ring binders and boxes of Kleenex are a few reminders that, while she may be 3 going on 13, Morgan is still quite young...

A complete change of clothes (shirt, pants, underwear, socks, shoes) – Accidents happen

A pillow, blanket and stuffed animal for naptime – Morgan and I are planning a trip to JoAnn Fabrics to pick out some fleece to make a no-sew fleece blanket. (Instructions can be found here.)

A picture of her family – I'm assuming that the main reason is to help stem some of the homesickness that might come along with the first week of school but I'll bet it is also so that the teachers can remember which parent goes with which child!

A picture of her as a baby – When I read that, my immediate thought was that she still IS a baby! But, as I pulled photo after photo from the Spring of 2005 up on my screen, I realized that she's come quite a long way from the bald little butterball that squeaked like a mouse while sleeping in her bassinette. The change in just three and a half short years is astounding. She's learned to crawl, then walk, then run and climb; to speak using a vocabulary that is a constant source of surprise to me; to pretend and create with her seemingly limitless imagination; to button buttons and zip zippers; to sing lyrics from Sondheim or of her own making. She's become an independent person with a personality and opinions all her own.

So, perhaps, the picture of her as a baby is less for her sake and more for the parents getting ready to send their little ones out into the world. Because, as I kiss her goodbye on her first day of school, I'll know that she'll always be my baby but she's also become quite a big girl and is ready to continue her learning in with a brand new exciting experience.



Image by Weeks Photography

Wall-E

This past weekend, we took Morgan to her very first movie in the theatre.

Morgan had a great time. Aside from chowing down on popcorn and peanut MnMs, she really enjoyed the movie and her parents did too. Wall-E was another excellent film from the Disney-Pixar collaborative team.

I had read a lot about how "dark" the story was, how "disturbing" the imagery was of what humanity had become and how there was little to no dialogue in the first half hour. Well, I found that Wall-E was anything BUT dark and disturbing and, if I hadn't read about the lack of dialogue, I don't think I'd even have noticed it.

I believe the message inherent in Wall-E is that you should never give up whether it be on love or on our Earth. THAT is quite uplifting.