"Meeyoo!"

For as long as we've had her, we've shown Boba pictures of herself, and as we pointed to her face we'd exclaim, "That's YOU!" Of course, we did this before she started talking, and I really didn't think there would be any funny repercussions from this practice; I mean, I was telling her the truth, right? "It's you!" I'd say emphatically. "YOU."

So her response to this, when she did start talking, really should not have come as a surprise to us.

"Boba, who's that??"

"YOU!!!"

Not just "You", but "YOU!!!" with the kind of glee that says, "That's me and boy am I CUTE!!"

So Jason and I have begun to amend this, or at least tried to, but it has led to some confusing grammatical conversations.

"Boba, who's that??"

"YOU!!!"

"No, not 'you'; that's ME."

"MEEEE!!!"

"That's right! That's me! I mean you! No, crap - I mean MEEEE!!!"

Back and forth, like that. I'm sure this is going to prepare for life real well. Self-identification in relation to others should be no problem after this.

Lately, she has been a little confused, and so this morning the conversation went like this:

"Boba, who's that??"

"Meeeyoooo!! Yoooomeee!!!"

Yep - she's not going to have any identity problems AT ALL.

Pictures, OHMIGOD PICTURES!!!

Um, to say that I'm waaaayyy overdue with posting is an understatement of epic proportions. I'll write more next week, but for now I'll post what everyone wants - photos of the Boba! In our new house! In pigtails! I KNOW YOU ARE JUMPING FOR JOY!

Cuteness Personified

Boba invoking the spirit of Mick Jagger as she enters the front door of her new house

"Wanna come inside my barely-lit, sparsely-furnished, but still pretty-freakin'-cool-new-house??"

"Mommy 'n' me being cute! Notice the classy decor choice of file boxes serving as an end table. N-I-C-E."

"It's spring...no, it's summer! No, it's spring! No wait - I meant winter! Ah well...forget this fickle San Diego weather - I'm gonna look cute in a dress no matter what!!"

"I'm told this funny looking thing is for CD's, but Mommy & Daddy have yet to put anything in it...something about 'grabby little hands' and 'not babyproofed'. Whatevs, dude. I can play with ANYTHING."

And now for the random photo of the day:

I know, I know, I have a cute kid and all, and this website is devoted to her, but...ISN'T THIS FREAKING AWESOME!! Yes, that's Daddy with Enrico Colantoni of Veronica Mars. I will explain later. Anyway, hope you liked the pictures. 'Til next week!

Sneak Peek

Here are a couple of photos of our new home. Not a whole lot of the interior, because our living room has yet to be properly furnished, but a couple exterior shots and one or two of the Boba. Because this, after all, is HER house.

The front

The awesome gazebo in our awesome yard

Our (cluttered) kitchen

Boba's room - it's a great color but you can't tell by the lousy photo!

Okay, this is at the old house - hugging an exercise bike, something I would NEVER DO

Boba helping us pack. Yeee-HA!!!

We're here!

Ohmahgawd, IT'S BEEN TOO LONG!!! Yes, I'm here, we're all okay, we've emerged from the countless boxes, miles of bubble wrap, and shredded old newspaper....and though I consider myself something of a moving MAVEN, seeing as I've moved residences almost every three years since 1992, this has to be the most important move I've ever made. Because this is a move into a house. That my husband and I own. That doesn't have noisy neighbors or a barking dog or three flights of stairs to travel every time we go in or out.

It is absolutely wonderful.

Oh, I know what you all are thinking. "Just you wait, missy,...it's not the American Dream, it's the American NIGHTMARE!!" Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all - mortgages are painful and having to do your own maintenance sucks - blah blah blah. I don't care. BRING IT ON. I am so enamored with this lovely little house that I feel almost empowered to face all the challenges of homeownership, as long as it means I can come home here everyday.

Speaking of which. I wish I had pictures. I did but my link expired. So, um...I have none to show.

No matter. In a few weeks the house will be unpacked, somewhat furnished and decorated, and I will begin taking pictures of beautiful little Boba cavorting around the rooms of her new pad. And then the public celebration will commence!!!

Random thought by Flambo

Yesterday morning while I was in the shower, I was rinsing the conditioner out of my hair when I spotted a single white hair on my hand. My first thought?

