A Comment on Current Events

I find myself saddened over the news of Terri Shiavo's death. No matter what your thoughts on issues surrounding the sanctity of life, you have to admit there are a lot of questions around this case. Before I go on, I must say I am an ardent supporter of a person's right to dictate the terms of their life and death. But I also believe this is a very gray area that each person must define for themselves and that is what went wrong with Terri Schiavo. Instead of operating in the gray area, her husband decided to make the issue black and white and ultimately, Terri Schiavo died.
Personally, I question the motives of her husband. Being someone kept alive by a feeding tube is undesirable to most people, but I question the person who wants to stop nourishment after winning a million dollar settlement. If the person didn't want to be kept alive by artificial means, then why would you settle for $750K for her long term care and $300K for your own education to provide that care? Living in a vegatative state is not a quality of life I would wish for anyone, but I question a person who demands his wife die after seven years of living in that state. If it is an issue of finally losing hope, why did waning hope for life mean that life had to end?

I don't blame Michael Shiavo for having a girlfriend and children. I hear a lot of people playing up that fact, but his life didn't end with Terri's heart attack, only hers. I don't blame him for not wanting to see his wife suffer. I would just feel better about it if he was consistent. However, with money and a seven year memory gap, it leaves his motivations suspect. Why not just divorce her and let her family take over? What is the harm?

I have made my wishes known and have signed all the appropriate legal documents to ensure my wishes are carried out. So detailed are our plans, I even suggested a few songs for my funeral. (I am sure my girls will be completely disgusted with me when they are old enough to understand exactly what my plans are.) It was hard to make a plan, but watching this whole drama unfold, I am glad I did it. And that is what makes me sad. This whole thing could have been avoided so many different ways, but egos and lawyers got involved. And a very gray issue was defined in terms of black and white.

Closing the Loop and News

Reality TV is really cutting into my blog time. Between Idol, Apprentice, Survivor, Amazing Race and the ever-instructional Nanny 911 it is amazing I write at all. But--I just need to close the loop on a few items.

Health Watch: Considering this is the sickest our house has been ever, I am happy to report La Nina is fine, I am on the mend, Maggie currently has the bug and Dad is valiantly pretending he doesn't have the bug. Maggie and Dad seem in much better shape than La Nina and I, so my fingers are crossed we are almost through this virus from hell.

Mystery Solved: I figured out one of my mysteries yesterday. I have a good idea how La Nina always seems to know about her "surprises''. Yesterday, I caught her sneaking down the hall when I was supposed to be asleep. Like any smart Mom, I didn't let on I knew she was up. After about 15 minutes of eavesdropping, La Nina decided to enter the family room. My theory is she is not always in bed when I think she is and that is how she knew about Disneyland and the Wiggles. If she is sneaking around the house at 3, what will she be doing at 13?

Mysteries Unsolved: With considerable effort, I scrubbed the stickers off the kitchen floor, but we are still missing 5 rolls of toilet paper and 24 plastic monkeys. Please let me know if you spot them.

News: This is news about me. My first freelance piece will be published in the Pleasanton Weekly on Friday. It is a cover story on Book Clubs in our city. It is pretty exciting to actually get paid to write, but it has definitely made me more paranoid than ever about my writing. I will post a link to the on-line version of my story once it is published.

Totally off the Blog Topic, but lots of fun. Here are my picks for the Reality TV I watch:
Idol: I love Anwar, but I don't think he can win. He isn't a show man and he has no rhythm. I think Carrie Underwood is a favorite, but Constantine could do well with the 'tweens voting for him. The only person I really don't like is that Scott guy. I hope he is voted out tonight. He is just awful.

Survivor: Tough to pick a winner, but I love Tom. He is so tough, he will probably be voted out soon. Ian might be a long shot to win. He is kind of goofy and seemingly harmless.

Amazing Race: Loved Gretchen and Meredith's come back last night. Too much she is getting stitches and telling him to "find the clue." Rob and Amber are evil, but lovable evil. I think the POW and the Beauty Queen could do well. This is the show I shouldn't watch. It totally appeals to the travel bug in me and by the end of every episode, I am ready to book a trip.

Apprentice: Alex seems like the shoe-in at this point. Thank goodness Erin is gone. Not that Chris doesn't deserve to get fired last week, I just thought she deserved it more.

