Letters from Daddy

When we went to the post office this morning to collect our week of mail, we discovered two letters from Daddy for the girls in the pile. Nora enthusiastically ripped open the envelope and read her own name and the "Love, Daddy" part, while I read the text in between outloud. And Caroline was excited to see her Elmo birthday card and give it a taste. We talked about Daddy at the dinner table tonight...I asked Nora if she remembers what Daddy looks like and she said, with a smile, "Yeah...he's a handsome guy." Upon further inquiry, she informed me that he's tall, and has black hair and brown eyes. Oops. Don't worry, Mike...I haven't had any tall, dark and handsome men come a callin' while you've been gone! I reminded her that Daddy has the same color hair and eyes that she does, and she giggled and said "Oh...yeah...right." We had a nice day today - Nora went to school while Caroline and I ran errands, and I raked our front lawn while the girls napped. It's going to be in the 80s all week...crazy, considering that we were wearing winter coats in NY last week!

Miss Turnstiles

Just like Ivy Smith from the musical "On The Town," Nora could have been selected Miss Turnstiles this month (if such a thing still existed), now that she's a veteran of the NY subway and looks so cute in this photo taken by cousin Frankie. We had a great time during our weeklong stay in NYC with the Walshes. I got to go to Tibby's wedding in Philly while Mom took the girls to the Brooklyn Children's Museum and watched them for the day. The next day, we visited with the Cacciola cousins and kids and had a delicious lunch that I picked up from Mike's Delicatessen in Bay Ridge. On our way, I explained to Nora that we had to stop at the deli before we got to cousin Frankie's, to which Nora replied, "Who is Deli? Does she know Frankie?" I couldn't believe my ears...she doesn't know what a deli is? But of course not - why would she? We live in the South, in the 'burbs. I promptly explained to her the significance and importance of the NY deli - I can't believe I left this vital piece of information out of her education!

We spent a fun couple of days with Omi - went for walks to the playgrounds of Sunset Park/Bay Ridge, had lunch at the cool new Ikea in Red Hook, and visited with Aunt Irene. We rode the subway into Manhattan and spent time with Pop Pop at the Central Park zoo and carousel, a ride that Nora loved and Caroline LOVED. She was squealing with delight the whole time. Before heading back to Brooklyn, we stopped at Chanel to visit Nancy and her coworkers, and Nora and Caroline made themselves right at home with all the girls. We spent the last few days of our trip at Pop Pop's apartment. Aunt Marilyn came to visit on Friday and Pop Pop took the girls to visit Aunt Gina and Uncle Richie on Saturday while I went to Martina's wedding with mom and Nancy. We spent two beautiful mornings down at the playground in Dumbo, the neighborhood between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, and I got some pretty shots of the girls.

Bath tub blues

Yesterday afternoon, Nora developed a low grade fever that had me a little concerned. This morning, however, I was relieved to discover that she was down to about 99 (from just over 100), so we did our usual Wednesday thing and went to gymnastics. Although she was happy and full of energy all day, Nora was a bit emotional and testy with me. She wasn't very free with her smiles, even in the tub, as you can see in the pictures. Maybe she still has a bug. Or maybe she just misses her daddy (she's been talking about you and the ship a lot, Mike...she even drew a picture of the ship coming home on a onesie she decorated for Bernadette's soon-to-arrive baby). Caroline, on the other hand, is happy just as long as she has a squeezy fish in her hand. Oh, to be 11 months again. One of these photos is of Nora standing next to her impressive chalkboard drawing...the tall figure with glasses is Omi (which is why I had to capture it on film before it disappears). Omi is flanked by me, Mike and Pop Pop, while Caroline and Nora stand off to the far left. Looks like Nora's got the hierarchy of things down pat (ha ha)!

Oh, the drama!

Nora was "on" today. I don't know what she ate or drank, but she was high energy all day long. She performed "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad" for strangers on a bench at the zoo, causing her friend Claire to bury her head in her hand with embarrassment (her reaction to "drama," according to mom Alli). She skipped her nap, and then ran around the Hermitage playground all afternoon with her friends Taylor, Lauren and Pippa (don't you just love that name?!). Caroline pretty much took a back seat today (literally and figuratively), although she is starting to assert herself around her sister. She's taken a few swats at Nora whenever Nora has gotten too close or plays too rough with her, and she's starting to fight back. I even caught her pulling Nora's hair at the zoo. Luckily for me, Nora thinks it's funny. It won't be long, though, before they're pulling each other's hair and screaming at the top of their lungs. Mike, help! Come home soon! :-)

Acoustic music festival

Last night, we met up with Bernadette, her mom Maureen, and brothers Tom, Jerry, Frank and Charlie (all visiting from California) to enjoy some free folk music at the waterside park downtown. We spread out a picnic dinner and caught the end of the band Eddie from Ohio and a good part of the Old Crow Medicine Show. The music was great, as was the company, and Nora and Caroline especially loved being entertained by the Coughlin boys (and they loved entertaining!) Nora also had fun trying her hand at taking pictures with our digital cameras...she's getting better (see last photo)!

Relaxing day at home

We didn't do much today. Our big outings consisted of a morning trip to the commissary and afternoon walk over to ODU to check out "India Fest." We stayed to watch a few Bollywood dance numbers performed by young kids. Nora loved the costumes and jewelry on the girls, and Caroline enjoyed jumping up and down to the beat. At one point, we took a break and played around the water fountain on campus. As Mike observed today on the phone, it really does seem like Nora and Caroline are becoming friends. Nora has learned to calm Caroline down by singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," and Caroline lights up whenever Nora walks into the room.

KISS

Among the many words of wisdom my mother spoke to me this past week (when she wasn't getting on my case! ha ha) was the acronym KISS ("Keep It Simple, Stupid"). KISS is what helped me decide to leave the restaurant on my birthday and opt for pizza and beer instead, and KISS is what led to us eating a simple dinner of fish sticks, spinach and leftover mac & cheese on Tuesday night, after we opted to meet Judy and Taylor at the playground just before 5. And KISS is what inspired us to spend a morning playing with the new empty box from Diapers.com, the biggest box we've ever received. It works as a cave, a jack-in-the-box, a train, plane or car, a telephone booth (do they even exist anymore?), and even, dare I say, a coffin (yes, I know...we're going to have weird kids...it's okay, it's too late anyway...it's in their DNA). I don't think we've ever gotten any pictures of the girls as happy as they are playing with the box in these photos. Hmmm...wonder if I could save some money and just wrap up empty boxes for them for Christmas this year?! But that would probably be cruel, and would come back to haunt me later in life, the way my handmade Amish Cabbage Patch Knockoff continues to haunt mom to this day.