"It must be from the dog."

Um, helloooo....WE DON'T HAVE A DOG.

Clearly, I have taken denial to a whole new level.

Almost there!

God, it's been a while, hasn't it?? Jason complains to me daily about my lack of consistent Boba updates...I keep trying to get him to write a "guest" post, partly because I think the Daddy-perspective might be fun, and partly because I'm lacking inspiration and would like the help. Plus he's a good writer. It's actually one of the reasons I married him. He wrote all his letters and emails to me in complete sentences, with good grammar, correct spelling - none of that "hope 2 c u l8er" crap. Yes, what can I say: proper English does it for me.


BUT NO, Jason claims that he would only tarnish the brilliance that is Flamboba, so here I am, desperately searching my memory bank for cute stories that will make you all go, "Oh my god, someone KNOCK ME UP RIGHT NOW!!" (Or, for those of the male variety, "Who knew the fruit of my loins could be SO MUCH FUN!!!")

Well, I do like to pepper this blog with posts of a more, oh, shall we say REALITY-driven flavor. You know - the kinds of posts that say, "Hmmm, remember 8 hours of sleep straight through?? God, that was good...." Or, "Wow, you mean other people don't spend their weekends doing laundry?? Or grocery shopping?? Or flat on their backs in coma-like exhaustion?? Are you serious??"

It's been that kind of month.

I think the main issue was...after Vermont, Jason and I hunkered down and worked on life. You know, we found the house, bought the house...we also did some major estate planning and budgetary adjustments...oh, and then we started working on our taxes...blah blah blah, LIFE. As in, we done got our shit together! (Pardon my french.) Day after day it's been one pile of paperwork after another, faxes upon faxes of forms, visits to lawyers and realtors and countless phone calls...and yet, amidst all of this, all the proving-we-earn-this and confirming-we-can-afford-that, I actually feel pretty damn good about life with Boba and Jason. I mean, wow...being a grown up ain't so bad after all!

That said, Boba's been the typical healthy, fun toddler, spewing word after new word, saying "NO" with the kind of vehemence only a 19-month old has the right to possess, tentatively counting to 10 in her adorable toddler lisp, offering hugs and kisses with abandon - she is in such a wonderful stage right now, and though I know the terrible two's are around the corner, I really just enjoy her so much. She's like a really fun, often cranky, but mostly fun, mini-girlfriend.

And the best part is, she loves me like crazy.

So, we close escrow pretty damn soon, and then after that begins the whole saga of moving in. What this means is I'm not sure how present I'll be at Flamboba, but hopefully I'll make my appearance at least once a week with updates. And pictures (!) of the new house. I've been afraid of jinxing the whole thing so I haven't posted pictures of the house, but I will as soon as we tie everything up!

In the meantime, here's Boba and her Daddy - just to tide you all over.

Adventures in Boba-land

I call this one - "Adventures with Little Teeny Bugs that Crawl in Circles"

"Fun with Empty Pampers Boxes"

"Too Cool for School"

"Snuggling with Masked Mommy" (don't ask me why - she did it)

While we're waiting....

So apparently life does go on, even when you're in escrow. Who would have known! And Boba continues to grow and charm and delight us all. Just so you can all get a sense of the joy that is my 18-month-old baby girl, here is a small sample of some of the words that she now knows and yells out regularly.

1. "Okay!" (said in a Filipino accent since this is Lolo Bob's favorite saying)
2. "Again." (sounds like "A-ginna")
3. "Box!" ("Bockthhh")
4. "Cheese!" ("Cheesh")
5. "Open." ("Uppen")
6. "Hat." (Surprisingly, "Hat.")
7. "Baby!" ("BEE-BEEEEEEEE!")

And our perennial favorites are what she calls my folks: "Bob", for Lolo Bob, and "Doe" for Lola Tess. We have absolutely NO idea where she picked up "Doe"; she just started saying it one day to Lola. And Lola loves it.

Other cute things she does now: whenever she wants you to do something, she has this hand symbol to indicate she wants to grab your hand (sort of an open/close type of thing), and then she leads you to whatever it is she wants - usually it's to open a door so she can escape whatever situation she's in, be it her impending diaper change or bedtime. Because apparently she finds both pretty intolerable.