Easter = Candy

Why is it that the most holy day on the Christian calendar is all about candy? Sure, I know that candy goes back to the pagan celebration of spring and fertility ala bunnies and eggs. Sure I know that sweets have nothing to do with Christianity, yet are used frequently to celebrate. But for the love of Pete, must everything revolve around candy? Christmas, Valentines, Easter, Halloween...is there no end to the sugar marketing machine driving this country?

For La Nina, sweets are not a problem. She likes candy, but isn't wild about it. Frankly, she begs me to eat some of the candy she doesn't like. I know in a couple of days, she will forget all about the candy and any problems with sugar will resolve themselves.

The Magster is a different child and her complete adoration of anything sugar is even a bit much for my sweet tooth. This morning, before breakfast, the Magster had one of her fits on the floor when I denied her a jelly bean. It wasn't even 8AM and she was screaming for sugar. Goodness....we are in for some long holiday seasons with this child.

The good news is the only real sweets were in their eggs and it was only jelly beans and some marshmellows. The bunny filled their baskets with mostly trinkets, like t-shirts and PJs to avoid some of the sugar overload.

All in all, we had a delightful holiday. La Nina finished off her antibiotics tonight, I am on the mend, but I suspect the remaining healthy family members are about to fall.

And Then I Really Started Feeling Sick...

I awoke this morning with a new twist to my now 8 day old viral infection: Overnight my right ear became completely plugged and quite painful. So, I decided it was time to stop self-medicating and get some professional help.

Gee...when I called and explained I had been sick for 8 days, I got an appointment immediately. My folks took the girls all day (God bless them) and off I went to Kaiser. The Nurse Practioner who saw me was full of bad news: my right ear is infected and so plugged she could see the fluid resting on my eardrum and backed up into my inner ear. This might explain why I was feeling light headed... I thought it was too many anti-histamines. More Bad News: That persistent cough is bronchitis and if not better by Monday, needs to be rechecked. Ugh!

I walked out with 4 prescriptions and feeling worse than when I walked in. I knew I didn't feel well, but I didn't realize exactly how sick I was. Now I really feel terrible. Funny, how once someone confirms you are sick, you start to feel just awful!

Long Week of Unanswered Questions

Well, we survived the first week when I was sick with two kids. I am on the mend, starting to reduce the number of cold medications I am taking, but still not completely well. With cold medications a necessity for survival a few other "details" slip leaving unanswered questions around the house. Here are a few mysteries from the week:

The Case of the Missing Monkeys: We are missing a full barrel of monkeys. We have the barrel, but we cannot find the monkeys. I didn't do anything with them. Dad thought he put them in a bucket, but they aren't in the bucket. The girls aren't talking...so exactly what happened to our 24 plastic monkeys? Every single one of them is gone.

The Case of the Sticker: The sticker obsessed Magster has the dexterity to remove stickers and place stickers on objects. La Nina is still not interested in stickers, but the Magster is hooked (or maybe I should say stuck). Great when it is her sticker book or clothing. Not so great when it is the floor, table or cabinet--which it usually is. One sticker on the floor will not come up. Why is that? How did she get it on so securely? And why the obsession with stickers?

The Case of the Wiggles: We recently bought tickets to see the Wiggles in concert in San Jose. This required a good deal of strategy as the Wiggles are quite hot tickets. Every toddler and preschooler in the Bay Area loves the Wiggles, and with only 4 shows available, every parent needed a plan. (And you think U2 tickets require a strategy!). As with Disneyland, we haven't told the girls to preserve our sanity. As we were getting in the van tonight, La Nina said, "Do we go to the Wiggles concert tonight?" How does she know? Here is how close her guess came to the truth: We picked up the tickets on Sumday for the show on a Thursday night, exactly 4 weeks from today. Unbelievable!

The Case of the Missing Toilet Paper: This isn't a consumption issue. This is an issue of entire rolls disappearing. I replace a roll and two days later the entire roll is gone. No little card board roll left on the spindle. Nothing. It isn't in the trash. The toilet isn't clogged. It is just gone. I have asked Dad if he is simply "Robbing from Peter to pay Paul", but he is denying any responsibility. The house isn't that big, and I can't imagine what the girls are doing with the rolls, so who is taking the rolls and more importantly, why?

I fear somewhere in this house is a large pile of plastic monkeys, an ad for the Wiggles concert stuck with a very persistent sticker on a wall of several rolls of toilet paper and I am so drugged up on cold medicine I am just not seeing it.

Sick Mom Has No Fun!

