A Broken Arm Requires Beach Therapy

Today my little 16 month old flower, Lily got a cast for a fractured Distal Radius aka "wrist fracture." Insert 50 crying sad face icons. She has been climbing on tables, chairs, falling off things, sometimes crying sometimes not. She had been pretty fussy the past few days and had a few memorable falls this weekend and one even more memorable one last week. I had noticed her favoring her left hand, being fussy and irritable. I thought she had maybe bruised her little wrist, but nothing lead me to believe she had done anything serious. That is until yesterday when I went to put her sweater on her and as I reached in to pull her little arm through she shrieked a sort of cry that hits you right in the heart. Her little face winced up in pain and she pulled her arm back with force. I put Lily and Ella right in the car and called my pediatrician as I was driving to her office. Luckily this is the first time I have done this, so they fit me right in.

Sure enough, Doc thought it looked swollen and wanted me to get to an orthopedist asap. This morning Don and I juggled schedules so I could run Lily to get x-rays and he could take Ella to school. He then rushed over to meet me at the Doctor. Sure enough there was a fracture. One long hour, many tiny tears and one bright pink cast later we were home with our little Lily flower fast asleep in her crib. She passed out from this emotional and no doubt painful experience.

Then the greatest thing happened. She woke up, happy, cheery in fact looking for her big sister. I think it helped that Ella thought the cast was the coolest thing since sliced bread. Maybe even a bit envious. My sweet little Lily was back. She was adjusting nicely to this new accessory and was quick to lift it up to show Elle.

It couldn't have been a more beautiful day, crisp but sunny and an amazing breeze. Don ended up taking the rest of the day off to make sure Lily was ok, and probably more accurately to make sure I was ok. Once we saw Lily bopping around acting like her normal self we realized we needed to get outdoors. So myself, Don, Ella, Lily and our two pups Belly and Lulu piled into the mini van for a beach adventure. It was the best medicine and a great way to connect as a family. We dug in the sand, threw a makeshift ball for Belly to retrieve 500 times, searched for "sheshouws" as Lily calls it and we somehow turned around a pretty crummy day and made it positively memorable.

Mommy Mantra: Make your kids an incredible Part of your life, not your WHOLE life.

Tonight was a makeshift dinner night. Progresso Italian Wedding Meatball soup for the girls with Neapolitan ice cream for dessert. Don had left over Chinese, I had Greek yogurt and granola. Ella ate her soup, ice cream, Don's Moo Shu Pork and 5 big bites of my yogurt with granola. I think she is growing, or maybe just becoming a strange foodie of sorts. Anyway you look at it, she didn't go to bed hungry.

Tis the Season to be Cozy.

Rainy and cold, the cusp of fall. This time of year, this is all I want and need;

a giant bread bowl filled with soup,
my bathrobe,
slippers, one pink, one black, I couldn't find either match.
mugs of coffee the size of my head,
soft scarves,
snuggly babies
and a good cozy couch to soak it all up in.

Fall is my season.

Mommy Mantra: Make your kids an incredible part of your life, not your WHOLE life.

I have no parenting anecdotes tonight, just a yummy semi-homemade dinner I would like to share. Ella found this to be unappealing. Lily, Don and I gobbled it up. 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

Butternut Squash, roasted corn and black bean soup in an acorn squash bowl. Ok, so acorn squash is NOT a bread bowl by any stretch of imagination, but this Mama of two is cutting carbs. It was delish! Eat the soup and bowl! Yummmm. Wish I took a picture, it was so pretty.

If you are happy and you know it, read my blog!

What a cool day today was. "Wine, Cheese, Baby blog" got a little nod from American Baby Magazine. I knew the blurb was coming, I had been contacted by a writer for the magazine a few months ago. She was looking for some background info and a picture. She told me she would like to take some quotes from my Blog for the magazine. I was shocked that anyone other than my facebook buddies and my Mom were reading!