One not-so-cute thing but still never fails to make me laugh: she throws things to show displeasure. As in, "No, Katrina, please don't spit your milk!" (*pacifier whizzes past my nose*)Or, "No, Katrina, please don't climb the table!" (*bottle is flung at the floor with a THUNK*) Oh, and if we still tell her no?? She'll find something even bigger to throw. Like her Fisher Price toy bus. Or Daddy's portable DVD player. Yeah, I guess cell phones are too small for her to make her point.

But she always continues to surprise us in the sleep department. Not so surprisingly, our trip to Vermont TOTALLY messed up her sleep schedule, and so we decided that since we were moving, it wouldn't make sense to try to train her to sleep in her crib now, seeing as we would be messing her up again anyway when we moved her to her new room. So, whenever she woke up, we would just take her into bed with us. (Well, actually more like one of us since the other would move into the other bed to give whoever who was sleeping with the baby more room.) Well, wouldn't you know it, she didn't need any help to get back into her sleep schedule! The last few nights she's pretty much returned to her old sleeping-through-the-night tricks. Crazy, right?? Although, now that I've said that, I'm sure she's going to start waking up every hour on the hour now. Why? Because I've got luck like that.

No slowing her down in the cuteness department, though. No siree. She's got that one down PAT.

The BIG News

"We're cute AND we've got the scoop!!"

Okay, I've left you all hanging long enough, I guess. I hate to say too much about my "big" news on a public forum because I don't really want to jinx it, and let's just say it's sort of in limbo - also known as ESCROW if ya know what I mean! - so I don't want to say much except that...

.....JASON AND I ARE TOTALLY FREAKIN' EXCITED ABOUT IT!!!

Well, you can probably guess what it is. I am both thrilled and terrified, because we are total newbies at this, and so everything is pretty much like the blind leading the blind. We have a great team helping us along, but you know, it's still completely intimidating!

Anyhoo, Boba is completely clueless that all this is happening, which is just as well because if she decided to, say, start talking about boys all of a sudden, or ask about the birds and the bees, I would probably lose it. Because dealing with the MASSES OF PAPERWORK that all this involves really makes me feel grateful for the fact that Boba's only coherent communication these days is limited to "Okay!" and "Elmo!"

(Is it true? Dealing with a toddler is easier than with a pre-teen? God help me, WHAT AM I IN FOR???)

Suffice it to say that my life right now is limited to this, to Boba, and to my job. No room for much else. I haven't even seen Dreamgirls yet. I am so out of the loop, it's ridiculous.

(Example of how out-of-touch I can be: When my in-laws were discussing how long the flags remained at half-mast, I replied, "Yeah, who knew James Brown was so important?" I KNOW.)

Thank goodness it's Friday and the one thing I have to look forward to this weekend is a body treatment at a local spa downtown! (A Christmas gift from said in-laws. A sign they love me despite my stupidity.) Woo-hoo!

More Snow-Boba

I've been swamped at work, so I apologize for not posting more pictures sooner. I wish I had more time to comment on these, but given the fact that I am stealing away 15 minutes to do this while I am still at work, I thought perhaps I would just post pictures, minus the commentary. These aren't in any particular order. Kinda goes to show what kind of state of mind I'm in. Here goes!

Daddy & Boba in Vermont

Boba gazing adoringly at her cousins at our family Xmas party

Poppy Tom & G'ma Julie

Aunt Kimberly & Mommy

Aunt Sarah & Cousin Katie

More pictures...this weekend?? Who knows?? I have a big announcement, but I don't want to jinx it so I won't say anything now. (No, I'm not pregnant!) 'Til then...ciao!

Happy New Year from Snow-Boba!

Greetings from the bundled Boba!! (who doesn't look happy here, but trust me - inside that parka she's cheering!)

We had a grand ol' time in Vermont last week, and I consider our greatest achievement after our journey to be the fact that Jason and I remain happily married. Anyone who has traveled cross-country with a toddler will know what I mean. Tearing a child away from the blissful comfort of his/her routine is like taking crack away from a junkie. Nothing good can follow this.