I definitely have La Nina's virus. What happened to the days when I just went to bed if I didn't feel well? Today, I cleaned up the family room, emptied the dishwasher, changed a diaper, dressed a child, fed a child, fed 2 dogs and made a pot of coffee, all before 7am. And I was running a fever. Can you tell I am still feeling whiny about the whole episode? And the absolute worst part: I had to miss my Saturday morning hike with my friends. We hike through rain and sleet and the dark of night, but this morning, that hike wasn't going to happen for me.

I finally surrendered to the fact my 'sleep it off strategy' failed around noon and took some DayQuil. Thank God for DayQuil. After I took the medicine, I laid down for a bit. Note: the word nap is not in that sentence, because I never fell asleep. After 20 minutes of quiet, La Nina decided she needed to lay down with me. There is nothing restful about laying down with a squirming, coughing 3 year old. About 5 minutes after La Nina joined me, Baby Destructo (aka Maggie) pulled one over on Dad, literally. A lamp in the family room went down with a loud crash. The crash forced me to rally. Who can stay in bed when you hear a huge crash, followed by "Maggie, NO-NO"? I had to go see what my little angel had done this time. My fever finally broke while I was vacuuming shards of glass out of the carpet.

The good news is La Nina is on the mend. She hasn't had a fever since she started the antibiotics and today, she actually ate a PB&J. I don't think she has eaten since Wednesday. I am sure she will probably be good as new and really hungry tomorrow. I hope I recover as quickly.

Ugh! Sick Again!

Hard to believe, but we are sick again. La Nina has viral pnuemonia for the second time this year. Not RSV, this time around it is probably caused by a different virus, but that is no consolation if you ask me. I suppose between her finger sucking and asthma she is doomed to suffer more ailments than usual. So far, Maggie seems ok. I am keeping my fingers crossed she stays healthy, but I have caught her sucking on La Nina's sippy cup one too many times to feel confident that she will remain healthy.

The really bad news is I think I am coming down with the same virus. The ultimate insult of motherhood: You nurse a child through illness, only to end up sick yourself. Something about being coughed on by a sick kid and helping a youngster keep their runny nose wiped clean makes a person more vulnerable to illness. Go Figure!

The pediatrician recommended a good cough medicine for me while I was there. I don't think that is a good sign. I am hoping a good night sleep and a lot of fluids will knock it out for me. If I am quiet for a couple of days, no worries. It is just the NyQuil.

To Clarify My Last Post

I received an email privately where a reader of my blog interpretted the question about Maggie's age at walking to be an intrusive question. While I have faced many, many situations in which an intrusive or inappropriate question was asked, the question about Maggie's age at walking was not intrusive or inappropriate. It was a very positive comment about Maggie's physical development. I just had to figure out how to navigate the situation without opening a bigger can of worms.

I have slightly modified my original post to try to clarify any ambiguity. In no way do I want to make people paranoid. In my opinion, asking a parent what age their child walked is completely safe.

It's the little things that throw me...

I have blogged and blogged about all the questions that people ask me, that they really shouldn't ask me. But yesterday, I struggled with the simplest question and it surprised me.

At Gymboree, Maggie was running around with the other kids in class. The Magster is very coordinated for her age, so it was no surprise that another Mom asked about me when she started walking. In and of itself, the question is a perfectly legitimate question. In no way is this an intrusive question. But, for me, answering even the most benign questions can be difficult.

The problem: I have no idea when Maggie started walking. She was walking when we met her. However, I didn't want to get into a huge adoption discussion while I was chasing Maggie. And besides, the woman wasn't asking me for Maggie's life story, she just wanted to know how long she had been walking. I answered, she walked around her 1st birthday. The woman answered, she could tell Maggie had walked young watching her. The conversation ended naturally, but it left me thinking.

It is tough, as a parent, when you don't know all the answers. Most parents take knowledge, such as the timing of first steps, for granted. I do with La Nina. I know exactly when and where she walked for the first time. With Maggie it is different. The orphanage told us on her birthday Maggie wasn't walking, but when she came to us she most definitely was. So, somewhere between October 20 and November 14 she took her first steps. It is sad that we missed that milestone, though I will never forget the first time she walked for us. The memory of our first steps is a vivid, very cherished memory.

The question reminded me that my girls had a life before I was in it. Obviously, this is part of the deal with adoption, and I admire my girls for all they endured during the first months of their lives. But it won't make answering questions about the gaps any easier.

Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork

Well- with only a couple of months before I return to work, I figured I needed started on the last piece of paperwork for Maggie's adoption: The California Readoption. I signed up with my agency last month and received the paperwork Friday, so 5 forms later, I was ready to drop it off at the courthouse this AM. From here, we are assigned a case number, then our social worker files an updated home study. We get our hearing date, show up to the hearing and complete the process with the judge, who kindly poses for pictures as he signs documents. All the adoptive families in Alameda County have the same picture with the same judge. It is sort of funny.

Before you ask: Yes, our adoption of Maggie is already final. We finalized it in China, but the only way to obtain a US birth certificate in the State of California is to readopt her. Things like school and sports will be easier for Maggie if she has a birth certificate that looks like everyone else's, so I believe in doing this step with only normal levels of whining. When we complete this process and pay a few more fees, we recieve a "Delayed Registration of Birth", which is looks the same as a birth certificate and lists her Dad and I as her parents. Then, aside from the post-placement visits required by China, we are done with paperwork! Considering I have been dealing with adoption paperwork since 2001, I am rather glad to see it wrapping up.

As I was saying, this morning, Maggie and I headed off to the courthouse to file our papers. We made it to the Courthouse, cleared security, waited in line for 10 minutes and were told we didn't have the required 2 copies of our forms to start the process, therefore we were not allowed to file. UGH! Back to the van we went with our 5 forms. What a drag. I will get the copies tomorrow and go back on Wednesday. I guess the finish line wasn't as close as I thought.

More Food Issues

Twice in the last two days people have told me some dietary experts are now recommending reducing the amount of milk we give kids. Apparently, milk is taking part of the blame in the growing problem of childhood obesity. From what I have read, if your child drinks more than 24 ounces (in some cases 16 ounces) of milk a day, it can be a meal replacement, denying your child of valuable nutrients such as iron. It is recommended that if your child needs additional calcuim you should serve broccoli or kale which are also high in calcium.

Near as I can tell, we shouldn't let our children drink anything. Actually, I can give my child 2 cups of milk a day, but nothing else. Here is why: You see, soda is obviously bad. Juice has sugar, which is considered bad. Bottled water lacks flouride, any dentist will tell you this is bad, and everyone knows tap water is potentially contaminated. Now, with these recommendations, what is a parent to do? Stop the consumption of all fluid, until someone creates the ultimate organic, sugar-free, calcuim-fortified, flourinated and non-contaminated beverage? Doesn't that sound yummy?

I find all this advice ludicrous. While common sense says too much of anything is bad, the perscriptive approach being taken by the medical community is over the top. In this day and age of trying to raise kids with a good self image so they are safe from eating disorders, all these recommendations send parents a mixed message. It seems like the experts of this world want us to control every morsel that goes into our children's bodies. Won't controlling too tightly will drive the opposite behavior or create kids obsessed with their weight? Doesn't obsessing about your child's diet just show your child that food should be an obsession? Aren't we supposed to be working against obsessive/compulsive behaviors? Is there a study that says obsession is good these days? I might have missed that.

Personally, my kids can drink juice for breakfast and at a special event or at the park sometimes. And I am not going water it down. Why kid myself that more juice is ok as long as it isn't straight juice? If I am going to give my kids juice, then I am going to give my kids juice and limit juice to one meal and an occasional snack. My kids can also have the occasional cookie and candy..not everyday, but as a treat, why not? If I say no all the time, won't that make sweets more attractive? And pizza is fine for dinner too, once in a while, as long as it is good pizza. And if there are a few days when all my kid wants to drink is milk, then their bodies must need it, so they can have it.

If doctors and dieticians want me to listen to their advice, then they need to get their story straight. Because common sense goes a lot further to raising healthy kids than trying to keep up with all the latest advice.

The Magster and Food

The Magster is going to be one of those children who grows to adulthood without ever eating a fruit or vegetable. The only vegetable she has ever eaten: peas. She calls them 'crackers' and likes to chase them around her tray. Maggie has never willingly eaten fruit. Not a banana, strawberry, watermelon, grape or cantalope. Nothing. In fact, if Maggie were in charge of the menu, she would eat only crackers. Goldfish and Ritz with Peanutbutter (I know, she is too young. Don't email me, it's a long story) are her favorites. Maggie does like protein and eats yogurt, milk, tuna, chicken, hamburger and eggs but not cheese. And she will eat pasta, rice and cereal.