I wasn't sure what she was going to quote and I must admit I got a little nervous. Would she quote me making fun of Mom jeans? Or talking about how much I love my mini van? Or possibly me telling people they don't HAVE to go to Disney World? I was relieved; that what she decided to take was something from the "heart" of the reason I started blogging. She wrote "Celina says: Take a vow to keep doing what you love, No, that doesn't mean you can lounge on the beach whenever, but kids are often welcome at concerts and nice restaurants". I think when it boils down to it, if I am happy, my kids will be happy. They will learn to savor life and find enjoyment in everything that comes their way.

Tonight, appropriately enough we went to a Wine and Cheese bar to celebrate. The girls got mini cheese plates with grapes and organic milk, Don had an imported beer and I got Fisticuffs Cabernet and some seriously delicious truffle cheese. We followed up with frozen yogurt and a walk along the harbor. Not too shabby for a Tuesday night.

Mommy Mantra- Make your kids an incredible Part of your life, not your WHOLE life.

Mommy what's a Bar?

Ella: Mommy what's a Bar? (From the backseat of our minivan after dropping Don to have a few drinks with old college buddies.)

Me: It's a place where people go to buy food and drinks.

Ella: Is it like a granola Bar?

Me: No, a Bar is more of a restaurant that grown-ups can go to and get grown-up drinks.

Ella: Is it like a Bar I can do pull-ups on, like a Monkey Bar?

Me: (Long pause, think think think...) Yes, yes it is.

Sometimes you just HAVE to be a toilet

In our family, our kids are rarely called by their names. Ella's first nicknames were Butter, Butterino, Puppadino, One Sock Sally... These days Ella goes by Mrs. Melindez. To understand these names, you need to know my husband. Even when you know my husband you probably still won't understand. I should know I'm trying to figure it out everyday.

On a road trip Ella decided she didn't want to be called Mrs. Melindez anymore. So Don asked her, what she wanted her nickname to be. She looked in the rearview mirror at him looking at her and said with all seriousness, "Fire".

She then named Lily "Farm Animal" and Daddy became "Choo Choo Train". She seemed satisfied with all of these names and settled back into her car seat and looked out the window.

Don yelled into the back, "but what about Mommy?"

Ella perked up and said loudly, "Mommy is Toilet".

Don immediately turned purple. He was laughing so hard but no sound was coming out. He just looked at me. I was speechless. I asked her to repeat it just incase she actually said what I thought she said.

"Mommy you are Toilet."


She was all matter of fact, like this is a perfectly fine nickname for the mother who gave birth to all 9.5 pounds of her. Nice, real nice Ella.

So, Fire, Farm Animal, Choo Choo Train and Toilet continued on our car ride. Eventually I got a new nickname, but I have a feeling Toilet will stick around for a few years, especially if my hubby has anything to do with it.

Mommy Mantra- Make your kids an incredible Part of your life, not your WHOLE life.

Tonight the kids ate without Don and I. We both had late lunches so I cooked just for the girls. My girls LOVE salmon, so I bought these salmon patties from Whole Foods, they heat up really nice and it’s an easy go to meal for me. Salmon patties, cannelloni beans and peas; I know, it sounds terrible. To my defense, Lily ate her whole plate and then some. Ella ate all her salmon and peas and promised me she would eat the beans for lunch tomorrow. SO cute.

A Sleepover Forever

While we were away on vacation Ella and Lily shared a room the whole time. When we came home Ella asked me the most adorable question ever. "Mom, when can I have a sleepover with my sister forever?" Anytime she refers to Lily as "my sister" I melt. So that comment, coupled with Ella's adorable desire to spend every moment with her sister, made me want to smother her with kisses. This question started my quest at putting my two girls in the same bedroom together.

Before the change both my girls loved their rooms. I have prided myself in making their bedrooms the coziest little nests possible. I have filled them with the softest blankets, the happiest colors and all their favorite things. To me this is what a little girl's room should be; filled with joy and happiness and comfort. I was worried that with the change I would mess up their amazing sleep schedules and content nights. Still though, Ella's question tugged at my heart strings, I had to give it a shot.