Ah, but I exaggerate. I truly did think that I was going to be more sleep-deprived than I have ever been in my adult life on this vacation, given Boba's past vacation experiences, where she seemed to think sleep was a silly option. Why sleep when you can scream and cry instead? For hours? It gets Mommy to hold you and rock you while Daddy does a maniacal dance in the background trying to find available remedies: Bottle? No. Book? Nope. DVD? Not now. Benadryl? YES, PLEASE.

(Confession: we did use Benadryl one night, but that was because she developed a cold that prevented her from breathing comfortably, and Benadryl lists "decongestant" as one of its uses. TRUE STORY.)

Anyway, the point being - it was a good vacation. A very good vacation. One where Jason and I actually got to sleep and hang out and relax. I KNOW, AMAZING ISN'T IT. Here's the trick: we slept when she slept! And napped when she napped! Ironically, these are the things you can't do at home, because you have a list of chores you have to get done when the baby's sleeping, like fold laundry or pay bills. Guess what?!? On vacation, you can opt out of those chores. Hence, we actually got some rest! Halleluiah!

Props and much gratitude to our hosts for the week, Jason's sister Sarah, her husband Andy, and their awesome daughters Emma, 5, and Katie, 21 months. Not to mention the lovely company and generosity of Jason's dad Tom and wife Julie (Poppy & G'ma Julie!). We all had a stupendous time. And now for the photos.

Yep, that's snow falling around us

Sledding with Daddy! WHEEE!!!

With cousin Emma in a box...too cute, right?

With cousin Katie. This was a rare moment for them just standing quietly. Usually Boba was mauling Katie with kisses or chasing her in order to do so. I think this is the cutest photo in the bunch.

More pictures of the holidays to come next week! What a change...I've got so many. So stay tuned!

Happy Holidays!!

I know, I know...it's been forever! Well, as you all know from my last post, I was slowly starting to lose my mind, what with all the holiday hoopla going on AND not having my husband around at the same time. Well, Jason returned from a successful week in New York City, safe and sound, but of course right around the time he got back Boba decided to start waking up throughout the night again!! I believe we've fixed the situation by adjusting the temperature in her room, and surprisingly, I've also noticed a difference with how I've been putting her to bed. See, our usual routine is this: First, I dim the lights in her room halfway. Then I pick her up and we go sit in our comfy rocker together, where I read her a book or two, usually 2-3 times each. (She keeps saying "Muy?" after each read, which is Bobaspeak for "More." Don't ask.) Then, I dim the lights to about 10%, and then we "slowdance" our way to the crib, with her head on my shoulder...and after about 5 minutes I put her in her crib, and her eyes are usually shut by then. But the past couple of nights she was squirming during our slowdance, which indicated to me that she couldn't get comfortable, so I just put her in her crib after less than a minute of snuggling. Well, her eyes were WIDE open, so I thought for SURE that she was going to scream as soon as I shut the door. But no, she was completely quiet, and sure enough...she's been sleeping through the night!!! Is that the answer?? Putting your kid to sleep when drowsy-but-awake?? WOW!!!

Anyway, life has slowed down a tad since I've gotten almost all of my Xmas shopping out of the way, which is a good thing. I'm taking most of next week off to travel with Jason & Boba to a magical snowy place where children wear cute things like mittens! and hats! (i.e., things that are completely foreign to us Southern Californians) So you won't be hearing much from me, but hey, you're used to THAT by now, right??!?

Before I go, of course, I'd like to share a couple of things so that you won't feel completely deprived of Boba and her Incredible Cuteness. Here's a couple of lists that I've compiled mentally as I continue my education as a Mother of a Toddler - "notes to self", if you will. Enjoy!