Of late I have been trying to sneak vitamin-rich produce into her little body in a variety of creative ways. She will drink well-blended smoothies, so I have been making smoothies with fresh fruit every morning. This morning she was onto me and refused to drink her smoothie, so I may have to try something new with fruit. I also figured out she likes quiche when she ate broccoli cheddar quiche by the handful at lunch recently. So, tonight I am going to make her a quiche filled with broccoli. So, I am sneaking some nutrients into her from time to time, but in general, she is not a chamption food pyramid eater.

This is such a change for me. La Nina is a very adventurous eater. She (knock on wood) hasn't shown any strong food aversions. There are some things she likes better than others, but she will try anything once. Her school has even noticed, La Nina will eat anything. La Nina loves broccoli, grapes, carrots, bananas, berries of all sorts, melons, etc. In fact, she usually asks me for fruit for her snacks. Maggie, on the other hand, sniffs something, then shakes her head and says, "nnnnnN". (Maggie speak for "no".) Then she throws the offensive item on the floor. It doesn't matter if La Nina is eating it or not. Maggie just won't.

I read somewhere you are supposed to introduce a food to a child 20 times before you decide the child doesn't like something. I had to laugh. The person, who figured out their child would eat something after rejecting it 20 times, is not a well person. A few other things about that person: That person has a dirty floor. That person has thrown away a lot of food. That person has the patience and tolerance of a Saint.

In the real world, I will keep trying to get Maggie to eat a healthy diet, but I will also investigate a good multi-vitamin. Maggie may eat a banana on the 21st attempt, but her mother will have been driven nuts by about attempt number 7, and somehow, I think Maggie needs a sane mom more than a banana.

Princesses and Easter eggs!

Maggie enjoys more birthday cake

La Nina and Mulan

Happy 3rd Birthday, La Nina!

Well, I think it is safe to say that after a rough start, La Nina had a Happy Birthday and tonight, we put our 3-year-old to bed for the first time. Here is a run down of La Nina's Big Day.

We started the day off with a bang and went to our 3rd year well baby visit. Going to the doctor while healthy was very confusing for La Nina. She asked many times if she was sick. We did our best to explain the "well baby" visit concept, but we really weren't successful. Needless to say, La Nina was pronounced a healthy, petite 3 year old.

Next, we were off to the Hop Yard San Ramon for a family lunch out. We had a very nice time at lunch and the girls were well behaved.

After a dry, three hour nap, it was present time. Her favorite gift was a set of 6 pairs of dress up shoes. May be we should change her name to Immelda. Maggie gave her sister a Mulan doll and I was surprised La Nina knew exactly who Mulan was. In fact, when I asked her where Mulan was from, she told me that Mulan was from Anqing, like she was. Again, La Nina shocks me with a perfect answer.

Finally, we ended dinner with a cake and rousing version of Happy Birthday. We all enjoyed the cake and as usual, Maggie wore hers. Nothing a quick bath couldn't fix, but ick. So, all in all, a Happy Birthday for my little one.

I can't believe I have a 3-year-old. What happened to my baby? One minute she is a cuddly 9 month old, and the next she is a beautiful, headstrong 3-year-old. We are the luckiest parents in the World to have La Nina in our life.

Then Exhaustion Set In..

Before becoming a Mom, I didn't understand one key element of motherhood: Moms don't get to quit ... ever. Tired or sick, stressed or relaxed, I am always a Mom. Kids really don't care about my problems because their problems come first. As it should be. It seems like I don't ever get a break. Sure, I get a few hours off here and there. I am fortunate to have supportive family nearby and I get more breaks than most Moms, but I am always Mom which means the majority of my energy is dedicated to the care and feeding of two lovely, dark-haired, slave drivers.

Since coming home from Disneyland, I have had two days to finish getting together La Nina's Birthday Party. Thankfully, I was smart enough to rent a place for it. Even without hosting the party at home, there were goody bags to organize, paper products to purchase, food and beverages for 15 3 year olds and their parents to be arranged. The party was a blast, La Nina had a delightful time and I was very happy to put in the work for the party. At the same time, the party was a sprint that has left me winded.

Now I am sitting and writing. I should be working, but writing is the only time sit down, so it is a very attractive activity. Laundry is piled up since before Disneyland. We are about 1/2 unpacked from the trip. I haven't been grocery shopping. Bills need to be paid, the floor needs to be mopped, the to do list goes on and on.

