Friends Like Me

Total milestone today:

I took Rain to a bookstore today. Like the last time we went a few days ago, she quickly found the stage area where they do storytime for the kiddos. She gets up there, and for whatever reason, begins what I can only call an oration. I mean, she is laying it out there. Her hands are all flappin' with emotion, and she's using phrases like, "Remember!" and "OK? OK?" emphatically. After several minutes of addressing the audience (mainly me), she returns to a play area where there's a train track set up with lots of trains. I'm still sort of laughing about her whole speech thing, when Rain walks up to a little girl (a few years older than herself) playing with a train. She sort of plays next to her for a minute, then all casual like, says, "What your name?"

I was stunned. Rain loves playing with anybody, but she usually just resorts to saying, "Hey, Girl, follow me!" or, "Hey, Boy, want [to] play?" To hear her actually put into simple words a request for an intro to friendship was ... cool. I mean, for a second, I got a smidgen of a cringe in my belly ("If this older girl totally rejects her or ignores Rain, how is she gonna take it? Will she care or understand?"). After a few moments of silence (when I began to wonder if the girl had heard her at all), she said, "Vivian." Rain said, "Oh." That pretty much sealed the deal. They played until Vivian had to go home.

She may have her daddy's stern gaze, but she has her mommy's need for social interaction (read: find me on Facebook)! Muah haha

Trippin'

So, we're finally going on vacation. We haven't been on a major trip since '05. And who doesn't want to cart around a toddler through Europe?? I don't know about you, but that gets me all kinds of excited. :) So, here is peek at the madness (beginning this Friday):

http://family.maakestad.com/europe/

Wish us luck ...

I Know, I Know

Get your pitchforks, clubs, and torches. It's totally ok to beat me, because I deserve it. I got a kindly email from my friend last week asking why I've gone MIA on this blog. I have reasons, and none of them are probably acceptable, but here they are:

1. Writing has usurped the little time I had before. For a year, I've been working on a young adult novel (believe it or not, the story isn't about a distraught mother with an insane two-year-old ... fiction is supposed to be about escape, right??). I am currently penning the last chapter, and with my goal within reach, I truly have used all my extra time to work on it. Meaning, when Rain takes her 2-hr nap during the middle of the day, I race to write. Because when she's awake and she sees me on my laptop, she eyes it and says, "Goodnight, computer." Hint, hint.

2. Ever since Rain turned 2, I've had misgivings about blogging about her routines and posting her photos. When she was a baby, she looked like, well, every other chubby baby. Now that her face is actually distinguishable, I've had doubts about posting her pics online as I have done. In a few months, I plan to remove all of her online photos. Parent-noia? Sure, but I recognize we don't live in Mayberry anymore, either. So, I'm on Facebook now. I post stuff about Rain (plus photos) there, because I can screen it better than I can here.

3. Last but not least, there is Rain. Yes, Rain is the reason there is very little blogging about Rain. Some kids are sort of quiet and do-my-own-thing types. Rain, alas, wants to do ALL OUT living 24/hours a day, and I'm sort of treading water. See below.

So how has little Miss Rainbow been these many months? I have always likened our relationship as one a girl might have with a bad high school boyfriend. I find myself thinking, "You're treating my terribly, but if I just love you enough, you'll change!" One moment, she can make me feel so proud and loved (like the other day, when she saw a cut on my hand, she kissed it gently), and the next day, I want to gouge my eye out in frustration (like last week, when she refused to use the potty for two days to show me she doesn't have to potty train until she darn well feels like it).

She has a posse/gang now (her 2 cousins), and I find that her love for books (sigh) is not a match for athletics. I have yet to find a slide, bounce house, or piece of furniture high enough or intimidating enough to frighten her. She cajoles other children much older than her to join her in doing things that would make the average mother bite her nails to the nubs. But, she's already made me jaded. Moms at the playground must think I'm a heartless slug who wants to see my child get hurt because I make halfhearted efforts to stop her from using the tallest slides and steepest jungle gyms. And I just wanted her to love reading Curious George. Sigh.

Rain has also developed a shameless geekiness about her. She hums the Star Wars theme song, works the iPhone likes it's another hand, and prefers the chocolate milk at Starbucks to any other drink. Period.

I digress.

My original point was, I shall try again to update this here blog for the time being, though the entries will have to be much shorter than what I just wrote. :) Thank you for your patience, and please, remember to blow out your torches on the way out.