BOBA'S LIKES

Food Category

1. Steamed white rice
2. Whole Milk
3. Sinigang (Mommy's favorite Filipino Food!)
4. Mild Cheddar Cheese
5. Ham
6. Green peas
7. Green beans
8. Steamed white rice

Toy Category

1. Stuffed animals (especially Dogs!)
2. Things that can be emptied
3. Things that can be toppled over
4. Things that light up or make noise when pushed
5. Things that MAKE NOISE
6. Mommy's toothbrush
7. Anything green
8. Sand
9. Bouncy balls

Event Category

1. Going to the park
2. Going down the slide
3. Running down a hill
4. Running into the street
5. Grabbing anything within her reach
6. Bathtime
7. Pooping

BOBA'S DISLIKES (don't worry, it's a shorter list)

1. Her Highchair
2. Getting her diaper changed
3. Getting stuff taken away from her
4. Getting snatched away while running towards something, like traffic
5. Getting her hair fixed
6. Getting pulled out of the tub
7. Mommy leaving her to go to work (I hate it too, sweetie!)

There you have it! And since you've all been so wonderfully patient with me, here's a another festive photo of the family, recently taken for the holiday season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS/HAPPY HANNUKKAH/SWINGIN' KWANZAA/WHATEVAAA!!!

Where in the World is Flambo??

Actually, the question you should be asking is: Where in the World is Jason?? Well, he is currently in New York City, in rehearsals for a benefit performance of the musical version of Zhivago, in which he appeared in its prior two incarnations at La Jolla Playhouse. (God, I think I may have butchered the grammar in that sentence. But moving on...) What this means, among other things, is that Flambo has been single-parenting Boba, although not really, since she and Boba live with Lolo & Lola, after all, but it does mean that Flambo does get up in the wee hours of the morning to comfort the crying Boba, and then AGAIN two hours later when Boba gets up for the day at 5 A.M. (Note: These are SHIFTS that Jason and I usually trade off, which is really the much more humane and managable way to deal with a toddler's less-than-desirable sleep habits.) This also means that Flambo has not gotten much sleep, and has had to do Daddy's usual share of chores (laundry, grocery shopping, etc.) on top of her typical day (8-hour work day, 1-hour commute, feeding-and-caring for Boba - although in truth Lola has handled MANY Boba duties lately - THANKS LOLA!!!), in addition to it being the holidays and all and there's that small matter of Christmas shopping that needs to be done, not to mention sending out Christmas cards - oh, sorry...SEASONS GREETINGS cards (in case Christmas is not your holiday-of-choice) - and, uh, well, let's face it....

I'm wiped.

End of story. Oh, and I have no new photos except the ones that we took for our Christmas cards, and I don't want to ruin THAT surprise for you all. Argh. Well, suffice it to say that despite the stress of the season, Jason is having a well-deserved FABULOUS time in NYC, we are all in good health and spirits, and Boba has some of the best Grandparents in the world. Example: Lola relieves me at 5:30am to let me go back to sleep for a couple of hours. What I would do without that I don't know. Probably crawling on my office floor pleading for mercy.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Funny Girl

You know how in the "old days", before Cable TV and DVR were available, people would supposedly gather around the fire and someone would tell a story for entertainment? Well, for us it's almost the same thing except: a. ) We have Cable TV and DVR but are choosing not to view them, and b.) We gather not around a fire but around Boba. And, boy, are we ever entertained!! I know everyone thinks their kid is the cutest and the funniest, blah blah blah, so feel free to take me with the obligatory grain of salt when I say that Boba is the funniest baby ever. Oh yes, she is. Her crazy little faces, her incoherent but super-cute babbling, and her physical antics have us in stitches night after night. Behold:

See how much Lola is enjoying the show? And that's just the start of Boba's routine. Even just striking a pose like so:

...can cause this:

I guess you just had to be there. I certainly enjoy her performance as well:

What can I say, the girl just cracks me up.

"I'll be here all week - Good Night!! Try the veal!!"

HAPPY 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, FLAMBOBA!!

It has been officially one year since I first created and posted on Flamboba! And though I have no pictures available to celebrate (BAD Flambo), I would like to display the first photo of Boba I posted:

And now, to show you how much Boba has blossomed in the last year:

Crazy, right?? And she just keeps getting bigger!!

Happy Anniversary, Flamboba! May Flambo and Boba have many, many more adventures to write about for the masses!

A Happy Holiday Weekend, Indeed

Belated Thanksgiving greetings to all! As was evident, Flambo took a break from blogging (ah, but when does she not???) for the 4-day weekend. And why, you might ask?? Because she needed to recover from the raucous festivities of her 32nd Birthday celebration!!! That's right, it was my birthday last Friday!!