Ok, all of this is just normal Mom whining, I know that. I have even blogged about it...but before I had kids, I really didn't see this. I heard Mom's talk about exhaustion. But, I was busy too before kids. I had lots of stuff going on and I felt tired. But here is the difference: before kids, when I needed a break, I took it. I would slow down, read a book and recover. Now...ha, there is no recovery, only another diaper to be changed or a mess to be cleaned.

Tonight Eric reminded me I tell people 2 kids is no big deal. My answer to him, "Why frighten them?" The truth is I don't want to be one of those Mom's who always complains, because most of motherhood is joyful and frankly, I do think 2 kids is manageable most of the time. So, I don't know if it is the 2 kid thing killin' me or just a super busy weekend, but whatever it is it is kicking my tail right now!

Happy birthday, La Nina!

Maggie really likes cake

Two princesses

La Nina and Ariel on the half shell

La Nina- too cool for her own good...

Maggie in some of her new Disney garb

Tigger!!!

Pooh and the girls

Disneyland by the Numbers

Sorry for the unexplained quiet on the blog, but we were in Southern California enjoying the warm weather, seeing friends and visiting Disneyland. There is so much I could write, but due to exhaustion I am just going to post "Disney by the Numbers".

• Miles traveled: 760
• Bags packed: 8
• Strollers packed: 2
• Hours of debate spent on the stroller strategy: 3
• Potty breaks enroute: 5
• False alarm potty breaks enroute: 1
• DVD viewed enroute: 6
• Meltdowns enroute: 1 per child
• Fun events attended over the weekend: 2
• Friends who met up with us for dinner or lunch: 17
• Hotels we stayed in: 2
• Times the girls woke each other up: 4 (All one direction. La Nina never returned the favor.)
  
• Bottles Heated in the Lobby of Paradise Pier in My PJs before 6 AM with a very curious Magster in my arms: 3
• Times the very curious Magster went back to sleep after her morning bottle adventure: 2
• Days in Disneyland: 3
• Characters that scared La Nina: 4
  
• Characters that scared Maggie: 0
  
• Princess Parades Attended: 3
• Mickey Parades Attended: 1
• Total Princesses Seen (Not counting Parade Princesses): 15
• Princess Parade Rallies Executed Mid Nap by La Nina: 2
• Dances With Parade Princesses during the Audience Participation part: 2 ( GO Princess La Nina!)
• Meltdowns During Dancing with Parade Princesses: 1 (May be not after a nap rally)
• Princess Story Times Attended: 1 (Belle's Story Time--It was BIG!)
• Princess Story Times Abandoned due to Scary Sound Effects: 1 (Belle was ok, but her friend was too loud!)
• Rides Maggie went on that La Nina Refused: 3
• Rides La Nina was Shamed into Attempting: 0
• Rides that we got stuck on with a terrified La Nina: 1 (It was Pooh's Adventure, for crying out loud!)
• Puddles created under La Nina's Stroller During Naps: 2
• Diaper changes in the Park: 10
• Potty Breaks in the Park: 12
• Meals of Only French Fries Eaten by both Girls: 4
• Concurrent Naps Taken While in Disneyland: 1
• Sequential Naps Taken While in Disneyland: 5
• Questions regarding "going home" from La Nina: 8
• New Words Disney Inspired in Maggie: 4 ('Pooh', 'No', 'Again' and 'Up')
  
• Tears Shed When It was Actually Time to Leave: Many

Also, I just have to write a few of the "best's" from our trip:

Best Ride Surprise: Getting stuck on Pooh's Adventure was fabulous. The behind the scenes tour we received while walking off the ride was a delight. I don't think the girls would agree.

Best Tip: Thank you former princess for tipping us off to the birthday party at the Plaza Inn. We had a blast.

Best Celebrity Sighting: Cindy Crawford eating a Churro at a Princess Parade. (She has the same stroller as me!)

Best Princess Moment: La Nina was sitting on Ariel's lap all by her big girl self. Ariel asked La Nina where she lived and La Nina answered, "At Home in Pleasanton." Atta girl!

Best Magster Moment: At the Birthday party for La Nina, the Magster had her own cake to decorate. The cake stayed clean and the Magster decorated herself. It took multiple wipes and an outfit change to repair the damage.

Sweetest Sister Moment: The girls holding hands as we walked into Disneyland the first morning.

Best Place to Change A Diaper: The Baby Care Center on Main Street by the Plaza Inn. It is like a little oasis for babies.

That is it from one tired Mom!