This weekend Don took apart cribs, moved couches, lugged dressers - all without a single complaint. The whole time Ella was hopping up and down looking to help. With this change we were gaining Lily's old room back as a playroom. This made the move all the more appealing to Ella - Her very own playroom! I saw the happiness oozing out of her little smile.

Has it been seemless? No. Nap time is tough, but we are working out the kinks.

Being 11 years older than my sister, I never had the chance to do many sisterly things. We never shared a room, rode the school bus together, or shared clothes. I wish all those things for my little girls. We always read books about sisters and I try to drive home the lesson that they are best friends first before all others. I want them to always be close. I'm hoping that sharing a room will start them off in the right direction. I am a realist though; I know this love of each other and sharing a room will change with age, and we can switch it up then. For now though, tucking them into bed, reading them a book together and listening outside the door as Ella whispers "goodnight" to Lily is the most amazing way to end my day.

Mommy Mantra - Make your kids an incredible Part of your life, not your WHOLE life.
My brother is in town, so he picked up pizzas and we packed up and had dinner on the beach. The sunset was incredible, Ella and Don went swimming, Lily practiced her walking and I got to relax and enjoy one of the best perks of living on Long Island - the beach. Pizza, Cold Beer, Beach, Sunset, Family, Perfect. I want more nights like tonight.

Ella said "My ears are wiggling, I need...

Gum."

On our vacation to California, Ella discovered a new "true love". Since we were flying, I thought it would be an exciting way for me to introduce her to gum to keep her ears from popping during take-off and landing. I told her she could have gum only on airplanes or if her ears were popping in a car ride. Here we are 10 days later, back at home in New York and she walked into the living room and announced to Don and I, "Mom, my ears are wiggling. I NEED gum." She was serious as can be, and pointing to her ears, as if we could see them wiggling and duh, she NEEDED gum ASAP!

Rewind the clock 10 days and you would see us boarding a plane for San Francisco. Our cozy crew consisted of, Lily; my one year old who just learned to walk and was eager to show off this skill at every opportunity, Ella; my 3 1/2 year old who asks "why" every 30 seconds, and Don and I; two parents desperate for a relaxing, romantic, adventurous, soul-fulfilling family vacation. We knew we had our work cut out for us. It was a whirlwind trip with visits to San Francisco, Oakland, Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey, Napa...all while reconnecting and catching up with old friends. We were determined. The three hour time difference threw the whole thing off to begin with, so we had a "handicap" right out of the gate. Surprisingly though, Ella and Lily adjusted. I really want to recap the whole amazing trip with all the adorable moments, beautiful scenery and sweet family time, but there is too much to share and I fear I might bore you. We somehow managed it all though. We were able to visit with our greatest friends, drink amazing wine in Napa, drive the incredible Pacific Highway 1, stay in a "tree house" in Big Sur, roll around on the beach in Carmel, have a beer at Monterey Pier, enjoy a date night, hike Redwood forest, and on our last night, see Eddie Vedder in concert. We felt like rock stars for actually pulling it off; we connected as a family and were still able to have an adult-friendly vacation. The best part, our girls loved every minute of it.

When we got back home Don and I reflected on the trip. At home we stick to a great routine that works for our family, but on vacation we threw it out the window. Not realizing it at first, we both have the same philosophy. On vacation, not too much is off limits. The kids can stay up late, enjoy extra desserts, get dirty, laugh until it hurts and be as silly as possible. That is what makes vacations so exciting. As kids, Don and I both had that feeing when we would go away with our own families and it felt nice to bring that feeling to our girls.

Ella cried when we left California, but when we got home she hugged her toys so tight and tucked herself into bed. Vacation is so dreamy, but so is the cozy house to come home to.

Mommy Mantra - "Make your kids an incredible Part of your ife, not your WHOLE life."
Tonight Don cooked. He made breaded tilapia, rice pilaf with spinach and sauteed eggpant, mushrooms and zucchini. I am loving this stage with Lily, she is willing to eat anything we give her. Eating is so exciting to her because she is experimenting with a fork. Pile it on the fork and she happily picks it up and shoves it in. No matter what it is, she will pop it in and hand me back the empty fork to reload.