The cake my co-workers got me. You can't see it, but the candles spell out my name.

But I jest. It was hardly raucous. In fact, it was the sweetest birthday any mother could imagine, as I was able to sleep in that morning, and even had a nap that afternoon. A NAP. Nothing, not even diamonds or truffles, could be as luxurious a gift as a nap!!

I am, however, guilty of one thing, and that is - I DIDN'T TAKE ANY PICTURES THIS WEEKEND!! ARGH!! Which means that I have no photos to share of Boba in her unbelievably-cute sailor dress during our family Thanksgiving party. Or of Daddy as he played in Turkey Bowl 2006 (our annual family football game - which his team lost). Or of me as I happily devoured my Thanksgiving bowl of sinigang in place of the traditional turkey. Yes, at our Thanksgiving holiday party, turkey takes a back seat to Filipino favorites, such as Lumpia (spring rolls), Pancit (fried noodles), and Barbecued Pork. Yum!! I tell you, as much as I adore the traditional Thanksgiving meal - I mean, stuffing is just so damn exotic to me - nothing beats Pinoy food.

Anyway, if someone out there has pictures of this last weekend, would you send them to me, pleeeease??? I'll buy you a platter of lumpia.

Many thanks to everyone who made my birthday so special, like those who sent sweet messages by email & phone. You guys are the best for remembering! I really do have some wonderful people in my life.

Love to you all this Holiday season!!

If Boba could talk, I would ask...

• Why do you wake up at 5:30am? WHY?? No matter what time I put you to sleep - 7pm, 8pm - you are up, chatting in your crib like you were discussing lipgloss with a girlfriend or something. I've even taken you to bed with me to see if that will make you sleep longer, but you just roll off the bed and waddle over to your toys at almost exactly 5:30am every morning. What is that?!?!?
• What is it about the word "No" that is so freakin' funny to you?? Don't you see I am trying to discipline you, because whatever you are doing is not making me happy and could potentially gouge an eye out??
• Do you mind when I finish your YoBaby yogurt for you? Because it is just soooo good.
• Does "Bab'm" really mean "Food"? Or does it just mean "Get me out of these present circumstances immediately because I am TOTALLY bored"?
• Do you realize that when we are trying to put your hair in a ponytail that we are NOT trying to kill you??
• Is changing your diaper that much of an inconvenience? Because I'm not sure how comfortable I would be if my underwear weighed as much as I did.
• Can you please hold back on the backwash a bit when you take sips from Mommy's drinks?

And finally...

• What the heck is it with your obsession with feet??? Your parents are getting very, very nervous.

"I AIN'T TALKIN'!!!"

Funny Boba tidbits

• Boba's got a thing for the color green. When she plays with all her toys, she will inevitably have a green toy clutched in one hand for the duration of her playing. It's not just that soft lime-green that's so common in baby items, either; light green, dark green...it just has to be green. I didn't know toddlers could have color preferences so early, but it's uncanny. She'll be playing with her blocks and - behold - she hangs on to the green square. Or, she'll be thumbing through her Sesame Street mini-books and - whaddaya know! - she'll keep the green one in her hand. I guess I know what color we'll be painting her room when we finally buy a house!
• She's also got a thing for elbows. Well, loose skin in general, but elbows in particular. I know, it sounds very weird...what happens is that while you hold her, her arm will hang against your arm, and her hand will creep up to your elbow...and begin pinching the skin. It is the WEIRDEST damn thing, but in an almost sweet and loving way. If she can't reach your elbow, she'll go for your knuckles. I know!!!! Told you it was weird!!
• She likes to smell my feet. 'Nuff said.
• She has a persistent habit of pulling on her ears. I know you all are thinking, Stupid woman, the child has an EAR INFECTION!!! Believe it or not, I thought the same thing when she started doing it, and we have taken her to the doctor no less than THREE times since it started happening (around her 1st birthday) and each time we have been reassured that her ears look perfect. Finally one doctor told us, "You know, that could be a self-soothing kind of thing, like the way other kids twirl their hair or suck their thumb." I've accepted that as a reasonable explanation, but I have to say whenever she does it I'm reminded of that movie from the '70's called Escape to Witch Mountain ("Tony, can you hear me? Can you hear me, Tony?"). Anyone get that reference???
• My god, the girl loves Filipino food. I tell you, she reveals more and more every day how much she really is my daughter. She has a complete love for sinigang. All my Pinoy homies know what an AWESOME thing that is!

Veterans Day Weekend, Part III - Meeting an old friend

SUNDAY

Sometimes people get a real kick out of the fact that Jason and I have a child. That's because many of them knew us when we were both young and, er, stupid. ("These morons have a kid?? Alert the authorities!") And not to make us sound like juvenile delinquents or anything, but we were both pretty spoiled brats up until our mid-twenties. Okay, I should speak for myself...I was a pretty spoiled brat up until my mid-twenties. (Jason was a spoiled brat up until his LATE twenties. HA!! Just kidding, I swear.) Anyway, some of our friends from L.A. who we used to "party" with still can't get over us being parents, and sometimes I think they're shocked by the sheer domesticity of our current lives. But I do believe, after seeing us, that they also witness how much we've embraced parenthood and all the responsibilities that come with it. Not to mention the joy in our lives that is Boba.

One such friend, who we both haven't seen in years, is the lovely Tera, an L.A.-based artist/graphic designer who Jason and I have known for almost a decade. We met her over at Balboa Park on Sunday afternoon, where she met Boba for the first time. One of the first things she said to us was, "I can't believe you guys have a kid." I replied, "I know!!!" But before long she was completely charmed by Boba, and I think she saw just how well our new roles fit us.

Mommy, Tera, and Mommy's new addition to her circle of girlfriends....Boba!

So it's still kinda crazy to me, but I guess I'm actually a grown-up and all! Sometimes it's hard to recall the naive twenty-three year-old who used to go out 4 times a week and sleep in until 11am. Believe it or not, I don't miss that life at all. Not to say I don't miss that independence, or that freedom (because, dear GOD, to have one hour of alone time....ahhhh), but Boba has made my present life so much more profound. And parenthood? Well, it ain't easy, but I'd say Jason and I are doing a pretty good job at it.

Veterans Day Weekend, Part II - Hangin' at the Mall

SATURDAY

I'm a big fat liar. I said this post was about hanging at the mall, except that I have no pictures of the mall. What?!? The horror!! Well, you'll just have to imagine the new Otay Ranch Town Center, recently opened in the Eastlake division of Chula Vista, just a few minutes away from Lolo & Lola's house! Since its opening a mere 3 weekends ago, Boba has visited it the last 3 Saturdays. Yes, that means she's been there every weekend since it opened! She's practically a Town Center "regular" by now.

So, Saturday morning we decided to visit the mall yet again, since Lola had not had a chance to check it out yet. To commemorate the occasion, Lola dressed her up in a cute new pink outfit, and naturally I have photos of that, so here goes:

Can you SEE how she's getting the hang of this whole posing-for-the-camera thing??

We ate at the Cheesecake Factory, one of my favorite restaurants, where Boba flirted and smiled and charmed the pants off our waitress (not literally), and sampled my Bistro Shrimp Pasta with gusto. She even had her very first taste of Iced Tea - and yes, I was silently terrified of the caffeine factor, even though her "taste" consisted only of little drips of iced tea on her tongue. She was good for about 45 minutes - just enough time for us to sufficiently enjoy our meal! - before showing signs of her annoyance with being strapped into the restaurant high chair. So we finished up and whisked her off before she could have a proper meltdown, which, of course, she ended up having about 30 minutes later. But at least we were able to stoll down the main drag for a little while and take in the sights of consumerism at its finest.

After returning home, the rest of the afternoon was spent idly playing in her room or in the family room, where she enjoyed more viewings of "Ee-i-ee-i" and her new obsession: "The Wheels on the Bus Turn Round and Round". Boy, can the girl DANCE! I don't know where she learned it...it really must be an instinctive drive to move your booty, because as soon as she hears a beat, she gets down! Further proof that she is mine indeed.

And that was Saturday. Before I go, though, here are more cute photos of Boba in the Cute Pink Outfit:

Pretty In Pink

Her hair is pretty irresistable too